NASCAR Fast Facts: Bell, Byron, Truex champions

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES

Ford EcoBoost 400 - Nov. 19, 2017 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr. (P)
Age: 37
Team: No. 78 - Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota
Owner: Furniture Row Racing
Crew Chief: Cole Pearn

Martin Truex Jr. (P) won the 19th Annual Ford EcoBoost 400, his 15th victory in 441 NASCAR Monster  Energy Cup Series races. This is his eighth victory and 26th top-10 finish in 2017. This is his first victory and eighth top-10 finish in 13 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kyle Busch (P) (second) posted his sixth top-10 finish in 13 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  It is  his 22nd top-10 finish in 2017.

Kyle Larson (third) posted his third top-10 finish in five races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Erik Jones (21st) was the highest finishing rookie. Erik Jones is the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

Martin Truex Jr. (P) is the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Toyota has won the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer's championship.

Driver Champion: Martin Truex Jr.
Team: No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota
- Martin Truex Jr has won his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, becoming the 32nd
different series champion.
- Truex wins in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to claim the 2017 title.
- Truex has become the fourth different driver to win a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship in the
elimination-style format of the Playoffs; joining Kevin Harvick (2014), Kyle Busch (2015) and Jimmie Johnson
(2016).
- Truex joins Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Labonte and Brad Keselowski as only the fifth driver all-time to
boast both Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series championships.
- In 2017, Truex has posted eight wins, 19 top fives, 26 top 10s and three poles.
- Truex (Mayetta) is the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion from the state of New Jersey.
Owner Champion: Barney Visser, Furniture Row Racing
- This is Furniture Row Racing’s first series owner championship in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
- Furniture Row Racing’s previous best championship standings finish was fourth in 2015 with driver Martin Truex
Jr.
- Furniture Row Racing is the only Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team based out of Denver, Colorado.
Crew Chief Champion: Cole Pearn
- Cole Pearn has won his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship with driver Martin Truex Jr.
- Pearn is the 39th different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series crew chief to win a championship.
- Pearn has posted 13 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories – all with driver Martin Truex Jr.

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NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Ford EcoBoost 300 - Nov. 18, 2017 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race Winner: Cole Custer
Age: 19
Team: No. 00 - Haas Automation Ford
Owner: Gene Haas
Crew Chief: Jeff Meendering

Cole Custer  won the 23rd Annual Ford EcoBoost 300, his first victory in 38 NASCAR XFINITY Series races. This is his first victory and 19th top-10 finish in 2017. This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in two races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Sam Hornish Jr. (second) posted his fourth top-10 finish in seven races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It is his third top-10 finish in 2017.

William Byron (P (third) posted his first top-10 finish in his first start at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Cole Custer (first) was the highest finishing rookie.

William Byron # (P) is the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion.

William Byron # (P) is the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

Chevrolet is the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series manufacturer's champion.

The 2017 season has seen 18 different winners tying the series record set back in 1988.

