Homestead-Miami Speedway Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor After running on a part-time basis since their inception in 2011, Leavine Family Racing announced on Thursday that the team would be running the complete season in 2017, with Michael McDowell and Todd Parrott returning as the driver/crew chief combo for the team’s No. 95 entry. McDowell and Parrott will run all 36 races this upcoming season, making the organization Chase eligible for the first time in its history. Along with Leavine Family Racing running full-time for the first time, the 2017 season will alsoRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor As 2016 comes to a close in just a few days, we’ll take this opportunity to look back at some of the best moments of the NASCAR season. This week, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is on the docket, so without further ado, here are the top five moments that stole the headlines in 2016. Daniel Suarez Captures Xfinity Series Championship at Homestead In the first year of the Chase in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the Championship Four came down to a battle between Joe GibbsRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer Kyle Busch came up short in defending his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, finishing sixth in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Busch finished third in the championship standings, five points behind race-winner and seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and two points behind second-place Joey Logano. “It’s very challenging,” Busch said of how tough it is to repeat as champion. “The biggest thing is you just don’t know where anybody is until the end. I mean, (Jimmie)Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Brian Scott saved one of his best performances for last. The rookie that recently declared retirement once the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season ends, put in a 15th place finish in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday night. The 28-year-old Idaho native started 22nd and bounced in and out of the top 10, and even top 20, for much of the night. However, a series of late restarts affirmed the No. 44 Richard Petty Motorsports driver just his thirdRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Homestead, Fla. – Call him Seven-Time. Jimmie Johnson joined NASCAR’s most exclusive club on Sunday, winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to claim his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, putting the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on par with icons Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. “You’re a good man, you’re a great champion, and now you’re a seven-time champion,” crew chief Chad Knaus radioed to Johnson, who grabbed the lead from Kyle Larson through Turns 1 and 2Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Showing speed throughout the day, Carl Edwards looked to be primed to capture his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship on Sunday, but it was not to be for Edwards and the No. 19 team after a crash on a restart with 10 laps to go brought their championship hopes to a screeching halt. Falling short of the championship in 2008 and 2011, Edwards was one of the fastest cars throughout the race weekend and had the confidence to try and redeem himself in theRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Roger Penske is on the cusp of history in the 50th anniversary of his organization and three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves is ready to witness it firsthand. The longtime Verizon IndyCar Series veteran was part of a 1-2-3 Team Penske sweep this season, with Simon Pagenaud claiming the title. With a long offseason playing out during NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup, the 41-year-old Brazilian has been able to keep up with the progress of fellow Penske driver Joey Logano, who isRead More

*Editor’s Note: The Motorsports Tribune NASCAR staff got together for a round table discussion about the upcoming Ford EcoBoost 400 (Sprint Cup Series Championship Race) in Homestead. They weigh in on three questions about the penultimate race. QUESTION 1: Which non-Chase competitor could steal the show Sunday at Homestead? JOEY BARNES, (Editor-in-Chief): Chase Elliott. He has been fast all weekend and it would be a fitting end to see him finally take that next step in the final race of his Sprint Cup Series career. TOBY CHRISTIE, (NASCAR Editor): HeRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Daniel Suarez is the champion the NASCAR Xfinity Series needed and now that the Ford EcoBoost 300 is in the books that has become a reality. The series has undergone several changes, including the inaugural Chase this season and Sprint Cup driver participation limitations beginning in 2017, but has received little positive impact. However, with the crowning of its new champion, the future has never looked better. Justin Allgaier, Erik Jones and Elliott Sadler joined Suarez in what could easily be considered theRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Entering Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Erik Jones looked to become one of the few drivers to win a championship in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, but for the 20-year old Joe Gibbs Racing driver, a championship in NASCAR’s second tier series was just not meant to be. “It was a valiant effort. Just didn’t come with a big reward again. The GameStop Camry wasn’t very good to start. We worked hard to get it good byRead More