This is it, the championship-deciding finale of the 2017 NASCAR Cup season: Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
After the third and final elimination race this past Sunday at Phoenix, four drivers remain to battle it out for the championship: Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski.
Here’s how those four drivers shape up against other drivers and who’s hot or not heading into Sunday’s race:
WHO’S HOT:
No. 78 Martin Truex Jr.
- Second Championship 4 appearance
- Finished second at Martinsville and Texas, third at Phoenix
- Finished top five in eight of the nine playoff races this season
- Seven wins in 2017, the most by a driver since Matt Kenseth had seven in 2013
- Finished in the top five 18 times and the top 10 25 times this season, both are the series-best
- Led a series high 2,175 laps in 2017, led the most laps in nine races
- Best Miami finish is second in 2006
- Best Miami finish in the last three races is 12th, worst in the prior eight races there was 11th
- Won six of the 10 races on 1.5-mile tracks this season
- Top-10 finishes in all 10 1.5-mile races this season
- Finished top two in the last five 1.5-mile races
No. 4 Kevin Harvick
- Third Championship 4 appearance
- Fifth at Martinsville, won at Texas, fifth at Phoenix
- Will compete for the Championship at Miami for the third time in the last four years
- Six top-10 finishes in the playoffs and three finishes of 17th or worse
- One Miami win, 2014 to win the championship
- Finished top 10 in the last nine Miami races including top three in the last three
- Top-10 finishes in the last eight 1.5-mile races including winning the last one at Texas
- 11 career 1.5-mile wins
No. 18 Kyle Busch
- Third Championship 4 appearance
- Won at Martinsville on last-lap pass, his third win of the playoffs, 19th at Texas, seventh at Phoenix
- Five wins this season, all in the last 15 races
- Failed to lead at Phoenix, snapping a 17-race streak of leading at least one lap
- One Miami win, 2015 to win the Championship
- Finished top 10 in four of the last five races at Miami
- Only one top-10 finish in the last four 1.5-mile races, 10th at Kansas
No. 2 Brad Keselowski
- First Championship 4 appearance (won 2012 championship under old format)
- Finished fourth at Martinsville, fifth at Texas and 16th at Phoenix
- Got some help and luck at Phoenix to make the Championship 4 at Miami for the first time
- Advanced to the Round of 8 with his win at Talladega
- Winless at Miami in nine starts, best finish of third, twice
- Only three top-10 finishes at Miami, all came in the last four races
- Only two top-10 finishes in the last six 1.5-mile races
No. 11 Denny Hamlin
- Finished seventh at Martinsville, third at Texas, 35th at Phoenix after an accident after finishing second and first in the first two stages
- Finished top 10 in nine of the last 12 races
- Finished Round of Eight fifth in points, -19 to the cutline
- Two Miami wins, 2009 and 2013
- Finished top 10 in the last four races at Miami
- Finished top five in the last six 1.5-mile races
No. 21 Ryan Blaney
- Finished eighth at Martinsville, sixth at Texas and 17th at Phoenix
- Finished top 10 in three of the last four races
- Finished sixth in points in the Round of 8, -23 to the cutline
- Two series starts at Miami, finished 17th and 26th
- Worst finish on a 1.5-mile track in the last five races is 11th at Chicago
No. 24 Chase Elliott
- Finished 27th at Martinsville after late-race wreck with Denny Hamlin while leading. Finished eighth at Texas, second at Phoenix
- Now has seven career runner-up finishes without a win, tied for the most all-time
- Five top-five finishes in the playoffs is tied for second to Martin Truex Jr. (eight)
- Finished seventh in points in the Round of 8, -25 to the cutline
- One series start at Homestead, started fifth, finished 11th last year
- Top-10 finishes in the last five 1.5-mile races; best finish of second, twice
No. 20 Matt Kenseth
- Won at Phoenix, the 39th victory of his career
- Won at least one race 14 different seasons
- Left the Round of 12 10th, -30
- One Miami win, 2007
- Top-10 finishes in six of the last seven Miami races including the last four
- 12 career 1.5-mile wins, second most among active drivers
