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  • Logano Tops Final Sprint Cup Practice at Homestead

    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

  • Larson Tops the Chart in Second Sprint Cup Practice at Homestead

    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

  • Hamlin Scores the Pole in Homestead

    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

     

     

  • Homestead Ford EcoBoost 400 Preview

    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Ford EcoBoost 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Ford EcoBoost 400

    As the Florida sun faded to darkness at Homestead-Miami Speedway and a first-time champion was crowned, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the season’s final race, the Ford EcoBoost 400.

    Surprising: Although Stewart-Haas Racing has always touted its Hendrick Motorsports partnership, it was surprising to learn in more detail just how important that connection has been to the new NASCAR champion and the winning race team.

    Kevin Harvick, winning his first ever NASCAR Cup Championship, specifically and repeatedly paid homage to Hendrick Motorsports six-time champion Jimmie Johnson in his post-race and champion-clinching comments.

    “Jimmie Johnson was a huge help in just helping — he’d show up in the trailer after every practice and called and texted to Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and myself,” Harvick said. “You’ve got to remember, Jimmie and I have — we’ve known each other for a long time. We slept on those same couches at Hornaday’s house adjacent to each other in the game room.”

    “He’d go race his ASA cars, and I’d go race the trucks for the Spears bunch, so we spent a lot of time together as friends and have grown to be better friends as we’ve gone past the last few years for sure.”

    Tony Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, echoed his driver’s comments about the HMS connection.

    “We’ve got a great partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, and like Kevin just mentioned, when you’ve got eight drivers that are sharing information, it’s a lot easier to race seven guys than it is to try to worry about racing 34 or 35 guys.”

    Not Surprising: Although they are three very different drivers, in age, size and style, they all had one thing in common after the final race was run. All three races were visibly despondent, from Ryan Newman, who finished the best of the three contenders in the second spot, to Denny Hamlin who finished seventh and Joey Logano who finished an even more disappointing sixteenth.

    “We had a couple pit stops that kind of put us back,” Newman said. “It is disappointing, don’t get me wrong, but there’s no point in being a sore loser. We came back for the entire season to make our best finish our last finish.”

    “The race did not go too well for us,” Hamlin said. “Obviously we had a championship-type car, championship-type effort, but those last breaks just didn’t go our way. We just struggled with restart speed.”

    “Obviously our race was not too good,” Logano said. “We knew what we had to do, we just didn’t execute from every angle it seems like. I hit the wall a bit early in the race and then we came down pit road, made a mistake and went to the tail end of the lead lap.”

    Surprising: Jeff Gordon and crew chief Alan Gustafson had a surprisingly testy exchange at the end of the race, all about whether or not to pit from the front of the pack for tires in the latter part of the race.

    Gordon was one of the few drivers who stayed out late in the race and when another caution came, he desperately pleaded for tires. Crew chief Gustafson argued against giving up track position but Gordon was insistent and down pit road he came.

    After starting mid-pack, the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet rallied back to finish tenth.

    Not Surprising: Who knew that Kyle Larson, officially named Sunoco Rookie of the Year, had his own bandwagon?

    “There was a lot of room on the Kyle Larson bandwagon on to start the season,” Larson said. “I think a lot of people chose Austin Dillon to win it, and I was pretty confident in myself and in my team that we could do it.”

    “I knew there would be some ups and downs, but I felt like we would be the top contender once we got halfway through the season, and we definitely were. We’ve gotten better throughout the season, and just is a huge honor to win this title with all the other names that have won it.”

    Surprising: During the race, NASCAR made a surprising announcement that Chad Knaus was called to the NASCAR hauler for disobeying a NASCAR directive. The issue, involving the team’s use of a wheel spacer, turned out to be much ado about nothing as confirmed by Robin Pemberton, Vice President for Competition.

    “We just had a discussion on pit road between our official and Chad and really it was just to discuss it,” Pemberton said. “It was really not a big deal. We were just trying to clarify what went on, that’s all.”

