NASCAR Sprint Cup season ends in nail-biting climax at Homestead [spoilers]

Filed under: Motorsports



Ties don't typically happen in racing. Other sports, sure, but not motorsports. Because while the issue can sometimes come down to a fraction of a second, someone always crosses the finish line first. And when it comes to championship points, someone always comes out ahead. Well, almost always.

In a stunning, nail-biting end to the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Tony Stewart clinched his third title. But it sure didn't come easy.

Entering this weekend's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway three points behind his chief rival Carl Edwards, Stewart was at a big disadvantage, starting from 15th place on the grid. He then suffered some major setbacks over the course of the race, dropping one, two or even three laps behind his rivals as flying debris caused damage to the front end of his Chevrolet Impala, causing him to pit an extra two times.

However, Stewart overcame the odds, pulling off 118 passes to catch up with and then pass Edwards for the lead. Over 267 laps, the lead changed a record 26 times, but it was Stewart who took the checkered flag. The win itself, however, wasn't enough to decide the title, as it left Stewart and Edwards tied for points. The decision came down to race wins, as Stewart's five wins in the Chase trumped Edwards' single regular-season win. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was all she wrote.NASCAR Sprint Cup season ends in nail-biting climax at Homestead [spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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