Championship 4 - NASCAR Xfinity Series

NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4

Below is an look at the four drivers that have qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4. They will race for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the ‘Ford EcoBoost 300’ today. (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90). 

These Hopefuls are Listed in Alphabetical Order

Christopher Bell (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell is having a record-breaking Sunoco rookie season and with his seventh win on the year last weekend at Phoenix, he now has the chance to vie for the championship this weekend in Miami. If Bell were to win the title this weekend, he would become the third different Sunoco Rookie to win the series championship joining Chase Elliott (2014) and William Byron (2017). Bell won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship last season and looks to become the fourth driver to win both the Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in his career joining Austin Dillon, Johnny Benson Jr. and Greg Biffle.

Season Recap:

Bell has made 32 series starts in 2018 producing a rookie record seven wins (Richmond, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Iowa-2, Richmond-2, Dover-2 and ISM Raceway-2), 18 top fives (series-most), 20 top 10s and five poles. He has also led 750 laps (series-most) this season and has managed an average start of 8.8 and an average finish of 11.1. In addition, Bell has posted solid season-to-date loop data stats, including a driver rating of 106.1 (third-best), an average running position of 10.266 (fifth-best), a total of 603 fastest laps run (series-most), and completed 81.3% of his laps (4,501) in the top 15 (fifth-best).

Playoff Recap:

Bell’s campaign through the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs has been a roller-coaster of a ride but in the end, it has resulted in his shot at the championship. The Oklahoma native kicked his postseason off strong with a win from the pole at Richmond Raceway, a fifth-place finish at the Charlotte Road Course and then another win at Dover International Speedway to close out the Round of 12. Then disaster struck in the Round of 8, Bell was caught in incidents in back-to-back Playoff races at Kansas and Texas leaving him in a must win situation heading into last weekend’s Phoenix race. But the pressure wasn’t too much for Bell as he was able to win his way into the Championship 4, knocking Elliott Sadler out of the final four with a victory at ISM Raceway.

Homestead-Miami Outlook:

Bell made his NASCAR Xfinity Series track debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway last season while running part-time for Joe Gibbs Racing and competing fulltime in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Bell started the race third but finished 36th due to an engine failure. Bell has also made three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway posting one top five (runner-up), two top 10s and an average finish of 11.7.

Crew Chief Corner:

Jason Ratcliff, crew chief for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota team with driver Christopher Bell, is one of the most successful crew chiefs in the series. He’s led JGR’s Kyle Busch to a unified NASCAR Xfinity Series driver and owner championship in 2009 and then followed that up with a second consecutive owner title in 2010. Ratcliff also guided Busch to the NASCAR Xfinity Series single season record of 13 wins in 2010. Ratcliff began his crew chief career in the NASCAR Xfinity Series back in 2000 at Brewco Motorsports working with driver Casey Atwood. He stayed at Brewco for three more years working with Jamie McMurray and David Green before joining Joe Gibbs Racing in in 2005. From then he has worked with multiple drivers in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Team Talk:

Joe Gibbs Racing started its NASCAR Xfinity Series program in 1997 and since then has amassed 152 series victories, two unified driver and owner championships (2009 Kyle Busch and 2016 Daniel Suarez) and three owner championships (2008, 2010, 2012). The 2018 season marks the second time the Joe Gibbs Racing organization has fielded drivers in the Championship 4 – in 2016 (Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez) and in 2018 (Christopher Bell). If Joe Gibbs Racing wins the owners championship this season the organization will extend their series lead in owner titles to six.

#Championship4 contender @CBellRacing tops opening practice at @HomesteadMiami.

Recap: https://t.co/67QjMXLgtG pic.twitter.com/sDlRgoLhfq

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) November 16, 2018

 

Cole Custer (No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang)

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer has made the most of his sophomore season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series making the Championship 4 for the first time in his career. Last season, Custer fell just short of making the Championship 4 but ultimately finished fifth in the series standings as a rookie. Now Custer has the opportunity to bring Stewart-Haas Racing its first series championship this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Season Recap:

Custer has made 32 series starts in 2018 collecting one win (Texas-2), 13 top fives, 25 top 10s (series most) and five poles. He has also led 294 laps this season and has managed an average start of 6.1 and an average finish of 9.2. In addition, Custer has posted stout season-to-date loop data stats, including a driver rating of 103.4 (fourth-best), an average running position of 8.921 (third-best), a total of 321 fastest laps run (second-most), and completed 87.9% of his laps (4,868) in the top 15 (second-best).

