Daytona Beach, FL – Kyle Busch led the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series third practice Friday at Daytona International Speedway with a lap time of 44.936, just over 200 at 200.285 mph.
Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Preece, Erik Jones, and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five in this round of practice
Pole Sitter William Byron was 18th quickest which was the third fastest of the four Hendrick Motorsports cars.
Denny Hamlin led the fastest 10 consecutive laps with an average speed of 198.107 mph.
There is one more practice session today from 3:05 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. ET which will be televised on Fox Sports 1. The final Cup Series practice will be held Saturday at 12:05 p.m. ET on FS1.
The best of the best, a legacy that has given us 70 championships since 1949. 33 individuals have been able to lay claim to the crown. Three men have won it seven times.
To be a champion immortalizes you, but so does excellent performance. A driver can win, but fail to grab a title. He can also rack up Top Fives and Top Tens, even if he fell a tad short in claiming the checkered flags earned by his competitors.
A few names might surprise you, at first. Yet, when ranked for most championships, wins, Top Fives, and Top Tens, these are the 20 best NASCAR has had to offer in the driver’s seat over 70 seasons of motor mayhem.
I bet there is no argument that the King leads the parade.
RICHARD PETTY – Born July 2, 1937
7 Championships, 200 Wins, 555 Top Fives, 712 Top Tens
JEFF GORDON – Born August 4, 1971
4 Championships, 93 Wins, 325 Top Tens, 477 Top Tens
DALE EARNHARDT – (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)
7 Championships, 76 Wins, 281 Top Fives, 428 Top Tens
DAVID PEARSON – (December 22, 1934 – November 12, 2018)
3 Championships, 105 Wins, 301 Top Fives, 366 Top Tens
DARRELL WALTRIP – Born February 5, 1947
3 Championships, 84 Wins, 276 Top Fives, 390 Top Tens
JIMMIE JOHNSON – Born September 17, 1975
7 Championships, 83 Wins, 224 Top Fives, 352 Top Tens
BOBBY ALLISON – Born December 3, 1937
1 Championship, 84 Wins, 336 Top Fives, 446 Top Tens
CALE YARBOROUGH – Born March 27, 1939
3 Championships, 83 Wins, 255 Top Fives, 319 Top Tens
LEE PETTY – (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000)
3 Championships, 54 Wins, 231 Top Fives, 332 Top Tens
BUCK BAKER – (March 4, 1919 – April 14, 2002)
2 Championships, 46 Wins, 246 Top Fives, 372 Tens
MARK MARTIN (Born January 9, 1959)
40 Wins, 271 Top Fives, 453 Top Tens
RUSTY WALLACE – (Born August 14, 1956)
1 Championship, 55 Wins, 202 Top Fives, 349 Top Tens
TONY STEWART – (Born May 20, 1971)
3 Championships, 49 Wins, 187 Top Fives, 308 Top Tens
TERRY LABONTE – (Born November 16, 1956)
2 Championships, 22 Wins, 182 Top Fives, 361 Top Tens
NED JARRETT – (Born October 12, 1932)
2 Championships, 50 Wins, 185 Top Fives, 239 Top Tens
RICKY RUDD – (Born September 12, 1956)
23 Wins, 194 Top Fives, 374 Top Tens
KEVIN HARVICK – (Born December 8, 1975)
1 Championship, 45 Wins, 191 Top Fives, 336 Top Tens
HERB THOMAS – (April 6, 1923 – August 9, 2000)
2 Championships, 48 Wins, 122 Top Fives, 156 Top Tens
KYLE BUSCH – (Born May 2, 1985)
1 Championship, 51 Wins, 183 Top Fives, 269 Top Tens
BUDDY BAKER – (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015)
19 Wins, 202 Top Fives, 311 Top Tens
Three of those boys will be out to add to their accomplishments this weekend. The Daytona 500 is coming up this Sunday, a time for new beginnings and a time for bringing things to an end. After 15 years and over a thousand columns of various incarnations, this edition represents my final regular contribution to this site.
I want to thank Barry Albert for providing a writing home for me back in 2004. My thanks to Angie Campbell for her editing prowess and her encouragement. I would like to give a shout out to Racing Reference, a website that helps a fellow make sense of it all, a great aid to such scribes as myself. Finally, thanks to you for joining me on this journey.
Another season has come and gone, along with a few more drivers and fans, to be honest. However, there are some things I have noticed that are on the positive side, though not all would agree.
I like stage racing. I was not sure to start with, but I like it now. It helps chronicle who mattered early and it informs us as to who mattered throughout. It even tells us who won, and it rewards that winner is a meaningful way.
As a traditionalist, I was dead set against the playoffs. I have changed my mind. Logically, it makes no sense to have the pretenders still on the same competitive field as the contenders. Yet, it has not much affected the action, other than for one understandably upset Matt Kenseth. In this snowflake influenced world of ours, sometimes vengeance can still be had.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not missed on the track due to his excellence in the NBC broadcast booth alongside Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Rick Allen and a very stout track-side team. They were entertaining, informative, and sounded like they were excited being there. That is all it takes, but it took a long, long time for some to figure that out. I am not sure FOX has yet.
