NASCAR: Harvick takes Homestead to win the Chase for the Sprint Cup

Kevin Harvick became 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion in the best possible way – with victory in a highly dramatic decider at Homestead.

The Stewart-Haas driver had to fight back from 12th place in the closing stages after taking on four tires in the final pit stops while others changed just two or stayed out. He made it to the front on the penultimate restart in the yellow-strewn race and then held off fellow title contender Ryan Newman for the win.

Harvick, polesitter Jeff Gordon and Chase protagonist Denny Hamlin all had spells in control of the event, with fourth championship hopeful Joey Logano also in the thick of the lead battle and Newman making rapid progress from 21st on the grid to join them.

The title quartet's fortunes varied through the race as their cars' handling changed through stints, leaving the outcome uncertain to the finish.

It was only the final pit stops that spread the championship pack out, with Hamlin choosing not to pit and remaining up front with Gordon, Newman leaping forward by changing only two tires, Harvick dropping back as he changed all four and Logano's championship bid ending altogether when a jack problem dumped him right down to 29th.

Harvick made rapid progress in the next brief spell of racing between yellows, reaching seventh place before the next caution and then gaining another spot when Gordon decided he did need new tires after all. That left Hamlin leading from Newman going into the final 10 laps, but Harvick's fresh tires proved ideal at the next restart and he burst through from sixth to second almost immediately.

An easy pass on Hamlin followed, and Harvick then just had to hold Newman off through one last restart and three-lap sprint to the flag to claim his first Cup title.

"I'm just really excited," Harvick said in his post-race television interview. "Just really happy. I've been trying for 13 years.

"I knew we had good tires but you just don't know how the guys are going to fire off (on the restart), if everything is going to get jumbled up and how far behind you're going to get.

"I think the second restart (after the pit stop) was the key to being able to take advantage of those tires. We were fortunate to be able to line up on the outside of both of those."

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Second was Newman's best result of a win-less year, while Hamlin tumbled back to seventh behind Brad Keselowski, Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray and Matt Kenseth.

Gordon got back to 10th in a race that he had dominated at times, leading 161 of the 267 laps. Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson finished just ahead of him.

Sixteenth was the best Logano could manage. Even before his pit trouble he had already fallen to the rear of the Chase group when a brush with the wall affected his Penske Ford's handling then prompted a slight pit delay while damaged bodywork was pulled clear of his tires.

RESULTS - 267 LAPS:

FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: