NASCAR finale shaping up to be just the way NASCAR planned it

Harvick appears to have the best chance to take the title in Homestead

We deemed 2018 the 'year of Ford' back in February. Maybe this whole playoff thing will work out the way NASCAR wants it to work out — again.

With rumors Ford might quit if they did not win this year, NASCAR’s executives probably are rubbing their hands with delight the way the Ford teams have dominated. Fords have won 16 of the 31 races this season. Lately, Ford drivers have been dominant and are threatening to overwhelm Toyota and Chevrolet as the playoffs wind down.

Leading up to the Kansas race, seven of the 12 championship-eligible drivers are in Fords — Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney. Barring a shakeup in the standings, all but Keselowski and Blaney will advance to the round of eight.

Having more than half of your eight championship-eligible drivers in one kind of car is a little out of balance. But things could get more lopsided. All of the Final Four could be Ford drivers. To top it off, the final event at Homestead-Miami is the Ford EcoBoost 400.

If that happens, NASCAR's plan will have been worked to perfection and Ford Executives will continue to write NASCAR and its teams a healthy check.