Kyle Busch 2017 Season Recap

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, finished second in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings. Here are highlights from his 13th full-time season.

Things were not going Busch's way early in the season after crashing out of the Daytona 500 and finishing 16th at Atlanta, and things boiled over at Las Vegas. After contact with Joey Logano on the last lap cost Busch a top-five finishing position, he marched down pit road and let the Team Penske driver know how he felt.

The early season of oh-so-close and frustration came to an end in late July at Pocono Raceway of all places. Busch's first checkered flag of the year was also his first at the 'Tricky Triangle' in 26 starts.

For the second time in his career it was the 'Kyle Busch Show' throughout the weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch swept all three NASCAR national series races, a feat he first accomplished in 2010.

At driver introductions each weekend Busch receives a mixture of jeers and cheers. But off the track, he has perfected the art of crowd-pleasing. Through social media we've seen Busch pull up next to unsuspecting fans in traffic, sign No. 18 flags in the campground along with many other adventures.

With the fastest lap at New Hampshire (135.049 mph) for the second race in the playoffs, Busch made it eight Coors Light Pole Awards on the season. It was a number no other driver would match as Busch captured the most poles during the year.

A victory at New Hampshire in September was the first of two straight for Busch in the Playoffs and further solidified his place in the next round as well as a title favorite. It was the third win of the season for Busch, who would chase down Chase Elliott late at Dover the following week for his fourth win of 2017.

A dramatic ending in the playoff race at Martinsville Speedway in October saw Busch emerge from the ruckus as the winner. The victory, his fifth and final on the season, clinched him a spot in the Championship 4 for the third straight year.

If his Twitter page isn't clear enough about his feelings for Brad Keselowski, Busch didn't hold back during Championship 4 Media Day, saying, 'sometimes you just don't like a guy.'

Ending the season second in the championship standings, Busch was one of just two drivers (along with champion Martin Truex Jr.) to lead more than 2,000 laps. Busch also had the second-most wins in the series (five).