Playoff Recap:

While Cole Custer might be having a career season in the Playoffs, it has not come without some adversity. The California ace started the postseason off with a 15th-place finish at Richmond, a seventh at the Charlotte Road Course and then he finished out the Round of 12 with a runner-up at Dover International Speedway to advance. Custer’s fortune turned at the start of the Round of 8 though, he was caught in a multi-car incident at Kansas that relegated him to a 26th-place finish. The slow start had him outside of the Championship 4 cutoff heading into Texas and needing a win, and the 20-year old did just that. Custer won at Texas locking himself into the Championship 4 and then last week finished eighth at ISM Raceway.

Homestead-Miami Outlook:

Of any of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 drivers, none are more excited to see Homestead-Miami Speedway as the season finale as Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer. Custer posted his first NASCAR Xfinity Series career win at Homestead-Miami Speedway last season in dominating fashion. He started second and led 182 of the 200 scheduled laps (91% - a race record) and set the record average speed for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the track (136.140 MPH, 11/18/2017). In total Custer has made two series starts at HMS posting an average finish of 9.0.

Crew Chief Corner:

Jeff Meendering, crew chief of the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 00 Ford team, has spent most of his NASCAR career as a car chief, but this season looks to make his name amongst the championship crew chiefs of the series. Meendering began his NASCAR career with Hendrick Motorsports and after 11 seasons was promoted to car chief of the No. 24 team with driver Jeff Gordon and crew chief Steve Letarte in the Monster Energy Series. Meendering’s first time as crew chief came about when he filled in for a suspended Steve Letarte in 2007. The following season he took over crew chief duties on the No. 43 Petty Enterprises entry with Bobby Labonte. In 2009, Meendering joined Stewart-Haas Racing where he served as the car chief on the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing team and was with Tony Stewart for his final championship run in 2011. Then, Meendering moved over to be the car chief on the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team with Matt Kenseth and crew chief Jason Ratcliff, until last season he rejoined SHR and became crew chief of the No. 00 team in the Xfinity Series with Cole Custer. The duo managed one win, seven top fives and 19 top 10s in their first year together. This season, the pair is looking for the title.

Team Talk:

Stewart-Haas Racing started its NASCAR Xfinity Series program last season fielding the No. 00 Ford Mustang team fulltime with driver Cole Custer and crew chief Jeff Meendering. The team finished fifth in the championship standings with one win on the season. This year, the organization returned with the No. 00 team intact and as a result they have raced their way into the Championship 4 with a big Playoff win at Texas. Now the team has a chance at bringing the first series title home for the organization.

That'll buff out. 😬@ColeCuster brushed the wall in final practice. #Championship4 pic.twitter.com/lN0bfjv6hL

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) November 16, 2018

 

Daniel Hemric (No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro)

For the second consecutive season, Daniel Hemric has raced his way into the Championship 4 round and heads to Miami with a chance of becoming the next NASCAR Xfinity Series champion. Hemric has already been tapped to run fulltime next season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but a Xfinity title before he goes would be a nice feather in his cap. Hemric is still looking for his first win of his NASCAR career, if he were to win the championship this weekend with out winning the race he would become the first NASCAR national series champion to win a title without ever winning a NASCAR race at any level (0-for-2 in Cup; 0-for-66 in Xfinity [after Homestead]; 0-for-50 in Trucks; 0-for-3 in K&N Pro Series; 0-for-12 in NWMT/NWSMT and also 0-for-1 in ARCA).

Season Recap:

Hemric has made 32 series starts in 2018 amassing 15 top fives, 22 top 10s and four poles. He has also led 440 laps (fourth-most) this season and has managed an average start of 7.9 and an average finish of 9.1. In addition, Hemric has posted robust season-to-date loop data stats, including a driver rating of 106.1 (second-best), an average running position of 7.297 (series-best), a total of 290 fastest laps run (fourth-most), and completed 93.4% of his laps (5,174) in the top 15 (series-best).

Playoff Recap:

Hemric’s voyage through the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs has been the smoothest of the Championship 4. The North Carolina native came out of the Playoff gate quick, with third-place finish at Richmond Raceway, a 10th-place finish at the Charlotte Road Course and then seventh at Dover International Speedway to close out the Round of 12. Then Hemric found even more speed in the Round of 8, finishing second at Kansas, 10th at Texas and again runner-up at ISM Raceway last weekend to guarantee his spot in the Championship 4.

Homestead-Miami Outlook:

Hemric made his NASCAR Xfinity Series track debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway last season as a participant of the Championship 4. The 27-year old started the race fourth but finished 34th, 13 laps down due to a battery issue early in the event. Hemric has also made three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway posting one top five, two top 10s and an average finish of 8.3.

Crew Chief Corner:

Danny Stockman Jr., crew chief of the Richard Childress Racing No. 21 Chevrolet team, began his NASCAR national series crew chief career in 2011 with RCR and driver Austin Dillon in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He led the then up-and-coming driver, Dillon, to a rookie season championship in the Trucks in 2011, and then followed that up by leading Austin Dillon to Rookie of the Year honors in the Xfinity Series in 2012 and then the series title in 2013. Since then he has worked with several drivers at RCR until being paired with Daniel Hemric last season; where the duo made the Championship 4 in their first season together. Now in their second season together they are once again in contention to challenge for the title this weekend in Miami.

Team Talk:

Richard Childress Racing has won two NASCAR Xfinity Series unified driver and owner championships with driver Kevin Harvick in 2001 and 2006. In addition, RCR has won two driver championships with Austin Dillon in 2013 and Clint Bowyer in 2008. The organization has also won Xfinity Series car owner championships in 2003 and in 2007. Richard Childress Racing began its NASCAR Xfinity Series program in 1995 and since has won 79 series races. The 2018 season marks the second time the Richard Childress Racing organization has fielded drivers in the Championship 4 – in 2017 and 2018 (Daniel Hemric).

One. Final. Practice.

Catch the 50-minute session now on NBCSN or stream it live: https://t.co/593lUV9Jw2 pic.twitter.com/xxPflHYLQZ

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) November 16, 2018

 

Tyler Reddick (No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro)

Heading into Phoenix it looked as though three of the Championship 4 this season could be from the JR Motorsport’s camp. But following the action at ISM Raceway, only Tyler Reddick was able to advance and have a shot this weekend at the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Reddick’s season has been a winning one from the start and his recent consistent finishes have led to this opportunity this weekend. The 22-year old is on the verge of possibly winning the Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors and becoming the third different Sunoco Rookie to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship joining Chase Elliott (2014) and William Byron (2017).

Season Recap:

Reddick has made 32 series starts in 2018 rallying off one win (Daytona-1), six top fives, and 19 top 10s. He has also led 140 laps this season and has managed an average start of 11.9 and an average finish of 13.2. In addition, Reddick has posted decent season-to-date loop data stats, including a driver rating of 93.3 (sixth-best), an average running position of 11.018 (sixth-best), a total of 186 fastest laps run (eighth-most), and completed 79.7% of his laps (4,411) in the top 15 (sixth-best).

Playoff Recap:

Reddick has shined during 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. The California native has posted a seventh-place finish at Richmond Raceway, a ninth-place finish at the Charlotte Road Course and then a 14th at Dover International Speedway to close out the Round of 12. Reddick’s Round of 8 was also full of momentum, he finished fifth at Kansas, runner-up at Texas and sixth at ISM Raceway last weekend to guarantee his spot in the Championship 4.

Homestead-Miami Outlook:

Expect Reddick to be poised to give it all he has this weekend for the title, as he made his NASCAR Xfinity Series track debut last season at Homestead-Miami Speedway in impressive fashion. JRM standout won the pole and led 18 laps finishing fourth. He also has three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Homestead where he amassed two top fives, three top 10s and an average finish of 3.7.

Crew Chief Corner:

David Elenz, crew chief for the JR Motorsport’s No. 9 Chevrolet team, began his motorsports career at Jasper Racing in 2001. He then worked at Ginn Racing from 2003-07 and Red Bull Racing Team from 2009-11. In 2012, Elenz transitioned into an engineering role at Hendrick Motorsports. In 2013, working alongside crew chief Chad Knaus, Elenz helped Johnson earn his sixth career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship in addition to 10 victories during his two years on the No. 48 team. In 2014, Elenz took the next step in his professional career and joined JR Motorsports as a crew chief. Elenz has led drivers to nine NASCAR Xfinity Series wins and specifically driver William Byron to last season’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year and the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championship. This weekend will be Elenz’s second consecutive time competing in the Championship 4.

