NASCAR at Homestead-Miami 2014 Results: Race Order, Final Times, Reaction

Don't tell Jeff Gordon he's got nothing left to race for.

Although the No. 24 car is out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup heading into the final race of the season, that didn't stop Gordon from taking home the pole for Sunday's Ford EcoBoost 400:

Gordon narrowly missed out on the Championship Round, sitting sixth in the Sprint Cup standings before the Chase field shrunk to four. The shame for the 43-year-old is that 2014 was his best season in years. Gordon's four wins were his most since 2007, and he was a constant presence near the top of the standings.

However, all of that work went out the window last week. Even a second-place finish at the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 wasn't enough to secure a top-four place.

"That’s pretty disappointing to do all of that," he said, per MotorSportsTalk's Jerry Bonkowski. "It just makes last week (at Texas) that much more disappointing and I’m going to be thinking about that one for a while."

A win on Sunday won't erase all of that disappointment for Gordon, but it can provide a satisfying end to a still impressive season. Gordon said as much after winning the pole, per NASCAR on ESPN:

"

Gordon: "I don't think we're approaching this (as a statement race). We want to finish this season off the best we can."

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) November 15, 2014"

Gordon can also cross winning a pole at Homestead off his career bucket list. Only three other tracks remain where Gordon hasn't sat on the pole at least once, per Jayski's:

While Gordon will drive some of the narrative on Sunday, most fans will focus solely on the fortunes of the drivers in the hunt for the Sprint Cup title.

Below are the top 10 qualifiers heading into Sunday's race. You can view the full running order on NASCAR.com.

Pos.	Driver	Best Speed	Best Time
1	Jeff Gordon	180.474	29.876
2	Kurt Busch	180.632	29.895
3	Matt Kenseth	180.294	29.951
4	Brad Keselowski	179.994	30.001
5	Kevin Harvick	179.946	30.009
6	Clint Bowyer	179.593	30.068
7	Kyle Busch	179.480	30.087
8	Denny Hamlin	179.348	30.109
9	Joey Logano	179.259	30.124
10	Martin Truex Jr.	179.069	30.156

Here's where the four Championship Round drivers will start, along with their success at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, courtesy of DriverAverages.com:

Pos.	Driver	Avg. Finish	Wins
5	Kevin Harvick	8.08	0
8	Denny Hamlin	11.22	2
9	Joey Logano	20.80	0
21	Ryan Newman	17.00	0

Things are obviously looking bad for Ryan Newman. According to NASCAR.com, 10 of the 15 races run at the track have been won by a driver who started in the top 10. However, Denny Hamlin won in 2009 despite starting in 38th, so there's some hope for Newman.

USA Today's Nate Ryan thought that the 36-year-old wasn't letting the poor qualifying finish put a damper on his mood:

Of course, Newman doesn't need to win the race. He merely needs to end up ahead of the three other drivers in the Championship Round.

Between his record at the track and strong showing in qualifying, Kevin Harvick has reason to be excited about his title chances. Of the four remaining, he looks to be in the best position to win.

He exuded confidence during the post-qualifying news conference, using the opportunity to get under the skin of Joey Logano, per Jeff Gluck of USA Today:

Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee added that Harvick attempted to portray an outward sense of self-assurance:

Hamlin and Logano will start close to one another, with the former in eighth and the later in ninth. They're both in a good position to remain competitive right up until the final lap.

This year's new Sprint Cup structure may not be every fan's cup of tea, but it undoubtedly adds a ton of drama to the final race of the season. Each one of Harvick's, Newman's, Logano's and Hamlin's actions will be analyzed throughout the race, and every mistake could prove pivotal in the title race.

The Ford EcoBoost 400 begins on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. Fans can tune in on ESPN or head to Watch ESPN for the live stream.