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Larson Tops the Chart in Second Sprint Cup Practice at Homestead

Kyle Larson posted the fastest time in second practice. The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 30.680 and a speed of 176.010 mph.

Kevin Harvick was second in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet with a time of 30.823 and a speed of 175.194 mph. Carl Edwards was third in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 30.968 and a speed of 174.374 mph. Greg Biffle was fourth in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford with a time of 31.012 and a speed of 174.126 mph. Joey Logano rounded out the top-five in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 31.020 and a speed of 174.081 mph.

Ryan Newman was sixth in his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Jimmie Johnson was seventh in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Aric Almirola was eighth in his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford. Kyle Busch was ninth in his No. 18 JGR Toyota. Kasey Kahne rounded out the top-10 in his No. 5 HMS Chevrolet.

Jeff Gordon was 15th. Martin Truex Jr. was the lowest-finishing Chase driver in 19th.

Brad Keselowski posted the fastest 10 lap average at 168.660 mph.

The Sprint Cup cars are back on track later today for the final practice session of the season at 1 p.m. on NBCSN.

NSCS Practice 2
Homestead-Miami Speedway
17th Annual Ford EcoBoost 400
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Sat, November 21, 2015 @ 08:56 AM US

Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
1 42 Kyle Larson Target Plaid Chevrolet 30.680 176.010 1 25 —.— —.—
2 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet 30.823 175.194 1 29 -0.143 -0.143
3 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 30.968 174.374 1 21 -0.288 -0.145
4 16 Greg Biffle Bleacher Report Ford 31.012 174.126 1 16 -0.332 -0.044
5 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 31.020 174.081 1 18 -0.340 -0.008
6 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 31.091 173.684 1 10 -0.411 -0.071
7 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 31.125 173.494 2 14 -0.445 -0.034
8 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Foods Ford 31.137 173.427 1 15 -0.457 -0.012
9 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Crispy Toyota 31.142 173.399 1 21 -0.462 -0.005
10 5 Kasey Kahne Great Clips Chevrolet 31.193 173.116 1 23 -0.513 -0.051
11 27 Paul Menard Richmond/Menards Chevrolet 31.209 173.027 1 13 -0.529 -0.016
12 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 31.248 172.811 1 22 -0.568 -0.039
13 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Chevrolet 31.323 172.397 1 20 -0.643 -0.075
14 21 Ryan Blaney(i) Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford 31.324 172.392 1 10 -0.644 -0.001
15 24 Jeff Gordon AXALTA Chevrolet 31.334 172.337 2 14 -0.654 -0.010
16 3 Austin Dillon DOW Chevrolet 31.350 172.249 2 21 -0.670 -0.016
17 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 31.354 172.227 1 24 -0.674 -0.004
18 33 Ty Dillon(i) Nexium 24 Hr Chevrolet 31.394 172.007 1 14 -0.714 -0.040
19 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet 31.429 171.816 1 19 -0.749 -0.035
20 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 31.443 171.739 3 24 -0.763 -0.014
21 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger/Scott Products Chevrolet 31.451 171.696 1 14 -0.771 -0.008
22 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet 31.472 171.581 1 20 -0.792 -0.021
23 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 31.529 171.271 3 10 -0.849 -0.057
24 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 31.543 171.195 2 15 -0.863 -0.014
25 55 David Ragan Aaron’s Online Dream Machine Toyota 31.559 171.108 1 18 -0.879 -0.016
26 51 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet 31.704 170.326 2 19 -1.024 -0.145
27 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 31.735 170.159 2 11 -1.055 -0.031
28 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 31.798 169.822 2 21 -1.118 -0.063
29 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota 31.827 169.667 2 18 -1.147 -0.029
30 7 Alex Bowman Nikko RC/Toy State Chevrolet 31.851 169.539 1 10 -1.171 -0.024
31 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Cheney Brothers Ford 31.857 169.507 2 4 -1.177 -0.006
32 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 31.862 169.481 1 10 -1.182 -0.005
33 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 31.896 169.300 1 12 -1.216 -0.034
34 34 Brett Moffitt # FR8 Auctions Ford 32.056 168.455 1 15 -1.376 -0.160
35 83 Matt DiBenedetto # Cosmo Toyota 32.107 168.188 1 8 -1.427 -0.051
36 38 David Gilliland Florida Lottery Ford 32.198 167.712 1 10 -1.518 -0.091
37 40 Landon Cassill(i) Snap Fitness Chevrolet 32.280 167.286 2 13 -1.600 -0.082
38 46 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet 32.303 167.167 1 17 -1.623 -0.023
39 35 Cole Whitt Speed Stick Ford 32.311 167.126 1 11 -1.631 -0.008
40 26 JJ Yeley(i) Maxim Toyota 32.501 166.149 1 9 -1.821 -0.190
41 95 Michael McDowell Thrivent Financial Ford 32.509 166.108 1 10 -1.829 -0.008
42 98 Ryan Preece East West Marine/Logan’s/FireAde Chevrolet 32.577 165.761 1 5 -1.897 -0.068
43 32 Josh Wise Zak Products Ford 32.592 165.685 5 18 -1.912 -0.015
*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 2 Brad Keselowski 1 10 168.660
2 4 Kevin Harvick 15 24 166.962
3 15 Clint Bowyer 2 11 166.693
4 3 Austin Dillon 6 15 165.999
5 42 Kyle Larson 16 25 165.885
6 5 Kasey Kahne 9 18 165.792
7 41 Kurt Busch 6 15 165.270
8 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 10 19 165.129
9 1 Jamie McMurray 6 15 164.602
10 95 Michael McDowell 1 10 162.519

* 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
Crafton Wins Homestead Truck Race; Erik Jones Claims Series Title

By Seth Livingstone

As strong as he was in winning Friday night’s Ford EcoBoost 200, Matt Crafton was already looking ahead to 2016.

Crafton, whose hopes for a third consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship were dashed by a crash at Phoenix last week, won his sixth race of the season, holding off John Hunter Nemechek and Tyler Reddick in the season finale.

Although Crafton’s No. 88 Toyota Tundra finished 2.9 seconds ahead of Nemechek and more than six seconds ahead of Reddick, the 39-year-old veteran still wound up third in the point standings, 15 behind 19-year-old Erik Jones.

“I was having so much fun there at the end of this race,” said Crafton after his first career victory at HMS. “Six wins with as many laps as we’ve led–it’s been awesome this season. We just made too many mistakes. I made too many mistakes. … I promise one thing: It’s going to make us stronger in 2016.”

