MARTIN TRUEX JR. WINS FIRST MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

Written By: Chrystie Gonzalez del Valle

As the sun went down over Homestead-Miami Speedway, the drivers flew around the track, vying for the lead in the last race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. With less than 40 laps left during the last stretch, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch went head-to-head in an intense fight for the win, with Truex in first and Busch in second. As they approached the final lap, it was Truex, in his #78 car for Furniture Row Racing, who maintained the lead and crossed the finish line ahead of the field.

"I told my guys we were going to dig dipper than we ever have today. With 20 laps to go I thought I was done. They were all better than me on the long run all day long. I just found a way. I found a lane that I could use, and I found a lane that was blocking enough of their air that they couldn’t use it and just made it happen. I can’t believe it. I’ve wanted this since I was a little kid. Just never give up on your dreams no matter what happens.”

Martin Truex Jr. finished first place in the 19^th Annual Ford EcoBoost 400 and obtained the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship. This is the first time that Truex has won the Monster Energy Series title, which reflects the dominance that he has shown on the tracks this season with a total of eight wins on the year. Aside from his motivation to win his first championship, Truex had other reasons to win.

“I was a wreck thinking about all the tough days, the bad days, the times where I thought my career was over with, the times when I didn't think anyone believed in me,” said Truex following his win in the Ford EcoBoost 400. “But the guys, the people who mattered did – my fans, my family. Then I got with this team. They're unbelievable, and they resurrected my career and made me a champion.”

Truex, 37, is now only the fifth driver to have won the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series championships, along with the other championship contenders, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski, who finished second, fourth and seventh, respectively.  

BYRON CLINCHES 2017 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

Written By: Catherine Coleman

After an intense race, including a hard fought battle between Championship 4 teammates William Byron and Elliott Sadler, Byron, a rookie and one of NASCAR’s rising stars, drove with the skill of a veteran, crowning himself champion of the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series.

The 19 year old from Charlotte, North Carolina, who led the series this year in wins, finished third in the Ford EcoBost 300. Byron raced past the remaining Championship 4 contenders Elliott Sadler (8^th), Justin Allgaier (12^th) and Daniel Hemric (34^th). With the championship, he became the second youngest champion in NASCAR XFINITY Series history; behind record holder Chase Elliott, who won the series title at 18 years old. A racing prodigy, Byron received the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.

“I don’t know that I took a breath the last 20 laps,” said Byron. “That was incredible. I just have to thank this team. This is awesome. Elliott Sadler raced me clean and we just raced hard for it. I just can’t believe this.”

Though Byron brought home the championship hardware, it was Cole Custer who finished first, and was the highest finishing rookie with a 150.0 perfect driver rating, the first perfect rating in the XFINITY Series this year. This race serves as the 19-year-old’s first victory in 38 NASCAR XFINITY Series starts.

“We knew we were going to be really good this weekend, but our Haas Automation Mustang was unreal,” said Custer. “We really wanted to have a good showing at Ford Championship Weekend. Even though we weren’t in it we wanted to win.”

Tickets to Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 championship finale, are available and can be purchased by visiting homesteadmiamispeedway.com or by calling (866) 409-RACE. 

BELL TAKES HOME 2017 NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

Written by: Nathaniel P. Derrenbacher

Behind the tire smoke and intense track lights, a new champion has emerged in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series following the Ford EcoBoost 200 on Nov. 17. Finishing in the No. 2 position in the Ford EcoBoost 200, Christopher Bell becomes the winner of the 2017 Camping World Truck Series. Bell leaves the Truck Series in style with this championship, as he moves to race in the NASCAR XFINITY Series next year.

At only 22 years old, Bell has had many successes in his short career in the Truck Series. Prior to this year’s championship, Bell’s best finish in the final series standings was third place (2016). Bell finished the 2017 season with a total of five wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s.

“A dream come true just doesn’t even describe it,” Bell said. “For me to be at Kyle Busch Motorsports as long as I have and to go out a champion, which is something I’m really proud of, and I’m really proud that I’ve got all of our partners at JBL here to victory lane at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the championship.”

But Bell isn’t the only one leaving Miami a winner. Chase Briscoe took home the win in the 134-lap Ford EcoBoost 200. The victory clinched Briscoe the 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year award for his multiple successes this season.

“This is a long time coming,” said Briscoe. “I’m so proud of all these guys. To know that they’re not going to have a job next year and we continued to bring really good trucks even though we were outside the playoffs, it’s such a testament to how good these Brad Keselowski guys are. Thank you so much to Ford for believing in me.”

Ford Championship Weekend will continue on Saturday with the NASCAR XFINITY Series Ford EcoBoost 300 and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 on Sunday.

CHAMPIONSHIP 4 FIELD SET FOR HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY- PHOENIX RACE RECAPS

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES

Can-Am 500

Phoenix Raceway – Avondale, Arizona

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Race Winner: Matt Kenseth

Age: 45

Team: No. 20 – Circle K Toyota

Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing

Crew Chief: Jason Ratcliff

IN THE WORDS OF THE WINNER -- “It couldn’t be any sweeter. I just don’t know how else to explain it, you know? You always feel like you can get the job done, but, you know, if you’ve got a big enough sample size of numbers, numbers don’t really lie, so we needed to go out and get the job done and get us a win and we were able to do that today.  So we’ve got one more race left and, like I said, great way to go out.”

-  Matt Kenseth

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·         Matt Kenseth won the 30^th annual Can-Am 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race at Phoenix Raceway Sunday afternoon.   It was the third and final race in the Round of 8 of the MENCS playoffs.  It is Kenseth’s 39^th win in 649 career MENCS races and his initial victory in 35 races this year. 

·         It was Kenseth’s first win since July 17, 2016 at New Hampshire.  For Kenseth, it was his 17^th top-10 and 10^th top-5 in 2017.

·         Kenseth’s win allowed Brad Keselowski to claim the fourth and final spot in the Ford EcoBoost 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series championship race on Sunday, November 19.

·         The following are the four drivers who will compete for the championship of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, amongst a full field, in the Ford EcoBoost 400 on Sunday, November 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2:30 p.m., NBC):

Driver                           Team                                        Manufacturer    2017 Wins-Top10-Top5

Kyle Busch                   Joe Gibbs Racing                     Toyota              5-21-13

Kevin Harvick                Stewart-Haas Racing                 Ford                 2-22-13

Brad Keselowski           Team Penske                            Ford                 3-20-15

Martin Truex Jr.             Furniture Row Racing                 Toyota              7-25-18

·         Kenseth’s win snapped a string of 19 straight races that had been won by a driver still in the playoffs.  Prior to today, the last driver who was not in the playoffs and won a playoff race was Dale Earnhardt Jr. on November 15, 2015 at Phoenix.

·         Chase Elliott  (2^nd) posted his 20^th top-10 finish in 35 MENCS races this year and his 11^th in the top-5.  Of his 11 top-5s, five saw him come in second, including four times in the playoffs.

·         Martin Truex Jr. (3^rd) accounted for his 25th  top-10 finish in 35 races this year and 18^th top-5. 

·         Erik Jones (4^th) was the highest finishing rookie.

·         For 2017, NASCAR has introduced a new stage format in all three national series where each race is segmented into three stages. In addition to the points awarded at the end of a race (Final Stage), points are also awarded to the top-10 finishers of the first two stages (Stage 1 & Stage 2).

·         Kyle Larson won Stage 1 of today’s race while Denny Hamlin took Stage 2.

·         In 17 career MENCS starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Matt Kenseth has collected one win, nine top-10 finishes and four top-5 showings.  His win came in the 2007 Ford 400.  He also was crowned the 2003 Cup champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

·         Rookie William Byron won the 19^th annual Ticket Galaxy 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) race at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday. The race marked the third and final in the Round of 8 in the XFINITY Series playoffs.

·         It is Byron’s fourth victory in 32 career XFINITY Series starts.  It also was his 21^st top-10 and 11^th top-5 finish in 32 races this year.

·         With the win, Byron claimed one of the four spots in the Championship 4 in the Ford EcoBoost 300 XFINITY Series championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, November 18.

