SUAREZ ON CUSP OF BECOMING FIRST HISPANIC XFINITY SERIES SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Nov. 19, 2015 – South Beach welcomes Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Daniel Suárez, as the Drive for Diversity and NASCAR Next alumni strolls into Homestead-Miami Speedway looking to finish his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut season on a high note as the first Hispanic Sunoco Rookie of the Year winner in the series.

Suárez leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 40 points over second-place Darrell Wallace Jr. with one race remaining.

In 32 starts this season, Suárez has posted three poles, eight top fives, and 17 top 10s. This will be his series debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The way the Sunoco Rookie of the Year is decided is of the 33 races, only the top 17 are counted in the rookie standings race. In order to be eligible for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award, a driver must attempt to qualify in at least eight events out of the first 20. Then during the final weekend of the season, a Sunoco Rookie of the Year panel meets and rewards favorable conduct in the following categories: Conduct with NASCAR officials in the garage and pit areas; conduct and awareness on track; personal appearance and relationship with the media. The panel rates each driver, with scoring ranging from a maximum of 10 to a minimum of 1. Total points will be averaged from each panel member’s ballot. The points derived from the panel will be added to the entry, competition, and bonus points after the final race of the season to determine the overall Sunoco Rookie of the Year winner.

 

 

FORD ECOBOOST 300 TO SET STAGE FOR CROWNING OF XFINITY SERIES CHAMPION

Nov. 19, 2015 – Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher has held the NASCAR XFINITY Series points lead for the last 23 races of the 2015 season, and he has just one race left – Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2:45 p.m. ET on NBC) – to capture his first career NASCAR national series title.

To clinch the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver championship in Miami no matter what any other competitor does, Buescher will have to finish 13th or better without leading a lap, 14th or better while leading at least one lap, or 15th or better while leading the most laps.

Buescher’s title run is a culmination of team work and relentless consistency. He is currently 18 points ahead of second-place Chase Elliott and 22 points up on third place Ty Dillon. In 32 starts Buescher has posted two wins (Iowa and Dover), 11 top fives, and 20 top 10s. His average finish this season is 8.3 and his season-to-date driver rating is 98.7.

Buescher rolls into Miami knowing he has one start under his belt at the 1.5-mile speedway he can build off of this weekend. Last season, Buescher made his HMS series debut, starting 10th and driving to a fifth-place finish.

Buescher will also have the backing of one the most successful organizations in the NXS at Homestead-Miami Speedway – Roush Fenway Racing – which is tied with Joe Gibbs Racing and NEMCO Motorsports for the series lead in wins at HMS with three each.

Buescher has an average finish of 8.4 on 1.5-mile tracks this season, second best among championship contenders behind Ty Dillon’s 6.9.

Source: NASCAR

 

CHASE SPOILERS GALORE AT HOMESTEAD

Nov. 19, 2015 – Although the Championship 4 will be the only drivers racing for a championship, 39 others will compete for the win in Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Six drivers outside of the Championship 4 have won at Homestead and will try to visit Victory Lane there again: Greg Biffle (3 wins), Tony Stewart (3), Carl Edwards (2), Denny Hamlin (2), Kurt Busch (1) and Matt Kenseth (1).

Among drivers who haven’t won at Homestead in the past, look out for series wins leader Joey Logano, and NASCAR’s all-time intermediate-track wins leader Jimmie Johnson. Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne could all be dangerous with their Hendrick Motorsports team showing speed lately by winning the last three races.

Edwards (110.2) and Kenseth …  (108.9) own the top-two Homestead driver ratings.

MARTIN TRUEX JR. IS HOMESTEAD’S HIDDEN HEAVYWEIGHT

Nov. 19, 2015 – Martin Truex Jr. might be the Holly Holm to Kevin Harvick’s Ronda Rousey in Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr.

Considered the Cinderella of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season due to his struggles last year and the fact he’s the only driver for Furniture Row Racing, based far from NASCAR’s North Carolina hotbed in Denver, Colorado, Truex might actually be the driver to beat at Homestead.