Driver Champion: William Byron
Team: No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro
- William Byron won his first NASCAR XFINITY Series championship; becoming the 28th different driver to win the title
and the second in series history to win the championship in his Sunoco rookie season joining Chase Elliott (2014).
- Byron finished third in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to claim the title.
- At the age of 19 years, 11 months, 20 days, William Byron has become the second youngest champion in NASCAR
XFINITY Series history; behind record holder Chase Elliott, who won the series title at the age of 18 years, 11 months,
18 days.
- Byron made 33 starts this season posting four wins, 12 top fives, 22 top 10s and two Coors Light poles.
- Byron (Charlotte) has become the sixth NASCAR XFINITY Series champion from the state of North Carolina; joining
Austin Dillon (2013 champion, Welcome, N.C.), Brian Vickers (2003, Thomasville, N.C.), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1998,
1999, Kannapolis, N.C.), Jack Ingram (1985, 1982, Asheville, N.C.) and Sam Ard (1983, 1984, Asheboro, N.C.).
Owner Of Driver Champion: Dale Earnhardt Jr., JR Motorsports
- This is JR Motorsport’s second NASCAR XFINITY Series driver championship (Chase Elliott, 2014).
- In addition to the No. 9 Chevrolet driven by William Byron, JR Motorsports had two other teams in the 2017 NASCAR
XFINITY Series Playoff Championship 4; the No. 1 Chevrolet driven by Elliott Sadler (finished eighth at Homestead)
and the No. 7 Chevrolet driven by Justin Allgaier (finished 12th at Homestead).
- Owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., a two-time (1998, ’99) NASCAR XFINITY Series driver champion, fielded his first car as an
owner in the series with driver Mark McFarland at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2005.
- JR Motorsports has led 12 different drivers to Victory Lane for a total of 37 wins in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
Crew Chief Champion: David Elenz
- This is David Elenz’s first career NASCAR XFINITY Series championship.
- Elenz is the 25th different crew chief to win the NASCAR XFINITY Series title.
- Elenz has won eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races with four different drivers: William Byron (four),
Kevin Harvick (two), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one) and Chase Elliott (one).
Owner Champion: Roger Penske, Team Penske No. 22 Ford
- This is Team Penske’s fourth NASCAR XFINITY Series owners championship (2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017).
- Five drivers made starts in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford this season: Ryan Blaney (11 starts), Brad Keselowski
(nine), Joey Logano (seven), Sam Hornish Jr. (five), Austin Cindric (one).
- The No. 22 team has posted four wins, 23 top fives and 28 top 10s this season.

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NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Ford EcoBoost 200 - Nov. 17, 2017 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race Winner: Chase Briscoe
Age: 22
Team: No. 29 - Cooper Standard Ford
Owner: Brad Keselowski
Crew Chief: Buddy Sisco

Chase Briscoe  won the 22nd Annual Ford EcoBoost 200, his first victory in 24 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races. This is his first victory and 14th top-10 finish in 2017. This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in two races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Christopher Bell (P) (second) posted his second top-10 finish in four races at Homestead-Miami  Speedway. It is his 21st top-10 finish in 2017. Johnny Sauter (P) (third) posted his eighth top-10 finish in 12 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Chase Briscoe (first) was the highest finishing rookie. Briscoe wins the 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

Christopher Bell (P) wins the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.

Toyota wins the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Manufacturer's championship.

Driver Champion: Christopher Bell
Team: No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra
- Christopher Bell won his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship; his previous best finish in the
final driver standings was third last season.
- Bell is the 16th different driver to win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.
- Bell finished second in the NASCAR Camping World Truck season finale to win the title.
- Bell finished the 2017 season with five wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s and five poles.
Owner Champion: Kyle Busch, Kyle Busch Motorsports
- This is Kyle Busch Motorsport’s record fifth-consecutive and sixth all-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
owner championship.
- Kyle Busch Motorsport’s previous owner championships were in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 – In 2013,
KBM’s No. 51 tied ThorSport Racing’s No. 88 in owner points, but was awarded the championship due the
tiebreaker (wins).
- Kyle Busch Motorsports is the first team in NCWTS history to win five consecutive owner championships.
- Kyle Busch Motorsports now has the most owner titles in the NCWTS with six.
- Kyle Busch Motorsports has led 10 different drivers to Victory Lane for a total of 65 series wins.
- This is Kyle Busch Motorsport’s second driver championship in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (Erik
Jones, 2015).
- Kyle Busch Motorsports made its series debut back in 2010 with driver Johnny Benson Jr. at Texas.
Crew Chief Champion: Ryan Fugle
- This is Ryan Fugle’s second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship; he won his first with
Erik Jones in 2015.
- Fugle has 21 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victories with four different drivers – Kyle Busch
(five), Erik Jones (four), William Byron (seven) and Christopher Bell (five).

Matt Kenseth wins and Keselowski earns championship berth

By JENNA FRYER
Associated Press 

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Matt Kenseth doesn't get to end his career the way he hoped. He thinks he's got a handful of good years left in him, and can win races and compete for championships.

