Posted on by Staff Report

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of four stories examining why each driver could win the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Monday: Denny Hamlin
Tuesday: Kevin Harvick
Wednesday: Martin Truex Jr.
Thursday: Kyle Busch

• • •

Kyle Busch will win the 2019 championship because …

He’s due.

Look, we get it. This hasn’t been the easiest stretch of time for Kyle Busch or his No. 18 team. The group rattled off four wins in the first 14 races of the season, but they haven’t won since. A winless stretch dating back to June feels like an eternity for perhaps the most consistently successful driver in the garage the past three years.

And we know it wasn’t an easy road in the postseason. Busch’s average finish over the past nine races ranks last among the Championship 4 field.

RELATED: Ranking contenders by 16 categories

But here’s the thing. Being in this position is new for Busch. He’s made five of six Championship 4 fields since the inception of the elimination-style postseason. In every one before this, he was considered the favorite or at least one of the favorites. He is unquestionably the underdog among this group, and that’s OK. It’s a position that should allow Busch and his team to breathe a little easier and perhaps even sleep a little better.

We’re confident in this pick after Phoenix, too. Yeah, Denny Hamlin had the car to beat and drove away from the field. But Busch and his team brought it to Phoenix, finishing second with a sound car and a driver who is capable of delivering when it matters most.

So write off the all-time leader in NASCAR national series wins if you want. But do so at your own peril. Flying under the radar will serve this group well. Come Sunday, we’ll be looking at a two-time Monster Energy Series champion.

MORE: Every Kyle Busch win

Posted on by Staff Report

Daniel Hemric will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020, driving in a part-time role for Dale Earnhardt Jr. — who also will race once next year in his team’s No. 8 Chevrolet.

JR Motorsports announced its 2020 driver lineup for the No. 8 car on Wednesday, with Hemric as the headliner for 21 (of 33) races. Jeb Burton will add 11 races in the entry, and Junior will have one race, yet to be announced.

“I want to thank Dale, Kelley (Earnhardt Miller) and everyone at JR Motorsports for believing in me,” Hemric said in a team release. “For a Kannapolis (N.C.) boy like me, driving for the Earnhardt family is pretty awesome. My goal here is simple — to go win races for JR Motorsports and to help their program any way that I can. I’ve raced against their cars before and I know how they’re capable of running. My focus is on finishing the Cup season out strong, but once the checkered flag flies at Homestead, we’ll set our sights on getting the No. 8 car to Victory Lane early and often next season.”

RELATED: Key drivers in NASCAR Silly Season

Hemric will conclude his rookie season with Richard Childress Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After two years of making the Championship 4 for RCR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, RCR promoted him to the premier series for this season.

Earlier this year, RCR announced that Tyler Reddick would drive its second car next year, leaving Hemric looking for a new ride.

He found it at JRM.

“Daniel is a solid competitor with a great personality,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He’ll be a quality addition to our lineup in 2020. We’re lucky to have him. I feel like he has grown as a driver from his time in the Cup Series. That will be valuable to him with this new opportunity to compete in the Xfinity Series. He’s a local Kannapolis (N.C.) native with a lot of determination to succeed, and I’m excited to work with him.”

Burton, meanwhile, made six starts for JR Motorsports this year. Excepting when he had brake issues at Bristol, his average finish was 6.8, earning him more seat time.

Earnhardt’s one start will come at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which he confirmed on Twitter on Thursday night.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to South Florida for the Ford EcoBoost 400 in the highly anticipated championship finale Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). 

RELATED: Full schedule | Who’s favored for Miami? | Paint schemes for the weekend

TRACK DETAILS

At 55-feet wide, the 1.5-mile asphalt oval features an even 1,760-foot backstretch and frontstretch with 18-20 degrees of variable banking in each turn. The progressive banking and grip-filled asphalt surface will make navigating various grooves and controlling tire wear a constant challenge for drivers.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart won the inaugural Monster Energy Series race at the track on Nov. 14, 1999. Homestead-Miami Speedway has hosted the season finale since every year since 2002.

RULES PACKAGE

Cars at Homestead-Miami will run a 550 horsepower tapered-spacer engine and be equipped with aero ducts. After the race at Atlanta, the original 2019 rules package was updated to include aero ducts at Pocono, Darlington and for the championship in Miami.

Teams will have three sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway radials for practice, one set for qualifying and 12 sets for the 400-mile race (11 race sets plus one transferred from practice or qualifying). With 12 sets of race tires, tire management will be extremely important to teams throughout the entire race. Maintaining track position while managing increased tire fall-off will most likely make pit stops a vital factor in deciding this year’s champion. Race fans should expect to see four tire stops all day.

