STEWART-HAAS RACING 4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1
Date: Oct. 22, 2023 Event: 4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1 (Round 34 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval) Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/85 laps/102 laps) Race Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
SHR Race Finish:
● Aric Almirola (Started 30th, Finished 9th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps) ● Kevin Harvick (Started 22nd, Finished 11th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps) ● Ryan Preece (Started 29th, Finished 13th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps) ● Chase Briscoe (Started 21st, Finished 17th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
SHR Points:
● Kevin Harvick (14th with 2,170 points) ● Aric Almirola (22nd with 616 points) ● Ryan Preece (24th with 590 points) ● Chase Briscoe (30th with 473 points)
SHR Notes:
● Almirola earned his fourth top-10 of the season and his fifth top-10 in 14 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Homestead. ● This was Almirola’s second straight top-15. He finished 14th last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. ● This was Harvick’s second straight result of 16th or better. He finished 16th last Sunday at Las Vegas. ● Since joining SHR in 2014, Harvick has only one finish outside the top-11 at Homestead. ● Preece earned his 11th top-15 of the season and his first top-15 in five career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Homestead. ● Preece’s 13th-place result bettered his previous best finish at Homestead – 21st, earned in 2021. ● Briscoe’s 17th-place result bettered his previous best finish at Homestead – 18th, earned in 2021.
Race Notes:
● Christopher Bell won the 4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1 to score his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his first at Homestead. His margin over second-place Ryan Blaney was 1.651 seconds.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 35 laps. ● Twenty-three of the 36 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap. ● This was the second race in the penultimate Round of 8 of the NASCAR Playoffs. Bell secured his spot in the Championship 4 via his win and joined last week’s winner, Kyle Larson. William Byron and Blaney are the other two drivers above the top-four cutline while Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Chris Buescher are currently below the cutline with one race remaining before the final, winner-take-all Championship 4 Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway.
Sound Bites:
“We ended up with a solid top-10 today even after a mistake on pit road by me. We finally had something go our way with that caution that brought us back in the game. We found some speed in our Smithfield Ford Mustang today. We needed a top-10 as a team after the year we’ve had, and to do it at Homestead is awesome. We never gave up today after coming back from 30th, to that penalty, and then back up again. We kept taking a swing at the balance all day and found something when it mattered. I love it here at Homestead and in my home state. Really excited to carry this momentum to Martinsville next weekend, where we had a shot at a win and ran up front all day.” – Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang
“Decent day for our 41 group. We spent a majority of the first stage trying to get our car a little bit tighter so we could run the top, but our entry and exit were good throughout the day. Our car was fast and we were able to make positive gains throughout the day with pit strategy. Wish we could’ve gotten a few more spots there at the end, but it was an overall good day for us and we’ll take a 13th-place finish. Really looking forward to Martinsville next weekend, I know it’ll be a good weekend for us.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang
“We never really could get the track position. I felt like our car was good enough to run up front. We were able to pass the 23XI guys who finished up front and were able to, about halfway finally get to 11th or 12th, then got a penalty that just kind of killed our day. Frustrating but, overall, we still had a fast car, which is a positive for our mile-and-a-half program. But it’s definitely frustrating. It shows how important execution is at this level, where you win or lose as a team – frustrating because we definitely had a car that was capable of running up front.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, Oct. 29 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. It is the second-to-last race of the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs and the final race in the Round of 8. The Xfinity 500 starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
A week after coming within striking distance of securing a Championship 4 berth before being edged by Kyle Larson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Christopher Bell earned a redemptive NASCAR Cup Series victory in the 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, October 22, to officially race his way into this year’s Championship 4 round.
The 28-year-old Bell from Norman, Oklahoma, led two times for 26 of 267-scheduled laps in an event where he started 13th and flirted between running towards the top 10 to running outside the top 10 throughout the event’s first two stage periods. Then after leading for the first time with 37 laps remaining, Bell withstood three late caution periods that knocked out Larson along with teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin to assume the lead for the second and final time with 15 laps remaining amid an intense battle between Playoff rivals William Byron and Ryan Blaney. From there, Bell muscled away with the top spot and claimed the checkered flag by more than a second over Blaney to notch his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2023 season and become the second Playoff competitor alongside Kyle Larson to secure one of four vacant spots into this year’s Championship 4 round.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, October 21, Playoff contender Martin Truex Jr. secured his second Cup Series pole position of the season and the 22nd of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 167.411 mph in 32.256 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Bubba Wallace, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 167.115 mph in 32.313 seconds.
Prior to the event, Joey Logano dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car after he wrecked his primary car during Saturday’s practice session.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Truex and Wallace dueled for the lead through the first two turns as the field behind fanned out. Entering the backstretch, Wallace gained the momentum and pulled his No. 23 McDonald’s Grimace Toyota TRD Camry ahead of the pack, but Truex fought back on the inside lane through Turns 3 and 4 as he managed to lead the first lap by a hair over Wallace. Truex and Wallace would continue to duel dead even for the lead through the next two laps until Wallace used the outside lane to his advantage as he led the next two laps before clearing Truex to have both lanes to his control.
Through the first five scheduled laps, Wallace was leading by a tenth of a second over Truex. Wallace would retain the lead by three-tenths of a second over Truex by the Lap 10 mark as Brad Keselowski, William Byron and Tyler Reddick were in the top five. Then during the following lap, Truex moved his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota TRD Camry back into the lead over Wallace as Keselowski and Byron battled for third place in front of Kyle Larson.
At the Lap 20 mark, Byron emerged as the new leader over Truex followed by Keselowski, Larson and Tyler Reddick while Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon and Christopher Bell were running in the top 10. Behind, Kyle Busch trailed in 11th place ahead of Ross Chastain, Corey LaJoie, Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell while AJ Allmendinger, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, rookie Ty Gibbs and Austin Cindric occupied the top 20 in front of Kevin Harvick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, Aric Almirola, Ryan Preece and Playoff contender Chris Buescher. In addition, Logano was mired in 27th in between Buescher, Harrison Burton and Chase Briscoe while John Hunter Nemechek was in 34th behind Todd Gilliland.
Ten laps later, Byron continued to lead by three-tenths of a second over Keselowski followed by Larson, Truex and Reddick while Blaney, Hamlin, Wallace, Austin Dillon and Bell were running in the top 10 on the track. Meanwhile, Playoff contender Buescher was mired back in 28th.
