The NASCAR Cup Series’ final Champions 4 drivers are officially set: Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch will compete for a title next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the last race of the 2019 season.
Hamlin took his sixth checkered flag of 2019 on Sunday at ISM Raceway near Phoenix to win his way into the final race, holding off Ryan Blaney and Busch. He, Truex and Busch combine to give Joe Gibbs Racing three drivers in the Championship 4, a first for NASCAR in this playoff format.
With three laps to go off a restart at the one-mile track, Hamlin in the No. 11 Toyota had the lead and was surrounded by Blaney, Truex and Busch. Hamlin was on the outside of the track with Blaney on the inside, and on the restart, the No. 11 car took off, perhaps with a little help from teammate Truex behind him.
Hamlin eventually took a clear lead with Busch behind him and cruised to victory. In a dominant day, he led 143 of 312 total laps at ISM Raceway.
Though Hamlin wasn’t in a must-win situation, he entered the race one spot below the cutoff line. If he didn’t take the checkered flag, he needed to finish with a sizable advantage over Busch or 2018 champion Joey Logano to be among the top-4 in the standings. Late in the race, those three drivers’ positions were so close to each other that Hamlin then did have to win to advance to the championship race.
Logano was eliminated from the playoffs, along with Blaney, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, who lost a tire and wrecked on Lap 166.
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Truex, the 2017 champion, won two weeks ago at Martinsville Speedway to guarantee his spot in the final four, and Harvick won last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. With Hamlin’s win, Busch transferred based on points.
The NASCAR Cup Series championship race is next Sunday, November 17 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
