NASCAR Playoffs Tag

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

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. – 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

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicked off the final race day of the 2018 season with a pair of practice sessions on Friday morning at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Championship contender Johnny Sauter paced the opening 50-minute practice session in the No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet with a lap at 170.465 mph as 30 trucks recorded a time. Fellow championship contender Brett Moffitt was third in the No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota. Justin Haley was sixth in the No. 24 GMS RacingRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The first question for Justin Haley during the Championship 4 press conference  for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was regarding the underdog label many have put on the 19-year-old driver, the youngest of the four championship contenders. “It’s going to be the label even when I win it,” Haley said. “And it’s not underdog, it’s dark horse. Yeah, it’s dark horse, and we were the seventh seed going into the playoffs. No one even really had us going into the round of six. ARead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The first driver confirmed eliminated from competing for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship was Clint Bowyer after crashing out in Sunday’s Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, finishing 35th. Entering Turn 4, Bowyer was running in seventh before the left-rear of his No. 14 ITsavvy Ford Fusion went down, resulting in him going up the track and slamming the wall. The impact destroyed the back end of his car, but worse of all, any shot of a championship opportunity. “I guess we cutRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Joey Logano’s afternoon at ISM Raceway in Phoenix ended early Sunday after his left rear tire went down, spinning out and made contact with the Turn 2 wall, finishing 37th. The self-proclaimed championship favorite after locking himself into the Championship 4 with a win at Martinsville, struggled for pace in stage one after starting from the ninth position, crossing the line in 20th while his Penske teammates finished in the top-five. On Lap 97, Logano’s day took a turn for the worst when his No. 22Read More