NASCAR Cup Series: Using Homestead-Miami Speedway track averages to predict the 2017 champion
By Asher Fair
Who will the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion be if Homestead-Miami Speedway past track averages have something to say about it?
Well, this is it. Just one race remains in the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season, the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, before the we will know who the sport’s 2017 champion is.
The four drivers who will be competing in the Championship 4 to win that championship are Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski. Those four drivers drive for Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Furniture Row Racing and Team Penske, respectively.
Busch and Harvick clinched their spots in the Championship 4 by winning at Martinsville Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, respectively, in the Round of 8, while Truex Jr. and Keselowski clinched their spots on points.
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Just to clear up some things that many people may have been wondering recently, points have indeed reset to 5,000 for the Championship 4 drivers. No previous playoff points have been added to the point totals of those four drivers.
Also, the 2017 Cup Series champion will be whichever one of these four drivers finishes the Ford EcoBoost 400 in the highest position, so stage points do not matter in terms of determining the champion.
Which of these four drivers will end up being the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion if past track averages at Homestead-Miami Speedway dictate their results this Sunday? All average finishes are from DriverAverages.com.
Kyle Busch
- Average Homestead-Miami finish: 19.83
- Assuming Kyle Busch finishes in 20th place in the race, he will be the fourth finisher of the four Championship 4 drivers, thus giving him a 4th place finish in the final championship standings.
Kevin Harvick
- Average Homestead-Miami finish: 6.94
- Assuming Kevin Harvick finishes in 7th place in the race, he will be the first finisher of the four Championship 4 drivers, thus giving him a 1st place finish in the final championship standings and making him the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Martin Truex Jr.
- Average Homestead-Miami finish: 12.33
- Assuming Martin Truex Jr. finishes in 12th place in the race, he will be the second finisher of the four Championship 4 drivers, thus giving him a 2nd place finish in the final championship standings.
Brad Keselowski
- Average Homestead-Miami finish: 15.89
- Assuming Brad Keselowski finishes in 16th in the race, he will be the third finisher of the four Championship 4 drivers, thus giving him a 3rd place finish in the final championship standings.
Therefore, if past track averages at Homestead-Miami Speedway dictate Sunday’s results in the Ford EcoBoost 400, Kevin Harvick will be the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion, and he will become a two-time champion of the sport, as he also won the title back in the 2014 season. Finishing behind him would be Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch in 2nd, 3rd and 4th place, respectively.
Will past track history play to Harvick’s advantage this weekend, or will one or more of the other three Championship 4 drivers have extremely strong days at the track?
Next: NASCAR Playoffs: Pros and Cons
Who will the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion be? Will it be Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. or Brad Keselowski? Find out by tuning into the Championship 4 race, the Ford EcoBoost 400, on Sunday, November 19th at 3:00 PM ET to watch the action unfold live from Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.