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HOMESTEAD, Fla. — The connection and fondness was immediately evident as Tony Stewart and Joe Gibbs took their seats Friday morning to talk about their respective teams’ chances in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship race, the Ford EcoBoost 400 (3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Gibbs was dressed in a suit and Stewart was dressed more casually in a team button-up shirt and baseball cap — the juxtaposition causing them both to laugh.

RELATED: Meet the ‘Big 3’ and ‘New 1’

“Well this is how you dress when you have one car in the championship and that’s how you dress when you have three,” Stewart joked immediately.

The truth is, although the two are competing against one another for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title, the former teammates concede they are much more alike than dissimilar. And this is a big weekend for both.

Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin will compete against Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick for the series championship Sunday afternoon. And although the competition will undoubtedly be intense for NASCAR’s biggest prize, the two 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees leading the organizations bring a similar mindset into the big race.

Stewart, a three-time Cup champion driver, has won two titles as an owner — his third series trophy in 2011 and Harvick’s in 2014. Gibbs is a four-time Cup champion owner — earning two titles with Stewart (2002 and 2005) and one each with Bobby Labonte (2000) and Kyle Busch (2015).

Stewart competed in 22 NASCAR Xfinity Series races for Gibbs in 1998 before moving to the JGR team full-time from his 1999 rookie season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series through the 2008 season. He joined forces with Gene Haas to form Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009.

“Every driver is different, and Joe (Gibbs) can tell you better than anybody, because he’s dealt with more, quote-unquote, professional athletes than anybody, and how you get people to respond is different from person to person,” Stewart said of his ownership style. “Sometimes you’ve got to be a little stern with them. But there’s that one button in each of us that gets us to respond.”

“I think that’s kind of what makes good leaders and good owners and good crew chiefs and good competition directors. You have to know your people. You have got know what that button is. You need to know what you have to do to get the best out of them.”

Stewart looked over at Gibbs and smiled, “I learned a lot from this guy in the years I was there,” Stewart said. “And I’ve said it a million times, if I didn’t work for him, I wouldn’t be where I’m at now. I wouldn’t be doing the things I’m doing now.

“I also wouldn’t be in debt like I am now, and I blame all of it on Joe.”

MORE: Behind-the-scenes photos from Miami

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See the order for Saturday’s single-car qualifying for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Click here for the complete order or click the printer icon above.

Note: With both practices washed out on Friday, NASCAR has canceled qualifying on Saturday and instead will run a 50-minute practice session.

Posted on by Staff Report

Persistent rain showers and brief bouts of lightning in the area jumbled Friday’s on-track schedule at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Saturday was impacted, too.

Both Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practices, NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series qualifying and NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice were canceled due to weather on the opening day of championship weekend. NASCAR later announced that Saturday’s Monster Energy Series qualifying was canceled in favor of adding one of the missed practices back to the schedule.

The starting lineup for Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 will be set by the rule book, meaning owner points — Denny Hamlin will start from the pole position, with Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch lined up behind him in spots 2-4. All drivers are part of the Championship 4 field. All points for the four title hopefuls were reset to 5,000 for this race, with the tiebreaker being best finish of the Round of 8 — and then second-best finish as necessary.

That practice is scheduled from 2:05-2:55 p.m. ET, sandwiched between NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying and the Ford EcoBoost 300 title race in that series.

MORE: Cup lineup | Weekend schedule

Earlier Friday, the first Monster Energy Series practice session of championship weekend was slated to begin at 3:35 p.m. ET, but wet weather forced other plans. Moments before the planned start time, NASCAR officials warned there had been a lightning strike in the area. That sparked the first cancellation. Rain later stopped, and the track began its drying process — only for it to start back up again. The second and final Monster Energy Series practice was slated for 6:30 p.m. ET and was ultimately called around 7:15 p.m. ET.

Increased rain made practices, Gander Trucks qualifying (slated for 4:35 p.m. ET) and Xfinity Series final practice (slated for 5:35 p.m. ET) all washouts. Rain had started earlier in the afternoon, starting less than 15 minutes after opening NASCAR Xfinity Series practice began at 2:35 p.m. ET.

The Gander Trucks championship race is slated for 8 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and the lineup was determined by owner points. Championship 4 driver Stewart Friesen will start from the pole position, with Ross Chastain lining up third, Brett Moffitt fourth and Matt Crafton ninth.

