Truex Wins Homestead and the 2017 Cup championship

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, FL – RIS – Justice was served.  Martin Truex, Jr., who had the most successful season of his career and dominated NASCAR Monster Energy Cup racing from mid-season to the end, won the Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway and with it, the 2017 championship.  Truex won eight races in 2017, including Sunday’s race and led almost 3,000 laps over the course of the season. He beat Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski for the championship. All but Truex were former champions, but Truex was the favorite.

Busch finished second and gave Toyota a 1-2 finish.  Busch also dogged Truex over the last ten laps, but could not get close enough to make a pass.  The championship, a first for Denver-based Furniture Row Racing, also assured that Toyota would not only win the manufacturer championship going away, but would mean two of the last three champions have been driving Toyota Camrys.

Kyle Larson, who was eliminated from the playoffs last month, finished third in a Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing. Harvick, seeking his second title, was fourth in a Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

Keselowski wound up seventh and was stopped short in trying to give Team Penske a season-sweep of the two top American racing series. Penske won the IndyCar title in September.

The Truex victory also denied Ford its third win of the weekend — Ford drivers won the Truck Series race and the Xfinity Series race — and the manufacturer has not won a Cup title since 2004.

Truex climbed from his car on the front stretch of the track and was mobbed by his Furniture Row teammates. Longtime partner Sherry Pollex, who has had a recurrence of ovarian cancer this year, pushed her way through the crowd and embraced Truex.

“Just a dream season. I was going to be gutted if we didn’t win,” Truex said. “We gave it our all, and it was enough tonight.”

Missing from the celebration party? Furniture Row team owner Barney Visser, who suffered a heart attack two weeks ago and is sidelined in Colorado. After pouring millions and millions of dollars into his race team, Visser watched it win its first championship on television.

Truex led nearly every statistical category this year, including wins, laps led and stage victories. Headed into Homestead, six of Truex’s wins came on 1.5-mile tracks, same layout as Homestead. Now seven of his career-best eight wins are on those tracks.

It was the final race as full-time drivers for Dale Earnhardt Jr., the most popular in NASCAR, as well as Danica Patrick and Matt Kenseth. Earnhardt retired after his 25th-place finish.

Patrick blew a tire and wrecked, finishing 37th. The only woman to lead laps in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500, Patrick said in a tearful news conference this weekend that she would race only in those two events next season and then retire.

Kenseth, who finished 15th, has no ride lined up for next year and said he will take time away from NASCAR.

Earnhardt’s farewell threatened to overshadow the winner of the championship, but his lackluster finish and a torrid finish put the attention where it should have been.  Truex and Earnhardt were teammates at DEI and became friends.  After that, it was one misstep after another.  When DEI closed after Dale Earnhardt, Sr.’s death, he raced a bit for Ganassi and then went on to Michael Waltrip Racing which closed after a couple of cheating scandals rid the team out of sponsorship.  He didn’t hink he would ever be in position to ever race in NASCAR’s top series again.

“There was a night where I sat on the porch and thought there was a chance I may never race in the Cup Series again, at least competitively,” Truex recalled. “It was late in the season, found out I wasn’t going to have a sponsor, obviously, for the next year. I didn’t know of any rides available. I didn’t know anything I didn’t know of any opportunities at that point in time, so I knew it was definitely going to be a tough road. But got fortunate that Barney Visser called and we were able to put that deal together.”

That came at the right time for what was then a competitive Chevrolet team.  When Visser got fed up because of lack of support from Chevrolet, an alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota was born, as was a champion.

The final race of the season means that there will be no more NASCAR racing until mid-February of 2018, but Truex will never forget the dream season he had in 2017.