“Homestead is one of the highest tire wear tracks that we have on the NASCAR circuit,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing.  “We have a new tire set-up for Homestead, and it is the same one we ran at both Chicagoland and Darlington earlier this season.  The compounds we will be running provide plenty of grip, but also offer the endurance needed on Homestead’s track surface.  These high wear tracks put on some of our best races, and the past several years at Homestead have proven that.”

CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

– Denny Hamlin is the only driver to make the playoffs more than 10 times and not win a Cup Championship.

– Martin Truex Jr. won at Martinsville and made it to the Championship 4 for the fourth time in the last five years. In two of the last three years, the Martinsville winner has gone on to secure the series title.

– Each driver in the Championship 4 has won a race at Homestead-Miami. Hamlin is the only driver with multiple wins at the track.

– Kevin Harvick has won at least one playoff race each of the last eight seasons — the longest active streak. Jimmie Johnson holds the all-time record, winning in 13 consecutive. Harvick’s last win at Homestead came in his 2014 championship-winning season.

– Joe Gibbs Racing is the only organization in series history to have three drivers in the Championship 4. JGR drivers have won five of the nine playoff races this season (Truex Jr.-3, Hamlin-2).

– The last five champions have also won the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Harvick-2014, Kyle Busch-2015, Johnson-2016, Truex Jr.-2017 and Joey Logano-2018).

Source: Racing Insights

LIVE COVERAGE

Catch the 2019 Monster Energy Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway live Sunday at 3 p.m. on NBC and the NBC Sports App. Listen in to live radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Also, follow along on NASCAR.com for live Lap-by-Lap coverage, the live leaderboard, Drive (featuring in-car cameras) and RaceView (subscription: in-car audio, stats, more). Be sure to set your lineup in Fantasy Live and make your picks in the Props Challenge.

 2018 RACE WINNER

Joey Logano outpaced the field at Homestead last season, leading the most laps (80) and securing the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title for the first time in his career.

ACTIVE HOMESTEAD-MIAMI WINNERS

Denny Hamlin (two); Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick (one each).

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (November 13, 2019) –Front Row Motorsports and Matt Tifft have mutually agreed to end their agreement as Tifft continues to focus on his health.

A statement from Matt Tifft:

“I’ve made the decision to focus on my health and there is no rush or timetable to get back behind the wheel. Because of that, I can’t commit to racing full-time in 2020. I can’t say when I’ll be ready to race again, but I believe I will come back. I love this sport, the people, and I would like to be a part of it next year in some capacity.

“I want to thank Bob Jenkins, Jerry Freeze and the entire Front Row Motorsports organization for allowing me to live my dream of racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. They are great people and it’s been awesome to race there. I look forward to what’s next in racing when the time is right.”

RELATED: Tifft prioritizing health

A statement from Bob Jenkins, owner, Front Row Motorsports:

“Matt has always shown us a lot of determination and courage. He’s a fighter and I believe, like him, that he’ll return to driving. For now, we support Matt and his need to focus on his health and his family. Racing will be there when it’s time. We want to thank Matt and his family for being a part of Front Row Motorsports and helping us continue to grow.”

MORE: Tifft sidelined for season

Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 13, 2019) – NASCAR and Dixie Vodka announced today a multi-year official partnership, designating the American-made craft spirit brand as the “Official Vodka of NASCAR.” Central to the agreement, Dixie Vodka will sponsor the NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway next season, commemorating the track’s 25th anniversary.

Launched in 2014 by Grain & Barrel Spirits, Dixie Vodka is the largest premium craft vodka produced in the Southeast and includes a lineup of six unique expressions all representing the best of Southern flavor and craftmanship. The South Carolina-based brand is one of the fastest-growing spirit brands in the United States and recently expanded its distribution footprint west of the Mississippi.

“Dixie Vodka is entering the sport with an integrated industry approach, introducing its product to a national fan base that actively supports partners of the sport,” said Daryl Wolfe, executive vice president and chief operations and sales officer, NASCAR. “NASCAR is rooted in heritage and tradition, beginning as a regional sport that eventually grew into a global property. Our new partners have emulated that approach and are utilizing this partnership to expand Dixie’s presence and brand awareness.”

For its first taste of NASCAR, Dixie Vodka will join NASCAR Champion’s Week celebrations at the Fan Fest in Nashville, serving cocktails in Music City’s Riverfront Park alongside all 16 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race cars and other fan displays Dec. 3 – 5.