Team Talk:

JR Motorsports has won two NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championships both with Sunoco rookies, Chase Elliott in 2014 and William Byron last season. JR Motorsports began its NASCAR Xfinity Series program in 2005 with driver Mark McFarland and since have won 43 series races; including six this season.

Darkhorse pick?@TylerReddick currently leads all #Championship4 drivers in final practice: https://t.co/iXDVSxwbnd pic.twitter.com/cvvxdBh46n

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) November 16, 2018

NASCAR Xfinity Series

• Next Race: Ford EcoBoost 300
• The Place: Homestead-Miami Speedway
• The Date: Saturday, Nov. 17
• The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCSN, 3 p.m. ET
• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• Distance: 300 miles (200 laps)
• Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45)
• Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90)
• Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

source: NASCAR.com

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Kevin Harvick On Thriving In The Face Of Adversity

Against All Odds

by @Mobil1TheGrid 

From high-school wrestler to persistent NASCAR Cup Championship contender, Kevin Harvick knows how to do it the hard way. As the #4 team head to Homestead Miami for this Sunday’s season finale, the prospect of a second career NASCAR title is on the cards. But Harvick will have to do without his Crew Chief Rodney Childers by his side, after a rules infringement cost him his victory at Texas Motor Speedway. Speaking to Lee Spencer for Mobil 1 The Grid, Harvick, Childers and stand-in Crew Chief Tony Gibson explain why adversity has been a defining source of motivation for both he and the team.

Kevin Harvick had one mission last weekend at ISM Raceway; to advance to the Championship 4 at Homestead Miami Speedway.

Entering the weekend, he held just a three-point advantage over his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kurt Busch. Earlier in the week, he lost his crew chief Rodney Childers and car chief Cheddar Smith to a two-race suspension for an illegal spoiler.

But against those odds, who better than The Closer to carry the No. 4 Ford to the finish?

Harvick is a fighter. He was a high school wrestler, whose work ethic was forged from blue-collar roots in Bakersfield, California. Harvick worked odd jobs to race. His tenacity carried him from the West Coast to the hotbed of stock car racing – North Carolina.

“Where he grew up, that town, that’s how everyone was,” Rodney Childers told Mobil 1 The Grid. “That’s the way he was raised. His dad was pretty hard on him – and pushed him – and I think that what’s made him into who he is right now.”

On Sunday, Nov. 18, Harvick, 42, will attempt to win his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title. The 2014 champion – the first driver to win the Cup under the elimination format – has been competitive for most of his 18 years on NASCAR’s top tour.

But Harvick’s move to Stewart-Haas Racing five years ago, and his alignment with Childers, elevated the team to a perennial title contender. The team was specifically built around Harvick and his personal needs and preferences as a driver.

On Nov. 4, the team appeared fast-tracked for the final race at Homestead after winning Texas – giving Harvick his first eight-win season. Three days later, at the NASCAR R&D Center, inspectors discovered that the spoiler was mounted improperly. The sanctioning body hit the crew with an L1 penalty which included the loss of 60 points, the suspension of Childers and the loss of Harvick’s automatic berth in the championship race.

While that certainly changed the dynamic entering the final two races of the year, there was no obstacle that would unravel this team, particularly Harvick.

“That’s really nothing new for our team,” Harvick said. “When you look at the past five years, we’ve obviously dealt with a lot of things – good things, bad things. We’ve been fortunate to be together for a while now and I’ve dealt with high pressure situations, and understand what it takes to win a championship. I’ve done that. Hopefully, we can put it all together this week. It’s been a great year. And it’s been a great five years with a group of people that I just enjoy racing with.”

At Phoenix, Harvick was laser-focused. He refused to be drawn into the drama surrounding the penalty. He simply concentrated on the task at hand. Under the direction of substitute crew chief Tony Gibson, he won the pole on Friday and secured the best pit box for the Can-Am 500. On Saturday, Harvick posted the fastest time in both practices before settling in for the main event.

“Being around him and being around that whole program, they all step up, not just Kevin,” Gibson said. “They are a tight group, they work really good and really hard together. But Kevin keeps them married together really well and keeps their spirits up.

“He laid out the plan, and that was to go and win. Take it one practice at a time, one stage at a time and, hopefully, I don’t screw things up.”