Crafton said he was happy to be able to “take the gloves off” and go all out for a win at HMS. “That was a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s amazing what Junior (crew chief Joiner) can do with these trucks. On that last run, we hit a home run there.”

Ultimately, Kyle Busch’s eye for youthful talent paid off as Jones did what he needed to in becoming the youngest driver ever to claim a CWTS title (19 years, 5 months, 21 days) and first NASCAR Next alum. He also became the first to win a driver’s title for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

“He put it to me when he beat me in a Super Late Model race,” recalled Busch, who will race for the Sprint Cup title on Sunday. “I tend to pick up on the talent of younger kids. Actually, the first time he raced against me, he blew my doors off, then blew up 40 laps later. I said, ‘Good. I don’t have to race (against) this one.’”

There was no blowing up Friday night.

Jones entered the race 19 points ahead of Reddick, his nearest competitor, and 32 points ahead of Crafton, the Keystone Light Pole-sitter. Making his first HMS start, Jones needed only to avoid trouble and finish 15th or higher to claim the series crown.

Erik Jones becomes the youngest driver ever to claim a CWTS title. Photo by Noel Lanier

Jones, who notched three wins this season and has seven career CWTS victories, finished sixth in the race behind Ben Kennedy and Timothy Peters. He qualified fifth and was content to race safely and efficiently, remaining in the top 10 for most of the race and avoiding any calamity on the track.

“I can’t think of a better way to repay these guys. I can’t think of a better ending than that,” said Jones, who expects to drive full-time in the XFINITY Series for Joe Gibbs Racing next year after parts of three seasons with Kyle Busch Motorsports.

“Eric’s done a lot of growing up in a short period of time,” Busch said. “I’m glad he stuck with me and our plan. I think he has a lot of bigger and greater things ahead on his plate.”

NASCAR Drive for Diversity and NASCAR Next alum Daniel Suarez appeared to have the strongest truck early in Friday’s race, charging from sixth to the lead. But Suarez slid up the track into the truck of Dexter Stacey on Lap 61, falling back to 15th, then found the wall again on Lap 83.

That left Crafton in position to dominate the race. He led 93 of the 134 laps, leaving NASCAR Next driver Nemechek (Chevrolet) and Reddick (Ford) in his wake to battle for second.

Reddick, driving for Brad Keselowski Racing, started fourth and advanced to second behind Crafton with 40 laps to go. But by then, Jones, who briefly slid back to 14th after a caution flag shuffle, had rallied to seventh, keeping Reddick, also a 19-year-old driver, at bay in the chase for the title.

“We were very consistent this year. I’m proud about that,” Reddick said. “We just have to move on to next year. I know what second place feels like and I really don’t like it too much. If I didn’t have enough reasons to win a championship, I’ve got one more.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – Ford EcoBoost 200
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Florida
Friday, November 20, 2015

1. (1) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 134, $53598.
2. (2) John H. Nemechek #, Chevrolet, 134, $32308.
3. (4) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 134, $30084.
4. (3) Ben Kennedy, Toyota, 134, $25597.
5. (12) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 134, $22449.
6. (5) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 134, $20382.
7. (10) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 134, $20164.
8. (7) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 134, $19945.
9. (11) Cameron Hayley #, Toyota, 134, $19727.
10. (13) John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, 134, $20458.
11. (8) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 134, $19399.
12. (18) Austin Theriault #, Ford, 134, $19206.
13. (14) Rico Abreu, Chevrolet, 134, $19070.
14. (19) Jesse Little, Toyota, 134, $16710.
15. (16) Scott Lagasse Jr.(i), Chevrolet, 134, $17201.
16. (15) David Gilliland(i), Ford, 133, $16464.
17. (22) David Levine, Ford, 133, $16355.
18. (27) Ray Black Jr. #, Chevrolet, 133, $18496.
19. (23) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 133, $18386.
20. (20) Mason Mingus, Chevrolet, 132, $18755.
21. (25) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 132, $18032.
22. (28) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 132, $17758.
23. (21) Kyle Weatherman, Ford, 131, $15372.
24. (32) Dexter Stacey, Chevrolet, 131, $16044.
25. (9) Christopher Bell, Toyota, Out of Fuel, 130, $15976.
26. (24) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 128, $14607.
27. (31) Korbin Forrister #, Chevrolet, 127, $14389.
28. (29) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 126, $12799.
29. (30) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 115, $12553.
30. (6) Daniel Suarez(i), Toyota, Accident, 84, $11553.
31. (17) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, Accident, 67, $11053.
32. (26) Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, Transmission, 2, $9553.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 126.725 mph.
Time of Race: 01 Hrs, 35 Mins, 10 Secs. Margin of Victory: 2.942 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 4 for 18 laps.
Lead Changes: 14 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: M. Crafton 1-30; J. Nemechek # 31-48; T. Reddick 49; J. Townley 50; D. Suarez(i) 51-60; J. Nemechek # 61-62; M. Crafton 63; J. Nemechek # 64-65; M. Crafton 66-67; J. Nemechek # 68; M. Crafton 69-78; J. Nemechek # 79; M. Crafton 80-83; C. Bell 84-88; M. Crafton 89-134.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Crafton 6 times for 93 laps; J. Nemechek # 5 times for 24 laps; D. Suarez(i) 1 time for 10 laps; C. Bell 1 time for 5 laps; J. Townley 1 time for 1 lap; T. Reddick 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: E. Jones # – 899; T. Reddick – 884; M. Crafton – 877; J. Sauter – 809; T. Peters – 804; C. Hayley # – 766; D. Hemric # – 733; J. Townley – 730; B. Kennedy – 690; S. Gallagher # – 677.

November 20, 2015

Hamlin Scores the Pole in Homestead

Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag for Sunday’s race. The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota won the pole with a time of 30.568 and a speed of 176.655 mph.

He commented after qualifying, saying, “Well, our car is really fast. It’s been fast all day. It was fast in race trim. We didn’t make any qualifying runs until those three sessions and we kept getting faster (than) everyone. I’m pretty optimistic. And sitting back here and watching Jeff talk and everything, it’s like, man, you know, I thought about it before, but I didn’t think about like how awesome it would be to win his final race. No disrespect to him, but man, that would be awesome to win his final race. I hope he finishes third behind Kyle.”

Team Penske’s Joey Logano will join him on the front row with a time of 30.636 and a speed of 176.263 mph.

