|| *Comments on the 2017 Ford EcoBoost 400:* View the most recent comment <#402> | Post a comment <#post> 1. 924 posted: 11.14.2017 - 8:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Less than 40 once again, only 39 2. JR-TV posted: 11.14.2017 - 8:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) There will probably be a 40th added. Either the #83 or the #00. David Starr will be in the #66. 3. Tide1732 posted: 11.14.2017 - 8:57 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) That's final cup start for Dale Earnhardt Jr. 4. NewGuyOnTheBlock posted: 11.14.2017 - 9:56 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Final cup starts for Matt Kenseth, Danica Patrick (possibly), and Dale Earnhardt Jr. 5. RaceFanX posted: 11.14.2017 - 10:21 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) This will be a real end of an era race as in addition to the possible departure of those three popular drivers it will also mark the final race where the Chevrolet SS will be the Bowtie brand's NASCAR model of choice. Production of the road going SS is ending so in 2018 Chevrolet teams will instead take to the track in new Camaro ZL1 race cars. The SS, an Australian-built muscle car based off the VF Holden Commodore, has been the Cup series' Chevrolet of choice since the debut of the Generation 6 race cars in 2013, replacing the Chevrolet Impalas used during the "Car of Tomorrow" era. The SS is being discontinued without replacement as General Motors (and everyone else) ends production of cars in Australia. NASCAR drivers at the wheel of the SS won three of the five NASCAR championships the car competed for plus two Daytona 500s and three Brickyard 400s. 6. RaceFanX posted: 11.14.2017 - 10:30 am Rate this comment: (1) (1) This is it, the final battle for all the money. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex, Jr. and Brad Keselowski all come into this race with a chance to win the title and the highest finisher takes the championship. Since the institution of the current points arrange with the four-driver last race shootout it has taken a win in the final race to claim the title each time. We will see if that trend continues for a fourth-straight year. 7. RaceFanX posted: 11.14.2017 - 10:40 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s final race will give him a fittingly sendoff with a look back at the start of his NASCAR Cup career. His sponsor Axalta and Hendrick Motorsports have given his #88 Chevrolet a throwback red-and-black paint scheme for this race that duplicates the original look of that iconic DEI #8 Budweiser Chevrolet Monte Carlo he drove in his first start way back at the 1999 Coca-Cola 600. The people who designed his throwback look have paid attention to the little details. While "Little E" as he was known then drove a red-and-black Bud car from 1999 to 2002 the throwback scheme includes the solid back roof look only used for his first five warmup starts in 1999; when he moved up from the Busch series and went full-time in 2000 the #8 gained a red roof with black sides. 8. Mile501 posted: 11.14.2017 - 11:41 am Rate this comment: (6) (0) #6 "Since the institution of the current points arrange with the four-driver last race shootout it has taken a win in the final race to claim the title each time. We will see if that trend continues for a fourth-straight year." That's because NASCAR throws late-race cautions and helps make that happen. A non-championship contender has led the most laps in each of the last 3 races at Homestead. Eventually, though, I feel like there will be a Homestead finale where the champion doesn't win despite NASCAR's best efforts. I think Kyle Larson stands the best chance to make that happen this weekend. 9. Tide1732 posted: 11.14.2017 - 12:18 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Final cup starts for drivers in his teams (Driving for other teams) Paul Menard in #27 RCR (Moves to #21 WBR) Erik Jones in #77 FRM (Moves to #20 JGR) Ryan Blaney in #21 WBR (Will back to #12 Penske) Michael McDowell in #95 for LFR (Will move to #34) Aric Almirola in #43 (Will moves to SHR #10) Kasey Kahne in #5 (Probably is last race ever for #5 Hendrick, Kahne moves to LFR #95) 10. Sector posted: 11.14.2017 - 1:15 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) Three things I'm looking forward to in this race: 1) Kyle Busch to lead at least 20 laps to hit the 2,000 laps led mark. 2) A great race among the final four. 3) Martin Truex Jr takes the championship while Kyle Larson flies away with the race win. 11. RaceFanX posted: 11.14.2017 - 3:06 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) In what could be his last race, and almost certainly will be his last race in the Gibbs' #20, Matt Kenseth will now also have a throwback paint scheme. His #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry will be decorated in the original yellow-and-black DeWalt paint scheme he raced with back on his #17 during his Busch series days with Robbie Reiser's team in 1999 and his early years in Cup with Roush Racing. 12. Rob posted: 11.14.2017 - 3:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) could be Danicas last race in NASCAR.... wonder where she will land or if she will retire. 13. Canadianfan posted: 11.14.2017 - 3:45 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @12 I think she should seriously consider Drag Racing. Brittany Force just became the second female to ever win The NHRA Top Fuel Championship this past weekend. 14. Damon posted: 11.14.2017 - 4:12 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @12, Retire and focus 100% on her businesses /Ricky 15. 924 posted: 11.14.2017 - 6:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (14) While we all honor Junior's career, I just going to do it now because it makes sense (though not all true or realistic*) October 1974: Junior's birth 1980: Dale Sr. First championship 1981: Dale Sr. Second championship 1986: Dale Sr. 3rd championship 1987: Dale Jr. Drives a late model at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway for the first time, driving the number 8 Wendy's Ford throughout his late model career 1990: Wins 1st race at local track 1992: Wins 1st Late Model championship, his only late model championship 1993: Moves up to NASCAR Southeast Series, driving the 3 Pontiac sponsored by AC Delco, making only starts at Nashville and Myrtle Beach 1994: Runs Full Southeast Schedule likewise for 95; in 94 not winning but finishing 9th; in 95 winning at Hickory and finishing 3rd 1996: Runs part time in Busch North driving the 6 NAPA Chevy, racing in Nazareth, and Watkins Glen, with finshes of 10th and 12th 1997: Runs full Truck schedule driving the 31 Hardee's truck winning at Texas, Louisville, and Fontana, finishing 4th 1998 and 99: In the Busch Series full time driving the AC Delco Chevy, winning both years(like in reality) 2000: Runs the 8 Budweiser Chevy winning 3 times, not the All Star Race finishing 10th in points 2001: Only winning the Pepsi 400, finishing 13th 2002: Moves to RCR driving the number 33 Lowe's Chevy, wins 2 races finshes 14th 2003: Dale Sr. retires 2004: Dale Jr wins 7 times, wins championship 2005: Goes winless, misses chase 2006: Moves to Hendrick 25 Chevy sponsored by GMAC wins twice finshes 5th 2007: Likewise wins twice finshes 4th 2008: Mountain Dew replaces GMAC, National Guard arrives, wins once finshes 9th 2009: Dips in performance finshes 15th 2010: finishes 23rd 2011: Wins again, finishes 17th 2012: Wins 4 times, Runnerup to Jimmie in championship 2013: Wins once finishes 2nd again 2014: Wins first Daytona 500, finishes 9th 2015: Misses remainder of season after Darlington crash; still finishes 25th; was 7th 2016: Finsihes 14th, first round elimation 2017: Wins at Daytona July race finishes 13th; finally retires Career stats; Wins 26 Top 5 166 Top 10 278 Poles 18 2004 Champ Changed Champions: 1981 Dale Sr. 1991 Gant 2003 Dale Sr. (Should have won 8th championship) 2004 Dale Jr. 2007 Gordon 2009 Stewart 2010 Harvick 2012 Johnson 16. Anonymous posted: 11.14.2017 - 7:36 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) It's gonna be hard to watch him go. I've been a fan since 2004 when I started watching NASCAR. Cheers Jr, forever #8 in my book. What a ride 17. 95McDowellFan posted: 11.14.2017 - 8:37 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Michael McDowell's final race for Leavine Family Racing. :( 18. Sector posted: 11.14.2017 - 9:29 pm Rate this comment: (6) (0) Nothing about post #15 makes sense. It's all bogus fan-made BS. 19. Tyson posted: 11.14.2017 - 10:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @2 - Probably not. The only reason Carl Long's team even has that new Toyota is because it's one they got from BK Racing after they blew an engine at Texas. That's why the 83 wasn't entered last week. Starcom also said Phoenix would be their final attempt of the season. Likely staying at 39 entries, which is a bit disappointing for the final race. I haven't been a stickler for "full fields" this year, but it would've been nice to see 40 for Homestead. 20. John Lee Pettimore III posted: 11.14.2017 - 10:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) 13 - Yes, I've been saying that for quite a while now. I think she could do well there. 21. JSPorts posted: 11.15.2017 - 12:16 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think she should try sports car racing. I believe she could have better success there than in NASCAR. 22. 924 posted: 11.15.2017 - 6:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (3) @18 I'm bogus; see me next season 23. What Is A Champion posted: 11.15.2017 - 7:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Larson will blow another win away. 24. What Is A Champion posted: 11.15.2017 - 7:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) How many times will NBC bring up Busch's and Keselowski's Twitter feud on Sunday? 25. Canadianfan posted: 11.15.2017 - 8:30 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) @21 That was my next thought. She is fast enough that she would not be a detriment to a team like say Milka was in the early 2000's. Maybe pair her with Christina Nielsen and have an all female race team. I believe Christina lost her ride at the end of the season. 26. Anonymous posted: 11.15.2017 - 8:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @25 - Christina's a race winning and championship winning driver. There's no need to pair her with a driver who is relatively unproven, at least as far sports car racing goes. 27. 924 posted: 11.15.2017 - 10:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (2) @18 Unrealistic and not true 28. Tyson posted: 11.15.2017 - 3:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @2 - It appears I was wrong. 83 entered late with Joey Gase. 40 cars this weekend. 29. JR-TV posted: 11.15.2017 - 3:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^Great! So happy to get to 40 cars for the final race of the season. 30. 95McDowellFan posted: 11.15.2017 - 5:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #66 will be a Toyota with David Starr 31. Jimmie4life posted: 11.15.2017 - 5:44 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Lets take a moment to realize we won't see Jr. or possibly Kenseth and Patrick. All fans will miss(most likely Kenseth and Patrick will have no ride) these great drivers for the sport. Hope Wallace Jr., Byron, and Bowman can shed the sport some fresh, young competitors. 32. Rob posted: 11.15.2017 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (3) (1) NASCAR will probably lose about half its fanbase when Jr retires. 33. 1995z71 posted: 11.15.2017 - 5:53 pm Rate this comment: (2) (1) NASCAR has already lost half their fanbase on their own. 34. 66LongFan posted: 11.15.2017 - 9:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #66 Will Be A Chevrolet, Picture Of The Car Is On Carl's FaceBook 35. Mile501 posted: 11.16.2017 - 7:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 45 years ago (1972): The NASCAR Winston Cup Series wraps up the first season of what we now call the modern era. 35 years ago (1982): Dale Earnhardt Sr. has what is arguably his best season, earning 11 wins and his third championship. 25 years ago (1992): The shift from the Richard Petty era into the Jeff Gordon era is accompanied by the closest natural championship battle in series history. 15 years ago (2002): The sport is in the midst of its peak of popularity in the midst of a very competitive era in the sport's history. 10 years ago (2007): Toyota enters the sport, along with a number of new teams, resulting in several quality teams failing to qualify each week. This year (2017): NASCAR regularly has less than a full field for each race and TV viewership numbers continue to decline. The recent retirements of Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Carl Edwards are followed by the likely retirements of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Danica Patrick. 36. JR-TV posted: 11.16.2017 - 7:29 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) ^I think the point you have as "35 years ago (1982)" should be "30 years ago (1987). Dale Earnhardt won his first championship in 1980, his second in 1986, and his third in 1987. 37. Anonymous posted: 11.16.2017 - 7:48 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) if anyone but Truex jr wins the championship then the series will look like a joke ...which it has been for the last few yrs since the inception of the playoffs,stages etc 38. 924 posted: 11.16.2017 - 7:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "35 years ago (1982): Dale Earnhardt Sr. has what is arguably his best season, earning 11 wins and his third championship." This happened in 1987 39. 95McDowellFan posted: 11.16.2017 - 7:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ignore comment #30, #66 is a Chevy, for some reason I thought they were using the car from last week. 40. Mile501 posted: 11.16.2017 - 8:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes, that's exactly what that was supposed to say. Sorry about that! 41. Eric posted: 11.16.2017 - 8:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And I'm so glad we made it, so glad we made it You got to gimme some lovin'" 42. AutoRockinRacing94 posted: 11.16.2017 - 3:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Final race for the No. 5 car in the foreseeable future as Hendrick entered that number since the 1984 Daytona 500. Also, I predict two red flags coming out of this race because it's been the season of stoppages. 43. JR-TV posted: 11.17.2017 - 8:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Did the #7 really withdraw? I didn't see that coming. That puts us down to 39 cars. I hope it's not true. 44. Zackary Shawn posted: 11.17.2017 - 11:16 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) Haven't posted in over a year (most of the folks on here now might not even remember me), but I came by here just to make this little observation: No Chevy driver made the final four, you all know this. However, I was shocked to learn that this was the first time in 14 years that the final race of the season has come around and a Chevy driver has not been mathematically eligible for the championship. Anyway, just stopping by. I apologize if anyone else has already made this observation, but I thought it was interesting. 45. Mile501 posted: 11.17.2017 - 12:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Expanding on that a bit, as best I can tell, only twice since 1976 has a General Motors car not been in contention for the title in the final race (1999 and 2003). Ford drivers Dale Jarrett and Matt Kenseth both clinched the title before the final race in those seasons. 46. Altracing posted: 11.17.2017 - 3:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Junior will have to start in the rear on Sunday after making an engine change in first practice 47. RaceFanX posted: 11.17.2017 - 6:18 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Danica Patrick announced should would retire from full-time racing in the lead up to this race but noting she wants to run the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 in 2018 before she hangs up the helmet for good. 48. RaceFanX posted: 11.17.2017 - 6:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ryan Blaney announced his new #12 Penske entry will have a sponsorship deal with the REV Group in 2018 two days before this race, the company said it would sponsor the new ride for two races in 2018 with an associate sponsorship for all the rest. 49. RaceFanX posted: 11.17.2017 - 7:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Denny Hamlin won the pole with a fast lap right at the very end of qualifying. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s final qualifying session saw him make Q2 but his team not making a run to save their tires since he was stuck starting at the back anyway. 50. George posted: 11.17.2017 - 7:12 pm Rate this comment: (2) (2) Qual results not posted here yet, but no need for suspense. I'll post it, and as an added bonus Sunday's likely finishing order too: 1. JGR Toyota 2. JGR Toyota 3. JGR Toyota 4. JGR Toyota 5 through 40: doesn't matter 51. Jimmie4life posted: 11.17.2017 - 7:34 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Come on Truex, i'm counting on you! Win this championship for Talladega payback last year. 52. Stewart14Rocks posted: 11.17.2017 - 8:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) @37 the only other driver you could make a good case for is busch 53. Z posted: 11.17.2017 - 9:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex 2nd, Busch 3rd, Keselowski 5th, Harvick 9th; Prediction: (1)Truex, (2)Keselowski/Harvick, (4)Busch -Truex Wins, Keselowski/Harvick Run Top 5, Busch Has Problems (Wreck or Mechanical), Finishes Outside Top 10, But Within Top 20 Not A Reflection Of Each's Respective Season, Just How I See This Race Turning Out 54. Sector posted: 11.17.2017 - 10:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #44 I remember you! However, someone has mentioned that in last week's Phoenix page already. 55. Sector posted: 11.17.2017 - 10:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @37 & 52, in all honesty, Kevin Harvick isn't a bad case either. He's been quietly consistent and is among the third best driver of the year. He's led over 800 laps. Brad Keselowski isn't having a stellar season, but he hasn't been bad either. This is definitely the best final four since the 2014 elimination introduction to date. 56. joey2448 posted: 11.18.2017 - 6:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) While Harvick hasn't been as fast as the 78 or 18 this year, I really think he's caught something here in the last few weeks. That 4 team seems to have picked up some speed, and there was no greater example of that than Texas when he flat out passed Truex for the win with 10 laps to go. Plus, co-owner Tony Stewart said in victory lane that day that he saw something in Harvick that reminded him of himself, and that Harvick has the killer instinct to get the job done when it matters most. With that mind, Harvick could very well be dangerous come Sunday. 57. RWR posted: 11.18.2017 - 10:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anyone know why the #7 withdraw? 58. Trent posted: 11.18.2017 - 4:48 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) This is going to be a battle against Truex and Busch. 59. cjs3872 posted: 11.18.2017 - 8:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just like Indy figured to be, @58, and we all know how that ended up. With both cars wrecked at two-thirds distance, setting up one of the craziest finishes in modern NASCAR history. By the way, I'm pretty sure that the Ford drivers (and one certain Ford team owner in the garage area) that are in the battle for the championship may be playing mind games with the Toyota drivers, particularly Martin Truex, Jr., since that's something Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, and Tony Stewart, co-owner of the car Harvick drives, are known for, so I look for them to play some games with the #78 of Truex during the race at some point. However, I don't think they can do that with Kyle Busch, because he can dish that kind of stuff out as well as Harvick and Keselowski can. But Truex may be a driver they might try to take advantage of when the opportunity presents itself. 60. racefangurl posted: 11.19.2017 - 1:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) But Harvick and Keselowski still won't be champ, either one. This race later today's all Toyota's alley. I mean, it's a 1.5 mile, so Gibbs equipment (JGR and Furniture Row) will dominate, I bet my butt. 61. The Diamond Tower posted: 11.19.2017 - 8:16 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Greetings for the first time in a long time. I am here for a farewell post to one of my biggest targets throughout my years posting here, Dale Jr. Joon-yer! Although he underachieved greatly given his talent and equipment, never bothered to try growing up until his 40s, and unforgivably demonized Teresa, the woman his father loved with all his heart, the woman his father credited 100% for settling him down so he could become Dale Earnhardt, The Intimidator, The Man In Black, The Dominator, The Seven Time Champion, I do have to say this: He always treated the fans right off the track. In an era of drivers that see fans as an annoyance, as people who need to be happy to just sit there and watch them race and leave them alone, Dale Jr did it right. The old school way. The Richard Petty way. For a sport whose decision makers and drivers have done everything possible to turn fans off, and have been damn successful in doing so, his departure will be their final death blow. And Danica Patrick's PR team will take all the credit for the fans leaving claiming it was her they were watching. And they will be wrong. 62. cjs3872 posted: 11.19.2017 - 10:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Ford drivers (Harvick and Keselowski) might not figure to be able to beat the Toyota drivers (Truex and Kyle Busch) on performance, racefangurl (#60), but if the Toyota drivers spend too much time focusing on each other and race each other too hard, we could see a repeat of what happened at Indy when they took each other out, and then it would become a battle between the Ford drivers with the Toyota pair out of the way. Harvick and Keselowski aren't likely to show their hand until it really counts, and we can't forget that, in the last race on a 1.5 mile track, Harvick outran Truex when it counted. And the Fords seem to be on their game this weekend. Even the usually slow Roush entries seem to have found speed to match the Stewart-Haas and Penske entries (which would include the Wood Brothers car) this weekend, which could mean that the Ford teams may be every bit the match for the Toyota teams. Harvick and Keselowski may not be the long shots that everyone thinks they are, particularly Harvick, because he's proven that he can outrun Truex when it counts. 63. cjs3872 posted: 11.19.2017 - 10:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @61, those same comments about Dale Earnhardt, Jr. can also be made about Matt Kenseth, who's also making his final start and has actually had the greater career (39 wins vs. 26, one championship for Kenseth to zero for Dale, Jr. with each owning two Daytona 500 wins). Both Dale, Jr. and Kenseth had great mentoring (Dale, Jr. had his father and Kenseth had Mark Martin and Jeff Burton). And as usual, Kenseth's being overshadowed by Dale, Jr., which is just how he likes it, but if he went out and won this race and went out with successive wins, it would surprise nobody. 64. Incognito posted: 11.19.2017 - 10:48 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) "@61, those same comments about Dale Earnhardt, Jr. can also be made about Matt Kenseth, who's also making his final start and has actually had the greater career (39 wins vs. 26, one championship for Kenseth to zero for Dale, Jr. with each owning two Daytona 500 wins)" I'd argue that the difference in career numbers is largely due to equipment. Kenseth drove for Roush and Gibbs at each team's respective peak. Earnhardt drove for DEI, which was never better than second tier, and while Hendrick has a great reputation, they've been a bit overrated over the past decade due to the performance of legends (Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon). As drivers, Kenseth and Earnhardt are just about equal to me. 65. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 11:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's fun to compare Kenseth and Earnhardt, Jr. since they were rivals for several years but it's likely a certainty that both will be hall of famers. On the other end of the coin from the Cup stats Earnhardt, Jr. won two Busch titles and beat Kenseth to do it. 66. George posted: 11.19.2017 - 11:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I'd argue that the difference in career numbers is largely due to equipment. Kenseth drove for Roush and Gibbs at each team's respective peak. Earnhardt drove for DEI, which was never better than second tier, and while Hendrick has a great reputation, they've been a bit overrated over the past decade" This, times 1,000,000. 67. Ferret posted: 11.19.2017 - 11:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jr was never, ever, Dale 2.0. And I'm perfectly fine with that. Now I've said that....lemme explain why. Certain parts of the general NASCAR fanbase wanted Jr to be Dale 2.0 post Feb 2001. Jr never lived up to those expectations. Instead.....he proved a good plate racer, good enough to win the 500 twice. Good enough to be there at a dominant DEI plate program in the early to mid 2000s. He had raw talent, that's not in question. What is, is why certain sections of the fanbase almost seemed to assume he'd be just like his father and if anything outdo him. There's been people online on other sites calling Jr a fraud and a bust forr never winning a title, though under the Chase formats I doubt Dale would have won a title either. It just baffles me how certain sections of the fanbase can hype Dale up in 1999/2000/especially 2001 and then cry foul when he doesn't win a title, or seven or eight or however many those rabid delusional fans assume he 'should' win...which is, honestly, not really pathetic, but certainly questionable. For the record, no, Jr is not a bust or a flop, no, he's had a fantastically long lived career, but I doubt if he was Dale Doe he'd have had all the pressure on him of being an Earnhardt. He'd instead be remembered as a solid, reliable driver who won several races and had a rivalry with some of the biggest names in NASCAR both past (Gordon, his father, Rusty etc() and present (Jimmie, Kyle and so forth) 68. Tide1732 posted: 11.19.2017 - 11:55 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Final cup race for Landon Cassill? 69. cjs3872 posted: 11.19.2017 - 11:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @64-66, to be fair, we can't forget that Dale, Jr. won 14 times from his rookie season in 2000 through the 2004 season in that "second rate equipment" for DEI, which was a top-echelon team then, particularly in 2003-'04. But Dale, Jr. also had to deal with something Kenseth never had to deal with, and that was injuries. Going all the way back to 2002, when he suffered a significant concussion at Fontana, he had problems with injuries that Kenseth never really had to deal with. To me, the single biggest incident that changed Dale, Jr.'s career happened at a NASCAR track, but not in a NASCAR race, and that would be the fire he had at Sonoma in a sports car when he was trying to better his road racing skills. He said that he could actually hear his father tell him to get out of that burning sports car. I really don't think any racing fan can appreciate how that one incident changed the course of his career, because with the exception of one season at Hendrick Motorsports (2014), he was never the same driver after that. Granted, the team he was, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., with was in flux with poor management, but how would that explain five lost seasons at Hendrick Motorsports from 2008-2012 when others were competing for, and winning championships? Much like the crash Darrell Waltrip had in the 1983 Daytona 500 changed his career, the fire Dale, Jr. suffered in that sports car at Sonoma altered his career, almost irreversibly so. He had 12 wins in four and-a-half seasons to that point, including four in that 2004 season, and just 14 in nearly 13 and-a-half seasons after that. Meanwhile, Kenseth had a much longer lasting career, not only because he was on top-tier teams such as Roush Racing (we forget how good Roush once was) and Joe Gibbs Racing, but also because he never put himself in the kind of jeopardy that Dale, Jr. put himself in. There's a reason why drivers like Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, and before he retired, Jeff Gordon, were so great for as long as they were great. They rarely put themselves in a position where they risked serious injury needlessly. (I don't put Tony Stewart in that group because, although he was as great as any of them, he did take needless risks, and probably shortened his career as a result.) You would never have seen any of them take such a needless risk in the middle of a championship season, and Dale, Jr. was in the middle of a championship season in 2004 prior to his sports car fire, make no mistake about that. Doing something like that in the off-season is one thing (remember Gordon's rollover crash in the RoC in 2002?), but doing so in the middle of the season is something altogether different. 70. Sector posted: 11.19.2017 - 1:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The championship weekend saw some first time winners (Chase Briscoe in Truck & Cole Custer in Xfinity). If that momentum continues will Chase Elliott, Erik Jones or Daniel Suarez seal the deal this weekend? 71. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 1:22 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) With how the playoffs and this weekend has gone I believe that Truex will win the race and the championship 72. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Every pit crew member from every team is out to send Junior well wishes as he starts his final race. I think he actually missed the first pace lap because there are so many people giving him a high five through the window as he inches out. 73. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Matt Kenseth started off from the pit road at the back of the pack alongside Junior before moving up to his fourth-place starting position. 74. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Junebug takes a celebratory lap for the fans before the start with a truck towing a giant flag thanking him for all his years of racing. 75. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race is airing live on both NBC (the main coverage) and NBCSN (a secondary "hot pass" version geared toward just the title contenders). 76. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) We're green at Homestead 77. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The green flag is out and several drivers big date with history begins... 78. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:16 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Truex to the lead on the start 79. racing7 posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:17 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) What each car can do to win the championship: #78: Do what they have all year on 1.5-mile tracks. He does not have to win, but it is the only way to ensure his first championship. #2: Pit strategy. The #2 team is known for aggressive calls, and with 3 cars the same speed, aggressive pit strategy could give him his 2nd championship. #18: Just run like they have. They don't have that much momentum, but a 3rd place starting spot, 2nd of the playoff drivers, is a good sign for the former champ. #4: More playoff magic. They have been great in clutch situations, and another win could give him his second championship 80. 42Fan posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:17 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) What a suprise, Truex is already out in front. 81. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gase into the wall hard caution is out early 82. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Caution is out on lap 6 as Joey Gase drills the outside wall. The #83 Toyota looks like it is done for the day; I doubt they'll fix that one with the crash clock in play. 83. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Some drivers pit including Keselowski 84. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Top 15 cars stayed out on track 85. Jimmie4life posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:23 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Truex with the lead means trouble for the contenders, because he is almost unstoppable on 1.5 miles. 86. Jimmie4life posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, cautions breed cautions. What'll happen next? 87. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson who pitted under caution to the lead 88. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:28 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Keselowski around Truex for the championship spot but again different pit startegy for the two cars 89. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch is now outside the top ten in 12th 90. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Earnhardt, Jr. is up to 23rd within the first 20 laps. 91. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Blaney just made a pit stop for handling issues and is now a lap down 92. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnson has a right rear tire down 93. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Green flag pit stops starting 94. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:46 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Pit stops have cycled through Larson leads by half a second over Keselowski while Keselowski has a seven second lead over Truex 95. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch reporting a vibration 96. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) We've got 50 laps down and all four title contenders are in the top-10. It's Keselowski-Truex-Harvick-Kyle Busch with 50 laps down. The people who said Kyle Larson was coming in loaded for bear with something to prove are being shown right so far. 97. JFM01 posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:52 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Black Jr. has been parked for running too slow. 98. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Junior is now a lap down 99. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson is starting to lap into the top-20. We've got another long green flag run as his been pretty common all weekend. 100. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnson on pit road again after hitting the wall 101. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 3:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson gets the wall again. This is turning into a rough day for Johnson in his final hours as the Cup series' reigning champion. 102. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Keselowski, Harvick, Truex, and Kyle Busch are now running 2-3-4-5 behind Kyle Larson with 70 laps down. 103. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is Chase Elliott's last run in the #24 before he switches to #9 next year, opening the #24 for rookie William Byron (who won the Xfinity title last night). Elliott's last run is going well so far. He's running sixth. 104. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:03 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Larson is wishing he was one of the championship four right now. He leads the race by nearly 10 seconds. 105. racing7 posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Keselowski could go to victory lane in all 3 series. In the truck race, he went there as an owner for the #29, who won the race (but not the championship) In the XFINITY series, he was celebrating the owner's championship for the Penske #22. Now, in the cup series, he can win the championship. 106. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:06 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Larson wins stage 1 107. racing7 posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) #2 best of championship drivers after end of stage 1 race off pit road 108. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That big #88 made with rubber from two Ford Mustangs doing donuts on the backstretch is still in place for this one. Ford did it as a publicity stunt with several of its NASCAR Cup drivers doing the donuts. It's an ironic tribute from Ford to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. given he was a passionate Chevrolet racer through his career from late models straight through to today. The only time I can recall seeing Junior race a Ford was a weekly Winston Racing Series race at Nashville that TNN broadcast around 1996, Earnhardt was still working his way up the ladder and drove a Petty Blue #3 Ford late model that was clearly a #43 with some tape over its first digit. 109. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Harvick around Keselowski for the championship spot 110. Chase24Fan posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Race is a yawner so far. Just doesn't seem like cars can pass. 111. racing7 posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Keselowksi falls from 1st to 4th of championship 4 112. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch around Harvick 113. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) With Rowdy Busch now taking over the title spot all four of our title contenders have now been in the championship spot today. 114. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Green flag pit stops starting again 115. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Pit stops have cycled through Larson still leads Harvick gets out in front of Busch 116. racing7 posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) no commitment line violation for the #18? 117. TeamDCR fan posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Busch Bros like to make dramatic entrances to the pits at homestead 118. racefangurl posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I pick Truex for champ, as far as heart pick goes. 119. racefangurl posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) But I can't call it yet, as far as head goes. All 4 are top-6 as I type this. 120. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Busch gets back around Harvick 121. racefangurl posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I see Truex has led more laps than the other 3 combined, though. 122. Clint posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) This track sucks 123. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica has crashed caution is out along with Kahne 124. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica Patrick's last ride for Stewart Haas ends with the Aspen Dental #10 Ford Fusion on fire after a crash into the wall in turn 1 (anyone else getting a Richard Petty's last ride vibe from that?). Kasey Kahne was right behind her, making his final start in Hendrick Motorsports' #5, and got collected running right in the back of her. Looks like both of them will be out of the race. 125. Anonymous posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My predictions for 2018 *Part Time Car ^ROTY 1- McMurray 2- Keselowski 3- Dillon 4- Harvick 6- Bayne 7- Salder/ Yeley* 9- Elliot 10- Almirola 11- Hamlin 12- Blaney 14- Bowyer 15- Kennington/ Sorenson 17- Stenhouse Jr 18- Ky Busch 19- Saurez 20- Jones 21- Menard 22- Logano 23- Moffit 24- Byron^ 27- McDowell 31- Newman 32- Dibenetto 33- Earnhardt 34- Regan 37- Buscher 38- Ku Busch 41- Custer^ 42- Larson 43- Wallace Jr^ 47- Allemdinger 48- Johnson 51- Ware/ Mcleod/ Black Jr/ Weatherman/ Blicki 55- Gaulding/ Gase 66- Long/ Hill/ Starr/ Thompson 72- Whitt 75- Gaughan* 78- Truex Jr 83- Armstrong^ 88- Bowman 95- Kahne 98- Crafton* Rookie Of The Year Contenders No.24- William Byron No.41- Cole Custer No.43- Darrel Wallace Jr No.83- Dakoda Armstrong Premium Motorsports- No.7 Elliot Sadler to drive super Speedways, JJ Yeley To Race Six 1.5 Truck Events Premium MotorSports- No.15 Reed Sorensen to drive majority of the season, DJ Kennington will race the Super Speedways and Phoenix November Race Rick Ware Racing- No.51 Cody Ware to drive the Daytona 500, Texas Spring Race, Coca Cola 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. Weatherman for the short tracks, Mcleod and Black Jr for 1.5 Races, and Josh Blicki for Sonama, Watkins Glen and Charlotte Road Course. MotorSports Business Management- No.66 Carl Long to drive 4 Races, Timmy Hill 14 Races and David Starr as well. Mark Thompson for Super Speedways. Beard MotorSports- No.75 Brendan Gaughan for all Super Speedways. BK Racing- No.83 Dakoda Armstrong will run for ROTY honors, competing all 36 races in the No.83 Toyota. Thorsport Racing- No.98 Matt Crafton to drive Daytona 500. 126. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In her final race running the No. 10 for Stewart-Haas Racing, Danica Patrick loses it going into turn 1 and smacks the wall. Kasey Kahne, in his final race driving the No. 5 for Hendrick, slips up the track behind her and runs right into the back of Patrick. Danica ends up stopping in turn 4 on fire and jumps out of the car in a hurry. See ya at next year's Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500, Danica! 127. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harvick once again beats Busch off pit road 128. Anonymous posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) I legit could care less who wins the championship. It's exactly how I felt last year, with no one to root for. 129. Danish Pie posted: 11.19.2017 - 4:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A fitting end to Danica's full-time NASCAR career. I wonder what Hall of Fame class she'll be. /s 130. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Patrick blew a tire to trigger that accident. Bummer. 131. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:01 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Truex around Harvick 132. racefangurl posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Kind of a Toyota flavored top 5. 133. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is the comments section acting weird for anyone else? Like the "Publish" button getting very wide and all the comments stretching out far horizontally? It doesn't appear to be effecting other pages on the site. 134. Danish Pie posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) Cont. 129 - Continues to be a bitch in her interviews by blaming her team for not seeing the tire rub, and saying that she hopes she doesn't end up in the medical center at Daytona next year. And to that I say good riddance. Don't let the front door hit you or the goof Lord split you when every female driver after you who gets to Cup makes a mockery of your 'feats'and 'records'. 135. Danish Pie posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I hate typing on phone. Idk why question marks always happen. -_- 136. Anonymous posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My comment on 125, I forgot to put Ty Dillon in 13 137. Danish Pie posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @RaceFanX It's normal for me. 138. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson wins stage 2 139. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Truex wins the race off pit road to regain the lead of the race 140. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:15 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) How's it feel to be a miserable git, Danish Pie? (@134) While her on track performance wasn't great over the years, I think Danica has been a huge benefit to the sport and a huge role model for girls that aspire to be something in life. Plus, her interview moments ago wasn't blaming her crew. She took the blame for hitting the wall and said she hopes to run well and at least finish the Daytona 500 in 2018. You twisted her words around completely. 141. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:15 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) It's Truex-Kyle Busch-Harvick 1-2-3 with Keselowski ninth with 100 laps to go. (Sites back to normal for me now too. Cleared some cookies and it reset.) 142. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There are only 17 cars left on the lead lap. Larson is running fifth right now. 143. 42Fan posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Who thinks there will be a caution with 10 laps to go in the race? 144. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch to the lead 145. John Lee Pettimore III posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Hey, 42Fan. Still watching huh? 146. 42Fan posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) CRASH Turn 3! 147. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Starr has a flat tire still green 148. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David Starr has a flat tire on the #66 and heads for the pits. No yellow. 149. John Lee Pettimore III posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Boycott not working out so well? 150. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch won the title in 2015 but that was the year he missed a good chunk of the season due to injury and many questioned his eligibility given he never would have stood a chance at the title in the era before "win and you're win." He's always been a championship caliber racer though and he's out front as he seeks title number two tonight. 151. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NBC goes to commercial with the iconic "Miami Vice" theme. Sweet. 152. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 143 If we do get a caution with less than 10 to go it might hurt Kyle since his car is set up for more of a long run 153. 42Fan posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 145 I'm a different 42Fan. I'm not the Toyota-conspiracy 42Fan. 154. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harvick has a little hole on the right fender from debris from the 66 car 155. John Lee Pettimore III posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, right. 156. 42Fan posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #149 This is a special one-off appearance. After this I will be boycotting until Daytona Speedweeks 2018. 157. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex may have radio issues now 158. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Green flag pit stops starting again 159. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Keselowski pits with 70 laps to go (just outside the pit window) in a gamble to gain track position later on. Truex follows him a lap later! 160. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harvick's team puts a patch on the hole. Kyle trying to make this a one stop race if we stay green 161. Pacer posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) These "Dewey Ryder" Mtn. Dew ads with a tool played by Danny McBride (aka the guy from "Eastbound and Down") claiming he'll replace Dale Earnhardt, Jr. as the pop's driver are annoying to an nth degree. How is this supposed to make me want a soda? 162. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Matt Kenseth is running third in his final race in that Gibbs #20. 163. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch was running loose and now has a tear off from another driver's helmet he ran over on the track stuck to the front of the grill, helping to increase downforce to the nose of the #18 M&M's Caramel Toyota. 164. John Lee Pettimore III posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 161 - I agree. Lame. 165. John Lee Pettimore III posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 42Fan - Nice. 166. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:44 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Pit stops have now cycled through Truex leads Harvick by 4.2 seconds but both drivers must make one more stop 167. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Strategy in play to decide a championship. Love it! 168. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch pits and the team removes that tear off from the nose of the #18...then adds a piece of tape in the same spot to get that same downforce effect. 169. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt Busch has a tire down caution is out 170. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Now wait as conspiracy theorists accuse Kurt of spinning intentionally to help teammate Harvick. 171. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The caution Kyle Busch didn't need comes out as, of all people, his brother Kurt Busch spins out with a flat tire. This could make Thanksgiving a little awkward later in the week. 172. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like Suarez also blew a motor 173. rm posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like Kurt may have run over debris from Suarez's car and cut a tire and spun as a result. 174. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually Suarez had a brake line leak. He's in the garage 175. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I just realized this. With Matt Kenseth possibly retiring this could be the last Cup race with a pre-Chase/Playoffs champion in the field. 176. racefangurl posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) All the championship drivers are top-5. So it's anyone's guess who takes it. I still say Toyota will rule. Busch and Truex have led more laps than the others. 177. Not Sure posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) That didn't warrant a caution. 178. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 5:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Restart with 34 to go. 179. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex, Harvick, and Kyle Busch are 1-2-3 with 21 laps left to settle this. Keselowski is sixth. Truex has a mirror full of Harvick in the closing laps. 180. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Man 20 laps to go and I'm starting to get really nervous. This is go time. Truex leads but Harvick and Kyle Busch are fast. 181. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rowdy moves into second place. It's Toyota versus Toyota! 182. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cole Pearn tells Truex it's time to run the wall. This is gonna get good! 183. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Larson passes Kevin Harvick and takes third place. The #42 is fast with 15 to go. 184. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex is getting into lapped traffic and Kyle Busch is catching him BUT Larson is charging toward both of them like a runaway locomotive. 185. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Busch is catching Truex for the lead but Larson in third is faster than both of them! HOly cow watch out! 12 laps to go 186. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Larson is running high, wide, and handsome Harry Gant style. 187. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, this is what we live for as NASCAR fans! 188. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Camry against Camry. Furniture Row against Gibbs. The students against the masters. 189. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Five to go and Kyle Busch is trying a high line but Truex is starting to inch ahead. 190. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson is holding steady behind Busch. 191. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson gets the wall and falls back a little with two to go. 192. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:18 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) TRUEX IS CHAMPION 193. 42Fan posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) I am really hoping for a caution. 194. racefangurl posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I guess we can about call it for Truex. Unless he runs out of gas or some such. 195. Bancupinvaders posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:18 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! 196. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:18 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Great finish!! Martin Truex Jr. is a NASCAR Cup champion!!! 197. Nucl3ar Wa4le posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:19 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!! Truex is the champion!!!!!!!!!! 198. 42Fan posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (6) Congratulations to Kyle Larson, the REAL 2017 Cup Series Champion. 199. Bancupinvaders posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Very happy with the outcome of all 3 championships this weekend, the right ones got them. 200. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:21 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Martin Truex, Jr. completes his incredible season and wins the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup championship. The outsiders from Denver are now top of the heap. For the fourth year in a row it took a win in the final race to win the championship. 201. TeamDCR fan posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:21 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Didn't really care about the final 4 this year, but if someone was going to win, I'm glad MTJ did. And, farewell to Dale Jr. He had a Richard Petty esque farewell tour 202. Bancupinvaders posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:22 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) #198..seriously?, and how exactly do you justify that moronic statement..Truex easily out performed Larson you foolish fanboy. 203. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:23 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) On the day Dale Earnhardt, Jr. retires a driver he helped bring to Cup earns the championship. 204. :) posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:23 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) YEAH BOY!!!!! He deserved it the most and we all know it. Also I hope you people realize 42Fan is a troll, people know when they sound like crybabies. They don't post it online 205. Tide1732 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:23 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Thanks to great cup career for Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. A Wonderful career ending NASCAR Race. 206. Greg posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (1) (3) Anyone else than Truex winning the title would be epic bull####. NASCAR's horrendous points system got bailed out. 207. Bancupinvaders posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Gonna miss seeing Kenseth and Jr out on the track. 208. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (4) (0) Wow how about that throwback commercial by Budweiser??? Hahaha that was awesome! Anyone remember that ad back then? I do. 209. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Budweiser thanks Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by rerunning one of his old commericals he did for them in the mid-2000s during the post race coverage. "This Bud's for You, Junior" indeed. 210. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:28 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. drove up and gave Martin Truex, Jr. a victory donut on the cool down lap. 211. Nucl3ar Wa4le posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #20 - DeWalt / Matt Kenseth Roush Tribute #37 - Clorox / Kingsford / Scott Products #47 - Kroger ClickList / DiGiorno / Cheez-It #88 - Axalta Dale Jr's Last Start Tribute 212. Tide1732 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:28 pm Rate this comment: (1) (4) A New underdog champion! Since Alan Kulwicki in 1992, We did not have a NASCAR champion, Martin Truex Jr. started was always a driver who did not have strong equipment in the cup series, His career in #56 by MWR was a disaster, In DEI driving the #1, It was worse than in the Busch Series, He won 1 only, being that in the Busch Series he was a two time champion. Now on a weak team where Regan Smith and Kurt Busch did not work, Martin Truex Jr. would have to win races for a 'underdog' to be a champion in the cup series. And he did it. 213. 1995z71 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:28 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Congrats to Martin Truex Jr! He deserved more than anyone else. Just won his first Cup championship, has a long time girlfriend, was really hoping he would pop the question. 214. Anonymous posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) Thank f**king God this shitty season is over. Wonder how NASCAR will change the rules in order to favor Toyota again next year. 215. BrotherFlounder posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:29 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Truex wins the Cup! About damn time! He deserves it so very much, having been on so many bad teams despite his talent. Major congratulations. 216. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. presented his helmet from this race to Rick Hendrick just after he climbed out for the last time. Hendrick is responding by giving him the retro-painted #88 Axalta Chevrolet SS he drove today in return. 217. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:33 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Larry MacReynolds is no doubt happy. David Ragan turns in a top-20 run with his Ford backed by the Weather Channel. 218. Son1c posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #17 - 3M / Fastenal #19 - Arris High-Speed Modems #72 - Rinnai 219. DB1995 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) Well glad this season is over, just way to predictable this season. Now we get 3 months of Truex sob stories until Daytona. 220. Karn Evil 9 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #202: I hope you realize that 42fan is nothing but a troll. #212: I dunno if Furniture Row can really be considered an underdog at this point. They're practically a Gibbs satellite team. Anyways, congrats to Truex for winning this year's Cup championship. I think he deserved it, especially after having the season like he had. Heck, I think all of this week's championship winners deserved to win. It's definitely gonna be strange not seeing Jr. and Kenseth on track next year. 221. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Aric Almirola turns in a top-20 in his last outing in the Richard Petty Motorsports' #43 Ford before he joins Stewart-Haas next year to take over the #10 Ford. 222. Random Facts posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:39 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) 3 first time winners in the 2017 Monster Energy Cup Series Ricky Steinhouse Jr Austin Dillon Ryan Blaney 223. TeamDCR fan posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:48 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Firsts in Furniture Row's history: First start: Kenny Wallace First Pole: Joe Nemechek First Win: Regan Smith First Chase appearance: Kurt Busch First Championship: Martin Truex Jr. 224. Bancupinvaders posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:49 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Kyle Busch blames Joey Logano for losing the championship for blocking him.........................I want to give Joey a big ol hug. Thank you Joey for holding him up, so happy Kyle was not the champion. 225. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wanna bring up a moment with a few laps to go, when Larson had a huge run on Kyle Busch off turn 2 but instead of making the pass, he ran up to the 18 and gave him a push (almost wrecking Busch in the process). Interesting decision, seeing the championship implications he could have had and instead deciding to stay third and push Kyle. 226. 1963 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Congrats to Furniture Row! 227. Altracing posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:56 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Truex joins Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch, Harvick and Keselowski as drivers to win both Xfinity and Monster Energy Championships in their careers 228. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ryan Blaney finishes down the running order after early issues in his last race for the Wood Brothers. He'll move over to Penske to race the revived #12 car next season. Paul Menard claims a top-20 as he finishes up his seven-year tenure in Richard Childress Racing's #27 Chevrolet. He'll join the Wood Brothers next year to replace Blaney in the #21 Ford. 229. Tide1732 posted: 11.19.2017 - 6:58 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) My results predictions for 2018 I Wrong to another moves for Custer in #10, Gaulding in #34 Switching Cassill in #35,McMurray to FRR #77 after Poole driving the #1 And no Paul Menard in Penske And here is the probably 2018 drivers (Another predictions in a free number teams) 1 #1 McMurray 2 #2 Keselowski 3 #3 Austin Dillon 4 #4 Harvick 5 #6 Bayne 6 #9 Chase Elliott (Good number for Chase, I dosen't like to #5 not returned) 7 #10 Almirola (Another SHR-Crashing driver is comming) 8 #11 Hamilin 9 #12 Ryan Blaney (Ok ride) 10 #13 Ty Dillon 11 #14 Bowyer 12 #17 Stenhouse Jr. 13 #18 Ky. Busch 14 #19 Suarez 15 #20 Jones (I like) 16 #21 Menard (Probably is the badiest ride ever) 17 #22 Logano 18 #24 Byron 19 #27 Cassill 20 #31 Newman #33 Jeffrey Earnhardt (For me the #33 almost returned to RCR, Not now)* 21 #34 McDowell (For me Gaulding gets the #34) 22 #35 Greg Biffle/Regan Smith or Casey Mears (Probably Mears will ride it) 23 #37 C. Buescher 24 #38 Ragan 25 #41 Ku. Busch 26 #42 Larson 27 #43 Bubba 28 #47 Allmendinger 29 #48 Johnson #55 Select drivers (Cope is primary, Sorenson to superspeedways)* #66 Long/Hill/Said* 30 #72 Whitt 31 #77 Justin Allgaier or Regan Smith(For me Matt Kenseth retiring next year driving it) #83 Danica (Daytona 500 only, Gase is the primary, for me BKR switched the #83 to #84) 32 #88 Bowman 33 #95 Kahne 33 teams, And 36 part-time drivers with charters! Another full-time teams for next-year possibly with random drivers 37 #15 38 #26 39 #44 40 #51 or #73 (Tri-Star) 230. RaceFanX posted: 11.19.2017 - 7:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Matt Kenseth finishes eighth in what could be his final ride. We'll see... 231. Not Sure posted: 11.19.2017 - 7:01 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Truex is a deserving champ. First time since 2013 the leader in the less gimmicky points standings ultimately prevailed. With the most wins, top fives, and top tens as well as the highest average finish he would be the champ in just about any points system you could come up with. Yet in NASCAR's current system he was one position away from coming up short. Happy trails Dale Jr. and Matt Kenseth. I wonder how many fans who are fed up with the direction of NASCAR will leave with them. And to those who point out Jr. will be in the broadcast booth next year, prepare yourself to hate him as much you hate the rest of the NBC crew. Remember, a lot of people used to like Rick Allen pre-NBC (he was atrocious today). What goofy rules changes and ridiculous gimmicks will NASCAR introduce this offseason? I thought they hit rock bottom when they introduced the elimination format in 2014, but they outdid themselves with the stages nonsense. It's hilarious how back in 2003 the complaint was the winner of the race didn't get enough points and now the winner of the race didn't receive the most points in close to 1/3 of the races this season. 232. BluesTravelerFan posted: 11.19.2017 - 7:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thank you Dale Earnhardt Jr. for making my childhood, adolescence, and early adult years more bearable. And for all you've done did this sport. God Bless. 233. John Lee Pettimore III posted: 11.19.2017 - 7:31 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Chase Elliott finishes 5th. Pretty good, considering they didn't seem to have any speed this weekend. 234. joey2448 posted: 11.19.2017 - 7:33 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Truex led 78 laps in this race to win the crown. How appropriate. 235. Racetowin posted: 11.19.2017 - 7:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think now, we can all agree 2018 will be a very weird season for long time fans of the sport. Without an Earnhardt Sr. or Jr., this could make long time fans leave the sport. 