But, the economics of the sport have made Kenseth a casualty of NASCAR's new youth movement. He doesn't have a job for next year.

So he's going away. But he's not going quietly.

Kenseth won for the first time this season, snapping a 51-race winless streak, to earn one final victory celebration.

"Just got one race left and everybody dreams of going out a winner," a tearful Kenseth said after climbing from his Toyota.

"It's just been quite a journey, and today was a really special day for me, to know that next week is almost for sure my last week behind the wheel."

Kenseth passed Chase Elliott with 10 laps remaining to win Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway and deny Elliott the final berth in next week's championship race. Had Elliott hung on for the win, he would have qualified for the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Elliott finished second for the seventh time in his career.

Brad Keselowski earned the final spot in the championship on points because a playoff-eligible driver did not win the race. Keselowski will race Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick for the championship next Sunday at Homestead. The field, two Toyota drivers and two Ford drivers, includes three former series champions and Truex, the most dominant driver of the season.

Kenseth had already been eliminated from the playoffs, so his victory was purely personal satisfaction. The 2003 NASCAR champion is a two-time Daytona 500 winner and consistent playoff driver, but he's 45 and being replaced at Joe Gibbs Racing next season by Erik Jones.

Too expensive to land a competitive ride for next season, Kenseth has decided to take time away rather than drive a car that can't win races.

"He's been really down and frustrated and trying to figure out this season and what it's all about, to try to go out there and try to win in his final season, not on his own terms final season," said teammate Busch, one of many drivers to congratulate Kenseth.

"I think it shows that there's no reason why he couldn't have gotten a job anywhere else. It's just, I guess, the industry didn't see Matt Kenseth as their driver, and that's really, really unfortunate because I love the guy and have raced with respect for him for a long, long time and will forever respect him for what he's done for the sport."

Kenseth said he's finally found peace with his future.

"I probably knew around August that it really wasn't meant for me to be racing anymore at this level, you know, going forward," Kenseth said. "I probably fought it for too long and kind of looked at different opportunities and thought about doing something different, but then just really embraced it.

"Not many people get to go out in really good cars and win races and have a chance to win a championship. It's really a blessing to be able to go to work every day and work as hard as you can on it, put everything into it that you've got and finally get one here."

The Kenseth win salvaged the day for Gibbs, which had a chance to get Denny Hamlin into the championship until his feud with Elliott cost him the chance.

The two were racing for position and Elliott gave Hamlin several taps as he tried to get past him for position, and when he finally was able to pull alongside Hamlin, the two cars made contact. Hamlin grazed the wall and immediately began losing positions on the track.

Just a few laps later, his tire blew, Hamlin hit the wall and his race was over. Elliott admitted he raced Hamlin aggressively, same as Hamlin did when he wrecked Elliott from the lead at Martinsville.

"A wise man once told me that he'll race guys how they race him with a smile on his face, so that's what I did today," Elliott said. "I raced him how he raced me, and that's the way I saw it. That's about all I have to say."

Hamlin was racing to win, but could have beaten Keselowski into the finale on points had he not wrecked. He has maintained that he didn't mean to wreck Elliott at Martinsville, and the payback Sunday was redemption.

"It just proves to the people who thought I was a bad guy that he would do the exact same thing under the same circumstances," Hamlin said. "I got into him and he chose to retaliate."

Jimmie Johnson also wrecked early in the race , ending his bid to make the championship. The elimination of the seven-time champion means NASCAR will not have a repeat winner.

LARSON'S WOES

Kyle Larson won the first stage of the race, and then his recent run of bad luck continued. His engine failed early in the second stage and Larson went to the garage with a last-place finish.

It's the fourth straight race Larson has failed to finish dating to Kansas when an engine failure knocked him out of the playoffs. Larson was considered a strong contender to win the title.

