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RELATED: Full race results | Final Chase Grid
SHOP: Champion gear

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Daniel Suarez, 24 and only two years into a NASCAR XFINITY Series career, can check another box off his career bucket list.

Series champion.

The Monterrey, Mexico, native became a winner in the series for the first time earlier this season to qualify for the inaugural XFINITY Series Chase. Saturday evening at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he led 133 of 200 laps that made up the Ford EcoBoost 300, and survived a wild, late-race restart to become the first Latin American driver to capture a NASCAR national series title.

He is the first Joe Gibbs Racing driver to capture the series title since 2009 when Kyle Busch won the crown.

 

MORE: Joe Gibbs thrilled after Suarez win

Saturday, Suarez outran series veterans Elliott Sadler (third) and JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier (sixth) as well as JGR teammate Erik Jones (ninth) to become the series’ 27th different champion and the 34th overall.

 

In the Championship Round, the driver finishing highest wins the title. Suarez made sure no one, Chase contender or otherwise, finished in front of his orange and white No. 19 Toyota.

“I’m speechless right now,” Suarez, a graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, said as fans streamed onto the frontstretch to witness the official coronation and fireworks exploded overhead. “It’s very hard to put into words.

“I’m just very proud of everyone and thankful to have the family that I have — my mom, my dad. They gave me all the tools to be here right now. They put me in a car even when we didn’t have the support or the racing background. They supported me and right now we are just living a dream.”

Suarez’s parents were on hand to watch their son capture the championship at Homestead.

Alejandro Suarez, Daniel’s dad, said he has personally watched his son race “maybe 10 times” since Daniel came to the U.S. to embark upon a NASCAR career.

“It’s a dream. It’s a dream and tomorrow I will tell you (what if feels like),” he said, smiling.

Success so quickly wasn’t expected

“Maybe next year, maybe 2-3 years,” the father said. “But not this year. But Daniel works hard.”

 

MORE: Suarez’s long road to the title

Jones will head off to begin a premier series career in ’17, already having been named to drive the No. 77 Toyota for Furniture Row Racing as that organization expands from one to two teams.

Suarez, talented as he is, is expected to return to JGR for another year of seasoning in the XFINITY Series. Gibbs’ group currently fields four Sprint Cup teams — for drivers Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Busch, the defending series champ.

“We’re in there now,” team owner Joe Gibbs said of Suarez’s move to the XFINITY Series, “and I think … it’s going to be pretty quick we’ll be going to Cup. I think it’s in Daniel’s hands, but obviously he’s performed so well.

“As everybody knows, it’s hard to get all that organized, but we’re working — that’s going to be our end game. That’s what we’re going to be working for.”

If Suarez is in a hurry to get to the top level, he wasn’t showing it Saturday night. He knows he gets to run against some of the premier series drivers some of the time now.

“But you never race with all of them,” he said. “So I’m pretty sure that the Cup car is going to be different, and to race with all those guys at the same time is going to be even more difficult.

“Like I said before … we have to focus on today and tomorrow is going to take care of itself.”

Today he’s a champion. Tomorrow? Who knows.

 

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RELATED: Miami results | Johnson wins seventh title


Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 saw huge accomplishments by two of NASCAR’s greatest drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart, and a sweet Victory Lane exchange between the pair.


While Hendrick Motorsports‘ Jimmie Johnson earned his seventh Sprint Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver and team co-owner Tony Stewart completed his decorated career in his final race as a full-time driver.


After the newly crowned “Seven-Time” locked in career win No. 80, “Smoke” joined him in Victory Lane when Johnson handed over his championship helmet to the three-time champion.


Johnson’s move cements a nice bookmark to Stewart’s growing collection as he has been collecting some of his peers’ helmets.


“I promised Tony he could have this helmet,” Johnson said.


Prior to the start of the race, the Miami track honored the three-time champion as he prepared for his final Sprint Cup Series start. Stewart wheeled his No. 14 Chevrolet around the track 1.5-mile track in a solo before the green flag with the entire NASCAR community erupting in cheers, thanking him for his 18-year career.  


Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Race results | Johnson goes last to first

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Just as drivers were arriving at their race cars on a crowded Homestead-Miami Speedway starting grid, Championship 4 contender Jimmie Johnson‘s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet was pulled off the grid and NASCAR officials told the team it had to go through inspection one more time.

Officials ruled that the team had made “unapproved body modifications” to the A-Post sending the car to the rear of the starting grid, instead of the 14th-place starting position it earned in qualifying for Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 championship race.

All the action happened as drivers were making their way to their cars after pre-race introductions. The entire Lowe’s Racing team pushed the car off the grid and back into the garage to an inspection station. The team made some quick adjustments, got NASCAR’s OK, and pushed the car back out to the grid.

Walking back from the garage to his car on pit road, Johnson simply shrugged and said he had no idea what drew the inspectors’ attention.

The whole situation lasted less than 15 minutes and Johnson and his car were on the grid as usual before the pre-race ceremonies began.

