Truex wrapped up his first Cup title Sunday night by winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he beat Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski for the championship. All but Truex were former champions, but Truex was the favorite.
He thrived in that role, didn't flinch when fellow Toyota driver Busch tried to use a different pit strategy to steal the title, then held off a hard-charging Busch over the final 12 laps to capture the title.
Kyle Larson, who was eliminated from the playoffs last month, finished third in a Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing.