Before the shadows crept over Turns 1 and 2 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kevin Harvick had a car capable of challenging fellow title contenders Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. In the early stages of Sunday’s Ford Eco-Boost 400, he often had the best car among those eligible for the championship. But as the sun set, Harvick’s #4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford tightened up in the corners. Then a piece of flying debris from David Starr’s Chevrolet shot a hole in his championship hopes.
Brad Keselowski falls short in bid for second title Quite frankly, Brad Keselowski didn’t have the car to add a second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title to his 2012 championship without a strategic miracle. Accordingly, on Lap 197 of 267, Keselowski and crew chief Paul Wolfe forced the issue by short-pitting after 32 laps of green-flag racing. After Keselowski brought his No. 2 Team Penske Ford to pit road, Championship 4 drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick followed two laps later. Kyle Busch stayed on track, planning to bridge the final 102 laps with one pit stop. But a caution on Lap 227 for Kurt Busch’s spin in Turn 4 bunched the title contenders for a restart on Lap 234, and Keselowski finished seventh 34 laps later, as Martin Truex Jr. won the Ford Eco-Boost 400 and the championship.
Danica Patrick’s last race with Stewart-Haas ends in a crash On Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Danica Patrick announced plans to finish her racing career with runs in the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 in cars still to be determined. But Patrick would have preferred that her last ride in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford not end as early as it did. On Lap 142 of 267, a flat tire sent Patrick’s car rocketing into the Turn 2 wall, collecting the Chevrolet of Kasey Kahne in the process. Patrick steered the crippled car to the entrance to pit road, but exited the Ford after it caught fire.(NASCAR Wire Service)[Read More Here]
