Denny Hamlin Ends a Tumultuous Season With a Win While Jimmie Johnson Takes His Sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship

           After injuring his back at California and missing a few races, Denny Hamlin encountered a lot of bad luck during the season, but he changed his momentum with a win in the final race of the season. More importantly, Jimmie Johnson held off trouble late to take his sixth Sprint Cup Championship over Matt Kenseth. Hamlin had a great race car all night long, but he took the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr. after the final restart to take the win. Jimmie Johnson coasted to the finish line ninth for his sixth title, but that does not tell the whole story of an accident that almost cost him the title. On the restart after the sixth caution, Jeff Gordon stacked up the field. Matt Kenseth slowed down behind him and Jimmie Johnson came rushing in. Johnson hit Kenseth in the back bumper and fell back. His left front began to smoke and it was feared that he would have to come down pit road. The smoke ceased and he stayed on the track. The damage was not enough to take the title away, but it sure scared everybody. Matt Kenseth did everything he could to win the title, but it was just wasn't enough. He led the most laps and finished second, but he still could not capitalize on Johnson to take the title. Kevin Harvick also missed out on his opportunity, but he tried hard to do it. Along with this championship battle, the race was amazing. There were spins, drivers hitting the wall, drivers running three and four wide, and a tire that exploded in the pits after it caught fire. Yes, a tire exploded in the pits. Luckily, nobody was hurt, but it was definitely really weird. All in all, the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season ended with an amazing fight for the win and the championship.

       Matt Kenseth started on the pole. The pole position definitely added some pressure to Jimmie Johnson's points lead since he was starting a little bit farther back. If Kenseth could lead the most laps and win, it would definitely add to his hopes of winning the title over Johnson. The race went green and Kenseth was able to lead the first lap. Kenseth drove away from the field as the first caution of the race waved on lap 11. Travis Kvapil hit the wall in turn 3. He rode the wall out of turn 3 and pulled off entering turn 4. He made it to pit road, but he had a good bit of damage. No drivers received the lucky dog. The race was filled with strategy calls and this caution was not different. Denny Hamlin stayed out while Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others took two tires and the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. It would be interesting to see if Kenseth and Harvick could move up on Jimmie Johnson with this strategy. The race went back green and Kevin Harvick took the lead after a short battle with Matt Kenseth. Kenseth would not stay behind Harvick long as he took the lead on lap 16. Kenseth held the lead as the second caution waved on lap 23. Travis Kvapil broke loose and went for a spin down the track in turn 3. He kept the car off the wall and pulled into pit road, but he still had a lot of damage from his previous incident. No drivers received the lucky dog. A good bit of strategy occurred during the caution. Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, and others took two tires while Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. It would be interesting to see if Harvick could make a gain on Johnson with his strategy.

       The race went back green and Kurt Busch took the lead after only taking two tires. Busch would not hold the lead long as Matt Kenseth took the lead on lap 32. Kenseth ran away from the field as the drivers who took two tires started to fall deep in the pack. Kenseth held the lead with Jimmie Johnson behind him as the first round of green flag pit stops of the race began on lap 66. The stops would be cut short by the third caution of the race on lap 68. Debris was spotted in turn 4 on the track. Parker Kligerman received the lucky dog. Only a few drivers had pitted so the running order wasn't too shaken up by the caution. All the lead lap drivers came to pit road for four tires with Matt Kenseth coming out as the leader. The race went back green and Matt Kenseth held the lead. Kenseth began running away from the field once again as the fourth caution waved on lap 89. Dave Blaney got loose in turn 2. He spun down the track and towards the infield. He stopped the car on the apron of the track and made it to pit road without receiving damage. Danica Patrick received the lucky dog. All the lead lap drivers decided to come down pit road once again for four tires with Matt Kenseth coming out as the leader. Kenseth continued to dominate in the race and he was doing everything to win the title, but Jimmie Johnson was still right there.

        The race went back green and Kenseth held onto the lead after a short battle with teammate, Kyle Busch. Kenseth cruised away from the field after the battle with Busch and Johnson stayed close behind him in the top 5. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick, the other contender for the title, began to fall rapidly. His car was extremely tight and he finally decided it was too much to handle and came to pit road on lap 118. His team replaced the tires and made an adjustment, but only time would tell if they had fixed it. Kenseth continued to blister the field on the track, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin were coming. The two began to make a charge at Kenseth as the second round of green flag pit stops of the race began on lap 140. Denny Hamlin beat Kenseth out of the pits, but Earnhardt took the lead after he pitted a lap or two before the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates. Junior would hold the lead until the fifth caution waved on lap 152. Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track. Danica Patrick received the lucky dog. Another round of strategy occurred during the caution. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Kyle Busch took two tires while Jimmie Johnson and the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. Kenseth was looking for every way to get away from Johnson and this just might do it.

