After months of circling pavement in all kinds of weather conditions, where forty-three drivers battled it out to become the Sprint Cup Champion – one has finally been chosen. Driver’s anticipations were high in the final race of the 2015 season – with them and fans on the edge of their seats enduring the final race to determine the winner.
Early on in the Ford EcoBoost 400 one of the contenders for the championship took the lead – Kyle Busch led the race for 30 laps until Jeff Gordon came in soon after. The majority of the race seemed to be a battle between Busch, who was looking forward to his first championship, and Gordon, who was looking to retire from NASCAR with another win of his own.
Of course, the race took a turn with its first accident involving four drivers – not including those who soon after fell in through a domino effect. Clint Boywer had some trouble controlling his car after a tap in the rear, then veered into Dale Earnhardt Jr. while taking out a piece of Aric Almirola’s car. The three of them ultimately would up going in different directions; Casey Mears was caught in the accident after initial impact, tossing him outside of the track with other cars that attempted to avoid the ordeal.
As the sun set on Homestead-Miami Speedway and the lights shone brightly to welcome the next half of the race there was no chance of pace. A caution crept up on the drivers when debris covered some of the track, but that is soon forgotten – Busch takes the reigns at the restart, a couple of racers try to pull ahead but the number 18 car had a comeback every time.
A caution on the track with ten laps to go created a final obstacle, but Busch held on to his lead until the end. The driver secured his first Sprint Cup Championship, flashing his car’s colors – and the Sprint Cup flag – to the crowd in a final burn out on the track to celebrate. In the end, a younger generation took out the veteran, as Jeff Gordon retired with a sixth place finish in his final race.
