Beat The Experts: Ford EcoBoost 400 At Homestead

By Cole Mentzel | Nov 23, 2015

The Sprint Cup Series will finish up the season at Homestead this Sunday. Last week at Phoenix, drivers Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. finished the job and joined Jeff Gordon as a part of the Championship 4.

There are many compelling storylines for this weekend such as Harvick going for a repeat, Busch recovering from an early injury and Truex Jr. making it to the final round as the only member of Furniture Row Racing. However, there may not be one bigger than Jeff Gordon competing in his final race with a chance at a 5th Championship.

Going into the final week of the BTF Chase game, staff writer Cole Mentzel still leads with 338 total points followed by staff writer Mike Hutton (323 points), staff writer Michael Finley (256 points), BTF editor Christopher Olmstead (233 points) and staff writer Joseph Shelton (222 points).

For the BTF fans, Chris Losurdo leads with 345 points followed by Tammy Hemminger (313 points), Linda Lopez Gearst Gerhardt (308 points), Rita Stout (302 points) and Mary Jo Korp (258 points).

Here are the BTF staff predictions for Homestead:

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Cole Mentzel – Kevin Harvick

Mike Hutton – Martin Truex Jr.

Michael Finley – Kevin Harvick

Joseph Shelton – Jeff Gordon

Each of the remaining four Chase drivers have had pretty remarkable seasons and all are very deserving of their spot in the Championship 4.

Kevin Harvick, after winning the 2014 Championship, came out strong early in the season. He won back-to-back races at Las Vegas and Phoenix and eventually won the Chase race at Dover to move on. With 2,248 laps led and 12 second-place finishes, it’s no surprise that he is still in contention and his win at Homestead last season gives him an early edge.

Kyle Busch suffered a broken leg in the Xfinity Series at Daytona to start the season off. He went on the miss the first 11 races of the year in the Sprint Cup Series but that didn’t stop him from contending once he came back. Busch won just his fifth race back at Sonoma before finishing 17th at Daytona. After that, he won the next three races at Kentucky, Loudon and Indianapolis. Though he hasn’t found Victory Lane in the Chase, he has made it through the rounds with his 6 top-10 finishes.

Martin Truex Jr. is one of the most surprising stories of the 2015 season. After leading just 1 lap in 2014, he rebounded with 564 laps led in 2015. His lone win of the season at Pocono was only the third of his career but it was a great celebration for a driver with confidence. As at the only member of his team, Furniture Row Racing, Truex Jr. is proving the critics wrong.

Next: NASCAR Loves Chase Results Despite Critics

Jeff Gordon announced his retirement a few weeks before the 2015 season started. The first 26 races of the season were not exactly great for him. He had a few good chances to win but repeatedly had pit road mistakes or penalties that set him back. Despite that, he managed to continue having solid finishes and that carried him to the third round of the Chase where he won at Martinsville to get to the final round.

What are your predictions for Homestead? Tell us in the comments below!

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