HOMESTEAD, Fla. (WTVA/AP) - Olive Branch native Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the sixth driver to win consecutive championships in NASCAR's Nationwide Series.
Stenhouse finished sixth Saturday in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, edging Elliott Sadler for the title.
About the only drama in the race was whether Stenhouse would play it safe. He did, but not without several close calls. His Roush Fenway Racing team even had to remind him several times in the final 10 laps to avoid potential pitfalls.
Regan Smith won the 300-mile race. Kyle Busch was second, followed by Brandan Gaughan, Sam Hornish Jr. and Austin Dillon.
Smith did some smoky burnouts, then headed to Victory Lane. But Stenhouse had dibs on the bigger celebration.
Stenhouse became the first driver since Martin Truex Jr. in 2005 to win back-to-back titles in the second-tier series.