“Our goal from day one has been to align with partners who share our mission of promoting the best of our region’s wonderful hospitality, flavors and craftsmanship,” said Matti Christian Anttila, founder of Dixie Vodka and CEO of Grain & Barrel Spirits. “NASCAR is an iconic brand that has grown from southern roots into a national sport watched by millions of people every race day. This partnership allows us to speak directly to that amazing fanbase, introducing them to the best of the flavors of the south and the heart and soul we put into every single bottle of Dixie Vodka. We’ll toast to that.”

The Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 22, 2020 will help celebrate the track’s 25th anniversary season. As part of the event, Dixie Vodka will be featured at bars throughout the racetrack, serving cocktails that showcase the brand’s expressions – Southern, Black Pepper, Peach, Wildflower Honey, Citrus and Mint.

“Dixie Vodka aligns perfectly with what Miami and Homestead-Miami Speedway are all about,” said Homestead-Miami Speedway President Al Garcia. “Not only can our fans witness some of the most exciting racing in NASCAR, but we also have tremendous amenities throughout our facility that they are able to experience as well. It’s all about fun, and that’s what Homestead-Miami Speedway and Dixie Vodka will offer all of our guests. We are thrilled about this new partnership as we commemorate the 25th anniversary of our venue.”

At the start of the 2020 season, fans will have the opportunity to taste Dixie Vodka and a lineup of its all-American cocktails at the Dixie Vodka-branded bar at Daytona International Speedway. Additionally, fans will be able to celebrate every win at Richmond Raceway from the Dixie Vodka Victory Lane Club, which provides unprecedented access to the action in the infield.

As part of the partnership, Dixie Vodka also becomes the Official Vodka of the DAYTONA 500, Daytona International Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Richmond Raceway.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs concludes at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford EcoBoost 400 Sunday, Nov. 17 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Staff Report

Ever wanted to try your hand at a NASCAR pit stop? Now you can with the NASCAR Pit Stop Challenge game, available now on Facebook. To play with the Camera Effects:

  1. Visit NASCAR.com/FBPitStop
  2. Follow the prompts to play the game
  3. Share a screenshot of your best time and @tag NASCAR in stories

And don’t forget to switch your camera to selfie for a fun surprise!

Posted on by Staff Report

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of four stories examining why each driver could win the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Monday: Denny Hamlin
Tuesday: Kevin Harvick
Wednesday: Martin Truex Jr.
Thursday: Kyle Busch

• • •

Martin Truex Jr. will win the 2019 championship because …

This is the strongest his team has ever been.

No, he didn’t win a single pole this year. No, none of his seven wins, 14 top fives, 23 top 10s or 1,268 laps led are career highs. But this was a team in transition, moving during the offseason from half-a-country away when much of the now-defunct Furniture Row Racing group packed up and headed east for Huntersville, North Carolina, and Joe Gibbs Racing.

The reveamped No. 19 group then went out and racked up a pair of runner-ups in the first four races of 2019 and popped bottles in Victory Lane four times in the next 12 events that followed.

MORE: Clutch wins in playoff history

This season also finally saw Truex Jr. shake the short track monkey off his back, picking up his first career wins on such layouts at Richmond (twice!) and later in a showing of extreme dominance at Martinsville to clinch a Championship 4 berth. The latter victory also came along with the bonus prize of a two-week breather inherent with winning the Round of 8 opener, allowing crew chief/mad scientist Cole Pearn extra time — never a good thing for Truex’s competition — to prepare for Miami.

In all but one of his ’19 wins (Dover), a fellow Championship 4 driver either placed second or led the second-most laps to him in the race — he’s been beating these same drivers all year, so why stop now?

A super strong playoff run — three wins and a 3.75 average finish not counting a 26th-place result at wild card Talladega — shows the team, at the absolute very least, has the performance dialed in to carry the No. 19 Toyota all the way to the title.

Though his first championship bid in 2015 didn’t quite pan out (started 11th, finished 12th), Truex has been a stud in his two shots since. He sealed the deal in 2017 with 78 laps led en route to his first title and nearly followed it up last year by giving rival Joey Logano everything he had before a runner-up finish.

With seven battle-tested victories under his belt already this season, he could add an eighth come Sunday and, with it, the whole damn war.

RELATED: Championship 4 Power Rankings

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR penalized five teams, including two teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, for lug-nut violations after last weekend’s action at ISM Raceway near Phoenix. Each team was found to have one lug nut not safe and secure in post-race inspection.

In the Monster Energy Series, the teams penalized were the No. 2 Team Penske Ford driven by Brad Keselowski and the No. 53 Rick Ware Racing Ford driven by JJ Yeley. NASCAR fined crew chiefs Paul Wolfe and Mike Hillman Sr. $10,000 each.

