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The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion will be crowned on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as drivers take place in the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400.
The race is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch NBC online, on your phone or on another streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services. They cost a monthly fee but all come with a free trial, so you can watch tonight’s championship race for free if you’re in a select market:
DirecTV Now: NBC (live in 15 markets) is included in all four channel packages, ranging from $35 to $70 per month. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app
FuboTV: NBC (live in 11 markets) is included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package, which is $19.99 per month for the first two months and $39.99 per month after that. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app
Sling TV: NBC (live in 11 markets) is included in the “Sling Blue” channel package for $25 per month. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app
Starting Lineup
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Kyle Busch
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Brad Keselowski
6. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
7. Kyle Larson
8. Kurt Busch
9. Kevin Harvick
10. Daniel Suarez
11. Ryan Blaney
12. Trevor Bayne
13. Jamie McMurray
14. Erik Jones
15. Paul Menard
16. Clint Bowyer
17. Austin Dillon
18. Chase Elliott
19. Joey Logano
20. Aric Almirola
21. Ryan Newman
22. Jimmie Johnson
23. Michael McDowell
24. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
25. Danica Patrick
26. AJ Allmendinger
27. Kasey Kahne
28. Landon Cassill
29. Chris Buescher
30. David Ragan
31. Matt Dibenedetto
32. Ty Dillon
33. Cole Whitt
34. Corey Lajoie
35. Joey Gase
36. Jeffrey Earnhardt
37. Reed Sorenson
38. David Starr
39. Ray Black II
Preview
Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and Brad Keselowski are the four remaining drivers with a chance at the championship. Truex Jr. is the only one of that quartet yet to win a championship, but it’s hard not to consider him the favorite to prevail on Sunday afternoon. Not only is he starting the furthest forward among the championship drivers, but in 12 races on intermediate tracks this year (Homestead is an intermediate track), he has tallied an astounding six victories, 11 Top-10’s and an average finish of 3.92. In his last four on these types of tracks, he has finished first, first, first and second.
Still, while Truex Jr. is the favorite, the other three are in this position for a reason and can’t be overlooked. Harvick has finished third, second and first in his last three races at Homestead and has an average finish of 6.94 in 16 career starts there. Busch won here in 2015 and is the closest to Truex Jr. in terms of success on 1.5-mile tracks, with four wins in his last 31 races. And Keselowski has three Top-6 finishes in his last four starts at Homestead.
Outside of the championship, the other big storyline is this being the last race for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“I don’t need to reconsider. This is great timing for me,” Earnhardt said. “In my heart, (my career) has run its course. I’ve felt very good about that decision before the race in Daytona started in February, that this was it. And I was more thankful to be able to compete this year than I was to ever question whether I should go further. I’m sitting here healthy, and I’m going to run this last race, and I got all the way through the year, so I feel blessed. I feel really good with it.”