Logano said that his qualifying effort “was not quite fast enough. It felt like after practice we didn’t get a qualifying run before the rain and it was an unknown to us. My team did a good job with the changeover to qualifying trim though and I am proud of what my team was able to do there, just wish we were a little faster in that third round.”

Kyle Busch will start his No. 18 JGR Toyota in fourth with a time of 30.671 and a speed of 176.062 mph.

“We certainly got a good qualifying run there,” Busch said. “Real proud of Adam and the guys for not making any qualifying runs. They did a good job of getting a good guess at what we needed to go out there and qualify with. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just a tick better, but we were kind of on edge there a little bit, but overall pleased with the speed and the way that we placed right there.”

Ryan Newman will start his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in fourth with a time of 30.796 and a speed of 175.347 mph.

Jeff Gordon rounded out the top-five in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 30.806 and a speed of 175.291 mph.

Gordon stated that he’s “having a blast. It’s a win-win no matter what happens. When it goes the way it went in qualifying…man, that’s fun. How could I not be having the time of my life? We have a very strong race car in this Axalta Chevrolet, obviously, because to be able to do that the next couple of runs; I’m pretty proud of those laps. I had to make up to this team what I did on the first run, so I was glad I was able to make it up. It’s pretty awesome to get top five. I’m really happy and proud of that.”

Ryan Blaney, Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Austin Dillon rounded out the top-10.

Kevin Harvick was bounced from the final round in round 2 and will start 13th but said that he’ll “work on finding some more speed in practice tomorrow.”

Jeb Burton and Reed Sorenson failed to make the race.

Complete Starting Lineup:

POS.	CAR #	DRIVER	BEST SPEED	BEST TIME	BEHIND
1	11	Denny Hamlin	176.655	30.568	Leader
2	22	Joey Logano	176.263	30.636	0.068
3	18	Kyle Busch	176.062	30.671	0.103
4	31	Ryan Newman	175.347	30.796	0.228
5	24	Jeff Gordon	175.291	30.806	0.238
6	21	Ryan Blaney	175.143	30.832	0.264
7	19	Carl Edwards	175.063	30.846	0.278
8	2	Brad Keselowski	175.046	30.849	0.281
9	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	174.678	30.914	0.346
10	3	Austin Dillon	174.633	30.922	0.354
11	78	Martin Truex Jr	174.498	30.946	0.378
12	48	Jimmie Johnson	174.098	31.017	0.449
13	4	Kevin Harvick	175.444	30.779	0.211
14	43	Aric Almirola	175.404	30.786	0.218
15	41	Kurt Busch	175.365	30.793	0.225
16	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	175.279	30.808	0.24
17	27	Paul Menard	175.239	30.815	0.247
18	5	Kasey Kahne	175.239	30.815	0.247
19	20	Matt Kenseth	175.211	30.82	0.252
20	47	AJ Allmendinger	174.859	30.882	0.314
21	16	Greg Biffle	174.419	30.96	0.392
22	1	Jamie McMurray	174.34	30.974	0.406
23	42	Kyle Larson	174.059	31.024	0.456
24	15	Clint Bowyer	172.651	31.277	0.709
25	33	Ty Dillon	174.848	30.884	0.316
26	6	Trevor Bayne	174.115	31.014	0.446
27	13	Casey Mears	173.829	31.065	0.497
28	9	Sam Hornish Jr	173.723	31.084	0.516
29	95	Michael McDowell	173.65	31.097	0.529
30	51	Justin Allgaier	173.399	31.142	0.574
31	26	J.J. Yeley	173.199	31.178	0.61
32	32	Josh Wise	172.833	31.244	0.676
33	7	Alex Bowman	172.75	31.259	0.691
34	40	Landon Cassill	172.618	31.283	0.715
35	10	Danica Patrick	172.463	31.311	0.743
36	14	Tony Stewart	172.276	31.345	0.777
37	83	Matt DiBenedetto	172.188	31.361	0.793
38	55	David Ragan	171.914	31.411	0.843
39	46	Michael Annett	171.597	31.469	0.901
40	35	Cole Whitt	171.434	31.499	0.931
41	38	David Gilliland	171.162	31.549	0.981
42	34	Brett Moffitt	170.989	31.581	1.013
43	98	Ryan Preece	169.966	31.771	1.203

November 20, 2015

Edwards Tops the Chart in First Practice at Homestead

Carl Edwards posted the fastest time in the rain-shortened first practice in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 30.832 and a speed of 175.143 mph.

Brad Keselowski was second in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford with a time of 30.954 and a speed of 174.452 mph while Martin Truex Jr. was third in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet with a speed of 174.374 mph. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was fourth in his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet posting a 173.689 mph lap followed by teammate Jimmie Johnson with a speed of 173.678 mph to round out the top-five.

Kasey Kahne was sixth in his No. 5 HMS Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick was seventh in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet and Aric Almirola was eighth in his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford. Clint Bowyer and Kyle Larson rounded out the top-10.

Kyle Busch finished 16th and Jeff Gordon was the lowest-finishing Chase driver in 30th.

Keselowski had the fastest 10 lap average at 169.664 mph. He was among seven drivers that ran 10 or more consecutive laps.

The Sprint Cup Series is on track again this evening at 6:15 for qualifying. With 45 drivers entered, two will, unfortunately, miss the race. If qualifying should get rained out, Ryan Blaney and Michael McDowell would miss the race. If rain isn’t a factor this evening, McDowell and Reed Sorenson would need to qualify 36th or better to make the race.