RELATED: Full Miami schedule

NASCAR also hit the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Zane Smith with a $5,000 fine for crew chief Taylor Moyer.

And in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series, NASCAR penalized crew chief Joe Shear Jr. of the No. 13 ThorSport Racing Ford driven by Johnny Sauter and crew chief Trip Bruce III from the No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Chevrolet of race-winner Stewart Friesen with fines of $2,500 apiece.

Posted on by Staff Report

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of four stories examining why each driver could win the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Monday: Denny Hamlin
Tuesday: Kevin Harvick
Wednesday: Martin Truex Jr.
Thursday: Kyle Busch

• • •

Kevin Harvick will win the 2019 championship because …

… it would be an extremely Kevin Harvick thing to do. He’s outnumbered — three Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas to his lone Stewart-Haas Racing Ford — but this ain’t El Toro’s first rodeo.

While none of the Championship 4 drivers can consider themselves spring chickens, Harvick ranks as the elder statesman of the group at 43 years young. Needling tends to happen heading into Homestead-Miami Speedway, and with a three-against-one advantage, you’d think the JGR trio could possibly get into the 2014 champ’s head, but don’t count on it. There’s a lot of veteran savvy under that No. 4 helmet.

In fact, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the notorious instigator turn the tables and perhaps even find a way to rekindle some fire in the long-simmering teammate rivalry between Busch and Hamlin.

MORE: Kevin and DeLana through the years

Harvick has also taken part in five of the six Championship 4 fields to date, winning the first instance of it in 2014 and falling short of the title every year since. He’ll be hungrier than an Everglades alligator, and while the sunset doesn’t appear imminent, he’s certainly on the back nine of his career.

Never one to shy away from a fierce on-track battle, perhaps he pushes things to the limit and fans see an even more aggressive Harvick behind the wheel, with no guarantees he’ll still be in contention this late as he closes out a brilliant career.

MORE: Clutch wins in playoff history

Stats wise, it may look like a down year for the No. 4 group — and make no mistake, it was until a July New Hampshire Motor Speedway win sparked things — but the second half of Harvick’s season has been lights-out, with just one non-mechanical failure finish outside the top nine, a 17th-place run at Talladega Superspeedway.

He’s no slouch at Miami, either, compiling a straight-up silly average finish of 6.6 (best in the series) with no finishes outside the top 10 since 2007.

When things are down to the wire, Harvick is up to the task, and he will be hoisting his second career Monster Energy Cup on Sunday to further cement an already Hall of Fame career.

Posted on by
No. Driver Sponsor Make Organization
00 Landon Cassill International Marine Chevrolet StarCom Racing
1 Kurt Busch Monster Energy Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
2 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Ford Team Penske
3 Austin Dillon Symbicort Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 Kevin Harvick Busch Light Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
6 Ryan Newman Wyndham Rewards Ford Roush Fenway Racing
8 Daniel Hemric myblu Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
12 Ryan Blaney Menards / Richmond Ford Team Penske
13 Ty Dillon GEICO Chevrolet Germain Racing
14 Clint Bowyer Rush Truck Centers / Haas CNC Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
15 Joe Nemechek RoyalTeakCollection.com Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford Roush Fenway Racing
18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
19 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
20 Erik Jones DeWalt Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
21 Paul Menard Motorcraft Ford Wood Brothers Racing
22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford Team Penske
24 William Byron Axalta Flames of Independance Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
27 Ross Chastain Xchange of America Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
32 Corey LaJoie CorvetteParts.net Ford Go Fas Racing
34 Michael McDowell Love’s Travel Stops Ford Front Row Motorsports
36 John Hunter Nemechek Speedy Cash Ford Front Row Motorsports
37 Chris Buescher Honey Nut Cheerios Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
38 David Ragan Thank You David Ford Front Row Motorsports
41 Daniel Suarez Haas Automation Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
42 Kyle Larson Credit One Bank Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
43 Bubba Wallace Victory Junction Chevrolet Richard Petty Motorsports
47 Ryan Preece Kroger Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
48 Jimmie Johnson Ally Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
51 JJ Yeley Jacob Companies Ford Petty Ware Racing
52 Josh Bilicki Bangor Savings Bank Ford Rick Ware Racing
53 BJ McLeod Aqre App Chevrolet Rick Ware Racing
66 Timmy Hill Generex Generators Toyota MBM Motorsports
77 Reed Sorenson Total Quartz Oil / Rousseau Chevrolet Spire Motorsports
88 Alex Bowman Nationwide Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
95 Matt DiBenedetto Toyota Express Maintenance Toyota Leavine Family Racing
96 Drew Herring TRD 40th Anniversary Toyota Gaunt Brothers Racing