Posted on October 20, 2023October 22, 2023 by Kobe Lambeth

4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

(⏰ Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET | 📺 NBC, NBC Sports App | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the 34th points-paying race of the 2023 Cup Series campaign.

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | Homestead-Miami playoff race 101

📍 Location: Homestead, Florida
📐 Track length: 1.5 miles
🎟️ Buy tickets: Find weekend passes, seats for the race
💰 Cup Series race purse: $7,634,143
📏 Race distance: 267 laps | 400.5 miles
🔢 Stages: 80 | 165 | 267
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📋 Starting lineup: Truex on pole at Homestead-Miami
🚗 Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
🏆 Defending winner: Kyle Larson, fall 2022

Key things to watch 🔑

Saturday’s sessions

After seven straight races without a top-15 finish, Martin Truex Jr. continues to build off his ninth-place result at Las Vegas as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver took pole position at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Truex’s pole is a milestone accomplishment for Toyota, scoring the manufacturer’s 500th pole award across the three national series. This is also Toyota’s seventh pole in eight playoff races in 2023. The No. 19 car led a Toyota 1-2-3 qualifying effort, with 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick set to roll off the grid in second and third respectively. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson complete the top five. | Read the full practice, qualifying recap

Big storyline

With his post-race disqualification from Las Vegas getting rescinded, can Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 team refocus in pursuit of his first Championship 4 appearance?

Before the penalty got reversed, Blaney would have arrived at Homestead-Miami Speedway in a must-win mindset, sitting 56 points below the elimination line. However, the current 17-point deficit is way more manageable after his sixth-place finish at Las Vegas was restored. Between the checkered flag in Sin City and the 24 hours that followed, it must have been a whirlwind of emotions for Blaney and his entire No. 12 team.

Being in a better position now points-wise, Blaney will have to refocus and continue fighting hard for every point as the Team Penske driver tries to make the Championship 4 for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career. Looking at Blaney’s Homestead stats, he has seven finishes of 11th place or worse in eight career starts. His best finish here was third in 2020, including 70 laps led that day. If the No. 12 team wants to head into the Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville Speedway next Sunday feeling like they have a fighting chance, Blaney will have to outperform most of his previous Homestead runs and rise to the occasion. He got off to a good start by qualifying inside the top 10. | NASCAR’s Elton Sawyer details the No. 12’s disqualification rescission

History tells us…

After the last seven Homestead-Miami races produced seven different winners, the eighth different winner could emerge on Sunday.

In the last several years, there has been quite a bit of parity in race winners at Homestead. Since Jimmie Johnson picked up his record-tying seventh Cup Series championship after winning the race in 2016, the 1.5-mile Florida track has not produced a repeat winner. After Johnson’s big win, Martin Truex Jr. (2017), Joey Logano (2018), Kyle Busch (2019), Denny Hamlin (2020), William Byron (2021) and Kyle Larson (2022) visited Homestead Victory Lane in the years afterward. When considering a driver who could become the eighth different winner, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick immediately comes to mind, especially after the No. 45 Toyota qualified third on Saturday morning.

Before the drop of the green flag, everyone already knows the Toyota high rider will be up against the wall ripping the fence at some point searching for speed. Homestead is his style of track and could potentially be his best chance to make the Championship 4 with 23XI. While Reddick has not won at Homestead yet in the Cup Series, his two top fives in three career starts suggest he could be on the verge of breaking through and getting that maiden Homestead win like Larson did last year. While Reddick has only led three laps in three Homestead races, this year’s race may turn out differently as the 27-year-old continues to improve over time. | Preview Show: There’s no place like Homestead

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

Kevin Harvick. A win by the 2014 Cup Series champion at the 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 race named in his honor would be a sentimental moment. With only a couple of weeks remaining until he hangs up the helmet, Harvick is still searching for a win in his final season. Homestead has traditionally been a great track for the Stewart-Haas Racing driver. In his last 15 starts at Homestead, Harvick earned 14 top-10 finishes, including 10 top fives.