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There was plenty of impact — and in a short period — in the opening NASCAR Xfinity Series practice Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Championship 4 driver Justin Allgaier sustained damage on his No. 7 Chevrolet when David Starr drifted his No. 52 into its side just five minutes into the session. A clearly frustrated Allgaier wheeled his car back to the garage so his team could survey — and then fix — the damage.

“Are you kidding me right now?,” Allgaier said over the radio driving back to the garage.

RELATED: Full practice results

“Just disappointing,” Allgaier told NBCSN’s Parker Kligerman. “I’m pretty laid back this weekend and I feel like I focused a lot on going out there and doing our own thing and being patient. It felt like we were doing that. … (Starr) ran right into the side of us. It’s disappointing to tear up our car.”

Starr apologized over the radio and said he didn’t know Allgaier was to his outside — possibly due to a team radio issue.

The practice session was then yellow-flagged less than 15 minutes into the session for rain, and it never got restarted.

“At least it’s raining, I guess,” said Allgaier, noting others were unable to put down laps while his car was in the garage.

Fellow Championship 4 driver Tyler Reddick was leading the practice session when the drizzle started and ended with the fastest speed. Christopher Bell was second, Allgaier was fourth and Cole Custer was fifth.

MORE: Custer headed to Cup Series

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Denny Hamlin has experienced a substantial amount of growth both personally and professionally this season, but two key influencers have given him the tools to reach that higher level.

It’s no coincidence the addition of crew chief Chris Gabehart has played a massive role in what has led to a Championship 4 berth and one of Hamlin’s best shots at a title in his 14-year career.

After Hamlin’s clutch win in last Sunday’s race at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, Hamlin felt he misspoke when he documented he and Gabehart aren’t great friends away from the race track, citing Gabehart has assisted in the balance of maturing from a personal and professional standpoint.

“We do talk about other things other than racing,” Hamlin said. “We call each other in the middle of the week. Sometimes it’s just kick it. Probably not a fair statement to say we’re just professional partners in this and that’s it. I think he brings out the best in me. That is absolutely for sure.”

RELATED: Why Hamlin will win the 2019 championship

Gabehart, a 38-year-old Purdue University graduate that made his way from his driving days in late-model racing to a mechanical engineer for Kyle Busch Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, steered the No. 11 ship from a winless 2018 season to a six-win championship-contending path. Not only has Gabehart served as the mastermind behind the team’s stellar season, but he’s also been quite possibly Hamlin’s biggest cheerleader.

“I always think about every time I suit up or I get in the race car, I buckle in, he comes to the window and talks to me,” Hamlin said. “I feel like this has just been something he’s rehearsed, just the speech to pump me up. It’s so funny, he’ll leave, and the guy that puts my window nets up, wonder how long he spent practicing that?

“He never is short of motivation,” he added. “I think that’s really one of his strong suits. You hear it on the radio, too, right? Kind of never lets me get out too far one way. He guides you back in the lane.”

To say Gabehart’s leadership has provided vital direction that Hamlin needed would be a disservice to the close relationship Hamlin held with former crew chief Mike Wheeler prior to this year, but you also can’t ignore the magnitude of Gabehart’s ability to bring out the best in those around him.

Even team owner Joe Gibbs agrees.

“If you go through a whole year like he (Hamlin) did last year and not win a race and the rumors start, is this guy over the hill?” Gibbs said Friday morning at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “I think Denny was fighting through that saying that’s not the case.

“I think Chris really helped because Chris has a different outlook on things and then I think Denny getting off to the start that he did winning that Daytona 500. I think that we all know that people mature and grow up, different things happen in their life. Denny’s in a part in his life where he says I get a second chance really in a lot of ways and he’s making the most of it. I think Gabehart has really helped him with that.”

Gibbs has also been a source of strength for Hamlin this year, especially after the tragic loss of Gibbs’ son, J.D. The younger Gibbs discovered Hamlin, taking him from the short-track scene in Virginia to NASCAR stardom fairly rapidly.

Through the heartbreak, Hamlin was able to shake the pain and win the Daytona 500, kickstarting a season that has led to another championship opportunity in Sunday’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). But it wasn’t all paradise from there as Hamlin noted the summer months were a rough patch for him, but it was Gibbs who stepped in beyond his role as an owner.

