Therefore it comes down to this. The final race of the long NASCAR season. After 35 points spending races, the final 4 drivers who will race for the championship Sunday happen to be decided.
Since the elimination format to decide a champion was introduced two years ago the champion has also won the race. Odds are then that the winner of the race Sunday will even wear the Cup crown. Others could win, but three of those last five race winners dating back to Tony Stewart in 2011, have also won the title, so don’t be surprised if the driver celebrating a race triumph in victory lane Sunday, is also celebrating his championship.
Here is how it shakes out one of the four finalists for Sunday’s 36th race of the year for your betting or fantasy racing leagues. Driver Ratings are accumulated from 2005-2016 races (23 total) among active drivers at Phoenix. The Driver Rating is a number based on a formula developed by NASCAR which unites”loop data” elements like average running position, average speed under green, number of fastest laps, and other stats. There is a maximum of 150 points that a driver can earn for every race. The chances are present as of Wednesday.
1. Carl Edwards (7-1). Edwards has two wins here along with the maximum driver rating one of the 4, 109.4. The only driver among the Championship 4 having a number of wins at Homestead, Edwards still has memories of losing the race, and the title, to Tony Stewart in 2011. Section of the Joe Gibbs Racing team, Edwards will be looking for salvation Sunday, and he may just get it.
2. Jimmie Johnson (7-2). Homestead is one of those few tracks in NASCAR which Johnson hasn’t won at. He runs well here and gets the 2nd highest driver evaluation of this 4, 96.7. Johnson will want to make history Sunday with a seventh title. If he brings his”A” game and can prevent a few of the miscues that the group has suffered this season occasionally, Johnson could just pull it off.
3. Kyle Busch (5-1). Busch is looking to defend his name, earned by a win at Homestead this past year. He has the third greatest driver evaluation, 95.5. But he hardly made the Championship 4, and has struggled sometimes. But with one last race and an opportunity to bring another title, and Joe Gibbs rebounds Busch could be able to add another win, and yet another title.
4. Joey Logano (7-1). Logano is possibly the underdog one of the Championship 4. He’s never won at Homestead, has the lowest driver evaluation one of the area, 83.5. But Logano finished fourth here last year and headed the second most laps in the race,” 72. Logano has been surprising at times this season and he could certainly be a surprise Sunday by winning his first Cup title.
OTHERS: There will be a total of 36 other drivers trying to win Sunday. Chief among them, Matt Kenseth (12-1). Kenseth has the 2nd greatest driver rating one of the field, 108.4, also acquired here in 2007. Coming off a disappointing finish at Phoenix a week, Kenseth will be seeking to make a powerful statement. Kevin Harvick (6-1) was also disappointed a week since he failed to make the cut for the first time because the removal format started. He won the raceand the name in 2014, has the fifth best driver rating, 104.3, and may add another win for his Homestead restart Sunday.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Ford EcoBoost 400 in Homestead-Miami Speedway will be run on Sunday, November 20. Live coverage is going to be on NBC beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET with the green flag coming just after 2:30 p.m. ET.
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