NASCAR boss man Brian France left the scene in August after being tagged with charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Replaced by his uncle, I think most think that was a positive step. At least Jim France bothers to show up at the track every week.
The France family is looking to fold its 13 track International Speedway Corp., which includes Darlington, Daytona, Martinsville and Talladega, into a merger with NASCAR itself. One can speculate as to the reasons, be it to lay out “a more unified strategic approach”, as Jim France says, or to package it all up for sale. Time will tell.
Sometime over the past decade, the “How bad have you got it” mantra went out the window, along with the fans they were asking. Most of the races this season had a dip in ratings, with at least 26 being seen as having their worst of the past decade, if not of all time. Most of the celebrities are gone, we produce fewer gear heads these days, and the good ole boys and girls like Bo, Luke, and Daisy have been replaced in society by those who know more about tissues than issues.
It appears Jamie McMurray is leaving the driver’s seat, at least on a full-time basis. Kurt Busch could be his replacement with Chip Ganassi. Kenseth is set to step back from even doing that after spelling off Trevor Bayne. Ryan Newman will take their place at Roush-Fenway, with newcomer Daniel Hemric taking his former ride with Richard Childress. Furniture Row is now gone, as Martin Truex Jr. heads over to Joe Gibbs, bumping Daniel Suarez possibly over to replace the elder Busch at Stewart-Haas. A.J. Allmendinger will be without a ride, giving up his seat to rookie Ryan Preece. Kasey Kahne has called it a career, and the 17-year combination of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus comes to an end.
Changes. Some we like, some we will not, at least to start with. Will fans come back in droves? Nope. Why should they? Give them a reason, give them entertainment, give them a reason to care.
All they have to do is figure out what that is. Over the course of the past decade, they have not.
1. JOEY LOGANO – 5040 POINTS (3 Wins)
This is not “fake news.” Logano is a deserving, even if not an overly popular, champion.
2. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 5035 POINTS (4 Wins)
If we could ignore the facts for our own biases…but we can not. Now he is off to join the Coach.
3. KEVIN HARVICK – 5034 POINTS (8 Wins)
If he could win all those he dominated for a period of time, he would have gone double figures.
4. KYLE BUSCH – 5033 POINTS (8 Wins)
Great seasons can be spoiled by the uncertainty of a playoff. Case in point…
5. ARIC ALMIROLA – 2354 POINTS (1 Win)
Not everyone is moving on. Then again, he was one of those movers not so long ago.
6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 2350 POINTS (3 Wins)
The future of Hendrick has already arrived.
7. KURT BUSCH – 2350 POINTS (1 Win)
If he wants to race Indy, his rumored new boss might have a few options open to him.
8. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2343 POINTS (3 Wins)
“I’m going to say it again. I did not intentionally spin out that driver, Mr. Suarez.”
9. KYLE LARSON – 2299 POINTS
If your business is named “Hi-Line”, I have a marketing opportunity for you.
10. RYAN BLANEY – 2298 POINTS (1 Win)
Like Chase, he is one of the positives NASCAR can showcase for the future.
11. DENNY HAMLIN – 2285 POINTS
As with Johnson, a years-long streak of wins in a season comes to an end.
12. CLINT BOWYER – 2272 POINTS (2 Wins)
Light-hearted and funny. Plus, if you ever find yourself in a ditch, he has connections.
13. AUSTIN DILLON – 2245 POINTS (1 Win)
That win was nice, but the iconic number was not so iconic after Daytona.
14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2242 POINTS
The marriage with Chad lasted longer than a vast majority of Hollywood relationships.
15. ERIK JONES – 2220 POINTS (1 Win)
At 22, That Jones Boy is making Joe Gibbs feel pretty good about the future.
16. ALEX BOWMAN – 2204 POINTS
Driving a car once driven by an Earnhardt is not an easy act to follow.
17. RYAN NEWMAN – 769 POINTS
Off to become one of the guys over at the House that Jack built. Maybe even his bodyguard.
18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 701 POINTS
After five years, the storyline changed in 2018, along with a downturn in performance
19. PAUL MENARD – 692 POINTS
Will be around as long as a certain home improvement company markets its wares on a stock car.
20. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 683 POINTS
If this marks the end of the line, he finishes it up among those who mattered.
As a journalist, I can say this. Joey Logano is a very talented driver, an aggressive driver who knows what he has to do and has the desire and the ability to pull it off. He is a very deserving Cup champion. I say that as a journalist.
However, in these days of “fake news”, I should mention that I write this as a columnist. A true journalist, of whom there are very few these days, observe and chronicle events impartially and objectively, without bias or partisanship, giving you information based on only what they see and not on how they feel.
I am a fan who writes a column, complete with my observations, my opinions and even my emotions on the subject. So, as a journalist, I applaud and recognize the talents of our new champion. As a fan, I must say I am just a bit disappointed. I mean, Joey Logano? You got to be freaking’ kidding me. Him?
I did not see the post-race interviews or celebration. They did not interest me. I did not feel satisfied with the outcome of the race. Martin Truex Jr.? I only wish. Kevin Harvick? He is my man. Kyle Busch? The man is a top-drawer talent, a sure Hall of Famer one day. Logano? One day I may come to embrace him, to love him as a fan, to celebrate his deeds. Sadly, that day has not yet arrived.
