MIAMI- Ford Championship Weekend is in full swing, and to celebrate the XFINITY Series championship race on Saturday, Homestead-Miami Speedway announced Johnathan Hillstrand, star of the show “Deadliest Catch,” as the Grand Marshall for the Ford EcoBoost 300.
Hillstrand, who was born and raised in Homer, Alaska, is a third generation fisherman and the captain of the F/V Time Bandit. Hillstrand has been on commercial fishing vessels since the age of three and began commercial fishing at the age of 17. Apart from fishing, Hillstrand is an entrepreneur and operates Time Bandit Fireworks, Time Bandit Entertainment, Time Bandit Productions, and The Time Bandit Gear Store.
“I’m really looking forward to kicking off the race with ‘Drivers, start your engines!’ in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Ford EcoBoost 300 championship race on Saturday,” said Hillstrand.
“The Ford EcoBoost 300 championship race will bring unprecedented excitement, as the Championship 4 will battle for the series crown in the inaugural year of the new XFINITY Series Chase format,” said Homestead-Miami Speedway President Matthew Becherer. “Hillstrand is the ultimate NASCAR enthusiast and having him be a part of Ford Championship Weekend brings even more enthusiasm to race day.”
Tickets for NASCAR’s 2016 Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, are available and can be purchased by calling (866) 409-RACE (7223) or visiting www.HomesteadMiamiSpeedway.com.
About Homestead-Miami Speedway
The Speedway has been open since 1995 following an initiative to spur economic recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. The track, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015, is a 650-acre facility that features a 1.5-mile oval and 2.21-mile road course. The track is active nearly 300 days per year and generates more than $301 million annually for the region. NASCAR has crowned its champions in all three of its premier series at Homestead-Miami Speedway each of the past 14 years (2002-15) at Ford Championship Weekend. Champions crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2015 were Kyle Busch (Sprint Cup Series), Chris Buescher (XFINITY Series) and Erik Jones (Camping World Truck Series). The 2016 Ford Championship Weekend will be held November 18-20.
About “Driving for a Cause”
“Driving for a Cause,” the charitable arm of Homestead-Miami Speedway, operates under the auspices of the NASCAR Foundation as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. Homestead-Miami Speedway will continue each of its charitable activities, including its in-kind donations to local groups, support of Homestead Hospital’s Speediatrics unit, and its program where organizations can work track events in exchange for a donation to their group or cause.
