NASCAR at Homestead-Miami 2014 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights, Reaction
Kevin Harvick captured the final race of the season and his first championship of his career. With fellow championship contenders Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin just behind him, Harvick held off both to win a title during his first season with Stewart-Haas Racing.
In a field of just four drivers contending for the championship, it was Harvick who wouldn't be denied with another strong finish. The SHR driver had never won at Homestead prior to Sunday but got his first checkered flag when it counted.
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NASCAR from Bleacher Report passes along the reaction from Harvick's team:
Harvick spoke about capturing the title following the race, per NASCAR on ESPN:
"Kevin: "I just don't really even know what to say. ... Rodney Childers and all these guys have just done an amazing job."
— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) November 16, 2014"
A late call for Hamlin to not make a stop for tires led to the Joe Gibbs Racing driver finishing just short of a title again. He was in contention back in 2010, but was denied of a title in the final race by Jimmie Johnson.
Darian Grubb, Hamlin's crew chief, shared his thoughts following the race, per Dustin Long of MRN and Jeff Gluck of USA Today:
Regardless of what the reason was, Hamlin leaves Miami without a championship yet again. Newman wasn't able to catch Harvick late, and problems down the stretch for Joey Logano led to him missing out on a title.
Now that the season has come to a conclusion, here's a look at the Homestead results, standings and recap from the finale.
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 54 |
| 2 | Ryan Newman | 0 |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski | 0 |
| 4 | Paul Menard | 0 |
| 5 | Jamie McMurray | 0 |
| 6 | Matt Kenseth | 0 |
| 7 | Denny Hamlin | 50 |
| 8 | Clint Bowyer | 0 |
| 9 | Jimmie Johnson | 0 |
| 10 | Jeff Gordon | 161 |
| 11 | Kurt Busch | 1 |
| 12 | Kasey Kahne | 0 |
| 13 | Kyle Larson | 0 |
| 14 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 0 |
| 15 | Justin Allgaier | 0 |
| 16 | Joey Logano | 0 |
| 17 | Martin Truex Jr. | 0 |
| 18 | Danica Patrick | 0 |
| 19 | Aric Almirola | 0 |
| 20 | Casey Mears | 0 |
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 5043 | 5 | 14 | 20 |
| 2 | Ryan Newman | 5042 | 0 | 5 | 16 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 5038 | 1 | 7 | 18 |
| 4 | Joey Logano | 5026 | 5 | 16 | 22 |
In what amounted to one last chance for several drivers to earn a win, Tony Stewart's season came to an early end. Stewart went to the garage during the race and was unable to return to the track to compete for a win.
A disappointing and frustrating campaign for Stewart was made slightly easier with Harvick's success, but it was certainly one to forget. Without a victory this season, it marked the first time he's ever done so in his career, per Dustin Long of MRN:
That span stretched over 15 years as he captured three championships. His mark was the fourth-longest in NASCAR history, via Nate Ryan of USA Today.
Outside of Stewart's streak coming to an end, another storyline throughout the race was side skirts being pulled out yet again. The flaring of skirts was a discussion earlier in the season for Brad Keselowski and was talked about again on Sunday.
Keselowski's teammate Logano appeared to have his skirt pulled out, per Gluck:
Logano would later bring up the look of Newman's car, as Ryan points out:
NASCAR might have to address the issue prior to next year. As for Logano, the skirt flare didn't seem to help due to issues late in the race for the No. 22 team.
The young driver was dominant all season but had problems on pit road that led to him falling well off the pace. Tom Jensen of Fox Sports and Jenna Fryer of The Associated Press noted the issues for the Penske driver:
A great season came to an end without a title for Sliced Bread, but he has several championship-caliber years ahead. Along with Keselowski, the Penske team is in good hands for seasons to come.
With the season officially over, drivers can now begin looking ahead to the 2015 Sprint Cup season. Harvick will be looking to defend his first title, but there are 42 other drivers hoping to earn the second title during the new Chase format.
Can Jimmie Johnson tie the record with a seventh title? Will Jeff Gordon finally complete the "Drive for Five"? What about drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hamlin and Logano, who are still searching for their first title?
All of those questions will be answered next season after yet another thrilling year at the Sprint Cup level.
Having such an unpredictable format, nothing seems definitive until the checkered flag waves in Homestead. Less than three months stand between now and speedweeks, so NASCAR fans won't have to wait long for the action to begin.
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