After nine months and 36 races, the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season comes to an end today with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick will all vie to earn their second career Cup championships, while Denny Hamlin seeks his first Cup crown.
It also will be the last race for several drivers with their current teams, including Chris Buescher, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Matt DiBenedetto, Daniel Hemric, David Ragan, Paul Menard and Daniel Suarez.
Here is the information for today’s race:
(All times are Eastern)
START: The command to start engines will be given at 3:18 p.m. by Joseph Hinrichs, Ford Motor Company President, Automotive. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 3:28 p.m.
PRERACE: The Cup garage opens at 8:30 a.m. The driver/crew chief meeting will be at 1 p.m. Driver introductions are at 2:35 p.m. The invocation will be given at 3:10 p.m. by Sammy Flores, Pastor from Christ Fellowship Miami. The National Anthem will be performed at 3:11 by Candi Carpenter.
DISTANCE: The race is 267 laps (400.5 miles) around the 1.5-mile oval.
STAGES: Stage 1 will end on Lap 80. Stage 2 will end on Lap 160.
TV/RADIO: NBC will televise the race. Coverage will begin with NASCAR America at 1:30 p.m. on NBC. Countdown to Green follows at 2 p.m. on NBC. The race is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. on NBC. NBCSN also will have the NASCAR Hot Pass telecast that will offer simultaneous coverage hyper-focused on each of the Championship 4 drivers. The postrace show will be on NBCSN at 7 p.m. Motor Racing Network’s radio broadcast will begin at 2 p.m. and also can be heard on mrn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry MRN’s broadcast.
STREAMING ONLINE: Click here for NBC’s live stream of the race.
FORECAST: The wunderground.com forecast for Sunday’s Cup race calls for a temperature of 74 degrees and a 0% chance of rain when the green flag drops.
LAST TIME: Joey Logano led a race-high 80 laps to win the race and earn his first career Cup championship, beating Martin Truex Jr. by 1.725 seconds.
STARTING LINEUP: Click here
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — NASCAR President Steve Phelps vowed Sunday morning that the racing at short tracks will be better in 2020.
That was among the key points Phelps discussed in his state of the sport news conference before Sunday’s season-ending Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Phelps also explained what will be the key points to setting the 2021 schedule, more information on the NextGen car that will debut in 2021 and the interest of other manufacturers.
One of the key points Phelps stressed was the racing at short tracks.
While drivers have complained about how difficult it is to pass, at many tracks, those concerns have been greater at some of the short tracks. Martinsville Speedway had only three lead changes each in its races this year as Brad Keselowski led 446 of 500 laps in winning in the spring and Martin Truex Jr. led 464 laps to win the playoff race last month.
Also of concern is the racing at ISM Raceway, which will host the championship races next year for the Gander Outdoors Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Cup Series. While that suburban Phoenix track has renovated its facilities, the racing has raised questions.
Here’s what Phelps said on a variety of subjects:
On the status of ISM Raceway hosting the championship race beyond next year:
Phelps: We need to make sure we are working with our industry, our teams, our (manufacturers) and Goodyear, to make sure that the racing we have in Phoenix both in the spring as well as our championship next year is as good as it can be.
We’re going to announce that 2021 schedule, as you said, in the spring, probably around April 1st, which is a self‑imposed deadline that we have for ourselves. Could that change forwards or backwards a little bit? It could.
Our promise to our fans, and we’ll do it right here, is that we are going to provide the best racing we can at our short tracks. I think we’ve overdelivered on the intermediate tracks, and we will make sure that when we get to Phoenix in the spring, and some of the other racetracks that are short tracks, that they’re going to have better racing.
On how NASCAR will make the racing better at short tracks in 2020:
Phelps: We’re going to work with our teams in order to figure out how we do that, work with our OEMs to figure out how we do that. Everyone knows I’m not an engineer, I’m not going to play one now.
“I am confident, having spoken to people who are far smarter than I am in this space, that there are things we can do. And I think our teams are excited about trying to partner with us to figure out what that looks like.
On if they could just cut the spoiler to enhance the racing at short tracks and when a decision might be made:
Phelps: There are people far smarter than I am that could figure that out. Yes, could we go to something that is a lower downforce package and do we think that will probably be one of the answers that we could look at to be successful on the short tracks? Yes. Whether it’s cutting off the spoiler, other opportunities for us to take some of the downforce off there, those are things that we’ll explore. No specific timing.
On when NASCAR will announce what sponsors it has in its new model that will see the Cup series known as the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020:
Phelps: This is about our championship, and we wanted to keep it about that. We also wanted to make sure we were making sure we were true to Monster (Energy) and their three years. Monster has been a phenomenal partner for us. They’ve had significant success with their sponsorship and entitlement.