·         The following are the four drivers who will compete for the championship of the NASCAR XFINITY Series, amongst a full field, in the Ford EcoBoost 300 on Saturday, November 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3:30 p.m., NBCSN):

Driver                           Team                                        Manufacturer    2017 Wins-Top10-Top5

Justin Allgaier               JR Motorsports                         Chevrolet          2-17-10

William Byron                JR Motorsports                         Chevrolet          4-21-11

Daniel Hemric                Richard Childress Racing           Chevrolet          0-16-7

Elliott Sadler                 JR Motorsports                         Chevrolet          0-24-12

·         Ryan Blaney (2^nd) posted his 12^th top-10 and top-5 finish in 13 NXS races this year.

·         Erik Jones (3^rd) amassed his 10^th top-10 and ninth top-5 showing in 18 NXS races this year

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

·         Johnny Sauter won the 23^rd annual Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Phoenix Raceway on Friday.  The race was the third and final in the Round of 6 of the 2017 Camping World Truck Series playoffs. 

·         For Sauter it is his seventh victory in 220 career NCWTS starts and his fourth in 22 races this year as he compiled his 18^th top-10 finish and 12^th top-5.  It was his second straight win as he took the checkered flag in last week’s race at Texas.

·         The following are the four drivers who will compete for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, amongst a full field, in the Ford EcoBoost 200 on Friday, November 17 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (8:00 p.m., FS1):

Driver                           Team                                        Manufacturer    2017 Wins-Top10-Top5

Christopher Bell             Joe Gibbs Racing                     Toyota              5-20-14

Austin Cindric                Brad Keselowski Racing            Ford                 1-15-7

Matt Crafton                  ThorSport Racing                      Toyota              1-15-5

Johnny Sauter               GMS Racing                             Chevrolet          4-18-12

·         John Hunter Nemechek (2^nd) accounted for his 12^th top-10 finish and ninth top-5 showing in 22 NCWTS races this year. 

·         Rookie Cody Coughlin (3^rd) posted his third top-10 finish and first top-5 showing in 22 NCWTS races this year.

KEVIN HARVICK AND MARTIN TRUEX JR. CLINCH SPOTS IN CHAMPIONSHIP 4 AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY- TEXAS RACE RECAPS

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES

 

AAA Texas 500

Texas Motor Speedway – Ft. Worth, Texas

Sunday, November 5, 2017

 

Race Winner: Kevin Harvick

Age: 41

Team: No. 4 – Mobile 1 Ford

Owner: Stewart-Haas Racing

Crew Chief: Rodney Childers

 

IN THE WORDS OF THE WINNER – “This feels so good. We have been qualifying well here and racing well ever since I have been at Stewart-Haas Racing and just never got it to work out to go to victory lane. Today we had to earn it. To be able to pass the 78 car (Martin Truex Jr.) for the win is something that is huge for our confidence and team knowing we need to go to another 1.5 mile at Homestead to race for the championship. I am really proud of everyone on our Mobil 1 Ford. This thing was a hot rod today.”  

 

Ø  Kevin Harvick

----------------

 

·         Kevin Harvick won the 13^th annual AAA Texas 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race at Texas Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon.   It was the second of the three races in the Round of 8 of the MENCS playoffs.  It is Harvick’s 37^th win in 608 career MENCS races and his second victory in 34 races this year. 

 

·         With the win, Harvick punched his ticket into the Championship 4 in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 19, joining Kyle Busch, who won at Martinsville last week.  It will be Harvick’s third appearance in the Championship 4 (2014, 2015), as he took home the title in 2014.

 

·         Martin Truex Jr., who led 103 of the 334 laps today, finished second and secured enough points to earn his way into the Championship 4 as well.  It will be his second appearance in the Championship 4 (2015).

 

·         For Harvick, today marked his first career win in 30 MENCS races at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

·         Overall, today’s finish marked Harvick’s 21^st top-10 and 12^th top-5 in 34 races of 2017.

 

·         This marked the 19^th straight playoff race that was won by a driver who was still alive in the playoffs.  The streak dates back to the 2015 Ford EcoBoost 400 on November 22 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which was won by Kyle Busch.

 

·         Each of the top three and five of the top six finishers today were drivers still currently in the playoffs.

 

·         Martin Truex Jr. (2^nd) posted his 24^th top-10 finish in 34 MENCS races this year and his 17^th in the top-5. 

 

·         Denny Hamlin (3^rd) accounted for his 21^st top-10 finish in 34 races this year and 15^th top-5. 

 

·         Erik Jones (10^th) was the highest finishing rookie.

