Kyle Busch 2018 season review

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, finished fourth in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings. Here are the highlights from his 14th full year competing in NASCAR's premier division.

Busch turned in a superb campaign that saw him as a season-long dominating force. His eight wins tied him with Kevin Harvick for most in the series, and he ranked second in top fives, top 10s and laps led. Only Harvick was better in each category.

It became apparent quite early that Busch and the No. 18 team were operating on a higher level than most everyone else. Busch had three second-place finishes and a third-place finish in the first six races, then rolled off three consecutive wins by taking the checkered flag at Texas, Bristol and Richmond.

Busch's winning streak featured him scoring victories where he qualified well, and also not so well. He won from the pole at Bristol, while he had to overcome starting 32nd at Richmond. The latter was the farthest back Busch has started in a race he would go on to win, eclipsing his previous mark of 30th at Sonoma Raceway in 2008.

Off the track, Busch had a memorable guest appearance on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s popular podcast, "The Dale Jr. Download," in April. During the nearly 90-minute show, Busch and Earnhardt discussed in-depth their once-heated rivalry that included Busch spinning Earnhardt out of the lead during the 2008 spring race at Richmond. The podcast garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews and spotlighted a side of Busch rarely seen in public.

Among Busch's eight wins in 2018 was his first-ever Cup points triumph at Charlotte. He started on the pole then steamrolled the field in the Coca-Cola 600, leading 377 of a possible 400 laps.

Busch had a starring role in what may have been the most thrilling finish of the season. He was leading Kyle Larson on the final lap at Chicagoland when Larson attempted a banzai pass but couldn't complete it. He instead slid into Busch and pushing him into the wall as they raced off Turn 2. Busch got his revenge by catching Larson in Turn 3 where he put the bumper to Larson that sent the No. 42 car spinning, allowing Busch to retake the lead and the win.

Amid a chorus of boos as he stood on the start-finish line and rejoiced in his dramatic victory at Chicagoland, Busch offered a reverberating quote to anyone who questioned his tactics on the final lap: "I don't know what you all are whining about, but if you don't like that kind of racing, don't even watch."

Busch's win in the fall playoff race at Richmond represented a significant achievement for the 33-year-old driver. It was the 50th win of his career in NASCAR's top series, making him just the 13th person to accomplish the feat.

For the fourth straight season, Busch earned a spot in the Championship 4 field at Homestead. But he fell short of winning a second Cup title, finishing fourth in the finale behind Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick.