Drivers competing in the NASCAR championship race
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) A glance at the four drivers in the NASCAR championship race Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
DRIVER: Kyle Busch
TEAM: No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
BORN: May 2, 1985
HOMETOWN: Las Vegas
CREW CHIEF: Adam Stevens
SPONSOR: M&M's Caramel/Interstate Batteries
SOCIAL MEDIA: (at)kylebusch (Twitter), (at)rowdybusch (Instagram)
NOTES: Busch is racing for his second championship and has been among the top teams all season. He has five wins this season and is perhaps the only one of the championship contenders who stayed close to favorite Martin Truex Jr. at times. He has been the top driver at Gibbs this season, and the only driver so far to give Toyota a Cup title.
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DRIVER: Kevin Harvick
TEAM: No. 4 Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
BORN: Dec. 8, 1975
HOMETOWN: Bakersfield, California
CREW CHIEF: Rodney Childers
SPONSOR: Jimmy John's
SOCIAL MEDIA: (at)KevinHarvick (Twitter and Instagram)
NOTES: Harvick is seeking his second Cup championship and is far from the favorite, which he was during his 2014 title run. That year, Harvick won in his first season with the team. This year, he is trying to do it in SHR's first season with Ford. If Harvick wins, SHR would be the first to do so with a new manufacturer since Cale Yarborough did it in 1978.
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DRIVER: Brad Keselowski
TEAM: No. 2 Ford, Team Penske
BORN: Feb. 12, 1984
HOMETOWN: Rochester Hills, Michigan
CREW CHIEF: Paul Wolfe
SPONSOR: Miller Lite
SOCIAL MEDIA: (at)keselowski (Twitter)
NOTES: Keselowski is the 2012 NASCAR champion and has yet to win a title in this elimination, winner-take-all format. Should Keselowski win, Team Penske would sweep the major American racing series. Penske already celebrated a title this year in IndyCar with Josef Newgarden. Keselowski is also trying to become the first Ford driver to win the title since Kurt Busch in 2004.
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DRIVER: Martin Truex Jr.
TEAM: No. 78 Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
BORN: June 29, 1980
HOMETOWN: Mayetta, New Jersey
CREW CHIEF: Cole Pearn
SPONSOR: Furniture Row
SOCIAL MEDIA: (at)MartinTruex-Jr (Twitter and Instagram)
NOTES: The favorite for the championship and a seven-time winner this year, Truex has led the Cup Series in nearly every measurable category. He is the only the driver in the championship four without a Cup title, but he has raced in this format before. Truex won't have team owner Barney Visser in attendance because he is recovering from a heart attack and surgery at home in Colorado.
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