Every one of our four championship contenders was right there in the mix until the last half dozen laps or so. Busch started on the front row, but it was Harvick the top dog after the opening stage. In the second, Harvick was again the man, even though Kyle Larson managed to beat him at the line to claim the stage. When they came back on the track after pit stops, Logano was up front, followed by Harvick, Busch, and Truex in that order. The best was going up against the best. They survived, they thrived, as the four contenders led the way ahead of the 35 pretenders.
With 48 laps to declare a champion, Truex had gotten by Logano. Green flag stops saw Harvick the best of those who stopped, but Busch had not and led his closest rival by 22 seconds, with Logano right behind Harvick running fifth. Daniel Suarez got sent for a skid and after more pit action it was Busch still ahead. With 17 laps to run, Busch had the lead exiting the pits but Truex took off as the action returned to green. He looked gone, but looks can be deceiving. Just four laps later, with the Jaws-theme playing in our heads, Logano tracked the defending champion down. He made the pass, and it was he who disappeared into the sunset to claim the 2018 Cup championship. He had the talent and the horses to seal the deal.
Truex was second. Harvick finished third. Busch concluded his season in fourth. However, it was the 28-year-old from Middletown, Connecticut making up for his 2016 runner-up season. It was his third win of the year and the 21st of his Cup career. It was freaking Joey Logano.
Like it or not, it was a well-deserved victory. It matters not that I did not like it. An objective observer would wish to celebrate. However, few fans are that objective. Me included.
1. Joey Logano: Logano won the Ford EcoBoost 400 to claim his first Monster Energy Cup championship.
“I won the battle,” Logano said, “and I won the war. But I’d still probably lose a fight to Martin Truex, Jr.”
2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished third at Homestead as Joey Logano took the win and the Cup championship.
“I wanted to win so badly after having a win taken from me,” Harvick said. “But Logano ruined my dreams. He runs 6 feet, 1 inch tall; that makes the ‘spoiler’ height 73 inches.”
3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex came up just short in his bid to repeat as Cup champion, finishing second to Joey Logano.
“I claimed to have a free pass to rough up Joey Logano,” Truex said. “But I never was in position to do so. That made Logano the ‘Lucky Dog.’”
4. Kyle Busch: Busch started second at Homestead and finished fourth.
“It was a frustrating day,” Busch said. “I felt like I wasn’t even part of the championship battle. The handling of the No. 18 Toyota was miserable. The only fight I was involved in was with my steering wheel.”
5. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished seventh in the Ford EcoBoost 400.
“I’m still young,” Elliott said, “so I see a lot of titles in my future. Like ‘husband,’ ‘father,’ ‘grandfather,’ and Monster Energy Cup champion. Hopefully not in that order.”
6. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 10th at Homestead, posting his 22nd top 10 of the year.
“Congratulations to Joey Logano,” Busch said. “With his championship, ‘Sliced Bread’ has put himself in the upper crust of NASCAR drivers. I’m sure he celebrated by doing ‘dough’ nuts.”
7. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished fifth at Homestead as Penske Racing teammate Joey Logano won and captured the Monster Energy Cup championship.
“Joey fulfilled a lifelong dream,” Keselowski said. “He’s been building toward this moment since he was a child. Heck, he’s only 28. He’s not that far removed from being a child. Martin Truex Jr. would say he’s ‘child-ish.’”
8. Aric Almirola: Almirola finished ninth at Homestead, recording his 17th top-10 finish of the year.
“Did you see?” Almirola said. “Jimmie Johnson shaved off his beard. He looks like a new man, but he’s still an old man.”
9. Kyle Larson: Larson hit the wall late chasing Joey Logano but managed to salvage a 13th-place finish at Homestead.
“Logano was in the ‘zone,’” Larson said. “Even knowing Martin Truex Jr. had it out for him, Joey was able to keep his cool and win. Joey knew Truex would ‘come after him,’ and he was right because Truex finished second.”
10. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started on the pole and finished 12th, his first season without a win since 2005.
“There’s ‘Victory Lane,’” Hamlin said, “and then there’s ‘Victory Lame.’”
Legends are rare. Many get an honorary title, no doubt stars in their own right at one time long ago or a pioneer of some description. However, to be a true legend, an icon, it takes a lot to make the grade. In NASCAR, David Pearson was an undisputed legendary driver, one of the best all-time, a true giant of the sport.
The Silver Fox passed away this week at the age of 83. His 105 career Cup victories have him placed only behind the 200 accumulated by the King, Richard Petty. Sixty-three times the pair finished one-two on the track, an amazing statistic showcasing what is unarguably the greatest rivalry in the sport. It stretched from the 1963 Sandlapper 200 in Columbia, South Carolina through to the 1977 World 600.
Pearson’s career covered the years of 1960 through to his final start in 1986, yet he managed to race in more than half the schedule just a dozen times. Running 90 percent of the schedule? Just thrice. That does not even include his 1966 championship year, one of his three titles, when he won 15, competed in 42, skipped out on seven others. In 1973, he won 11 of the 18 he competed in. While Petty drove in everything, Pearson drove when he wanted. It appears that when he wanted, he wanted to win. Pearson’s first victory was the 1961 World 600. His last was Darlington’s Rebel 500 in 1980, one of the nine he competed in that season. In total, 574 starts, 105 wins.
