Beech Tree News Network

And Down the Stretch They Come!
Sunday’s race at Homestead marks the finale of the 2015-16 NASCAR season.  Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex, Jr and, in his final full-season run, Jeff Gordon make up your Final Four.  Kevin Harvick has amazed me this season.  It’s not often that a champion from a previous year can repeat, much less be back in the hunt. 
There is an amazing story with all four of these racers.  Can Harvick repeat? Gordon and Truex are pretty much the surprise half of this foursome.  On January 22, Gordon announced that this would be his final full-time year in NASCAR.  Ten months later and the moment has arrived. 
I rank my excitement for big-time sports events as such: (1)NCAA basketball tournament, (2) WrestleMania(any of the big WWE pay-per-views, really), (3) NASCAR championship weekend and (4) World Series(if the Cardinals are playing).  I know, how could I put a staged activity over racing and baseball? What can I say? I’ve been a wrestling fan longer.  NASCAR was always on but I never really got into it until high school. 
None of these four are Dale, Jr, so I’m not as invested as I would be.  I would like to see Gordon go out on top ala Brett Favre.  Wait, Favre came back to play for the Jets.  Then he retired again and came back to play for the Vikings.  Or was it Vikings then Jets? I forget.  He did embarrass himself, though.  It was a little like Darrell Waltrip’s last few years(okay, decade) in NASCAR. 
NASCAR really has a man-crush on Kyle Busch.  That’s probably why he got in the 16-man tournament in the first place.  I mean, if Dale Jr missed six months because of injury, would he have been let in? Probably not.  Yes, Kyle went on a little hot streak when he returned.  Previously, only 8 drivers had won four consecutive races.  Of those eight to win back-to-back, five of them went on to win the championship that same year.  If Kyle wins the title Sunday, a painfully real possibility, lots of fans will boo heavily.  Not to mention, as I expect, NASCAR just might lose what little credibility they have left.