    “Everything is fine.”

    Not Surprising: Greg Biffle ended his difficult year with a blowout, of the unfortunate tire type. He was having a solid run when he blew a tire, hit the outside wall and had to go to the garage for repairs.

    Biffle finished 41st in the season finale and ended 14th in the championship standings.

    Surprising: The crew chiefs, teams and drivers that were racing together for the very last time sadly did not finish on the best of terms.

    “It had gotten dark, and the track was doing just what Trevor and Donnie expected,” team co-owner Eddie Wood said. “The track was coming to us, and Trevor was running some really good lap times. He had gotten in the lucky dog position, which would have gotten us back on the lead lap when the next caution came out.”

    “Unfortunately, that caution flag wound up being for us.”

    Carl Edwards and Jimmy Fennig also parted ways after the season finale, with Edwards going to Joe Gibbs Racing and Fennig ratcheting his time down on the box.

    “Jimmy Fennig is an unsung hero at Roush Racing,” Jack Roush, owner, said. “He doesn’t do things that create a personal image away from the driver or away from the sponsor or away from the team. He’s the trooper that’s back there doing everything that he can every day.”

    Probably one of the most dynamic driver/crew chief duos also did not finish off their relationship in quite the manner that they wanted.

    Dale Jr. and Steve Letarte raced one last time as driver and crew chief, finishing 14th in the Ford EcoBoost 400. The two summed up their feelings on Twitter as Letarte leaves for a television broadcasting career next season.

    “Me and Steve didn’t count on becoming such great friends,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “That’s just really been a bonus to the whole thing.”

    “I might not be talking to @DaleJr thru the headset any more but we will still be friends,” Letarte tweeted. “Taught me a bit about racing and a lot about life.”

    Not Surprising: Chevrolet had a big night at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with their driver winning the championship, six Chevy drivers in the top-ten, and securing their 12th consecutive manufacturer’s championship.

    “Winning the Manufacturers’ Championship is one of the goals we set at the beginning of every season,” Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, said.

    Surprising: Matt Kenseth had a surprisingly good weekend, as the highest finishing Toyota and also winner of the Nationwide race.

    “It’s been a long time since I won a race in anything, so just happy for Kevin (Kidd, crew chief),” Kenseth said. “He’s been trying to get a win over here for a long time, and he’s going on to something different next year.”

    “Happy to send him off with a win here; that was pretty good.”

    Not Surprising: There was at least one drive ready for Daytona after his third place run in the season finale.

    “Yeah, it was a heck of a season, not just for me but for all of Team Penske,” Brad Keselowski said. “I’m kind of wishing it wasn’t over, but we still have some work to do to continue to work and get better.”

    “In some ways, I hate to see the season come to an end, and honestly I’m ready to be at Daytona next week for the 500. That’s probably not the most popular comment in the world, but sometimes I’m not the most popular guy.”

    Final Note: In a most unusual year with the brand new Chase format, it has been a pleasure to share the surprising and not so surprising moments of the season. So, sit back, enjoy the off-season and as Brad Keselowski said, see you in Daytona!

     

     

     

  • Truex’s roller coaster season on up swing at Homestead

    Truex’s roller coaster season on up swing at Homestead

    Since that controversial night at Richmond International Raceway, the season has been a roller coaster for Michael Waltrip Racing driver, Martin Truex Jr. Upon the completion of that event, Truex was informed he was in the Chase. After reviewing the circumstances of the night, NASCAR decided to make some changes. Those changes removed Truex from the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

    During the nine Chase races completed so far, Truex learned that his sponsor, NAPA, would not return.  That bit of bad news was followed up with more bad news from his team, Michael Waltrip Racing, who said they would not field three full-time cars in 2014 effectively leaving him out of a ride. On the track, Truex has only managed two top-10 finishes – not the results he had hoped for.

    On the other side of the coin, it was announced that Truex will drive the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet next season. This puts him in a quality ride that made the Chase this season with driver Kurt Busch. There are also rumors beginning to swirl that NAPA may be considering following him to his new team. At this point, it is just a rumor, but at least gives some hope. It was also announced that Truex’s entire pit crew will follow him to Furniture Row Racing as well. This should make him feel right at home and permit him to settle in quickly at his new home.

    Truex is also attempting to end the season on a high note in the Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend. Truex topped the speed charts in the first practice on Friday. Truex posted a lap of 176.661 MPH to best Kasey Kahne, who was second fastest.

    Rounding out the top-5 were Paul Menard in third, Clint Bowyer in fourth, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr in fifth.

  • SPRINT CUP: Early Predictions for Championship Weekend

    SPRINT CUP: Early Predictions for Championship Weekend

    This is it. The final showdown. Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson have gone toe-to-toe all throughout the Chase, and it all gets settled on Sunday.

    Both drivers are separated by a mere 10 points, and … wait a second, I forgot the AdvoCare 500 happened. Back to reality, Johnson has a nearly insurmountable 28 point advantage going into the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. I did not expect Kenseth to lose many points on Johnson, but thanks to a couple 20 second pit stops and an ill-handling racecar, the driver of the 20 car had to settle for a mediocre 23rd place finish, while Johnson came home third.

    With that being said, Kenseth is more than likely going to have to win the race and rely on Johnson slipping out of the top 25. Is it possible? Absolutely. Is it going to happen? Definitely not. Johnson will nonchalantly hang around in a comfortable position inside the top 15 to easily secure his sixth championship.

    As much as I hate to admit it, as far as the championship battle is concerned, it might be a real yawn-fest on Sunday, with Johnson nearly guaranteed to become “Mr. 6 Pack.”

    However, the same can’t be said about the other drivers who will be looking for a win. Here a few drivers you should keep an eye on, and one of them might end up in Victory Lane.

    Carl Edwards

    Recent history at Homestead-Miami Speedway has shown that Edwards has been one of the drivers to beat at that track. Over the past five races at HMS, he’s scored two wins (2008 and 2010), three top fives and four top 10s. He’s also led over a third of the laps he’s completed during that time period, and he has an average finish of a stunning 4.6. Edwards also has a couple wins this year, but they both came on tracks 1-mile or smaller. Can Edwards bounce back from the fuel debacle last week and end the season on a high-note? It’s very likely.

    Kevin Harvick

    Kevin Harvick has been a formidable contender on the 1.5 mile tracks this year, posting victories at Charlotte and Kansas. He also won last week, thanks to Edwards’ misfortunes. As far as his recent history at Homestead-Miami is concerned, Harvick hasn’t won in his last seven starts there, but he’s been very solid, notching four top fives and six top 10s. He’s also scored the second most points of any other driver during that time period, and has an average finish of 6.9. Harvick had a solid eighth place finish at the 2012 event, and I expect him to better that performance on Sunday.

    Jeff Gordon

    Although Homestead-Miami Speedway has been mostly dominated by Roush Fenway Racing throughout the years, Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports went to victory lane last year, and he could repeat his performance. Over his past 10 starts, Gordon has posted one victory (2012), six top fives, eight top 10s, and an average finish of 9.8. He’s finished in the top five in his last two trips to HMS, so look for Big Daddy to replicate that kind of performance.

    Expectations for Matt Kenseth 

    The way I see it, Kenseth has two choices going into Sunday. First choice, he can put an aggressive set-up on the car that will maximize his opportunity to win the race, but could cause mechanical failure, which could drop him to third in the final standings behind Kevin Harvick. Second choice, he can shoot for a solid top five run and ultimately put up the white flag of surrender to Johnson and settle for second place.

    It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Kenseth will all but certainly choose the first choice. Kenseth still has a infinitesimally minuscule slimmer of hope left to win this championship, and the only way to stop Johnson from becoming six-time is to lead the most laps and win the race, and hope that Johnson somehow stays out of the top 25.

    When everything is said and done, I fully expect Johnson to be hoisting the championship trophy, with the final points margin being somewhere around 10-15.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Phoenix Advocare 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Phoenix Advocare 500

    After welcoming a serviceman home in honor of Veteran’s Day and with all eyes on the Chase contenders, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 26th annual Advocare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

    Surprising:  Drivers leaving their teams at the end of the 2013 season had surprisingly good finishes, with the best of course being race winner Kevin Harvick, who will leave Richard Childress Racing to go to Stewart Haas Racing in 2014.

    “We challenge each other,” Kevin Harvick said of his RCR relationship. “There’s no better way to go out than to do what we’ve done this year.”

    “I think as we move forward will probably make us closer as friends.”

    And along with Harvick, Kurt Busch, another driver in transition who will be leaving Furniture Row Racing to join Harvick as Stewart Haas Racing teammate, finished fifth.

    The top ten was filled with other racers leaving their teams after the checkered flag flies next weekend at Homestead Miami Speedway, including Juan Pablo Montoya, who finished sixth and is heading to the IndyCar Racing Series; Martin Truex Jr., who is leaving Michael Waltrip Racing for Furniture Row Racing and finished eighth; and Ryan Newman, who finished tenth and will head from Stewart Haas Racing to Richard Childress Racing in the New Year.

    Not Surprising:  With championship points on the line all around, there were a few mea culpas issued not surprisingly after the race end.

    Carl Edwards, who had a scary moment of close racing and contact with championship contender Jimmie Johnson, could not apologize to him more. Edwards first apologized over his radio after the contact and then met Johnson on pit road after the race to declare mea culpa yet again.

    “Yeah, I definitely did not mean to hit him,” Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, said of his Johnson close encounter. “He did a heckuva job saving it and I’m just glad he saved it.”

    “I did not want to be part of the championship in that manner.”

    Edwards himself almost had the race won but ran out of gas to finish a disappointing 21st.

    The other mea culpa, which had definite championship implications, came from Jason Ratcliff, crew chief for Matt Kenseth. Ratcliff and the team struggled all day with the handling of the car and in the pits, finishing 23rd in the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota and falling 28 points behind the Chase leader.

    “I apologize for giving you something like that,” Ratcliff said to Kenseth. “I apologize for a really poor job of executing.”

    “I apologize to all of you,” Ratcliff continued. “Just a bad job on my part.”

    Surprising:  While Phoenix usually generates some exciting racing, there was a surprising amount of strategy that played out throughout the race, with cars staying out, pitting, and taking all kinds of tire combinations. In fact, there was so much confusion for one driver that it almost made his head spin.

    “There was a lot of strategy and it confused the heck out of me,” Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford said after finishing ninth. “At times we were leading the race and at times we were 24th.”

    “Overall, it was a weird race because you didn’t know where you were at and you just passed the cars in front of you,” Logano continued. “It was too confusing for me.”

    Not Surprising:  Jimmie Johnson channeled his inner dirt track racer to bring home yet another top-ten finish, his 17th in 21 races at Phoenix International Raceway. To be precise, Johnson finished third in his No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet.

    “I knew I had a great race car,” Johnson said. “But I really had to fall back on my dirt driving skills racing out here in the desert all the years that I did.”

    “I knew I could get through traffic and I knew I was in good shape relative to the championship battle,” Johnson continued. “I’m in a position I want to be in and now we just need to go to Florida and have another good day.”

    Surprising:  Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet is a basement dweller in the point standings no more, thanks to his second place finish in the Valley of the Sun. Kahne advance from the 13th position in the Chase to the 12th spot after posting his seventh top-10 at Phoenix International Raceway.

    “We got our car really good about Lap 150,” Kahne said. “I got a little loose in the last restart but just felt good about our Farmers Insurance Chevrolet.”

    “We made some big gains and I got a nice second-place finish.”

