All posts by Motorsports Tribune

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The talk of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season was all around the ‘Big Three’ of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. Rightfully so, given that the trio went to victory lane in 20 (Busch – 8, Harvick – 8 and Truex – 4) of the 35 races heading into Sunday’s championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. On paper, the deck was stacked against the Middletown, Connecticut native. Logano was the only driver of the Championship 4 without aRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. –With eight victories heading into Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kyle Busch was having a career year, tying a personal-best mark with victories and setting career-highs in top-fives (21) and top-10s (27). However, Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota lacked rear grip throughout the race and struggled on pit road. It was an atypical performance from one of the strongest teams of the season when it counted the most. “We just didn’t have the rear grip thatRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – After pacing all three rounds of qualifying on Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Cole Custer appeared to be the favorite, especially when taking into account his domination of last year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Ford EcoBoost 300. In 2017, he led 182 of the 200 scheduled laps – a race record – and set the record average speed for an Xfinity Series race at the track (136.140 mph). After the first two stages of Saturday’s race, it was déjà vu as Custer led all 90Read More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The clear favorite heading into the championship race on Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway was Christopher Bell. The Norman, Oklahoma native had a stellar rookie campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, winning seven times to break the rookie record for wins in a season (previously five, set by Greg Biffle – 2001, Kyle Busch – 2004 and Carl Edwards – 2005). Bell qualified second in the No. 20 GameStop Transformers Toyota and was scored in the sixth position at the end of StageRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – After the checkered flag fell at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Elliott Sadler climbed from his race car and shared an ice cold Bud Light with his JR Motorsports teammates. The long-time Xfinity Series veteran is retiring from full-time competition after a NASCAR national series career that started in 1995 behind the wheel of equipment owned by his mother Bell Sadler. The night didn’t go as Sadler would have hoped, as he finished 14th in the No. 1 One Main Financial Chevrolet after making aRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Championship 4 Contender Cole Custer swept all three rounds of knockout qualifying and will lead the field to green in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Custer’s final round lap at 165.598 mph in the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford bested fellow championship competitor Christopher Bell in the No. 20  Gamestop Transformers Toyota. “Sure it gives you a little bit of confidence but it doesn’t pay anything to win the pole, so we still have to do what we haveRead More

Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Score one for the underfunded teams as Brett Moffitt and Hattori Racing Enterprises took the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship on Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Moffitt led a race-high 59 laps in the Ford EcoBoost 200 and beat pole sitter Grant Enfinger to the checkered flag by 2.000 seconds for his sixth victory of the season. The 2018 season was a constant battle for funding for the team owned by former driver Shigeaki Hattori of Japan, with the low point being theRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Justin Haley entered the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finale on Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway labeled as the dark horse behind GMS Racing teammate Johnny Sauter, Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Noah Gragson and Hattori Racing’s Brett Moffitt. Haley rolled off the grid in the fourth position in the No. 24 Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevrolet as all four Championship 4 competitors qualified in the third through sixth positions. The Winamac, Indiana native quickly picked up two spots on the first lap but would loseRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Three of the four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 drivers qualified near the top of the board in Friday’s knockout time trials at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but Denny Hamlin, who has his own agenda, stole the pole for Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 (at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90). Trying to extend his streak of winning at least one race per season to 13 consecutive years, Hamlin streaked around the 1.5-mile track in 31.059 secondsRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Grant Enfinger turned a lap at 169.348 mph in the No. 98 Champion Power Equipment Ford to take the top spot for Friday night’s Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was the second pole of 2018 and the third of Enfinger’s career in his 60th start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. “Our truck has been driving good all day even from when we first unloaded,” said Enfinger. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in the truck and a really good team behindRead More