Truex to form at finale

First title on line for season’s top driver

MONSTER ENERGY CUP

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Martin Truex Jr. ended NASCAR’s final practice on top.

Do it today when it counts and Truex will drive away with the first NASCAR Cup championship of his career.

Truex was fastest in the final practice of the season, hitting 171.195 mph yesterday at Homestead-Miami Speedway and again stamping himself as the driver to beat in the finale. He has led the Cup Series in nearly every measurable category and is a seven-time winner this year.

“I think we definitely have enough speed to do what we need to do,” Truex said.

Truex, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick race for the title in the winner-take-all format that crowns a champion. Truex’s No. 78 Toyota scraped the wall in practice yesterday and it still didn’t matter.

Busch, the 2015 series champ , was sixth (169.492), 2012 champ Brad Keselowski was 11th (168.824) and 2014 champion Kevin Harvick was 18th (166.795).

Busch, of Joe Gibbs Racing, hoped to join seventime champion Jimmie Johnson as the only active drivers with multiple titles.

“Everything looks a lot similar to 2015 right now,” he said.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was a solid seventh in practice, but an engine change will drop him to the rear of the field for his final NASCAR Cup race.

Earnhardt makes the 631st and final start of his Cup career, ending a run that included two Daytona 500 championships and an unyielding love from his “Junior Nation” fan base. He is winless this year and, at 21st in the standings, is on pace for his worst fullseason finish since 2009.

But none of those sad stats really matters on Sunday.

Earnhardt will receive a fitting farewell at Homestead-Miami, much like the celebrations thrown each of the last two years for retired champions Jeff Gor-

don and Tony Stewart.

“I just want to run all the laps. I want to finish the race in one piece ,” he said. “I don’t have anything outside the car that’s on a to-do list. As far as I’m

concerned, I’m good with coming in here and doing the things we always do every race weekend.”

Earnhardt will join the NBC Sports broadcast booth next season.