His only win came here in 2014 when he picked up his only Cup Series title. On that special night, Harvick’s No. 4 car was sponsored by Budweiser, which makes a one-off return in a throwback paint scheme from his 2014 championship-winning season to honor the soon-to-be-retired champion. Harvick enters Homestead with 30-1 odds of winning the race. If Harvick wins on Sunday, it would be the perfect ending in what could potentially be his final NASCAR win. Harvick will have some work to do after qualifying outside of the top 20. | Watch Harvick’s 2014 championship-winning drive at Homestead on NASCAR Classics

Familiar favorites ⭐️

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• At-track photos: Sights and scenes from Homestead-Miami | Photos
• Bubble Watch: Reddick could spoil title favorites’ hopes | See the analysis
• Fantasy Fastlane: Tyler Reddick’s time to shine at Homestead | See the picks
• Paint Scheme Preview: See the schemes for Homestead-Miami | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Will Tyler Reddick ride the high line into Championship 4? | Latest driver rankings
• Stacking Pennies: Corey LaJoie talks about near misses and a playoff ticket punched after racing at Las Vegas. | Listen to the podcast

💎 NASCAR 75: Learn more about the history of the sport, from pioneers to current stars | Visit NASCAR 75 hub

Get in on the action 💰

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy and Fan Rewards.

• Fantasy Live: Participate in interactive gameplay from week to week | Choose your lineup
• Fan Rewards: New in 2023, get rewarded for your participation | Learn more
• NASCAR BetCenter: Don’t miss your chance to make picks each week | Visit the BetCenter
• Going the distance: 2023 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

🔮 Advance to Victory Lane: Racing Insights projects the finishing order

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Holly Cain

After a two-week break, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs continue with Saturday’s Baptist Health Cancer Care 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Noon ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – the first of an afternoon NASCAR doubleheader.

This race will formally set the Championship 4 drivers who will compete for the 2023 title on Nov. 3 at Phoenix Raceway.

With a win at Bristol, Tricon Garage’s Corey Heim is the only playoff driver to have formally secured his position to race for the championship, meaning three spots are still to be decided.

Niece Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar tops the standings below Heim and holds a healthy 22-point advantage over fifth-place, GMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger. Christian Eckes, who just re-signed with the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing team this week and Rev Racing’s Nick Sanchez round out the top four heading into Homestead nine points and three points ahead of the cutoff, respectively.

Former series champion, ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes is sixth in the standings, only five points behind Sanchez. His ThorSport teammate Ty Majeski is 19 points off the top four and defending series champion, Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith is 36 points off the pace.

Majeski is the defending Homestead race winner, leading 67 of the 134 laps last year to clinch his first Championship 4 appearance – finishing nearly five seconds ahead of the runner-up Smith. Veteran Matt Crafton, who is no longer championship-eligible, is the only other previous Homestead winner in the field, claiming the trophy in 2015.

Of the championship contenders, Enfinger and Rhodes have the most starts (six). Enfinger has three top 10s – most among the playoff drivers – and an 11.8 average finish. Majeski is a perfect two-for-two in top-10 finishes and boasts the best average finish (5.5) among those with multiple starts.

This will mark the Miami native Sanchez’s season debut at his home track.

Of note, IndyCar standout Marco Andretti is entered at both Homestead and the Phoenix season finale. He’ll be driving the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. He made his series debut at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this summer, finishing 19th.

Practice and qualifying sessions begin at 4:05 p.m. ET on Friday.

Posted on October 19, 2023October 19, 2023 by Holly Cain

The second race in the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series takes place Saturday in the back half of a NASCAR doubleheader at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Contender Boats 300 (3 p.m. ET, USA, Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) marks the series’ 30th race at the 1.5-mile track — most of any NASCAR series there — and there have been 22 different race winners.

Last weekend, Las Vegas native Riley Herbst — who is not in Playoff contention — scored his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in front of his hometown crowd. The 14-second win was the largest margin of victory this season for the series, and that win means the Championship 4 picture remains wide open this weekend for the eight title-eligible drivers.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s John Hunter Nemechek leads the championship standings, coming to a track where his father, Joe, holds multiple Xfinity Series records from wins (three) to laps completed (3,514). The 26-year-old Nemechek — a career-best seven-race winner this season — holds a healthy 47-point edge on the four-driver playoff cutoff line.

JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, a three-time winner this season, sits second in points with a 21-point cushion among the top four, followed by Regular Season Champion, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill (+19) and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer (+15).

Kaulig Racing’s Chandler Smith is 15 points below the elimination line, followed by JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer (-16), Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sammy Smith (-35) and RCR’s Sheldon Creed (-41).

Only two previous Homestead winners are entered this weekend – Custer (2017) and Myatt Snider (2021). Noah Gragson is last year’s winner.

Much to the pleasure of NASCAR fans, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be making his second start of the season, driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. A two-time Xfinity Series champion, the NASCAR Hall of Famer has four top-10s in six career Homestead races. Earnhardt led 47 laps in the Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway two weeks ago before a fire in the car left him with a 30th-place finish.

Practice and then qualifying sessions for the Contender Boats 300 are scheduled to begin at 6:05 p.m. ET on Friday and will be televised on the USA Network and streamed on the NBC Sports App.

Posted on October 19, 2023October 19, 2023 by Staff Report

With only two races standing in the way of the playoff drivers and a berth into the Championship 4 in Phoenix, we dive into all of the clinching scenarios as all three NASCAR national series converge on Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Kyle Larson has already punched his ticket into the Championship 4 with his win this past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Cup Series. Corey Heim’s win at Bristol Motor Speedway puts him at the top spot in the Craftsman Truck Series.

In the Xfinity Series, no driver has been able to lock into the final round in Phoenix. John Hunter Nemechek currently leads the way with a 47-point cushion to the elimination line.

MORE: Current Cup playoff standings | Weekend Schedule: Homestead-Miami

NASCAR Cup Series:

Already Clinched

The following driver has clinched a spot in the four-driver field of the next round: Kyle Larson.

Can clinch via points

If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the third winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from William Byron or Denny Hamlin.

William Byron: Could only clinch with help
Denny Hamlin: Could only clinch with help

If there is a new winner from Martin Truex Jr. or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the second winless driver in the standings.

William Byron: Could only clinch with help

Can clinch via win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:

William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney

NASCAR Xfinity Series:

Already Clinched

No drivers have clinched a spot in the four-driver field of the next round.

Can clinch via points

If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the fourth winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Allgaier or Austin Hill.

John Hunter Nemechek: Could only clinch with help
Justin Allgaier: Could only clinch with help
Austin Hill: Could only clinch with help

If there is a new winner from Cole Custer or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the third winless driver in the standings.

John Hunter Nemechek: Could only clinch with help
Justin Allgaier: Could only clinch with help

Can clinch via win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:

John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Cole Custer, Chandler Smith, Sam Mayer, Sammy Smith, Sheldon Creed

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series:

Already Clinched

The following driver has clinched a spot in the four-driver field of the next round: Corey Heim.

Can clinch via points

If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the fourth winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Carson Hocevar, Christian Eckes or Nick Sanchez.

Carson Hocevar: Would clinch with 33 points
Christian Eckes: Would clinch with 46 points (47 points if Sanchez wins)
Nick Sanchez: Would clinch with 53 points
Grant Enfinger: Would clinch with 55 points (would need help if Sanchez wins)
Ben Rhodes: Could only clinch with help
Ty Majeski: Could only clinch with help
Zane Smith: Could only clinch with help

If there is a new winner from Grant Enfinger or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 3rd winless driver in the standings.