"It's a crappy way to end the season," Larson said. "I haven't blown up an engine since my first two Cup starts in 2013, now I've had three this season. It's a little disappointing and definitely a bad time of year to have that stuff happen."

The Chip Ganassi Racing team gets its engines from Hendrick Motorsports.

BIG HIT

Trevor Bayne had a tire go down in the third stage of the race that caused his car to veer directly into the wall.

"That hurt so bad," Bayne said on his team radio.

He was able to climb from his car and walk to a waiting ambulance for a mandatory check in the care center.

FIRE BREAK

The race was briefly red-flagged with 58 laps remaining when an accident involving Chris Buescher caused two different fires.

The brake rotor on Buescher's car exploded and pieces landed inside the energy-absorbing SAFER barrier. The hot parts caused the Styrofoam to catch fire in two different parts of the wall. NASCAR executive Steve O'Donnell tweeted during the five-minute stoppage that the red flag was used to "avoid too many lost laps" during the cleanup.

UP NEXT

The season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. The highest finishing driver of the four contenders will win the championship.

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More AP Auto Racing: http://racing.ap.org

Follow JENNA FRYER on Twitter @JennaFryer

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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race - Can-Am 500

Phoenix Raceway

Avondale, Arizona

Sunday, November 12, 2017

               1. (7) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 312.
               2. (4) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 312.
               3. (5) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota, 312.
               4. (11) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 312.
               5. (6) Kevin Harvick (P), Ford, 312.
               6. (13) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 312.
               7. (8) Kyle Busch (P), Toyota, 312.
               8. (27) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 312.
               9. (22) Aric Almirola, Ford, 312.
               10. (14) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 312.
               11. (29) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 312.
               12. (9) Joey Logano, Ford, 312.
               13. (20) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 312.
               14. (21) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 312.
               15. (19) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 312.
               16. (16) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford, 312.
               17. (1) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 312.
               18. (10) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 312.
               19. (17) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 311.
               20. (18) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 311.
               21. (15) Kurt Busch, Ford, 310.
               22. (28) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 309.
               23. (23) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 309.
               24. (32) Landon Cassill, Ford, 309.
               25. (24) Danica Patrick, Ford, 309.
               26. (37) DJ Kennington, Chevrolet, 307.
               27. (30) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 306.
               28. (36) * David Starr(i), Toyota, 305.
               29. (38) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 305.
               30. (35) * Joey Gase(i), Chevrolet, 304.
               31. (33) Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, 303.
               32. (40) * Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 302.
               33. (26) David Ragan, Ford, 301.
               34. (39) * Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 294.
               35. (2) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, Accident, 275.
               36. (34) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, Accident, 258.
               37. (31) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, Accident, 247.
               38. (25) Trevor Bayne, Ford, Accident, 226.
               39. (12) Jimmie Johnson (P), Chevrolet, Accident, 148.
               40. (3) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Engine, 104.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  105.534 mph.
Time of Race:  02 Hrs, 57 Mins, 23 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.207 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  7 for 41 laps.
Lead Changes:  9 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   R. Blaney (P) 1-11; C. Elliott (P) 12-25; D. Hamlin (P) 26; C. Elliott (P) 27; D. Hamlin (P) 28-67; K. Larson 68-79; D. Hamlin (P) 80-231; M. Kenseth 232-283; C. Elliott (P) 284-302; M. Kenseth 303-312.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  D. Hamlin (P) 3 times for 193 laps; M. Kenseth 2 times for 62 laps; C. Elliott (P) 3 times for 34 laps; K. Larson 1 time for 12 laps; R. Blaney (P) 1 time for 11 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 42,11,24,20,4,18,77,78,31,48
Stage #2 Top Ten: 11,20,77,78,18,4,1,31,24,14

NASCAR Announces Start Times for 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Together with FOX, NBC, race teams and tracks, NASCAR unveiled 2018 race start times and network coverage for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™, including the DAYTONA 500® on FOX and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship on NBC.