 

·         For 2017, NASCAR has introduced a new stage format in all three national series where each race is segmented into three stages. In addition to the points awarded at the end of a race (Final Stage), points are also awarded to the top-10 finishers of the first two stages (Stage 1 & Stage 2).

 

·         Kevin Harvick won Stage 1 of today’s race while Kyle Larson took Stage 2.

 

·         The following are the playoff standings following the second race of the Round of 8. The third and final race in the Round of 8 takes place next weekend in Phoenix. The Playoffs culminate with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 19.

 

Name                                    Pts.                                                        Name                                    Pts.

1.       Martin Truex Jr.@            4168                                               5.    Denny Hamlin                    4092

2.       Kyle Busch*                        4118                                               6.   Ryan Blaney                         4089

3.       Kevin Harvick*                  4112                                               7.   Chase Elliott                         4062

4.       Brad Keselowski               4111                                               8.   Jimmie Johnson                 4060

                                                               

@Advances to Championship 4 based on points      *Advances to Championship 4 with win

 

·         In 16 career MENCS starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kevin Harvick has collected 14 top-10 finishes and eight top-5 showings.  This includes a win in the 2014 Ford EcoBoost 400 when he earned the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship of his career.

 

 

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

 

·         Erik Jones won the 13^th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) race at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday. It is his ninth victory in 76 career XFINITY Series starts.

 

·         It is his third victory in 17 XFINITY Series races this year, and it is his ninth time finishing in the top-10 and eighth top-5 showing.

 

·         The race marked the second of three races in the Round of 8 in the XFINITY Series playoffs.

 

·         Ryan Blaney (2^nd) posted his 11^th top-10 and top-5 finish in 12 NXS races this year.

 

·         Kyle Larson (3^rd) amassed his 10^th top-10 and ninth top-5 showing in 11 NXS races this year

 

·         Elliott Sadler (4^th) was the highest finishing NXS regular as well as the highest finisher among the eight remaining NXS playoff drivers.

 

·         Cole Custer (5^th) was the highest finishing rookie and second-highest finishing playoff driver.

 

·         Five of the top 11 finishers were playoff drivers.

 

·         The following are the standings following the second of three races in the Round of 8 in the 2017 NXS playoffs. The third and final race in the Round of 8 takes place next weekend in Phoenix.  The Playoffs culminate with the Ford EcoBoost 300 XFINITY Series championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, November 18.

 

Name                                    Pts.                                                        Name                                    Pts.

1.       Elliott Sadler                       3103                                               5.    Matt Tifft#                          3074

2.       William Byron#                  3098                                               6.    Cole Custer                         3066

3.       Justin Allgaier                    3094                                               7.    Daniel Hemric#                 3061

4.       Brennan Poole                  3079                                               8.   Ryan Reed                            3046

 

#Denotes rookie             

 

 

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

 

·         Johnny Sauter won the 19^th annual Jag Metals 350 Driving Hurricane Harvey Relief NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday.  The race was the second in the Round of 6 of the 2017 Camping World Truck Series playoffs. 

 

·         For Sauter it is his sixth victory in 219 career NCWTS starts as he locked up a spot among the Championship 4 in the Ford EcoBoost 200 NCWTS championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday, November 17.

 

·         It was Sauter’s third win in 21 races this year as he compiled his 17^th top-10 finish and 11^th top-5.

 

·         Rookie Austin Cindric (2^nd) accounted for his 14^th top-10 finish and seventh top-5 showing in 21 NCWTS races this year. 

 

·         Christopher Bell (3^rd) posted his 19^th top-10 finish and 14^th top-5 showing in 21 NCWTS races this year.

 

·         The following are the playoff standings heading into the third and final race of the Round of 6 in the NCWTS playoffs, which will take place next weekend at Phoenix Raceway.  The Playoffs culminate with the Ford EcoBoost 200 Camping World Truck Series championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday, November 17.

 

Name                                    Pts.                                                        Name                                                    Pts.

1.       Christopher Bell                3135                                               4.    Austin Cindric#                                  3085

2.       Johnny Sauter*                3131                                               5.    Ben Rhodes                                        3080

3.       Matt Crafton                      3104                                               6.    John Hunter Nemechek                3046                              

*Clinched spot in Championship 4 with win          #Denotes rookie