MIAMI — The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 was largely in agreement on one thing during Thursday afternoon’s group press conference at the Miami Beach Edition Hotel.

It’s likely going to require a victory in Sunday’s season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 to secure the championship trophy and celebrate on stage at the end of the night.

In each of the previous four editions of the elimination-style, winner-take-all playoff format that culminates at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway, the eventual champion has also stood in victory lane as the race winner, with their closest competition either chasing them down in second or somewhere close behind inside the top-five finishing positions.

That’s a scenario that is highly likely again this year, with the Championship 4 drivers — Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. — having combined for 22 victories in 36 races this year.

Truex, the defending series champion, is one of three drivers who knows what that feels like and said he certainly believes a winning performance will be critical again.

At the very least, he noted, the champion driver will have to have a car capable of winning.

“I think all of us come in here expecting that to be the case. There’s obviously an opportunity or a chance that that might not be, but I think (it’s) about a 99 percent chance that one of these guys is going to win it to win the championship.

“That’s what you come down here prepared for as a group, as a team, as a driver, and that’s your goal coming here … is to win,” he added. “If you do that, then you can guarantee yourself a championship.”

Harvick was very quick to point out one specific driver the believes could spoil the party as far as a Championship 4 driver winning the race.

“(One of us winning the race) all depends on if Kyle Larson’s car will go in the first 10 laps,” the 2014 Cup Series champion noted matter-of-factly.

Added Busch: “I was going to say the same thing. If Larson’s out there by nine seconds, I mean we’re not going to go catch him.”

Logano was, perhaps, the most philosophical of the four regarding the subject. However, he made note that the strongest and most consistent four drivers over the entire season are the four drivers fighting for the title, meaning they should be running for the win.

“I’ll say this, it would be odd if you saw these cars and teams run 10th, 11th and 12th all day,” he said. “I doubt it’s going to happen, though, because everyone is bringing the best of the best. These are the best teams of the season. The pit crews are on it. The teams have been massaging these cars and getting everything they can out of it. It’s the best of the best. We should be out there racing for the win.

“That’s not to say other teams won’t be. They’ll be there for sure, but it would take a weird occasion for something different to happen, I think.”

Even if the champion doesn’t win the final race of the year, Truex said it will take a near-perfect performance to secure the title.

“It’s hard to say exactly what it will take, but it’s going to take a great effort. I feel like you’re going to have to run first or second,” noted Truex. “From what Harvick said, he reminded me about Larson. So yeah, first or second is probably what it’s going to take.

“I think for me last year, the situation I was in required me to put in perfect laps, with Kyle chasing me down,” Truex reflected. “I knew he was faster. He was faster in the long run all night long, so I had to do something, find something … and if I made one mistake, it was going to be over.

“All of us could be put in that situation this weekend. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

The driver who best withstands the pressure and adversity will win the title.

It’s just a question of whether they’ll be hoisting two trophies instead of just one.