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Logano Drafts to the Top of the Charts in Second Daytona 500 Practice

Joey Logano found his way to the top of the charts. The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 45.934 and a speed of 195.933 mph. Brad Keselowski was second in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford with a time of 45.954 and a speed of 195.848 mph.

Brad Keselowski was second in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford with a time of 45.954 and a speed of 195.848 mph followed by Ryan Blaney who was third in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 45.966 and a speed of 195.797 mph. Kurt Busch was fourth in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet with a time of 46.183 and a speed of 194.877 mph and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 46.226 and a speed of 194.696 mph.

Matt Kenseth finished sixth in his No. 20 JGR Toyota and Kevin Harvick finished seventh in his No. 4 SHR Chevrolet. Chase Elliott finished eighth in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Carl Edwards finished ninth in his No. 19 JGR Toyota while Greg Biffle rounded out the top-10 in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

Blaney, Keselowski and Logano took to the track to form a three-car draft with less than 10 minutes remaining in the session.

Forty-two of the 44 cars took to the track to post a lap in this session.

The cars will be back on track tonight for the Sprint Unlimited.

February 13, 2016
Earnhardt Leads the Way in First Daytona 500 Practice

Dale Earnhardt Jr. opens the NASCAR season at the top of the charts in the first Daytona 500 practice. The driver of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 46.364 and a speed of 194.116 mph.

Reigning Daytona 500 champion Joey Logano was second in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 46.427 and a speed of 193.853 mph followed by Matt Kenseth who was third fastest in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 46.444 and a speed of 193.782 mph.

Reigning Daytona 500 champion Joey Logano was second in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 46.427 and a speed of 193.853 mph followed by Matt Kenseth who was third fastest in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 46.444 and a speed of 193.782 mph.

Chase Elliott was fourth in his No. 24 HMS Chevrolet with a time of 46.491 and a speed of 193.586 mph and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top-five in his No. 5 HMS Chevrolet with a time of 46.492 and a speed of 193.582 mph.

Brad Keselowski finished sixth in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford. Greg Biffle finished seventh in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Kurt Busch finished eighth in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. Carl Edwards finished ninth in his No. 19 JGR Toyota followed by Martin Truex Jr. to round out the top-10 in his No. 4 SHR Chevrolet.

Ryan Blaney was the highest non-charter driver in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in 13th.

As of the publishing of this piece, the Sprint Cup Series is on track for second practice.

Complete Results:

February 13, 2016
Johnson Lands Pole Position for Sprint Unlimited
By Staff report | NASCAR.com

On-track action for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has begun. With drivers itching to get back inside their race cars, the lineup for the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway has arrived.

Crew chiefs drew their drivers’ starting positions for the race on Friday — the Sprint Unlimited (75 laps, 187.5 miles) is set for the green flag Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Crew chief Chad Knaus landed the prime position for Jimmie Johnson, who will start from the pole position. Johnson has visited Victory Lane at the 2.5-mile track three times in his career.

Joining Johnson’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on the front row will be Brad Keselowski in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

The No. 47 Chevrolet of AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top three.

Kyle Larson will hit the grid in the fourth position in his No. 42Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. The 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman will line up in the fifth spot.

And the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch is starting ninth.

Complete lineup for Sprint Unlimited:
February 12, 2016
2016 Sprint Unlimited Preview

A new season is about to dawn, but first we must wake up the race fans from their offseason hibernation.

This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads down to Daytona International Speedway to kick off the annual ritual of Speedweeks. This consists of 10 days of activity that culminates on Feb. 21 with the 58th running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500. But before we officially start the season, we need to get back into the racing mindset. To do that, we run the Sprint Unlimited.

The race

The Sprint Unlimited is an invitation-only exhibition race held the week before the Daytona 500. It’s a 75-lap event divided into two segments with a competition caution at lap 25 separating the two segments. It consists of 25 drivers that either won a pole last season, are a past winner of the race, have won a pole for the Daytona 500 in the past or were a Chase driver the previous season. If that should fail to fill the 25 minimum, then the remaining spots will go to drivers highest in points not already locked into the event.