Shortly after, the first wave of green flag pit stops commenced as Kyle Busch and Ryan Preece pitted their respective entries. Austin Dillon would pit by Lap 31 along with Chase Elliott, McDowell, Bowman and others before a bevy of names led by Keselowski, Larson, Truex, Blaney and Chastain pitted by Lap 32. By Lap 33, Byron surrendered the lead to pit his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 under green before Reddick, who led a lap for himself, pitted his No. 45 McDonald’s Hamburglar Toyota TRD Camry during the proceeding lap along with teammate Wallace as Hamlin cycled into the lead.
By Lap 40 and with most of the field having made a pit stop under green, Hamlin, who led the previous seven laps, surrendered the lead to pit his No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota TRD Camry along with Logano as Keselowski cycled into the lead ahead of Larson, Byron, Blaney and Truex.
Ten laps later, Keselowski retained the lead by a second over Larson followed by Byron, Blaney and Truex while Reddick, Austin Dillon, Bell, Hamlin and Chastain were running in the top 10. With seven of eight Playoff contenders running in the top 10, minus Keselowski, Austin Dillon and Chastain, Buescher was the lone Playoff contender not running in the top 10 as he was mired in 26th behind Harrison Burton.
Another four laps later, Larson muscled his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead over Keselowski while racing on the inside lane. Larson would proceed to lead at the Lap 60 mark by two seconds over Keselowski’s No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang while Byron, Blaney, Truex, Reddick, Austin Dillon, bell, Hamlin and Chastain were scored in the top 10. By then, Buescher was mired back in 27th while AJ Allmendinger, Wallace, Ty Gibbs, LaJoie and Kyle Busch occupied the top 15 in front of Kevin Harvick.
By Lap 70, Larson stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Keselowski as Blaney, Byron and Truex battled in the top five ahead of Reddick, Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Bell and Ty Gibbs. Meanwhile, Buescher lost one spot in the process as he was down in 28th.
Then on Lap 76, the first caution period of the event flew after Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who was running 18th, made contact with the backstretch’s outside wall before he spun below the track and damaged the right-rear toe link of his No. 47 Boost by Kroger/Vitaminwater Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The caution for Stenhouse’s incident was enough for the first stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 80 to conclude under caution as Larson, who secured his spot into this year’s Championship 4 round by winning last weekend’s Playoff event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, captured his eighth Cup stage victory of the 2023 season. Keselowski settled in second while Blaney, Byron, Truex, Hamlin, Reddick, Austin Dillon, Bell and Ty Gibbs were scored in the top 10. By then, Buescher was the lone Playoff contender to not score the first round of stage points as he was mired in 27th.
Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Larson pitted. Following the pit stops, Larson retained the lead after exiting pit road first ahead of Keselowski, Byron, Truex, Blaney, Austin Dillon and Reddick.
The second stage period started on Lap 85 as Larson and Keselowski occupied the front row. At the start, Larson muscled ahead on the outside lane as he retained the lead over Keselowski, Byron, Ty Gibbs and Truex while Blaney and Reddick battled for sixth place alongside Chastain. As the field behind jostled for spots, Larson proceeded to lead just past the Lap 90 mark over teammate Byron by two-tenths of a second as Keselowski, Truex and Blaney trailed in the top five. Behind, Chastain, Ty Gibbs, Reddick, Austin Dillon and Hamlin were in the top 10 while Bell and Buescher were mired in 14th and 26th, respectively.
At the Lap 100 mark, Larson was leading by eight-tenths of a second over Keselowski while third-place Byron trailed by more than a second in third place. Behind, Blaney and Truex were scored in the top five ahead of Chastain, Reddick, Austin Dillon, Ty Gibbs and Hamlin while Allmendinger, LaJoie, Wallace, Logano and Bell occupied the top 15 ahead of Aric Almirola, Cindric, Erik Jones, Harvick and Chase Briscoe. Meanwhile, Suarez, Ryan Preece, Elliott, Kyle Busch and McDowell were running in the top 25 while Buescher was mired in 26th.
Thirteen laps later, a second wave of green flag pit stops commenced as Ty Gibbs pitted under green along with Briscoe and Preece. Larson would then surrender the lead to pit under green by Lap 114 along with teammate Byron, Blaney, Logano, Almirola, Bell, Buescher and Ty Dillon as Keselowski assumed the lead. Keselowski would then pit from the lead on Lap 115 followed by Truex, Reddick, Austin Dillon, Chastain, LaJoie, Erik Jones and Jusitn Haley as Hamlin moved into the lead. Hamlin would lead through Lap 125 before he pitted under green as Larson cycled back into the lead followed by Keselowski, Blaney, Byron and Truex. By then, more names that included LaJoie, Allmendinger, Erik Jones, Suarez and Wallace had pitted under green.
At the halfway mark between Laps 133 and 134, Larson was leading by more than four seconds over Keselowski followed by Blaney, Byron and Truex while Reddick, Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, Chastain and Allmendinger were scored in the top 10. Behind, Logano was up to 11th ahead of LaJoie, Briscoe, Hamlin and Almirola while Bell, Erik Jones, Wallace, Preece and Harvick were scored in the top 20 ahead of Suarez, Elliott, Cindric, Kyle Busch, McDowell and Buescher.
By Lap 150, Larson stabilized his advantage to more than two seconds over Blaney while Byron, Keselowski and Truex were running in the top five ahead of Reddick, Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, Hamlin and Chastain. Meanwhile, Bell was mired back in 18th behind Wallace while Buescher continued to run in 26th behind McDowell.
Then on Lap 162, Blaney tracked and overtook Larson for the lead. Byron would then overtake teammate Larson for the runner-up spot during the following lap as Blaney checked out with the lead by a second in his No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 165, Blaney, who came into Homestead 17 points below the top-four cutline, captured his fifth Cup stage victory of the 2023 season. Byron settled in second followed by teammate Larson, Hamlin and Keselowski while Truex, Reddick, Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon and Logano were scored in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Bell and Buescher were scored in 22nd and 26th, respectively.
During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Blaney pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Blaney retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Byron, Keselowski, Hamlin, Larson, Logano, Austin Dillon and Reddick.
With 95 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Blaney and Byron occupied the front row. At the start, Blaney retained a brief advantage over Byron through the first two turns and the backstretch before Byron drew himself into a side-by-side challenge against Blaney for the top spot while running on the inside lane. Byron would then muscle ahead during the following lap before he engaged in another side-by-side duel against Blaney for the lead. Amid the duel, Blaney would use the inside lane to muscle ahead, slide up and clear Byron through the frontstretch with 92 laps remaining. In the process, Hamlin was in third place and trailing by eight-tenths of a second while Keselowski and Larson were in the top five.
