Behind the Wall: 2017 NASCAR Week 36: Homestead

By Richard Tix

What to Watch For

All Eye's on the Championship Four

This is a no brainer, of course we're watching to see who round's out the 2017 as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Champion. Will it be a first time Champion who has absolutly dominated the field most of the year (Martin Truex Jr) or will it be one of the other three all trying to become multi Champions? Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Brad Keselowski have all each won just one Cup Championship and want to make sure no one thought their first was a fluke. Busch, Harvick, and Keselowski are the only drivers not named Jimmie Johnson (2013 and 2016) to have won a Championship since 2012 when BK won. So, you have the most dominate driver of 2017 up again three of the best drivers in the last five years, so it should be fun.

Dale Earnhardt Jr

Even for a star that is as bright as Junior, this final season hasn't seemed to be as focused on him as I thought it would be. Part of that is because he spent the early season trying to get speed for the weekend. However, all the tributes have been a nice touch (including the Budweiser video that hits you right in the feels). If you haven't watched "One Last Ride" by Budweiser, go do it now (Follow the link), trust me you won't regret it. No words can truly describe the impact he has made on the sport whether you're part of Jr Nation or not. He is one of those rare drivers that actually transcended the sport and has actually been a main stay in pop culture during his entire career. Thankfully we will still see him (and hear him) around a ton, but he will still be missed wheeling around a Cup car on Sundays.

Matt Kenseth and Danica Patrick's Final Ride?

We know it's Junior's last Cup race (at least in a full time season, time will tell if he gets an itch to run a one off), but not as certain future days lie ahead for Kenseth and Patrick. Kenseth has all but said he most likely won't be back in 2018 because he just can't find a good offer with a quality team. It's a sad reality in today's NASCAR where opportunity, sponsors, and teams trying to cut cost's all play a larger factor than a Championship driver who still wants to drive does. If it is his last ride, it was a fun career and we got to see him go out with a win at PIR last week.
Danica's future is even murkier. We know for a fact she will not be in the No. 10 in 2018, as that ride it being taken over by Aric Almirola next year. So, that also means we know she won't be back with SHR. What we do know is she has made a huge impact to the sport of NASCAR and it's diversity in the fan base that is hard to actually quantify. She has been a polarizing figure and if it is her last run on Sunday, it will be a big loss especially considering we may already be losing Kenseth and are losing Earnhardt Jr on the track.

Championship Preview

Martin Truex Jr. - No. 78

Martin hands down had the best season as anyone did in 2017. Coming into Homestead he has seven wins (a NASCAR best), 18 top fives (a NASCAR best), 25 top tens (a NASCAR best), three poles (third best in NASCAR), and he led 2,175 laps (a NASCAR best). Not a bad season if I'd say so. In the first two rounds he locked himself into the future rounds by a win (Charlette in round one and Kansas in round two). Last round Martin proved just how important all the bonus race win and stage win points really were all season as they easily helped him advance on points. In fact, they were such a help he was locked into the finale at Homestead on points before Phoenix even dropped the green flag last Sunday. He is the favorite this weekend just because of how hot his season has gone and because Miami is a 1.5 mile track. Last year he finished 36th (wreck) in this race and this hasn't always been his best track so the other drivers do have a glimmer of hope.

Kevin Harvick - No. 4

Harvick won Texas and posted two other top fives in the final round just to remind people he is still a Championship caliber driver. Now he heads to Homestead and people are finally talking about him. However, all season he has been hanging around posting consistent finishes while SHR got adjusted to it's new manufacturer in Ford. Going into the finale Harvick still has two wins, 13 top fives, and 22 top tens in what most would call a down season for him. Sometimes I laugh at his "closer" nickname some people have given him, but this weekend it really might be a legit thing. His last three finishes at Homestead are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd so Harvick isn't a "dark horse" this weekend, but rather a legit championship contender.

Kyle Busch - No. 18

Rowdy posted his second season with five wins in the last three years and it's the third time he has 5 or more in his career (eight in 2008). 2017 also marked the 13th straight season he posted a win (at least one in every full time season he has run in Cup). Last year he finished 6th at Homestead and the year before that he won the race and the Championship, so we know Kyle can get it done. He has had a bit of consistency issues during the Playoffs, but at Homestead it won't matter. This No. 18 team has been one of the fastest teams all year so just like the two above, they have a legit shot at becoming the 2017 Champions.

Brad Keselowski - No. 2

Keselowski may be the only true underdog of the four Championship drivers, but that doesn't mean he doesn't belong to be here. BK is limping in after and up and down day at PIR that included being out, in, out, and back in the Championship four, but the 16th place finish was by far his worst finish and run all playoffs so the No. 2 can still get it going. BK still goes into Homestead with three wins, 15 top fives, and 20 top tens this season which isn't too shabby considering how dominate Toyota was compared to Ford. Last year BK ended his day at Miami in a wreck finishing 35th, but in the three races before that here he finished 3rd, 3rd, and 6th. BK has yet to win at Homestead, but in 2015 he led 86 laps and showed he can be a front runner here when it matters most.

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