2015 Week 36 Preview: Homestead

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:

• Entry List
• TV Schedule
• Power Rankings
• 2015 Paint Schemes

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).

2015 Homestead Entry List

Ford EcoBoost 400

By Richard Tix

Entry list from Jayski.com

Pit Road Week 36: Homestead-Miami

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Week 36

By Richard Tix

"This new format is unfair." "I love the excitement the Chase brings." "How can a guy with 6 wins not be in the final race for the title?" "Every race down the stretch has drama, I love it!" 

Just a few quotes from fans down the stretch of the 2014 NASCAR season. The opinions were all over the board at the end of the season. But, it has people talking about NASCAR again. No matter where you stand, Kevin Harvick won the last two races when he most needed a win and deserved to be the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion.

When you mention the fastest drivers of 2014 you would include two Chase drivers (Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano) and two guys who were eliminated the round before (Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski). So, for some fans it may not have gave them the results they wanted to, but in the end one of the fastest of 2014 did win. (For the record, Dale Earnhardt Jr would be on the nest list of fastest guys of 2014)

I'm still a fan of this Chase format. Everyone can have there opinion, and I expect that considering NASCAR has a diverse fan base. But, you can't deny it has injected NASCAR with some needed excitement down the stretch run of the season (when fighting the NFL, NBA, and NHL for ratings). Its the hardest time to have a Championship for a sport fighting with the US's most popular sport. But, having a Chase format that breeds drama will help a bit.

NASCAR will need the ratings to run over into the 2015 season and run with it, though. No matter how you slice it 2014 was a fin season and is unfortunately over.

In the end Kevin Harvick is your 2014 Sprint Cup Champion. He road the up's and downs of the season and fought through the adversity to come up with a strong finish and win his first Championship. 

Before we get to the last power rankings of the 2014 season I was to give a huge thanks to all the fans that check out NASCAR behind the Wall. All season long you guys have been great and I can't wait until the 2015 season to do it all again! I will be updating some offseason news until the Daytona 500 and also be updating the 2015 Paint Scheme Page when we get more scheme's released. So, do continue to come back to get any NASCAR news you may have missed!

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 36 (Week 35)

1. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion. That's really all that needs to be said. He locked in his spot at Miami by winning at Phoenix (4th time in the last 5 races there) and then locked in his first Sprint Cup Championship by winning at Homestead. Congrats Kevin Harvick and that whole #4 team!
2. Denny Hamlin (LW-3)- Hamlin didn't have a great season, but he put himself in a position to win the Championship on Sunday. Homestead is actually a really good track for Hamlin and he proved that by leading 50 laps, but he came up just short when he had a rough restart down the stretch.
3. Brad Keselowski (LW- BK won the most races in 2014 (6), had the most top 5's (17), tied for the third most top 10's (20), lead the second most laps (1,540), and had the second most Pole awards (5). If you talk about guys who didn't make the final, he and Gordon had some of the best season's in 2014. He finished the season with finishes of 3rd, 4th, and 3rd.
4. Ryan Newman (LW-4)- For all the knocks fans gave Newman during the Chase he sure did try and give Harvick a run for his money while finishing 2nd at Homestead. Sure, you can argue some other guys should have been in the final four instead of a zero win Newman, but let me tell you this: Newman had the 5th best Average finish in 2014 with zero wins (ahead of season Champ Harvick). He did what he had to at the time he needed to, hard to knock that.
5. Jeff Gordon (LW-5)- Jeff Gordon had a great season in 2014. It's crazy to think how many rumors were going around to start the season about retirement. What did him in was 3 finishes in the Chase of 26th and higher. He finished 15th or higher four times in ten races, which will make it tough under any system (except points only) to win. I hope he comes back just as strong ad 2014 next year, its always good to see the stars do well. 
6. Matt Kenseth (LW-8)- One season after winning 7 races Matt Kenseth couldn't find VL. Now, I knew he wasn't going to match 7, and I figured it would be way down from that, but not many people would have predicted zero. Kenseth did still finish the season off with four top 10's in his last five races.
7. Joey Logano (LW-2)- Season high's in wins, top 5's, top 10's, average start, and average finish. 2014 was the true coming out party for JoLo. He seems to have found a comfort zone at Team Penske in just two short years. He was in the hunt for a Championship until his team had trouble with a jack late in the race. Remember, Joey is just 24 years old.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-7)- Jr got off to a really strong start in 2014. Overall he had a great year but some seem to look past the let down the last part of the season was. In his last 15 races he finished outside the top 10 a total of 10 times and five of those finishes were 17th or higher. To put that in perspective, he only finished outside the top ten 6 times in the first 21 races. But, enough negative since this was still a very good season for Jr. His early season was so strong he still ended up with his highest win total (4) and top 5's (12) since 2004.
9. Kurt Busch (LW-9)- 2014 isn't going to be the best season Kurt looks back on and it certainly couldn't be what he was expecting. He did finish the last five races on a strong note, though. It's interesting to note that he was better in almost every category in 2013 with Furniture Row (other than his win with SHR this season).
10. Kyle Larson (LW-NR)- The next few years of NASCAR should be fun with all the new young talent coming in. Larson is just another example of that talent. He just missed the Chase in his rookie season, but pulled off 6 top 10's in the ten Chase races. It will be fun to see him develop over the next few seasons. 
11. Jimmie Johnson (LW-NR)- No matter how you look at it, JJ had a rough season. His average finish of 15.3 was his worst of his career (full season). His top 10 finishes (20) are tied for his worst ever (full time, 2003) and his top 5's were his worst since his rookie year. Yet, he still won four races in 2014 bringing his career total to 70. 
12. Jamie McMurray (LW-NR)- J Mac finished the season with two top 5's in the last three races. He had his highest top 5 total (7) since 2010 and his highest top 10 total (13) since 2004. He just seemed to be missing luck on his side in 2014, as he seemed to be involved in bunch of wrecks to start the season. Overall it was one of his best season's since 2010.

