NASCAR at Homestead: Top Series Drivers Face Dream Maker or Heart Breaker

The finale is here for drivers in the top-three series of NASCAR and some will leave the Homestead-Miami track having earned great rewards for their accomplishments, while others will leave with a heavy heart.

Austin Dillon, grandson of Richard Childress, was crowned the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion after Friday's Ford 200.

Dillon, 21, is the youngest driver to win the series title.  The RCR driver was Rookie of the Year in 2010, his first full season, then backed that up with the 2011 championship.

Johnny Sauter won the rain-shortened race and was runner-up to Dillon for the series title.  Kevin and Delana Harvick celebrated the owner's title for the NCWTS as Kevin Harvick Inc. ceases operation.

After a tumultuous year with Roush Fenway Racing in 2010, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rebounded this year behind the wheel of the No. 6, owned by Jack Roush, ready to capture the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship, barring a finish worse than 37th.

Jimmie Johnson will see the end of a five-year run as champion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.  He will leave Homestead-Miami Speedway with the pressure off of him, though he and his team will spend the winter months diagnosing all that went awry.

Certainly, the battle between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards for the Cup title is the dramatic playoff scenario that NASCAR hoped for with the new points system.

One of the two drivers contending for the tough championship battle will leave south Florida with the Sprint Cup trophy, the other will leave with thoughts of just how close he was to capturing the title.

Denny Hamlin faced the harsh reality of being the runner-up last year and the effects seemed to linger into this season.  Finishing second is little consolation with so much at stake.

Drivers in NASCAR's top series will find themselves with new teams or no team.  David Reutimann may not be the only driver who gets punted from their ride with some consolidation of teams primarily due to lack of sponsorship.

The future looks bright for Kasey Kahne who is coming off that all-important win for Red Bull Racing as he heads to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.

The employees at Red Bull Racing have yet to find reason to rejoice with their jobs on the line, as RBR leaves the sport as team owners.  Driver Brian Vickers will be a free agent after the Ford 400 race.

Mark Martin will end his full-time stint at Hendrick Motorsports to run a limited schedule at Michael Waltrip Racing.  Martin struggled during his final year with HMS and his move in 2012 may be more of the same.

Danica Patrick will leave Homestead-Miami Speedway knowing she is in a good place with her full-time move to NASCAR from the open-wheel series.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has one more shot at ending his 128-race winless streak, but he has reason for optimism about the strides he has made with his new team this year led by crew chief, Steve Letarte.

The final race of the season is a Ford weekend with heavy sponsorship from the automaker. Stewart must be wondering if any of the Ford karma floating around the track will work in Edward's favor.

Many fans will watch the final races of the season in NASCAR's top series and find themselves counting the days until Speedweeks at Daytona gets cranked up next February.

Indeed, the final races of the lengthy NASCAR season is a mixed bag of emotions for drivers, owners, crew chiefs, team members and fans alike.

Dillon and Stenhouse Jr. are the faces of future Cup stars after clinching titles in their series.

Stewart has nothing to lose and so much to gain with a NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, while Edwards must play a little defense on his way to his first coveted Cup title.

The NASCAR finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be a dream come true for some, and a nightmare for others.