The last race of the season has arrived. The one for all the trophy. The championship race. Homestead-Miami Speedway is the host site, just like it always is, for the ford EcoBoost 400 on Sunday.

Homestead-Miami is a pretty standard 1.5-mile track in the distance and banking categories, with 18-20 degree progressive banking in the turns. The shape is slightly different as it is a regular oval with no curve to the front or back straightaways. The track has been around since 1995 but didn’t host the top series until 1999. The season finale moved to Homestead in 2002 and since has hosted the championship weekend for all three series.

There are multiple ways around the track as it typical works as at least a two-groove layout but can also get three-wide at times. Several drivers like to run up by the wall all the way around while others make their track times on the lower groove. Passing here is easier than most 1.5-mile tracks with eight drivers posting +6 or better positional differentials in the last two race here.

With this Sunday’s race being the finale, it’s a slightly different points system in race. There will still be the three stages during the race, of lengths 80, 80, and 107, but the stage points won’t matter for those in the championship, but will for the other drivers now out of the playoffs. Winning the title is simple: beat the other three drivers to the finish line, even if you don’t win the race. Whichever one of the Championship Four finishes the race first wins the title. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the final track breakdown of the season.

Track Breakdown

 Avg.Avg.     Laps  HighLow Avg.DifferenceLaps LedLaps Led
DriverStartFinishRacesWinsTop 5'sTop 10'sTop 20'sLedPolesFinishFinishDNFRatingPts.Pts.Pts./race
Kyle Busch63.521122420160124.12.510.55.25
Jimmie Johnson135211223019099.380.750.38
Kyle Larson23.53.5202221340250120.42033.516.75
Kevin Harvick72.5202221251230123.44.531.2515.63
Joey Logano7.5420222780440118.93.519.59.75
Jamie McMurray18.592011200513088.79.500.00
Brad Keselowski519201118603351105.2-1421.510.75
Matt Kenseth1372002200770101.6600.00
Denny Hamlin2.59.52002201910095.4-700.00
Kurt Busch15.510.52001200813090.7500.00
A.J. Allmendinger16142001200820073.7200.00
Michael McDowell27.521.520011001033063.2600.00
Austin Dillon13.51320002001214087.10.500.00
Trevor Bayne231920002001820065.9400.00
Martin Truex Jr.8.52420001301236180.4-15.50.750.38
Chase Elliott51110001001111095.5-600.00
Ryan Newman3.520.520001001625180.5-1700.00
Ryan Blaney721.520001001726065.3-14.500.00
Danica Patrick32.521.520001001924056.21100.00
Kasey Kahne23.52820001001937162.2-4.500.00
Chris Buescher272410000002424044300.00
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.172620000002230166.8-900.00
Landon Cassill332820000002135043.7500.00
Ty Dillon29.52820000002333162.31.500.00
David Ragan372820000002729048.2900.00
Cole Whitt402810000002828035.71200.00
Jeffrey Earnhardt383110000003131030700.00
Matt DiBenedetto343220000002737036.9200.00
Reed Sorenson373210000003232030500.00
Clint Bowyer28.53320000002343142.2-4.500.00
Dale Earnhardt Jr.94010000004040054.4-3100.00
Aric Almirola19.540.520000004041048.7-2100.00
Corey Lajoie0000000000000000.00
Ross Chastain0000000000000000.00
David Starr0000000000000000.00
Ray Black Jr.0000000000000000.00
Erik Jones0000000000000000.00
Daniel Suarez0000000000000000.00

Top-15 Drivers at Homestead-Miami Historically

 Avg.Avg.     Laps HighLow DifferenceLaps LedLaps Led
DriverStartFinishRacesWinsTop 5'sTop 10'sTop 20'sLedPolesFinishFinishDNFPts.Pts.Pts./race
Denny Hamlin2310.58122481021311330124.553.254.44
Kevin Harvick12.66.94161814163151120099.778.754.92
Jimmie Johnson15.313.25161511121022140264.825.51.59
Matt Kenseth16.214.7617149124491143293.8112.256.60
Kurt Busch13.918.1316146109721432108.824.251.52
Kyle Busch12.819.831212572790141291.969.755.81
Martin Truex Jr.13.612.3312037101110236270.627.752.31
Clint Bowyer17.614.91110368102431104.70.250.02
Jamie McMurray16.915.6150351111335191.90.250.02
Ryan Newman11.816.4715025914302373109.535.752.38
Brad Keselowski11.315.89902361060335191.626.52.94
Joey Logano14.31680236781439180.819.52.44
Kyle Larson23.58.75402241350215081.533.758.44
Kasey Kahne11.816.92130149107243827226.752.06
A.J. Allmendinger20.818.138013600540199.300.00

Top-15 Drivers at 1.5-mile Tracks (since February 2015)

 Avg.Avg.     Laps HighLow  DifferenceLaps LedLaps Led
DriverStartFinishRacesWinsTop 5'sTop 10'sTop 20'sLedPolesFinishFinishDNFRatingPts.Pts.Pts./race
Martin Truex Jr.7.47.343591526342,31331361117.50.06578.2516.52
Jimmie Johnson14.513.543581317277710141398.60.96192.755.51
Kyle Busch99.4531414202896821331107.5-0.452427.81
Kevin Harvick6.48.433531830321,93461422116.7-2.03483.513.81
Brad Keselowski6.510.633531226311,06141394101.5-4.13265.257.58
Joey Logano8.211.6335217242790921403100.1-3.43227.256.49
Denny Hamlin8.313.093521521274752141494.7-4.79118.753.39
Austin Dillon15.818.63513624151143378.4-2.83.750.11
Matt Kenseth1111.62340922295063242398.2-0.62126.53.72
Chase Elliott13.814.56250915182410241493.1-0.7660.252.41
Kyle Larson15.817.4350914214070239590.8-1.6101.752.91
Dale Earnhardt Jr.17.813.5229081322130240086.64.283.250.11
Kurt Busch9.911.21330722293424234294.3-1.3185.52.59
Ryan Newman14.316.1735041325300340478.5-1.877.50.21
Ryan Blaney13.518.32310410202471343380.4-4.8261.751.99

Drivers to watch this week:

Kyle Busch: After his win at Martinsville three weeks, he’s had two races to get everything ready for his shot at a second title in three years. He has a win here previously, in 2015, and then finished P6 in 2016. His 3.5 average finish is tied for second in the field and his 42 laps led are fifth in the field. He and the other Toyota team drivers have won seven of nine playoff races thus far and with his record here, he could very well make it eight of 10 to finish the season.

Kevin Harvick: Harvick has the best average finish in the field this week, which isn’t shocking, but for a guy who hasn’t won in the past two, it’s pretty impressive. He’s second in the filed in laps led at 125 and has the second-best Driver Rating at 123.4 in the past two runs at Homestead. Harvick has one win in 16 races here with eight top-fives and 14 top-10s and the second-most laps led at 315 career-wise. Harvick is a major contender this Sunday to be sure.

Brad Keselowski: Keselowski hasn’t necessarily been the strongest driver in the field here recently, but does have a P3 to his credit. He’s fourth in the lineup in laps led with 86 run in front. Overall in nine races here he’s got two top-fives, three top-10s, and six top-20s. So if he wins the race on Sunday, if that’s what it will take, would be his first ever at the 1.5-mile layout and his fourth in the last three seasons at the distance.

Martin Truex Jr.: Truex has been the favorite to win the championship nearly from the jump this season, and has done nothing to dissuade folks from thinking that in the playoffs. Recently at Homestead though, he’s been subpar for his standards. A P12 is the best finish he’s been able to muster in the last two and hasn’t led a single lap, which is shocking for him given his propensity for leading at 1.5-mile tracks. He, like Keselowksi, has never won at Homestead but has three top-fives in 12 races and seven top-10s as well. Truex Jr. has been so dominant on 1.5-mile tracks this season however, it’d be hard to see him doing anything other than running near the front of the pack.

Kyle Larson: Larson, another top-choice to be in the championship, was eliminated from contention by an engine issue at Kansas four weeks ago. However that doesn’t mean his impressive stats at Sunday’s race can be ignored. He has by far the best positional differential in the field at +20 in the last two races, going from start of 23.5 to a finish of 3.5 (P2 and P5). He also led the most laps in the last two with 134 up front and style of driving the outside wall that makes him a threat every time. His worst finish, in four races at Homestead-Miami, is P15 giving him a career average top-10 finish of 8.75. His $9,500 price tag this week makes him more than tantalizing to play.