With 85 laps remaining, Blaney was leading by half a second over Hamlin while Byron, Larson and Chastain trailed in the top five. Behind, Truex, who endured a slow pit stop during the second stage break, and Keselowski made contact as Keselowski then hit the outside wall exiting the backstretch, but the race proceeded under green. Amid the late on-track battles, Blaney retained the lead by seven-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Hamlin while Larson, Byron and Chastain remained in the top five with 75 laps remaining. With Austin Dillon, Truex, Keselowski, Reddick and Bell running in the top 10, Buescher was mired back in 27th while racing a lap down.
Then with 57 laps remaining, another wave of green flag pit stops commenced as Keselowski pitted followed by Truex, Ty Gibbs, Suarez, Ryan Newman and Chastain. Then amid the green flag pit stops, the caution flew with 55 laps remaining after Larson, who was trying to enter pit road behind the leader Blaney under green, locked up his front tires while trying to ease off of the throttle and hit the sand barrels towards the pit road entrance before he nursed his damaged No. 5 Chevrolet into his pit stall. The incident was enough for NASCAR to place the event in a red flag period as the track crews proceeded to clean up sand from the destroyed barrels towards pit road entrance.
Following the red flag period that lasted more than 12 minutes, the field led by Hamlin returned under a cautious pace. During the caution period, a majority of the field led by Hamlin pitted while Blaney, who benefitted during Larson’s incident by pitting his No. 12 Ford Mustang and remaining on the lead lap, remained on the track as he inherited the lead. Following the pit stops, Hamlin exited pit road first followed by Byron, Harvick, Allmendinger, Bell, Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch. Amid the caution period, the following names that included Chastain, Truex, Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Elliott took the wave around back to the lead lap while Keselowski received the free pass.
With the race restarting under green with 46 laps remaining, Blaney and Hamlin dueled for the lead through the frontstretch and entering the first two turns until Hamlin motored ahead on the inside lane to assume the lead from Blaney as Bell joined the battle. Shortly after, the caution quickly returned after Keselowski, who was running in the middle of the pack and was sandwiched in between Chastain and John Hunter Nemechek entering the backstretch, sent both Nemechek and Chastain sideways and into one another, where they collected JJ Yeley in the process as Yeley spun and pounded the inside wall head on while Nemechek also spun towards the inside wall and Chastain spun sideways in the middle of the track. During the caution period, some that included Wallace, Keselowski, Truex, Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, Preece and Elliott pitted while the rest led by Hamlin remained on the track.
During the following restart with 38 laps remaining, Hamlin and Blaney dueled for the lead in front of Bell and Byron through the frontstretch and entering the first two turns. With Blaney and Hamlin continuing to duel dead even for the lead through the backstretch, Bell made a bold three-wide move on both through Turns 3 and 4 to assume the lead during the following lap. With Bell checking out with the lead, another three-wide battle ensued for the runner-up spot between Hamlin, Blaney and Byron before Byron used the outside lane to clear both through Turns 3 and 4 and retain the runner-up spot. As Blaney and Hamlin continued to battle dead even for third place, another three-wide battle ensued behind between Harvick, Austin Dillon and Logano for fifth place while Bell was leading by nearly eight-tenths of a second over Byron with 35 laps remaining.
Then three laps later, the caution flew after Playoff contender Hamlin, who was locked in a tight battle with Blaney for third place, went up the track in Turn 1 and pounded the outside wall hard as a result of a broken steering before he limped his damaged No. 11 Toyota TRD Camry to pit road and eventually retired from the event. In the process, concerns started to occur for teammate and Playoff contender Truex after light smoke was seen billowing out of the No. 19 Toyota TRD Camry, an issue that would result with Truex’s car being pushed to the garage.
During the caution period, the field led by Bell pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Byron assumed the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Blaney, Bell, Harvick, Logano, Wallace and Reddick.
The following restart with 25 laps remaining witnessed Byron and Blaney duel dead even for the lead through the first two turns and through the backstretch while Bell trailed closely behind. Byron and Blaney continued to battle dead even for the lead through the frontstretch as Bell, Logano and Wallace battled for fifth place. Then with 24 laps remaining, Byron managed to clear Blaney entering the backstretch and assume both lanes to his control while Bell challenged Blaney for the runner-up spot through the frontstretch.
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Byron was leading by three-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Bell as third-place Blaney trailed by seven-tenths of a second. Behind, Wallace overtook Logano for fourth place and Reddick was in sixth as Ty Gibbs, Allmendinger, Almirola and Austin Cindric were in the top 10.
Then five laps later, Bell made his move beneath Byron as he assumed the lead by a hair through the frontstretch. Bell and Byron would duel for the top spot through the first two turns until Bell slid up the track and cleared Byron through the backstretch. As Bell assumed the lead, Blaney, who was trailing the two leaders by nearly two seconds, retained third place ahead of 23XI Racing’s Reddick and Wallace.
With 10 laps remaining, Bell continued to lead by seven-tenths of a second over Byron as Blaney, Reddick and Wallace retained their respective spots in the top five ahead of Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs, Logano, Almirola and Harvick. Bell would proceed to retain the lead by more than a second over the new runner-up competitor, Blaney, as Byron fell back to third in front of Reddick, Allmendinger and Wallace with five laps remaining.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Bell remained as the leader by more than a second over Blaney. With Blaney unable to narrow the deficit amid his late-race charge, Bell was able to cycle his No. 20 Rheem Toyota TRD Camry around Homestead smoothly for a final time before he returned to the frontstretch and claimed both the checkered flag and a berth into this year’s Championship 4 round.
With the victory, Bell notched his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2023 season, his first since winning the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course in April, his first at Homestead and the sixth of his career. The victory was also the eighth of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing and the 10th of the year for the Toyota nameplate.
Above all, Bell, who punched his ticket into this year’s Championship 4 round for a second consecutive season, will contend for his first Cup Series championship two weeks from now at Phoenix Raceway.
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“I’ve got the best team behind me,” Bell said on NBC. “Honestly, I don’t know, man. That race was a whirlwind. I was ready to throw the towel in there in the second stage and I got really frustrated on the radio. [Crew chief] Adam [Stevens] kept after it. Adam, Tyler, William, the guys back at the shop are working over the adjustments. They gave me what I needed. Whenever we got some clean air, this thing was really good. I cannot say how proud I am to be here with our partners. I’ve been with Toyota since day one. Thank you everyone that supported me. This is better than a dream come true.”
