NASCAR: Will it be better to be in second place at Homestead?

By Asher Fair | Jul 26, 2018

BRISTOL, TN - APRIL 16: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Skittles Toyota, and Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 McDonald's Chevrolet (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) /

With how the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season has gone, it may be better to be in second place than in the lead with one lap to go in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season is just past its halfway point, as 20 of the 36 races on the schedule have been completed. However, with just six races remaining in the regular season, it’s not too early to start looking ahead at what might happen in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in mid-November, especially with how the racing has been recently.

A total of 20% of the season’s first 20 races have featured some kind of bump or spin move put on by the second place driver on the leader before that second place driver went on to take the victory. This has happened four times this season, and it has happened twice in the last four races.

In the Daytona 500, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola was leading with two turns to go. Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon spun him out and went on to win the race, while Almirola had to settle for 11th place.

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In the race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson was leading with six laps to go. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch bumped him out of the way and went on to win the race, while Larson had to settle for second place.

In the race at Chicagoland Speedway, Busch was leading with one lap to go. Larson bumped him out of the way to take the lead, but Busch proceeded to spin Larson out before going on to win the race. Larson had to settle for second place.

Most recently, in the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Busch was leading with seven laps to go. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick bumped him out of the way to take the lead and went on the win the race, while Busch had to settle for second place.

If two of the championship contenders are battling neck and neck on the final lap of the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in mid-November, will the driver in second place have the advantage seeing as how he may very well be able to spin out the leader and go on to win the championship?

Seeing as how the champion in each of the four seasons since the Championship 4 began back in the 2014 season has won the season finale, it may very well be better to be right behind the leader in second place — or right behind the leader among the four Championship 4 drivers regardless of what position he is in — with one lap to go in it this year.

This may be the case to an even greater extent seeing as how Busch and Harvick are two of the “big three” championship contenders and Larson is one of the favorites to advance to the Championship 4 as the fourth driver.

With how Larson runs the high line at Homestead, he might as well be considered one of the “big four” if he is able to advance to that round, and with unfinished business between Larson and Busch as well as Busch and Harvick, it may be an all-out fight during which no one wants to have just a slight lead as the laps tick down. It may be even crazier than the finish to the 2016 season finale.

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Which position do you believe will be the best position to be in on the final lap of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in mid-November? Would you rather be leading the race or would you rather be right up behind the leader in second place as the white flag flies?

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