Ford EcoBoost 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
By Richard Tix
The year has come and gone once again. Even though it is the longest season in sports, it always feels like it went by fast. NASCAR heads into its final week at Homestead-Miami to run the second Finale of the "New Chase Era." Last year Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, and Denny Hamlin all had a shot at the title at Miami.
This year only one guy has that same shot again and it happens to be the 2014 Champ, Harvick. Joining Harvick is Jeff Gordon (the only driver to advance last round with a win), Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr.
Each has there own story on not only how they got here, but also how there season will be remembered.
Kevin Harvick is going for his second Sprint Cup Championship and back to back titles. Jeff Gordon is finally going for his 5th Championship and is retiring from full time after this race. Kyle Busch only raced part of the season but put on such a show that fans started to forget about that. Lastly, Martin Truex Jr is the Cinderella that has fought through the season on the track and in his personal life.
Like the new Chase or hate it, you can make cases for each driver this weekend and why they deserve it. Maybe some fans are reluctant to be like every other sport in the world and have some type of playoff where the field is almost reset and even the Cinderella has a small shot. But that is what is fun about this format, it gives drivers a shot to keep pushing with 5 races left (unlike if they were 200 points out, which would be the case 99% of the time).
8 drivers still had a shot going into the second to last race of the season, which is fantastic for entertainment. And before you say it, sport is entertainment so if you want to argue with others NASCAR is a sport you have to think about that for a moment.
Either way, one of the best drivers of 2015 still has a shot at Miami (Harvick), as does one of the hottest drivers of 2015 (Busch), and the consistent Cinderella (Truex). Sure, some power houses missed out like Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and Jimmie Johnson, but that is the part about this "Era" that puts it all on the line in the last 10 races that is great. In every other sport it is not always the best team that wins. It is not always the team with the most season wins. It is the team who fights through adversity in moments of true pressure, this is the new Chase.
We are doing this weeks Preview a bit different. For one week we will toss out the "Good, Middle, and Bad" and just focus on the last four, because in the end that is mainly how we will remember this race.
Don't worry, next year the same format will come back to race previews. Speaking of next year, the season maybe about done but NASCAR Behind the Wall will still have a ton of offseason coverage. We will check on driver reviews, team reviews, and then jump back into the 2016 preview articles including team, driver, predictions, and much more. All of this should help get you through this long (actually short) offseason!
2014 Week 36 Preview: Homestead (A look back to last year before this very same race)
The Favorite
- Kevin Harvick- Seriously, the other three drivers have to at minimum finish top 5 to win the title. Why? Because Harvick has 12 top 10's in 14 starts including 6 top 5's. Last year he actually won this race to lock in the no doubt Championship. The Championship doesn't have to be won by taking 1st, but a top 5 will be a must.
Next in Line
- Kyle Busch- No, Miami is not his strongest track, but he and JGR have been strong for months now. After Harvick it is really anyone's title to win anyways, so if the #4 is back in 12th in the closing laps start looking for Kyle up front. He has been one of the more consistent drivers during the Chase, which is why he finally made it through and put himself in a spot to finally win a Championship.
Best Way to Finish
- Jeff Gordon- Sure back to back sounds cool. Yeah a short season title run is impressive. Ok, I love Cinderellas and can't fight that one, but what would be better then seeing Gordon off into the sunset with his 5th title? It would be the perfect ending to an amazing career for Gordon.
The Cinderella
- Martin Truex Jr- You know what, in 10 starts here Truex has 7 top 10's and 3 top 5's. That isn't exactly a Cinderella for the track, but he sure is for the 2015 season. After the struggles of 2014 and getting kicked to the curb in 2013, Truex and Furniture Row has come a long way and it is cool to see a one car team with a real shot. In his last four he has two top 5's and three top 10's, so Truex is a real threat this weekend and would make one heck of a story.
2014 Ford EcoBoost 400 Photo Recap
Homestead Weekend Articles:
I again want to thank everyone for checking the site out this season. Along the way I have got to talk to a ton of fans and see a ton of different opinions. It has been a fun season and I look forward to reviewing the season and moving onto next year! The readers and followers on Twitter/Google+ make this all worth it. NBTW doesn't make more than chump change so I can tell you it isn't for the money, its all about the love of the sport and a way to express my opinion to other while getting to hear other fans perspective! So, together we can get through this offseason and start the third full season of NASCAR Behind the Wall (2013 was a partial year).
