Chase Race No. 10: Harvick, Childers Wins First Title in First Year at SHR

Kevin Harvick after winning the race and the 2014 title in Homestead
(Photo: Google Images)

After 36 races, five wins, 21 top tens and one season at Stewart-Haas Racing, Kevin Harvick can now add one championship to his 2014 resume.

NASCAR reinvented the Chase for the Sprint Cup this season to make winning more of a factor. And while it didn't necessarily seem that way early on in the Chase, the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway proved to be the winner take all battle that Brian France intended to create.

Three of the four Chasers, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Harvick started near the front of the field, while the fourth Musketeer, Ryan Newman, rolled off from 21st spot. Initially it seemed as if Newman's title run had been something of a fluke, having not won a race all season, yet still being able to run for the title.

But as the event progressed, the race for the title became tighter and NASCAR saw its vision for a one race, winner take all finale come to fruition. Harvick, Logano, Newman and Hamlin all made their way to the front and, right up until Logano's car fell off the jack on a pit stop and he lost track position late, any one of these four could have been the champion. On the final restart, it was Harvick and Newman because on the previous restart, Hamlin spun his tires and lost a few spots.

The Newman-Harvick dynamic was also interesting. Harvick took sponsor Budweiser and left Richard Childress Racing for Stewart-Haas Racing at the end of last season, while Newman was forced out of SHR and found a home replacing Jeff Burton in the No. 31 Caterpillar car at RCR. Both drivers believed that these new teams would offer them a better shot at a title and, right up until the Ford 400 at Homestead, I at least believed that was just the stereotypical, PR driven response any driver says when they land at a new team.

Kevin Harvick poses with son Keelan after the race (Photo: Google Images)

But Newman and Harvick apparently weren't kidding because they were the two who would up fighting it out  for the title. Newman had a shot to maybe wiggle Harvick a little bit coming into turn three heading for the white flag, but other than that, he couldn't get close enough to Harvick's No. 4 to move it out of the groove.

This was also Rodney Childers first title as a crew chief as well. I have long maintained he is the most underrated crew chief in the garage ever since he scored his first two career wins with driver David Reutimann in the No. 00 car, he has proven he knows what it takes to build winning race cars on a weekly basis.

This duo also provided a bright spot in a fairly dismal year at SHR. Danica Patrick had another sub par year, owner Tony Stewart was embroiled in a legal battle after killing Kevin Ward Jr at an upstate New York dirt track the weekend of Watkins Glen, and Kurt Busch was recently suspected of beating his now ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll the weekend of the fall Dover race. Meanwhile Harvick rattled off 5 wins and captured his first Sprint Cup crown and SHR's second.

If the 2014 season proved anything, its that anything can, and probably will happen. The revamped Chase for the Cup format might have a few bugs in it still (maybe nix the eliminations and keep the winner take all finale for the top four in points?), but for the most part, it proved to be very exciting. To quote ESPN's Allen Bestwick after Harvick took the checkers, "That's how you crown a racing champion."

Here's to crowning a 2015 champion in exactly the same way when next November rolls around. If 2014 was this exciting, who knows what next season holds.

And Then There Were Four...

Denny Hamlin has won the season finale twice (Photo: Google Images)

After facing nine races, a field of 16 drivers and a few bonehead moves from Brad Keselowski, four drivers remain to battle for the Sprint Cup title this weekend in Homestead. Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman will take to the track Sunday afternoon, fighting not only each other, but the other 39 cars on the track as well, and whoever finishes highest of those four will be the 2014 champion. 

Sounds simple right?

Well not exactly. Just like in 2011 when Tony Stewart won the race and beat Carl Edwards in a tie for the championship, the driver who wins the title will more than likely have to win the race too. And the driver who will probably stands the best chance of doing that is Kevin Harvick. He and crew chief Rodney Childers both left their respective teams last season to join Stewart-Haas Racing on the No. 4 car because they both had ambitions about winning a title. They have won a few races this year and been outrageously consistent the rest of the time when they didn't have a wreck or mechanical gremlins. When it all plays out in Homestead, Harvick will more than likely be the 2014 Sprint Cup champion.

