So here it is. After 35 races, multiple twists, turns, and eliminations, we have arrived at the final race of the year. It’s time to make final predictions, and to help me out one last time this year, I’m bringing in my to fellow analysts: Michael and Robert. And this time I’ll be joining them.

Me: All right boys, this is it. We’ve been predicting every round, and I’m pretty sure we’ve gotten almost every round wrong. Can we get the right one done? The final four are Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano. What do we do with this bunch?

Robert: First off, I get bragging right. I got three of my four predictions right. I called Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Edwards advancing.

Michael: I unfortunately can’t argue with that. I got one right: Johnson. That’s embarrassing.

Me: Oh quit your whining! I got zero right. I picked Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson, and Martin Truex Jr. to be the final four. If you ask me, it seemed like the second each new round started, someone hit a reset button on speed.

Robert: Fair point.

Me: Ok, so the four eliminated drivers were Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, and Kurt Busch. Are  you surprised?

Robert: Heck yeah! Who would have seen Harvck getting the boot? He’s been the most dominate driver over the past 3 years, and now he’s going to Homestead-Miami with nothing to race for but a win.

Michael: This is the first time since 2012 That Harvick enters Homestead without a chance at a championship. It’s also the first time in that span that we will see him in a race where nothing other than wins matter. I suppose that the 2016 Dover race, 2014&16 Talladega races counted as no pressure, but how can I call Talldega & Dover no pressure?

Me: You are right. This is the first time in a while where we’ve seen a no pressure Harvick. The same can’t be said for Kenseth, Kurt Busch, and Hamlin. These four are continuously getting eliminated just before the championship round. It’s rather strange to watch their pattern.

Robert: Fair point. Those three are almost always getting themselves eliminated before the championship round.

Me: So now we have just Johnson, Edwards, Kyle Busch, and Logano to choose from as our championship pick. Who gets it done?

Robert: These four are all extremely skilled, but stats don’t usually lie. Logano and Johnson are less than impressive at Homestead. Kyle Busch’s past stats at Homestead aren’t the best either. That’s why my pick is Edwards. He may have been quite all year, but he is at the track where he has some solid stats. And the desire to erase the memory of his 2011 loss in a tie here will without a doubt drive him.

Michael: Edwards is strong, but I have to like Kyle Busch. If he can win a championship after busting every bone in his leg, he can win this. He’s better than the other three drivers, and he will be the champ.

Me: I have to agree with you bot. Edwards and Busch are the best of these four. Granted, Johnson and Logano have more wins recently, but I think we may be looking at our first champion who doesn’t win the race. And consistency has propelled Busch and Edwards a long way this season, and yes, so have wins. But if I have to pick one, Edwards is my guy. He is far more consistent here than the other three of these drivers, who have just one Homestead win between the three of them.

Robert: Well said. And while I think Johnson will be a competitor, I don’t think Logano will be as much of a factor. All three of his wins this year were simply him getting lucky. In none of those races has he been the fastest driver. He has to be the fastest this weekend, not just use his ridiculous laugh and ugly paint scheme to get to the front.

Michael: Yeah, I hate that paint scheme.

Me: We have seen so many drivers take big steps in their career this year, but the two who surprised me most were Austin Dillon and Chase Elliot. Despite being the best of the young guns, they were the two who haven’t won. Can one of them claim that win at Homestead?

Robert: Either one can. I wouldn’t be shocked if the two of them and Kyle Larson found themselves outrunning the final four to duke it out for the win.

Michael: Agreed. Dillon, Elliot, Larson, and also Ryan Blaney are all making a name for themselves. These four are key pieces to the future of Nascar. All four have scratched and clawed to earn their spot in the top levels, and each has earned it. And for Dillon, Elliot, and Blaney, the pressure is doubled because they bear legendary numbers on their doors. Dillon has Earnhardt’s no. 3. For Blaney it’s the 21 car of Wood Brothers Racing, which many legends have driven under. And Chase Elliot has the 24 of Jeff Gordon, which is an outstanding burden for a 20 year old. But pressure or no pressure, win or no win, these four will all be champs in the future, and they will all race fiercely to win this race.

Me: Now one last thing to rap up this article. We are now in Tony Stewart’s final race. He won the first two Homestead races. He also won the 2011 Homestead race, making him the first person to win the championship and Homestead in the same year. He’s coming off a solid run at Phoenix. Will he be in the mix for one last win?

Robert: He will. His crew chief is clever, and he was on the team that finished 1st and 2nd in the past two Homestead races. Stewart enters his last race with nothing to lose, and a solid prize to gain. Why not?

Michael: You make a point. Stewart can drive his style: bumping and banging. He has absolutely nothing to lose in that. If he can’t win, I hope he ‘accidentally’ takes out a fellow driver while racing hard. It would be the ultimate Tony Stewart send off: going out in a blaze of glory.

Me: I’ve been a Stewart fan ever since I could walk. I saw him race the no. 20 to numerous wins and championships. I watched him work through his leg break and unfortunate off track accident. I cheered him through his outstanding 2011 championship run. And I was jumping for joy as he claimed his win at Sonoma earlier this year. That may have been his last hurrah. And that’s fine by me. Tony Stewart has meant so much to racing.  He’s a champion, a bad boy, and probably the best all around racer in the history of motorsports. I’ve dreaded this moment since last Fall. The race where I have to say goodbye. It’s amazing to me how much I admired what Stewart’s been able to do. I’m sad to see him go, and no one will ever truly replace him. To me, the 14 will always be Tony Stewart. At the beginning of the year I saw a decal that said Smoke will rise. Well he already did. He rose in 2002when he claimed his first championship, albeit through controversy. He rose in 2005 when he outdueled Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, and Greg Biffle in a clean and successful season. He rose in 2011, when he won out in the Chase of the century, by tying Carl Edwards for the championship and claiming in because of his 5 chase wins, one of which was the last race. That was the race that summed up Tony Stewart. He can bounce back, even from a giant hole in his grill. He can drive past driver like they stand still (He passed over 100 cars). He can be aggressive. He can intimidate his opponents. And above all,  he can win a championship. Stewart was about to hit a rough patch in his career, but that was how I will always remember him. The cocky, aggressive, skilled, and generous champion, who will probably spend the rest of his life behind one steering wheel or another, always chasing the checkered flag. Smoke Did Rise.

Thanks for the memories Smoke!