This Weekend in NASCAR – Homestead Storylines

All three of NASCAR’s national series are on track this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway for their season finale races on the 2015 season. Ford EcoBoost Championship Weekend storylines follow…

Championship Favorite Harvick Hopes To Become Second Driver To Win Consecutive Crowns

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).

Still Alive In The Drive For 5: Gordon Can Walk Away With Sprint Cup Title On Sunday

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.

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.

Unbreakable: Kyle Busch Aims To Finish Championship Run Nine Months After Daytona Accident

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, 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.

Martin Truex Jr. Is Homestead’s Hidden Heavyweight

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

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.

Chase Spoilers Galore At Homestead

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.

Chevrolet Clinches Manufacturer’s Title

At Phoenix last Sunday night, Chevrolet clinched the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Manufacturers  Championship. It marked the 13th consecutive year and 39th time overall that Chevy has won the prestigious title in NASCAR’s premier series. Chevrolet has won 14 races this season.

Ford EcoBoost 300 To Set The Stage For Crowning Of XFINITY Series Champion

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.

Roger Penske’s No. 22 Ford Team Are Owner Champions For The Third Straight Season

Roger Penske joined a select group of champions when his No. 22 Ford team clinched the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series owners championship in Texas, becoming just the fourth car owner in NASCAR XFINITY Series history to win three or more car owner championships. He joins Richard Childress (four), Joe Gibbs (four) and William Baumgardner (three) as owners who have achieved the feat.

Penske is the second NXS car owner in series history to win three consecutive car owner championships (2013 – 2015) joining William Baumgardner (1995 – 1997). The difference between the two owners is Baumgardner won his three titles with a single driver each season; while Penske has won each title with multiple drivers behind the wheel. This season’s No. 22 lineup included Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Alex Tagliani.

A total of nine owners have won multiple car owner championships in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. This is Roger Penske’s fourth championship in the last six seasons in the NASCAR XFINITY Series – he has won the last three car owner titles and also the 2010 driver championship with Brad Keselowski.

This weekend, Ryan Blaney will strap into the No. 22 Ford and attempt to cap off this championship season with another win. The High Point, N.C. native has made 12 starts this season posting two wins (Iowa and Kentucky), eight top fives, nine top 10s and an average finish of 10.0. Blaney has made two career NXS starts at Homestead, posting one top five, two top 10s and an average finish of 6.0.

The Team Penske No. 22 Ford team has posted an average finish of 5.9 in 2015 – the best among full-time teams.

Suárez On Cusp Of Becoming First Hispanic XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie Of The Year

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.

Last Chance: Winless Drivers Looking To Steal One At Season’s End

With just one race left on the 2015 schedule time is of the essence for some of the NASCAR XFINITY Series’ top drivers to steal a win this weekend in the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Three drivers entered this weekend won last season but have gone all of 2015 without visiting Victory Lane – Ty Dillon, Elliott Sadler and Kyle Larson.

Richard Childress Racing’s Dillon is currently third in points after posting 12 top fives and 24 top 10s this season. Dillon’s best finish in his first 32 starts was a second place at Kentucky. Dillon has made two starts at Miami posting one top 10 and an average finish of 10.5.

Elliott Sadler’s season has been mediocre compared to how he has run in the recent past. In 32 starts, he has posted four top fives and 17 top 10s. Sadler has made nine starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, posting four top 10s and an average finish of 16.7.

Kyle Larson is the only NASCAR Sprint Cup full-time driver entered this weekend that hasn’t won this season. Larson has made 13 series starts for HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi this season posting three top fives, eight top 10s and an average finish of 13.8. Larson had two wins last season, but is still looking for his first of 2015.

Homestead-Miami just might be the place Larson finds the checkered flag. Larson leads the series with a 136.3 driver rating at HMS. In two starts at Homestead, Larson has finished second (2013) and third (2014), posting an average finish of 2.5.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:

Championship 4 Have Roots In NXS: Of the four drivers that have made it to the Championship 4 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, three of them are former NASCAR XFINITY Series champions.  Kevin Harvick (2001, 2006) and Martin Truex Jr. (2004, 2005) are two-time series champions and Kyle Busch (2009) also has a series title. Kyle Busch also is the all-time wins leader in the NASCAR XFINITY Series with 76 victories in 310 starts (a winning percentage of 24.5%).  NASCAR Sprint Cup Drivers Moonlighting: One of the Championship 4 drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will be competing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday, Nov. 21 – Kyle Busch. Busch pilot the No. 54 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch has made eight starts at Homestead, posting two wins, seven top fives and an average finish of 6.9. Aric Almirola, Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon are also entered in the Ford EcoBoost 300.

Jones Attempts To Hold Off Reddick For Championship At Homestead

With one race left in the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, Erik Jones leads second-place Tyler Reddick by 19 points in the championship standings.