Joey Logano is the next biggest threat. He has been almost as consistent as Harvick and also won a few races. Since leaving Dodge for Ford, Team Penske has never looked back, winning 11 races this year between Logano and teammate Brad Keselowski. Keselowski won Roger Penske his first Nascar title in 2012 and Logano stands to win "The Captain" a title of his own, which is surprising after the struggles Logano had in his first year in Sprint Cup competition at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Kevin Harvick won in his second race for SHR. Can he win in his 36th?
(Photo: Google Images)

But while there are flu drivers fighting for a title, really Logano and Harvick are the only two deserving drivers.

Denny Hamlin only made it into the Chase because he won the spring race at Talladega; the biggest crapshoot on the schedule next to the October Talladega race. Not that it wash't without merit because a win is a win no matter where it is. But this disproves Nascar's theory of trying to make winning the most important thing. Hamlin also missed the race at Auto Club Speedway because of a small fragment of metal in his eye. Yes drivers like David Pearson won titles without running the full schedule, but that was the norm back in those days when a good number of drivers didn't run all the races. To be competitive today, running all 36 races is almost a necessity. But Hamlin is proving that in many cases, consistency and being able to top ten the field to death is just as important, if not more so, than winning races.

But the best example of this is Ryan Newman. Newman has't won a race since Indianapolis last season. He made it into the Chase by the skin of his teeth and has been nothing but consistent and relied on the mistakes of other teams to advance, and a swift kick to Kyle Larson's back bumper to advance to the finale. Honestly, neither Newman or Hamlin deserve the title over Logano or Harvick. They just have not accomplished as much this year. And neither of them will stand a chance of winning Homestead, which is what it will take to grab the title.

This race should be very exciting and the championship should come right down to the wire. May the best man win.

Chase Race No. 9: Harvick Sweeps Phoenix; Keselowski Doesn't Advance

Kevin Harvick celebrates his win Sunday in Phoenix (Photo: Google Images)

Is there an echo in here?

After a long afternoon in the desert, Kevin Harvick showed why he should be considered the last real threat to win the 2014 Sprint Cup. He and crew chief Rodney Childers have been strong all season and after the duo won their first race together at PIR in the spring, it was hard to imagine they wouldn't repeat the feat this time.

The top five was actually filled with Chase drivers, Jeff Gordon finished second, Matt Kenseth third, Brad Keselowski fourth and Denny Hamlin came in fifth. But depite solid runs from Gordon, Keselowski and Kenseth, only Harvick, Hamlin, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman will advance to the final round of the Chase and fight for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

After a race that saw Hamlin and Keselowski start first and second respectively,  Logano snatched the lead from the No. 11 of Hamlin on lap 25. Logano then led for a while, but on lap 88, Harvick grabbed the lead and didn't look back, the driver who won the last two races at Phoenix International Raceway managed to grab his third and sweep the season's events there too. The dynamic duo of Childers and Harvick has proved very potent this year and while they may have only won four times, they have had a shot to win just about every race on the 2014 schedule.

While it was a big day for Harvick and his team, other big names like Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch had problems. Johnson had an accident in turn one of the speedway on lap 238 and Busch got loose, spun up the track, then back down again on lap 213. On his way back, he barely clipped the right rear of Clint Bowyer's Camry and sent Bowyer head on into the outside wall. The cleanup from this wreck caused a four minute red flag.

Ryan Newman could be the 2014 Sprint Cup champ (Photo: Google Images)

But ultimately, it was all about the Chase today. Many of the Chase drivers made it though without any trouble and thought that their runs would be good enough to advance to the "Final Four." My pick to win it all, Gordon, ran second, but he could not overcome his getting wrecked by Keselowski last weekend and fell one point shy of advancing. Thanks to Ryan Newman for stuffing Kyle Larson in the wall on the last lap to pick up the spot that locked Gordon out.

Newman is the real wild card in all this. he has no wins at all this year. In fact, his last win was the Brickyard 400 last season. If you're looking for someone to play spoiler, the driver of Richard Childress's No. 31 car might be your guy. It would be Childress's first Cup Series title not won by someone named Earnhardt and it would be Newman's first title period.Perhaps if he wins he'll finally be able to afford a neck.

