In last year’s Homestead race, he edged race runner-up Ryan Newman by one point to clinch the title.
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As The Championship 4 get ready to race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series trophy at Homestead-Miami Speedway, preparations are underway in Las Vegas for annual post-season celebrations.
That’s 44 percent of fans who don’t have a single driver in mind to replace their favorite. Love it or hate it, the Chase is how the champ will be determined.
Note of interest: Gordon has never won a championship in the Chase format (2004 to present) – all four titles came under the old system where the driver who amassed the most points throughout the duration of the season wore the series crown. Adam Stevens [crew chief] and these guys, they worked hard and they persevered all through the beginning part of the season when I was gone working with David Ragan and Erik Jones and Matt Crafton and those guys that drove my race auto. He finished 24th in the Sprint Cup championship last year, but has won one race and had eight top-five finishes, this year. If he wins his first title, he’ll be the first driver with a single-car entry since the late Alan Kulwicki in 1992 to celebrate. The odds are current as of Thursday morning for your NASCAR betting or fantasy racing leagues.
Speaking of consistency, and that at a high level, look no further than Kevin Harvick. Chris Buescher, who has led the point standings much of the season, comes into Homestead with what he calls a “comfortable” 18-point lead over No. 2-ranked Chase Elliott.
Potential impact on legacy: With or without a fifth championship Gordon’s is well beyond being secured – he’s in discussion as one of NASCAR’s greatest ever. Busch has the ninth best driver rating, 91.5. After being granted an injury exemption- Busch went on a mid-summer tear, reeling off four victories. In 10 starts at Homestead, Busch is winless, with only one top five. Just last season, eventual champion Kevin Harvick poked Joey Logano. In fact, his 23.1 Homestead average finish ranks 25th among active drivers. Rodney Childers, Harvick’s crew chief, is the only one who has experienced final four stress. Gordon earned a spot in the final four with his victory three weeks ago at Martinsville. The show will originate from the Race and Sports Book at Wynn Las Vegas from 4-5 p.m. This event is free to the public. Sunday’s Countdown to Green also features a performance from Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter Tim McGraw. If his mid-season struggles don’t come back to haunt him Sunday, he may very well do just that. The stats seemed to give him a little hope. In 10 starts at Homestead, Truex has no wins, but does have three top fives (30%), seven top 10s (70%) and a 10.0 average finish which his second among active drivers. “At the end of the day, what is best for the sport is best for me, best for the team, best for all teams”.
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Others: Someone outside the Chase could win the race Sunday. He missed the first 11 races of the season after breaking a leg and foot in a nasty crash in the Xfinity Series race at Daytona. “He has become extremely good at it, but I do think that’s probably something that was not as natural to him as the engineering”. Carl Edwards (15-1) has the highest driver rating in the field, 110.2, and two wins here. Jimmie Johnson (7-1) has the sixth best driver rating, 97.5, and will be looking for his first win, he was ninth here a year ago. He has the seventh best driver rating, 95.9, and was seventh here previous year after leading 50 of the 267 laps.
