NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Grid 2014: Final Standings and Predictions
All that stands between four drivers and the 2014 Sprint Cup championship is 400.5 miles of track at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick are the final four in contention for NASCAR's biggest prize at the Ford EcoBoost 400. Not one of these steely competitors has won a Sprint Cup championship, which should satiate fans looking for a bit of parity and unpredictability from this season-long competition.
The Chase has used an elimination, points-based system this season, which has led to some aggressive driving and entertaining races.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
There shouldn't be any drop-off in intensity on Sunday, but the stakes are decidedly uncomplicated for the four drivers in the Chase. All four drivers have their points reset to 5,000. Whoever has the best finish after 267 heart-pounding laps in Homestead wins the Sprint Cup.
It's about as simple—and cutthroat—as it gets.
Don't be surprised if sparks fly at some point during the final few laps of the EcoBoost 400.
Here are the final standings heading into the deciding race in Homestead, followed by some predictions for one of the most hotly contested Sprint Cup Series in quite some time.
| Denny Hamlin | 11 | 5000 | 34 | 1 | 7 | 17 |
| Joey Logano | 22 | 5000 | 35 | 5 | 16 | 22 |
| Ryan Newman | 31 | 5000 | 35 | 0 | 4 | 15 |
| Kevin Harvick | 4 | 5000 | 35 | 4 | 13 | 19 |
Chase Grid
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase grid can be found here.
Predictions
Newman dug himself a hole in qualifying on Friday. He looked shaky throughout and will start from the 21st position, well behind the other three drivers in the Chase.
Newman doesn't have a win on the season and likely won't be anyone's favorite come Sunday. Homestead-Miami Speedway isn't his favorite stretch of blacktop; his average finish on this course is a respectable 17.0, per Racing-Reference.info.
Expect Newman to finish behind the other three drivers looking for a championship.
Logano finished ninth in qualifying and should be gearing up for another top-10 finish on Sunday. He's been on the receiving end of Harvick's mind games for much of the buildup to the race. ESPN's Marty Smith provides one such example:
He's not likely to be rattled by the extra attention from one of his competitors and will instead rely on the confidence acquired from three top-10 finishes in his last five races. He should fare quite well at Homestead but will end up as runner-up in this Chase.
Hamlin has to be feeling pretty good heading into this race. He won the Ford EcoBoost 400 last season and in 2009. Of the four drivers still in the Chase, Hamlin's the only one to win this particular excursion at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Then again, the pre-race jitters might be getting to him. Hamlin finished 11th in the practice round, and USA Today's Jeff Gluck noted he had some trouble during qualifying:
He would eventually recover somewhat and will take off from the eighth position on Sunday.
Hamlin has just one win on the season, but he's not the hottest driver in the race and will miss out on his first Sprint Cup championship by finishing somewhere in the middle of the pack behind the likes of Logano and the driver who should come up with the best finish in this race, Harvick.
His clutch victory on Nov. 9 at the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 bodes well for his confidence coming into the championship weekend. He looked the part of a winner in qualifying, finishing fifth overall.
Hamlin may have the wins at Homestead-Miami, but Harvick is the most consistent driver on this intermediate track. In 13 races, Harvick's average finish is an excellent 8.1, per Racing-Reference.info.
He's also received counsel and support from Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Tony Stewart, a two-time Chase champion.
"Obviously, championship week is a little bit different," Stewart said earlier this week, via a report from Gluck. "The emotions are a little different, the nerves go up a bit. ... What we told them for this week is, 'Don't do anything any different than what got you here.'"
It's tough to say who will come out on top Sunday, but Harvick looks like the class of the field at this point and should take home the 2014 Sprint Cup championship.
No matter who wins the Sprint Cup, the result could very well generate some controversy. The fact that an entire season of racing comes down to one competition might strike some as patently absurd, especially considering the records of the four drivers left.
Newman doesn't have a win on the season while someone like Logano has five wins and more top-10 finishes. And yet the slate is essentially wiped clean before Sunday.
Kudos goes to every driver for having consistent, well-rounded seasons, but the fact that bigger names like Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards—all of whom have multiple wins this season and sterling pedigrees—aren't in Sprint Cup contention at this point leaves something to be desired in this format.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
