It was an amazing two weeks. In that time, Kevin Harvick locked his way into the final four, along with Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. We got to see Matt Kenseth win, spoil things for Chase Elliott, and allowed Brad Keselowski to round out our championship contenders.
1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex led the final 51 laps at Homestead and held off Kyle Busch to capture the win at Homestead and his first Monster Energy Cup championship. "No offense to Joey Gase," Truex said, "but nice guys don't finish last, they finish first. I am a nice guy, and as champion, I reserve the right to be called 'Mister Nice Guy.'"
As the checkered flag waved on the 2017 season Sunday night, Martin Truex Jr. became our newest champion. It has indeed been a season to remember for Truex who has risen in the past five years from just another driver to a Monster Energy Cup Series champion.
Four years ago, Martin Truex Jr. sat on his front porch thinking his career was over. Four years later, he held off a hard charging Kyle Busch to win the Ford EcoBoost 400 and the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.
With the final race of the 2017 Monster Energy Cup series looming, four drivers go into Homestead hoping to hoist the trophy come Sunday night. Before the green flag waves on Sunday, here's how the Championship 4 have fared at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished second in the AAA 500 and clinched a spot in the Chase final four at Homestead. "The pressure is on for five drivers looking for that final spot," Truex said. "I'm just glad I can sit back and relax, and watch frustration boil over for other drivers. So, while they're going 'postal,' I'll be going 'coast-al.'"
While Martin Truex Jr. didn't win the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, his runner-up finish -- and points he amassed through the course of the day, via stage finishes -- secured him a spot in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is right when he says NASCAR needs more Martinsville-like dramas to play out every week. What they need is “drama and exciting finishes — the fans sitting there in the grandstands cheering like crazy, and booing, and cheering and booing after every interview, for 15 minutes after the race — we need that every weekend.” Damn right.
Martinsville, where eight boys were trying to lock themselves into the final field of four contenders for the championship in Homestead. At the same time, 31 boys and a girl were doing their utmost to spoil the party for someone by winning the thing themselves.