“When you see somebody going through something like that with Denny or any of our guys that you’ve been with for a while, yeah, you share with them, talk to them,” Gibbs said. “You’re friends really, and sometimes you can help, particularly if you’ve been through a lot of things in life and you’re a little older, sometimes you can help.”

It’s obvious the 38-year-old veteran has a chip on his shoulder bigger than the size of hometown Chesterfield, Virginia, but he’s relaxed in his approach to what he feels like he has to prove.

Whether or not Hamlin is destined to hoist his first championship trophy Sunday night in South Florida, Hamlin can view the 2019 season as a success both on and off the track, having Gabehart and Gibbs in part to thank.

“This year I’m excited because I know I’ve got the opportunity, a really, really good, legit opportunity to go out there and get it done,” Hamlin said. “I’m just going to do the same things, prepare the same way that I have all year. I know that will give me a chance. At some point in the race, I’m going to have an opportunity to take control and win the race. As long as I continue to do that, I’ll live with the result, win or lose.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Cole Custer and Daniel Suarez had answered the questions patiently for weeks, fielding a repetitive loop of inquiries into their 2020 plans. Custer seemed primed for the next rung of the NASCAR ladder, and Suarez’s one-year deal was set to expire with no safety net visible. Much like the championship battle that takes place this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the drama surrounding the future of the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Ford had reached a crescendo.

This week, they found those answers in just a few days’ span, with the initial media reports, Suarez’s Thursday night social-media confessional and ultimately an SHR announcement Friday morning. Custer will join the Cup Series ranks next season, redirecting his focus after his title bid in Saturday’s Xfinity Series finale. Suarez faces a late-season ouster for the second straight year, expressing surprise at the developments as he hurtles toward another offseason of uncertainty.

RELATED: Key players in Silly Season 

Team co-owner Tony Stewart tried to piece through some of the deal’s inner workings Friday morning at the 1.5-mile track, saying the No. 41 team was primarily the domain of co-owner Gene Haas. But the three-time Cup champ also said most everyone at the organization was comfortable with the decision to give the 21-year-old driver a shot at his rookie series at NASCAR’s top level.

“When you’ve got a feeder series and you’ve got your own program to work young drivers up through there, sometimes you get in scenarios like this where you’ve got more drivers than you have cars,” Stewart said. “So it’s a tough spot to be in for us as management, but we’re going to try to work with Daniel and see if we can find a solution to keep him in our system and hopefully get him back in a car one day. Cole has definitely earned his spot, for sure. Everybody’s worked hard. I mean, we wish we could have five cars, but we can’t, so it puts us in this odd position to make a change like that.

“So it’s bittersweet. We love Daniel, we love what he does, but we also believe in Cole and believe that this is the right time and his opportunity, and he’s really made big gains this year.”

How Custer went from potential prospect to a “definitely earned” Cup Series driver is a story unto itself. The California native had soldiered through single-win seasons in 2017 and 2018, but he received an offseason mandate from Stewart to ramp up his performance. He responded with a seven-win, six-pole campaign and a repeat trip to the championship round. 

Thursday, Custer hemmed and hawed through his Media Day obligations after the news originally leaked from Motorsport.com. Just 21 hours later, he could speak freely about the next step of his career.

“It’s obviously a dream come true,” Custer said, tempering his anticipation with his focus on Saturday’s finale. “I’ve been around the garage a long time and I think when I was a kid, I never thought I’d be good enough to be a Cup driver, so it’s pretty unreal to have that happen.”

For Suarez, the pendulum swung to the other side of the unreal. Though he greeted the assembled media with an especially cheery “¡Hola!” as he emerged from the No. 41 hauler for one of the final times, his shell shock over a seemingly close deal evaporating in the 11th hour was palpable. 

“It has been less than 36 hours since I found out,” Suarez said, hinting at the pocket of unpredictability around the development. “Like I said, I have been talking with most of you for the last few weeks and I am pretty sure that most of you saw me very confident because I knew where we were. I was 95% sure that we were in. I thought we were in good shape. I was extremely surprised. A lot of people at Stewart-Haas Racing worked very hard to put everything together. It was disappointing to see that.”

