Published 5:28 pm, Saturday, November 15, 2014
HOMESTEAD, Fla. - There was pushing, punching, one ambush in a darkened garage and a bloody brawl. There were thousands of hours spent analyzing the path to the Sprint Cup title as teams tried to adapt to NASCAR 's new championship format.
For all the hand-wringing, all the skepticism from loyal fans, all the curiosity about this new Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, NASCAR may have actually gotten it right.
There will be a first-time champion Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the 10-race Chase concludes with a curious final field. Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman will race for the title, and the highest-finishing driver will be crowned champion.
'I think depending on what happens on Sunday, it has a chance to be one of the most successful seasons in NASCAR history,' said chairman Brian France.
NASCAR is absolutely giddy over this new system, even though it's unlikely many people picked this final four in the new, bracket-style Chase. France and his top executives remodeled the entire playoff to put an emphasis on winning and a need to perform at the highest level and take calculated risks when everything is on the line.
The result was a 16-driver field - a win in the regular season earned you a spot in the Chase - that raced over a trio of three-race segments. Four drivers were knocked from the field each segment; a win in any round earned an automatic berth in the next one.
Twice in the Chase, a driver was backed into a must-win situation to save his season and delivered: Brad Keselowski's win at Talladega in the second round, and Harvick's victory last week at Phoenix that pushed him into the finale.
The format has its detractors, though, and many of them are Jeff Gordon fans. He had his best season in years and was nearly perfect in the third round, but Gordon was knocked out of contention last week. He can point to his poor finish at Texas, where he was racing for the win when an aggressive move by Keselowski led to contact, a flat tire, a spin and a 29th-place finish.
It was Gordon who angrily confronted Keselowski after the race, leading to a bloody brawl between the drivers and their crews. But Keselowski and Gordon, who combined to win 10 races this season, are both out of title contention. Instead, Hamlin with one win and Newman, who is winless, worked the system to make the finale.
Newman, who will be trying to give car owner Richard Childress his first championship in 20 years, makes no apologies for the way he got to the final. 'We've gone into every race with the intention of winning it and leading the most laps and winning the pole,' he said. 'We just haven't been as successful as some of these other guys. But our consistency has been there.'
That doesn't sit well with fans who question how a winless driver is still standing while Gordon, Keselowski, Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and six-time and defending champion Jimmie Johnson are spectators.
Nationwide: Chase Elliott finally got to celebrate his Nationwide Series championship after he finished 17th in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in a race won by Matt Kenseth. Elliott, 18, became the youngest champion in NASCAR history last week when he wrapped up the title at Phoenix International Raceway.
The Chase ends here
What: NASCAR Sprint Cup season finale
Where: Homestead-Miami Speedway
THE CONTENDERS
One of four drivers will win the season title - highest finisher wins:
Kevin Harvick: Starts fifth in the No. 4 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing. Note: Has four wins this season.
Denny Hamlin: Starts eighth in the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Notes: He's the defending Homestead winner.
Joey Logano: Starts 12th in the No. 22 Ford for Penske Racing. Note: Has five wins this season.
Ryan Newman: Starts 21st in the No. 31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. Note: Made the Chase on points as the No. 16 seed and is the only winless driver left in the Chase field.
Posted by Unknown on Sunday, November 16, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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