Homestead musings: Tony Stewart, Five-Time and more

I may have whiffed on a number of my Homestead predictions, but I nailed the biggest one.

That is, I predicted that there was exactly one way for Tony Stewart to win the 2011 Sprint Cup championship: Win the race.

And that's exactly what Smoke did. He refused to be denied in his quest to win a third career championship, and first as an owner/driver.

Carl Edwards did just about everything in his power to earn his first career Cup title—winning the pole and leading the most laps—but in the end Stewart did the one thing he absolutely had to do to steal the title.

It was disappointing to see Jimmie Johnson go down in the fashion he did on Sunday. The no-longer-efending-Sprint-Cup-champion was running in the top five but had an issue with his carburetor, relegating him to a quiet 32nd-place finish. For the first time in his 10-year career, Johnson finished outside the top five in the final standings (sixth, to be exact).

All in all however, it was an incredible race. NASCAR couldn't have scripted the final chapter in the championship battle any better. The one thing that put a damper on the entire affair was the weather. The three cautions for rain—one causing a red flag period lasting over an hour—were unfortunate, but completely out of NASCAR's hands.

Congrats to 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart!

Tony Stewart Wins Third Sprint Cup Title!

Tony Stewart earned his third career title in dramatic fashion, winning the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with Carl Edwards hot on his tail.

When the race ended, Stewart and Edwards were exactly tied in the points. However, Stewart won the tiebreaker based on his greater number of victories throughout the season.

Stewart led 65 laps en route to his fifth win of the 2011 Chase, breaking Jimmie Johnson's record of four wins in a single Chase. Stewart, the last driver to win a championship prior to Jimmie Johnson's five-year title reign, became the first to win after the end of Johnson's streak.

It was the first time an owner/driver won the title since Alan Kulwicki won the Winston Cup in 1992, driving for his own underfunded single-car team. Stewart isn't the underdog that Kulwicki was, but it's remarkable to see an owner/driver win the title in this era of NASCAR.

Read the complete story here!

5 Reasons Carl Edwards to Believe Carl Edwards Will Win the Title at Homestead

On Sunday, we will witness the perfect NASCAR showdown: Carl Edwards vs. Tony Stewart.

The Ford Nice Guy against the sometimes cantankerous owner/driver.

Only one driver will emerge victorious with the title of NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Sunday evening at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The title fight has never been closer heading into NASCAR's season finale. Edwards leads Stewart by the slimmest of margins, a mere three points—three positions on the track, or less than the points differential between first place and second.

Who will be Sprint Cup champion come Sunday evening?

Click here for five reasons to believe Carl Edwards is the man to get the job.

Debate: Who will win the title, Stewart or Edwards?

Edwards has the obvious advantage in the standings. He leads Stewart by three points heading to the finale at Homestead, a slim lead, but a lead nonetheless.

Edwards is also lights-out at HMS, not to mention being the defending race winner.

For his part, Tony Stewart has the advantage of experience. He's a two time champ, and he's the only driver to win championships under both the old model (points accumulated over the entire season) and the Chase system.

More importantly, Smoke is red hot. He has four wins in the Chase, compared to none for Edwards.

Of course, Edwards has obviously been running well too, or he wouldn't be the points leader.

I predict that Stewart will find a way to get it done, quite possibly winning Sunday's race to earn a third career title in emphatic fashion.

Thoughts?