Carson Hocevar: Would clinch with 36 points
Christian Eckes: Would clinch with 49 points
Nick Sanchez: Could only clinch with help
Grant Enfinger: Could only clinch with help
Ben Rhodes: Could only clinch with help
Ty Majeski: Could only clinch with help
Zane Smith: Could only clinch with help

Can clinch via win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:

Carson Hocevar, Christian Eckes, Nick Sanchez, Grant Enfinger, Ben Rhodes, Ty Majeski, Zane Smith

Posted on October 19, 2023October 19, 2023 by Cameron Richardson

Just three races remain in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. Three spots are still up for grabs between seven drivers after 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson clinched his Championship 4 spot last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Now, it’s off to the 305 at all about precision in Homestead-Miami Speedway, but before the action heats up this weekend, get an update on the Round of 8, see trends to watch for Sunday’s 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), and take note of Goodyear tire info.

HOMESTEAD HISTORY 🌴

Homestead opened in 1995, hosting the Xfinity Series for its first NASCAR points event. The first Cup race was held on Nov. 14, 1999, won by Tony Stewart in his rookie season.

The track was reconfigured from a flat oval to the current progressive banking in the corners in 2003.

From 2002-2019, Homestead hosted the season-ending race in the Cup Series. It oversaw multiple eras of postseason formats from season-long points, the Chase and the current playoff format before the title race was moved to Phoenix Raceway in 2020.

(Via Racing Insights)

TAKING THE HIGH GROUND 🪨

Speaking of that precision at Homestead, the high line is the preferred groove at the South Florida oval due to the progressive banking in all four turns. That plays into the hand of Larson and Tyler Reddick, who’s yet to win at Homestead in the Cup Series but owns two top-five finishes in three career starts.

Martin Truex Jr., who currently sits just two points above the elimination line, has been stellar at the 1.5-mile oval with top-three finishes in four of the last six races. He’ll enter the weekend with momentum after nabbing his first top 10 of the playoffs last Sunday.

Entering the Round of 8, it appeared Chris Buescher would have his back against the wall, with intermediate tracks being the biggest question mark for RFK Racing’s speed, and that was the case at Las Vegas as the No. 17 team finished 11th and no finds themselves 23 points below the elimination line. Buescher has yet to break through at Homestead with no top-10 results in seven starts.

MORE: Racing Insights’ projections for Sunday

📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈

— The last seven Homestead races were won by different drivers.

— The last three Homestead races were won by current playoff drivers.

— The driver who led the most laps won the last five Homestead races.

— Martin Truex Jr. was passed for the win in three of the last five Homestead races.

(Via Racing Insights)

CLASSIC HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY RACES 🎥

1999: Homestead hosts first Cup Series race | WATCH

2011: Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards’ two-man race for the championship | WATCH

2016: Johnson wins seventh title amid Champ. 4 chaos | WATCH

2018: Logano wins first Cup championship | WATCH

ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️

Saturday, Oct. 21

— 9:05 a.m. ET: Practice (NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

— 9:50 a.m. ET: Qualifying NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Sunday, Oct. 22

— 2:30 p.m. ET: 4EVER 400 (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)

MORE: Full weekend schedule at Homestead

RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞

Goodyear will run the same tire setup at Homestead that was used in last year’s playoff race. Homestead is one of the highest tire-wear tracks on the circuit, right up there with the likes of Darlington Raceway. The abrasive track surface leads to a lot of comers and goers throughout the race. This is the same tire setup used at the Coca-Cola 600 and Darlington this season, while the right-side tire itself was used at all other intermediate tracks this season.

Cup teams will be allotted one set of tires for practice, one set for qualifying, and an additional nine sets for Sunday’s race.

(Via Goodyear Racing)

RELATED: See rules changes for 2023

FAN REWARDS 🫵

Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.

There’s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.

Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop, and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise, and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.

JOIN TODAY

FOLLOW THE RACE 📲

NASCAR Mobile has now added support for fans to “Follow the Race” and access live leaderboard and race information from Live Activities in the current app release (v13.2.0), available now. Android users, we didn’t forget you — the same functionality has been custom-built for Android devices, as well.

How to access Live Activities on iPhones:

Make sure your iOS device has been updated to 16.1 or higher.
Available on the leaderboard of all NASCAR Series races.
Click on the three-dot menu near the top right of the screen.
Select “Follow the Race.”
Swipe up to access the home screen, and you will see the Live Activities at the top.
Lock the device, and you will see Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
To turn it off, simply visit the leaderboard, click the three-dot menu, and “Unfollow the Race.”

