HOMESTEAD, Fla. — It’s a Hall of Fame career that includes four championships, 93 victories and more than $150 million in winnings. He’s got a beautiful family, a reputation as one of the good guys and a popularity that transcends NASCAR.

Now Jeff Gordon has a chance to write the ultimate Hollywood ending to an illustrious career.

Gordon will retire after Sunday’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he pushed aside a season of mediocrity and clawed his way into the championship picture. A win this month at Martinsville Speedway – the only victory of his 23rd season – put Gordon in the field of four who will race for the Sprint Cup title.

In this winner-take-all format, Gordon simply has to finish higher than reigning champion Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. to capture the fifth title that has eluded him for 14 years. Capturing his first title since 2001 in his final race would put Gordon in an elite group of athletes who went out on top: John Elway, David Robinson, Jerome Bettis and Bill Russell, just to name a few.

Asked where winning the title on his final day of work would rank in career that stamped him on the short list of all-time greats, Gordon was speechless.

“Is that even a question? That’s crazy. I mean, that’s life changing,” he said. “I’m sure it’s been done in some sport, but I don’t think it’s ever been done in this sport.”

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Gordon beat long odds just to race for a championship. Last year was the season he could have – maybe even should have – won title number five. But he was eliminated from the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship a week before the finale in a crushing end to his best season in at least seven years.

He announced in January that this year would be his last in the iconic No. 24 Chevrolet, and most everyone believed he’d cap this final ride with another amazing year on the track.

XFINITY: Chris Buescher won the Xfinity Series championship, helping offset the sting of an unsatisfying season in Sprint Cup for Roush Fenway Racing.

The 23-year-old Buescher won the title by finishing 11th in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, bringing home a fifth second-tier series crown for team owner Jack Roush.

Buescher was the last driver on the lead lap and finished 15.9 seconds behind race winner Kyle Larson.

Larson had led most of the race early and cleared Austin Dillon for good with four laps left for his third career Xfinity win.

Dillon, the 2013 series champion, was second, followed by Truck Series champ Erik Jones, Brian Scott and Ryan Blaney.

Buescher needed to finish 13th or better without leading a lap to win the championship in Homestead. He also held off defending series champion Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon and Regan Smith, all within striking distance of knocking off Buescher.


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