In 10 starts at the Miami oval, the No. 78 Chevrolet driver has no wins, three top fives (30%), seven top 10s (70%) and a 10.0 average finish (second among active drivers). What sets him apart from the rest of the Championship 4 at Homestead is his loop data success. He tops the Championship 4 drivers in Homestead average running position (9.0, second among active drivers), driver rating (106.6, third) and average Green Flag speed (162.357 mph, first).

A Truex championship would make him the first title-winner from New Jersey and just the second from the Northeast (Bill Rexford, New York).

Additionally, Truex would be the first driver from a one-car team to win an NSCS championship since Alan Kulwicki achieved the feat in 1992.

Truex would also join Bobby Labonte, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick as the fourth driver to earn a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series championship.

 

 

UNBREAKABLE: KYLE BUSCH AIMS TO FINISH CHAMPIONSHIP RUN NINE MONTHS AFTER DAYTONA ACCIDENT

Nov, 19, 2015 – Kyle Busch’s season has been so improbable, even M. Night Shyamalan couldn’t make it up.

A mere nine months after breaking his right leg and fracturing his left foot in an accident at Daytona, Busch will race for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Busch had cooled off since winning four-of-five races including three in a row earlier in the season, but started to heat up again as the only driver to log a top-five finish in all three Eliminator Round races.

Of the Championship 4 drivers, Kyle Busch has had the least success at Homestead. In 10 starts at the South Florida track he has no wins, one top five (10.0%) and three top 10s (30.0%). Busch owns three finishes worse than 30th at Homestead, including a 39th-place finish there last year. In fact, his 23.1 Homestead average finish ranks 25th among active drivers.

If Busch finishes ahead of Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr., he’ll become the first driver to ever pilot a Toyota to a NSCS title, giving the manufacturer a driver’s championship in all three national series. Coincidentally, Busch won Toyota its first NSCS race at Atlanta in 2008.

Busch would also join Bobby Labonte, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick as the fourth driver to earn a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series championship.

 

 

 

 

STILL ALIVE IN THE DRIVE FOR 5: GORDON CAN WALK AWAY WITH SPRINT CUP TITLE ON SUNDAY

Nov. 19, 2015 – Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 just might be the biggest race of Jeff Gordon’s life. And it just so happens that it’ll likely be his last.

Jeff Gordon

If he can finish ahead of Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. in the final event of his last full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Gordon will walk away with his fifth NSCS championship. Already fourth on the all-time championships list, the No. 24 Chevrolet driver would end his career behind only Jimmie Johnson (six championships), Richard Petty (seven) and Dale Earnhardt (seven) in the NASCAR record books.

Luckily for Gordon, he’s performed well at Homestead-Miami Speedway where the Ford EcoBoost 400 will be held. In 16 starts at the 1.5-mile track, he boasts one win (6.2%), seven top fives (43.8%) and 12 top 10s (75.0%). He finished 10th at Homestead last year after leading a race-high 161 laps.

Gordon gutted his way into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as its 13th seed, qualifying on points. He’s upped his performance in NASCAR’s playoffs, leading all drivers in average finish (7.7) and top-10 finishes (8, tied with Joey Logano), highlighted by his win at Martinsville.

A Gordon championship would not only be his first since 2001, but his first in the Chase era (2004-present). If he wins the title on Sunday, Gordon’s 14-year gap between championships would surpass 2016 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee Terry Labonte’s record 12-season drought between titles.

Gordon’s Hendrick Motorsports team already owns the NSCS record with 11 NSCS titles.

Source: NASCAR

 

 

CHAMPIONSHIP FAVORITE HARVICK HOPES TO BECOME SECOND DRIVER TO WIN CONSECUTIVE CROWNS

Nov. 19, 2015 – Defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title-winner Kevin Harvick enters Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 Championship Round race (3 p.m. ET on NBC) as the favorite to take home his second straight series crown. If he finishes ahead of fellow Championship 4 drivers Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., Harvick will become the 11th person in NASCAR history to win consecutive NSCS titles.