The eligible drivers are as follows.

Pole winners

Twelve drivers are eligible for winning a pole in 2015. They are A. J. Allmendinger (Sonoma and Watkins Glen), Kurt Busch (Auto Club, Texas and Pocono), Kyle Busch (Pocono), Carl Edwards (both Loudon races and Indianapolis), Jeff Gordon (Daytona, Las Vegas and both Talladega races), Denny Hamlin (Dover, Bristol and Homestead), Kevin Harvick (Phoenix), Jimmie Johnson (Phoenix), Kasey Kahne (Michigan), Matt Kenseth (Bristol, both Charlotte races and Michigan), Brad Keselowski (Darlington, Kansas and Texas) and Joey Logano (Atlanta, both Martinsville races, Kansas and both Richmond races).

Given that Gordon retired at the end of 2015, he won’t be competing in this race.

Past winners

Two drivers are eligible for being past winners of the Sprint Unlimited. They are Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003 and 2008) and Tony Stewart (2001, 2002 and 2007).

After sustaining a burst fracture of his L1 vertebra, Stewart will miss the event.

Past Daytona 500 pole winners

Five drivers are eligible for being past Daytona 500 pole winners. They are Greg Biffle (2004), Austin Dillon (2014), David Gilliland (2007), Danica Patrick (2013) and Martin Truex Jr. (2009).

Gilliland is without a ride for the 2016 season and more than likely won’t take part in the race. Bobby Labonte would fit the criteria in this category having won the pole for the Daytona 500 in 1998 and 2002, but he wasn’t listed as an eligible driver.

2015 Chase drivers

Four drivers who weren’t locked in via the above criteria are locked in via being in the 2015 Chase. They are Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman.

The rest

The final two eligible drivers in the race based on points are Aric Almirola and Kyle Larson.

With Gordon’s retirement, Stewart’s injury and Gilliland’s lack of a ride, the final three spots will be filled based on championship driver points. The first five provisional drivers are Casey Mears, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Sam Hornish Jr., David Ragan and Trevor Bayne.

The venue

Photo Credit: Tucker White

Daytona International Speedway is a 2.5 mile (4 km) asphalt superspeedway located in Daytona Beach, Fla. Opened in 1959, Daytona is the centerpiece of the NASCAR empire, and not just because the corporate headquarters is located just across the street from the speedway. It’s home to the Daytona 500, the biggest and most important race in NASCAR and one of the biggest in all of motorsports.

It was built to be a track that would be both a place that favors sight lines and a cathedral of speed. Fifty-eight years later, the dream project of a madman by the name of Bill France Sr. continues to stand tall over the NASCAR landscape. It’s only going to stand out more thanks to the $400 million Daytona Rising project.

I’m not going to go into deep detail about the history and importance of Daytona in this piece because I’m saving it for my Daytona 500 preview, but I will say that this track was built to be the shining example of the NASCAR world and the motorsports world.

So who’ll win?

To win at Daytona and Talladega, you must master the art of the draft. You must use the draft to both keep up with the competition and beat them. No driver has hands down been better at the draft as of late than Dale Earnhardt Jr. at 6/1 (Vegas Insider). Next is Jimmie Johnson at 8/1. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano are 10/1. Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. are 15/1. Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray are 25/1. Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman and 30/1. Aric Almirola and Danica Patrick are 50/1. A. J. Allmendinger, Casey Mears and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are 60/1.

Race time and info

The Sprint Unlimited gets under green Saturday night at 8 p.m. on FOX. Longtime NASCAR broadcaster Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip will be joined in the booth by the now retired Jeffrey Michael Gordon.

The radio broadcast will be heard on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM (subscription required for the latter). Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace will be in the new tower working the race from the booth. Dave Moody will be working Turns 1 and 2 from the Sunoco spotters stand outside Turn 2. Mike Bagley will be working the backstretch from a stand on the inside of the backstretch down towards Turn 3. Kyle Rickey will be working Turns 3 and 4 from the other Sunoco spotters stand outside Turn 4. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley and Steve Post will be working pit road.