Suarez claimed the 2016 Xfinity Series championship, then jumped to Joe Gibbs Racing’s Cup Series operation for two seasons before being replaced by Martin Truex Jr. Suarez succeeded Kurt Busch in the No. 41 Ford for the 2019 season, claiming just four top-five finishes in the 35 races to date and missing the playoff field.

Suarez indicated he has had conversations with team owner Richard Childress, but none recently. Regarding Stewart’s intent to find a path to keep Suarez in the SHR fold, Suarez said those talks continue but the jolt of this week’s news was still fresh.

“I had a conversation with him earlier today,” Suarez said. “He is trying to help me stay in the family. I don’t know what I am going to do yet. There are a lot of things going through my head right now and I don’t know. I don’t even know if I want to be here. That is the way it is. I have to get back on my feet and find the best option for myself.”

Over the past month, SHR inked deals to keep Aric Almirola (No. 10) and Clint Bowyer (No. 14) in the fold for the 2020 season. Kevin Harvick, the 2014 champion and a driver in the Championship 4, will pilot the No. 4 Ford.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Winning back-to-back NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championships is a rare feat indeed—only Matt Crafton has accomplished it, in 2013 and 2014.

Winning consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series titles, on the other hand, is relatively commonplace. Sam Ard, Larry Pearson, Randy LaJoie, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. all have accomplished it.

No one, however, has won back-to-back titles in either series driving for two different owners, and both Tyler Reddick and Brett Moffitt have the opportunity to do so this year.

Reddick was last year’s upset Xfinity championship winner in a JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Moffitt was released from his ride after winning the Truck Series title with Hattori Racing Enterprises.

To Reddick, a second title would have added significance. His current team, Richard Childress Racing, is celebrating its golden anniversary in NASCAR this season and already has announced that Reddick will drive a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car for the organization next year.

RELATED: Reddick to move up to Cup in 2020 | Key players in Silly Season

“It would mean a lot,” Reddick said on Thursday during Championship 4 Media Day at The Edition. “The second one—I kind of said it a few times today—for me it’s more about winning it for RCR in the 50th year. Granted, Cup racing next year, but I want to do everything I can to win what I can for them. That’s an Xfinity Series championship.

“All the guys at the chassis shop, on that compound, have put a lot of effort into these cars all year long. We have the five wins, got the most top fives (23), regular season championship. Those are all good things. We want to add one more thing to that and be a champion on Saturday after the race is over.

Reddick has to beat Christopher Bell, Cole Custer and Justin Allgaier in Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to secure his second Xfinity title.

Moffitt will face off against Crafton, Ross Chastain and Stewart Friesen in Friday’s Ford EcoBoost 200 Truck Series race (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Moffitt doesn’t consider himself particularly statistics-oriented, but, clearly, he would relish a second championship. That it would be a second straight with a different team isn’t the foremost consideration.

“Well yeah, obviously winning the championship is the first goal,” Moffitt said on Thursday. “I was fortunate to be with a good team last year and get the job done, and I’m fortunate to be with a good team again this year and be in position to do the same. 

“So, I mean, obviously, winning it with two different teams is a little more difficult than staying with the same team two years in a row, but we have gained traction as a team and we get more competitive week in and week out. So I feel really good about it.”

RELATED: Moffitt set to return to GMS Racing for 2020 

Moffitt took no particular delight when Austin Hill, his successor in the Hattori ride, fell out of the Playoffs in the Round of 6.

“Yeah, I mean, you try not to think about it that way, but it’s … obviously I was not happy about how the year ended last year, winning a championship and getting released from my job. And I guess it’s karma—I’ll say that.”

Note: Only once in NASCAR’s top three touring series has a driver won back-to-back championships driving for two different owners. In 1956, NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker won the title with Carl Kiekhaefer as his primary owner. The following year, Baker drove his own car to the title.

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Daniel Suarez confirmed on Thursday night via a video to his fans on Twitter that he will not return to Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

“I’m here to confirm the bad news that some of you guys already know and some of you guys are trying to figure out that I won’t be back next year in the 41 car,” Suarez said in the video, which you can see below.