Johnson is trying to become the third driver in NASCAR history to earn seven Sprint Cup Series championships, competing against defending Sprint Cup champ Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Joey Logano for the title Sunday.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Results | Recap | Chase Grid | Standings

SHOP: Champion gear

 

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — The people who had crowded into Jimmie Johnson‘s pit box erupted in cheers and tears, doling out high-fives and bear hugs as the driver clinched his record-tying seventh Sprint Cup championship.

 

Johnson could only muster a single sentence: “I don’t even know what to say.”

 

Fortunately, plenty of others were more than willing to do the talking.

 

Four-time champion Jeff Gordon, who stood on Johnson’s pit box for the race’s final laps, was among those grinning, shaking hands and also shaking his head. He knows about the significance of Johnson’s run having competed against all three of NASCAR’s seven-time champions from his first race (in 1992, which was Richard Petty’s last) to years of competition with the late Dale Earnhardt to more recent seasons battling with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate.

 

“I’m just in disbelief the way this race unfolded,” a grinning Gordon said of the amazing three-lap race to the finish — the only laps Johnson led all day after starting last in the 40-car field. “… Jimmie wanted that thing. He wanted that seventh championship and he got that seventh championship done. He deserves it. Just an amazing experience.”

 

After the celebratory burnouts and champagne spray, Johnson took the stage to hoist what is now very familiar hardware to him. And drivers and friends stopped by to give NASCAR’s greatest active champion his due.

 

Fellow championship contenders Joey Logano (who finished fourth) and Kyle Busch (who finished sixth) were among the first to seek him out.

Johnson’s wife, Chandra, and their two young daughters quickly joined him on stage. The champ’s little girls were left to hold their ears while watching the fireworks erupt and the yellow and black star confetti shoot out of cannons to celebrate this milestone moment.

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sport’s 12-time Most Popular Driver, was among those who made a point to see his Hendrick teammate Johnson.

 

“It is incredible what Jimmie’s been able to do in this sport in such a short period of time,” Earnhardt said. “That’s seven championships in 11 years. I think he’s one of the best drivers the sport has ever seen, maybe the best. He’s been in that conversation for many years and this really closes the book on any doubts that anybody had where he ranks. He’s in that discussion with my father and Richard (Petty) and I’m glad I was a witness to it.

 

“I told Jimmie, I wish Dad were here to shake his hand. He would certainly love the type of driver he is, I know that for sure.”

 

MORE: Watch Junior’s emotional interview

 

Johnson’s own father, Gary, was there to celebrate his son’s big moment, just as he has so many times before. And as he received congratulations from others — including another team owner Richard Childress — it was easy to see how Johnson, the champion, gets his modesty and manners, the “California cool” that has defined Jimmie’s rise to superstardom.

 

“He’s just a real champion,” Childress said of Johnson. “I just had to come over here and congratulate him. It is unbelievable.”

 

As Childress spoke about Jimmie, Gary Johnson beamed with pride.

 

“I am just so proud, and to hear Mr. Childress say something that good about Jimmie, it’s just excellent,” he shared with a smile.

 

Moments later, Tony Stewart stopped by the victory stage and congratulated Johnson and then left with Johnson’s helmet — a heartfelt gift from one-of-the-best to one-of-the-best.

 

“I’m really excited to go down there and give Jimmie Johnson a big hug because I’m really proud of him,” the three-time champion Stewart said following his final race. “To be here on a historic day like this where we’ve got a fellow competitor that’s tied the two greatest in the sport’s history, it’s truly an honor to finish my career like that.”

 

RELATED: Touching post-race moment between Stewart, Johnson

 

The praise for Johnson’s amazing accomplishment will continue. The respect is heartfelt and real.

 

It was one historic evening for one of NASCAR’s all-time best — the kind of happy ending that anyone would appreciate.

 

“It’s just beyond words,” Johnson said, trying to put his accomplishment in perspective. “We just kept our heads in the game. Chad (Knaus) called a great strategy, made some great adjustments for the short runs. Luck came our way and we were able to win the race and win the championship.

 

“I wouldn’t be here without so many people believing in me and giving me this chance. Just thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. So grateful for the opportunity, and so thankful and blessed. I am at a loss for words.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Busch reflects on late pit call

Kyle Busch‘s Chase chances seemed to take a slight hit following an unscheduled Lap 137 pit stop, but a caution on Lap 170 helped the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team avoid disaster.

The defending Sprint Cup champion wheeled his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to pit road thinking he had a right-front flat tire.

He left the track fifth and exited pit road a lap down.

No. 18 crew chief Adam Stevens told Busch, once back on the track, “there was nothing wrong with that tire.”

Busch regained his lap later after the leaders went to pit, but the No. 18 car was off cycle and likely to go a lap down on his next pit stop.

However, a caution flag thrown for debris on Lap 170 meant Busch could join the leaders and come to pit road and remain on the lead lap, keeping alive his chance for a second straight title.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Miami results | Final standings | Chase Grid
SHOP: Johnson championship gear

Jimmie Johnson earned the new nickname “Seven-Time” after winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which also earned him the 2016 Sprint Cup Series championship — the seventh of his career. This came after a rough start to the day when Johnson was forced to start from the rear after unapproved adjustments to his car before the race.