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week, a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.

NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter, and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Staff Report

Throughout the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Advance Auto Parts is spotlighting a series of Home Track Heroes from NASCAR-sanctioned short tracks around the country. Each Home Track Hero, nominated by his or her peers as a result of contributions made to the race track, will have his or her name appear on the C-Post of Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang in a Cup Series Playoff race. Dawn Roemer, the director of promotions and marketing at Bethel Motor Speedway in Swan Lake, New York, is the Home Track Hero whose name will appear on Blaney’s car during the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead–Miami Speedway.

Dawn Roemer, whose tenure at New York’s Bethel Motor Speedway began as a photographer 13 years ago, goes above and beyond with her involvement in the community and at the race track.

She works in childcare for underprivileged children in the community. She’s also hands-on with benefit drives, including the Adopt-a-Child drive for children during the holiday season and back-to-school supplies drives.

Roemer makes dinner for underprivileged families around the holidays, personally delivering meals before sitting down to eat with her own family.

From helping others in need to providing advice to somebody who may need it, she will do what she can to help with her knowledge, kindness and big heart.

At Bethel Motor Speedway, Roemer has organized events like big wheel races, power wheel races, the St. Jude’s Cancer Awareness Night, and Foster Care and Children’s Home benefit nights, to name a few.

On Saturday nights, she takes charge and moves the show along while lending a hand wherever needed; she does this while still performing her own nightly duties.

From taking food orders when the kitchen is busy to helping with track cleanup — or jumping in a position that may be vacant for the evening — she does it all.

Roemer prepares Bethel’s kitchen specials personally. She’s also not afraid to take on the less-than-desirable jobs when needed. On occasion, she’s even been seen operating the track debris blower.

She’s most often the first to arrive and the last to leave, and those at the track can’t imagine a race night without her.

Posted on October 18, 2023October 26, 2023 by Staff Report

Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200

Martinsville Speedway

Entry list

Posted on October 18, 2023October 19, 2023 by Zach Sturniolo

Kyle Larson is the only driver locked into the Championship 4 who knows he will compete for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship on Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway.

The seven other drivers left in the Round of 8 are vying for three spots to join him. That fight continues Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where champions have long been made.

Four drivers sit beneath the provisional elimination heading to South Florida. Surely, a case can be made for each of them to advance to the final round of the postseason, right?

MORE: Latest playoff standings | Homestead-Miami schedule

5. Christopher Bell (-2 to elimination line)

Bell was just about as close as anyone could be to not being on this list. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota fell just 0.082 seconds short at Las Vegas, but the door shouldn’t be closed on the only member of the 2022 Championship 4 left. His Homestead numbers aren’t exceptional but certainly, nothing to sneeze at either, with finishes of eight, 20th and 11th in three starts. His walk-off win a season ago at Martinsville launched him into the title race, so there’s no doubt he and crew chief Adam Stevens could work that magic all over again this year.

6. Tyler Reddick (-16)

Reddick was surprisingly never a factor last week at Las Vegas, but the high-line glider seems primed for a great run at Homestead-Miami. No one loves running against the wall quite like Larson or Reddick, and it’s worked in Reddick’s favor in the past. He finished fourth and second in his first two Cup starts at the 1.5-mile track before crashing out last year and claimed each of his two Xfinity Series championships there as well. His first Cup win at the track could come this weekend, which would lock him into the title fight for the first time at the sport’s highest level.

7. Ryan Blaney (-17)

With his Las Vegas points reinstated after NASCAR rescinded its initial disqualification of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford, Blaney enters Homestead with more than a fighting chance to find his path out of the Round of 8 for the first time in his career. This is Blaney’s fifth appearance in the penultimate round of the playoffs. How does he move onto Phoenix this time? It’s not impossible he finds a way to Victory Lane at Homestead. He was running third before pitting with 57 laps left a year ago — but took himself out of contention after an errant downshift spun his No. 12 Ford sideways and caused a caution. His first win of 2023 also came on a 1.5-mile track at Charlotte.