David Pearson is truly among NASCAR’s racing gods residing atop its Mount Olympus. Truth be told, he has had a reservation up there for a very long time.
At Homestead, one of four hope to add to their own legacy, to maybe establish themselves as one of the sport’s future legends.
1. KYLE BUSCH – 5000 POINTS (8 Wins – 1388 Season Points)
Will the best on the season be the championship winner?
2. KEVIN HARVICK – 5000 POINTS (8 Wins – 1333 Season Points)
Back in the old days, this championship would have already been decided.
3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 5000 POINTS (4 Wins – 1212 Season Points)
One final race for the boys and girls from Colorado.
4. JOEY LOGANO – 5000 POINTS (2 Wins – 1192 Season Points)
Believes he is the favorite going in. All he has to do now is prove it.
5. CHASE ELLIOTT – 2320 POINTS (3 Wins)
With one shot, Denny managed to burst the bubble of not one, but two rivals.
6. KURT BUSCH – 2318 POINTS (1 Win)
Too much gas cost him the lead, too much Hamlin kept him from taking it back.
7. ARIC ALMIROLA – 2316 POINTS (1 Win)
For a moment he must have believed, but the hamster under the hood was not big enough.
8. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2309 POINTS (3 Wins)
Penske teams are out…but they won’t let themselves be forgotten.
9. RYAN BLANEY – 2278 POINTS (1 Win)
In fact, no one would be terribly surprised if either Brad or Ryan wins this weekend.
10. KYLE LARSON – 2256 POINTS
Too late for this year, but he keeps reminding us that there is more than one Kyle out there.
11. DENNY HAMLIN – 2252 POINTS
His final shot to keep his yearly win streak alive, and he can not be counted out.
12. CLINT BOWYER – 2242 POINTS (2 Wins)
Went from rating among the top eight to hanging on as a member of the dirty dozen.
13. AUSTIN DILLON – 2219 POINTS (1 Win)
Might not win this one, but he has done well in the next one.
14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2217 POINTS
The beginning of the end or just a blip on the radar?
15. ERIK JONES – 2207 POINTS (1 Win)
NASCAR has two guys with the same name, kind of. Is there room for an Eric one day?
16. ALEX BOWMAN – 2196 POINTS
Though he has done well, he still hasn’t made us forgot the name of the guy he replaced.
17. RYAN NEWMAN – 747 POINTS
No playoff run this year, but he still is the Hot Dog Eating Champion in four states.
18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 680 POINTS
If you thought he was fired up at Phoenix, you should have seen his car.
19. PAUL MENARD – 680 POINTS
Last week at Phoenix he reminded me of the Arizona Cardinals. 29th place.
20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 667 POINTS
McMurray is just three points back. Neither has a ride for next season.
LEADERSHIP…sucks. Usually, when you lead a race, when you are the guy kicking ass and taking names, it is a good thing. Not at Phoenix. It turned out to be steering the leading car was very similar to being the moral compass on the Walking Dead. You just wind up being some zombie’s souffle. Just when a boy became the golden child, the man out front, the driver all alone leading the parade, fate kicked him in the teeth.
Kevin Harvick was the man to start. He had the pole, he took the lead, he beat back all challenges from Chase Elliott. Then, with a couple of laps to go in the opening stage, a tire went down, his lead went out the window, and he was forced to pit. Elliott grabbed the points. Harvick wound up with a bucket of something less tasteful than honey.
Off to the second stage. Elliott lost the front to Kurt Busch. He dominated. He was the man. Joey Logano already had his pass to Homestead, so when his left rear let go and wrecked out, no big deal. However, with about 20 laps left, Clint Bowyer’s own left rear departed to end his day as well as his championship hopes.
It was time to pit, to get some fresh rubber. Harvick stayed out after the caution had put him back on the lead lap. A win by Busch would have made that fact meaningless, but he decided to gas it coming to the pits and that pushed him past the pace car. A lap penalty was his reward. Once again, Harvick was back in the top four in the battle to advance, along with Logano, Martin Truex Jr. as well as Kyle Busch, who went on to win the stage.
So, when it came down to the final push, Harvick was just three points ahead of Kurt in points banked, but sitting a lap and more than 20 positions ahead of him on the track. Of course, if Elliott could win it, it would not matter what either of those two boys did. As for Kyle and Truex, they just had to avoid disaster to run against Logano for the championship next week.
It was all Kyle Busch. For a while. Then he gave up the lead to Elliott. Just in time, as it turned out. When Elliott pitted under green, he was a little too speedy. So much for the lead, but on an interesting track, both the action and the intrigue just went up a notch. Who was going to be in and who was going to be left on the outside? All the contenders were back on the lead lap, all had a shot coming down to the final 50 laps.
Some of the mystery went away late in the run. Kurt Busch was not leading, but he was close. When Denny Hamlin got loose and went up the track, he got very close to Busch. Too close. They made contact, Busch caught the fence, then turned down to take out Elliott. Three on the outside were now done, with only one challenger remaining.
Aric Almirola needed to win. He needed to catch Kyle Busch. He looked good for a short time. Too short. There were just not enough ponies under his hood. When they hit the line, Kyle won his 51st career Cup race, with Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson between him and Almirola. Harvick finished fifth, Truex was 14th.
