MIAMI – A legend, a title
defender, and two drivers out for their first championship trophies will drive
onto the Homestead-Miami Speedway 1.5-mile oval this Sunday. Jimmie Johnson,
Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Carl Edwards are the Championship 4 drivers set to
compete amongst a full field of drivers in the Ford EcoBoost 400 to battle it
out for the 2016 Sprint Cup Series Championship.
In 2013, the year before NASCAR
changed its playoff format to the current elimination-style for the Sprint Cup,
Johnson won his sixth Cup championship. It had been three years since he won
five in a row from 2006-10. If Johnson were to win this year, he would join
Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. as the only drivers to win
seven Cup championships.
Johnson’s toughest competition
may come from last year’s winner, Busch, who is looking to win back-to-back
championships. Busch came back from missing the first 11 races of the 2015 season
to a broken leg and foot after a crash in Daytona to win the 2015 Sprint Cup
championship. While his experience with the format of the championship race is
invaluable, he has yet to win during the 2016 postseason. His presence in the
Chase is a testament to his consistency, with six top-five finishes and eight
top-10 finishes in the postseason Chase races.
“I’m definitely excited for the
opportunity,” said Busch. “Once you’re eligible, or once you are locked in to
the final four pack, that opportunity to go to Homestead and have a chance for
that championship is certainly exciting.
But then past that, you definitely have to put your focus forward on
being able to make sure that you go out there and achieve and excel.”
Logano, who was also a part of
the Championship 4 in 2014, is excited for the opportunity ahead.
“I think this is the moment we
all really embrace and enjoy,” said Logano.“ As a competitor, you hope to bring
a championship moment and I’m really fortunate to come here and have a shot at
it.”
Edwards is also vying for his
first championship trophy, but this year’s Chase is far from his first rodeo.
In 2011, Edwards narrowly lost the championship to Tony Stewart in agonizing finish by virtue of tiebreakers in
the closest finish in NASCAR championship history. But Edwards is only looking
ahead.
“I’m pretty excited,” said
Edwards when asked about nerves going into the race. “I mean, I know how it
works,” he added laughing.
It is more than apparent that all
four competitors are looking forward not just to the possibility of a trophy in
Victory Lane, but the good-natured competition they’ll encounter along the way.
The Ford EcoBoost 400 and 2016
Sprint Cup Series Championship is the culmination to the 2016 NASCAR season.