NSCS Practice 1
Homestead-Miami Speedway
17th Annual Ford EcoBoost 400
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Fri, November 20, 2015 @ 11:32 AM US

Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
1 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 30.832 175.143 1 20 —.— —.—
2 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 30.954 174.452 19 19 -0.122 -0.122
3 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet 30.968 174.374 1 4 -0.136 -0.014
4 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 31.090 173.689 1 5 -0.258 -0.122
5 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 31.092 173.678 1 3 -0.260 -0.002
6 5 Kasey Kahne Great Clips Chevrolet 31.094 173.667 1 21 -0.262 -0.002
7 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet 31.115 173.550 1 5 -0.283 -0.021
8 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Foods Ford 31.133 173.449 2 17 -0.301 -0.018
9 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota 31.190 173.132 1 13 -0.358 -0.057
10 42 Kyle Larson Target Plaid Chevrolet 31.196 173.099 1 21 -0.364 -0.006
11 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 31.204 173.055 13 13 -0.372 -0.008
12 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 31.231 172.905 2 27 -0.399 -0.027
13 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 31.239 172.861 3 26 -0.407 -0.008
14 21 Ryan Blaney(i) Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford 31.252 172.789 14 14 -0.420 -0.013
15 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 31.280 172.634 1 12 -0.448 -0.028
16 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Crispy Toyota 31.363 172.177 1 18 -0.531 -0.083
17 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger/Scott Products Chevrolet 31.386 172.051 1 10 -0.554 -0.023
18 3 Austin Dillon DOW Chevrolet 31.387 172.046 1 19 -0.555 -0.001
19 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet 31.403 171.958 28 28 -0.571 -0.016
20 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Chevrolet 31.406 171.942 2 23 -0.574 -0.003
21 27 Paul Menard Richmond/Menards Chevrolet 31.407 171.936 21 21 -0.575 -0.001
22 16 Greg Biffle Bleacher Report Ford 31.455 171.674 2 12 -0.623 -0.048
23 51 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet 31.455 171.674 17 17 -0.623 -0.000
24 55 David Ragan Aaron’s Online Dream Machine Toyota 31.485 171.510 2 15 -0.653 -0.030
25 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 31.589 170.946 2 12 -0.757 -0.104
26 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Cheney Brothers Ford 31.595 170.913 1 17 -0.763 -0.006
27 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 31.673 170.492 3 12 -0.841 -0.078
28 33 Ty Dillon(i) Nexium 24 Hr Chevrolet 31.713 170.277 2 11 -0.881 -0.040
29 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 31.717 170.256 10 10 -0.885 -0.004
30 24 Jeff Gordon AXALTA Chevrolet 31.741 170.127 1 10 -0.909 -0.024
31 95 Michael McDowell Thrivent Financial Ford 31.859 169.497 1 5 -1.027 -0.118
32 26 JJ Yeley(i) Maxim Toyota 31.914 169.205 1 6 -1.082 -0.055
33 34 Brett Moffitt # FR8 Auctions Ford 31.938 169.078 1 17 -1.106 -0.024
34 40 Landon Cassill(i) Snap Fitness Chevrolet 31.952 169.004 9 11 -1.120 -0.014
35 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 31.965 168.935 3 12 -1.133 -0.013
36 83 Matt DiBenedetto # Cosmo Toyota 31.985 168.829 8 8 -1.153 -0.020
37 38 David Gilliland Florida Lottery Ford 32.187 167.770 1 8 -1.355 -0.202
38 7 Alex Bowman Nikko RC/Toy State Chevrolet 32.206 167.671 1 12 -1.374 -0.019
39 32 Josh Wise Zak Products Ford 32.270 167.338 9 9 -1.438 -0.064
40 23 Jeb Burton # Overture/Estes Toyota 32.335 167.002 3 6 -1.503 -0.065
41 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 32.405 166.641 5 11 -1.573 -0.070
42 35 Cole Whitt Speed Stick Ford 32.539 165.955 2 8 -1.707 -0.134
43 46 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet 32.745 164.911 3 16 -1.913 -0.206
44 98 Ryan Preece East West Marine/Logan’s/FireAde Chevrolet 33.021 163.532 3 8 -2.189 -0.276
45 62 Reed Sorenson Royal Teak Collection Toyota 33.109 163.098 1 3 -2.277 -0.088

*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 2 Brad Keselowski 1 10 169.664
2 42 Kyle Larson 4 13 168.923
3 27 Paul Menard 1 10 168.646
4 1 Jamie McMurray 1 10 167.868
5 3 Austin Dillon 1 10 167.782
6 9 Sam Hornish Jr. 1 10 166.913
7 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 10 19 165.014

* 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 20, 2015
Homestead Ford EcoBoost 400 Preview

It has been a wild ride these last 35 races, but all good things must come to an end.

This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its final trek of the season down to South Florida to run the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It’s the 36th and final race of the 2015 season.

Homestead-Miami Speedway is a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) intermediate speedway located in Homestead, Florida. Born out of the destruction of Hurricane Andrew, it’s played host to the NASCAR XFINITY Series season finale since 1995. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first came to Homestead in 1999. The inaugural race was won by Anthony Wayne “Tony” Stewart. It was his third win of his record-setting rookie season.

In 2002, the season finale race was moved from Atlanta Motor Speedway to Homestead-Miami Speedway for both the Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series.

Some of you might not be old enough to remember, but there was a time when Homestead wasn’t putting on great races. When it was first built, it basically was Indianapolis and the racing mirrored it. In 1997, the track was reconfigured into the oval it looks like today. However, the turns were almost flat.

In 2003, the track was repaved and the banking was changed from flat to progressive. What I remember most from that race was Bill Elliott leading the race coming out of Turn 2 on the final lap when he had a tire go down. Bobby Labonte drove by him on the backstretch and took the checkered flag. Little did I know that it would also be his final win.

Photo: Sherryl Creekmore/NASCAR

In 2004, Kurt Busch clinched the NASCAR title by a mere eight points over Jimmie Johnson in a race that, ironically, a tire coming off his car saved his championship hopes.

Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

In 2010, Denny Hamlin came into Homestead with a 15 point lead over Johnson. Just about everything that could go wrong for him that weekend did go wrong for him that weekend. He had a lousy qualifying effort, was sent sliding through the grass on the backstretch and couldn’t recover to anything better than a 14th-place finish. A runner-up finish by Johnson clinched his fifth consecutive Sprint Cup Series championship.

In 2011, we were given the closest points finish in NASCAR history when Tony Stewart tied in points with Carl Edwards. The tiebreaker went to Stewart on his five wins to Edwards’s one.

Had he finished second that day, it would have been Edwards celebrating with the title trophy. It’s also worth noting that Stewart had to work his way up through the field more than once that day.

It really goes to show just how important is winning in NASCAR.

Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

The championship battle was just as dramatic in 2012. Johnson had the race in his hands until he was black-flagged for a missing lug nut. It went from bad to worse when he destroyed the suspension of his car coming back onto pit road.

Brad Keselowski survived to score the first title for himself and the captain Roger Penske.

Jeff Gordon took over the race lead with 15 laps remaining and held off Clint Bowyer to score his 87th career victory and first at Homestead.

Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Last year, Gordon started on the pole and flat out dominated the race by leading 161 of the 267 laps. Near the end of the race, he and Alan Gustafson – since they were out of the title picture – opted to play it conservative and he came home in 10th.

