Short-Run Speed is No Help to Kevin Harvick in a Long-Run Race

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, races Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Light Ford, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019, in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

The Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway often is decided by a short run to the finish. That’s was part of the game plan developed by driver Kevin Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers.

Unfortunately for the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team, the entire third stage was run without caution, and the final 101-lap green-flag run prevented Harvick from using the short-run speed built into his Ford.

Starting second at the beginning of the race, Harvick streaked ahead of polesitter Denny Hamlin and led the first 20 laps before eventual race runner-up Martin Truex Jr. ran him down. After a restart on Lap 13, Harvick again went to the point and stayed out front for 13 laps but couldn’t hold the position.

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Never Give Up Attitude Brings Kyle Busch his Second Cup Title

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019, in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – It was a case of winner-take-all throughout NASCAR’s Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Sunday night it was Kyle Busch who claimed both the race trophy and his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season championship.

His commanding 4.578-second victory over Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Erik Jones makes Busch only the second multi-time Cup champion currently in the sport. Jimmie Johnson, who did not qualify for this year’s Playoffs, has won seven Cup titles matching the all-time series championship record held by NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt.

And while Busch’s Margin of Victory would indicate a seemingly dominant day, the truth is the four title contenders – Busch, Truex, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick, who finished fourth and the third JGR driver, Denny Hamlin, who finished tenth – all kept Sunday’s contest honest. Although each of the four led multiple laps, in the end, it was a competition between the JGR teammates Busch and Truex for the big trophy.

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Kyle Busch Notches Second NASCAR Cup Championship with Win at Homestead-Miami

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019, in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – With a flair for the dramatic and a car that asserted its superiority after a blood-red Florida sunset over Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kyle Busch claimed a milestone victory in Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400—along with his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title.

At the same time, Busch emerged from the shadow cast by doubters who discounted the chances of the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, who hadn’t won a race in NASCAR’s top series since the June event at Pocono Raceway.

Other than seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, Busch is now the only active driver with more than one title. Finishing 4.578 seconds ahead of JGR teammate Martin Truex Jr., who was thwarted by a colossal mix-up on pit road after leading 8 of the first 120 laps, Busch is the first driver to win multiple titles under NASCAR’s elimination Playoff format.

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NASCAR President Steve Phelps Points to Healthy Trends Within the Sport

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 17: NASCAR President Steve Phelps speaks to the media prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019, in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — The racing on intermediate tracks have never been better; ratings are up, bucking a trend among other major sports; and collaboration between stakeholders is at an all-time high.

That was the assessment of Steve Phelps, who took questions from the media on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway before the Ford EcoBoost 400, the race that would decide the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion.

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Tyler Reddick gets Back-to-Back Titles with Scintillating Victory at Homestead-Miami

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 16: Tyler Reddick, driver of the #2 Tame the Beast Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ford EcoBoost 300 and the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2019, in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – With his girlfriend expecting a baby, Tyler Reddick confessed on Thursday that he had practiced changing diapers on a pet cat.

Now, after winning Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 and his second straight NASCAR Xfinity Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Reddick gets to name the baby.

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