"It's not easy to win in any division in this sport when you're racing against some of the best," Busch said. "It's a big deal."

Busch held off a hard-charging Carl Edwards to win the 300-mile race, a fitting ending because the two NASCAR stars finished 1-2 in the final standings.

By the numbers, Busch was sensational in NASCAR's second-tier series.

He led a record 2,698 laps, had a record 11 second-place finishes and finished 210 points ahead of Edwards.

Busch's championship run helped the cocky 24-year-old star get his swagger back and eased the sting from his failure to qualify for the Chase for the championship in the Sprint Cup Series.

"It says a lot about the people I'm around," Busch said.

About the only bummer for Busch was missing the latest Denny Hamlin-Brad Keselowski fireworks behind him. Hamlin and Keselowksi wasted little time adding another combustible chapter to a feud that dates back to last season.

The latest run-in came when Hamlin made good on his promise to go after Keselowski as payback for a series of wrecks. Hamlin cashed in when he tapped Keselowski from behind and spun him out on lap 35, though not a serious enough hit to end his day.

The two raced side-by-side or bumper-to-bumper for most of the race, sparking some life into a finale that needed some juice after Busch wrapped up his title at the start.

NASCAR parked Hamlin for a lap for rough driving. Hamlin said crews from the other teams cheered and applauded as he pulled the No. 11 Toyota into pit road.

The escalating feud might have one more round in today's Sprint Cup race.

"I challenge anybody to get wrecked as much as we have by one driver to not do anything," Hamlin said. "The weekend ain't over, either."