Kevin Harvick
SEASON STATS: 2 wins, 13 top-fives, 22 top-10s, 4 DNFs and an average finish of 11.3
HOMESTEAD STATS: 1 win, 8 top-fives, 14 top-10s, 0 DNFs and an average finish of 6.9
In the absence of Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick might be the most Johnson-esque of the Championship 4 drivers this season.
Johnson had not been his usual dominant self in 2016 leading up to last year’s race, and had no wins at Homestead in 15 starts. But in typical Johnson fashion, he rose to the occasion and won the race, bringing home a record-tying seventh series title in the process.
Harvick’s 2017 matches Johnson’s 2016 better than anyone else here, in that it hasn’t been his best season to date. He only has two wins, at Sonoma and Texas, but consistency in the playoffs has been key for the No. 4 team.
Outside of DNFs at New Hampshire and Talladega, they have finished in the top 10 in all but one race. Now, Harvick is back at Homestead, where he won the race to win his first series title three years ago.
After missing the Championship 4 last year, Harvick is back in it for the third time in his career. His 2014 experience will help, but the real advantage for Harvick will come from his ability to perform at this specific track. He has more top-fives, more top-10s and an average finish that is nearly six positions higher than the next closest driver, Martin Truex, Jr. (12.3).
That makes Harvick, statistically speaking, the best of the Championship 4 drivers here.
Furthermore, Harvick hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 at Homestead since 2007. He and the No. 4 team have been playing catch-up for most of 2017, after switching from Chevrolet to Ford in the offseason. But the aim has always been to peak at this time of the year and have a chance of winning the title.
Now that they are on equal footing with everyone else, and in a one-off race for the championship, Harvick might be the best positioned to rise up and become a two-time series champion.
Brad Keselowski
SEASON STATS: 3 wins, 15 top-fives, 20 top-10s, 5 DNFs and an average finish of 12.6
HOMESTEAD STATS: 0 wins, 2 top-fives, 3 top-10s, 1 DNF and an average finish of 15.9
Keselowski himself admitted that he was a little lucky to get into the Championship 4 after Sunday’s race at Phoenix. He was not as fast as either Denny Hamlin or Chase Elliott in the Round of 8, but after both drivers wrecked each other out of the Championship 4, Keselowski was the consistent one who was able to take advantage and get the final place on points.
Now, the lead driver for car owner Roger Penske returns to Homestead, where he won the series title in 2012.
His season this year has been defined by three wins: two early in the year at Atlanta and Martinsville, and one in the Round of 12 at Talladega that earned him a spot in the Round of 8. But in true Team Penske fashion, steady performances outside of those victories have carried Keselowski to Miami.
Keselowski’s 15 top-5s and 20 top-10s are better season numbers than anyone in the Championship 4 not named Truex. And in regards to Homestead in particular, Keselowski is another driver who has improved over time.
He started his career with five runs outside the top-10, but since Team Penske switched to Ford in 2013, Keselowski has finished fifth, third and third at Homestead (not including last year, where he was part of the melee that took out Championship 4 drivers Carl Edwards and Joey Logano).
The team’s progress at the South Florida oval is good, but Sunday will represent new territory for the No. 2. When Keselowski won the 2012 title, it was under a different points system, and he had the championship mostly secured by the time the series came to Miami. This will be his first appearance in the Championship 4, where the other three drivers have all been in prior editions of it.
Keselowski has been good in 2017, but of this elite group of drivers, he has been the weakest. In this scenario, he will have to rise to a new level and will likely have to find a way to win his first Homestead race in order to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.
The opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Race Chaser Online, the Performance Motorsports Network, Scorpion Radio Group, their sponsors or other contributors.
About the Writer
James Pike is a multi-faceted reporter for Race Chaser Online and an analyst on the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Pike is a graduate of the Motorsports Management program at Belmont Abbey College and is originally from Winston-Salem, N.C., having grown up in the shadow of the legendary Bowman-Gray Stadium.
He is the founding correspondent for Race Chaser Online’s coverage of Australian Supercars, and he is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Sports Journalism overseas at St. Mary’s University in Twickenham, England.
Pike’s past coverage with Race Chaser Onliine includes work with multiple regional touring series in the Carolinas, including the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and the CARS Tour.
Email James at: RaceChaserJames@gmail.com
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