236. Sector posted: 11.19.2017 - 7:47 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) 2017 is the first year since 1989 that TWO drivers has led 2,000 laps in a single season. Kyle Busch managed to lead more than 20 laps, a goal he had to do in order to hit the 2,000 laps led goal, in order to break that streak. Martin Truex Jr led 2,253 laps led, and he was close to passing Kevin Harvick's best (2,294 in 2015) total in a single year. The only difference between Kevin's 2015 and Truex's 2017 seasons: Truex actually sealed the deal much better than Kevin did. Congratulations to Martin Truex Jr, Furniture Row Racing and everyone else in the 78 camp!!!!!!! This was honestly an amazing ride to watch everyone dominate as much as they did. Also, Cole Pearn is a pretty great crew chief, although I wouldn't be surprised to see good 'ol Darrell Waltrip talk about him even MORE now that he's a CUP Champion. lol 237. John Lee Pettimore III posted: 11.19.2017 - 7:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Was Kyle Petty correct? First team not based in the Charlotte area to win the Cup since Elliott/Melling in 1988? 238. Sector posted: 11.19.2017 - 7:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I also wanted to point out an odd fact: This is the second season Erik Jones has made Cup starts. The team he was with has also won the Cup Championship both years; 3 starts as a substitute driver in 2015 (Kyle Busch was championship) and a rookie in 2017 full time (Martin Truex Jr wins the Championship). I'd say Erik Jones is flirting with the idea of becoming one himself! He has also won Rookie of the Year honors for 2017. Toyota wins the manufacturer's championship for the second straight year. 239. JG24ChasElliottFan posted: 11.19.2017 - 8:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Interesting fact: Kyle Busch led at least one lap in every race during the second half of the season, except for Phoenix. That Phoenix race, in fact, was one of only six races where Busch did not lead a single lap this season. The other five races were Atlanta, Las Vegas, Texas I, Bristol I, and Daytona II. 240. JG24ChasElliottFan posted: 11.19.2017 - 8:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Something interesting to look at, this is the way the stage points broke down amongst the Championship Four drivers: Stage 1: Brad Keselowski 9, Kyle Busch 8, Kevin Harvick 7, Martin Truex Jr. 6. Stage 2: Martin Truex Jr. 9, Kevin Harvick 8, Kyle Busch 7, Brad Keselowski 6. Two things: 1) The Championship Four driver finishing order was inverted from Stage One to Stage Two and 2) All four of them would've earned the same amount of stage points had they been eligible to earn those points today. 241. 2017 Final Debris Caution Totals posted: 11.19.2017 - 9:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There were 0.55 debris cautions per race in 2017, slightly more than 2000 (0.47) but less than any year since. Texas had 4, Richmond and Michigan had 2, and Atlanta, Martinsville, Kansas, Dover, Sonoma, Pocono (2nd), Watkins Glen, Michigan (2nd), Darlington, New Hampshire (2nd), Talladega (2nd), and Phoenix (2nd) all had 1. 21 of 36 races had 0 debris cautions (only 3 races in 2005 had 0). Debris cautions per race (http://i.imgur.com/NKy6WS6.png) 2000: 0.47 (16 total) 2001: 0.75 2002: 1.1 2003: 1.2 2004: 1.6 2005: 2.47 (89 total) 2006: 2.3 2007: 2.0 2008: 2.2 2009: 1.9 2010: 1.4 2011: 1.6 2012: 1.5 2013: 1.9 2014: 2.28 (82 total) 2015: 2.0 (72 total) 2016: 1.42 (51 total) 2017: 0.55 (20 total) However, if you treat the stage 1 and 2 (and 3 for Charlotte 600) cautions as debris cautions the number is 2.58 or 0.11 more than the 2005 high and 1.16 higher than last year's 1.42. 242. Pancakes posted: 11.19.2017 - 9:21 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Congratulations to Martin Truex Jr. on a well deserved Championship. Got to love the feel good story after the ridiculous way he lost a ride a few years ago and even what happened with DEI. I am going to be honest I was routing for Kyle Busch only because I believe he catches too much flack a majority of the time. I felt title number 2 would have cemented his place in history and at that point it doesn't matter what the haters say. I was still as happy as could be for Truex Jr. and he earned it. It is a good thing for NASCAR to have a likable champion and so many likable young talents who I believe will be fighting for championships as soon as next year. We could very well be seeing the rebirth of a once great sport. 243. Sector posted: 11.19.2017 - 9:49 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) If Kyle Busch can remain what he's been doing since his injury in 2015 Pancakes, I believe he will. He has driven a lot smarter and better since. I don't think anything was going to stop the 78 camp this year. They were just way too good to not win it. Kyle was literally behind them all year knocking on the door but couldn't do it. Homestead pretty much summed the ENTIRE season up with the Top 5 in all honesty, if you look at it closely. 244. Sector posted: 11.19.2017 - 10:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Does anyone have the stats NBC once showed of the best average finish on 1.5 mile tracks? Before this year it was Bobby Labonte in 2000 who had the best. I want to see how much better Truex Jr did compared to Labonte then. 245. Sector posted: 11.19.2017 - 10:19 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Martin Truex Jr ends the season with 5 consecutive Podium finishes (wins at Kansas and Homestead, 2nd at Texas and Martinsville, 3rd at Phoenix). Also to note, he won 4 times throughout the Chase. Some highlights for Truex this year: 1) First driver to win under the new regular season champion award (at Richmond prior to the start of the Playoffs. Anyone remember how unhappy Pearn and Truex were at that time for not winning that race?). 2) First driver to score max points under the new stage racing format. He did it at race 3 in 2017, Las Vegas. 3) Most Playoff Points/Stage Wins earned. 4) Second driver to Tony Stewart (2011) to win the first round of the Playoff race and went on to win the finale, as well as the championship. 5) Truex's 8 wins also ties for second all time in a single season among active drivers. Jimmie Johnson is the only one to have won more, 10 back in 2007. The others who also scored 8 wins in a single season? Ryan Newman (2003), Kyle Busch (2008) & Denny Hamlin (2010). Truex is the only one of the four to have won a championship during his 8 races winning season, however is the second of those to have claimed a title (Kyle Busch did so in 2015). 246. Sector posted: 11.19.2017 - 10:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Also to note, he won 4 times throughout the Chase." Chase should be "Playoff." Am I the only one who has a habit of saying Chase instead of Playoff? 247. markjeff531 posted: 11.19.2017 - 10:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @Sector, he's actually tied for 3rd place because Carl Edwards had 9 wins back in 2008 248. Sector posted: 11.19.2017 - 10:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "2) First driver to score max points under the new stage racing format. He did it at race 3 in 2017, Las Vegas." Which also refers to winning Stages 1 and 2, then went on to winning the race. 249. oldschoolracing519 posted: 11.19.2017 - 10:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) dont have that but checking the fantasy league tool here his average finish on 1.5 mile tracks was 2.0 250. Sector posted: 11.19.2017 - 10:36 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "dont have that but checking the fantasy league tool here his average finish on 1.5 mile tracks was 2.0" I remember a 2.3, thinking that was Bobby Labonte's 2000 average finish. Truex has him beat after all? Lastly, Martin Truex Jr is the FIRST driver with a generational suffix to win a Cup Championship. 251. Epic posted: 11.19.2017 - 11:25 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) 247, He was referring to active drivers, therefore Truex is still tied for second 252. Evan posted: 11.19.2017 - 11:55 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) * Chase Elliott's last race in the #24 car. It's unbelievable he only ran two years with it, but once the #9 became available he decided to take it. * Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s final race in the Cup Series. Certainly sad to see him go but he has had a good career after losing his father at a tough time and then keeping and carrying on a family tradition. Dale will not hoist a Cup trophy like his father did, but he made an impact on the sport that will never be duplicated. Champions like Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. can all look to Junior as someone who has helped give them a break in their careers. * Matt Kenseth's (what looks like) will be his last start in the Cup Series unless he gets a deal to run for a team next year. It is kind of fitting that Junior and Kenseth finish out their careers together. Kenseth is also the last Winston Cup champion. * The last race for the 77 team as it will shutter its doors and focus on the #78 team next year and Erik Jones will replace Matt Kenseth. * Truex now has 15 wins and ten years ago at this time, he had only 1. * Bass Pro Shops was his sponsor for both his Busch Series titles and his Cup title. * Kyle Busch had pretty much a typical race in 2017 for him to where he was insanely fast but couldn't close the deal. The 18 team had an interesting strategy call to where they wanted to run the race in one stop to the finish. It almost worked but with the cautions falling the way it did, he put on a valiant effort but he couldn't get to Martin Treux in time as he used up his stuff trying to hold Larson off(who respectfully let Busch and Truex go at it) but it was far too late. It was a microcosm of Kyle's season. * To me, Martin Truex Jr. was the most deserving champion out of the Championship 4. The Furniture Row team ran great all year and you certainly can't forget about the man hours and all the work they put into this season. Congrats to everyone on the Furniture Row Racing team, you are the Monster Energy Cup Champions! Anyway, 2017 was a heck of a year, not everything went the way it should have, but I can definitely accept the result of Martin Truex's championship. I came away happy because at least the champion this year was the best team all year and had the most wins all year but he had to beat the fastest team all year and they did it. In closing, I don't know what the future holds, there are new faces coming to NASCAR and it will be interesting to see how this new young crop of drivers will handle their first full Cup seasons. 253. Red posted: 11.20.2017 - 12:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Webmaster: The non-playoff standings need to be fixed to include stage points earned by the championship 4 at Homestead. Truex +15, Ky Busch +15, Harvick +14, Keselowski +15 254. Red posted: 11.20.2017 - 12:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Edit - Harvick should also be +15 What a bizarre coincidence that all 4 championship drivers score exactly 15 stage points in the finale. 255. cjs3872 posted: 11.20.2017 - 1:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Red (#253-254), the four championship drivers were not eligible to earn stage points at Homestead in any of the three races (Truck, XFinity, and Cup). Their battle was with each other, and the only thing that mattered was where they finished the race in relation to each other. Every other driver could, of course, earn stage points, as could the car owners not in the top four in owner points, which didn't apply to the Cup Series since the drivers ran all the races for the teams they drove for. But none of the drivers racing for the championship in their respective series were eligible to earn stage points. 256. Mannoroth posted: 11.20.2017 - 4:38 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) I have a feeling Martin Truex Jr. is the first driver ever to win the championship with the pre-2004 Chase system (the driver with the most points gets the title), with the old Chase rules (10 races, the driver with the most points gets the title) and with the new Chase/playoff rules (elimination system, only Homestead can decide the championship battle) in ONE SEASON. I don't think any other finishes can beat 9 top 5's of Truex... 257. JR-TV posted: 11.20.2017 - 7:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^You are correct. 258. Ultimate Warrior #18 posted: 11.20.2017 - 7:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great to see Truex win the championship he fully deserved it. He had the most wins most top 5's most top 10', best average starting spot best average finish and led the most laps also winning i think the most stages and collecting the most playoff points and scoring the most overall points. Excellent season 259. RWR posted: 11.20.2017 - 7:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) the #78 led 78 laps, like a sign. 260. greengold4 posted: 11.20.2017 - 7:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The last caution was actually for debris not the #41's spin. Suarez losing his brakes threw a brake rotor in the racing line and also but down brake fluid 261. Greg9ChaseFan posted: 11.20.2017 - 7:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I can change the number from 24 to 9 now. I hate Chase never won with the 24 number, had some chances this year it just didn't work out. The kid will win, and I am banking on next season. Congrats to the 78. They were a tough out all year. 262. Red posted: 11.20.2017 - 8:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @255 cjs I know the championship 4 weren't eligible for stage points. But if we're looking at NON-PLAYOFF standings, there wouldn't be a final 4 and everyone would've been eligible for stage points at Homestead. I see the non-playoff points have already been corrected. Thanks, Alan! 263. Greg18 posted: 11.20.2017 - 11:41 am Rate this comment: (2) (1) I've had some issues with some of the narrative I continue to see in these chats. Everyone always harps on the playoff system (adds excitement), stage points (makes teams run well throughout the whole race), etc. So, let me ask anyone who hates it this? Do you also watch football?, baseball? When a wild card team makes a playoff run and wins a championship, do you call that championship flawed or unworthy? I'm betting no. How is it any different in this sport? So you'd rather have the old system where half the time the championship was decided long before the end and have absolutely nothing for 39 teams to race for at the end of a season, just wins? Also the Toyota-hate is ridiculous. What is this an American-made manufactured bias? More Toyotas are made in the United States today than Fords or Chevrolets with more American jobs for Toyota. How is NASCAR "changing the rules to benefit Toyota"? No, the other manufacturers simply have to do better themselves and catch up. I didn't hear anyone belly aching back Toyota couldn't keep up, a few years ago. 264. Mile501 posted: 11.20.2017 - 11:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here are the top 3 in points under the old Latford system (the original system, giving 175 points for the winner, plus all the bonus points awarded for laps led): Truex 5113 + 185 = 5298 Busch 4814 + 195 = 5009 Harvick 4844 + 90 = 4934 (Larson and Keselowski would have both ended up around 4800.) Truex had one of the highest point totals in history, though not the highest. We can't directly compare, though, since the season used to have fewer than 36 races. 265. Mile501 posted: 11.20.2017 - 11:56 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) #263... "So, let me ask anyone who hates it this? Do you also watch football?, baseball?" No, I don't watch any other sports. "So you'd rather have the old system where half the time the championship was decided long before the end and have absolutely nothing for 39 teams to race for at the end of a season, just wins?" Yes. And the big difference with racing is that outside influences outside the driver's control can affect the championship. What if Truex's engine blew at Homestead, or what if he got caught up in an accident when a backmarker wrecked? Other types of sports don't have those kinds of external factors, and that's why playoffs aren't as well accepted in NASCAR as they are in other types of sports. I agree with you about the Toyota stuff though. 