Maybe 5/36, but finishing strong!

I will add in Sarah's, the race winner was wrong but the faith in Harvick was correct!

Also, check out some fans votes on who would win the Championship back at the beginning of the Eliminator Round! It has been a fun season! Next year I am thinking about trying to keep a running tally on who tweets me the most correct winners of races. I thought about that idea too late this season, but many of you have made the review more than once.

Thank you all for participating and also checking out NASCAR Behind the Wall. I created this blog because of my love for racing, but it wouldn't be worth doing without the fan interaction and you guys checking out my material! 

Congrats Kevin Harvick and the entire #4 team from NASCAR Behind the Wall!!

2014 Finale Preview

Review: NASCAR's Final Four Drivers of 2014

By Richard Tix

It seems like just like the 2014 season just started and Dale Earnhardt Jr was winning his second Daytona 500. Yet, we find ourselves with only one race left in the season. NASCAR's finale in its new Chase format heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Four drivers remain after an exciting 9 race Chase to get to the championship race at Miami where the highest finisher of the four wins the 2014 Sprint Cup Championship. Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Newman all will fight it out for the chance to become a first time Sprint Cup Champion. Each driver made it to this point differently, making there stories all the more interesting. So, lets take a look at each driver's path to the Championship and how they have done at Homestead in there careers.

If you want to check out the full race preview (not just the Chase drivers), check out Week 36 Preview: Homestead.

Kevin Harvick and his #4 team has been one of the fastest car's throughout the entire 2014 season. Harvick, entering his first season with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, has turned the table in his career with his new team. Harvick got to the final four on speed and wins. In 2014 Harvick won 5 races before Miami, including last week at Phoenix where he has won four of the last five races. Even more important, the win was the thing that locked him into this last race. Another huge key to his season that can't be overlooked is the swapping of pit crews to start the Chase with Tony Stewart. His crew hasn't has as many hiccups as his original team did throughout the regular season. 

