Friday, November 14, 2014

2014 EcoBoost 400 Starting Lineup Breakdown

Denny Hamlin starts eighth on Sunday
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — The drivers in the first two rows for the NASCAR season finale are not Chase for the Sprint Cup finalists, so it wouldn’t be surprising for some of the focus to start with the third row.

Kevin Harvick, starting fifth, is the highest starter among the four drivers who enter the race on equal footing in the standings. Whoever finishes best in the Ford 400 among that group will be crowned the champion Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

MORE: Homestead picks | Odds | Teammates could play big role in deciding champ

Harvick is the favorite, having led more than 2,000 laps this year, and he showed in qualifying Friday he had the most speed. As for the other Chase finalists, Denny Hamlin will start eighth, Joey Logano will start ninth and Ryan Newman will start 21st.

Jeff Gordon is on the pole and will be joined on the front row by Kurt Busch.

Here’s the breakdown for the final race of the 2014 season (Chase finalists in CAPS):

MORE: Most surprising Cup champions | Breaking down the final four | Chase story lines

1. Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet — Still has to be wondering how in the world can he finish second in two races of the previous round and not advance to the championship round. He’ll have a lot of company in the bewilderment.

No comments: