"I'm getting in as a driver, I'm getting out as a champion." Joey Logano

Joey Logano leads the Big Three across the finish line to win the Ford EcoBoost 400 and bring home the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Championship

"It's the Big Three and me."

Joey Logano said that at the NASCAR media day last week. He was the big underdog heading into Homestead, facing off against three drivers who combined to win 20 out of 35 races this year. Combine that with the fact Logano hadn't won a "cookie-cutter" race this season and had never won at Homestead in his career, well the odds weren't in his favor.

That's why they run the race.

After a late race accident led to a re-start for a fifteen lap shootout, Joey Logano pulled away from the field to lead the championship contenders across the finish line to win the Ford EcoBoost 400 and the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.

"We did it! We won the championship! I can’t believe it," said Logano. "I don’t know what to say. This team, (owner) Roger Penske, (crew chief) Todd Gordon, the pit crew. Oh, my God! They gave me the car I needed at the end to do my job. Put me in position to do my job. I couldn’t be more proud of them. We won the championship! Oh, my God!"

The final four title contenders lived up to the pre-race hype, swapping the lead back and forth throughout the event. With 21 laps remaining, Kyle Busch was in the lead due to pit-strategy gambling on old tires. Kevin Harvick was chasing him in second place with Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano running right behind. Busch desperately needed a caution to avoid surrendering the lead for new tires and a splash of gas.

His lucky break came on Lap 247 as Brad Keselowski made contact with Daniel Suarez, spinning Suarez into the wall to bring out the yellow caution flag. All the contenders entered pit row for pit-stops that could make or break their championship hopes. Busch came out of pit road first followed by Truex, Logano and Harvick.

15 laps remained to determine a champion. Busch took the green flag on the re-start, but was quickly passed by Truex and Logano. As Busch and Harvick faded from contention, Truex surged into first with Logano right on his back bumper. Three laps later Logano charged into the outside of Turn 1 to get by Truex and pull away from the pack. He crossed the finish line in anti-climactic fashion 1.7 seconds ahead of Truex.

"I knew we had a short run car," Logano said. "I said it before the race started. Our car is a short run car. If it’s anything longer than 25 laps, we’re going to be in trouble, and that really showed today."

It is Logano's third win of the season and the 21st of his career. After missing the playoffs entirely last year, Logano was able to turn things completely around to win his first Cup Series Championship.

"I am so proud of everybody for rising to the occasion. We executed down the stretch like nobody’s business," said Logano.

It was not only a big day for Logano, it was also a big day for Ford. Logano became the first Ford driver to win the championship since Kurt Busch in 2004. The victory also gave Ford its first manufacturer's championship since 2002. The last time the auto company won both titles in the same season was 1999 when Dale Jarret claimed the Cup Series title. Ford drivers won 19 races this season, led by Kevin Harvick's eight victories.

Logano's team owner, longtime Ford partner Roger Penske, understood the weight of the wins for Ford.

"Delivering the manufacturers' championship and the driver's championship, where it's been a drought for them," Penske said, "and all the people that have done so much at Ford, and they've stayed committed with us. This is part of building a brand."

Defending Cup Series Champion Martin Truex Jr. finished one spot short in defending his title in second place. Truex had the strongest car in the long runs as the sun set and the track cooled, but the late race caution which caused a short lap shootout played into Logano's hands.

"I just needed time. That’s all I needed," said Truex. "They were faster than us for 15 or 20 laps all day long. I don’t know what else we could’ve done. Honestly, we worked our guts out all weekend and just to get here, I told you earlier we shut a lot of people up and made them eat crow and that felt good. To come here and almost upset the field and almost win it back to back was really awesome. I just wish that last caution hadn’t come out. Other than that, I don’t know what we could’ve done."

Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch finished in third and fourth place respectively. Harvick had a strong car early in the race, but it lost its edge as the track temperatures cooled.

"Obviously, we got loose as the night went on," said Harvick. "Really, it was a great pit call there in position to win the race if the caution doesn’t come out and we came down to a pit stop and a restart and we didn’t do either good. I just hate it for all our guys on our Jimmy John’s Ford."

Busch struggled the most among the championship contenders during the race and had to gamble on pit-strategy to stay in contention towards the end.

"Just not at all what we wanted obviously and not what we expected either," said Busch. We knew the 22 (Joey Logano) was fast, but man, I thought we were way closer than that. We kind of held up the first half of the race, but after that we were just never close. I don’t know what happened, just didn’t have the feel in the race car that I needed tonight. We finished fourth, last of the Playoff guys. That’s not what it takes these days."

Click here for full race results.

You can see the final Driver's Playoff Points Standings here.

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season is now officially in the books. The drivers and crews will get a nice winter break until the 2019 season begins with the Daytona 500 next February.

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_{Photo credits: nascarking CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons}

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_{Author: @chops316
Editor: @liberty-minded}

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