NASCAR: It’s time to decide the championship
Everything you need to know about Sunday’s EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, in three minutes:
Three things to watch
1. For all the twists and turns of the Chase, the championship round comes down to something simple: Whomever finishes first among Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano wins the Cup title.
2. History could be in the making as Johnson goes for a record-tying seventh title. That would equal the mark set by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.
3. This is Tony Stewart’s final race before he retires. Stewart, a three-time champion, starts 11th as he goes for his 50th career victory. Stewart, incidentally, has won three times at Homestead.
Observations
▪ All four of the championship contenders will start farther back in the field than they would have liked. The fifth row is composed of Busch and Edwards, while Johnson and Logano will be in the seventh row.
▪ There’s always a chance that a driver not racing for the championship could win the race. Pole-winner Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. or Brad Keselowski seem particularly suited to do just that. Eleven different drivers have won the 17 Cup races held at Homestead.
▪ Winning the race has been the pathway to the title. Kevin Harvick did it in 2014; Busch won in 2015.
▪ If Logano wins, it would complete a NASCAR-IndyCar double for Team Penske as the organization celebrates its 50th anniversary. The Mooresville-based team’s Simon Pagenaud won the IndyCar championship September.
▪ Edwards had the fastest lap of the four finalists (174.031 mph) in Saturday’s final Cup practice.
Best bets
Three picks for your fantasy team:
Joey Logano: He has won when he’s really needed to during the Chase and that could well continue on Sunday’s big stage.
Kyle Busch: No victories in the Chase (yet), but all he needs to do is finish ahead of his three rivals to win a second consecutive championship.
Martin Truex Jr. He was having such a great season until he bowed out of the Chase at Talladega. Was fastest in Saturday’s final practice (174.289 mph).
He said it
“ I’m just excited. I’m imagining all of us are, just to get to go race.” -- Edwards.
N@SCAR
JJ is so laid-back & easygoing, yet when he puts on his suit & walks to car, the intensity turns up & his focus is laser sharp -@LizKreutz pic.twitter.com/MGHIawELel
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) November 19, 2016
SUNDAY = SOLD OUT
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 19, 2016
Let's write history: https://t.co/XvXSZwLpKD#FordEcoBoost400 pic.twitter.com/23vnGgCVbC
Getting there
Race facts
Ford EcoBoost 400
Where: Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.
Track type: 1.5-mile asphalt oval.
Race distance: 400 miles, or 267 laps.
Green flag: 3 p.m.
Weather: Mostly sunny; high of 78; 10 percent chance of rain.
TV: NBC.
Radio: Motor Racing Network.
This story was originally published November 19, 2016 at 2:33 PM with the headline "NASCAR: It’s time to decide the championship."