As noted in the previously released schedule dates, key changes include the return of the DAYTONA 500 to President’s Day weekend for the historic 60th running of The Great American Race®. Additionally, the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will begin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway® and include the Charlotte Motor Speedway® road course as part of the first round.

"Feedback from our fans, along with insight from teams, tracks and our broadcast partners was key to identifying the most ideal start time for each race," said Steve Herbst, senior vice president, broadcasting and production at NASCAR. "Every race weekend is unique, so considering fan and industry input alongside each event’s nuances allows us to balance interests on all sides."

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season officially returns on February 18 with the DAYTONA 500. Tune-in at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, or visit NASCAR.com/tickets to catch all the action in-person.

2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Schedule

Date	Location	Network	Race Start	Radio
2/11	Daytona 500 Qualifying at Daytona International Speedway	FOX	12 p.m. ET	MRN
2/11	The Clash at  Daytona International Speedway	FS1	3 p.m. ET	MRN
2/15	The Duel at  Daytona International Speedway	FS1	7 p.m. ET	MRN
2/18	DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway	FOX	2:30 p.m. ET	MRN
2/25	Atlanta Motor Speedway	FOX	2 p.m. ET	PRN
3/4	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	FOX	3:30 p.m. ET	PRN
3/11	Phoenix Raceway	FOX	3:30 p.m. ET	MRN
3/18	Auto Club Speedway	FOX	3:30 p.m. ET	MRN
3/25	Martinsville Speedway	FS1	2 p.m. ET	MRN
4/8	Texas Motor Speedway	FS1	2 p.m. ET	PRN
4/15	Bristol Motor Speedway	FOX	2 p.m. ET	PRN
4/21	Richmond Raceway	FOX	6:30 p.m. ET	MRN
4/29	Talladega Superspeedway	FOX	2 p.m. ET	MRN
5/6	Dover International Speedway	FS1	2 p.m. ET	MRN
5/12	Kansas Speedway	FS1	8 p.m. ET	MRN
5/19	Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open at Charlotte Motor Speedway	FS1	6 p.m. ET	MRN
5/19	Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway	FS1	8 p.m. ET	MRN
5/27	Charlotte Motor Speedway	FOX	6 p.m. ET	PRN
6/3	Pocono Raceway	FS1	2 p.m. ET	MRN
6/10	Michigan International Speedway	FOX	2 p.m. ET	MRN
6/24	Sonoma Raceway	FS1	3 p.m. ET	PRN
7/1	Chicagoland Speedway	NBCSN	2:30 p.m. ET	MRN
7/7	Daytona International Speedway	NBC	7 p.m. ET	PRN
7/14	Kentucky Speedway	NBCSN	7:30 p.m. ET	PRN
7/22	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	NBCSN	2 p.m. ET	PRN
7/29	Pocono Raceway	NBCSN	2:30 p.m. ET	MRN
8/5	Watkins Glen International	NBC	2:30 p.m. ET	MRN
8/12	Michigan International Speedway	NBCSN	2:30 p.m. ET	MRN
8/18	Bristol Motor Speedway	NBCSN	7:30 p.m. ET	PRN
9/2	Darlington Raceway	NBCSN	6 p.m. ET	MRN
9/9	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	NBCSN	2 p.m. ET	IMS
9/16	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	NBCSN	3 p.m. ET	PRN
9/22	Richmond Raceway	NBCSN	7:30 p.m. ET	MRN
9/30	Charlotte Motor Speedway	NBC	2 p.m. ET	PRN
10/7	Dover International Speedway	NBCSN	2 p.m. ET	MRN
10/14	Talladega Superspeedway	NBC	2 p.m. ET	MRN
10/21	Kansas Speedway	NBC	2 p.m. ET	MRN
10/28	Martinsville Speedway	NBCSN	2:30 p.m. ET	MRN
11/4	Texas Motor Speedway	NBCSN	3 p.m. ET	PRN
11/11	Phoenix Raceway	NBC	2:30 p.m. ET	MRN
11/18	Homestead Miami Speedway	NBC	2:30 p.m. ET	MRN