Harvick heads to Homestead as its reigning race winner. He had to finish first to win the championship last year, otherwise runner-up Ryan Newman would have taken home the title. In 14 career starts at Homestead, Harvick has one win (7.1%), six top fives (42.9%) and 12 top 10s (85.7%). His 7.6 average finish at the 1.5-mile track ranks first among active drivers. He also owns the fourth-best driver rating (102.5) and average running position (10.0) among active drivers at Homestead.

At Phoenix on Sunday, Harvick placed second – his 15th top-two finish of the season and the most in the NSCS since Jeff Gordon posted 19 in 1998.

A loop statistician’s dream, Harvick leads the NSCS in average running position (7.3; Next-best driver: Kyle Busch, 9.2), fastest laps (1,370; Next-best driver, Brad Keselowski, 650), laps led (2,248; Next-best driver: Joey Logano, 1,359) and driver rating (118.9; Next-best driver: Kyle Busch, 107.1).

A Harvick championship would be the third for Stewart-Haas Racing, which has won titles with Harvick (2014) and Tony Stewart (2011).

 

 

NASCAR CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHIES ARRIVE IN MIAMI; ZOO MIAMI CHEETAH PICKS NSCS CHAMPION

Homestead-Miami Speedway is in Championship form, welcoming the NASCAR industry to South Florida for Ford Championship Weekend.

An honor guard poses with the NASCAR championship trophies in Miami

Nov. 18, 2015 – As part of that, the NASCAR premier series’ trophies arrived at Landmark Aviation at Miami International Airport this morning, where they were brought in by the Homestead Police Honor Guard. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series trophy, XFINITY Series trophy and Sprint Cup Series trophy were then placed on a Brinks truck, where they headed to Zoo Miami for the “Wildlife Prognosticator” event.

The trophies arrived at Zoo Miami for an event featuring Koda, a two-year-old cheetah and the official Zoo Miami “Wildlife Prognosticator.” In a partnership with Homestead-Miami Speedway and Zoo Miami, Koda picked from the Championship 4 drivers diecast cars – Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Busch – and made his prediction on who he thought would win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship this Sunday, ultimately picking the defending champion Harvick.

A Brinks Security truck arrives at Zoo Miami with the NASCAR championship trophies

“I’ve got to be honest with you, we had an animal make a pick last year, a binturong, and he picked the guy that came in fourth place,” Zoo Miami Communications Director and Goodwill Ambassador Ron Magill said. “So we fired him, he’s done. So we thought we’d bring in the cheetah. The cheetah is the fastest land animal there is, seems to be a no-brainer, so we thought hopefully he can pick who is going to be the fastest car. If he picks wrong, next year we might do it with a tortoise.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion will be decided this Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway at the Ford EcoBoost 400. Harvick, Gordon, Truex and Busch will battle it out amongst a full field of 43 cars and whichever of the four finish the highest will claim the 2015 Championship title.

Koda the cheetah chooses Kevin Harvick as the 2015 NSCS champion

“You can expect a lot of thrilling racing this weekend, not just on Sunday but also on Friday and Saturday,” Homestead-Miami Speedway President Matthew Becherer said. “Last year, all four guys in the Championship 4 during the Ford EcoBoost 400 ran within the top five all day, I expect exactly the same this year. In fact, don’t be surprised if the new champion is also the winner of the Ford EcoBoost 400.”

Homestead-Miami Speedway has been the host of the championship race each year since 2002 and as a community partner, Zoo Miami was part of the fun by having Koda, an African cheetah from South Africa, join all of the “experts” in predicting this year’s winner.

Homestead-Miami Speedway will host the season-ending races in the NASCAR’s three premier series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series – this weekend during Ford Championship Weekend (November 20-22). Tickets for the Ford EcoBoost 200 and Ford EcoBoost 300 still remain, and can be purchased by calling (305) 230-5255 or by visiting www.HomesteadMiamiSpeedway.com. The Ford EcoBoost 400 is officially sold out.