    Not Surprising:  Ricky Stenhouse Jr. not only maintained his strong lead in the Rookie of the Year battle over girlfriend and competitor Danica Patrick but actually gained ground after his 12th place finish and her 27th place finish.

    “It was a tough day all around,” Patrick said after starting 32nd, battling a loose race car and getting caught in a major-league wreck with Cole Whitt, David Reutimann and Justin Allgaier. “We started out pretty loose and got down a lap early.”

    “Then obviously we got caught up in the accident,” Patrick continued. “It’s disappointing, but the GoDaddy guys did a good job of fixing it as best they could so we could finish.”

    Surprising:  It will be a surprisingly different Vegas experience for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Usually the sport’s most popular driver picks up that award at the Myers Brother Luncheon and heads on home, however, this year, he will have a major speaking role as he is fifth in the point standings after finishing fourth at Phoenix in spite of a loose wheel.

    “We had a fast car,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet said. “I thought Steve Letarte (crew chief) could get some good strategy to get us back up into the top-10, top-five and I was real happy with the way we were able to rebound.”

    This was Junior’s third top-5 finish in the past four races.

    Not Surprising:  Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet achieved another milestone after his 14th place finish at Phoenix. Gordon led his 400th lap in 2013, which marks the 20th consecutive year that he has led at least 400 laps.

    Surprising:  Phoenix proved to be the tale of the two Davids, with David Gilliland having a good run, at one point running top-10, and teammate David Ragan having engine troubles yet again.

    Gilliland finished 24th and moved up to 25th in the point standings while Ragan finished 35th and fell to 28th in points.

    “That was probably the best car we had all year,” Gilliland said. “We had some brake issues at one point, but overall it was a great car and a good points day.”

    Not Surprising:  Greg Biffle had an eventful day at Phoenix as he had to start from the back of the field due to a transmission change in his No. 16 3M Scotch Ford.

    Nevertheless, Biffle was able to run in the top-10 with the help of some strategy from atop the pit box and finished 13th in the race.

    Biffle also moved up one place in the championship standings to the seventh spot.

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head south to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Ford Ecoboost 400 season finale where the 2013 champion will be determined.

     

  • Monica Palumbo Primed and Ready for Her Favorite Event NASCAR After The Lap™

    Monica Palumbo Primed and Ready for Her Favorite Event NASCAR After The Lap™

    For the fifth year in a row, NASCAR After The Lap™ will be back in Las Vegas during champion’s week and at least one of the co-hosts Monica Palumbo is primed and ready for her ‘favorite’ event.

    Palumbo, former Miss Sprint Cup and current reporter for NASCAR Race Hub on Fox Sports 1, will be sharing the hosting duties with Marty Smith of ESPN. Palumbo will be handling the fans in the crowd, while Smith will be managing the drivers on stage.

    The event this year will take place on Thursday, December 5th at 5:00 PM at the Pearl Palms Concert Theater inside the Palms Casino Hotel.

    “I actually worked NASCAR After The Lap™ twice already and it’s my favorite event because the guys are so loose and it’s an intimate setting,” Palumbo said. “You can see it on nascar.com but it’s not televised so I feel like it’s a little bit more special.”

    “The drivers are really showing off their personalities that you don’t necessarily get to see throughout the season,” Palumbo continued. “It’s just one of my favorite events.”

    Palumbo advised that her role at the event will be one of liaison between the crowd, sponsors and the drivers, however, the emphasis from her perspective is indeed on the fans in this unique event.

    “It’s a very fan-friendly event and that’s one thing NASCAR is really big on,” Palumbo said. “It’s about the fans first.”

    “They are going to have notecards so the audience can submit their questions in advance,” Palumbo continued. “Then I’ll go through them and pick out the questions to be asked.”

    “So, I’ll be out there taking questions from the audience and making sure everybody has a good time.”

    Palumbo is also primed and ready for the sweepstakes and giveaways that accompany the NASCAR After The Lap™ event. This year, fans can win an all-inclusive VIP trip to Las Vegas for the event, trips to either the 2014 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte or the 2014 Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as well as the grand prize, a 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor.