Behind Bell, Blaney muscled his way into a strong runner-up finish ahead of Playoff rivals Reddick and Byron while Allmendinger, the highest non-Playoff contender, settled in fifth place. With the results, Blaney and Byron are currently scored above the top-four cutline to make this year’s Championship 4 round entering the Round of 8 finale next weekend at Martinsville Speedway while Reddick stands as the first competitor currently scored out of the cutline by 10 points. Hamlin, Truex and Buescher are also scored below the cutline following the second Round of 8 event.
“We were good on the long runs all day and that’s what we needed,” Blaney said. “I just couldn’t go for 10 laps or so and those guys got better. I just couldn’t maintain the lead or second, and by the time we kind of got going and people’s stuff were falling off, just too late. Overall, proud of the Menards, Duracell Ford Mustang team. Really, really strong piece. Just got a little bit there at the end, but proud of the effort.”
“The balance was really tricky on our McDonald’s Toyota Camry TRD,” Reddick said. “I just think the biggest thing is we didn’t fire off too good on a couple of restarts. Thankfully, the pit crew did a good job overcoming the difficulties today. Like we weren’t the best on pit road, but the last pit top, we maintained and gave us a shot at that restart. It was still a terrible restart for us, maybe lost two of three spots still, but just found the top [lane] and others weren’t up there and was able to get to third. I was so much faster than [Blaney]. It’s just as soon as he moved up, I was just stuck. It’s just the nature of these cars.”
“We were just really tight all day,” Byron said. “We did a really good job executing our race and kind of managing our long runs and being able to run the fence. We just built way too tight in the center and it’s as much wheel as I could put in the car and as much as I could to slow it down to go left. The guys did a great job of adjusting on the car all day. We had a really good execution day. We came out there with the lead thanks to my pit crew. We just need to bring a winning car next two weeks to get where we want to be, but we’re close.”
Wallace ended up sixth while Ty Gibbs, Logano, Almirola and Austin Dillon finished in the top 10 with Kevin Harvick finishing 11th in his final race at Homestead. In addition, Playoff competitor Chris Buescher capped off his long afternoon in 21st place while Truex and Hamlin ended up 29th and 30th after both were unable to finish the event.
There were 25 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 35 laps. In addition, 23 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.
The Round of 8 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is set to conclude next weekend at Martinsville Speedway, which will determine the Championship 4 field. The event is scheduled to commence next Sunday, October 29, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.
BELL DELIVERS VICTORY AT HOMESTEAD; ADVANCES TO CHAMPIONSHIP 4 Toyota continues streak of only manufacturer to have a Championship 4 driver every season
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (October 22, 2023) – After last week’s close defeat, Christopher Bell ended up in victory lane after a hectic race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Bell battled back from a tough stage two to move through the field in the final laps. Bell took the lead for good with 16 laps to go and clinched his second consecutive Championship 4 berth.
For Toyota, the manufacturer continues its streak as the only manufacturer in NASCAR to have at least one driver in the Championship 4 every season.
His Toyota comrades and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace carried their Camrys both to top-10 finishes, with Reddick in fourth and Wallace in sixth. Ty Gibbs also came home in the top-10 with a seventh-place finish, his best on an intermediate track in 2023.
Heading into Martinsville next weekend, Reddick, Hamlin and Truex are below the cutline. Reddick is 10 points back of the Championship 4 in fifth, with Hamlin and Truex tied in sixth – 17 points out of a title berth. For Hamlin and Truex, Martinsville has provided distinct success over the years as the two have combined for eight victories.
Toyota Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Homestead-Miami Speedway Race 34 of 36 – 400.5 miles, 267 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS 1st, CHRISTOPHER BELL 2nd, Ryan Blaney* 3rd, TYLER REDDICK 4th, William Byron* 5th, AJ Allmendinger* 6th, BUBBA WALLACE 7th, TY GIBBS 29th, MARTIN TRUEX, JR. 30th, DENNY HAMLIN *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem/Watts Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
Christopher Bell delivers today at Miami. How in the world did you and Adam Stevens take a car that was about to go a lap down and turn it into a winning race car?
“I’ve got the best team behind me. Honestly, I don’t know, man. That race was a whirlwind. I was ready to throw the towel in there in the second stage. I got frustrated on the radio. Adam (Stevens, crew chief) kept after it. Adam (Stevens, crew chief), Tyler (Allen, engineer) , William (Hartman, engineer), the guys back at the shop were working over the adjustments and gave me what I needed. Whenever we got some clean air, this thing was really good. I cannot say how proud I am to be here with our partners, with Rheem and DeWalt, driving these Toyota Camrys. I’ve been with Toyota since day one. Thank you, everyone, that’s supported me. This is better than a dream come true.”
Take us through your emotions during that race.
“I let my emotions get to me, that’s for sure. Normally, I don’t do that. But yeah, that was frustrating. It’s no secret this track hasn’t been my favorite. The first stage, I thought we were onto something. Started 14th and got all the way up to ninth, I thought if we can improve just this much, we’d have a great day. And then, it went the opposite as soon as we got to stage two. I have no idea what adjustments Adam made. We threw the kitchen sink at it, as we went from being one of the worst cars on the track to being one of the best at the end. Adam and the engineers back at the shop have the magic. What they can do on the pitstops, it’s pretty incredible the turnaround we had today.”
After last week, how does this win feel?
“It’s pretty sweet. I don’t know if last week any bearing on it, but we’ve had two good races in a row now. Have some momentum going. It’s all about Phoenix and now we have some more time to prepare for it.”
Does this win take off some pressure for next weekend?
“It’s going to be very relieving going into Martinsville. I looked at this round as a must-win every race. We had three opportunities to get to Phoenix. I was pretty vocal after last week, thinking that was our chance. Fortunately, we got it done this week.”
TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 4th
How would you describe your day?
“Yeah, it was a frustrating day. I was really hoping we were going to get a little more out of that. The finish was what we needed, but we didn’t run as well as we wanted to all day, which was the disappointing part. I don’t know, it’s been a gripe of mine ever since we went to the composite body on the Cup side. Everyone runs the fence, and there’s no penalty when you have a mistake and hit the wall. Everyone just ran up there and hit it all day long. Gotta be more willing to take that risk in this car as there’s no penalty.”
BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 6th
Walk us through your day today.
“Ooh, frustrating day, frustrating sixth place. But, proud of our effort today, that’s what it takes. Never give up. We just need to be better. Have to look at what we did from Saturday night into today and not do that again and start better to put ourselves in contention. I thought our pit crew put us back in the game there today. Just not what we had for our No. 23 McDonald’s Grimace Toyota team, but all in all, a good result for sure.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 30th
Do you think the initial problem contact with the wall led to that?
“Honestly, I didn’t hear you. We tried and it just didn’t work out. Unfortunate for this Sport Clips Toyota team. We really battled back well today – just a tough break.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands, and directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America (more than 49,000 in the U.S.).
Over the past 65 years, Toyota has assembled nearly 45 million cars and trucks in North America at the company’s 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, the company’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.4 million cars and trucks (more than 2.1 million in the U.S.) in 2022, of which, nearly one quarter were electrified vehicles (full battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell).
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series | Post Race Quotes 4EVER 400 | Sunday, October 22, 2023
UNOFFICIAL FORD FINISHING RESULTS 2nd – Ryan Blaney 8th – Joey Logano 9th – Aric Almirola| 11th – Kevin Harvick 12th – Austin Cindric 13th – Ryan Preece 17th – Chase Briscoe 21st – Chris Buescher 22nd – Michael McDowell 25th – Todd Gilliland 26th – Ryan Newman |28th – Brad Keselowski 33rd – JJ Yeley 36th – Harrison Burton
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Duracell Ford Mustang (Finished 2nd)
WAS THERE ANYTHING MORE YOU COULD DO AS YOU WERE TRYING TO CATCH CHRISTOPHER BELL? “We were trying. We just needed laps. The long run car was really good. I just couldn’t fire off for 10 laps or so. I think the track cooling off helped those guys. I think we were better in the hotter, slicker conditions when fire off speed didn’t matter as much and it fell off quicker. That played into our benefit. It got a little cooler at the end and we never really front the front end speed and they did. We ran out of laps a little bit. I am proud of the effort. It was a really good day, we just got beat a little bit there at the end.”
WALK US THROUGH THE INCIDENT ON PIT ROAD WITH LARSON. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU SAY AND IF THE DAMAGE IMPACTED YOUR CAR? “I didn’t see anything. You guys watch it. All I know is I got hit in the bumper. I don’t think it hurt it at all. I didn’t even know what happened until I saw him in my mirror. I don’t look at that stuff.”
GOING TO MARTINSVILLE, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCES? “I hope we can perform. We’ve had two good weeks in a row at Vegas and here. We have had solid weekends, so hopefully we can do it again next week. It is nice to come in here a decent chunk down and then go to Martinsville in the positive. We just have to perform. We have to run well.”
JUST TO CLARIFY, DID YOU HAVE ANY DAMAGE FROM THE BUMP FROM LARSON? “I have no idea. I really don’t know.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang (Finished 21st)
A TOUGH DAY FOR YOU OUT THERE TODAY: “Yeah, that was a brutal day. We worked hard on this Fastenal Mustang and got it better. We started off the race really tight and went a lap down and didn’t have any opportunities to get that back. The cautions didn’t fall at the right time for us and about the time they would start the green flag cycles something would happen. We couldn’t quite catch the break we needed. We did find some good speed and I feel like on equal tires there at the end we would have been able to move up quite a bit. It just wasn’t the case. We had 10 laps or something on tires and had to finish out. We were still able to get to the last four or five cars that were on fresh tires, so I know we were a lot better than we had been and were making good progress, it was just too late. Too late in the day to make anything happen.”
YOU TALKED ABOUT BEING TIGHT IN PRACTICE, WAS IT SIMILAR FOR YOU TODAY? “Yeah, it was similar. We got a lot better for qualifying and then kind of know this place frees up once we get in the race and we were fully planning on it. It did free up on the tail end of the run, we just needed to get the front working earlier in the run to make some headway. We made some adjustments through the race and got the back underneath us for later. I was really able to run the top really well, by far the best I have run the top here, so I am really happy with that. We just didn’t have a chance to use it to actually make anything of it.”
WERE YOU SURPRISED WITH HOW MUCH YOU STRUGGLED? “Yeah, the first stage just got us. We got really way too tight to fire off and went a lap down early. We made good adjustments and got running in the right direction as far as speed goes. We were able to pace the leader once we got going and drive away and keep some track position in that sense but cautions just didn’t fall in the right place for us and we ended up not able to show anything all day. We finally got back on the lead lap with 30 to go but we had a fairly large tire deficit and we were still able to run up on the last few guys that had pitted for tires, so I knew we were improving, we just didn’t get to show it. We needed a caution with 20 to go and we would have been in a lot better shape.”
IT IS PRETTY OBVIOUS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NEXT WEEK. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCES AT MARTINSVILLE? “Yeah, it is a must-win. There is no other way around that one now. For us, I feel like we have brought really fast race cars to a lot of these tracks. We obviously needed some tweaks today and we did a good job during the race. Another short track and we have been good at them this year, so we need to go make that one trophy for us.”
ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang — (Finished 9th)
“We ended up with a solid top-10 today even after a mistake on pit road by me. We finally had something go our way with that caution that brought us back in the game. We found some speed in our Smithfield Ford Mustang today. We needed a top-10 as a team after the year we’ve had and to do it at Homestead is awesome. We never gave up today after coming back from 30th, to that penalty, and then back up again. We kept taking a swing at the balance all day and found something when it mattered. I love it here at Homestead and in my home state. Really excited to carry this momentum to Martinsville next weekend where we had a shot at a win and ran up front all day.”
NASCAR CUP SERIES HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY 4EVER 400 PRESENTED BY MOBIL 1 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT OCTOBER 22, 2023
Byron, Allmendinger Take Top-10 Finishes at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron led Chevrolet to the finish in the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of Eight at Homestead-Miami Speedway– driving his No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 to a fourth-place result for the team’s14th top-five finish of the season.
Three drivers from three different Chevrolet teams recorded top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile South Florida oval with Byron leading Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger in fifth and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon rounding out the top-10.
Heading into the Round of Eight elimination race at Martinsville Speedway, William Byron sits third in the points standings with a 30-point advantage over the playoff cutline.