February 11, 2016
Sprint Unlimited at Daytona – Schedule & Driver Lineup

NASCAR returns this week with the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Raceway Saturday night followed by Sprint Cup qualifying for the Daytona 500 on Sunday. FOX will provide television coverage for both events while all practices can be seen on FS1. Please see the complete schedule and the driver lineup for the Sprint Unlimited below.

Friday, Feb. 12:

On Track:

5-5:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited Practice – FS1
6:30-7:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited Final Practice – FS1

GarageCam: (Watch live)

4:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

11 a.m.: Daytona International Speedway announcement
11:30 a.m.: Stewart-Haas Racing announcement
1 p.m.: Eddie Wood, Leonard Wood, Jon Wood
2 p.m.: NASCAR, Chip Ganassi Racing announcement with Jamie McMurray
3:30 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
3:45 p.m.: Joey Logano
4 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson and Steve Post

Saturday, Feb. 13:

On Track:

10:30 a.m-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – FS1
1:30-3:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – FS1
8:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited – (75 laps, 187.5 miles) – FOX

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

10 p.m.: Sprint Unlimited Post-race (Time approx.)

Sunday, Feb. 14:

On Track:

1:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

2:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Daytona 500 Post-qualifying (Time approx.)

Sprint Unlimited Driver Eligibility:

There are 25 open positions for the Sprint Unlimited. The eligible drivers include 2015 Coors Light Pole Award winners, former winners of the Sprint Unlimited and former Daytona 500 pole winners who competed full time in 2015.

The 16 drivers who participated in the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship are also eligible. Any remaining available positions will be filled based on 2015 Sprint Cup driver points.

Eligible Drivers:

2015 Coors Light Pole Awards Winners

AJ Allmendinger
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Carl Edwards
Denny Hamlin
Kevin Harvick
Jimmie Johnson
Kasey Kahne
Matt Kenseth
Brad Keselowski
Jeff Gordon – Will be replaced by Casey Mears as the first provisional
Joey Logano

Former Sprint Unlimited Race Winners

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Tony Stewart – Will be replaced by Brian Vickers

Former DAYTONA 500 Coors Light Pole Award Winners

Greg Biffle
Austin Dillon
David Gilliland – Replaced by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. due to no car available
Danica Patrick
Martin Truex Jr.

2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Drivers

Clint Bowyer
Jamie McMurray
Paul Menard
Ryan Newman

2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Driver Points

Aric Almirola
Kyle Larson

If an eligible driver cannot or does not enter the race, the open position is filled based on 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship driver points.

The first five provisional drivers are as follows:

Casey Mears – Will compete as a result of Jeff Gordon’s retirement
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Will compete because David Gilliand cannot (no car)
Sam Hornish Jr.
David Ragan
Trevor Bayne

Sprint Unlimited Format Notes:

The event will be split into two segments with a competition caution at lap 25 separating the segments. As in 2015, NASCAR will pair select fans with each crew chief and hold a random drawing to determine the starting grid and pit road positions.

February 11, 2016
As The Credits Roll, Rowdy Takes Top Prize

The curtain has fallen on the 2015 season and Kyle Busch is standing atop the NASCAR world. The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota scored both his 34th victory and first championship in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He’s the fourth driver in NASCAR history to win a title in both the XFINITY Series and Sprint Cup Series. He and brother Kurt join the Labonte brothers (Terry and Bobby) as the only brothers to have won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

While he was certainly a strong choice to win the title going into the 2015 season, nobody would have said that he would win it after sitting out the first 11 races of the season following a crash in the season-opening XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway. I remember thinking that it might have been best if he sat out the rest of the year and return to racing in 2016.

However, Rowdy made an incredible comeback with an 11th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 back in May. He locked his way into the Chase by winning four of five races in the summer at Sonoma, Kentucky, Loudon and Indianapolis.

“I don’t know if I quite understand life yet, but there’s something to be said about this year,” an emotional Busch said on his team radio.

That comment deserves the understatement of the year award.