Joey Logano possibly had the race won until a bad pit stop relegated him to a 16th-place finish.

Denny Hamlin was toward the front most of the race. Unfortunately, he had nothing and finished seventh.

Ryan Newman came within half a second of the win and the title last year, but had to settle for bridesmaid.

In the end, it was Kevin Harvick who played his cards right, stood atop the podium and won the title for the first time in his career.

Now let’s look at the championship four.

Photo: Chris Trotman/Getty Images

First at 3/2 to win the title and 7/2 to win the race (Vegas Insider) is Kevin Michael Harvick.

In 14 starts, he’s amassed one win, six top fives (42.86 percent), 12 top-10’s (85.71 percent), 190 laps led, an average finish of 7.6, one DNF and is the defending race winner.

Coming into this race, Harvick has three wins, 22 top fives (62.86 percent), 27 top-10s (77.14 percent), 2248 laps led, 8.9 average finish, 8.7 average finish in the intermediate races and has tied a NASCAR record with 12 runner-up finishes in one season (Bobby Allison had 12 in 1972). However, his 12.2 average finish in the nine Chase races this season is the worst of the four championship drivers.

With that said, I would be shocked if the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet isn’t up front on Sunday.

Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Next at 11/4 to win the title and 6/1 to win the race is Kyle Thomas Busch.

His stats at Homestead are less than stellar. In 10 starts, he’s accumulated zero wins, one top-five (10 percent), three top-10s (30 percent), 237 laps led, a 23.1 average finish and two DNF’s.

This season, he missed the first 11 races after breaking his legs in the XFINITY Series race at Daytona in February. After making his return in the Coca-Cola 600, he’s compiled four wins, 11 top fives (45.83 percent – the percentage is his top-fives divided by to the number of races Busch has started), 15 top-10s (62.5 percent), 694 laps led, an 11.2 average finish and an 8.3 average finish in the intermediate races.

Now Busch winning the title Sunday would probably not sit well with a large portion of NASCAR nation given he missed the first 11 races because of his injury. Personally, I don’t have a problem with it because he satisfied NASCAR’s requirements to make it in the Chase.

I would expect to see the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to be up near the front Sunday.

Photo: Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Now coming down the red carpet at 3/1 to win the title and 10/1 to win the race is Martin Lee Truex Jr.

In 10 career starts, he garnered zero wins, three top-fives (30 percent), 7 top-10s (70 percent), 108 laps led, an average finish of 10th and one DNF.

This season, Truex has one win, eight top fives (22.86 percent), 22 top-10s (62.86 percent), 564 laps led, an average finish of 12.2 and an 8.7 average finish in the intermediate races.

If Truex wins the title, he and Furniture Row Racing would be the first single-car team to do so since Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress Racing in 1994.

What really makes his title story compelling is that Furniture Row Racing is this single-car team well outside the NASCAR universe in Denver, Colorado. Barney Visser’s operation has scratched and clawed for the last 10 years in order to finally become one of the top teams in the Sprint Cup Series.

I guarantee you that no one, not even Visser, foresaw the success they’d have this season. Coming off the 2013 season that saw Kurt Busch take the team to the Chase, they had a dramatic falloff in performance. It was compounded by issues in Truex’s personal life when his longtime business partner/girlfriend Sherry Pollex was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

But in a four-race stretch in May and June, Truex dominated the field by leading a combined 454 of the combined 1267 laps at Kansas, Charlotte, Dover and Pocono. It was at the Tricky Triangle where he ended a two-year winless drought and scored his third career win.

Since that win, his performance was either hit or miss. His longest stretch of top-10 finishes was three. In spite of this, expect to see the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet to battle for the win.

Photo: Robert Laberge/NASCAR via Getty Images

Finally, we have the legend making his 797th and final career start on Sunday. At 7/2 to win the title and 10/1 to win the race, it will be arguably the greatest walk-off performance in sports history should the race be won by Jeffrey Michael Gordon.

In 16 starts at Homestead, he’s garnered one win, seven top fives (43.75 percent), 12 top-10s (75 percent), 244 laps led, a 10.6 average finish, one DNF and he dominated this race a year ago on his way to a 10th-place finish.

Despite what some of you think, it’s really not been a horrid season for Gordon. In 35 races, he has a win, five top fives (14.29 percent), 20 top-10s (57.14 percent), 256 laps led, an average finish of 13.9 and a 13.3 average finish in the intermediate races.

Why his title story would be awesome needs no explaining. But I’ll explain anyway.

When Gordon came into the sport in 1992, NASCAR, despite racing in other parts of the United States for its entire history, was still largely seen as a Southern sport. This kid from California with the mullet transcended the boundaries of the NASCAR world and brought this sport to the national level from his appearances on shows like Live with Regis & Kelly and hosting Saturday Night Live.

It wasn’t just his charisma and ability to work the media that made him a legend, it’s also his on-track accomplishments. In 796 starts, he has won 93 times, earned 81 poles, finished in the top-five 325 times (a batting average of .408), has 474 top-10 finishes (54.55 percent), has led nearly 25-thousand laps (24,920), has a 12.5 career average finish, captured four titles and nearly 300-thousand miles driven in the sport.

Photo: Tucker White

Gordon is the reason I came into the sport many years ago. I only wish that I could have seen him win a race in person. The closest I came to accomplishing the former was this picture I took of the start of the 57th running of the Daytona 500.

Regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s race, Gordon will no doubt go down as arguably the greatest driver in the history of NASCAR and one of the greatest in the history of auto racing. I truly believe his name is up there with the likes of Michael Schumacher, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna, Mario Andretti, A. J. Foyt, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and many, many more.

Short of team orders, I’d drive to Las Vegas and bet that Hendrick Motorsports is pulling all their resources to make sure Big Daddy rides into the Florida sunset with his long, overdue fifth championship.

So will Happy repeat as champion? Will Rowdy finally break through and win his first title? Will Truex break out of journeyman status and win the title for Denver? Will the legend himself go out on top with the greatest walk-off performance ever seen?

Find out this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on NBC. You can also catch the radio broadcast at 2:00 on the Motor Racing Network. Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace will be in the booth. Dave Moody will work Turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley will work Turns 3 and 4. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley and Steve Post will work pit road.

November 19, 2015
NASCAR Racing Schedule for Homestead

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series head to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend for the season finale races. The on-track action for the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series will be televised on NBC, NBCSN, CNBC and NBC Sports Live Extra, as indicated below. FS1 will broadcast events for the Camping World Truck Series. MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR will provide radio coverage.