266. Z posted: 11.20.2017 - 12:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @263, Since It Was An Open Question, I'll Take A Stab. I Think NASCAR Is Different From Football, Baseball, Etc., So I Don't Think The Comparison Is Apt. That Said, I Don't Mind The Playoffs, Just The Fact That Everything Essentially Boils Down To Homestead. I Think It Should Be A 16-Car Playoff Field Throughout, No Elimination Rounds; Let That Take Care Of Itself Naturally. At Homestead, Get Rid Of The Stages, But Give Out Bonus Points At The Normal Checkpoints (So Instead Of Stopping The Race At Lap 80, Give Points To The Top 10 And Keep It Moving). This System Would Reward The Best Drivers And Basically Be A Mix Of The Old System With The New System. Reset The Points At The Start Of The Chase, But Don't Touch It From There. 267. Scott B posted: 11.20.2017 - 12:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I do think it's stupid for wildcard teams with .500 records to be in playoffs in other sports. They are not worthy of being called champions. Winning out for a few weeks at the end of the season shouldn't mean more than performance over a full season. There's even less validity in motorsports where the same teams go head to head for the entire season. 268. Mile501 posted: 11.20.2017 - 12:58 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) And not only do the same teams compete against each other all season, they do so on a wide variety of tracks. What if one of racing's rising stars wins dozens of races in the years to come, but for some reason, just can't quite figure out Homestead? That driver will probably never win a championship, no matter how good he is. But it does give an advantage to somebody like Larson, who is especially good at Homestead. And Homestead has become a great track, so don't get me wrong. But determining a season-long champion should depend on more than how you perform after the final restart at Homestead. Even if NASCAR refuses to get rid of this elimination format (and I don't expect them to), it would at least be marginally better if some of the toughest tracks on the schedule (such as, Darlington, Martinsville, and others) had a direct impact in determining the champion. 269. Luke posted: 11.20.2017 - 1:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @198: Yes, Kyle Larson had a championship-worthy season... for 31 races. Then they choked big time. 2 engine failures and 2 crashes that took them out of contention. While in that same span, Truex finished 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd. 270. Quasar posted: 11.20.2017 - 1:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Interesting, Austin Dillon 11th in points with 4 Top 10s, tied with McMurray who managed to earn 17 Top 10s (unfortunate he didn't get to earn a stage point here since he ran 10th or so all day long) 271. Not Sure posted: 11.20.2017 - 2:42 pm Rate this comment: (5) (0) The previous two years this race has gone over time into Football Night in America's time slot, but not this year. And the ratings are down: a 2.7 overnight rating, down from 3.3 last year and 4.4 in 2015. It seems racing fans aren't digging playoff eliminations, Game 7 moments, and stages. Maybe they ought to consider getting rid of all that nonsense and go back to being a legit racing series? 272. JSPorts posted: 11.20.2017 - 3:03 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) @265: You're right. Adding on to that, racing isn't comparable to football or baseball or any other sport. If you're in the Super Bowl and have a 30 point lead, the worst thing that can happen is you throw a pick-6. Then you're only up 23 and have a chance to score again. In game 7 of a baseball game if you're up, the worst that can happen is a grand slam and you would have a shot to come back. In racing, you don't get a chance once you're out. If you have a 20 second lead and wreck, you don't lose 5 seconds off that lead, you're out of the race and finish 4th in the championship. And that wreck may not even be your fault; it may be a result of someone else's issues. Also, mechanical problems could derail your championship (just ask Daniel Hemric.) I don't see how this is the best way to determine a champion. Playoffs make sense in other sports because you're not playing every team every week, so you need a way to determine who the best is. In racing, you face every team every week. If you beat those other teams more times than not, you're going to win the championship. 273. Mile501 posted: 11.20.2017 - 3:13 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) #271 "It seems racing fans aren't digging playoff eliminations, Game 7 moments, and stages. Maybe they ought to consider getting rid of all that nonsense and go back to being a legit racing series?" Stop all that crazy talk! :) 274. JSPorts posted: 11.20.2017 - 3:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kind of weird. Looks like Corey LaJoie un-declared for Cup points and switched to Xfinity with 1 race to go in the season. He's listed on the NASCAR website with 0 Cup points and 23 Xfinity points. I guess he did it just so he could run the Xfinity race this weekend, but it still seems odd to me. 275. possum posted: 11.20.2017 - 4:09 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) @263 - you ask, "how is it different in this sport"? That's kind of like saying "I can eat an apple or a banana raw, why do I have to cook a potato?". They're just different. I watch many other sports, and FWIW I'm not a big fan of wildcards (even tho my team, the Miami Marlins, benefitted), or even of playoffs. Honestly the way the English football (soccer) leagues do it is best - the 20 best teams compete for the championship, and the one with the best record wins it (and the 3 with the worst record get demoted and replaced next season with the best 3 from the lower league). But you'd never see the NFL or MLB do that - just not their way. So why do you want NASCAR to do it the NFL's way? Auto racing is different, we have a way of doing things, and (none too surprisingly), we're not happy that NASCAR doesn't want to do it that way. 276. racefangurl posted: 11.20.2017 - 5:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 263, I guess people just don't like rice burners (term used for Asian cars) in NASCAR. They think a lot of Toyota money goes to "the Japs", as they say, since Toyotas are Japanese cars. 277. cjs3872 posted: 11.20.2017 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @267, while it may seem silly for teams with .500 records getting Wild Card playoff spots, something that figures to happen in the AFC this year, given that only four or five teams (or maybe only three) might wind up with winning records, a Wild Card team (or two) with a .500 record might be a more legitimate playoff team than a division winner with a losing record when teams with better records failed to make the playoffs, which actually happened in 2010 when the Seahawks went 7-9, yet that was good enough to not only win the NFC West, but get them a home playoff game against a team with a record four games better, which they won. Yet, the Giants and Buccaneers each won 10 games and failed to make the playoffs. Sometimes an entire conference stinks, except for the very best two of three teams. Remember that only five of 15 American League teams had winning records in 2017, yet two of the five won over 100 games. At least, when everything wound up being decided in NASCAR this season, the champion was the one most deserving, and to take that a step further, the team that was the second-best team all season long wound up second, so the end results of the season's championship matched what was seen on the track all season long, at least as far as the top two are concerned. And frankly, the driver who finished third in the race at Homestead, Kyle Larson, probably deserved to be third in the final championship standings, but because of four successive DNFs prior to Homestead (which is unheard-of these days for any driver with a solid team, much less a championship-caliber team), wound up being relegated to eighth in the final standings. And to say the least, I believe that the championship run by Furniture Row Racing has to be one of the most important stories in NASCAR in many years, because there's nothing about Furniture Row Racing that would lead to indicate a run to the top of NASCAR. The crew chief (Cole Pearn) is from Canada, the driver (Martin Truex, Jr.) is from within 100 miles of New York City and 60 miles of Philadelphia, and the team is based in Denver. And they had a long climb from obscurity to the top, but their 2017 season ranks as one of the best NASCAR has seen in since the end of Jeff Gordon's insane five-year run from 1995-'99. Perhaps there's a lesson to be learned from Truex's title, because while the higher profile and high-volatile drivers tend to get the attention, Truex is about the furthest thing from that, because he's a driver in the mold of Ned Jarrett or Bobby Isaac, in that he doesn't do outlandish things to get the headlines or attention, but rather is more of a workman-like driver who lets his driving and his results do the talking for him. 278. JSPorts posted: 11.20.2017 - 5:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually, the top 3 in regular season points ended up as the top 3 in the championship, in the same order. 279. JSPorts posted: 11.20.2017 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 2017 was the first year since 2000 that Chevrolet did not finish in the top 2 of the manufacturer standings. That year, they finished 3rd behind Ford & Pontiac; this year, they finished 3rd behind Toyota & Ford. 280. Jim Davis posted: 11.20.2017 - 6:01 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Auto racing is different, we have a way of doing things, and (none too surprisingly), we're not happy that NASCAR doesn't want to do it that way." I sympathize with this argument. Unfortunately, the reason NASCAR doesn't want to do it that way was the widespread dissatisfaction with the old Latford system. You still hear complaints that Terry Labonte and Matt Kenseth weren't "deserving champions" because they didn't win a lot in their championship years. 281. 78Fan posted: 11.20.2017 - 6:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Champions under the old points system since 2004 2017 Martin Truex, Jr. 2016 Kevin Harvick 2015 Kevin Harvick 2014 Jeff Gordon 2013 Jimmie Johnson 2012 Brad Keselowski 2011 Carl Edwards 2010 Kevin Harvick 2009 Jimmie Johnson 2008 Carl Edwards 2007 Jeff Gordon 2006 Jimmie Johnson 2005 Tony Stewart 2004 Jeff Gordon 282. 78Fan posted: 11.20.2017 - 6:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Under the old points system Truex would have won the championship with 2 races to go. 283. Anonymous posted: 11.20.2017 - 6:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Kind of weird. Looks like Corey LaJoie un-declared for Cup points and switched to Xfinity with 1 race to go in the season. He's listed on the NASCAR website with 0 Cup points and 23 Xfinity points." This does seem odd so late in the season, but BK keeps all their owner's points for the #83 regardless of what series Corey declares for, and Corey keeps whatever cash he's gotten out of the deal to run Cup for BK, so I guess the driver's points are mostly for bragging rights if you're not in the championship hunt. 284. cjs3872 posted: 11.20.2017 - 7:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @283, that depends on where in the points standings a driver is. Now where LaJoie was in the point standings, or would have been, it's pretty meaningless. But there are significant choke points in the championship standings that are very important for drivers and teams, such as 10th place, because drivers that finish in the top ten in points get onto the stage at the Awards Banquet, so there's a significant difference between 10th and 11th right there. Then a bit further down the list, there comes a point in the standings (25th when I last heard about it) where year-end bonuses are no longer paid to the teams and drivers. And of course, a driver always wants to move up in the standings, if at all possible, because it's in their competitive nature. If a driver's in 14th place, he wants to move up to 13th or 12th, if at all possible. And of course, nobody wants to finish in last place in anything, and among Chase drivers, Ryan Newman wound up with that ignominious distinction, finishing two points behind Kasey Kahne and being the last place driver among those in the playoffs, and sparing Kahne that dubious distinction. 285. a no knee mouse posted: 11.20.2017 - 11:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A couple of interesting stats: Martin Truex Jr. not only doubles his win total from last year, he also had more top 5's this year than he had top 10's in 2016! Also, this is the first year that Jimmie Johnson has not won a race in the chase. 286. Sector posted: 11.21.2017 - 1:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Also, this is the first year that Jimmie Johnson has not won a race in the chase." In all honesty, since it's no longer the Chase but is now called the Playoffs due to different sponsors (Sprint called it Chase, Monster Energy called it Playoffs), Jimmie has technically won every year the Chase has existed. 287. Mannoroth posted: 11.21.2017 - 7:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 286. Technically yes, but it's the same, just with a different name... The only difference is that there were no stage and playoff points to help you out. 288. Anthony posted: 11.21.2017 - 7:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex is the first driver since Tony Stewart in 2005 to lead the points after the first 26 races and win the championship 289. Greg18 posted: 11.21.2017 - 11:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thanks to everyone for being clear and well-spoken. I was hesitant to post all that (#263) and get ran from the discussion for it. I was a fan of NASCAR as a kid around 1988-89 (fan of Darrell Waltrip's Tide car and also Earnhardt) but lost interest in it when I got older. It wasn't until around 2009, that I got back into the sport by becoming a fan of Kyle Busch. I saw a lot of the "checkers or wreckers" style I loved about Earnhardt (not trying to compare them beyond that) and I've been a fan since. I understand and respect a lot of the points made, but I'm one of the rare people that thinks the playoffs have added excitement and drama to the sport for the better. I agree there are definitely ways they could scale back some of the changes and improve the system but I happen to enjoy all of it. I know this is obviously not what most fans think and is why there are less and less fans of the sport every year and that makes me sad. 290. Stewart14Rocks posted: 11.21.2017 - 1:16 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) In all honestly nascar doesn't need a chase or playoffs, simply because all 40 drivers race against each other every week. By the end of the season it's pretty clear to see who the champion is 291. Corey posted: 11.21.2017 - 10:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This year, Mother Nature was kind to NASCAR in regards to race day. Two races were stopped due to rain They were the Coke 600 and the Brickyard 400 and the first Bristol race was postponed to Monday. These were all the stoppages I could think of. 292. Sector posted: 11.22.2017 - 12:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is it possible to get hyperlinks for champion crew chiefs by any chance? 