Homestead Stats:

Races: 13

Wins: 0

Top 5: 5

Top 10: 11

Pole: 0

Avg Finish: 8.1

Harvick doesn't have a win at Miami in his 13 starts here, but he does have the second best average finish of any current Cup driver (only Carl Edwards is better). So, add that with the fact that Harvick has been fast all season and he has a good shot at leaving the 2014 Sprint Cup Champion. Of course, it may come down to who wins the race, but if a Chase racer doesn't win the race Harvicks high finish may help him out. He does have straight top 10's going right now at Miami.

Joey won the 7th race of the season (Texas) and then won again two races later, which pretty much locked him into the Chase no matter what crazy outcome happened along the way. Logano didn't stop there as he put up 5 wins before this weeks race at Miami, which is second only to Penske teammate Brad Keselowski. 2013 was Joey's first year with Penske and he started to turn a corner, well 2014 was that corner and he truly made himself into a title contender. Joey started the Chase off with 5 straight top 4's including two wins. He had to fight his way back into the Chase final at Phoenix, but he did it and now has a chance to mark his spot as a Champion.

Homestead Stats:

Races: 5

Wins: 0

Top 5: 0

Top 10: 1

Pole: 1

Avg Finish: 20.8

When it comes to Logano's short career you may have to look past his career stats at Miami. Whats important to look at is how fast he has been this year and that his finishes here have been getting better (2011-19th, 2012-14th, and 2013-8th). So, just because he doesn't have a long history here, I wouldn't count him out just yet.

Coming into 2014 I thought Denny Hamlin would have a bounce back year (heck, I thought JGR would be strong in general). Most of the season my prediction didn't look promising, but then the Chase rolled around and Denny did just enough to keep advancing. Looking at his stats for the season you would say, no way Denny should be here, but the new system is open to making it to the final in many different ways. If you think back to 2012, Denny was a rising star in NASCAR, so I think even in his down year, it is good to see him here in Miami with a chance.

Homestead Stats:

Races: 9

Wins: 2

Top 5: 4

Top 10: 5

Pole: 0

Avg Finish: 11.2

Denny Hamlin is the only driver remaining in the Chase to have a win at Miami (two wins to be exact). That has to give him a great mental edge heading into the final race of 2014. Heck, in 2013 when he was trying to recover from an early season injury he left Miami the last winner of the season. Could he do it again? If he does, he will leave a first time Sprint Cup Champion.

To the majority of NASCAR fans, Newman is the most controversial Chase Finalist. That's because he enters Miami without a single win in 2014. I am not going to use this spot to hold my stance that NASCAR wanted wins to mean more (and they do), but win's dont mean everything. This Chase makes certain you can make the finals in many other ways. One of those ways? Being consistent like Newman without many devastating finishes. 22nd, 24th, 31st, and 41st are the only finishes Newman had out of the top 20. 25  He may only have 5 top 5's on the season, but he has 25 top 15's (meaning not many terrible finishes) in 35 races, plus 15 top 10's. If anything, this Chase system is showing that not only is winning more valuable (Harvick made it in by winning, BK made it to the Eliminator round by a win at Talladega, and most the Chasers got into the Chase because of a win), but also that consistency and points days can still be used to a drivers advantage. Is he more deserving than Havrick, Logano, Gordon (out), Keselowski (out)? Maybe not, but when has life and sports always been fair? It's all about taking advantage of the opportunity in front of you. This has been Newman's opportunity, can he take full advantage?

Homestead Stats:
Races: 12
Wins: 0
Top 5: 1
Top 10: 4
Pole: 0
Avg Finish: 17

Homestead hasn't been Newman's best track over his career. Most of this is due to a rough stretch from 2006-2009. In the last four years he has gone every other race having a quality finish (7, 12, 3, and 17). If you go by that theory then Newman might have a shot at another good finish. Newman is not only the long shot because he doesn't have a win in 2014, but also because the other three drivers seem to have a brighter outlook for Miami. However, he has made it this far, will the Cinderella slipper continue to fit?


There you have it NASCAR fans. Four drivers, one title, and all it takes is just one race. You can imagine every team will be laying it out on the line. For these four drivers, every lap, every pit stop, every strategic call could mean the difference in being the Champion or finishing 2-4th in points.

Thanks again for checking out NASCAR Behind the Wall. Check back in for the review and all offseason for NASCAR news!