RELATED: Key players in Silly Season | Custer on 2020 report: Focused on this weekend

“I am extremely disappointed at the outcome but it’s the way it is sometimes. I’m sure something else will be waiting for me.”

After Suarez revealed the news, SHR issued a statement that read: “Daniel Suarez is the epitome of class. He is a world-class race car driver and an even better person who has represented Stewart-Haas Racing and its partners extremely well. We have much respect and admiration for Daniel, and genuinely wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”

A report earlier on Thursday from Motorsport.com indicated that SHR Xfinity Series driver Cole Custer would replace Suarez in the No. 41 SHR Ford Mustang in 2020, according to its sources. During his Championship 4 Media Day availability, Custer did not confirm that report when asked.

“Right now, I’m just trying to focus on the championship,” Custer said. “I’ve just really tried to stay out of it. I mean, honestly, this is a really big weekend for us to win a championship in the Xfinity Series.”

Suarez is about to complete his first season at SHR in the sport’s top series and is currently 17th in the point standings with four top fives and 11 top 10s on the season. He came to SHR following a two-year Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stint at Joe Gibbs Racing from 2017-18. The 27-year-old also won the 2016 Xfinity Series Championship for JGR.

Posted on by Zack Albert

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Comcast announced that Dover International Speedway chairman and CEO Mike Tatoian has won the 2019 Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award for his philanthropic efforts.

Tatoian was honored Thursday at the W South Beach Hotel for his work as chairman of the Delaware chapter of the United Service Organizations (USO). The other nominees were: Artie Kempner, FOX Sports’ Coordinating Director for NASCAR and Co-Founder of Autism Delaware, and David Ragan, Front Row Motorsports driver and an ambassador for Shriners Hospitals for Children.

MORE: A look at the finalists

Tatoian was chosen by a panel of Comcast and NASCAR executives plus former Monster Energy Series champion Joey Logano, who was recognized with the award last year for his charitable works through his foundation.

Tatoian, who has served as the Dover track’s president since 2007, has been active with the USO for the last 13 years. He has also held roles with the United States Air Force Civic Leader Program, the board of directors of the Military Bowl Foundation, and has been an honorary commander multiple times at nearby Dover Air Force Base.

The three finalists were all connected not just through their ties to the NASCAR industry, but by a history of close work together around Dover events. In an unscripted moment, Tatoian invited Kempner and Ragan on stage to recognize their contributions and to share in the spotlight.

“It’s such an honor to be able to interact with our military and it’s such a very few individuals who volunteer to become a member of our military and protect all of us,” Tatoian said. “It’s just my way of showing our appreciation for what they do. The closest thing I can do is be a part of the USO team, that’s the closest I can get to serving our country.

“So for us and the organization and the country, it’s just nice to get this kind of recognition from Comcast aside of the funding, which of course is critical, but to be able to be a part of such an amazing organization like the USO, it’s very gratifying. It’s just wonderful to be able to not get but to give, so it’s been a great evening.”

Comcast awarded a $60,000 contribution to USO Delaware on Tatoian’s behalf and presented Autism Delaware (Kempner) and Shriners Hospitals (Ragan) with $30,000 donations.

Former Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award winners:

  • 2018: Joey Logano (Joey Logano Foundation)
  • 2017: Chip Ganassi Racing Pit Crew Department (Ronald McDonald House)
  • 2016: Wade Jackson, JR Motorsports (Camp LUCK)
  • 2015: Joey Gase (Iowa Donor Network)
Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Cole Custer is focused solely on winning the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, not a potential future in the NASCAR Cup Series next season.

Custer was not willing to confirm a Motorsport.com report via sources that the 21-year-old driver would replace Daniel Suarez in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang in 2020. Suarez confirmed on Thursday evening via social media that he will not be back in the No. 41 for 2020.

“Right now, I’m just trying to focus on the championship,” Custer said during Championship 4 Media Day at the Miami Beach Edition on Thursday. “I’ve just really tried to stay out of it. I mean, honestly, this is a really big weekend for us to win a championship in the Xfinity Series.”

RELATED: 2019 Xfinity Series race winners | Key players in Silly Season

Racing in his third full-time Xfinity Series season, Custer is set to battle Justin Allgaier, Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick for the title in Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Custer competed in trio of Monster Energy Series races, piloting the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing entry at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Richmond Raceway in 2018.