    “I’m really excited about the big sweepstakes,” Palumbo said. “They’re giving away a 2014 Ford Tremor, which is pretty awesome.”

    “Coca Cola and Ford are both giving away tickets to the Coca Cola 600 and the Ford Champions Week for 2014,” Palumbo continued. “So, the sweepstakes winners will be there and they will also have a shot to win a car.”

    “We’ll be doing that in the audience as well, which is pretty cool to get a free car.”

    Palumbo is also primed and ready to get to Las Vegas, a place that she assesses as ‘perfect’ for this type of fan-interactive post-season event.

    “Vegas itself just equals celebration to me,” Palumbo said. “So, I feel like it is a fun event.”

    “Everybody is so relaxed,” Palumbo continued. “The season is over and it’s a time for celebration.”

    So, who is Palumbo predicting will be in the champion’s seat for the event and at the head table come banquet time?

    “It’s definitely down to Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth now and we know how well they are both running,” Palumbo said. “We know that Jimmie is so great at Phoenix so it’s really a toss-up between the two.”

    “I can’t even bet on either one,” Palumbo continued. “I’m ready to put my money down on one but I can’t because I don’t want to lose.”

    “Everybody is on pins and needles because we know Jimmie can do it obviously,” Palumbo said. “But Matt Kenseth is really giving him a run for his money.”

    “I think the fans love seeing that and the two drivers are definitely keeping it exciting.”

    Palumbo is also primed and ready for the NASCAR After The Lap™ event because of where the proceeds go, helping individuals, children and families in need through the NASCAR Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization.

    “The tickets are only $20 and all the money, one hundred percent of the proceeds, goes to the NASCAR Foundation, which is unreal,” Palumbo said. “It’s probably one of the best charity events where all of the drivers are together in a relaxed way, cutting up with each other, joking about incidents that have happened during the year, and some have even gotten up and danced.”

    “It’s a great event to get the drivers out of their element,” Palumbo continued. “There is not an event like this throughout the whole season.”

    “This is a one of a kind,” Palumbo said. “You might have the drivers together for media day but they are so focused on that race.”

    “This is the end of the season and they can all breathe,” Palumbo continued. “They’re all ready to have a good time, hang out with the fans and answer their questions.”

    “There is just nothing like it.

    Palumbo is not alone in her enthusiasm for the NASCAR After The Lap™ event.

    “Celebrating its fifth consecutive season, NASCAR After The Lap has evolved into one of the most talked about events of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week™ and provides two long-standing partners, Ford and Coca-Cola, a valuable platform to connect with our brand-loyal fan base,” Norris Scott, NASCAR vice president of marketing, said. “It is an event unlike any other in sports that gives our fans the chance to see the drivers with their helmets off and their guard down.”

    “Over the last five years as event sponsor, Ford has enjoyed some remarkable and very unpredictable moments with our NASCAR drivers,” Tim Duerr, motorsports marketing manager for Ford Racing, said. “The NASCAR after the Lap Sweepstakes continues to provide Ford with a great avenue to engage with fans by offering them a chance to not only win a trip out to Las Vegas, but also an opportunity to go home with a brand-new 2014 Ford F150 Tremor.”

    “This sponsorship delivers results to Ford on many levels.”

    “As a long-time partner, Coca-Cola is proud to celebrate the 2013 season with the stars of NASCAR at this year’s NASCAR After The Lap,” Ben Reiling, director of motorsports for Coca-Cola North America Group, said. “In our fifth year as an event sponsor, we are offering fans a stellar experience to interact directly with members of our Coca-Cola Racing Family and a chance to win a trip to our marquee event, the Coca-Cola 600.”

    “We’re looking forward to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week and it’s definitely going to be a wild ride.”

    For more information or to purchase tickets, fans can visit  www.NASCARafterthelap.com.

    For fans unable to attend in person, NASCAR.com will offer a live stream of the event.