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS: POS. DRIVER 4th William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 5th AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Campers Inn RV Camaro ZL1 10th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of Eight elimination race will get underway at Martinsville Speedway with the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, October 29, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL1
Finished: 31st
“We were outside the top-10 and needed to work our way back up into the top-five there. We needed to catch a lucky caution to be back into the mix. Just ran out of room — I don’t think it was anyone’s fault, just four-wide coming off turn two.”
Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident entering pit road in the final stage.
Finished: 34th
We know this series is all about inches – taking every inch you can get. I know you were trying to get aggressive to come onto pit road there. Take us through what happened.
“Yeah, that’s just it. I was just trying to push it as much as I could. He (Ryan Blaney) had a great car and I felt like if he was to come off pit road the leader, he was going to end up winning the race or beating me. I was just trying to maximize my pit-in, and honestly I felt like I was doing a really good job. I just didn’t anticipate him slowing down as much as he did. But on the replay, it looks like I just missed it by a lot. I need to look at data. I knew where the yellow line was and thought I was going to be under control getting there, and then yeah, he just slowed down – I locked the brakes up, slid to the right and clipped him and the barrels.
I’m pretty upset at myself, more than anything. Whether he got to pit road speed sooner than the yellow line or not, I could have just done a little bit better job judging it. I hope they are able to recover. I hope he can get a good finish or get a win and get the finish that he deserves.
Just a bummer, but we had a great No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy today.”
We talked before the race about the fact that you’re already locked-in. You wanted to get this win here today. How frustrating was it? It seemed like you had a great car early on, but as the run went, I could tell the frustration. How much did your car drop off?
“There in the middle portion of the second stage, I was racing hard and got my tires hot. If not for that, we would have been able to keep stretching the lead out in the second stage. I just got loose for a few laps, and then I could never recover from it. I was just kind of hanging on there at the end of the second stage and gave him control of the race, and it kind of just led to this. Just have to do a little bit better job.”
Was there a point there where you were like – guys, I have to hit the barrels or else I’m going to run into him?
“Yeah, I mean honestly, I don’t really know what I was thinking during the initial part. I was trying to stay off him. As I knew I was going to probably hit him, I just locked the brakes up; I locked the fronts up and slid to the right and clipped the right-side of his rear bumper, and that kind of shot me even more right into the barrels.
Yeah, I don’t know – was in control in my car, I just didn’t anticipate him getting to pit road speed as early as he did.”
Do you feel like you had a winning car up to that point?
“Yeah – we won the first stage and we had a great No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy in the second stage. Just ran hard for a few too many laps; got my right-rear hot and gave him the second stage. But other than that, we were good.”
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Campers Inn RV Camaro ZL1
Finished 5th
“Our No. 16 Campers Inn RV Chevy was really good. We started the race in the 25th position and drove right up into the top-10 there. The track was tricky – you got on one side of the race track and we fought tight through the middle-half of the race. Our crew chief made some really good adjustments there, and we got some more clean air and I was able to make some moves. I thought maybe we were one of the fastest cars there at the end, but overall, just a really solid day. It’s always great when you can get a top-five finish.”
How close to the front do you think you go.. do you think you could have had just a little bit more?
“Well don’t get me wrong, it entered my head what the four people in front of me were racing for, so I was never going to force the issue. I was going to take it if I had an opportunity. It was just a great day. We executed the best job on pit road all year. The guys did a great job, so I’m happy.”
How good were you at riding up high against the fence?
“I didn’t have to ride up against the fence. With this car around this place, you can find different lanes that work. It was a lot of fun.”
William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1
Finished 4th
That last run there – you got up towards the front; kind of slipped back a little bit, but still finished up in the top-five. Take us through that last run.
“We just didn’t have the turn in our car to go into a run, so we just struggled there to fire-off. I was doing all I could to air-block; move my line around and try to take his air, but it just wasn’t enough. I couldn’t get through the middle well enough to maintain pace.
But our No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet was really solid all day. We just needed more there at the end, but we had good execution, good pit stops and put ourselves in position to win.”
Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1
Finished: 14th
“Just an OK, up-and-down, day for the No. 43 Allegiant Chevy team. We had some good runs and some bad runs, but overall, ended up with a decent day. We needed that. We’ve had some bad finishes; some weren’t necessarily all our fault; we were just in a bad spot. It’s nice to come home with an OK day, and hopefully go to Martinsville (Speedway) and get it a little bit better.”
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES:
STAGE ONE:
· Coming off his win in the NASCAR Cup Series Round of Eight opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team led the field to the green-flag in the 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
· Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron took the green-flag from the seventh position and quickly went to work to climb the leaderboard – moving his No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 into the top-five less than 10 laps into the race. Just after reporting to his team that his Camaro ZL1 was building tight, Byron made a pass on then-race leader Martin Truex Jr. – ultimately taking the lead on lap 20.
· The first round of green-flag pit stops got underway just shy of the halfway mark in Stage One. Continuing to pace the field, Crew Chief Rudy Fugle called Byron down pit road on lap 34 for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment – returning to the track in the seventh position.
· As the field cycled through upon completion of green-flag pit stops, Team Chevy’s playoff contenders Larson and Byron continued to lead the Bowtie brigade in the second and third positions, respectively, with 30 laps remaining in Stage One.
· Larson quickly closed the gap on then-race leader Brad Keselowski to under a one-second margin. Despite reporting tight conditions on exit in his Camaro ZL1, Larson was able to make a pass for the lead and settle into the top position with 27 laps to go in the stage.
· Continuing to work his way through traffic, Larson built nearing a three-second lead when the first caution of the race came out with four laps to go in the stage. Unable to return to green-flag conditions before the end of the stage, Larson led the field to the completion of Stage One – marking his eighth stage win of the season.
4th William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1
8th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1
STAGE TWO:
· Under the stage break, Larson reported that the handling of his Camaro ZL1 was good while running the bottom and middle lines, but he was struggling with tight conditions as he moved closer to the wall. Looking to improve the handling conditions in the top lane, Crew Chief Cliff Daniels called Larson to pit road for four tires, fuel and a round of adjustments – maintaining the top position in the race off pit road to lead the field to the start of Stage Two.
· Larson was able to defend the lead at the drop of the green-flag, going on to build a nearly one-second lead when the race hit the 100-lap marker. Continuing to click-off laps running his Camaro ZL1 just inches off the wall, crew chief Daniels called Larson to pit road on lap 114 to start the next round of green-flag pit stops. Continuing to struggle with tight conditions against the wall, Daniels called for another round of adjustments on the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1. Getting back up to race pace, the benefit of four fresh tires proved dividends – clocking-in lap times nearly four mph faster than the leaders that had yet to make their scheduled stops.
