Author: Mike Haag

By Brant James, NASCAR Wire Service HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The crew in black and yellow fire suits went methodically about its business, check-listing last details before the beginning of the final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A few feet away, the crew in the red and black fire suits was performing the same series of tasks, but a throng of onlookers and well-wishers pressed in at every movement. It was a surreal scene, or rather scenes, both on Sunday and 14 years ago. But in each case, the careers and personas of NASCAR’s most…

Courtesy of Tim Keenan HOMESTEAD, Fla., – Despite a disappointing 29th-place finish in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway today, Ryan Blaney – driving his last race for the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team – handed Wood Brothers Racing its best season since 1995. Blaney and the Wood Brothers end up ninth in the overall season points standings. Blaney’s otherwise stellar 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season included a win, two pole positions, 14 top-10 finishes and a nine-week NASCAR Playoff run. “It’s been a fun year for sure,” Blaney said after the race. “It’s a shame it ended not…

Courtesy of NASCAR DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Following a long and winding road, Martin Truex Jr. finally owns the biggest prize in motorsports. The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota capped off a dominant season in fitting fashion –by capturing the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship with a stirring victory in Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. To take the title, Truex outdueled his Championship 4 competitors Kyle Busch (second), Kevin Harvick (fourth) and Brad Keselowski (seventh). The Mayetta, New Jersey, native was the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ best driver all year, winning…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HOMESTEAD, Fla. – According to NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, you don’t have to look far to find the next generation of stars. “They are here,” France said on Sunday morning before the Ford EcoBoost 400 (3 p.m. ET on NBC) during a question-and-answer session with reporters at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “They are here, and they’ve got to develop their performance, but they’re doing well. You look at Ryan Blaney, you look at Chase (Elliott) almost making the final here in Miami. Go down the list. We’ve got a loaded group. “But it’s true, we’re…

Courtesy of NASCAR DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company today announced a renewed sponsorship agreement that ensures Goodyear is the exclusive tire of NASCAR’s top three national series. The newly signed agreement continues Goodyear’s designation as the “Official Tire of NASCAR” and extends an uninterrupted relationship that started in 1954. Goodyear and NASCAR’s six decades of partnership is one of the longest-running sponsor programs in any sport. In addition, Goodyear has been the exclusive tire supplier for the sanctioning body’s top three series since 1997. “We proudly join Goodyear in celebrating our renewed…

News, notes and photos courtesy of NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race: Ford EcoBoost 400 The Place: Homestead-Miami Speedway The Date: Sunday, Nov. 19 The Time: 3 p.m. ET TV: NBC, 2 p.m. ET Tickets: NASCAR.com/tickets Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 400.5 miles (267 laps), Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 160), Stage 3 (Ends on Lap 267) By The Numbers: Homestead-Miami Speedway 1 – Tony Stewart is the only driver in series history to win at the famed 1.5-mile speedway in his first appearance (1999). 2 – Number of Coors Light poles at…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HOMESTEAD, Fla. – As Cole Custer celebrated his first victory in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and 19-year-old William Byron reveled in the series championship, a heartbroken and angry Elliott Sadler confronted the driver he believed cost him a long-coveted NASCAR title. Custer took the checkered flag in a different zip code, crossing the finish line 15.405 seconds ahead of second-place Sam Hornish Jr., who delivered the owners’ championship to Roger Penske. The real action, however, occurred three-quarters of a lap behind the winner. Sadler had passed Byron, his JR Motorsports teammate on Lap 165…

By Brant James, NASCAR Wire Service HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Elliott Sadler’s despair and frustration in finishing second for the fourth time in the last seven NASCAR XFINITY Series seasons was evident on Saturday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was scrawled on his face. It was patently obvious when he crawled through the window of his No. 1 Chevrolet and confronted Ryan Preece, on whom he projected his anger. The 42-year-old veteran for JR Motorsports, his 22-year career devoid of a championship in a top-three NASCAR series, was angry that Preece had impeded his way as he attempted to catch teammate William…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The tandem burnouts filled the frontstretch at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a thick cloud of smoke, as Chase Briscoe celebrated his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, and runner-up Christopher Bell exulted in his first NASCAR championship. In a Ford EcoBoost 200 that ran caution-free except for the planned breaks after the first and second stages, Briscoe, the pole winner, passed Ben Rhodes for the lead on Lap 96 of 134 on Friday night and pulled away to beat Bell to the finish line by 2.887 seconds, after Rhodes ran out…

By Brant James, NASCAR Wire Service HOMESTEAD, Fla. – There would be no repeat for Johnny Sauter in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “This is hard. This is tough,” Sauter said, “To come down to one race. They were just better than us tonight.” The 39-year-old Wisconsin native finished third in the race and second in the championship behind Christopher Bell, a sizeable 13 seconds behind him in the race as the Toyota driver won his first title. Austin Cindric finished fifth in the race and third in the standings, Matt Crafton sixth and…