One Race This Sunday For About $8 Million To The Champion
By Dell Hill
The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship will be decided (weather permitting) this Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida and it will be veteran, two-time Cup Champion, Tony Stewart vs Carl Edwards for all the marbles. And for the first time in six years the champion will NOT be named Jimmie Johnson. Stewart and Edwards are the only two drivers with a mathematical chance to win the title.
Tony Stewart (above) will drive the Office Depot Chevrolet
Carl Edwards will be wheeling the Aflac Ford
Interestingly enough, Carl’s primary sponsor one year ago was Office Depot!
The green flag will fly at 3 PMish (usually twenty minutes or so later than the TV start time) and the race will be televised on ESPN.
One of the very best sources for NASCAR information is Jayski.com and here’s how things shape up....
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Clinch Scenarios Set For Homestead:
Only one finish guarantees Carl Edwards his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship; a victory in Sunday's season-finale Ford 400.
Just three points separate points leader #99-Carl Edwards and second-place #14-Tony Stewart, a margin so tight, no other finish would clinch the title for Edwards regardless of where Stewart finishes. Stewart owns the tie-breaker (best finishes, most wins 4 to 1), and therefore could tie and win his third series championship.
All other drivers are officially eliminated from championship contention.
Edwards' three-point lead roughly translates to 13 points under the previous points system. That makes it the closest margin between first and second going into the final race in Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup history, and third-closest since the inception of the position-based points structure in 1975. (NASCAR)(11-14-2011)
A serious point to keep in mind; Stewart and Edwards will have 41 other race teams in competition with them this Sunday, and many of those teams are capable of beating them both! So it will be up to these two popular drivers, their crew chiefs and pit crews to do everything possible and get the highest finish they can. Points are awarded for each driver’s finish (from 43 for first place, down to one for last place) and there are bonus points for leading at least one lap and for the driver who leads the most laps.
Tony Stewart will have to finish the race ahead of Carl Edwards...and by enough positions to offset any lap leader bonus points, as well as making up the three points he’s behind going into the final event, in order to win his third title.
Both drivers are fan favorites, so the noise should be deafening throughout the day.
Edwards has enjoyed the better success over the years at Homestead, but Stewart has been a champion at every level he’s ever raced, so the stage is set.
The winner will haul off a check in the neighborhood of $8 Million dollars at the season-ending awards banquet.
It hardly seems possible that the 36 race, 2011 season is down to the final event, but this is the kind of exciting battle that NASCAR envisioned when they converted the Cup season to the “Chase” Format.
No comments:
Post a Comment