· As the final lead-lap car came to pit road, Larson returned to command of the race – already building on his 4.5-second lead over second-place Keselowski with 35 laps to go in the stage.
· Racing hard in traffic during the closing laps of the stage, Larson’s pace started to fade, allowing Ryan Blaney and Byron to close the gap to the race leader. Both drivers were able to make the pass on the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 with three laps remaining in Stage Two en route to the green-white checkered flag.
· Team Chevy Stage Two: Top-10
2nd William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1
9th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1
FINAL STAGE / POST-RACE NOTES:
· Following back-to-back top-five stage results, Byron was looking for “longer rear longevity” at the end of the run. Fresh with feedback, crew chief Fugle called Byron to pit road during the stage break for four tires, fuel and both a chassis and air pressure adjustment. Choosing the bottom lane for the restart, Byron and the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 team led the field to the green-flag for the start of the final stage.
· Also pitting during the stage break, Larson chose fifth for the green-flag marking 94 laps to go in the race. With the start of the final stage underway, Larson slowly started to make gains on the leaders – moving into the runner-up position 20 laps into the stage.
· With another round of green-flag pit stops underway, Larson brought out a caution at lap 215 following an incident entering pit road. Damage sustained on his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 was deemed too much to repair – resulting the team to retire early from the race.
· With 39 laps to go, Byron was running in the second position in a three-wide battle for the lead when the caution flew. Crew chief Fugle called Byron down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment – with the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 pit crew getting the driver off pit road first for the restart.
· At the restart with 25 laps to go, Byron powered his Camaro ZL1 to the lead – pacing the field until the Christopher Bell made a pass around Byron for the lead, with the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 ultimately taking the checkered-flag in the fourth position.
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
Like a Farmer and the Melon Man are teaming up to spotlight the agriculture industry while providing American farmers and their families with a chance to experience each race in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Homestead, FL: NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain and Like a Farmer, a podcast and video series that spotlights and celebrates Rural America, announced today the formation of the Ag to Asphalt campaign as a way to shine a light on the agriculture industry and farmers across the country.
The campaign will highlight the importance of agriculture by sharing the real stories of farmers across the country. For each race in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, the Ag to Asphalt program will identify a local family farm in each race market. Chastain will tell each farm’s unique story via a video shared on social media the week before the race. The family farmer will then be invited to the NASCAR race on behalf of Chastain and Like A Farmer as a way to show appreciation and give thanks for their work as farmers.
As an eighth-generation watermelon farmer, Chastain knows the importance of agriculture and the sacrifices farmers make daily to put food on the table for all Americans, “Using my platform to spotlight these working family farms across America is something very important to me. When we started collaborating with the Like A Farmer team, the concept of creating this Ag to Asphalt program was a natural fit. Pat and I had a great time exploring my background in agriculture on the podcast, and taking this program to all of the NASCAR Cup Series races in 2024 is going to be equally exciting and rewarding.”
The Chastain family has been involved in the agriculture industry for over a century. Chastain’s childhood growing up on the farm curated a blue-collar approach and hard-working attitude that has catapulted him to the top of NASCAR. He earned his nickname “Melon Man” through his family’s heritage in the watermelon farming industry. His signature move is to smash a watermelon on the frontstretch after each win. Although he can be found racing for Trackhouse Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, Chastain still takes time to head back to the farm and uses his platform to be a voice for the agriculture industry.
In an effort to give back to the farming community, Chastain is proud to launch the Ag to Asphalt campaign with the support of Like a Farmer for the 2024 NASCAR season. “We are thrilled to announce a partnership that not only shines a light on Rural America but helps some of our nation’s farmers take a mental break from their everyday jobs,” explains Pat Spinosa, host of the Like a Farmer podcast.
Catch Chastain in an upcoming Like a Farmer episode (https://likeafarmer.com/) on Thursday, October 26, where he sits truck-side with Spinosa reflecting on his upbringing on the farm and how it paved the path to his successful career in NASCAR. Hear him discuss the partnership and learn more about Like a Farmer’s mission to celebrate the agricultural community by sharing the stories of big names from NFL stars to country musicians who know and love Rural America.
Joining Like a Farmer and Chastain is Trackhouse Racing partner Kubota Tractor Corporation, as well as Bayer Seminis, both of which are part of the fabric of the agriculture community. The support of this campaign further illustrates the importance of farmers and the larger agricultural industry across the country.
Learn More: Visit www.agtoasphalt.com to learn more about the program and see behind-the-scenes content featuring Chastain and many of the farms that help to feed America.
How To Register: Spots are limited. The Ag to Asphalt program will work with presenting partner Like A Farmer to select deserving farmers from across America. Any farmer can sign up. Fill out the form on www.agtoasphalt.com with information about your farm and you will be entered to win a 2024 racing experience.
LEXINGTON, N.C. (October 22, 2023) – Kaulig Racing announced today that Chandler Smith will not return to the organization’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) program next season.
Smith, who is seventh in the series Playoffs standing, has earned one win, three pole awards, eight top five and 12 top-10 finishes this season. The November 4th event at Phoenix Raceway will serve as Smith’s final race with Kaulig Racing.
The 2024 driver lineup will be announced in the coming weeks.
About Kaulig Racing™
Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and has won back-to-back regular-season championships. Before becoming a full-time NCS team, Kaulig Racing made multiple starts in the 2021 NCS season and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team expanded to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 with Justin Haley piloting the No. 31 Camaro ZL1, and an all-star lineup featured in the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. Haley will continue to drive the No. 31 full-time in 2023, alongside AJ Allmendinger, who will drive the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. The team will continue to field three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by an all-star lineup, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by Chandler Smith. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.
Homestead, Fla. (Oct. 21, 2023) – Carson Hocevar earned a series-high fourth win on Saturday afternoon at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The win secured Hocevar and the No. 42 Worldwide Express team a spot in the ‘Championship 4’ at Phoenix Raceway.
“I’m so proud of everyone on this Niece Motorsports team, said Hocevar. “Our Worldwide Express Chevrolet was so fast. I was bummed yesterday when we didn’t get the pole because I knew the speed that our truck had. I’m glad that we could show that today and put ourselves into the final round of the playoffs. We’re going to do everything we can to bring that championship home.”
