HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Kyle Busch only needed the green flag to drop to win his first NASCAR title. His coronation was never in doubt and neither, really, was the outcome of the Nationwide Series finale.

Busch made it a double dose of celebration for Joe Gibbs Racing, wrapping up the series championship before turning a single lap and capping the night at Homestead-Miami Speedway with his ninth trip to Victory Lane.

"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 Ford 300, 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.

Jeff Burton, Joey Logano and Danny Hamlin round out the top five. Brad Keselowski, third in the final standings, was 12th.

Busch became the first Nationwide champ to win the season finale since Sam Ard in 1983.

"It hasn't been done in a long time, so I guess you know how hard it is to do for someone to come out here and win the final race of the year," Busch said.

Busch grabbed the Nationwide championship flag and wildly waved it from the top of his No. 18 Toyota.

Busch has 20 wins this season in the Trucks Series, Nationwide and Sprint Cup.