Homestead, FL- The time came for the final NASCAR Sunday of the 2018, it was time to see who our 2018 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series Champion would be at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the Ford EcoBoost400 Championship Race.
The stage was set with our 4 playoff contenders. In the No. 4 Jimmy Johns Ford we have Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 78 5hr Energy Toyota, and Kyle Busch in the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, all of which competing for their second Championship. Then was Joey Logano in the No. 22 Shell Ford fighting for his first taste of a Championship.
Friday afternoon qualifying commenced for the Ford EcoBoost 400. Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 FedEx Toyota captured the pole, with Kyle Busch in second, Truex Jr. in 3rd, Logano in 5th and Harvick in 12th. Hamlin chose to take pit stall number 4 giving his teammate Kyle Busch the opportunity to take the 1st stall.
Stage 1 and 2 were pretty placid with not much action going on. In Stage 1 we only saw 4 lead changes, then Stage 2 we saw 11 lead changes. Harvick took stage 1 with ease. In Stage 2 it was pretty much a battle between our 4 playoff contenders Busch, Harvick, Truex Jr. then Logano. On lap 140 we had our first nonscheduled caution of the race for Debris in turn 4. The No. 42 of Kyle Larson in the DC Solar Chevrolet gave our contenders a run for their money, taking the stage 2 victory.
With a lot on the line for the 4 playoff contenders, in the final stage we saw much more action and movement! There were 7 lead changes throughout the final stage. As the green flag dropped for the final stage the 4 playoff contenders lead the field with Logano in first, Harvick tight in second, Truex in third and Busch in fourth. Larson was close behind the top four in fifth not giving them any room for mistakes. However, with only 74 laps left in the race Larson’s rear right tire went flat bringing up the second caution of the race. The caution forced Larson to pit when pit road was closed resulting in a penalty. The field went back to green on lap 218 with Logano remaining in the lead.
Down the stretch it was time for green flag pit stops so Logano, Harvick and Truex all pitted. However, Busch did not. It seemed as if Busch and his crew chief Adam Stevens knew something no one else did. Not pitting helped Busch lead for 21 laps but it was not enough. Busch and the No. 18 crew had been having a rough time on pit road that costed them big all day and they seemed to want to avoid this.
When Busch was asked about his pit stall situation he said “I don’t know how much adjustments we were doing and happening and things like that. We were so bad tonight on the racetrack and on pit road that nothing was kind of going our way”.
Truex and Logan with fresh fuel and tires drove easily out to the front.
Things began to get interesting, and it looked as if it would be a battle between Truex Jr. and Logano for the title. These two went door to door and bumper to bumper. What to expected to come from this, another Martinsville incident? No, that did not happen as both drivers stayed clean and raced hard.
With 20 laps to go Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford sent Daniel Suarez in the the No. 19 ARRIS Toyota around in turn 1 drawing a caution. On the final green flag of the 2018 Cup season it was close with Truex Jr. leading Logano for 4 laps before Logano regained the lead on lap 256. He would hold on and was able to capture the checkered flag at Homestead-Miami Speedway to take the 2018 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series Championship!
Logano becomes the first person to bring a NASCAR Cup Series Championship to Connecticut. When he was little and asked what he wanted to be he would always tell people a NASCAR Champion. Sunday night Logano got to reminisce on his six year old self, and live out his dreams as NASCAR Champion!
