FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: HOMESTEAD-MIAMI PLAYOFF ADVANCE
Homestead-Miami Speedway plays host to three playoff races this weekend, including an elimination event that will determine the Championship 4 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, while the NASCAR Cup and NASCAR XFINITY Series conduct the second of three races in the Round of 8. Here’s a look at the weekend schedule and where Ford drivers rank in the current standings.
This Week’s Schedule:
Saturday, October 22 – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, 1 p.m. (FS1)
Saturday, October 22 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 4:30 p.m. (USA)
Sunday, October 23 – NASCAR Cup Series, 2:30 p.m. (NBC)
FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT HOMESTEAD
· Ford has a manufacturer-best eight series wins at Homestead-Miami.
· Joey Logano (2018) and Kevin Harvick (2014) have NCS wins at HMS.
· Greg Biffle won three straight years at HMS (2004-06).
· Roush Fenway posted five consecutive wins at HMS (2004-08).
· Jack Roush is second for the most owner wins in the series at HMS with seven.
ROUND OF 8 NCS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 4 advance after Martinsville)
- Joey Logano (Clinched: Las Vegas Winner)
- Chase Briscoe -9
- Ryan Blaney -11
FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT HOMESTEAD
· Ford has eight series wins by eight different drivers at Homestead-Miami.
· Dale Jarrett won the first NASCAR race held at HMS (1995).
· Chase Briscoe is the last Ford driver to win at the track (2020).
FORD IN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES AT HOMESTEAD
· Ford has six series wins by six different drivers at Homestead-Miami.
· Dave Rezendes won the first series race held at HMS (1996).
· Chase Briscoe is the last Ford driver to win at the track (2017).
ROUND OF 8 NCWTS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 4 advance after Homestead)
- Zane Smith (+18)
LOGANO PUNCHES TICKET TO CHAMPIONSHIP 4
Joey Logano’s win last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway clinched a spot in the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway. Logano, who won the title in 2018, has now made it into the final group five times during his career, ironically in even years (2014,’16,’18,’20,’22). The Team Penske driver has three wins this season, not including his season-opening victory in the Clash at the Coliseum non-points event. In addition, Logano is sixth on the all-time Ford Cup Series win list with 28, which is also the most for a Team Penske driver with Ford.
BRISCOE LOOKING TO JOIN SELECT COMPANY
Chase Briscoe is looking to join Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick as the only drivers who have won a race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in all three of NASCAR’s top touring series, Briscoe, who enters the weekend in sixth place, nine points behind fourth-place Denny Hamlin, captured the first win of has NASCAR career in 2017 at the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 200 NCWTS race and followed that up in 2020 with a victory in the NXS Contender Boats 250. Busch has three NCWTS wins (2010,’13,’20), two NXS victories (2009,’10) and two NCS triumphs (2015,’19). Harvick has one win in each series: NCWTS (2009), NXS (2004), and NCS (2014).
BLANEY LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK
Ryan Blaney was a contender at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leading 39 laps to close out the second stage and begin the third. However, he hit the wall on lap 229 and received enough damage that resulted in him finishing seven laps down in 28th place. As a result, Blaney goes into Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway trailing by 11 points for the final Championship 4 transfer spot (seventh place). In seven career NASCAR Cup Series starts at HMS, Blaney has one top-10 finish with that being a third place run in 2020.
SMITH GOING FOR THIRD STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP 4 APPEARANCE
Saturday is a scheduled elimination race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as the field will be trimmed from eight to four at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Ford’s Zane Smith finds himself third on the playoff grid and 18 points ahead of fifth-place Christian Eckes. While this marks Smith’s first season with Ford and Front Row Motorsports, Smith is no stranger to the Championship 4, having qualified each of the past two seasons and finishing second in the final standings in 2020 and 2021.
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI IS TOPS FOR HARVICK
Kevin Harvick is good everywhere on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit, but statistically Homestead-Miami Speedway is his best. Harvick has finished fifth or better in seven of the last eight events on the 1.5-mile track. In 21 career starts at HMS, Harvick has completed all but two of the 5,613 laps run during that time and has an average finishing position of 7.3. That includes 18 top-10 and 12 top-5 efforts.
CUSTER AND BRISCOE RETURN TO SCENE OF FIRST VICTORIES
Homestead-Miami Speedway is sure to bring back good memories for Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe, who both earned victories on back-to-back days at the track in 2017. Briscoe won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race to kickoff the weekend, marking the first national series victory in his rookie season while Custer dominated the NASCAR XFINITY Series race the following day, leading 182-of-200 laps, to post his first career series triumph.
FIVE-YEAR WIN STREAK HIGHLIGHTS ROUSH HISTORY AT HMS
Car owner Jack Roush has had his share of success on intermediate speedways, but his streak of winning seven times in nine years at Homestead-Miami is arguably one of the best. Kurt Busch won the organization’s first Cup race at the track in 2002 before Greg Biffle won three straight from 2004-06. That was part of a five-year winning streak that saw Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards go to victory lane in ’07 and ’08, respectively. Edwards eventually capped the run by winning for a second time in 2010. Since then, Roush has celebrated NASCAR XFINITY Series championships at the track, twice with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2011 and 2012, and once with Chris Buescher in 2015.
FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT HOMESTEAD
2002 – Kurt Busch
2004 – Greg Biffle
2005 – Greg Biffle
2006 – Greg Biffle
2007 – Matt Kenseth
2008 – Carl Edwards
2010 – Carl Edwards
2018 – Joey Logano
FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT HOMESTEAD
1995 – Dale Jarrett
1998 – Jeff Burton
2003 – Kasey Kahne
2006 – Matt Kenseth
2008 – Carl Edwards
2013 – Brad Keselowski
2017 – Cole Custer
2020 – Chase Briscoe (2)
FORD NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT HOMESTEAD
1996 – Dave Rezendes
1997 – Kenny Irwin Jr.
1998 – Rick Crawford
1999 – Mike Wallace
2006 – Mark Martin
2017 – Chase Briscoe