         The race went back green and Kenseth held the lead. Kenseth ran away for a few laps before his teammate, Denny Hamlin, chased him down and passed him for the lead on lap 167. Hamlin cruised away and held the lead until the sixth caution waved on lap 189. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 3. Kasey Kahne, who had just made an unscheduled pit stop under green, received the lucky dog. All the lead lap drivers came to pit road with Denny Hamlin coming out as the leader. Hamlin looked like he had finally righted the ship on a terrible season, but would he stay out front? We would have to wait and see, but the restart almost caused a terrible problem for Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth.

        The race went back green and Denny Hamlin held the lead, but chaos would erupt behind him. Jeff Gordon spun his tires next to Hamlin with Matt Kenseth right behind Gordon. Kenseth got on the brakes and avoided, but Jimmie Johnson was right behind him. Johnson barely hit Kenseth and went to the outside to avoid further contact. The field began to run three and four wide behind them as Kenseth got going, but Johnson was smoking a little bit. He rode out of turn 2 with a little smoke, but the smoke ceased into turn 3. He would be able to stay out for the moment, but he would need a break to avoid a possible championship loss with a flat tire sure to happen. Hamlin continued to lead the field until the seventh caution waved on lap 206. Paul Menard, who was also involved in the stack up on the restart, lost a tire entering turn 1. The tire caused a good bit of damage, but he made it to pit road without hitting the wall and returned to the race. Jeff Burton received the lucky dog. A little bit of strategy occurred during the caution. Kevin Harvick took two tires while the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. Harvick had practically been eliminated from the title battle, but he was still holding onto that one chance to make it back in the hunt.

         The race went back green and Harvick held onto the lead as the field fanned out behind him. He would only hold the lead for a few laps before Brad Keselowski took it away on lap 214. Keselowski tried to cruise away, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. chased him down and took the lead on lap 225. Earnhardt would hold the lead as the eighth and final caution waved on lap 230. Paul Menard's right rear tire began to burn down the backstretch. He made it around to pit road and reached a stop in his pit box. His team went to put the fire out with an extinguisher, but something crazy happened. The tire completely exploded next to Menard's team. His crew and the NASCAR officials cowered back as smoke and flames poured out of Menard's right rear. They got the flames put out and the wheel had been blown completely off. Everyone was okay, but it was a very scary sight for the whole team. Marcos Ambrose received the lucky dog. The final piece of strategy occurred during the caution. Kurt Busch took only two tires while the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. Matt Kenseth was ahead of Jimmie Johnson, but Kenseth was not far enough ahead to take the championship. It would be interesting to see if Johnson fell back and allowed Kenseth to take the title. 

         The race went back green and the field fanned out as Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead from Denny Hamlin. It looked like Earnhardt was in prime position to take his first win of the year, but Hamlin had other plans. He took the lead back from Earnhardt on lap 243 and pulled away, but Matt Kenseth was right there. He had moved away from Johnson, but he still wasn't in place for the title. Kenseth and Earnhardt ran behind Hamlin, but neither one could take the advantage. Eventually, only five laps remained and Hamlin had all ready taken the win unless a caution would wave. It didn't and he took the white flag. Hamlin cruised through the corners as Jimmie Johnson cruised in ninth around the track. He had locked up the title just as Hamlin crossed the line to take the win. Now, Hamlin had his win to end the season and Johnson had his sixth career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was the end of the 2013 season and it had ended like five seasons had between 2006 and 2010 with Jimmie Johnson holding the title. 

         What a year it was for Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Johnson started the season with a Daytona 500 victory in February and he ended the season with six wins and his sixth title. Even though Matt Kenseth fell short of the title, it was still a great and record setting season for the veteran. He took seven wins and a chance at a title all the way to Homestead. It was even more impressive since it was his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing. With all the success they had in the opening campaign, it should be very interesting to watch them next year in 2014. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also took an award in the final race of the season: rookie of the year. Stenhouse was unable to find victory in his freshman year, but he did find the top 10 a couple of times late in the season. It should be very interesting to watch him grow and mature in the next few years in the highest level of NASCAR. What a 2013 season it was for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. There were crazy wrecks, close finishes, amazing fights, tough interviews after the race, and a lot of chaos in the Chase. This year will be remembered as the controversy at Richmond, but it was so much more than that. The Homestead race only ended two hours ago, but I am so ready for the 2014 Daytona 500. It is less than a hundred days away, but that is way too long. Nonetheless, this offseason will be a time to prepare and a time to look ahead. A lot of questions will also be created. Will Jimmie Johnson take his seventh championship next year, will Matt Kenseth win the title in his second year with Joe Gibbs Racing, or will another driver take hold on the series? We will have to wait until February to begin answering these questions.
(More Stats Down Below!)





Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap11- Travis Kvapil hit the wall in turn 3.

2nd Caution: Lap 23- Travis Kvapil broke loose in turn 3 and went for a spin down the track.

3rd Caution: Lap 68- Debris was spotted in turn 4 of the track.

4th Caution: Lap 89- Dave Blaney got loose in turn 2 and went for a spin down the track. 

5th Caution: Lap 152- Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track.

6th Caution: Lap 189- Debris was spotted in turn 3 of the track.

7th Caution: Lap 206- Paul Menard lost a tire in turn 1 and had some damage. 

8th Caution: Lap 230- Paul Menard's right rear tire began to burn on the backstretch. The tire blew up when he made it to pit road, but everybody was okay.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: None
3rd Caution: Parker Kligerman
4th Caution: Danica Patrick
5th Caution: Danica Patrick
6th Caution: Kasey Kahne
7th Caution: Jeff Burton 
8th Caution: Marcos Ambrose

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Denny Hamlin
2nd: Matt Kenseth
3rd: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4th: Martin Truex Jr.
5th: Clint Bowyer

Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Kyle Busch
8th: Joey Logano
9th: Jimmie Johnson
10th: Kevin Harvick
11th: Jeff Gordon
12th: Carl Edwards
13th: Kasey Kahne
17th: Ryan Newman
21st: Kurt Busch
24th: Greg Biffle





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/live-standings.html?intid=livestandings_livestandingsleaderboard_08292013
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Ford_EcoBoost_400/W
-Images:
https://twitter.com/NASCAR/status/402252210194501632/photo/1
https://twitter.com/NASCAR/status/402230677749248000/photo/1

My Thoughts: Homestead

           Well, here we are. From Daytona in February to today in Homestead, 36 races will pass and one  champion will be crowned. At Daytona in February, 43 drivers had a chance to win the championship. At Richmond in September, it was widdled down to twelve drivers for the Chase for the title. After a controversy at Richmond, Martin Truex Jr. was taken out and Ryan Newman was added along with Jeff Gordon. That meant thirteen drivers had a chance for the title. After a grueling ten races, only three drivers remain with a mathematical shot: Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and Kevin Harvick. Johnson, who is a five time champion in his own right, holds the points lead and needs to finish twenty third or better to take home his sixth title. Kenseth, who won the most races this year, struggled at Phoenix last week and needs a practical miracle to take his second title. Harvick, who won two races in the Chase, has been sitting just behind the leaders and sits in prime position to take the title if something crazy happens. Will Johnson hold on to win the title, will Kenseth have that miracle happen, or will Harvick pull a closer move and take his first title? I don't know how it will end, but I do have some thoughts and predictions for the final race of the 2013 season. Today's topics include a few drivers possibly making their final starts in NASCAR's highest rank, if I think Harvick and Kenseth have a chance, Jimmie Johnson possibly winning eight titles, my pick to win the race, and my pick to win the championship. It is the last edition of my thoughts this year and it is surely going to be a good show today.

1. Will Homestead Be the Final Race for Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte, Ken Schrader, and Jeff Burton in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series?
        Well, a few mainstays in the highest series of NASCAR could be embarking on their final races. Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte, Ken Schrader, and Jeff Burton all do not have a ride next year in the Sprint Cup Series. Will Homestead be the final race for these drivers? Well, we will go one by one and talk about the options. First is Mark Martin. Martin announced a week ago that he would not drive again in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Well, I believe he will race again. The one reason he will race again is because he has never captured victory in the Daytona 500. All he would have to do is make a one off in this race and he could possible grab the victory. That is the only reason I could see him return. The second driver is Bobby Labonte. Labonte was a mainstay with JTG-Daugherty Racing for the past few years, but A.J. Allmendinger took the ride from Labonte for 2014. I also believe that Labonte will run another race in the highest level of the sport. He main reason is he has a lot left in the tank. I mean, he took that sub-par ride with JTG-Daugherty to a few good finishes in the highest series. Plus, he might return to a lower series to win and that would be just as good. The third driver is Ken Schrader. Schrader announced that this would be his last start in the highest series of NASCAR. I am sure that Schrader is serious about this. For one, he probably would have trouble finding a higher up ride at his age. It is sad, but he is getting a bit older and people would rather have a rookie or a younger driver jump in. But it is not over for Schrader. He will continue to run and win some ARCA races and he might come back to race at Eldora in a truck next year. The final driver who might be making his final start in NASCAR's highest series is Jeff Burton. Burton has been a mainstay with Richard Childress Racing the past few years and now he is without a plan for next season. I find it highly unlikely that this will be his final start. The main reason is that he is still competitive in the sport. He can still compete up front and race hard for the lead. With the exception of Schrader, I think that the rest of these drivers will find a way to race again at the highest level of the sport and race competitively again.

2. Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth: Do They Have a Chance For the Title?
        Even with Jimmie Johnson's huge lead in the points, there are still two drivers mathematically left to win the title: Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick. Kenseth is second in points and twenty eight points back while Harvick is third in points and thirty four points back. This leads into my question: are these two guys still left in the battle for the title? Well, Johnson is really dominant and he will not falter unless something crazy happens, but don't count these two out. For one, look at Jimmie Johnson's average finish at the last two races at Homestead. He has an average finish of thirty fourth in the last two races at Homestead including a thirty second place finish last year. Statistics don't decide a champion for sure, but you can't overlook those finishes. I know that stuff happens in races, but today is a race and it can still happen. The second and final reason I think these two guys can jump back in the battle is just their records this year. Kenseth has seven wins thus far this year including two to begin the Chase. Kevin Harvick has four including two thus far in the Chase. These two have great track records this year especially at mile and a half tracks, which is what Homestead is. These records this year could just decide the championship, but these two will have to outlast Jimmie Johnson coming down the stretch.

3. Is Jimmie Johnson Going to Win Eight Championships? If He Does, Will He Be the Greatest Ever?
        Speaking off Jimmie Johnson taking the title, if he does outlast Kenseth and Harvick today, he will take his sixth championship. That means he is one away from Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt and he is two away from becoming the first driver to win eight titles. But, will he win eight championships? I have to believe he will. I mean, it only took him nine full years to take five championships and if he wins his sixth tonight, it would only take him twelve to get his sixth title. That means he would only need two years, at the least, to take eight championships and he is only thirty eight years old. Now, if he goes a few years without a title, it might take him a while to get to eight, but I believe he will. This also brings up another question: will he be the greatest ever if he wins eight? In terms of the knowledge of a person that does not watch NASCAR all the time, he will be. To me, he will never be the greatest ever. When I have kids, I am going to tell them that Richard Petty is the greatest of all time. I don't care if Jimmie Johnson wins ten titles. It does not matter to me because he doesn't have the wins or the humbleness of Petty. Johnson is humble, but he is not Petty humble. That is my opinion and I am sure some Johnson fans don't like me saying that. Personally, I don't care. You can't change that about me. Nonetheless, I will regard Johnson with a lot of respect for his ability to lead this sport in a great way and I applaud him for that.

4. My Pick to Win the Race
         Last week, Kevin Harvick took the win at Phoenix after Carl Edwards ran out of gas. Last time at Homestead, Jeff Gordon walked away with the victory while Brad Keselowski held the trophy high as the 2012 champion. Today, a race will be run and a winner will definitely be crowned, but most importantly, a champion will be crowned. But let us focus on who will have a chance at winning today. I think Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano have a good chance at taking the victory today. Notice Jimmie Johnson isn't there. I think Johnson is going to lay back today and just try to finish in the top 10 and not worry about the victory, but the race could change that.

5. My Pick to Win the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship
        Well, here it is. After 35 races from California in the west to Delaware and Florida in the east, only one race remains to crown a champion. Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and Kevin Harvick remain the only three drivers left to take the title. If you asked me at the beginning of the season who would win the championship, I would have said Kasey Kahne or Jimmie Johnson. At the beginning of the Chase, I would have said Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, or Kasey Kahne. Now, all that does not matter with only three drivers left. I think with all the circumstances around the race at Homestead I am going to go with Jimmie Johnson to take the title. Johnson has been the best driver of this generation and I think he will continue his legacy at Homestead today. Well, that will do it folks. It is almost time for the offseason after one final race. I hope you guys enjoyed reading through my thoughts this year and if you have any differing opinions on the issues at hand, let me know in the comments down below. I will continue to write for you guys through the end of 2013 and when the season starts in 2014. I hope today's race is a great end to a great season and until we meet again.





Credits:
-Image:
http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/o2r1me766RRynGRuMqpqGg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/sptusnascarmarbles/brad-1.jpg