All times are Eastern.

Thursday, Nov. 19:

Press Conferences: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

2 p.m.: Championship 4 Media Day with Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

Special Events: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

2:45-5 p.m.: Championship 4 Live Chat: Inside Access with Miss Sprint Cup

Schedule for Live Chat

2:55-3:05 p.m.: Kyle Busch
3:10-3:20 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
3:30-3:40 p.m.: Tony Stewart
3:40-3:50 p.m.: Rick Hendrick
3:50-4 p.m.: Joe Gibbs
4-4:10 p.m.: Joe Garone
4:25-4:35 p.m.: Kevin Harvick
4:40-4:50 p.m.: Jeff Gordon

TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage:

5 p.m.: NASCAR America Live – NBCSN
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FS1

Friday, Nov. 20:

On Track:

9-11:25 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FS1
Noon-1:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
1:30-3:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN/Live Extra
4:10 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Qualifying – FS1
6:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
8 p.m: Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 (134 laps, 201 miles) – FS1 (Green flag 8:18 p.m. approx.)

GarageCam: (Watch live)

11:30 a.m.: XFINITY Series
1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series

Press Conferences: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

10:30 a.m.: Chris Buescher
11:30 a.m.: Brian France, NASCAR Chairman & CEO
1:30 p.m.: Ford with the Wood Brothers
3 p.m.: Richard Petty Motorsports Announcement
7:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – Championship 4 drivers
9:45 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race

TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage:

5:30 p.m.: NASCAR America Live –NBCSN
7:30 p.m.: NCWTS Setup – FS1

Saturday, Nov. 21:

On Track:

10-10:55 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – CNBC/Live Extra
11:15 a.m.: XFINITY Series Qualifying – CNBC/Live Extra
1-1:50 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
2:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Ford EcoBoost 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBC/Live Extra (Green flag 3 p.m. approx.)

Press Conferences: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

9:30 a.m.: Ford’s Garage availability
10:55 a.m.: Ford Performance Announcement
12:15 p.m.: Leavine Family Racing, Thrivent Financial & Habitat for Humanity Announcement
12:30 p.m.: Daytona Rising update with Joie Chitwood III
5:45 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race

TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage:

12:30 p.m.: NASCAR America Live –NBCSN
2 p.m.: NASCAR America Live –NBCSN
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green – NBC

Sunday, Nov. 22:

On Track:

3 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles) – NBC/Live Extra (Green flag 3:15 p.m. approx.)

Special Events: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

1 p.m.: Championship 4 Live Chat: Inside Access with Miss Sprint Cup

Press Conferences: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

6:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Race

TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage:

11:30 a.m.: NASCAR RaceDay – FS1
1:30 p.m.: NASCAR America Sunday – NBCSN
2 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Countdown to Green – NBC
7 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race – NBCSN
8 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap – NBCSN
10 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lane – FS1

November 19, 2015
SpeedwayMedia’s Staff Picks for the 2015 Sprint Cup Series Title

As the season comes to a close this Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, anticipation is high as we prepare to embrace our 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion.

Four drivers will compete for that honor; Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. Of these final four contenders, the driver that posts the highest finish will be crowned Champion.

These drivers represent four different teams; Stewart-Haas Racing (Harvick), Hendrick Motorsports (Gordon), Joe Gibbs Racing (Busch) and Furniture Row Racing (Truex). This diverse group includes two past champions and two hopefuls looking for their first championship.

Who will capture the title of NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion? The Speedway Media staff shares their picks below.

Tucker White (Contributor): I’ll keep this short and simple…

Pick for the title: Jeffrey Michael Gordon

In 16 career starts, Jeff Gordon has amassed a win, seven top fives (43.75 percent), 12 top-10’s (75 percent), a 10.6 average finish, dominated this race a year ago and I have no doubt Hendrick Motorsports will pull all their resources together this weekend – short of team orders – to make sure Gordon rides into the Florida sunset as champion.

Dark horse: Kevin Michael Harvick

In 14 career starts, Kevin Harvick has amassed a win, six top fives (42.86 percent), 12 top-10’s (85.71 percent), a 7.6 average finish, is the defending race winner and has had one of the most dominant seasons I’ve ever seen in my years of following NASCAR.

Ed Coombs (Managing Editor):

My pick for the Sprint Cup championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway has my head and my heart struggling to agree. So, rather than let common sense prevail I am going to follow my heart and say that in his final Sprint Cup race, in a Cinderella story, Jeff Gordon will beat the other three participants to win the championship. I am picking Gordon because I’m truly a fan of his and have been since I watched him drafting with Dale Earnhardt in the 1993 Daytona 500. I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with Gordon, and his public relations manager Jon Edwards, for years. I used to photograph and work with Gordon during his fan club events and allow his website to use my photos from the track, for years. I have had the opportunity to ask Gordon questions during that time and he makes you comfortable enough that it’s a conversation, not just a question and answer session. So, I will break the media code and cheer loudly for that No. 24 car this Sunday.

My dark horse pick isn’t really a dark horse pick because, hey, they’ve performed in 2015. My pick here is Kyle Busch. Busch, who missed 11 races due to injuries sustained at Daytona, might just pull it off because he has done pretty well and is actually due for a win. This has been a crazy chase and I believe that it ends with an unexpected winner.

Mary Jo Buchanan (Senior Writer):

My pick for the Sprint Cup championship is Jeff Gordon. And yes, it may be purely sentimental as he takes his last trip of his career making left turns and going in circles. But my pick is also personal as Jeff Gordon was the driver that brought me back to the sport of NASCAR. In fact, I really didn’t ‘choose’ Jeff Gordon as my driver. I actually chose the 24 car just for the looks of it. I had no idea who even drove the car. But as I researched the driver, his history, and his career, I knew that I had made a wise choice. And moving from fan to covering the sport, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing Jeff, those on Team 24 and even his family. And he has impressed me even more, personally and professionally. So, yes, I have to go with the heart on this one and pick Jeff Gordon for his fifth championship.

My dark horse pick is Martin Truex Jr. This driver has overcome so much on and off the track, from losing his ride with Michael Waltrip Racing and ending up at one car team Furniture Row Racing to his worries over his girlfriend’s serious cancer diagnosis. I so admire his courage, stamina and fortitude. And heck, the driver is from New Jersey so how can I not root against a hometown boy?!

