William Byron took the lead in the closing laps to close out the season with a victory, but it was Johnny Sauter, one of the elder statesman of the series, who beat the competition to finally add a championship to his resume.
After 10 years with Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart took a risk and became the co-owner of what was then Haas CNC Racing. A team that in six years had one top-five and 14 top 10 finishes before Stewart was offered a partnership with Gene Haas and formed Stewart-Haas Racing.
Tony Stewart, pondering whether failing to win any of the crown jewel events in NASCAR and IndyCar frustrates him, said it does, but "it was pretty damn cool to just have the opportunity to go race those races."
The NASCAR Sprint Cup, XFINITY and the Camping World Truck Series travel to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend for the season finale. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.
So it ends. Another NASCAR season. A Hall of Fame career for Tony Stewart. The reign of a title sponsor. The wait for another seven-time champion, or a repeat champion, or maybe the crowning of the newest member of NASCAR royalty.
For a long time, the sanctioning body has used gimmicks to attract fans and it is apparently not working. When it first came out, I railed on the “Lucky Dog.” It was designed so that the “average fan” could understand who was leading.
Asked where the 48 team's season started to turn around, Chad Knaus points to the Brickyard as being where they began their run to the championship finale.
It sucks not to matter. Forty cars took to the track at Phoenix, and only six of them mattered. Not Jimmie Johnson or Carl Edwards. Both had already locked in a final four berth at Homestead, so they mattered not. Not Kyle Larson or Trevor Bayne, who spun early.
Pali lists self confidence, self awareness, and decision making among the soft skills the program builds. Families can read the full details on Pali's motorsports camp page.