293. possum posted: 11.22.2017 - 3:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @280 - that's a little bit of apples and oranges. I understand the folks that think Kenseth or Labonte didn't win enough (altho I don't have any issue with how those championships were won). But you don't have to go away from a season long championship to fix that. If you want to go to the extreme, give the championship to the guy who wins the most races each year - that would be fair, and it would be a meaningful championship. Or tweak the points however you like to give winning more or less weight. NASCAR's Chase (or Playoffs, or whatever they call it next year) really doesn't have any meaning. The "championship" is just "the guy who won the last race". The whole championship idea of "the guy who was best all season long" is lost. 294. Corey posted: 11.22.2017 - 4:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here is what I've come up with for the 2018 Charters. Charter teams that (I assume) are running in 2018 1 Chip Ganassi Racing 42 Chip Ganassi Racing 33 Circle Sport w/The Motorsports Group 34 Front Row Motorsports 38 Front Row Motorsports 78 Furniture Row Racing 13 Germain Racing 32 Go Fas Racing 24 Hendrick Motorsports 9 Hendrick Motorsports 48 Hendrick Motorsports 88 Hendrick Motorsports 11 Joe Gibbs Racing 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 19 Joe Gibbs Racing 20 Joe Gibbs Racing 47 JTG Daugherty Racing 95 Leavine Family Racing 3 Richard Childress Racing 31 Richard Childress Racing 43 Richard Petty Motorsports 51 Rick Ware Racing (purchase for 2018) 6 Roush Fenway Racing 17 Roush Fenway Racing 4 Stewart-Haas Racing 10 Stewart-Haas Racing 14 Stewart-Haas Racing 41 Stewart-Haas Racing 2 Team Penske 22 Team Penske Teams with a charter with 2018 plans up in the air: 15 Premium Motorsports 27 Richard Childress Racing 23 BK Racing Teams with extra Charters but no physical team attached: 35 Front Row Motorsports 77 Furniture Row Racing 44 Richard Petty Motorsports 16 Roush Fenway Racing (I'm assuming that the #51 Charter came from one of the above seven teams). Teams with out charters: 12 Team Penske 21 Wood Brothers Racing (2017, leased from #32) 37 JTG-Daugherty Racing (2017, leased from #16) 295. Corey posted: 11.22.2017 - 4:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sorry forgot the 77 sold their charter back in September, although the new team (which could be the #51) hasn't been confirmed. 296. Tide1732 posted: 11.22.2017 - 5:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) List of reserve cup drivers next year (Can get a ride to run races, Full-Half,And 1-10 races) Matt Kenseth? (Possibly full-retired) Landon Cassill (Probably back to Xfinity Or back to trucks for a full-time car) Gray Gaulding (Possibly drives the FRM #35) Casey Mears (Probably stays to #98 in Xfinity) Sam Hornish Jr. (Probably stays to Penske in xfinity) Michael Annett (Probably stays to JRM or retired) Brett Moffitt (Possibly stays in BKR) Greg Biffle (FRM #35 OR RCR #27, Most probably a RCR deal or retired) D.J Kennington (Possibly stays in Premium) Elliott Sadler (Possibly gets a limited ride in other team) Regan Smith (Possibly retired, Is a FOX Analyst, The only possibility, Is: Or back to Xfinity, Or run in a Cup Team, The #35 FRM ride is cool or the RCR #27) Mike Wallace (Probably retired, Possibly can get a chance to back a cup car, Unnanonunced) Mike Bliss (Possibly retired, No ride in 2017) Jeb Burton (Can run for BKR or run a lot of Xfinity races) 297. JSPorts posted: 11.22.2017 - 6:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JTG has confirmed that they bought the #77 charter for their #37 team. I imagine the charter the 51 team bought was either the RFR #16, BKR #23 or RCR #27. It could've been the FRM #35, but I bet they'll use that in 2018 and lease either the 34 or 38 charter to TriStar again since FRM has given no indication that they'll return to 3 cars. 298. The Other Anonymous posted: 11.22.2017 - 7:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kenseth - Can't see him in any ride next year unless negotiations with Kurt Busch & the #41 severely fall apart and Matt is willing to slide into that seat to race for pennies on the dollar. Cassill - Bleak outlook, will probably be reduced to low level Xfinity rides. Gaulding - Where ever his money can take him. I see him still running some races for Premium. Mears - His return to the #98 will depend on Geico's return. It could happen. Hornish - Agreed, still likely to make 2-4 starts in Xfinity. Annett - Also agree. If he doesn't improve I think he absolutely retires. Moffitt - Can't see him returning to BK. Not sure where else he could end up. Biffle - He ain't coming back. Kennington - Plate races if $$ materializes. Sadler - Tommy Baldwin is trying to mount a comeback, could see Sadler back in the #7 at Daytona. R. Smith - Will still be a Cup sub, but has a great future as an analyst. M. Wallace - Definitely never coming back. Bliss - Also retired Burton - He could be close to announcing something after the holidays. Stay tuned there. 299. Mile501 posted: 11.22.2017 - 8:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #297 "JTG has confirmed that they bought the #77 charter for their #37 team." JSPorts - Where did you find that information? I can't find any information about the #77 charter and who it was sold to. 300. JSPorts posted: 11.22.2017 - 10:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was reported by ESPN in September or October. 301. JSPorts posted: 11.22.2017 - 10:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here is a quote from Bob Pockrass' Twitter today: "JTG Daugherty bought the 77 charter. 12, 21, 72 need charters. RPM (leased one to Go Fas in 2016), Roush (leased one to JTG in 2016), Front Row (leased one to TriStar in 2016) have an extra one to deal with. Go Fas gets back one it leased to Wood Brothers" 302. Danish Pie posted: 11.25.2017 - 3:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rough Draft of 2018 Season So Far _________________________________ FULL-TIME TEAMS #1-Jamie McMurray #2-Brad Keselowski #3-Austin Dillon #4-Kevin Harvick #6-Trevor Bayne #9-Chase Elliott #10-Aric Almirola #11-Denny Hamlin *#12-Ryan Blaney #13-Ty Dillon #14-Clint Bowyer #15-Reed Sorenson?/Others? #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #18-Kyle Busch #19-Daniel Suarez #20-Erik Jones *#21-Paul Menard #22-Joey Logano #24-William Byron #31-Ryan Newman #32-Matt DiBenedetto #33-Jeffrey Earnhardt #34-Michael McDowell #37-Chris Buescher #38-David Ragan? #41-Kurt Busch? #42-Kyle Larson #43-Darrell Wallace Jr. #47-A.J. Allmendinger #48-Jimmie Johnson #51-Ray Black Jr. *#72-Cole Whitt? #78-Martin Truex Jr. #88-Alex Bowman #95-Kasey Kahne POSSIBLY FULL-TIME TEAMS *#00-Derrike Cope?/Others? *#7/55-Gray Gaulding?/Others? *#66-Timmy Hill/Carl Long?/David Starr/Mark Thompson/Others? PART-TIME TEAMS *#?-Spencer Gallagher? (GMS RACING) *#52-John Graham/B.J. McLeod/Cody Ware/Kyle Weatherman *#75-Brendan Gaughan UNKNOWN *#55/7 #23 #27 *#77 *#83 *#96 *Don't have a Charter as of 11/25/27 303. TeamDCR fan posted: 11.25.2017 - 6:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Derrike and StarCom do plan a full schedule along with the MBM guys. Sounds as if Starr will do the majority of the driving. StarCom is looking for drivers that can bring in money for certain events. 304. cjs3872 posted: 11.30.2017 - 12:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not sure if anyone heard the news, but just a few days ago, one of NASCAR's greatest legends, as well as one of America's true heroes, passed away, as Bud Moore, a World War II hero who had a legendary career as an owner and chief mechanic in NASCAR's top series for five decades, winning races with the likes of Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Geoff Bodine, Buck and Buddy Baker, and Ricky Rudd, as well as back-to-back championships with Joe Weatherly, passed away on Monday, November 27 at the age of 92. Moore also ventured into sports car racing in the late 60s and won championships with George Follmer and the great Parnelli Jones. In addition to the above mentioned drivers, others who drove for Moore included Darel Dieringer, who won the 1966 Southern 500 driving for Moore, Donnie Allison, Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson, and Bobby Isaac, who all drove for Moore when he was developing a small block engine in 1972 and '73. Bud Moore is representative of what made both NASCAR what it was, and with his passing, a HUGE piece of NASCAR history has left this planet, as well as a reminder of what made NASCAR so popular. He also represents what has made this nation great over the generations, largely because of his heroism on the battlefield during some of the most legendary battles during World War II. R.I.P., Bud Moore. 305. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 11.30.2017 - 1:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The RTA is considering hiring a full-time executive director too run the RTA on a full time basis. According too snake oil salesman superman Rob Kauffman. I guess all that money from the charters he has gotten he will one day just up and leave. Like I have been saying. Also a RPM head boss (Richard Petty) said the charter system is headed in the right direction. Yeah for them but no one else. 306. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 11.30.2017 - 2:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ not Richard Petty. I need sleep. 307. Jim Davis posted: 12.01.2017 - 12:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The NASCAR annual award banquet was on last night and there were some significant differences from previous years. The length was cut to about half that in previous years. The major changes were: 1. No celebrity emcee this year; Rutledge Wood and Krista Voda shared that role. I thought the guy (can't remember his name) who did it the past couple of years was pretty good. 2. Fewer drivers made speeches. This year only the final four made speeches; the rest of the chase drivers had brief interviews. It used to be the final eight gave speeches since the new chase/playoff format. 3. Most disappointing to me was that there was no segment honoring the people with a motorsports connection who died the previous year. 4. There was a musical act but only one number was performed. 5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. got a lot of love, as did Matt Kenseth to a lesser extent. Conspicuous by her absence was Danica Patrick who was mentioned only by Harvick when thanking his teammates during his speech. 6. Held on Thursday instead of Friday. All in all, it looks like NASCAR or maybe title sponsor Monster Energy really streamlined the ceremony this year. Also, the Xfinity/Camping World truck award banquet (there was one, right?) does not appear to have been televised. 308. Corey posted: 12.01.2017 - 1:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I had no idea the banquet was on Thursday this year. I still thought it was held on a Friday and so completely missed it. I had the Football game on instead. 309. 42KylePetty42 posted: 12.01.2017 - 2:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I check Jayski.com and this site still everyday and never seen anything mentioning it was last night. Guess Brain France doesn't know how to even advertise anything where it's core fans know when sh!+ is going on 310. joey2448 posted: 12.01.2017 - 5:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Just a couple comments from me about last night's awards banquet re: @307 "1. No celebrity emcee this year; Rutledge Wood and Krista Voda shared that role. I thought the guy (can't remember his name) who did it the past couple of years was pretty good." Jay Mohr is the guy that's emcee'd it, and yeah while I thought he has been good, I also enjoyed Rut and Krista sharing the duties this year. They did it well. "3. Most disappointing to me was that there was no segment honoring the people with a motorsports connection who died the previous year." There was. Not sure where you missed it? "6. Held on Thursday instead of Friday." Yeah, not sure why it was moved back a day in the week. Definitely surprised me. "Also, the Xfinity/Camping World truck award banquet (there was one, right?) does not appear to have been televised." I don't ever remember the Xfinity and Truck banquets being televised, so that was nothing new. Also, something that Jeff Gluck and other folks pointed out, what was up with Brian France's awkwardness in presenting Truex with the champion's ring just prior to Truex giving his speech? France made his announcement about presenting Truex with the ring, then walked over to Martin, handed him the box and abruptly walked off the stage. No handshake, no words spoken, didn't even look Truex in the eyes. Just handed him the ring box and took off. 311. JSPorts posted: 12.01.2017 - 5:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I thought France's little speech where he gave the award to Jr. was odd and awkward, as well. He rushed off the stage afterward, too. 312. John Lee Pettimore III posted: 12.02.2017 - 1:33 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Monster Energy demanded that the awards banquet be only an hour and a half long, instead of the usual four hours. 313. Mannoroth posted: 12.02.2017 - 1:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 2017 final standings, if the old Chase rules were still in place. Martin Truex Jr. would be still dominant as hell with his enormous 55 point lead over Brad Keselowski. And Truex giving Kurt Busch terrific 184 point decifit is really insane. That is nearly 4 win difference... No bonus points, just simple 2011 points for positions and including the bonus points for wins during regular season: 1. Martin Truex Jr. 2429 - 2. Brad Keselowski 2374 55 3. Chase Elliott 2369 60 4. Kyle Busch 2356 73 5. Kevin Harvick 2349 80 6. Matt Kenseth 2339 90 7. Denny Hamlin 2334 95 8. Jimmie Johnson 2279 150 9. Clint Bowyer 2269 160 10. Kyle Larson 2268 161 11. Jamie McMurray 2265 164 12. Kurt Busch 2245 184 314. Sandy posted: 12.03.2017 - 12:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) 2018 cup rides 00 derrike cope 1 jamie mcmurray 2 brad keseslowski 3 austin dillon 4 kevin harvick 6 trevor bayne 7 sadler/yeley others? 9 chase eilliot 10 aric almiorla 11 denny hamlin 12 ryan blaney 13 ty dillion 14 clint bowyer 15 kennington/sorenson/chastain/others? 17 ricky stenhouse jr 18 kyle busch 19 daniel suarez 20 erik jones 21 paul menard 22 joey logano 23 lajoie/gase others ? 24 william byron 31 ryan newman 32 matt dibenetto 33 jeffery earnhardt 34 michael mcdowell 37 chris buesher 38 david ragan 41 kurt busch 42 kyle larson 43 darrel wallace jr 47 aj almendinger 48 jimmie johnson 51 ray black jr 66 carl long/timmy hill/david starr/mark thompson 72 cole whitt 78 martin truex jr 95 kasey kahne Part time teams 52 john graham/bj mcloed/kyle weatherman/cody ware 75 brendan gaughan running plate races Premium motorsports 15 Reed sorenson runs most of season Dj kennington run in plate races and phoenix in November Ross chastain runs both dover races I 315. Timothy John Balser posted: 12.03.2017 - 1:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 88 Alex bowman 316. Sandy posted: 12.03.2017 - 5:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) MBM Motorsports Timmy Hill David Starr Run 14 Races each Carl long Mark Thompson 4 races each 317. Sandy posted: 12.03.2017 - 5:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @315 sorry About that 318. Corey posted: 12.03.2017 - 7:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Michael McDowell to the #34 has yet to be confirmed. Front Row has nothing on their site and McDowell hasn't mentioned anything on Twitter. 319. Mile501 posted: 12.07.2017 - 10:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I believe everything on this list is accurate as of now. --- 34 confirmed or likely full-time teams for 2018 --- #1 Jamie McMurray #2 Brad Keselowski #3 Austin Dillon #4 Kevin Harvick #6 Trevor Bayne #9 Chase Elliott #10 Aric Almirola #11 Denny Hamlin #12 Ryan Blaney #13 Ty Dillon #14 Clint Bowyer #15 ?? Reed Sorenson ?? #17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #18 Kyle Busch #19 Daniel Suarez #20 Erik Jones #21 Paul Menard #22 Joey Logano #24 William Byron #31 Ryan Newman #32 Matt DiBenedetto #33 Jeffrey Earnhardt #34 ?? Michael McDowell ?? #37 Chris Buescher #38 David Ragan #41 Kurt Busch #42 Kyle Larson #43 Darrell Wallace Jr. #47 A.J. Allmendinger #48 Jimmie Johnson #51 Ray Black Jr. #78 Martin Truex Jr. #88 Alex Bowman #95 Kasey Kahne --- 7 possible full-time teams (uncertain plans) --- #00 StarCom Racing #7 Premium Motorsports #23 BK Racing #27 Richard Childress Racing #66 Motorsports Business Management #72 TriStar Motorsports #83 BK Racing 320. Sandy posted: 12.14.2017 - 6:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @318 Michael McDowell in the 34 Has been Confirmed 321. Windows XP posted: 12.30.2017 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr, former teammates, made their last cup starts in the same season, in the first and last races respectively. 