Unofficial Race Results for the 19Th Annual Ford Ecoboost 400 - Sunday, November 19, Homestead-Miami Speedway
Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Laps, St1, St2, Pts, Status, Tms, Laps
1) 2, Martin Truex Jr. (P), No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota, 267, 5, 2, 40, Running, 4, 78
2) 3, Kyle Busch (P), No. 18 M&M's Caramel Toyota, 267, 3, 4, 35, Running, 4, 43
3) 7, Kyle Larson, No. 42 Credit One/DC Solar Chevrolet, 267, 1, 1, 54, Running, 4, 145
4) 9, Kevin Harvick (P), No. 4 Jimmy John's Ford, 267, 4, 3, 33, Running, , 
5) 18, Chase Elliott, No. 24 NAPA Chevrolet, 267, 6, 9, 39, Running, , 
6) 19, Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 267, 9, 8, 36, Running, , 
7) 5, Brad Keselowski (P), No. 2 Miller Lite Ford, 267, 2, 5, 30, Running, 1, 1
8) 4, Matt Kenseth, No. 20 DeWalt Hurricane Relief Toyota, 267, , 7, 33, Running, , 
9) 1, Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, 267, 8, 10, 32, Running, , 
10) 21, Ryan Newman, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, 267, , , 27, Running, , 
11) 17, Austin Dillon, No. 3 DOW WeatherTech Chevrolet, 267, , , 26, Running, , 
12) 16, Clint Bowyer, No. 14 Haas Automation Ford, 267, 10, , 26, Running, , 
13) 13, Jamie McMurray, No. 1 McDonald's Chevrolet, 266, , , 24, Running, , 
14) 26, AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Kroger ClickList Chevrolet, 266, , , 23, Running, , 
15) 6, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 266, , , 22, Running, , 
16) 15, Paul Menard, No. 27 Richmond/Menards Chevrolet, 265, , , 21, Running, , 
17) 30, David Ragan, No. 38 Weather Channel/Flagship Solutions Ford, 265, , , 20, Running, , 
18) 20, Aric Almirola, No. 43 Smithfield Ford, 265, , , 19, Running, , 
19) 12, Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Roush Performance Ford, 265, , , 18, Running, , 
20) 29, Chris Buescher, No. 37 Clorox Chevrolet, 265, , , 17, Running, , 
21) 14, Erik Jones #, No. 77 5-hour ENERGY Extra Strength Toyota, 265, , , 16, Running, , 
22) 8, Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford, 265, 7, 6, 24, Running, , 
23) 28, Landon Cassill, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops/Roller Bites Ford, 265, , , 14, Running, , 
24) 23, Michael McDowell, No. 95 Rohto Jolt Eyedrops Chevrolet, 265, , , 13, Running, , 
25) 24, Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 AXALTA Chevrolet, 264, , , 12, Running, , 
26) 32, Ty Dillon #, No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet, 264, , , 11, Running, , 
27) 22, Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, 264, , , 10, Running, , 
28) 33, Cole Whitt, No. 72 TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet, 264, , , 9, Running, , 
29) 11, Ryan Blaney, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, 264, , , 8, Running, , 
30) 31, Matt DiBenedetto, No. 32 Can-Am/Kappa Ford, 263, , , 7, Running, , 
31) 34, Corey LaJoie(i), No. 23 myfreedomsmoke.com Toyota, 261, , , 0, Running, , 
32) 36, Jeffrey Earnhardt, No. 33 hulu Chevrolet, 259, , , 5, Running, , 
33) 27, Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet, 234, , , 4, Accident, , 
34) 10, Daniel Suarez #, No. 19 ARRIS Toyota, 225, , , 3, Brakes, , 
35) 37, Reed Sorenson, No. 15 Xchange of America Chevrolet, 212, , , 2, Engine, , 
36) 38, * David Starr(i), No. 66 Eureka Chevrolet, 175, , , 0, Brakes, , 
37) 25, Danica Patrick, No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford, 139, , , 1, Accident, , 
38) 39, * Ray Black II(i), No. 51 Scuba Life Chevrolet, 49, , , 0, Too Slow, , 
39) 35, * Joey Gase(i), No. 83 Eternal Fan/Premier Millwright Toyota, 4, , , 0, Accident, , 
 (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie, (*) non-franchise team

Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 02 Mins, 11 Secs.
Average Speed: 131.900 MPH
Margin of Victory: 0.681 Seconds
Race Comments: Martin Truex Jr. won the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, his 15th victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Prior to the start of the race, the following cars dropped to the rear of the field under penalty: #37 (rear gear change) and #88 (engine change). 
Caution Flags: 5 for 26 laps: Laps: 6-9 (#83 Incident Turn 1 [23]); 82-86 (Stage 1 Conclusion [19]); 143-150 (#5, 10 Incident Turn 2 [17]); 162-165 (Stage 2 Conclusion [47]); 229-233 (#41 Incident Turn 4 [31]).
Lead Changes: 13 among 4 drivers:  0; M. Truex Jr. (P) 1-12; K. Larson 13-82; B. Keselowski (P) 83; K. Larson 84-121; K. Busch (P) 122-123; K. Larson 124-145; K. Busch (P) 146; K. Larson 147-161; M. Truex Jr. (P) 162-175; K. Busch (P) 176; M. Truex Jr. (P) 177; K. Busch (P) 178-216; M. Truex Jr. (P) 217-267.
American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award:  Martin Truex Jr, #78 
Coors Light Pole Award:  Denny Hamlin, #11 173.98 mph
Ingersoll Rand Power Move:  Aric Almirola, #43 6 positions
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race:  Hendrick Engines, #42 
Mobil 1 Driver of the Race:  Kyle Busch, #18 
Moog Go the Extra Mile:  Matt Kenseth, #20 0.430 secs
Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap:  Kyle Larson, #42 
Sunoco Rookie of the Race:  Erik Jones, #77