Barry Albert (Managing Editor):

My interest in NASCAR began in the late ’80s as a supplement to my football addiction. Then in the early ’90s a new driver came along, “Wonder Boy.” As my football addiction disappeared, my racing addiction came full circle. Before I knew it, I had my first favorite driver. I can’t say that Jeff Gordon brought me to NASCAR, but I can say for certain that he kept me in NASCAR and eventually being more involved.

Gordon began as the unknown, the young driver, the underdog that just kept fighting to win and he wrecked a lot of cars in the process. Gordon kept fighting, eventually winning and beating NASCAR’s best drivers in the process. In 1995, we had a new “young” NASCAR champion and a new era of the sport had already begun.

I have to stick with my favorite driver for one more weekend. So Jeff Gordon will be my pick to win the championship for the final time.

It would be wishful thinking on my part to think that Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch or Martin Truex Jr. were underdogs. All three drivers have earned their spot in the final four and each driver has their own unique story. So my underdog pick is that there isn’t one this season.

Matt Laflair (Staff Writer):

Based on the statistics for each of the four Championship contenders at Homestead, Kevin Harvick (average finish of 7.57 in 14 races) is the most logical pick to win the 2015 Championship, and the Vegas oddsmakers have been on board. With 3/2 odds to win the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship, Harvick is the favorite, but since most sports fans seem to like fairy-tale endings, my pick for 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship goes to the three-time Daytona 500, five-time Brickyard 400, and four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Jeff Gordon. With a win on Sunday, Gordon will join the likes of John Elway, David Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, Michael Jordan (sort of), and Dominick Hasek, as legendary athletes to retire as champions of their sport.

Gordon currently boasts the longest odds to win the Championship on Sunday at 7/2, which is quite interesting considering he started on the pole and led 161 laps in 2014, and won the season finale from 15th in 2012.

My longshot this week isn’t really a longshot at all, in fact, he has better odds than Jeff Gordon to take home the Championship. He currently sits at 10/1 to win the 2015 Ford Eco Boost 400 with 3/1 odds to be crowned the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion. Martin Truex Jr. has top-11 finishes in eight of his 10 career races at Homestead, with driver ratings over 100 in four of his last five races at the 1.5 miler. I believe the winner of Sunday’s race will come from one of the Championship contenders, and with an average finish of 10th, Truex is my longshot play for Homestead.

Ron Thornton (Senior Writer):

There is no doubt, as far as one can guess with the talent of the quartet involved, that Kevin Harvick will repeat as Sprint Cup champion. It is his time of year and he has shown strength leading up to the finale. That, and the determination to do what it takes to get there, even when it might upset our sensibilities along the way. What he did at Talladega affected the outcome, and removed Dale Earnhardt Jr. from the mix. Junior’s reaction, as classy as it was, helped soothe the ruffled feathers. It also helps that he did not do what he had to do in a way that upset Matt Kenseth. As we have seen, doing so can cost a driver a shot at the title.

A repeat champion, a five-time champion in his career swan song, or even a first-time champ coming back from injury to equal his brother as the king of the paved ring would be satisfying. However, the dark horse would have to be Martin Truex Jr. and that single-car team out of Colorado. Furniture Row was nothing a few years back, but after Kurt Busch provided some magic you saw a dream start to materialize. Even after last year’s slump, with Truex behind the wheel, you still had the feeling that this was an outfit on the rise. This year, they made the cut and somehow managed to stay in the hunt as bigger names from bigger teams faltered.

Each contender comes in with a compelling story. On Sunday, we can sit back and watch how it all unfolds knowing that whoever becomes the 2015 Cup champion will give us something to talk about between now and Daytona. What more could we ask for?

Larry Van Zandt (Staff Writer):

I see Kevin Harvick winning the whole enchilada.

Why?

Because Talladega, and it being revealed that Harvick doesn’t mind wrecking as many cars as possible in order to get into contention to win, or at least finish really well. The other three drivers in the chase don’t give the appearance of being psychopathic or sociopathic drivers: Even Kyle Busch, resident grudge-match racer and opponent-punter, has something resembling a conscience (and at least the merest glinting of emotion) when compared to either Harvick or I-Would-Have-Run-Over-An-Entire-Cub-Scout-Troop-As-Well-To-Get-A-Chance-At-Wrecking-Joey-Slowgano-If-Necessary Matt Kenseth. Jeff Gordon is too burned out to crash half the field to win, and Martin Truex Jr. is only in the chase because of blind, stupid, simple, doo-dah, clueless luck, and doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who’d run down his own grandmother to win a race. So yeah, Harvick or something, but I had to hold my nose to pick him.

Dark Horse Winner?

Kyle Busch.

Why?

Toyota wants a championship, wants it bad. I foresee Busch having an uncommonly good weekend at Homestead (he doesn’t finish well here), Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota will throw everything and the kitchen sink at the No. 18.

Ashley McCubbin (Senior Editor):

For sentimental reasons, the majority will pick Jeff Gordon as the 2015 Sprint Cup Series Champion. However, based on the season, things don’t point in that direction.

Kevin Harvick will be the 2015 Sprint Cup Series Champion. He continues to be freaky fast on a weekly basis. He has posted three wins thus far this season, one of those coming as part of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He has also posted 22 top-fives and 27 top-10s, more than he posted last year en route to the championship. He enters this weekend with momentum, too, as he has posted a top-three finish in the last two races. Should I add that he has posted 12 runner-up finishes this year, too? All in all, Harvick has displayed all the qualities that show he can repeat easily.

Of course, previous season numbers don’t apply as everyone enters this weekend on equal footing. No fear, though, as Harvick has six top-fives and 12 top-10s in 14 starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, including the victory last season.

The dark horse pick has to be Martin Truex Jr. All the focus has been on the other three throughout not only the Chase but the season. However, Truex has snuck his way in there through consistency. Perhaps he and crew chief Cole Pearn can put together the last piece needed for championship glory.

Angie Campbell (Assistant Editor/Senior Writer):

Choosing my pick for the 2015 Cup Champ was a struggle. The stats are telling me one thing while my heart is pulling me in a completely different direction. Jeff Gordon is an icon of the sport and his contributions, both on and off the track, will leave a legacy that future generations will find difficult to match. To see him win a fifth title in the final race of his career would truly be a storybook ending.

