By Ryan - Posted on November 22, 2011

Let the race at Homestead – the one for all the marbles – be the best argument for the new NASCAR Sprint Cup scoring system. This winner-take-all race was one that actually fulfilled the hype leading up to it. The points leader led the most laps, the uncertainty of the outcome was stretched for over an extra hour due to rain, and the driver who entered in second place staged a come-from-behind win to clinch the championship in the final laps.

Tony Stewart peaked at the right time, winning five of the ten Chase races, to become the 2011 Sprint Cup Champion. He claimed this win through pit strategy – he took four tires during the rain delay caution, and he stretched his fuel mileage to the limit. On his way to the win, he started from the back twice, and passed 118 cars. And the outcomes of the Chase could not have been closer. Only the bonus points for winning let Stewart overcome the three-point lead that Carl Edwards had coming in to the race. At the checkered flag, Stewart and Edwards had accrued the same number of points, but Stewart was awarded the Sprint Cup championship based on his number of wins this season.

In victory lane, Stewart seemed to say that winning the race outright was the plan from the start. "We said all week, if we just go out and win the race, we didn't have to worry about what he did -- and that's what we did. If this doesn't go down as one of the greatest championship battles in history, I don't know what will."

Nearly lost in the 2-car race to the finish were some notes of interest. Brad Keselowski, in his second full season in the Sprint Cup Series, finished fifth in the points standings. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who said he thought he had a car that could contend for the win, finished 11th, ending his third consecutive season without a trip to victory lane. Jimmie Johnson finished 32nd at Homestead, finishing sixth in the final series standings, the first time in his career he has finished outside the top five.