Despite the storylines, the quartet for Homestead remained as expected. Logano and the Big Three go in, with the best of the four in Florida in that one race taking home the championship. Next week, leadership will mean everything.
1. Kyle Busch: Busch started sixth at Phoenix and took the checkered flag in the Can-Am 500 to advance to Homestead with a chance to win his second Cup championship.
“Kevin Harvick got in when Denny Hamlin knocked out Kurt Busch and Chase Elliott,” Busch said. “Either Kurt or Chase could have played the spoiler, and the last thing Harvick needed is another troublesome spoiler.”
2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started on the pole at Phoenix and finished fifth after an early flat tire scare.
“Our goal was to start on the pole,” Harvick said, “build a big lead, and pray we didn’t ‘get caught.’ I guess two out of three ain’t bad.”
3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished 14th at Phoenix and advanced to Homestead on points.
“I’ll have to go through three other drivers to remain Monster Energy Cup champion,” Truex said. “And if need be, I’ll literally ‘go through’ Joey Logano to get there.”
4. Joey Logano: Logano blew a left rear tire early, leading to a spin. He finished 37th.
“It’s me,” Logano said, “and Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. at Homestead. I’m in trouble because now all three of those guys have vowed not to let me win.”
5. Kurt Busch: Busch was running second late in the race before he was taken out by an overly aggressive move by Denny Hamlin. Busch finished 32nd.
“I’m not sure what Denny was thinking,” Busch said. “But I’m pretty sure who Kevin Harvick was thanking.”
6. Chase Elliott: Elliott started second at Phoenix but was collected in a crash when Denny Hamlin spun Kurt Busch late in the race. Elliott finished 23rd, three laps down.
“It sucks that I don’t have a chance to become the Monster Energy Cup champions,” Elliott said. “But I’m looking forward to just being a spectator at Homestead. And Lord knows NASCAR needs as many of those as possible.”
7. Aric Almirola: Almirola finished fourth at Phoenix.
“I needed a win to get to Homestead with a chance to be NASCAR champion,” Almirola said. “I didn’t get the job done. I came up a little bit ‘short;’ ironically, my championship hopes said ‘so long.’”
8. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished second at Phoenix.
“I’m pulling for my Penske Racing teammate Joey Logano to win the championship,” Keselowski said. “Mostly because Roger Penske told me I had to. It’s the closest you’ll get to ‘team orders’ in NASCAR.”
9. Kyle Larson: Larson finished third in the Can-Am 500, posting his 12th top five of the year.
“It’s the ‘Big 3’ and ‘Sliced Bread’ in the finale,” Larson said. “Here’s a little-known fact: a young Tony Stewart was also known as ‘Sliced Bread.’ Then he got heavy and his nickname changed to ‘Doughy.’”
10. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 13th at Phoenix.
“If not for me and my reckless driving,” Hamlin said, “Kevin Harvick wouldn’t be among the Final 4 at Homestead. I drive a Toyota Camry; Harvick now says I drive a Dodge ‘Bullet.’”
Kyle Busch won at ISM Raceway in the Can-Am 500 as the Championship 4 is set for the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series. It was his eighth victory of the season and the 51st of his Cup career.
“I’d like to think it gives us a lot (of momentum), but I don’t know – talk is cheap,” said Busch in the newly designed Gatorade Victory Lane, a part of the $178 million renovation project at the 1-mile raceway. “We’ve got to be able to go out there and perform and just do what we need to do. Being able to do what we did here today was certainly beneficial. I didn’t think we were the best car, but we survived and we did what we needed to do today. It’s just about getting to next week and once we were locked in, it was ‘all bets are off and it’s time to go.’”
Adam Stevens, crew chief for the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, and team owner Joe Gibbs addressed the media as they head into the final race of the 2018 season.
“Well, I think it’s important to come into the last race firing on all cylinders,” Stevens said about today’s victory. “And it’s hard to do that when you’re just riding around trying to score points. It’s not like we were throwing caution to the wind by any means. The job that we set out to do is to win the championship, and to do that you’ve got to beat them all.”
Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano will join Busch in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Logano crashed early in the race and did not join the others in the press conference.
“We just got a little bit of luck, a little bit of ‘right place, right time’ kinda thing,” Truex shared when discussing the various wrecks that happened in front of him. “One last hurrah next week and we’re gonna go give ’em all we got.”
“I think we have a chance every time we show up,” Harvick shared assessing his chances to win his second career Cup championship. “Our guys are doing a great job. Obviously, to accomplish everything we did this weekend was quite the feat without your crew chief and car chief, but Tony Gibson and Nick did a great job filling in. Everybody kept their head about them and we were competitive all weekend.”
William Byron also locked up the Rookie of the Year standings with his ninth-place effort.
“I take away my growth as a person and our growth as a team,” Byron told the media. “I think of road course races were really good. I feel like I’m in a good position for next year.”
Harvick-Chase Battle Creates Early Drama in Stage 1
The first two stages were split by 75 laps each. The remaining 162 laps would be scheduled for the final stage. As the green flag dropped, Harvick would show the way early, but throughout most of the run, Elliott was within a second of him. After the race last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, most of the bottom four drivers were in a must-win situation. But since Wednesday’s announcement of Harvick’s penalty, there was hope for some drivers to possibly sneak in on points.
