NASCAR Nationwide Series at Homestead-Miami 2014 Results: Winner and Standings
The Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway marked the final race of the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, and Matt Kenseth took the checkered flag and earned the year's final trip to Victory Lane.
This marked Kenseth's first win of the season and his 29th series victory, according to NASCAR Nationwide:
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With the dust settled at Homestead-Miami Speedway, here's a look at the final results:
| 1 | Matt Kenseth | — | 52 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 0.714 | 5 |
| 3 | Kyle Larson | 0.748 | 111 |
| 4 | Ryan Blaney | 1.227 | 24 |
| 5 | Chris Buescher | 1.312 | 0 |
| 6 | Regan Smith | 1.353 | 0 |
| 7 | Ty Dillon | 1.642 | 0 |
| 8 | Brad Keselowski | 1.735 | 5 |
| 9 | Elliott Sadler | 2.179 | 0 |
| 10 | Brian Scott | 2.531 | 0 |
The full race results can be viewed at NASCAR.com.
The race featured several lead changes, as 10 different drivers saw the front of the pack for at least one lap. Kyle Larson held the top spot for the majority of the race, but with just under 50 laps remaining, Kenseth jolted to the front and increased his lead to roughly 1.8 seconds over the trailing Kyle Busch.
With Kenseth maintaining his lead, a late caution with only a few laps remaining ensured the race would finish with a hectic sprint to the finish line. Motor Racing Network tweeted the scenario:
A restart with just two laps remaining saw Kenseth attempt to hold his lead for just moments longer over a surging Larson. Both drivers got off to a great start, battling for the top position; however, a collision back in the middle of the pack brought things to a halt once again.
Larson did take over the lead following that restart, but the race's 11th caution came before the white flag was waved, forcing the driver to maintain his lead over Kenseth for a green-white-checkered finish.
Four cars attempted to take the lead, and after the first lap of the restart, Kenseth found himself out front once again, as Busch and Larson held each other back, finishing in second and third place, respectively. Sunoco Racing enthusiastically tweeted the breathtaking finish:
It was truly an exciting conclusion to the year's final race.
With the 2014 season now officially in the books, here's a look at the final overall standings:
| 1 | Chase Elliott | 1213 | — |
| 2 | Regan Smith | 1171 | -42 |
| 3 | Elliott Sadler | 1154 | -59 |
| 4 | Brian Scott | 1154 | -59 |
| 5 | Ty Dillon | 1148 | -65 |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | 1086 | -127 |
| 7 | Chris Buescher | 1014 | -199 |
| 8 | Brendan Gaughan | 954 | -259 |
| 9 | Ryan Reed | 889 | -324 |
| 10 | James Buescher | 868 | -345 |
The full NASCAR Nationwide Series standings can be viewed at NASCAR.com.
While 18-year-old phenom Chase Elliott managed to finish only 17th on Saturday due to some late trouble with his car, his stellar rookie season had already led to a Nationwide Series title following three wins and 26 top-10 finishes. With teammate Regan Smith coming in second, it was truly a memorable season for JR Motorsports and owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.
How impressive was Elliott's season? Jeff Gluck of USA Today tweeted the details of his accomplishments:
Elliott spoke of the life-altering events that took place over the last year during a press conference with Jenna Fryer of The Associated Press, via ABC News.
Said the driver, "This time a year ago, I didn't have any plans. As I got closer to the offseason, had a couple of conversations with Mr. Hendrick about running just a few, just a handful of Nationwide races maybe. Still wasn't really even confirmed at that. I'd have been stoked to just run five or two or one."
On Saturday, a very gracious Elliott received his trophy and was thankful for the help he received along the way, via NASCAR on ESPN:
""This is a huge accomplishment for our whole team," says @chaseelliott. "There's a lot of names and great people who helped me (for years)."
— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) November 16, 2014"
The sky certainly appears to be the limit for this up-and-coming star. Could we see a jump to the Sprint Cup level next season? He sure has the talent to make an impact, but he'll probably just want to enjoy his reign as Nationwide Series champion before he makes that tough decision.
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