The win comes in Hocevar’s 76th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start. It marks Hocevar’s fourth win of the 2023 season; his other three wins coming at Texas Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, and Richmond Raceway. It is the eighth win for Niece Motorsports in only its seventh full-time season.
Hocevar is the only driver to win four races this season. With the win, Hocevar secures a position in the ‘Championship 4’. The highest finishing driver, of the Championship 4, at Phoenix Raceway will be crowned the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion.
“I know how hard we’re working in the shop to prepare race trucks that are capable of winning, and we know Carson has the talent to get the job done,” said Niece Motorsports General Manager Cody Efaw. “It’s been our goal as an organization to compete for a championship this season, so we’re excited to get to Phoenix and have that opportunity.”
Hocevar and his Niece Motorsports team were happy with the No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet after Friday afternoon’s practice session. Both truck and driver showed speed, putting the No. 42 Chevrolet on the outside pole to start the 134-lap race.
Early in Stage One, Hocevar’s truck began overheating, due to debris on the grille. The No. 42 crossed the line third to end the opening stage, with Hocevar visiting pit road during the stage break for four tires, fuel and to remove the debris.
Hocevar maintained position toward the front of the pack during the second stage, until a caution with just a few laps remaining in the stage brought teams down pit road. Hocevar restarted outside of the top-10, but worked his way into ninth to finish the stage – collecting ever-important stage points in both stages.
The final stage was slowed early by two cautions, with Hocevar continuing to run in the top-10. A long green flag run brought teams down pit road for fresh tires and fuel, to make it to the end of the race. Hocevar methodically worked his way through the field, taking the lead for the first time of the day on Lap 124 on the way to the win.
The Craftsman 150 at Phoenix Raceway will air live on FS1, The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Friday, Nov. 3 at 10:00 p.m. ET.
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2023, Niece Motorsports enters its eighth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as X @NieceMotorsport.
About WWEX Group: The WWEX Group of brands, which comprises Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz and Unishippers, offers full-service logistics expertise to more than 121,000 customers across the country. With access to industry-leading small package, truckload, less-than-truckload and managed transportation solutions, its customers benefit from enhanced visibility and value for their supply chains. The company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS Authorized Reseller® in the U.S., with an annual systemwide revenue nearing $5 billion through a network of company-owned, franchise and agent locations. A highly selective carrier portfolio, proprietary technology, unique data assets and business intelligence capabilities provide clients with unmatched options and flexibility to meet their shipping needs. To learn more about WWEX Group, visit www.wwexgroup.com.
Start: 23rd | Finish: 19th | Driver Point Standings: 23rd
Alan on Saturday’s Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway: “I think we had a faster truck, but we struggled to get track position,” said Lawless Alan. “I appreciate this whole team for their work on our AUTODockit Chevrolet and am looking forward to ending the season on a high note at Phoenix.”
Race Recap: Alan and the No. 45 AUTODockit team took to the track on Friday afternoon to practice and qualify at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Alan lined up 23rd to start the 134-Lap race on Saturday afternoon. Alan battled mid-pack for the majority of the race, ultimately crossing the line in 19th.
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2023, Niece Motorsports enters its eighth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as X @NieceMotorsport.
About AUTODockit: AUTODockit delivers fully automated boat storage. Boats are safely stored indoors in a rack and rail system, protected within a site-specific hurricane-protected structure. Vessels are placed in Rack Storage structures of unoccupied space driven by industrial automation technology. AUTODockit uses the same trusted and proven modular scalable architecture from AUTOParkit™ a market leader in Autonomous Parking Systems. AUTODockit uses all electric motors and does NOT use forklifts, overhead cranes, robotics, hydraulics, or pneumatics. Travel lanes are significantly reduced in AUTODockit sites allowing increased storage capacity and maximizing revenue.
AUTODockit provides two solutions: Coastal and Inland. AUTODockit Costal lifts boats directly from the water while AUTODockit Inland is for trailered boats.
About AUTOParkit: AUTOParkit™ designs, manufactures, and constructs fully automated parking systems for new and existing buildings. AUTOParkit system structural steel and modular design can provide double the capacity of a traditional parking garage, providing up to 17 LEED points and drastically reducing construction time.
AUTOParkit automated systems are 40 percent less expensive to operate, safer for the user and reduces carbon emissions associated with parking by more than 80 percent. AUTOParkit’s charging pallets provided by AUTOChargit, are a fast and convenient way of charging EVs and Hybrids. AUTOChargit’s patented technology allows for shuffling charged vehicles cutting infrastructure costs by up to 80 percent.
About AUTOChargit: AUTOChargit designs, manufactures and installs EV charging systems for automated and conventional parking applications. AUTOChargit can decrease capital expenditures by up to 75 percent by providing automated coupling and decoupling of EV charging stalls from the power source. For conventional parking applications, a single 40-AMP circuit coupled with a single AUTOChargit System can be multiplexed to four, eight, or 12 stalls. Each charging stall is individually metered for the exact tracking of electricity usage. The AUTOParkit Mobile APP provides a touchless experience for the user.
Start: 17th | Finish: 5th | Owner Point Standings: 17th
Currey on Saturday’s Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway: “We had a fast Unishippers Chevrolet,” said Bayley Currey. “It felt good to battle for position at the front of the pack. We had a strong truck, ran a smart race and got a great finish out of it. I’m excited to close out the season on a high note in Phoenix.”
Race Recap: Currey and the No. 41 Unishippers Chevrolet lined up 17th for Saturday afternoon’s 134-Lap event at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Currey wasted no time working his way through the pack, finishing just outside of the top-10 at the conclusion of Stage One. Currey and team ran a clean race, battling for position inside the top-five as the race drew to a close. The No. 41 would ultimately finish the day in fifth.
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2023, Niece Motorsports enters its eighth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as X @NieceMotorsport.
About WWEX Group: The WWEX Group of brands, which comprises Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz and Unishippers, offers full-service logistics expertise to more than 121,000 customers across the country. With access to industry-leading small package, truckload, less-than-truckload and managed transportation solutions, its customers benefit from enhanced visibility and value for their supply chains. The company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS Authorized Reseller® in the U.S., with an annual systemwide revenue nearing $5 billion through a network of company-owned, franchise and agent locations. A highly selective carrier portfolio, proprietary technology, unique data assets and business intelligence capabilities provide clients with unmatched options and flexibility to meet their shipping needs. To learn more about WWEX Group, visit www.wwexgroup.com.