Everything went according to plan. Harvick led the first 72 laps and appeared on the way to winning the first stage when he cut his right-front tire. Harvick coasted gingerly around the one-mile track in an effort not to incur additional damage. Gibson called for a two-tire stop, knowing that the pits were closed and he would be penalized a lap in the process. Harvick restarted 27th – one lap down – and started the arduous task of carving through traffic.

Although Gibson has been a crew chief for a number of Cup teams over the last 15 seasons, never has he seen a squad with as much moxie as the one Childers has assembled.

“This team right here, when you get down inside it and watch how it works on the inside, they approach every race to win races, not to win stages or points or lead laps,” Gibson said. “It’s about winning races no matter what the circumstances are.

“It’s just they want to show everybody that they are the best, and they deserve to be in this position to fight for a championship.”

Harvick’s gritty performance at Phoenix enabled him to drive back into the second-place with 20 laps remaining. He eventually finished fifth and easily transferred to the final four for the fourth time in five years.

After the race, Harvick used the comeback as a teaching moment for his six-year-old son Keelan on the importance of perseverance.

“In those type of situations, you have to keep fighting forward,” Harvick said. “You have to keep thinking about what you need to do to gain as many spots as you can, because every lap matters. Every lap, it changes. With every lap, we were probably in a better position than we were the lap before.

“I told Keelan, ‘You remember that time when I told you to never give up? Always give 100-percent, every time you’re doing something? Did you watch any of that race? We were way behind. We were in a hole, but no one changed their demeanour. No one ever changed their tone. We kept marching ahead.”

Tucking 👦🏼 into bed he asks about celebrating in Homestead... “Dad, I know if you win the championship we’ll celebrate, but you know what? Even if you don’t, we’re going to celebrate because you did your best & you’ll get to be home more!!” 😭 #sweetsoul

— DeLana Harvick (@DeLanaHarvick) November 15, 2018

When it comes to adversity, there’s no one Childers would rather have behind the wheel.

“I don’t think there’s a person in the field that can step up to the plate like he does,” Childers said. “He always has that little bit of extra left. Everybody always thinks that when we get our backs against the wall, we just bring a super hot-rod car to the track, and then we’re faster than everyone else. The cars aren’t that much different. It’s him stepping it up and making it happen.”

Even now, at the top of his profession, Harvick races with a self-proclaimed chip on his shoulder – but that chip has served him well. He learned a lot about himself wrestling for four years in high school. He learned that he didn’t want to want to join the labourers in the oil fields of central California. Most important, Harvick learned how to survive.

“You have to have a good work ethic, but you have to have that survival mode in there as well,” Harvick said. “Part of that survival mode is giving everything that you have, even when it’s not going good.

“For me, there’s always some incentive in proving to people that you can do something that isn’t what they think you should do. You can look at my whole career. ‘You shouldn’t win. You couldn’t win. And then you did.’ Last week, it was, ‘Yep, this penalty is going to slow them down.’ But when they take 10 points away, we find 20. It’s just the mentality of the race team. It’s always ‘push the limits, and when your back is against the wall, make it better than it was before.’”

Without Childers calling the shots, without Cheddar Bob working on his car, let the competition believe that Harvick is at a disadvantage this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It might just be the fire that fuels the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team to its second championship.

Source

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Johnny Sauter - NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship 4

It wouldn’t be the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs if we didn’t have Johnny Sauter in the Championship 4, would it?

The 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion is back to take his crown. This is Sauter’s third trip to the Playoffs in its current format and he has been in the Championship 4 every one of those trips, winning it all in 2016.

This is Sauter’s 15th year competing in the Camping World Truck Series and his 10th as a full-timer. He has 243 total starts, 23 wins, 102 top fives, 157 top 10s and seven poles. He has led 2,447 laps and has an average start of 9.8 and average finish of 9.6.

Sauter also passed Todd Bodine this season to put himself on the list of top five all-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winners with 23.

Top Five All-Time In NCWTS Wins
Rank	Drivers	Wins
1	Kyle Busch	51
2	Ron Hornaday Jr.	51
3	Jack Sprague	28
4	Mike Skinner	28
5	Johnny Sauter	23
6	Todd Bodine	22

In 2016, Sauter’s first trip to the Playoffs and the Championship 4, he had three wins, 12 top-five finishes, 19 top 10s and one pole. He won the season opener at Daytona International Speedway to secure his spot in the Playoffs and then went on to win back-to-back Playoff races at Martinsville and Texas before winning the championship.

