The 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series season will come to a close on Saturday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford EcoBoost 300. The race will end a long 33-race schedule that started back in February at the Daytona International Speedway. Matt Kenseth, who is not entered into the race this weekend, is the defending race winner.
A total of 41 cars fill the Homestead-Miami Speedway entry list. Some of these include Derek White, Carlos Contreras, Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Anthony Kumpen, Garrett Smithley, Tim Viens, Ben Rhodes, Mason Mingus and Aric Almirola. One car will be going home after round one of qualifying on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. ET.
Daniel Suarez comes into the weekend looking to make NASCAR history at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Suarez could become the first Hispanic driver to claim the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title across the three national series.
The 23-year old driver has a 40-point lead over Darrell Wallace Jr. in second. The 23-year old driver captured eight top five and 17 top 10 finishes over the span of 32 races in 2015.
“I have learned a lot this year and I feel like I’ve learned more in 2015 than I did in the past three years combined,” said Suarez in a release. “I’ve gotten a lot of great support from everyone at ARRIS, Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing. We have one more chance to finish the season strong and get our first checkered flag. I’ve been studying Homestead and I’m really looking forward to running there.”
How is the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title determined?
The way the Sunoco Rookie of the Year is decided is of the 33 races, only the top 17 are counted in the rookie standings race. In order to be eligible for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award, a driver must attempt to qualify in at least eight events out of the first 20. Then during the final weekend of the season, a Sunoco Rookie of the Year panel meets and rewards favorable conduct in the following categories: Conduct with NASCAR officials in the garage and pit areas; conduct and awareness on track; personal appearance and relationship with the media. The panel rates each driver, with scoring ranging from a maximum of 10 to a minimum of 1. Total points will be averaged from each panel member’s ballot. The points derived from the panel will be added to the entry, competition, and bonus points after the final race of the season to determine the overall Sunoco Rookie of the Year winner. (Via NASCAR).
Roger Penske clinched the 2015 owners’ championship in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at the Texas Motor Speedway just under two weekends ago. Penske became the fourth owner in the history of the series to claim three or more owner titles. The performance shown by Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Alex Tagliani have all contributed to the accomplishment.
Team Penske announced during the week that Blaney will pilot the No. 22 Ford this weekend. Blaney has earned two wins, eight top five and nine top 10 finishes across 12 XFINITY Series starts in 2015.
Roush Fenway Racing driver Chris Buescher comes into the Ford EcoBoost 300 with an 18-point lead over defending champion Chase Elliott. Buescher has led the driver standings over the last 23 races and looks to capture his very first NASCAR title.
“It’s been a really good season for us. I’m really proud of the work that the guys have put in to get to this point,” said Buescher in a release. “This is what we were planning on doing at the beginning of the season.”
The Texas native is optimistic for the upcoming race weekend with the championship on the line.
“We’ve got Homestead left here. It was a really good track for us last year,” continued Buescher. “We ended up finishing fifth, I believe, and it’s one of my favorite mile-and-a-half tracks. I like short tracks are mostly my favorite, but this is probably my favorite of the bigger tracks. The asphalt is worn out.”
As for Elliott, adversity from the long season will be something he’ll look back on.
“It’s been a great ride and one I’ll never forget,” said Elliott in a release. “Last season was special one, but this year you really want it after being on top and seeing what’s it like. We have had our spells this season, but the adversity is something I’ll look back on and learn from on down the road.”
The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet team isn’t giving up yet.
“Ernie (Cope, crew chief) and the guys haven’t given up and it shows in the last few weeks where we’ve made gains on Chris (Buescher, points leader),” continued Elliott in a release. “This team is relentless. Like I said last week, 18 points isn’t all that much. That’s one mistake away in my mind, and we’ll be ready. Our plan of attack for Homestead is to leave nothing behind. We’re going in hungry and I can’t wait to get started.”
Ty Dillon, Regan Smith and Elliott Sadler all round out the top five in points.
Fans can watch the Ford EcoBoost 300 live on NBC and NBC Live Extra at 2:45 p.m. ET. Radio coverage of the race will be provided by the Motor Racing Network.
About Me: Brett has been following the sport of NASCAR since the beginning of the 2006 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Since Brett was 13, he has had a passion of chasing a job in sports that not many get the opportunity of doing. He has been in the NASCAR media since the middle of the 2010 season. Since then, he has been a part of many racing podcast shows to improve his talents. He has written for racingonfuel.com and theracingwheel.com. Currently, Brett writes for motorsportsnat.com and TracksideChatter.com. You can find him on twitter @NASCAR_Brett.
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