NASCAR Playoffs Championship 4 at Homestead: Qualifying results, TV schedule, live stream, stage lengths
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is preparing to take his final ride while four other drivers compete for a championship
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6 min read
MIAMI -- One final race remains in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs as four drivers are looking to secure a championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. Martin Truex Jr. is going for his first title while Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski will make the push for their second.
Whichever driver finishes the highest will be the champion. If Busch, Harvick or Keselowski can get it done, they would become the 16th driver in series history to win multiple championships, joining the likes of NASCAR legends Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough and others.
Let's take a look at each of the Championship 4 drivers and make their case for winning it all, starting with the driver who has dominated the entire season. We will also take a look at Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s chances in his final ride as a full-time driver.
Martin Truex Jr.
This is just the second time in Truex's career that he has advanced to the title race, although if you've only watched this season you would think he has been there every year. The No. 78 has a series-best seven wins this season including three in the playoffs. He entered 2017 with seven wins and has since doubled that number.
Truex has yet to win at Homestead in his career but boasts three top-five finishes and seven top 10s with an average finish of 12.3. He's no stranger to the front of the pack in Miami either, having led 111 total laps at the track.
"The race track is awesome," Truex said. "You run all over it. You have guys against the wall, and guys against the bottom, wearing out tires and sliding around. We always see a great ending to the race to crown our champion. It's also great weather, while it's cold everywhere else during that time of the year."
If Truex finishes higher than the other Championship 4 contenders, he will not only clinch his own first championship but also the first for his team, Furniture Row Racing. The team has been in the Cup Series since 2005 and didn't collect a first win until 2011. Truex joined the team as its only driver in 2014 and alongside crew chief Cole Pearn, made the Championship 4 the following season.
Kyle Busch
Rowdy is the most recent champion contending for the title. When Busch took home the Cup in 2015, he did it with a win at Homestead and may have to do the same this time around. This season it took Busch until July to earn his first win at Pocono, but he's been red hot ever since. Entering Sunday, he has made five trips to Victory Lane in 2017 including three in the playoffs.
Busch has only finished in the top five three times at Homestead in addition to five top-10s. This is his third appearance in the Championship 4 in as many years, which is tied with Harvick for most in NASCAR history.
"I remember Homestead going through a lot of changes over the years," said the No. 18 driver. "I just think that place has grown over the years and the way the racing happens there is really great because you can run bottom, you can run middle, you can run top. You can run all over the racetrack and really put on a good show for the fans. They do a great job of bringing out the full crowd down there."
As for Busch's team, Joe Gibbs Racing, a Cup Series title would be the fifth in its history. Owner Joe Gibbs is no stranger to winning it all, having done so as a coach with the Washington Redskins three times in addition to four NASCAR championships with Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart and Busch. Gibbs nearly had another driver, Denny Hamlin, in the Championship 4 but he was knocked out in the Round of 8. It'll be up to Busch to get it done for his team on Sunday.
Kevin Harvick
Our pre-playoff pick to win it all, the 2014 Cup Series champion is entering his third straight Championship 4. His two 2017 wins are the least of the contenders but that doesn't hurt Harvick whatsoever. A closer, Harvick has the best all-time finish at Homestead with 6.9. He also won the race in his first championship season for Stewart-Haas Racing.
"There is so much pressure to go down there and be in the Championship 4," the No. 4 driver said, "but if you are able to be part of the Championship 4, you better be able to win that race."
Harvick enters Sunday's race with all the momentum in the world. He has four consecutive top-eight finishes and has led 283 total laps between 1.5-mile tracks Chicagoland, Charlotte, Kansas and Texas.
He won his first championship with Chevrolet, but will look to bring owner Tony Stewart and Ford a title this weekend. Only nine other drivers in NASCAR history have won titles with multiple manufacturers: Buck Baker, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson, Lee Petty, Ned Jarrett, Richard Petty, Tim Flock and Stewart.
Brad Keselowski
Despite winning the title back in 2012, this is Keselowski's first-ever Championship 4 appearance (the format was introduced in 2014). He enters Sunday's race with three wins this season and an average finish of 8.2 in the playoffs. It indeed was that average finish that clinched Keselowski's spot at Homestead given he was unable to win in the Round of 8. Had runner-up Chase Elliott gone on to win instead of Matt Kenseth last week, Keselowski would have finished fifth in the standings.
As for Homestead, Keselowski hasn't had too much success. He has never won there and has only finished in the top five two times. Keselowski also has three top 10s and an average finish of 15.9, all low totals among the Championship 4.
"I remember the first time I went to Homestead in 2005 for the truck race and thinking how beautiful it was," the No. 2 driver said. "It was my first time in Miami, and just the weather and the pretty blue walls. I'll never forget that."
Keselowski will hope Sunday's race is one not too forget either as he is the lone representative for Team Penske. His teammate, Joey Logano, finished second in the playoffs last year. The team only has one championship in its history, which was won by Keselowski himself.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
NASCAR's most popular driver will be suiting up for one last time at Homestead on Sunday. While the season has been filled with memories and gifts, the farewell tour hasn't necessarily translated to success on the track. However lately, Junior has run as well as he's had all season. He has finished in the top 11 in six out of the last seven races, including three seventh-place showings.
Dale Jr. has yet to win at Homestead but has a knack for making magic happen. Throughout his career Junior only has one top five, two top 10s and a 21.5 average finish in Miami. Overall, Earnhardt enters his final race with 26 career wins, 149 top fives, 260 top 10s and an average finish of 15.8.
"When I think of Homestead-Miami Speedway, I think of putting the car right on the fence. It's fun," said the No. 88 driver. "When your car is hooked up and you can run right on the wall, it's such a good time. I really enjoy it. It's one of the few tracks I actually enjoy to go testing."
The two-time Daytona 500 champion will look to ride off into the sunset with last week's winner Matt Kenseth, who has also announced that he has no plans to drive next season.
Ford EcoBoost 400 qualifying results
- Denny Hamlin
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Kyle Busch
- Matt Kenseth
- Brad Keselowski
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Kyle Larson
- Kurt Busch
- Kevin Harvick
- Daniel Suarez
- Ryan Blaney
- Trevor Bayne
- Jamie McMurray
- Erik Jones
- Paul Menard
- Clint Bowyer
- Austin Dillon
- Chase Elliott
- Joey Logano
- Aric Almirola
- Ryan Newman
- Jimmie Johnson
- Michael McDowell
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Danica Patrick
- AJ Allmendinger
- Kasey Kahne
- Landon Cassill
- Chris Buescher
- David Ragan
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Ty Dillon
- Cole Whitt
- Corey LaJoie
- Joey Gase
- Jeffrey Earnhardt
- Reed Sorenson
- David Starr
- Ray Black II
How to watch the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400
Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Date: Sunday, Nov. 19
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Length: 267 laps/400.5 miles
Stage 1: Ends on lap 80 (Championship 4 drivers are not eligible for stage points)
Stage 2: Ends on lap 160
Final stage: Scheduled for lap 267
TV: NBC
Live stream: NBC Sports App, Twitter