Kevin Harvick finished runner-up for the 13th time this season. That breaks a tie with Bobby Allison for the most second-place finishes in a single season.

“We were definitely a little bit off tonight, and we never really found anything that really helped the car,” Harvick said. “I thought at the end, we might do better than that. The 18 car just had us beat all night. I just couldn’t find anywhere that would make the car better.

“To come back from everything’s that he’s come back from, that’s a great comeback story from where he was after Daytona.”

Brad Keselowski led a race high 0f 86 laps on his way to rounding out the podium. Teammate Joey Logano finished fourth and Kyle Larson rounded out the top-five.

Jeff Gordon came home sixth in his 797th and final Sprint Cup Series start. Matt Kenseth finished seventh in his return from a two-race suspension. Kurt Busch finished eighth followed by Jimmie Johnson in ninth while Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-10.

Martin Truex Jr. came home in 12th.

A 31st-place finish gives Brett Moffitt the 2015 Rookie of the Year honors.

Rowdy is the first driver to win a championship without running all the races since Richard Petty in 1972.

The race was slowed by seven caution flag periods for 30 laps. It lasted three hours, two minutes and 23 seconds at an average speed of 131.755 mph. There were 18 lead changes among eight different drivers.

That puts a wrap on the 2015 season. As of the publishing of this piece, we’re just 91 days from the 58th running of the Daytona 500.

Complete Results

Final 2015 Driver Standings

November 22, 2015
Kyle Busch Wins 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship

Overcomes Injury, Celebrates Walk-Off Win in Miami

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 22, 2015) – Only nine months removed from suffering a broken right leg and left foot in an accident at Daytona, Kyle Busch won at Homestead-Miami Speedway to capture the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. The title is the first for Busch and Toyota.

To take home NASCAR’s greatest prize, Busch needed to finish ahead of the three other Championship 4 drivers – Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr. – in the final race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Homestead.

Busch and his brother Kurt Busch (2004 NSCS champion) join Terry and Bobby Labonte as the only brothers to earn NSCS titles.

Missing three months – a span of 11 races – due to his injury, Busch returned to his No. 18 Toyota at Charlotte in May, showing signs of rust by logging two finishes worse than 35th (36th at Dover; 43rd at Michigan) in his first four points events. He rounded into form his fifth race back by speeding to Victory Lane at Sonoma, catalyzing a dominant run of four wins in his next four starts, including three in a row at Kentucky, New Hampshire and Indianapolis.

Entering the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as one of the favorites to take home the crown, Busch gutted his way through the first two rounds, highlighted by a runner-up showing in the Challenger Round cutoff race at Dover. He hit his stride as the only driver to log top-five finishes in each Eliminator Round race to set up his championship effort at Homestead.

Busch joins Bobby Labonte, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick as the fourth driver to earn both a NSCS and NASCAR XFINITY Series championship. His title marks the fourth for Joe Gibbs Racing, which also won championships with Bobby Labonte (2000) and Tony Stewart (2002, ’05).

Toyota, which began full-time racing in the NSCS in 2007, has now captured a driver’s championship in all three NASCAR national series. Busch also won Toyota its first NSCS race at Atlanta in 2008.

Busch is the second consecutive champion to win the title with a victory in the Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Harvick accomplished the feat last season.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™, NASCAR XFINITY Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visithttp://www.NASCAR.com and http://www.IMSA.com and follow NASCAR at www.Facebook.com/NASCAR and Twitter: @NASCAR.

November 22, 2015
Larson Dominates In Homestead XFINITY Win; Chris Buescher Clinches Series Crown

By Seth Livingstone

Kyle Larson took out a season of frustration on the NASCAR XFINITY Series field Saturday in the season finale, tracking down Austin Dillon in the closing laps to win the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway by slightly less than a second.

Despite Larson’s dominance in leading 118 of 200 laps, Chris Buescher ran a clean race, finishing 11th to clinch his first XFINITY Series title. Buescher came into the race needing to finish 13th or better to guarantee himself the championship.

After winning a pair of XFINITY Series races last season, Larson, 23, had visions of qualifying for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup this year. Those hopes failed to materialize. He sits 20th in Sprint Cup points heading into Sunday’s season finale (3 p.m. ET on NBC). And prior to Saturday, although managing three top-five finishes, the NASCAR Drive for Diversity alum had gone winless in 13 XFINITY starts.

But Larson’s No. 42 Chevrolet out of the Harry Scott Jr. shop was so strong on Saturday that by Lap 97, only three other cars were chasing him on the lead lap. Larson had opened a 6.7-second lead over early-race leader Kyle Busch (who led 62 of the first 79 laps from the Coors Light Pole) when the race’s third caution flag waved on Lap 117.

Busch’s threat fizzled when he was penalized for having a loose tire in the pits, then crashed after contact with NASCAR Drive for Diversity alum Darrell Wallace Jr. on Lap 182. On the final restart, however, Larson slipped to fourth and had to recover with a late race charge to catch Dillon. Both Larson and Dillon, seeking the speed of the outside line at Homestead-Miami Speedway, brushed the wall in the final laps.

“To win is really special, especially when you haven’t won in over a year in a NASCAR national series,” said Larson, admitting he wasn’t sure he could catch Dillon, who led laps 180-195. “There’s no other track that suits me like this track. I’m just really comfortable running up against the wall. I seem to always have good race cars when I come here.

“We’ve been frustrated a number of times this year. Some races, we haven’t had the speed we had last year. Also, we’ve had a lot of races where we were pretty fast, then had something happen to us in the last run of the races. It’s just been a really inconsistent year.”

When it came time to celebrate, however, Larson drove directly to Victory Lane, respectfully leaving the burnout to the XFINITY Series champ.

“This is championship week, so congratulations to Chris Buescher,” Larson said. “I wanted Chris to have his moment there.”

Buescher, who won races at Iowa and Dover this season, came into the race with a string of nine consecutive top-10 finishes, but played it safe throughout the day at HMS. Crew chief Scott Graves did make a pivotal call, electing to pit while other title contenders remained on the track for the final 21 laps. That put Buescher in position to claim the free pass, which he did moments later when Busch hit the wall. “We thought having fresh tires on it was going to put us in a better position,” Graves said. “We knew if we could be in the ‘Lucky Dog’ situation … we were basically going to be on even ground (with our competitors). With the number of laps that was left, we felt that was going to be our best option.”

“Our Fastenal Mustang had good speed in it, but we just had to be careful out there,” Buescher said. “It’s unbelievable for us to be able to pull it off. I’m not a ‘points’ racer. I don’t like it. But it was important (to finish) what we’ve been fighting for since February and Daytona.”

Chase Elliott, the defending series champion who is poised to take over the No. 24 Sprint Cup car for Hendrick Motorsports in 2016, finished eighth in the race and 15 points behind Buescher. Ty Dillon, seventh on Saturday, finished 18 points behind Buescher, and Regan Smith, ninth on Saturday, settled for fourth in points, 22 points back.

“We had an up-and-down season,” said Elliott, who won three XFINITY Series races in 2014 but lamented his ability to win just once this year (at Richmond). “They just outran us, fair and square. No reason to be upset about that. We just need to do a better job.”

Dillon recorded his 25th top-10 finish of the season but failed to win a race. He did finish in the top 10 in eight of his last nine races. Smith, runner-up to Elliott last season, ended the season with 13 consecutive top-10 finishes.

While Buescher gave Roush Fenway Racing Owner Jack Roush his fifth XFINITY Series title, the owner’s championship went to Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford for a third consecutive season. Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Alex Tagliani and Ryan Blaney—who finished fifth behind Erik Jones (Toyota) and Brian Scott (Chevrolet) in the Ford EcoBoost 300—all made starts in the No. 22 this season.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Ford EcoBoost 300
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Florida
Saturday, November 21, 2015

1. (9) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 200, $85343.
2. (3) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200, $62858.
3. (7) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 200, $57863.
4. (4) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 200, $48941.
5. (5) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 200, $42390.
6. (2) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 200, $37076.
7. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $32254.
8. (13) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200, $32524.
9. (14) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 200, $30930.
10. (21) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Ford, 200, $33365.
11. (11) Chris Buescher, Ford, 200, $29785.
12. (6) Aric Almirola(i), Ford, 199, $23580.
13. (8) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 199, $29229.
14. (16) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199, $28918.
15. (19) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 199, $29156.
16. (20) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 199, $28846.
17. (17) Ryan Reed, Ford, 199, $28459.
18. (25) Blake Koch, Toyota, 199, $28323.
19. (24) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, 199, $28161.
20. (18) Ben Rhodes, Chevrolet, 198, $28550.
21. (15) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 198, $27940.
22. (22) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 198, $27825.
23. (12) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 198, $27687.
24. (28) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, 197, $27576.
25. (33) David Starr, Toyota, 197, $27565.
26. (26) Mason Mingus(i), Chevrolet, 195, $27304.
27. (30) Anthony Kumpen, Chevrolet, 193, $21193.
28. (34) Garrett Smithley(i), Chevrolet, 192, $21072.
29. (36) Eric McClure, Toyota, 190, $26921.
30. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, Accident, 185, $28110.
31. (37) Josh Reaume #, Chevrolet, 185, $20679.
32. (29) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Ignition, 180, $26568.
33. (40) Tim Viens(i), Dodge, 156, $26528.
34. (31) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, Suspension, 88, $26466.
35. (39) Derek White, Dodge, Engine, 81, $26416.
36. (38) Carlos Contreras, Chevrolet, Engine, 59, $24246.
37. (23) Mike Bliss, Toyota, Vibration, 44, $23246.
38. (32) BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, Vibration, 36, $16246.
39. (35) TJ Bell(i), Toyota, Vibration, 23, $15246.
40. (27) Jeff Green, Toyota, Transmission, 3, $14246.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 128.266 mph.
Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 20 Mins, 20 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.934 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 6 for 26 laps.
Lead Changes: 13 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Busch(i) 1-27; M. Bliss 28; K. Busch(i) 29-30; K. Larson(i) 31-33; K. Busch(i) 34-63; K. Larson(i) 64-78; K. Busch(i) 79-81; K. Larson(i) 82-142; E. Jones(i) 143; K. Larson(i) 144-145; K. Busch(i) 146-147; K. Larson(i) 148-179; A. Dillon(i) 180-195; K. Larson(i) 196-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Larson(i) 6 times for 118 laps; K. Busch(i) 5 times for 64 laps; A. Dillon(i) 1 time for 16 laps; M. Bliss 1 time for 1 lap; E. Jones(i) 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 1,190; C. Elliott – 1,175; T. Dillon – 1,172; R. Smith – 1,168; D. Suarez # – 1,078; E. Sadler – 1,075; D. Wallace Jr. # – 1,071; B. Scott – 1,032; B. Gaughan – 1,012; R. Reed – 902.

November 21, 2015
Buescher Brings Home Roush Fenway’s 5th XFINITY Championship

Roush Fenway Scores 8th NASCAR title, 3rd NXS title in five seasons

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Nov. 21, 2015) – Chris Buescher ran to an 11th-place finish in Saturday’s season finale to bring home the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship. Buescher led the championship point standings for the final 24 races of the season. The championship marked the fifth time a Roush Fenway Racing driver has hoisted the XFINITY Series trophy and the third time in the past five seasons. It also marked Jack Roush’s eighth NASCAR title.

“I’m blessed to be here,” said Buescher. “It is so cool to be able to pull it off. It’s so nice to have everybody out here to support us and be with us for this accomplishment.

“This is what we have been fighting for since February and Daytona and these guys have done such a great job and stuck in there with us all year,” added Buescher. “It’s a huge accomplishment for our team.”