But I can’t ignore the impressive season that the defending champ has put together so I’m going to choose Kevin Harvick as my pick to win it all at Homestead. Although he has two fewer wins this year (five in 2014, three in 2015), his stats surpass those of his championship season last year with a consistent 22 top fives and 27 top 10s. Harvick has also shown the tenacity and “take no prisoners” mentality that should propel him to a second championship.

Martin Truex Jr. is my dark horse pick to win the championship title. He has put together the best season of his career and elevated the single car team of Furniture Row Racing to a new level. He is facing an uphill battle but if anyone can beat the odds, it’s Truex. He has quietly and steadily overcome personal and professional obstacles to make his way into the final four and this “underdog” may surprise us all at Homestead.

Justin McFarland (Staff Writer):

My heart goes to Jeff Gordon for the win since I’ve been watching him race since I was 8 years old and this is his last race. However, going by stats and his win at Homestead last year I have to go with Harvick.

Matt Kenseth is the Dark horse for Homestead. He has had a pretty good season and although he didn’t lead with any laps last year he placed 6th.

Dark Horse for the Chase I pick Martin Truex Jr.

The Results:

Jeff Gordon, the sentimental favorite, grabs five picks while Kevin Harvick, the defending champion, captures five votes, for the title.

Martin Truex Jr. was named as the dark horse choice six times while Kyle Busch received two votes and Kevin Harvick, one.

November 18, 2015
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Scores the Victory in the Wet at Phoenix

The penultimate race of the season ended under a red flag.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his third win this season and his 26th career victory in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 race. The event was red-flagged early after completing 219 of the scheduled 312 laps at Phoenix International Raceway.

Kevin Harvick finished second in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet after leading 143 of the 220 laps run. Joey Logano rounds out the podium in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Kyle Busch led one lap and finished fourth in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top-five in his No. 48 HMS Chevrolet after leading 44 laps.

Jeff Gordon finished sixth followed by Kurt Busch in seventh. Denny Hamlin was eighth as Brad Keselowski finished in ninth place. Aric Almirola rounds out the top-10.

Joining Gordon in Miami for the championship race will be Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

Gordon is eagerly anticipating his final race at Homestead, and said, “We were not sure how we were going to perform today, but it actually went a little bit better than we anticipated. So I think that was encouraging just as a team and the way we analyzed everything. We’ll go do the same thing next week. But this is a great group to be a part of, and we’re excited about the opportunity to go down there. Certainly for me, my final race. I can’t think of anything sweeter than just having that opportunity to go down there and battle for the championship and seeing what happens.”

Harvick, who was going for a fifth straight win at Phoenix was disappointed in his runner-up finish but upbeat about his season as a whole.

“Yeah,” he said, “it’s kind of bittersweet. The car just really performed well today and we were able to lead a lot of laps and just really proud of the guys for the decisions that they made overnight to get that last little bit out of the car today and how it performed was really good. Just caution came out at the wrong time, and we didn’t get to make up the ground on the racetrack under green, where Dale was pitted and the way that they came out of the pits just didn’t time out well. But still proud of our group, and sometimes you win some of those things, sometimes you don’t, but in the end the big picture is what it’s all about.”

Kyle Busch spoke about the ups and downs of his season, stating, “I feel like we’ve done some good things through this Chase. We’ve run up front, we’ve run strong. We also had a couple mishaps, but fortunately, they weren’t big enough that they eliminated us. We were able to persevere through those things. Now going to Homestead for the first time with the opportunity to win a championship is really awesome. It’s very good for my team. Adam Stevens and these guys, they worked hard and they persevered all through the beginning part of the season when I was gone working with David Ragan and Erik Jones and Matt Crafton and those guys that drove my race car. But once I was able to return, it felt pretty good to get back in the car and have my team guys motivated and ready to have me back, and we’ve really excelled since then.”

Martin Truex Jr. expressed how grateful he was to fulfill a lifelong dream, saying, “It’s definitely obviously an exciting day for everybody at Furniture Row Racing and me and just super proud of my team for the season we’ve been able to put together, and I feel like we’ve overcome a lot of obstacles. We have kind of overcome a lot of odds, and just proud to be part of this group and looking forward to having the opportunity to do something that we’ve all dreamed about our whole lives next weekend.”

Carl Edwards, Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Logano failed to advance to the Championship Round.

In the end, 14 cars finish on the lead lap, only two cautions slowed the pace of the race and there were eight lead changes among seven different drivers.

November 16, 2015
Harvick Leads the Way at the Halfway Mark at Phoenix

Kevin Harvick is showing why he was a 9/4 favorite at the halfway mark of the race. The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet has already led over 100 laps and is looking to both score his eighth win at Jeff Gordon Raceway and punch his ticket to the championship battle next Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Joey Logano runs second in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford and must win in order to battle for the championship again. Dale Earnhardt Jr. runs third in his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Carl Edwards runs fourth in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Jeff Gordon rounds out the top-five in his No. 24 Pepsi Chevrolet. “Big Daddy” Gordon has been one of the stronger cars tonight despite lackluster runs in practice this weekend.

Martin Truex Jr. runs sixth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet and Kyle Busch runs seventh in his No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota. Pole sitter Jimmie Johnson runs eighth in his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet while Denny Hamlin runs ninth in his No. 11 FedEx Toyota. Kurt Busch has rallied back from his Lap 7 penalty to round out the top-10 in his No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet.

Brad Keselowski is the lowest running Chase driver in 12th.

The only car off track right now is the No. 62 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet of Timmy Hill.

The race been slowed only one time for the lap 40 competition caution.

We have passed the halfway mark, meaning the race is official if called due to rain. There’s still a small cell not too far to the southwest of the track. It’s expected to largely miss the track, but we could have brief showers from it.

November 16, 2015
Kurt Busch Penalized for Jumping Initial Start at Phoenix

Kurt Busch was busted for jumping the initial start of the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

The driver of the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet was black-flagged for beating pole sitter Jimmie Johnson to the start/finish line when the green flag first flew at 9:27 p.m. Eastern time. He fell back to 35th in the running order and was saved from being lapped by the competition caution.

While it doesn’t matter who gets to the line first on restarts, the control car must get to the line first on the initial start. This isn’t a new rule and was mentioned in the drivers meeting today when Jeff Gordon inquired about this to Sprint Cup Series Competition Director Richard Buck.

However, it should be noted that Joey Logano beat Kevin Harvick to the line at Phoenix back in March and he wasn’t black-flagged for it.

As of lap 112, Harvick leads the race and Busch runs 11th.

November 16, 2015