However, that;s why they run the race. Yes Newman has as good a shot as anyone else; Hamlin is always a contender, winning last year's race at Homestead and Logano was picked by many to win it all this season after a breakout year with Team Penske. But Harvick is still the man to beat in my opinion. He and his team are too good and their cars are too fast every week to not go down without a fight. They showed that in their domination of Phoenix this past weekend.

Homestead-Miami Speedway and Ford Championship Weekend await. There are four drivers left who can win the title. Who's it gonna be?

Harvick Will Sweep Phoenix; Keselowski Won't Advance

Kevin Harvick won Phoenix this past February (Photo: Google Images)

With only one race left until the championship finale next weekend in Homestead-Miami, the "Eliminator Eight" must get through this weekend's event at the Phoenix International Raceway. Potential title contenders like Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick all face elimination, while drivers like Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards can assure themselves a place in the final four and a shot at the title with solid runs on Sunday.

But ultimately, I believe it will be Harvick who wins and gets into the championship finale. He runs too well at Phoenix, sweeping the races there in 2006 and winning the last two races, including his second points race for Stewart-Haas Racing this past spring. He has an average finish of 11th aand a very impressive 12 top tens in 23 starts. And given the bad luck the No. 4 team has been plauged with all season, Harvick will no doubt be on a mission to right the ship and lock his team into a shot at the title next weekend in Miami.

But what about Gordon and Keselowski? What will become of the drivers who came to blows last weekend in Texas? I believe they were simply arguing Miller Lite's "great taste, less filling" debate and things just got out of hand, but in any event, the driver of the Miller Lite No. 2 car will see his title hopes dashed in the desert.  Keselowski might be the 2012 champion, but it'll be a while before he matures enough to win his next one. The team got lucky with their Chase-saving win at Talladega last time they were backed into a corner, but Phoenix is not Talladega. Keselowski will need t rely on his car's handling, his pit crew and his own ability behind the wheel if he hopes to advance to the

Brad Keselowski's won the pole in Phoenix this spring (Photo: Google Images)

finale.

Gordon on the other hand is probably in good shape. i still believe that this is the year his "drive for Five" will come to fruition and we will see Gordon win his first Sprint Cup title. They have run too well all season; been too consistent to not have a shot at it. And with 21 top tens and two wins in 31 starts at the track, he will no doubt be up front when it comes down to the final laps.

Speaking of consistent, there is one driver who has been something of a fly in the ointment for NASCAR all Chase long. The sanctioning body wanted winning to be the only thing that mattered. That is why winning assured you a spot in the Chase, winning assured you would advance to the next round and winning could ultimately net you a championship. But Newman and Edwards have yet to win a race and, while I can't see Edwards making it past this weekend, Newman has a shot to become the first driver to win a title without winning a race. Homestead is "highest finishing" Chase driver wins. So if Newman finishes second and can still beat his three competitors, he'll be the 2014 champion. Good thing NASCAR put such an emphasis on winning and developed the Chase. Can't have drivers like Matt Kenseth winning one race and then clinching the title early (like he did in 2003, one year before the Chase format was introduced).

So it might not match the drama of "the Brawl" in Texas last weekend, but there are still several story lines to follow in Phoenix. One race left till we decide the four championship combatants. It should be very exciting.

Chase Race No. 8: Johnson Scores Number 70; Gordon Punches Keselowski

Jimmie Johnson won his 70th race in Texas this weekend (Photo: Google Images)

It was a typical afternoon in Texas. Aside from a few debris cautions, the AAA Texas 500 was Jimmie Johnson's race to lose. But on a late race restart, the focus of the event shifted from on track action to off track fisticuffs when Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski came to blows on pit road after the race.

Matt Kenseth started on the pole, flanked to his outside by Gordon, but it didn't take long for Johnson to assert his dominance. The No. 48 car led 191 of the race's 341 laps, grabbing the top spot for the first time on the 54th circuit. The only cars who could seem to keep pace with Johnson were Gordon, Kenseth and Kevin Harvick. Both Kenseth and Harvick needed to be fast because, realistically, their only shot to advance to the finale is to win one of the next two races. Especially now that Johnson has won and he is no longer championship eligible, there is only one race left for Gordon, Kenseth and Harvick to try and win their way in and stay alive for the championship battle in Miami.