Regardless of Reddick’s performance, all Jones must do to take home the title is finish 15th or better; 16th with at least one lap led; or 17th and the most laps led in Friday night’s Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (8 p.m. ET on FS1).

A record will be broken no matter what as Jones (19 years, 5 months, 21 days) or Reddick (19 years, 10 months, 9 days) will become the youngest champion in NCWTS history. The title was previously held by Austin Dillon (2011: 21 years, 6 months, 22 days).

Jones has finished lower than 15th just once this season (23rd at Gateway). In fact, he currently boasts a streak of 14 consecutive top-10 showings. The No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports driver has never raced at Homestead.

Reddick enters Friday’s race riding a streak of four consecutive fifth-place finishes. He has put himself in title contention by posting two wins, 13 top fives and 18 top 10s in 22 starts this season. Reddick raced in last season’s Homestead finale, finishing sixth.

Crafton To Become Truck Series All-Time Starts Leader

Already etching his name among the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series greats like Ron Hornaday Jr., Jack Sprague, Todd Bodine and Mike Skinner with his two championships, Matt Crafton will become the high-octane circuit’s all-time starts leader (361) when he presses down the gas pedal for Friday’s Ford EcoBoost 200.

Crafton – a veteran of 15 full-time NCWTS seasons – tied Hornaday’s total of 360 starts last week at Phoenix where he wrecked going for the win and subsequently finished 23rd, crushing his hopes of a third consecutive championship.

In addition to his two career NCWTS titles, Crafton owns 10 wins, 88 top fives (fifth all-time) and 209 top-10 finishes (second all-time). His 65,743.3 miles driven are enough to travel across the continental United States more than 24 times.

The No. 88 ThorSport Racing driver has set career highs with five wins and three Keystone Light Pole Awards this season.

Crafton made his first NCWTS start at Auto Club Speedway on Oct. 28, 2000 and finished ninth.

Toyota Takes Manufacturer’s Championship, Ties Chevrolet For Series Record

Toyota won its third consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series manufacturers’ championship following Timothy Peters’ victory at Phoenix International Raceway. Toyota now boasts eight manufacturers’ titles – tied with Chevrolet for the series record.

On the season, Toyota has won 13 races with Matt Crafton (5), Erik Jones (3), Kyle Busch (2) and Christopher Bell (1).

Toyota has won four driver championships – Todd Bodine (2006), Johnny Benson (2008), Matt Crafton (2013-14) – and can capture a fifth with Erik Jones in Friday’s Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Peters Wins Second Race Of Season At Phoenix

Taking advantage of a late-race wreck by leaders Erik Jones and Matt Crafton, Timothy Peters paced the field for 28 laps on his way to winning last Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. The victory was the second of Peters’ season, 10th of his career and first at PIR.

Peters has now won multiple races in three of the last four seasons. He has also won at least one race in the last seven consecutive seasons, ranking tied with Todd Bodine (2004-10), Kyle Busch (2005-11) and Ron Hornaday Jr. (2005-11) for second in NCWTS history. He only trails Dennis Setzer, who won at least one race in eight consecutive seasons (1998-2005).

The No. 17 Red Horse Racing driver has picked up his performance in the homestretch of the season with seven consecutive top-six finishes. Included in that stretch are two wins and a runner-up.

Peters ranks fifth in the NCWTS standings on the strength of two wins, seven top fives and 15 top 10s.

Abreu Returns To The No. 31 For Homestead

One week after making his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Phoenix International Raceway, NASCAR Next member Rico Abreu will gain his first experience on a 1.5-mile track when he takes the seat of the No. 31 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet on Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Abreu started 14th and finished 28th in his series debut after getting caught in an accident on Lap 44 of 150 that knocked him out of the race.

“Last weekend was really all about getting comfortable in the truck, making as many laps as I could and learning as much as possible,” Abreu said. “Even though we didn’t have the result we were hoping for, I got a great feel for the truck and what it needs to go fast. Now that I’m heading into Homestead-Miami Speedway with a higher comfort level and a smaller learning curve, I feel like I can set my goals higher and focus on a top-five, top-10 finish.”

Can’t Steal Their Sunshine: Kennedy And Black Ready To Finish Season In Home State

Ben Kennedy and Ray Black Jr. will be flying on the asphalt of Homestead-Miami Speedway this week when they return to their home state of Florida for Friday’s Ford EcoBoost 200.

Kennedy, a 23-year-old Daytona Beach native, ranks ninth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season on the strength of a career-best three top-five and seven top-10 finishes. He has made two starts at Homestead with a high finish of 17th last season.

Black, 24, hails from Palm Coast. He ranks 11th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings with a high finish of fifth at Daytona.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Etc.

Ross Kenseth, son of 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth, will make his second series start on Friday for Hattori Racing Enterprises. … NASCAR Next member Jesse Little will make his fourth series start in the No. 97 Toyota.