Source: Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

 

CHEVROLET WELL REPRESENTED IN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE AT HOMESTEAD

2015 Manufacturer Champions Head to Homestead Looking to Collect more Hardware

DETROIT – Nov. 18, 2015 – The time has come – the final race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season is at hand.  Chevrolet will be well represented in the 267-lap/400-mile championship battle at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Team Chevy drivers occupy three of the four spots in final battle for the title. Each one has a unique story that will potentially be fulfilled in the award-winning Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Kevin Harvick returns to Homestead at the defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. Driving his No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevy SS, Harvick is racing to become the 11th driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history to win back-to-back titles.

Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Jeff Gordon enters Homestead looking for his fifth series title.  The race will mark the final time he will climb behind the wheel of his No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet SS racecar as a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver.  Gordon has made 796 consecutive Cup Series starts, earned 93 wins, and 81 poles; all behind the wheel of Chevrolets.

Martin Truex, Jr. heads to Homestead chasing a dream.  The driver of the No. 78 Chevrolet SS could make Furniture Row Racing the first single-car team to win the championship since Dale Earnhardt, Sr. in 1994.

All three Chevrolet SS drivers enter the final race of the season armed with all the tools, data and engineering support that the Chevrolet competition team can provide.  The three championship contenders are looking to take the Bowtie Brand to Victory Lane for the 16th time this season and earn Chevrolet its 31st NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver’s title.

The southern Florida track’s asphalt has aged well over the hot Florida summers.  The track boasts multiple grooves and progressive banking which allows for plenty of side-by-side racing.  As the competitors and teams race from afternoon to evening, they will have to adjust to an ever-changing track and manage their tires so they have enough for a late-race caution which could provide an edge in the final laps of the 400-mile race.

Chevrolet drivers and teams have won the last three consecutive races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, and have won three of the last four races at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway.

One championship title has already been decided.  With Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s win at Phoenix International Raceway last weekend, the brand collected its 13th consecutive, 39th overall NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Manufacturers’ Championship.

The 267-lap/400-mile Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m., ET on Sunday November 22. Live coverage will be available on NBC, MRN, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.

 

 

ENGINEER EXPERTISE FROM THE GARAGE AREA – PAT SUHY, GROUP MANAGER, NASCAR PROGRAMS:

Pat Suhy

Nov. 18, 2015 – “Congratulations to Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Greg Ives, the whole No. 88 Nationwide Chevy SS crew along with everyone at Hendrick Motorsports on the win at Phoenix International Raceway.  Their finish, along with wins and strong performances all year long from several drivers and organizations brought Team Chevy its 39th Sprint Cup Manufacturers’ Championship.  A big thanks to all the drivers and organizations that contributed!

“Homestead Miami Speedway is up next, and we won’t know until the end of the race who is the new Sprint Cup Drivers Champion.  Team Chevy is well represented by Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex, Jr. and they, along with Hendrick Motorsports, Stewart Haas Racing and Furniture Row Racing all get a big ‘thank you’ from us at Chevrolet.  They never gave up, and proved that they deserved to be part of the Championship 4 round.  The rules are simple – the first driver of the four to cross the finish line is the new champ, but there’s nothing simple about being that driver or team.

“Preparing for the championship race at Homestead means using all the tools we’ve been using all year long, and looking for something a little extra without adding too much risk.  Many of our tools, and our teams’ tools are geared toward quantifying the improvements of what a particular chassis setup, engine power level, component, or aero choice will mean on the race track.  With limited track testing, vehicle performance simulations have become key tools.  Chevrolet and our teams perform simulations on many levels, from simple desktop models to complex dynamic systems that provide some feedback to the driver.  Over time, they all get better and better; but Friday’s practice sessions are still critical for the drivers and crew chiefs to validate the output of those simulations.  Speed on Sunday often tracks speed on Friday, so all eyes will be on the championship contenders to see how they run when they unload and hit the track for first practice.

“Sunday is sure to be exciting, with the dual storylines of seeing who wins the race, and who brings home the championship trophy.  With all of the hard work that we and our teams have put in throughout the season, I wouldn’t bet against us having a contender for both; and having an opportunity to visit both celebrations.”