We have moved to a different model. I’m not going to get into what the announcement is, but we’ll have some announcements in Nashville around that new sponsorship model that we’re super excited about.
On cap costs for NASCAR teams as Formula 1 recently announced it would do for 2021:
Phelps: I think reasons to go to this new car, one is to take what is great racing, will be great racing in 2020, to create better racing. I think this new car will do that, this Next Gen car.
Another component certainly is around relevance. Our (manufacturer) partners were here looking at the showroom car or the street car versus what our racecar will look like. It’s going to be extraordinary. We are going to put the ‘stock’ back in stockcar.
The last component of that is to try to make sure that the costs associated with the car are not such that they just continue to escalate on that car. Whether we are going to have a cost cap moving forward, I don’t know. It is not an easy thing to do. We want to make sure that we have competitive racing. When the race starts, we want as many folks and drivers to win that race as they can.
Lots of work to do on what we would do, whether we would have a cost cap or not. But it is something that we continue to work with our race teams on to make sure that we are having competitive race teams and race teams that are profitable.
On why there might be a question to do a cost cap:
Phelps: We’re going to see, right? We’re going to see how it works with F1. A little bit of a wait‑and‑see approach on that.
It is not an easy thing to do, right? How are you going to make sure the costs are being captured fairly and smartly across the race teams? It is a slippery slope. It doesn’t mean that it’s not a good step or it doesn’t mean we’re not going to get there. It means that we’re going to study it very closely. We’re going to study what they’re doing, continue to work with our teams and (manufacturers) to make sure whatever we do moving forward makes the most sense for our sport.
On the 2021 schedule:
Phelps: We’re having a lot of discussions right now on the 2021 schedule. We’re looking at three things when we’re looking at that race schedule. We’re looking at where we’re going to have the most competitive racing that we can have, where we’re going to have full grandstands, and what does that market look like, is it a new market that we can service.
There are a lot of discussions that are going on both internally and then with other owners of racetracks. We need to obviously work with Speedway Motorsports, work with the three independent tracks that we have, then the tracks that we own as NASCAR now.
Again, we’ll look through that same lens. I think it’s important to do that. This is the first time I’ll go back to the fans. It really is about the fans. We need to make sure we are putting on compelling racing and having full grandstands when we do that.
On status of the NextGen car, which is scheduled to debut in 2021:
Phelps: So, yes, the car is on schedule, as I said. With that said, we’re going now through an RFP (request for proposal) process, RFPing different parts of the car. There are parts that fans don’t frankly care we’re competing, and other parts fans care we’re competing. Also our OEM partners, certain things they want to compete at, certain things they don’t care about.
We’re in the RFP process. We’re on the track already at Richmond. We have another test coming up in a couple of weeks.
When the teams will take delivery of that car, probably in the July timeframe of when the cars will start to be delivered. I have to give a shout out to, again, really the entire industry because they’re working collaboratively, working together. NASCAR runs the process, but there are teams that are involved, OEMs that are involved, and that’s how we’re going to be successful moving forward.
With respect to those that are in the RFPs to build the car, I don’t want to get into specifics about where that is. There would obviously need to be a separation between that race team and whatever either part or the vehicle itself that’s being put together.
If there is a team that is interested in competing for what that’s going to be, it would have to be kind of removed from what that organization is, if that makes sense.
On a new engine:
Phelps: I do think for a new engine, that engine will have some type of electrification, some hybrid that will be part of it. It’s kind of a follow to the question, in fact, I know for a fact we will not have a new OEM unless we change our engine.
This engine is going to sound significantly the same as whatever the current engine is. We’re not going to have a bunch of electric cars going around. That’s not what this is about. It’s about having a relevant engine to our OE partners, both the existing Ford, Chevy and Toyota, as well as whoever the new OEs that we’re looking at.
Some form of hybrid, some form of electrification is going to be required, whether it’s stored engine or whatever that might be is down the line. But ideally creating a single engine package as opposed to taking an engine and kind of choking the horsepower down, is something that I believe we will ultimately get to.
What that looks like frankly will be a discussion between ourselves and our existing OEs because we need to make sure we are taking care of them first and foremost before we get a new OEM into the garage. They have been incredibly supportive of that.
We’ve had a couple of different partners come to the racetrack. We had some last week. We had a group that came when we were at Talladega. Each of the OEs showed them what they do, this is what Ford does, this is what we do at GM, this is what we do at Toyota. That’s incredibly helpful. They, too, want to be able to compete on the racetrack with other OEs.
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — There are no Cinderellas in today’s Cup championship race. The four drivers racing for the title were the best throughout the season.
Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch combined to win 21 of the 35 races this season (60%), including some of the sport’s biggest races: Hamlin won the Daytona 500, Harvick won the Brickyard 400 and Truex won the Coca-Cola 600.
As they enter today’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, each driver was asked by NBC Sports what gives them the edge over the other three title contenders.
This is what they said:
Denny Hamlin: “I think I possess the want. I can assure you there will be no other driver that wants it as bad as I do.”
Kevin Harivck: “I think we have the full attention of our whole organization in one car, and we’ve been there and we’ve done that. Even when you look at the other three teams, our group has been together a long time; we’ve been on the same team for a long time; we have the stability and the experience as a group within the same organization for six years now. So that stability and experience pays off, in my opinion.”
Martin Truex Jr.: “It’s hard to know. I mean I feel like this of all the years, I feel like this is the most up in the air because Homestead is such a different racetrack than anything we’ve been on this season and one of the great parts about this race and this format is Homestead, we haven’t been here since last year. The tires are different, the cars are different, you don’t know. There’s a lot of unknowns, so I think my advantage is my team and our ability to no matter what happens throughout the weekend, our ability to hit it for the race and know what we have to do and not afraid to make changes. Not afraid to swing for the fences. I think that’s our advantage, that’s how we win races. Usually when we win, we don’t have a great practice. We get together and we have serious conversation and the boys go to work and sometimes they hit it out of the park, hopefully this is another one of those days.”
Kyle Busch: “Martin’s been really, really good these last few years with Cole Pearn, I’ve been good with Adam Stevens, Kevin Harvick’s been really, really good with Rodney Childers, and of course Denny’s got the new guy on the block with Chris Gabehart, so you know it’s interesting with the crew chief and driver dynamic the way that it’s kind of been but overall it just comes down to how you always work together and it’s anyone’s race really, so I don’t know that anybody has a leg up.”
NBC’s coverage begins with NASCAR America at 1:30 p.m. ET today. Countdown to Green airs at 2 p.m. ET. Race coverage starts at 3 p.m. ET. NBCSN also will have NASCAR Hot Pass that will provide in-depth coverage of the championship contenders at 3 p.m. ET.
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — After winning the Xfinity championship for the second year in a row and becoming the first driver in series history to win back-to-back crowns with different teams, Tyler Reddick took off his helmet, looked into girlfriend Alexa De Leon’s eyes and shouted “Baby Beau!”
While the championship is meaningful and the trophy special, the biggest win for Reddick was naming their future son.
For weeks De Leon and Reddick have gone back and forth on names. She liked Ryker, a name she found online. At first, he liked Archer and thought they could call their son Archie. Then he switched to George, matching his middle name.
One day he decided on Beau.
“I thought it was cute, but that was not my first choice,” De Leon told NBC Sports, standing on the stage shortly after Reddick won the championship. “I was pretty stuck on Ryker at that point and he was not hopping on that train. If you know Tyler, once he gets his mind on something, it’s stuck.
“Finally, I said you need to stop calling him that. That’s not his name yet.”
She came up with an unusual way to solve their quandary.
“I don’t know what came over me,” she said. “I guess pregnancy-brain is a real thing, and one day I was like, ‘Listen, you win this championship, you can name him whatever you want, but I don’t want you calling him anything until you are in victory lane holding up that championship trophy in Miami.’
“I shook on it and here we are and now the baby’s name is going to Beau.”
Team members found out about the bet and it became a rallying cry. When team members were around De Leon, they’d point to her belly and say “Baby Beau.”
“I had a lot of motivation coming into this, and that was the extra bit of motivation that I didn’t know I needed,” Reddick said of the bet, “but it definitely sure helped.”
As Reddick led in the final laps, did De Leon have any regrets with making the bet on how to name their child?
“Maybe I shouldn’t have been wanting him to win so bad because I really wanted to win this bet,” De Leon said, laughing. “We’re both really competitive. I shook on it. I like the name Beau. It just wasn’t my first choice.”
Where did the name Beau come from?
“You’re going to have to ask Tyler that one,” De Leon said. “I have no idea where he came up with that name. He’s really excited to have won the championship and the name bet.”
So what drew Reddick to the name Beau?
“I don’t know,” he told NBC Sports. “It kind of came out of nowhere, but it’s a name I just like. I’ve always liked it. And I got a long last name. I feel like a short name is fitting. Beau’s kind of a good fit. I’m a pale redhead. Alexa’s Dominican mixed. A redhead mixed child named Beau is perfect. I like it.”
It’s a fitting name for a champion.
Tyler Reddick led the final 19 laps and won Saturday’s Xfinity Series season finale to claim the 2019 series championship and his second in a row.
The top five was completed by Cole Custer, Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson and Christopher Bell.
Reddick’s win is his sixth of the year.
Click here for the race results.
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