Homestead, Fla. ? Kyle Busch made it a double dose of celebration, winning the Nationwide Series championship before completing a lap and capping his night at Homestead-Miami Speedway with his ninth trip to Victory Lane.

Busch held off a hard-charging Carl Edwards to win the 300-mile race, a fitting ending because the two NASCAR stars finished 1-2 in the final standings.

“It’s not easy to win in any division in this sport when you’re racing against the best,” Busch said.

Busch only needed to start the race Saturday night to win his first NASCAR title. When the green flag dropped on the race, Busch was the champ.

Busch finished with nine wins in the second-tier series and had 11 second-place finishes. He finished with a 210-point lead over polesitter Edwards.

“It was fun to watch and fun to be a part of at the end,” Busch said. “I felt like I wasn’t the best driver here tonight, but the guys gave me a car capable of winning.”

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

Busch, who won his 30th career Nationwide race, wasn’t the only driver setting off fireworks.

Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin added another chapter to their simmering feud early in the race.

The latest run-in came when Hamlin made good on his promise to go after Keselowski. Hamlin tapped Keselowski from behind and spun him out on lap 35, though not a serious enough hit to end his day.

The two raced side-by-side or bumper-to-bumper for most of the race, sparking some life into a finale that needed some juice after Busch wrapped up his title at the start.

NASCAR parked Hamlin for a lap for rough driving. Hamlin said crews from the other teams cheered and applauded as he pulled the No. 11 Toyota into pit road.

“I don’t really hold any grudges. I’m ready to move on,” Keselowski said. “I’ve already moved on. Hopefully, he feels the same way.”

Jeff Burton, Joey Logano and Hamlin rounded out the top five. 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.

NFL

Browns interest Holmgren

Cleveland — Former Seattle and Green Bay coach Mike Holmgren says he would be interested in working for the Cleveland Browns.

Holmgren said on his weekly radio show on Seattle’s KJR that he has not yet spoken to Browns owner Randy Lerner, who is looking for a “serious, credible leader” football authority to run his struggling team. Holmgren did not say if he would like to coach again, but indicated he would be welcome the chance to take on a rebuilding project like the 1-8 Browns.

Titans WR Gage out

Nashville, Tenn. — Tennessee receiver Justin Gage is out for the Titans’ game against the Texans because of broken bones in his lower back.

Gage has not practiced since breaking the transverse process bones in his back at San Francisco on Nov. 8. Rookie Kenny Britt will make a second consecutive start at Houston on Monday night.

Coach Jeff Fisher also ruled out linebacker Colin Allred because of a hamstring that kept him out of a third straight practice Saturday.

Saints’ Bush to miss trip

New Orleans — Running back Reggie Bush and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis are not traveling with the New Orleans Saints for today’s game against Tampa Bay. A team spokesman said Saturday that both players had been downgraded on the official injury report from questionable to out with knee injuries. Both players are expected to be back at practice next week.

Bush missed practice this week due to swelling in his left knee, the same knee on which he had surgery last December to repair cartilage. Bush is coming off one of his best games of the season in St. Louis last Sunday, when he gained 98 yards and scored two touchdowns on six rushes and a pair of receptions.

BOXING

Ward defeats Kessler

Oakland, Calif. — Andre Ward claimed the WBA 168-pound title with an unanimous technical decision over Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler on Saturday night, adding his first world championship belt to his Olympic gold medal with a stunning upset victory in his hometown.

GOLF

Westwood keeps Dubai lead

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Lee Westwood maintained his two-shot lead at the Dubai World Championships after shooting a 6-under 66 Saturday in the third round. The Englishman made six birdies to take his total to 15-under 201. England’s Ross McGowan was second after a 66.

Westwood opened up a five-shot advantage over Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, his only remaining rival for the Race to Dubai. Should he win both titles, Westwood will receive $2.75 million and become Europe’s No. 1 player for the first time since 2000.

Rain plagues LPGA event

Richmond, Texas — Persistent rain and wet conditions have washed out play at the LPGA Tour Championship, forcing officials to cut the season-ending event to 54 holes. More than 1.2 inches of rain fell on The Houstonian Country Club layout from Friday morning until the decision was made at 2:30 p.m. Saturday to cancel play for the day.

Play is expected to resume at 8 a.m. today to complete the second round. A cut will be made to the low 70 scores and ties and a third round and final round will be played starting at 7 a.m. Monday.

Tournament leader Lorena Ochoa and most of the other players were not in the clubhouse when the decision was made to cancel play on Saturday and return today when the forecast is for sunny and dry conditions.

Two tied at Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach, Calif. — Rickie Fowler shot a 5-under 67 at Del Monte, and former PGA champion Mark Brooks had a 69 at Spyglass Hill on Saturday to share the third-round lead in the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational.

BASEBALL

Bucs designate Karstens

Pittsburgh — The Pittsburgh Pirates designated right-hander Jeff Karstens for assignment and claimed right-hander Chris Jakubauskas off waivers from Seattle. Karstens was 4-6 with a 5.42 earned-run average. He was acquired from the Yankees in 2008. Jakubauskas was 6-7 with a 5.32 ERA in 35 games after unexpectedly making the majors at age 30.