But it was not Johnson's 70th Sprint Cup win that stole the show Sunday night. It was his teammate who grabbed the spotlight one the checkered flag fell.

On the race's next to last restart, Johnson and Gordon started on the front row and were set to provide fans an epic battle to the finish. But Keselowski decided to make the small hole between the two Hendrick Motorsports cars a little bigger and force his way through to the lead. But in the process, Keselowski bumped Gordon and cut down the No. 24 car's left rear tire. This caused Gordon to spin in turn four and led to another restart. Keselowski finished third and Gordon finished 29th, one lap down.

Gordon then pulled up next to Keselowski on pit road and appeared to only want to talk to the 2012 champion. But ESPN cameras caught Harvick standing behind the No. 2 car as the drivers yelled, surrounded by their pit crews. Harvick then pushed Keselowski from behind, Gordon grabbed his collar and what has since become known as "The Brawl" was on. Hat tip to NASCAR's YouTube account for the video footage.

When he was interviewed afterwards by ESPN's Jamie Little, Keselowski took a sip of water and when he spit it out, the water was red with blood, so whether they were from Gordon or not, a few punches were landed. Likewise, Gordon continued to surprise fans when he called Keselowski a "dipsh*t" in his interview after the fight. All of this was almost as surprising as when Kenseth tackled Keselowski after the Charlotte race a few weeks ago.

Whether you love it or you hate it, this new Chase format is creating some really intense drama and emotions are definitely running higher and hotter than in the past. Next weekend's event in Phoenix is going to be a very entertaining affair if this race was any indication. Things could get very ugly very quickly with one race left till the finale.

Look for Penske Racing to be Strong in Texas; Harvick Looks to Rebound

Brad Keselowski (2) and Joey Logano (22)  will be very strong this weekend
(Photo: Google Images)

They say everything is bigger in Texas and there is no bigger race for a select few drivers with only one race before the season finale in Miami in two weeks.

Kevin Harvick is one driver who is looking to rebound in a big way. After wrecking at Martinsville last week and finishing 33rd, Harvick is looking to come back at Texas Sunday and climb back into championship contention. He and crew chief Rodney Childers have been very fast all season long and had a shot at winning just about every race. But it is bad luck like last weekend and things like mechanical issues that have cost them several victories. Otherwise they could have been serious title contenders. They are still in the Sprint Cup fight but it will be difficult to overcome their wreck last weekend without winning one of the next two races.

Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth should also run strong in the Lone Star State. Kenseth has always been great on the mile and a half tracks, especially since joining Joe Gibbs Racing last season and Gordon won at the speedway back in 2008 after years of back luck there. Both of these drivers need a good run to stay eligible for the season finale in two weeks and to be able to run for the championship.

However, the Penske Racing duo of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano will more than likely steal the show.

Jimmie Johnson is always strong at Texas (Photo: Google Images)

Keselowski and Logano have dominated the "cookie cutter" tracks this season; Keselowski won at Las Vegas this spring, Chicago and Kentucky and Logano scored victories in the Chase race at Kansas and at Texas earlier this year. So with Logano going for the sweep and Penske's straight up dominance this past season, there isn't any reason to doubt that they will at least be in contention on Sunday. But while Logano is in good shape to advance to the finale, Keselowski needs a win to assure himself a shot at a second title after having a serious parts failure at Martinsville last week. If he has another bad run or if another part breaks, it could spell disaster for the 2012 champion.

Speaking of past champions, look for Jimmie Johnson to play spoiler.

Texas has been the six-time champion's personal playground many times in the past and this year will probably be no different. While he is no longer eligible for the title, Johnson and his team are simply going for wins. They do not have any so far in the Chase and, unless they can win one of the final three events, that would be the first time ever the No. 48 team failed to win a race in the Chase. But they are always stellar at tracks like Charlotte and Texas, so if there is a non-Chaser to keep an eye on this weekend, the No. 48 car is definitely one to watch. If the Penske cars don't pull off a victory, Johnson will.

This week, there is definitely going to be some Texas-sized pressure on a number of drivers to try to win a title for their team, but it could be a driver with nothing to lose who crashes the party and puts even more pressure on the Chasers heading to Phoenix.