His path to Phoenix is more likely to shine at Martinsville, where he’s earned a 9.5 average finish — his best on any track with three or more starts. Blaney has seven top-fives and nine top-10 finishes in 15 starts at the 0.526-mile oval and has led 377 laps there. He hasn’t led the last one yet, but he’s earned the second-most points of anyone in the Next Gen car at Martinsville, per Racing Insights.

8. Chris Buescher (-23)

In his first deep run in the NASCAR Playoffs, Buescher is easily having the best season of his career. He has not won at either Homestead-Miami or Martinsville, but who’s to say this isn’t the year he breaks through? Buescher showed excellent speed to win at the 2-mile oval at Michigan over the summer and has been excellent on short tracks too, nabbing a 2022 win at Bristol in addition to this year’s triumph at Richmond. Is a walk-off win on the table for Buescher at Martinsville? He only has one top 10 in 23 combined starts at either track, but Buescher has proved any stats from prior seasons don’t necessarily apply this year.

Posted on October 17, 2023October 26, 2023 by Tadd Haislop

Either Ron Silk or Justin Bonsignore will leave Martinsville Speedway on Thursday, Oct. 26 as the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion. Which is fitting considering those are the drivers who have graced the top of the standings for the vast majority of the season.

Silk and Bonsignore, both already champs on the Tour with Silk taking the title in 2011 and Bonsignore winning in 2018, 2020 and 2021, have battled each other for race wins all year. Each driver has five victories, and they rank first and second in average finish positions among Tour regulars.

Silk, though, has the advantage entering the season-finale at the legendary half-mile paperclip in Southwest Virginia.

The driver of Haydt Yannone Racing’s No. 16 Modified has a 13-point lead over Bonsignore in the standings thanks in large part to the results of the most recent race, the World Series 150 at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Oct. 8. Silk won the race while Bonsignore, the pole-sitter, slid to a 13th place finish.

That means Bonsignore and his No. 51 Ken Massa Motorsports team need a little help to secure their fourth Modified Tour championship.

Ron Silk, outside, and Justin Bonsignore, inside, lead the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour field at New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway on May 6, 2023. (Photo: Nick Grace/NASCAR)

Simply put: If Silk finishes eighth or better at Martinsville, he will clinch the title no matter what Bonsignore does. Should Silk finish ninth or worse, the championship scenarios will open for Bonsignore.

The biggest factor working in Silk’s favor entering the finale is the consistency he’s displayed in 2023. He has 15 top-five finishes in 17 races; his only finishes outside the top five were his seventh-place run at Richmond Raceway in April and his 12th-place effort at New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway in September. The latter was the result of a spin early in the event.

Bonsignore, of course, has been just as strong. He has 14 top fives in 17 races and a series-high seven Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Awards. Silk has zero poles.

Fittingly, all eyes will be on these two competitors as the Whelen Modified Tour season reaches its final laps at Martinsville.

Below are the championship points scenarios based on each driver’s possible finish positions in the finale. Included below the table are the tiebreaker scenarios in the event both drivers end the Martinsville race with the same amount of points.

Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore at New Jersey’s Wall Stadium Speedway on July 8, 2023. (Photo: Kostas Lymperopoulos/NASCAR)

(The table features 39 positions based on the entry list for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200.)

Ron Silk vs. Justin Bonsignore: Championship points scenarios for NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Martinsville

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship points tiebreakers

(Via the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour rule book)

17-8 Ties

17-8.1 Championship points

A. In the event two or more drivers or Car Owners have the same number of points (a tie), each driver or Car Owner will be ranked according to the greatest number of 1st place finishes in 2023 Events for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour as of that time.

B. If a tie still exists, the greatest number of 2nd place finishes, 3rd place finishes, etc., will be used in the same manner, until the tie is broken.

C. If a tie still remains, the driver and/or Car Owner having the highest finishing position first during the current season in which the driver and/or Car Owner competed for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at the time will prevail.