About 20 laps into the race, Elliott started inching his way closer to the rear bumper of Harvick, but as they started to approach lapped traffic, Harvick looked to claw his way through the field better and was able to put some distance between them. Elliott was completely silent on the radio, presumably happy with the handling of his Napa Chevrolet.
With three laps to go, tragedy struck for Harvick as he had a flat tire and had to come to pit road. Elliott inherited the lead and won Stage 1. Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch also finished in the top-10 and gained valuable bonus points. Elliott won the battle off pit road. Paul Menard stayed on pit road as the team lifted the hood and appeared to begin examining the engine. Harvick ended up going one lap down, and since he pit after pit road was closed (two laps to go in the stage), he was not eligible for the free pass under yellow, or the wave-around. At this point, Harvick and Truex would be knocked out of the Championship 4; Truex and Kurt Busch were tied in points, but Busch wins the tie-breaker with a better finish because he was second at this time, despite Truex finishing third at Martinsville.
Kurt Busch Shows Strength in Stage 2
On the restart, Kurt Busch fought hard on the outside to take over the lead from Chase Elliott. Elliott then had to fight off Ryan Blaney for a couple of laps but eventually settled into the second position.
With about 55 laps to go in the stage, Harvick made his way into the “Lucky Dog” position. One lap later, Joey Logano got a flat left-rear tire and crashed going into Turn 1. He is already locked in with his win at Martinsville, but this helped Harvick get himself back onto the lead lap. However, the carnage was just beginning.
Clint Bowyer crashes at the entrance to Turn 3, then drives away. Photo by Rachel Schuoler for Speedway Media.
With roughly 30 laps to go, Clint Bowyer crashed to bring out the yellow, ending his championship hopes. On pit road, lots of strategies took place, including a penalty. Roughly eight of the lead lap cars elected not to pit, but most of the other leaders came to pit road. Kurt Busch was caught passing the pace car and served a one-lap penalty.
It was addressed in the driver’s meeting, and we’ve seen similar penalties throughout the year. When entering pit road, the leader usually accelerates to create a gap between their car and the cars behind, a slight advantage that can be huge in certain circumstances. However, the leader is not allowed to pass the pace car before entering pit road. In this case, the nose of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford was just ahead of the pace car before the first yellow line signaling the start of pit road. Even though he was in the lead at the time of the yellow, and won the battle off pit road, he would be served a penalty that would put their team one lap down.
Kyle Busch was one of the first cars out with fresh tires. He easily took over the top spot a couple of laps into the restart, winning Stage 2. Martin Truex Jr. finished third, and Kevin Harvick battled his way back up to the fourth position, making the “Big 3” the big discussion once again. Some of the leaders stayed out, preventing a “free pass” car and keeping Kurt Busch one lap down. Other drivers on older tires came to pit road for either two or four tires.
Championship Contenders Go Wild in the Final Stage
The field races through the new Turns 3 & 4 after one lap taking the green flag for a restart at ISM Raceway. Photo by Rachel Schuoler for Speedway Media.
With 160 laps to go, Kyle Busch would keep the lead ahead of Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney. At this time, most of the championship contenders were running in the top-11, except for Logano and Bowyer, who was out of the race. Kurt Busch was still stuck one lap down in the “Lucky Dog” position.
Green flag pit stops began as the race approached 85 laps to go. During some of the pit stops, including while Harvick was on pit road, Tanner Berryhill spun at the entrance of pit road. He did a great job of correcting the car to continue on, but not before NASCAR had to throw a yellow flag. The rest of the field came to pit road, but Elliott sped on pit road, forcing his No. 9 car to the rear of the field. Kurt Busch was the “Lucky Dog”, but most of the field elected for the wave-around.
On the restart, the Playoffs started to come into play for every point possible. We saw the field go three, even four wide in the dogleg. Blaney slowed suddenly and came to pit road. Harvick continued to claw his way up along with teammate Kurt Busch. As the two were getting around the lapped car of David Ragan, he appeared to slip entering Turn 3. Harvick misjudged his speed and got into the rear of Ragan and spun him out to bring out the sixth caution flag. A couple of drivers were toward the end of the field, but Kyle Busch visited pit road so his crew could examine some minor damage as he was outside of Harvick during that contact.
The field took the green again for a few laps, and just when the race seemed to mellow for a brief moment, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took a hard hit to the outside wall in Turn 1. The rear end of the car was completely destroyed and even a brief fire ensued while he was still spinning. NASCAR displayed the red flag for 10 minutes with so much fluid coming from the No. 17. At this time, Kurt Busch was one point ahead of Harvick for the fourth and final Championship spot. However, that would quickly change.
As the field took the green, Erik Jones started to the inside of Kurt Busch but Jones got loose in the middle of Turns 1 & 2, forcing Busch up the track slightly. No harm was done, but Denny Hamlin made an aggressive move to get by both drivers. He couldn’t clear Busch in time and pinched him in the wall. However, with the championship on the line, Busch didn’t back out and stayed in the throttle. As he bounced off the wall, he continued to collide with Hamlin, eventually spinning him out and collecting Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott along the backstretch. That eventually ended the day for Busch as the damage clock expired, and his brother Kyle Busch officially locked himself into the Championship 4 on points. Elliott rejoined the track and was able to maintain minimum speed, but ran three laps down in the 24th position.