2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series - UNOFFICIAL Points Report 
Rank, Driver, Car, Points, -Ldr, -Nxt, Wins, Stage Wins, Playoff Pts
1., Martin Truex Jr. (P), 78, 5040, 0, 0, 8, 19, 0
2., Kyle Busch (P), 18, 5035, -5, -5, 5, 14, 0
3., Kevin Harvick (P), 4, 5033, -7, -2, 2, 6, 0
4., Brad Keselowski (P), 2, 5030, -10, -3, 3, 8, 0
5., Chase Elliott, 24, 2377, -2663, -2653, 0, 3, 0
6., Denny Hamlin, 11, 2353, -2687, -24, 2, 4, 0
7., Matt Kenseth, 20, 2344, -2696, -9, 1, 3, 0
8., Kyle Larson, 42, 2320, -2720, -24, 4, 8, 0
9., Ryan Blaney, 21, 2305, -2735, -15, 1, 4, 0
10., Jimmie Johnson, 48, 2260, -2780, -45, 3, 1, 0
11., Austin Dillon, 3, 2224, -2816, -36, 1, 0, 0
12., Jamie McMurray, 1, 2224, -2816, 0, 0, 0, 0
13., Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 17, 2222, -2818, -2, 2, 0, 0
14., Kurt Busch, 41, 2217, -2823, -5, 1, 0, 0
15., Kasey Kahne, 5, 2198, -2842, -19, 1, 0, 0
16., Ryan Newman, 31, 2196, -2844, -2, 1, 0, 0
17., Joey Logano, 22, 930, -4110, -1266, 1, 1, 0
18., Clint Bowyer, 14, 871, -4169, -59, 0, 1, 0
19., Erik Jones #, 77, 863, -4177, -8, 0, 0, 0
20., Daniel Suarez #, 19, 777, -4263, -86, 0, 1, 0
21., Dale Earnhardt Jr., 88, 668, -4372, -109, 0, 0, 0
22., Trevor Bayne, 6, 660, -4380, -8, 0, 0, 0
23., Paul Menard, 27, 631, -4409, -29, 0, 0, 0
24., Ty Dillon #, 13, 593, -4447, -38, 0, 0, 0
25., Chris Buescher, 37, 564, -4476, -29, 0, 0, 0
26., Michael McDowell, 95, 542, -4498, -22, 0, 0, 0
27., Aj Allmendinger, 47, 531, -4509, -11, 0, 0, 0
28., Danica Patrick, 10, 511, -4529, -20, 0, 0, 0
29., Aric Almirola, 43, 502, -4538, -9, 0, 0, 0
30., David Ragan, 38, 447, -4593, -55, 0, 0, 0
31., Landon Cassill, 34, 382, -4658, -65, 0, 0, 0
32., Matt Dibenedetto, 32, 363, -4677, -19, 0, 0, 0
33., Cole Whitt, 72, 322, -4718, -41, 0, 0, 0
34., Gray Gaulding, , 164, -4876, -158, 0, 0, 0
35., Reed Sorenson, 15, 150, -4890, -14, 0, 0, 0
36., Jeffrey Earnhardt, 33, 145, -4895, -5, 0, 0, 0
37., Derrike Cope, , 42, -4998, -103, 0, 0, 0
38., Michael Waltrip, , 29, -5011, -13, 0, 0, 0
39., D J Kennington, , 17, -5023, -12, 0, 0, 0
40., Billy Johnson, , 15, -5025, -2, 0, 0, 0
41., Boris Said, , 15, -5025, 0, 0, 0, 0
42., Gary Klutt, , 6, -5034, -9, 0, 0, 0
43., Cody Ware, , 6, -5034, 0, 0, 0, 0
44., Alon Day, , 5, -5035, -1, 0, 0, 0
45., Kyle Weatherman, , 5, -5035, 0, 0, 0, 0
46., Kevin O'connell, , 4, -5036, -1, 0, 0, 0
47., Tommy Regan, , 3, -5037, -1, 0, 0, 0
48., Hermie Sadler III, , 3, -5037, 0, 0, 0, 0
49., Brendan Gaughan(I), , 0, -5040, -3, 0, 0, 0
50., Darrell Wallace Jr.(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
51., Corey Lajoie(I), 23, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
52., Timmy Hill(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
53., Elliott Sadler(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
54., Ross Chastain(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
55., * Joey Gase(I), 83, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
56., Regan Smith(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
57., Jj Yeley(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
58., Ryan Sieg(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
59., * David Starr(I), 66, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
60., Bj McLeod(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
61., Brett Moffitt(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
62., Carl Long(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
63., Stephen Leicht(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
64., * Ray Black II(I), 51, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
65., Josh Bilicki(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
66., Mark Thompson(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
67., Justin Marks(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
BPts -  Bonus Points, -Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, PPos = Previous Position, G/L = Points standing gain/loss, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series