Last year, Sauter had four wins with 13 top fives, 19 top 10s and led 455 laps. Sauter won at Dover to secure his spot in the Playoffs and then went on to win at Chicagoland in the regular season. In the Playoffs, Sauter won at Texas and Phoenix before finishing second in the standings when Christopher Bell took home the championship.

If Sauter wins the championship this year, he will join Ron Hornaday Jr., Jack Sprague and Matt Crafton as multi-championship winners in the series. It appears that Sauter just gets better with time as he accomplished a career-best six wins this season along with 14 top fives, 17 top 10s and one pole. He also led a career-best 585 laps so far. The winning began in the season-opener at Daytona where Sauter started in the front row and ended up winning the race after leading 39 laps. And, as a reminder, the last time Sauter won the season-opener and went to the Championship 4, he won the title. From there, he just kept winning. He won at Dover after starting from second place and won at Charlotte Motor Speedway starting from the pole. Immediately after, he won at Texas to give himself back-to-back victories. He then went on to win at Bristol starting from the fourth position, also where he was crowned the regular season champion.

Find out how a second title would be different from the first for @JohnnySauter? https://t.co/X8UoTMzrdb

— GMS Racing (@GMSRacingLLC) November 14, 2018

Playoff Recap

GMS Racing’s Johnny Sauter kicked off the postseason’s Round of 8 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with a sixth-place finish. Then at Las Vegas, he started sixth and finished runner-up and then barely scraped by into the next round with a 22nd-place finish at Talladega. Sauter’s championship run got back on track at Martinsville after starting eighth and racing his way to the win securing his spot in Miami. He closed out the Round of 6 with an 11th at Texas and a seventh at ISM Raceway last weekend.

Homestead-Miami Outlook

Johnny Sauter is the only Playoff driver with some veteran experience at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He has made series 11 starts at the 1.5-mile speedway producing one win (2011), four top fives, and eight top 10s. He has also led 64 laps Homestead and has an average finish of 10.1.

His first run at the South Florida track was in 2003. From 2009-2017, Sauter has run at Homestead every season. His past two appearances resulted in third-place finishes (2016, 2017).

Sauter’s first and only win at the 1.5-mile track was in 2011 for Curb Racing, when he started fifth. If Sauter win at Homestead, he will join Kyle Busch as the only two active drivers to have ever won multiple times at the track.

Crew Chief Corner

Joe Shear, Jr. is a very experienced and knowledgeable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series crew chief and he has been with Johnny Sauter for the past three years. Shear, Jr. also worked with Sauter earlier in his career from 2004 to 2013.

The two of them have seen a lot of success together with 20 wins, 78 top fives and 106 top 10s and let’s not forget the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship. Shear, Jr. has been a crew chief in the Truck Series for 14 years. Of those 14 years, 10 of them were spent with Sauter either part time or fulltime. This season, Shear, Jr. has 22 starts with six wins, 14 top fives, 17 top 10s and one pole.

Aside from Shear, Jr.’s Truck Series crew chief career, he was also atop the pit box in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for a brief 10 races with Sauter and Michael Waltrip in 2005 and 2006. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Shear, Jr. was a crew chief for five years (1995, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006) accumulating 96 starts, one win, two top fives, 13 top 10s and one pole. The one win, two top fives, five of the top 10s and the pole were all with Sauter in 2005. Shear, Jr. was also crew chief in 2009 for three races in the K&N Pro Series East and West with driver Brian Ickler where he saw one win, two top fives and two top 10s.

In the Camping World Truck Series, Shear, Jr. has been to Homestead-Miami Speedway eight times. Six of those times were with Sauter (2009-2017). This weekend will mark his seventh start at the track. He has one win, four top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 8.4. In 2011, Shear, Jr. won at Homestead with Sauter starting from fifth.

Team Talk

GMS Racing began its NACAR Camping World Truck Series program in 2014 and since has produced 23 series wins, 85 top fives, 174 top 10s, 10 poles and one driver championship (2016). This season marks the third consecutive season GMS Racing has fielded drivers in the Championship 4 – (2016: Johnny Sauter, 2017: Johnny Sauter and 2018 Justin Haley and Johnny Sauter).

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