The sun sets behind the grandstands as Kyle Busch pulls away to his 51st career NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series win. Photo by Rachel Schuoler for Speedway Media.
The Cup drivers went racing again with about 30 laps to go. However, with all the nose damage on Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet, he went up in a ball of fire and smoke at the end of the frontstretch, causing him to crash in Turn 2 alongside pit entrance. NASCAR had to throw another red flag to clean up the incident. At this point, Harvick was back in the good on points. Aric Almirola was the only other driver left that could steal a spot in the Championship 4 if he won at ISM Raceway. Almirola was running fourth at the time when the field went back under yellow. Some of the leaders elected for a pit stop, including Kyle Larson, who took four tires and would restart in the eighth position.
This restart would be the first time for the Cup Series facing speedy dry in Turns 1 and 2. On Friday night, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race had a restart with speedy dry in the first set of turns that prevented Grant Enfinger from getting a strong restart against Noah Gragson and Brett Moffitt. However, this wouldn’t faze Kyle Busch as he pulled away from a hard-charging Almirola but he got a second chance as Berryhill crashed to bring out another caution flag on the track.
With about 15 laps to go, the field took the green flag but Almirola appeared to just not have the right setup to run with Kyle Busch on the outside. Brad Keselowski tried to push him through to the front, but that caused Almirola to go wide through Turns 1 and 2. Keselowski was able to get by both him and Harvick to put a late race charge toward the lead, but there just wasn’t enough time to catch Busch.
“It certainly feels really good,” Busch said in the media center after celebrating his win with the fans. “It feels good to go off into next week with a win under our belt and hopefully do it again.”
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race Unofficial Race Results for the 31St Annual Can-Am 500 – Sunday, November 11, 2018 ISM Raceway – Avondale, AZ – 1 Mile Paved
· Camry driver Kyle Busch won Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) Playoffs race at ISM Raceway in Phoenix and automatically advanced to the Champion 4
at Homestead-Miami Speedway next week.
· The win was Busch’s 51st MENCS win of his career and first win at the one-mile Arizona since 2005.
· Busch would led a race-high 117 (of 312) laps in the MENCS Playoffs cutoff race in Phoenix.
· The win marked Busch’s eighth this season – matching career-high wins in a season the Toyota driver set in 2008.
· The win also secured a Toyota NASCAR race weekend sweep at ISM Raceway with Brett Moffit winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday and Christopher
Bell winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday.
· It was the sixth Toyota NASCAR race weekend sweep in 2018.
· Toyota MENCS Playoffs driver Martin Truex Jr. advanced to the Championship 4 for the second-consecutive season after finishing 14th on Sunday.
TOYOTA QUOTES
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
How special was this win and did you think you had a car capable of winning today?
“It’s an awesome team and awesome group of guys. Can’t say enough about everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing. All the men and women there that work so hard to prepare such great race cars that I get to drive. M&M’s and Toyota – and it’s Veteran’s
Day. I want to say thank you to all the veterans out there for everything that you all have sacrificed for us and done for our freedom in this country. Cool to race on Veteran’s Day. This is a sport that everybody loves to come out and participate in and be
a part of whether it’s the military, whether it’s the fans that support the military – it’s awesome to have all that here in NASCAR.”
How much momentum does this give you for Homestead?
“I’d like to think it gives us a lot, but I don’t know – talk is cheap. We’ve got to be able to go out there and perform and just do what we need to do. Being able to do what we did here today was certainly beneficial. I didn’t think we
were the best car, but we survived and we did what we needed to do today. It’s just about getting to next week and once we were locked in, it was ‘all bets are off and it’s time to go.’ That’s what our partners like to see and like to hear out of us – Interstate
Batteries, NOS Energy Drink, Cessna, Stanley, Rheem, DVX Eyewear, Black Clover and of course Rowdy Nation – all the fans, we have some right down here in front of victory lane and some over there, they’re everywhere and I see yellow all over the place. It’s
awesome to celebrate like this and we were the first ones in the Richmond victory lane and we’re the first ones in the Phoenix victory lane and I called my shot a few months ago because they had the 48 on the map showing everyone where things are at and I
said, ‘That ain’t right, that’s going to be us.’ I’m glad I could be a man of my word.”
Can you talk about the move that you made on the earlier restart?
“I don’t remember that far back – I guess I went to the bottom, that’s where I went. The restarts here are just crazy, they’re hectic. You just try to go where they’re not and the opportunity presented itself there being able to go to the
low side in three and four. Picked off a few guys there and I think they got mixed up in some of the speedy-dry that was down there and with guys running on top of each other, it’s close door-to-door and it kind of messes you up in that regard as well too.
Just a great day for us though. I can’t say enough about this whole team and everyone on this M&M’s Toyota – they did an awesome job for me. Each and every weekend they do that for me and it’s awesome to be able to come out here and perform and put ourselves
in victory lane. To do that in front of these fans on the west coast, love being able to come out here to Phoenix and love being able to have an opportunity to win here. This is my second and it’s been a long time since the first one here so it’s nice to be
back in victory lane at Phoenix.”