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Holly Cain

For more than two decades, the Homestead-Miami Speedway crowned the NASCAR Cup Series champion.

This year, the South Florida 1.5-mile track will again contribute mightily to the championship cause – hosting Sunday’s 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) with an automatic bid into the season finale Championship 4 on the line.

Kyle Larson earned the first position among the four drivers who will compete for the 2024 title with a win in last weekend’s Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This week is another opportunity to claim a spot — and four of the current eight playoff competitors have won at Homestead-Miami in just the last six races there.

Larson is the defending winner, and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate — championship points leader William Byron — won in 2021. Among Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Denny Hamlin won most recently in 2020 and Martin Truex Jr. in 2017. And these four drivers also happen to be the top four ranked competitors coming into the weekend.

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson already secured his bid into the Nov. 5 Phoenix title finale, and Byron sits atop the standings from there with a nine-point advantage over fifth place Christopher Bell in a tightly-contested ranking. Teammates Truex — the Regular Season Champion — and Hamlin are tied, only two points up on their JGR cohort Bell.

23XI Racing’s Tyler Redick is sixth, 16 points off the top four, followed by Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney (-17) and RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher (-23) with only this week’s 400-miler at Homestead-Miami and next week’s 500-lapper at the historic Martinsville Speedway half-miler remaining to see which four drivers will be eligible to compete for the season title.

MORE: Full playoff standings | Standings shift after Vegas

A race victory from any of the playoff drivers is an automatic bid into the Championship 4, with the highest-ranked drivers in the championship standings filling out the remaining title-eligible lineup.

The Homestead-Miami mile-and-a-half began hosting NASCAR Cup Series races in 1999. Hamlin has competed in 18 races at Homestead, and his three poles (2015, 2017, 2018) and three victories (2009, ’13 and ’20) are tops among all active drivers. Hamlin has failed to finish in the top 10 only six times in his 18 starts there and was seventh in last year’s race.

In Truex’s 18 starts, he has that championship-clinching victory in 2017, but also three runner-up finishes (2006, ’18 and ’19). He’s finished sixth or better in five of the last six races. In 2019, he led a race-high 103 of the 267 laps only to finish runner-up. He was sixth last fall.

“It’s a track I feel good about,” said Truex, driver of the No. 19 JGR Toyota. “Recent success is always important. Now racing with the Next Gen car, we raced there for the first time last year. That went really well, and we were in position to win that race late, and we had some issues getting spun on pit road that took us out of it.

“Definitely have a lot of confidence going there with our Bass Pro Shops Camry. I feel like we have a good notebook from last year to go off of. It’s a place where I think we can make something happen.”

Of note, Byron’s victory in 2021 was particularly impressive in that he led a race-best 102 laps en route to the win, even though he started 31st on the grid. Only one other race winner has started farther back on the grid – Hamlin won from a 38th-place start in 2009.

Only two drivers have won back-to-back races on the Homestead 1.5-mile speedway – NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart won the first two NASCAR Cup Series races there in 1999 and 2000, and Greg Biffle won three consecutively during the 2004-06 seasons.

Kyle Busch, who was eliminated from 2023 playoff competition after the previous round, joins Hamlin as the only other multi-time Homestead NASCAR Cup Series winner (2015 and ’19) among active drivers. Add in his NASCAR Xfinity Series wins (two) and Craftsman Truck Series victories (three), and Busch is the overall winningest driver at the track.

Several championship contenders have turned in big days in South Florida beyond the NASCAR Cup Series, however. Reddick, in particular, has a fantastic history at the track, winning back-to-back-NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2018-19 to claim back-to-back series championships. And he did it driving for two different teams (JR Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing).

Larson won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race in 2015. Byron won the 2016 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race there.

This weekend marks a NASCAR playoff tripleheader, with all three series competing at Homestead-Miami. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races on Saturday at noon (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), followed by the NASCAR Xfinity Series at 3 p.m. (USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race is scheduled for 9:05 a.m. ET on Saturday, followed by two rounds of qualifying at 9:50 a.m. ET.