Buescher becomes the third driver to power the famed No. 60 Roush Fenway Ford to the XFINITY Series title, joining fellow champions Greg Biffle (2002) and Carl Edwards (2007). Adding to the rich legacy of the No. 60, Buescher was the fourth Roush Fenway driver to drive the iconic No. 60 Ford to victory lane in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Mark Martin drove the No. 60 to victory lane 39 times and led almost 7,000 laps in the car, in addition to Biffle and Edwards’ championships in the car.

“Chris was on his game this year,” said team owner Jack Roush. “His crew chief Scott Graves was on his game as well. They managed to win two races and they didn’t give up points on days when they weren’t at their best.”

Most recently Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won back-to-back XFINITY series titles for Roush Fenway in 2011 and 2012 and the No. 60 Ford brought home the owner’s championship in 2011.

Buescher, in only his second season of full-time NASCAR racing, adds to his list of accomplishments that includes becoming the youngest driver to ever win an ARCA title in 2012. Buescher scored his first NASCAR win last season at Mid-Ohio and followed up his rookie-year performance with wins at Iowa and Dover this season en route to the championship.

On the season Buescher never ranked lower than third in the driver championship standings, the Prosper, Texas native finished the season with zero DNFs (Did Not Finish). He did has not finished outside of the top-20 in any of the 33 races on the season, completing 99.9 percent of the laps during the 2015 campaign, while leading a total of 263 laps.

November 21, 2015
Logano Tops Final Sprint Cup Practice at Homestead

Joey Logano topped the final practice session of 2015. The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 30.786 and a speed of 175.404 mph.

Kasey Kahne was second in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 30.843 and a speed of 175.080 mph. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third in his No. 88 HMS Chevrolet with a time of 30.851 and a speed of 175.035 mph. Carl Edwards was fourth in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 30.933 and a speed of 174.571 mph. Kurt Busch rounded out the top-five in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet with a time of 30.935 and a speed of 174.560 mph.

Ryan Newman was sixth in his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Jamie McMurray was seventh in his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Matt Kenseth was eighth in his No. 20 JGR Toyota. Jeff Gordon was ninth in his No. 24 HMS Chevrolet. Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top-10 in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet.

Kyle Busch was 17th. Kevin Harvick was the lowest finishing Chase driver in 26th.

Gordon had the fastest 10 lap average at 169.489 mph.

With practice and qualifying in the books, all that remains is to run the race. The Ford EcoBoost 400 begins tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. on NBC.

NSCS Final Practice
Homestead-Miami Speedway
17th Annual Ford EcoBoost 400
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Sat, November 21, 2015 @ 11:51 AM US

Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
1 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 30.786 175.404 1 49 —.— —.—
2 5 Kasey Kahne Great Clips Chevrolet 30.843 175.080 1 48 -0.057 -0.057
3 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 30.851 175.035 1 45 -0.065 -0.008
4 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 30.933 174.571 1 33 -0.147 -0.082
5 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 30.935 174.560 1 34 -0.149 -0.002
6 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 31.053 173.896 1 27 -0.267 -0.118
7 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet 31.121 173.516 1 19 -0.335 -0.068
8 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 31.130 173.466 1 49 -0.344 -0.009
9 24 Jeff Gordon AXALTA Chevrolet 31.156 173.321 2 36 -0.370 -0.026
10 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet 31.172 173.232 2 38 -0.386 -0.016
11 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Foods Ford 31.192 173.121 1 30 -0.406 -0.020
12 27 Paul Menard Richmond/Menards Chevrolet 31.210 173.021 1 29 -0.424 -0.018
13 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 31.237 172.872 1 37 -0.451 -0.027
14 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 31.301 172.518 2 30 -0.515 -0.064
15 21 Ryan Blaney(i) Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford 31.467 171.608 1 27 -0.681 -0.166
16 3 Austin Dillon DOW Chevrolet 31.496 171.450 2 47 -0.710 -0.029
17 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Crispy Toyota 31.502 171.418 1 47 -0.716 -0.006
18 51 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet 31.502 171.418 2 42 -0.716 -0.000
19 35 Cole Whitt Speed Stick Ford 31.535 171.238 1 23 -0.749 -0.033
20 42 Kyle Larson Target Plaid Chevrolet 31.563 171.086 1 42 -0.777 -0.028
21 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 31.577 171.011 2 39 -0.791 -0.014
22 7 Alex Bowman Nikko RC/Toy State Chevrolet 31.585 170.967 2 33 -0.799 -0.008
23 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 31.600 170.886 2 33 -0.814 -0.015
24 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota 31.622 170.767 1 31 -0.836 -0.022
25 16 Greg Biffle Bleacher Report Ford 31.712 170.283 1 27 -0.926 -0.090
26 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet 31.770 169.972 12 44 -0.984 -0.058
27 55 David Ragan Aaron’s Online Dream Machine Toyota 31.791 169.859 2 40 -1.005 -0.021
28 95 Michael McDowell Thrivent Financial Ford 31.793 169.849 1 34 -1.007 -0.002
29 33 Ty Dillon(i) Nexium 24 Hr Chevrolet 31.813 169.742 1 27 -1.027 -0.020
30 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 31.849 169.550 2 42 -1.063 -0.036
31 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 31.853 169.529 1 49 -1.067 -0.004
32 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Cheney Brothers Ford 31.908 169.237 1 32 -1.122 -0.055
33 38 David Gilliland Florida Lottery Ford 31.913 169.210 1 30 -1.127 -0.005
34 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 32.018 168.655 2 31 -1.232 -0.105
35 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Chevrolet 32.176 167.827 2 42 -1.390 -0.158
36 46 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet 32.241 167.489 1 32 -1.455 -0.065
37 83 Matt DiBenedetto # Cosmo Toyota 32.256 167.411 8 38 -1.470 -0.015
38 32 Josh Wise Zak Products Ford 32.381 166.764 1 25 -1.595 -0.125
39 34 Brett Moffitt # FR8 Auctions Ford 32.483 166.241 1 31 -1.697 -0.102
40 26 JJ Yeley(i) Maxim Toyota 32.487 166.220 1 33 -1.701 -0.004
41 40 Landon Cassill(i) Snap Fitness Chevrolet 32.606 165.614 1 23 -1.820 -0.119
42 98 Ryan Preece East West Marine/Logan’s/FireAde Chevrolet 33.091 163.186 1 26 -2.305 -0.485
*Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
Pos Car Driver From Lap To Lap Avg Speed

1 24 Jeff Gordon 1 10 169.489
2 5 Kasey Kahne 1 10 169.020
3 22 Joey Logano 1 10 168.969
4 18 Kyle Busch 1 10 168.819
5 41 Kurt Busch 1 10 168.731
6 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1 10 168.316
7 78 Martin Truex Jr. 1 10 168.146
8 21 Ryan Blaney(i) 1 10 167.812
9 42 Kyle Larson 1 10 167.734
10 3 Austin Dillon 1 10 167.598
11 13 Casey Mears 1 10 167.381
12 48 Jimmie Johnson 15 24 167.203
13 15 Clint Bowyer 1 10 166.951
14 43 Aric Almirola 1 10 166.843
15 20 Matt Kenseth 16 25 166.739
16 4 Kevin Harvick 12 21 166.695
17 2 Brad Keselowski 1 10 166.540
18 6 Trevor Bayne 9 18 166.432
19 55 David Ragan 1 10 166.318
20 11 Denny Hamlin 19 28 166.282
21 14 Tony Stewart 1 10 166.052
22 33 Ty Dillon(i) 1 10 165.893
23 31 Ryan Newman 12 21 165.388
24 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 1 10 165.240
25 7 Alex Bowman 1 10 165.011
26 10 Danica Patrick 19 28 163.828
27 51 Justin Allgaier 19 28 163.564
28 95 Michael McDowell 25 34 163.077
29 26 JJ Yeley(i) 1 10 162.856
30 83 Matt DiBenedetto # 8 17 162.783
31 9 Sam Hornish Jr. 20 29 162.284
32 38 David Gilliland 21 30 161.153
33 32 Josh Wise 15 24 161.126

* Car must run 10 consecutive laps on the track to be included in the above chart.
*Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

November 21, 2015