What adjustments did you have to make to the race car today?
“We just kept tuning on it and just kept working on it. These guys, they never give up, they never quit on me and I never quit on them. We had to keep scrounging and figure out some other things that could help the grip in this race car.
It was loose, it was tight and it was all over the place today – it was a handful, that’s for sure. There at the end it was just fast enough to hold off that 2 (Brad Keselowski) car and he was charging fast.”
How much weight do you put in momentum and the battle coming up at Homestead?
“You just have to have things kind of fall into place and kind of go your way. Not everything has to, but just a little bit. We’ve had an awesome year and the way that we’ve been able to perform and how we’ve been able to do things in this
Playoff, it hasn’t quite been pretty all the time, but we did what we needed to do in key moments. Last week was a tough week for us, but we’ve got this week now and if momentum is anything, obviously we’re ready to go. We’ll rock and roll into Homestead
and it feels pretty good.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 13th
What happened between yourself and Kurt Busch?
“We had an opportunity there and I think the 20 (Erik Jones) got together there and going into the corner I got underneath and it looked like I got loose, I thought I got hit, but nobody was near me. I got loose and I chased it up the race
track and he (Kurt Busch) was right there. Then it looked like he hit the wall and I was up there and kind of pinched him and then hit the wall again. It was not going to be good. He kind of turned us then, but I can’t blame him, Kurt’s been fair to me in
so many years of racing. I’ve never had one incident with him, he’s been as fair to me as anyone out there and I hate it for him because trust me, I was rooting for him – all of today I was rooting for the 41 to be the guy that got in there. Ultimately we
have to go out there to try to race to win and we were battling hard off the corner. Just ran out of real estate for sure.”
Are you saying Kurt put you into the wall?
“Nothing was his fault. Maybe the very tailend of it while we crashed, but understandably he was probably frustrated. I can’t blame him for anything to be honest with you. He was on the outside there it looked like and literally right even
with me just enough and you could see my car bobbling and I got sideways there. I just chased it up the track and he was there and to me, it’s just a racing thing, obviously nothing intentional as a huge Kurt Busch fan.”
Were you aware that Chase Elliott was also taken out of contention in the accident?
“It’s the unfortunate part about it, you have these races that have been may lays for eight weeks at the end of them. Just unfortunate. We had a race-winning car, we passed the 18 (Kyle Busch) today. Just kind of the synopsis of our year
to be honest with you, we’ve run well and kind of got off a little bit there and we just try to battle back and we saw an opportunity right there to try to get the lead and it was a good opportunity, but obviously some beating and banging there racing for
the lead.”
Were you loose due to having older tires?
“Maybe a little bit with older tires, but I only had 18 laps on mine and they had just a little less or more laps actually on theirs. Obviously, I knew I had guys with fresh tires right behind me so I had to make hay while I could. Crappy
deal for all involved and the difference is that everyone is out there still racing for their own particular race and obviously that was the last person I wanted to get into.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR, No. 78 Bass Pro Shops / 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Furniture Row Racing
Finishing Position: 14th
How challenging was this race today?
“It was a tough one. We didn’t have the greatest car, but we battled hard and we had a little bit of good fortune. Made good calls, good strategy and good adjustments on the car. We got it to where it was pretty decent. The short runs just
really killed us today. It would take 40 or 50 laps for the car to come in and then a caution would come out. All in all, I’m just really proud of everybody, everybody back in Denver at the shop for continuing to bring good race cars and stay focused. We had
1300 names on the hood today from Auto Owner’s with people that go together to help raise money for our foundation. It’s Veteran’s Day and so many cool things today that were really special. We’re going to Miami. Just happy and thankful for our team and everybody
that supports this Toyota, TRD, Bass Pro Shops, 5-hour ENERGY and everybody that makes this possible. Cole (Pearn, crew chief) and all the guys, it’s an unbelievable group. One last hoorah next week and we’ll go give them all we’ve got.”
What does it mean to give Barney Visser and this team one more shot at a defending the championship next weekend?
“It gives me chills honestly. I’m really happy for him (Barney Visser, owner) and we had a good conversation this morning before the race. I told him that I’m glad he’s here and I’m glad he’s going to Homestead and he’s done so much for
all of us and so much for all of our careers – so many people in Denver that moved out there 12 years ago to come to work. It’s been an unbelievable place to work and he’s been a great boss, a great friend to all of us and we’re going to try to do all we can
to get him to go out on top.”
How do you feel heading into Homestead next weekend?
“Homestead is a tough track, it’s a long race and anything can happen. We saw last year that we were really good on short runs and the 18 (Kyle Busch) was good on long runs and at the end it came down to a short run and we were able to
hold him off. You have to have a little bit of luck on your side, you have to have a good race car and you have to have things play out the way you need them to suit your setup and suit what you’re doing. For us, we’ve got a lot of confidence and we really
don’t have a lot of pressure on us. We’re going to go down there and all you can do is give it your best. We haven’t been the fastest car this year by any means, but when we hit it right we can beat anybody. If we can go down there and hit it right, we’re
going to have some fun.”
