NASCAR Nationwide Series at Homestead-Miami 2014: Schedule, Standings and More
Most NASCAR fans knew Chase Elliott had a bright future ahead. Still, it was hard to imagine the son of Bill Elliott would rise to the top of a national series this quick.
Mostly because, well, no other driver had ever done it before Elliott.
The 18-year-old capped off a phenomenal season behind the wheel in the Nationwide Series by already clinching the title. In doing so, he became the youngest driver to ever win a championship in a long history of the sport.
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NASCAR's official account captured the moment in two different pictures that are telling about Elliott:
Though all the excitement of the points race has ended, there's still one more event taking place this weekend. Homestead will be the site for the finale, with several other drivers looking to finish off the season with a strong finish.
Ahead of the final race of the year, here's a look at the schedule, standings and preview for the Ford EcoBoost 300.
Race Information
Where: Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida
When: Saturday, Nov. 15
Start Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Motor Racing Network
| 1 | Chase Elliott* | 1185 | 3 | 16 | 26 |
| 2 | Regan Smith | 1133 | 1 | 7 | 25 |
| 3 | Brian Scott | 1120 | 0 | 6 | 22 |
| 4 | Elliott Sadler | 1119 | 1 | 7 | 24 |
| 5 | Ty Dillon | 1111 | 1 | 7 | 23 |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | 1052 | 0 | 5 | 21 |
| 7 | Chris Buescher | 975 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
| 8 | Brendan Gaughan | 939 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 9 | Ryan Reed | 872 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | Dylan Kwasniewski | 842 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Race Preview
Having the championship already solidified, Elliott can simply race for pride on Saturday against some of the best Sprint Cup drivers.
After capturing his first title, there was a slew of famous drivers that congratulated Elliott. JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon passed along their thoughts:
It seems the young driver is destined to make his way into the Sprint Cup level as a full-time driver at some point in the future. There's no timetable for Elliott at this point, but his rise to fame this season makes him a hot commodity.
Hendrick owner Rick Hendrick spoke about when he feels Elliott will be at the premier level, via Jenna Fryer of The Associated Press:
Ironically enough, Kasey Kahne's contract with Hendrick expires at the end of the 2015 season. That's a point Nate Ryan of USA Today brought up earlier this year, and it seems even more pressing after the title win for Elliott.
Outside of the victory lap for Elliott, there will be a race on Saturday night. Oh, and there will be plenty of actual Sprint Cup full-timers in the running.
Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski are all on the entry list with all out of the Chase. Busch will finish the season with the most Nationwide wins with seven already, but Keselowski has wins (five) in half of his starts (10) this year.
Dustin Long of MRN points out how dominant Kes has been in Nationwide this year:
Both drivers also finished 1-2 last weekend with Keselowski beating out Busch. The Penske driver replaces his teammate Joey Logano, who will be driving for a championship on Sunday, per Bob Pockrass of Sporting News:
In the last five races, Keselowski has won two in Homestead, while Busch has two checkered flags at the Nationwide level. Needless to say, they have blistered the field on a routine basis when they head to Miami.
The only other driver to win during that span? Regan Smith, who is still sitting on one win this season from Daytona. Given a chance to begin and close the season with a checkered flag, Smith would be able to put another feather in the hat of JR Motorsports this year.
Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.
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