Kevin Harvick Wins Sprint Cup Championship

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Kevin Harvick won the Sprint Cup Championship on Sunday by winning the Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

Photo courtesy Chris Trotman/Getty Images

With the new Chase format, Harvick came into the race needing to beat the other three drivers in the title hunt.  With no points on the line for the top four drivers, the first driver to cross the finish line would be the champion.  

Harvick’s team made a late-race call that ultimately won him the race with four tires against runner-up Ryan Newman’s two.  Harvick said he was worried about dropping to fourth with just 15 laps to go.

“That came down to a pit call and I was like, ‘man, we are in trouble here,’” Harvick said.  “[Crew chief] Rodney Childers and all these guys that have put together these teams have just done an amazing job.”

Harvick said he was extremely happy to have the support of his team owners and fellow drivers leading up to Sunday’s race.  He said he remembered advice Tony Stewart told him before he got in the car all race long and that it helped get him to victory lane.

“Been trying for 13 years, really want to thank Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson for helping me through this week.  Jimmie Johnson was in my trailer about as much as any of my teammates and calling me and on the phone…telling me all the things I would need to do today.”

“I was going to hold the pedal down and hope for the best.”

Following the race, NASCAR also announced that Kyle Larson was the 2014 Rookie of the Year.

Unofficial results:

1. Kevin Harvick

2. Ryan Newman

3. Brad Keselowski

4. Paul Menard

5. Jamie McMurray

6. Matt Kenseth

7. Denny Hamlin

8. Clint Bowyer

9. Jimmie Johnson

10. Jeff Gordon

11. Kurt Busch

12. Kasey Kahne

13. Kyle Larson

14. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

15. Justin Allgaier

16. Joey Logano

17. Martin Truex Jr.

18. Danica Patrick

19. Aric Almirola

20. Casey Mears

21. Michael McDowell

22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

23. Brian Vickers

24. Reed Sorenson

25. Austin Dillon

26. Cole Whitt

27. Marcos Ambrose

28. Brian Scott

29. Landon Cassill

30. David Ragan

31. David Gilliland

32. Josh Wise

33. Alex Bowman

34. Carl Edwards

35. Michael Annett

36. Brett Moffitt

37. J.J. Yeley

38. Blake Koch

39. Kyle Busch

40. AJ Allmendinger

41. Greg Biffle

42. Trevor Bayne

43. Tony Stewart

Chris Graythen/Getty Images