No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- On best streak of season
- Finished 10th at Phoenix, finished top 12 in six of the last seven races this season
- Best Miami finish is third in 2013, his only top five at Miami and one of only two top-10 finishes
- Miami will be the 631st and last start of his Cup career; he has won 26 times
WHO’S NOT:
No. 42 Kyle Larson
- Finished 39th at Kansas (engine), 37th at Martinsville and Texas (accidents), 40th at Phoenix (engine), his worst four consecutive races in his career
- Left the Round of 12 ninth in the standings, -9
- Eight runner-up finishes this season
- Four wins in 2017, had one entering this season
- To- five finishes in the last two races at Miami including runner up last year
- Finished runner-up four times on 1.5-mile tracks this season
No. 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Finished eighth at Phoenix, best finish since his Daytona win in July
- Left the Round of 12 in 11th, -46
- Best Miami finish is 22nd, three times
- Only two career 1.5 mile top-10 finishes in 57 starts (three percent)
No. 3 Austin Dillon
- Finished 14th at Phoenix, fourth straight top-15 finish
- Finished 14th in the first round, -4
- Only four top-10 finishes this season, had 13 at this point last year
- Won on fuel mileage at Charlotte earlier this year
- Best Miami finish is 12th, last year
- Only one top-10 finish in the last 12 1.5-mile races, his win at Charlotte in May
No. 1 Jamie McMurray
- Finished sixth at Phoenix, ended four straight finishes of 18th or worse
- Left the Round of 12 in 12th, -48
- Seventeen top-10 finishes this season, six more than this point last year
- Seventeen top-10 finishes is his second most in a single season (23 in 2004)
- Five DNF for accidents in 2017
- Best Miami finish is third in 2008
- Finished top five in two of the last three races at Miami
- Top-10 finishes in eight of the last 11 1.5 mile races
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson
- Finished 12th at Martinsville after starting at the rear, 27th at Texas after a loose loose wheel, 39th at Phoenix for a wreck
- Only one top-five finish in the last 22 races
- Finished outside the top 10 in the last five races
- Four top-five finishes this season, three were wins
- Finished the Round of 8 eighth in points, -70 to the cutline
- One Miami win, 2016 to win the Championship, led only three laps
- Finished top 10 in the last four races at Miami
- Twenty-eight career 1.5-mile wins, most all-time
- Only three top-10 finishes in 10 starts on 1.5-mile tracks this season
No. 5 Kasey Kahne
- Finished 19th at Phoenix, his worst finish in the last seven races
- Only three top 10 finishes in the last 25 races
- Finished 15th in the first round, -23 to the cut line
- Six DNFs accident this season
- Won at Indianapolis ending a 102 race winless streak, took a super lucky timed caution and turned it into a win.
- Best Miami finish is 4th in 2006
- Finished 12th or worse in the last five Miami races
No. 31 Ryan Newman
- Finished 20th at Phoenix, only one top-10 finish during the playoffs
- Finished Round of 16 13th in the standings, -2 to the cut line
- Best Miami finish is second in 2014
- Two top-three finishes in the last five Miami races but finished 16th or worse in the other three
No. 41 Kurt Busch
- Finished 21st at Phoenix, six finishes of 20th or worse in the last eight races
- Only two top-10 finishes in the playoffs
- Finished 16th in the first round, 25 points below the cut line
- One Miami win, 2002
- Last top-five finish at Miami was 2009
No. 14 Clint Bowyer
- Finished 13th at Phoenix, only three top-10 finishes in the last 13 races
- Was 88 points out of a playoff spot
- Finished runner-up three times in 2017
- Thirteen top-10 finishes in 2017, had three in all of 2016
- Best Miami finish is second in 2012
- Finished top 12 in eight of his 12 Miami starts
No. 22 Joey Logano
- Finished 12th at Phoenix
- Thirteen finishes outside the top 20 in the last 26 races
- Won at Richmond after starting in the rear due to a transmission change, but win was ruled encumbered due to illegal suspension
- First time he missed the playoffs with Team Penske
- Best Miami finish of fourth, twice
- Finished top 10 in three of the last four Miami starts