 

Johnson’s seventh championship ties him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most all time.

 

“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 2 during the first and only attempt at a two-lap overtime.

 

Although his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was not the fastest out of the Championship 4 contenders throughout much of the race, a late-race restart put him back in contention. He led for only the final three circuits — earning him his first win at the 1.5-mile track and career win No. 80.

 

Johnson pulled away to win by .466 seconds ahead of Kyle Larson. Polesitter Kevin Harvick ran third, followed by Championship 4 contender Joey Logano, who finished second in the final standings on the strength of his fourth-place run.
 
“Oh, my gosh, there is no, no way on earth,” said Johnson, who picked up his first victory at Homestead, his fifth of the season and the 80th of his career. “Just beyond words. Just didn’t think the race was unfolding for us like we needed to be the champs, but we just kept our heads in the game. Chad called a great strategy, made some great adjustments for the short runs.
 
“Luck came our way and we were able to win the race and win the championship. So grateful for the opportunity, and so thankful and blessed. I am at a loss for words.”

 

Jamie McMurray rounded out the top five, finishing behind Logano. Defending series champ Kyle Busch ended the day sixth and third on the Chase Grid.

 

Title hopes for the fourth title-contending driver Carl Edwards were destroyed following a Lap 257 restart that brought out the “Big One” — and red flag. 

MORE: Edwards, Logano involved in ‘Big One‘

 

Edwards, who seemed likely for the championship after leading 47 laps, had to exit the race with 10 laps to go. He finished 34th and 11 laps down.

In the final full-time race of his decorated Sprint Cup Series career, Tony Stewart finished 22nd.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Stats breakdown reveals championship favorite

 

Carl Edwards: Went with the No. 19 as a championship pick on my pre-Chase grid, thinking the postseason schedule lined up favorably. The Championship 4 — especially this season — is a toss-up, but Edwards’ history at Homestead (two wins, two poles) may tip the scales. — Zack Albert

 

Joey Logano: The Team Penske driver has been loose and fast throughout the Chase and comes into this weekend’s race with much-needed final-round experience. Crew chief Todd Gordon is one of the best. — Kenny Bruce

 

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie was my preseason pick to win his seventh championship, and I feel even better about the selection now. No one in his era is better at winning titles and he has shown the ability to do whatever is necessary at Homestead to secure the prized hardware. — Holly Cain

Jimmie Johnson: Now that Johnson has figured out how to outlast his competition in the new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format, don’t expect him to let a historic seventh championship slip from his grip. — Pat DeCola

 

Kyle Busch: The Joe Gibbs Racing driver enters with the least amount of pressure as the defending champion, and that should lead to a relaxing and celebration-filled weekend in Miami. — RJ Kraft

Joey Logano: Over the last four races he’s won twice, led for 302 laps and has finished no worse than ninth. To say he’s on fire is an understatement. — Maggie MacKenzie

 

Kyle Busch: Let’s not overthink this. The defending champion is back in the title race, as the best driver on the best team in NASCAR. He also has been the best driver in the Chase, with six top-five finishes through nine races. Busch repeats. — Brad Norman

 

Jimmie Johnson: Johnson & Co. showed speed in practice and fought through a tough qualifying session, proving they have the calm resilience — and long-run speed — needed to win the coveted title No. 7. — Jessica Ruffin

 

Carl Edwards: All the reminders of that tiebreaker loss in 2011 have stoked the fire of title desire. Edwards’ No. 19 has the speed, and we know JGR equipment is stout. A will and a way combine for a championship. — Kathy Sheldon

Carl Edwards: Sentimentally, I’d like to see him get redemption for 2011 and for Concrete Carl to cement a Hall of Fame-worthy career, but he’s also a good pick from a stats perspective. He has the best average finish at Homestead among the Championship 4 drivers and the most career wins there (two). — George Winkler

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Find NBCSN in your area

 

All times ET

Monday, November 21
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR 120: Homestead, NBCSN

Tuesday, November 22
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Wednesday, November 23
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year, FS1

Thursday, November 24
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year, FS1

Sunday, November 27
8 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series Awards Show (taped), NBCSN

 



Posted on by Staff Report

PREVIOUS TITLE STORIES: Johnson | Logano | Edwards


Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of four stories examining why each driver could win the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

Kyle Busch will win the title because …


He’s done it before. It’s hard to replicate, let alone understand, the type of pressure these Championship 4 contenders will face this weekend in Miami. Thirty-five races down, and one to go. Win or go home.


Sure, Joey Logano has been in a championship race in this format before, but he didn’t win it. Kyle Busch has, and he did so last year on the heels of an opening-weekend wreck that resulted in a broken left leg and right foot.


“Rowdy” hasn’t won yet during this postseason, but don’t let that fool you. He’s had the best Chase among the final four drivers.


Take away the 30th-place finish at Talladega that came on a strategy play, and you’re looking at six top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes in eight Chase races. His results during the Round of 8? Fifth at Martinsville, fifth at Texas, second at Phoenix.


The best driver of the postseason is also the hottest. When Sunday’s race is over, it’ll be Kyle Busch holding a large trophy skyward. Again.