322. Tide1732 posted: 01.12.2018 - 3:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Who retires first to cup series in 2018? Kevin Harvick,Derrike Cope,Ryan Newman or Clint Bowyer? 323. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 01.13.2018 - 1:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Within the next 3-4 years NASCAR will put in a spending cap. Rob Kauffman, team owners, executives, drivers (minus Brad K.) and Auto Manufacturers are discussing a proposal too limit and keep in check "engineering, research and development, equipment, and crew members who travel to races." And too bridge the cap between the bigger and smaller teams. However driver and crew salaries aren't going too count toward it (is anyone surprised by this part?) And they should. Since Rob Kauffman is involved we all should be prepared for it too suck for one. For 2 there are loop holes in such things so that guys like Rick Hendrick and Roger Penske can use outside funds too pay for everything. There is a blog on this site somewhere that talks about costs. I think it needs too be brought up because it matters now more then ever before. And within 3-4 the TV deal gets re-uped. Anybody remember that big "reset" i'm talking about? Well here we go. Expect a bloodbath from all sides. It'll get nasty real quick. 324. Scott B posted: 01.13.2018 - 6:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There may be some Band-Aid cost cutting measures put in place, but R&D costs, which are the real issue at the present time, are the easiest to hide. I really don't see any way to control what the auto manufacturers spend on support, how would NASCAR police that? Short of dispensing cars IROC style, I don't see a way to do serious cost control or closure of the gap between haves and have-nots. I suspect the "level playing field" talk is just to sell the plan to the public. The real agenda is to make team ownership profitable. Going to be very interesting to see what proposals come out of the talks, though. 325. John posted: 01.13.2018 - 7:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @323 "Within the next 3-4 years NASCAR will put in a spending cap." I don't see it happening. It would be impossible to enforce. Too easy to cheat the system. "However driver and crew salaries aren't going too count toward it (is anyone surprised by this part?) And they should." I don't understand your point about being surprised. "Since Rob Kauffman is involved we all should be prepared for it too suck for one." He comes across to me as a stereotypical corrupt billionaire. I find it very odd he is part of this which is the same way I felt about him being involved in the Race Team Alliance, because he already has so much money, someone couldn't spend all his money in 2 lifetimes. My gut tells me he is a guy that thinks money automatically equals happiness and peace of mind when in reality statistics have proven that false. Fixing your internal problems doesn't come from shoving money at it. "For 2 there are loop holes in such things so that guys like Rick Hendrick and Roger Penske can use outside funds too pay for everything." The system is already a joke. "And within 3-4 the TV deal gets re-uped." NASCAR winning the lottery errrrr I mean the NBC TV deal lasts until 2024. Honestly, I couldn't care less. I was a NASCAR DIEHARD for years and years, but I'm at the point now were I don't care. The fans have complained about the same issues over and over and over again, and NASCAR never attempts to fix them, and if they do they make the situation worse, usually a lot worse. If this spending cap happens then it is a perfect example. I lol every time they make a new announcement now-a-days because they always throw in "we've listened to the fans." The last time they said that was when Truex won the regular season but lost the race because of another fake caution. The fans are leaving in boatloads. Haven't they lost something like 40% of their fans in the last 2 years? I wonder if Brian France ever looks at the attendance count and TV ratings when he started in 2003, compared to what they are now. I wonder what he thinks. Anyways the message of my post here is that there are other great racing series in the world that you can watch, a lot better then NASCAR for sure. Where did you hear about this? 326. Mile501 posted: 01.13.2018 - 8:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The fans are leaving in boatloads. Haven't they lost something like 40% of their fans in the last 2 years?" According to recent comments by NASCAR President Brent Dewar, NASCAR still has 80 million fans. (However, he failed to explain where the other 75+ million fans were during an average race's telecast.) 327. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 01.13.2018 - 11:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I really don't see any way to control what the auto manufacturers spend on support, how would NASCAR police that?" From what I read, independent auditers will come in a look at every teams finaical situation. And will stay with them for a long time. I really don't know who they will report too but it might either A. NASCAR B. RTA (Rob Kauffman) C. A third party. The pecking order might be C, B, A in that order. "Where did you hear about this?" SB nation has an article on it. Not posing the link because it take forever too show up on here. "Fixing your internal problems doesn't come from shoving money at it." Working with Micheal Waltrip is enough too drive anyone nuts. 328. Mannoroth posted: 01.14.2018 - 12:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 326. That's still solid number. And even if they lose more fans, they will never lose me. NASCAR has been an important part of my life since 2008 and it will stay that way till they completely cancel it or till I die. And not even Kyle Busch's retirement will change it - this sport is watchable even without a driver to cheer for... 329. John posted: 01.14.2018 - 7:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @328 That is nice to hear. Happy you're so passionate about it. You came along right when the clean air really took over. 330. Mannoroth posted: 01.14.2018 - 1:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 329. I would come along earlier, but I'm not from America and it's hard to run into NASCAR, when almost no one knows it in your country... I was really lucky our local channel started to broadcasting it, otherwise I wouldn't know about it at all. 331. Sector posted: 01.18.2018 - 5:28 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "The fans are leaving in boatloads. Haven't they lost something like 40% of their fans in the last 2 years?" I'd say most of that is due to the retirement of the greats Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and now Dale Earnhardt Jr alongside Matt Kenseth will take a huge toll for NASCAR. "That's still solid number. And even if they lose more fans, they will never lose me. NASCAR has been an important part of my life since 2008" It all make sense now... 332. Tide1732 posted: 01.18.2018 - 5:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt Busch,Kevin Harvick,Ryan Newman or Clint Bowyer? Who retires after 2018 cup series season? The result coming soon. 333. Tide1732 posted: 01.20.2018 - 7:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) The another 40 field List for the 2018 Daytona 500 #1 McMurray #2 Keselowski #3 A. Dillon #4 Harvick #7(TBR) Patrick #9 Elliott #10 Almirola #11 Hamilin #12 R. Blaney #13 Ty. Dillon #14 Bowyer #17 Stenhouse Jr. #18 Ky. Busch #19 Suarez #20 Jones #21 Menard #22 Logano #23 Gase? #24 Byron (R) #27 J. Earnhardt? #31 Newman #32 DiBenedetto #33 Cassill? #34 McDowell #37 C. Buescher #38 Ragan #41 Ku. Busch #42 Larson #43 Wallace Jr. (R) #44 Thompson #47 Allmendinger #48 Johnson #51 Ware? #55 Sorenson #62 Gaughan #72 Whitt #78 Truex Jr. #88 Bowman #92 D. Gilliland #95 Kahne Possibly a adicional cars for the 2018 Daytona 500 #15 Derrike Cope? #83 TBA (Possibly will run full-time) #89? Morgan Shepherd? 334. Nascar fan#24 posted: 01.21.2018 - 7:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow i thought Kyle would get him but he got a little loose so i think that prevented him from winning. Harvick and Keselowski did great as well good luck this year. 335. 924 posted: 01.22.2018 - 1:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Probably the last race for BK Racing unless something actually happens to their charter. 336. Danish Pie posted: 01.27.2018 - 8:57 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Kinda funny how Tide pretty much sniped Danica being in the #7 @333 Since Tommy Baldwin is at Premium now especially. Haha 337. Tide1732 posted: 01.27.2018 - 12:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And the another entry-list for the 2018 Daytona 500 (UPDATE 1) 1 #00 Derrike Cope 2 #1 McMurray 3 #2 Keselowski 4 #3 A. Dillon 5 #4 Harvick 6 #6 Bayne 7 #7 Patrick 8 #9 Elliott 9 #10 Almirola 10 #11 Hamilin 11 #12 Ry. Blaney 12 #13 Ty Dillon 13 #14 Bowyer 14 #17 Stenhouse Jr. 15 #18 Ky. Busch 16 #19 Suarez 17 #20 Jones 18 #21 Menard 19 #22 Logano 20 #23? (Probably Joey Gase) 21 #24 Byron 22 #27? J. Earnhardt? 23 #30 Matt Kenseth or Corey LaJoe 24 #31 Newman 25 #32 DiBenedetto 26 #33? Cassill? 27 #34 McDowell 28 #37 C. Buescher 29 #38 Ragan 30 #41 Ku. Busch 31 #42 Larson 32 #43 Wallace Jr. 33 #44? Mark Thompson? 34 #47 Allmendinger 35 #48 Johnson 36 #51 Ware or Timmy Hill 37 #55 Sorenson 38 #62 Gaughan 39 #78 Truex Jr. 40 #88 Bowman 41 #92 Gilliland 42 #95 Kahne 43 #96 Kennington Taking #23 (BKR almost shut down), #33 (Cassill is almost not run this year), #44(which may not run), #27 (Jeffrey Earnhardt can not run in RCR), and #00 (which may not run the 500), it could be that one of those can compete in full-time without a charter with part-time drivers. Probably #00 and #23/ or /#33 may be a possible addition for the 2018 Daytona 500. 338. Danish Pie posted: 01.27.2018 - 1:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 2018 Season as of 1/27/18 _________________________ CONFIRMED FULL-TIME TEAMS(34) #00-Derrike Cope #1-Jamie McMurray #2-Brad Keselowski #3-Austin Dillon #4-Kevin Harvick #6-Trevor Bayne #7-Danica Patrick #9-Chase Elliott #10-Aric Almirola #11-Denny Hamlin #12-Ryan Blaney #13-Ty Dillon #14-Clint Bowyer #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #18-Kyle Busch #19-Daniel Suarez #20-Erik Jones #21-Paul Menard #22-Joey Logano #24-William Byron #31-Ryan Newman #32-Matt DiBenedetto #34-Michael McDowell #37-Chris Buescher #38-David Ragan #41-Kurt Busch #42-Kyle Larson #43-Darrell Wallace Jr. #47-A.J. Allmendinger #48-Jimmie Johnson #51- #78-Martin Truex Jr. #88-Alex Bowman #95-Kasey Kahne PROBABLY FULL-TIME(4) *#15- *#30- *#72-Cole Whitt PART-TIME TEAMS(7) *#GMS-Spencer Gallagher?? *#33-Joey Gase/? *#52-John Graham/B.J. McLeod/Donnie Neuenberger?/Cody Ware/Kyle Weatherman *#62-Brendan Gaughan *#66-Timmy Hill/Carl Long/David Starr/Mark Thompson *#92-David Gilliland *#96-D.J. Kennington UNKNOWN(2) #23- *#83- *Non-charter team 2 Charters are yet to be dispersed/confirmed. (#23-BK Racing, #35-Front Row) 339. TeamDCR fan posted: 01.27.2018 - 2:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 51 is Ray black Jr full time 340. 34McDowellFan posted: 01.27.2018 - 2:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @339 The Black deal fell apart, Black won't be in the #51 341. TeamDCR fan posted: 01.27.2018 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) When did that happen? I haven't seen anything about it. 342. Tyson posted: 01.27.2018 - 4:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @341 - About a month or so ago. 343. TeamDCR fan posted: 01.27.2018 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Huh. I don't remember seeing anything about that. Then again I was focusing on some other teams. That might be a good thing for RWR though since Black seemed to struggle in Xfinity 344. Danish Pie posted: 01.27.2018 - 4:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "RWR's driver announcement for the 60th annual Daytona 500 on Sun, Feb. 18 is forthcoming." - January 22nd, from Rick Ware Racing The deal fell apart a couple weeks ago, there was never an announcement for it or anything. It just dissolved. This is the most recent writing on it. Black is announced to be driving the B.J. McLeod #99 in Xfinity. Just a one race deal as of now. 345. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 01.30.2018 - 2:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) One last piece of off season news. The Busch brothers think that NASCAR has gone to far in promoting younger stars. Busch18 thinks it is "stupid" and "it isn't fair." And that veteran drivers are being overlooked. Busch41 says some drivers "get a free pass too becoming superstars." NASCAR responded but I'm not repeating what they said. Harvick and Bowyer disagree however. Ryan Blaney does too, calling out Busch18 on his garbage. Bubba Wallace did too. The Busch bros are invoking a bit of a double standard. Busch41 made his name in NASCAR by getting into it with Jimmy Spencer. Busch18 got into Cup by taking over for TLabs old ride. The younger guys do the promo work too help promote the sport. Elliot, Larson and Blaney are doing that stuff for NASCAR because they LIKE doing it. Those guys are on social media engaging people. Fernando Alonso who is an F1 guy and F1 is VERY structured on how things go but the drivers are accessible too the public for certain amount of time during a week. Alonso enjoys doing that type of stuff for fans. Jenna Fryer has a great article out called "NASCAR drivers can learn from Alonsos grace." Kyle Larson thinks fans will spoiled for the next 10 years. I'm inclined too agree but it depends on how opened minded fans will be too give the young pups a shot. And based on how NASCAR fans can be, I'm not betting on it. And for full disclosure NASCAR used too make it mandatory for the top 12 in points too available too host a press conference weekly but that stopped. Maybe NASCAR should make it mandatory again. 346. Tide1732 posted: 02.03.2018 - 1:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) At this moment the 10 Longest NASCAR Cup Sponsors running in 2018 season. Lowe's: Since 1960 with Jimmy Pardue at Daytona DOW Chemicals: Starting in 1970 at Daytona with Charlie Glotzbach Valvoline: (Still active in the #88 car), Since 1975 with Cale Yarborough at Daytona 500 NAPA: Starting in 1976 with Janet Guthrie Busch: Since 1978 with Ricky Rudd at Charlotte Miller: Starting 1979 with Mike Potter at Bristol (Probably) Motorcraft: Starting in 1984 with Kyle Petty a Michigan (One of sponsors in the race), The full Sponsor starting in 1985 with Ricky Rudd driving the #15 Kroger: Since 1987 with Connie Saylor at Charlotte Hooters: Starting in 1988 with Larry Moyer at Daytona Pennzoil: Starting in 1991 season with Michael Waltrip at Daytona 500 347. Register posted: 02.03.2018 - 2:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) With Daytona 500 practice only one week away, there are still two charter teams who haven't announced a driver. 23 BK 35 Front Row As of right now, only four open cars have announced they will run the Daytona 500. 62 Brendan Gaughan 66 Mark Thompson 92 David Gilliland 96 DJ Kennington If nothing changes, there could be only 38 cars in the Daytona 500, which would be very disappointing. 348. TeamDCR fan posted: 02.03.2018 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The 35 from front row is likely not going to happen, as they have shuffled charters around leasing either the 34 or 38 to TriStar 349. Mile501 posted: 02.03.2018 - 5:05 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) When you count TriStar using FRM's 3rd charter, that gives us 39 confirmed teams for the Daytona 500. Premium or Rick Ware could bring a second team to bring us to 40+, or there may be another yet-unannounced team. Still, the numbers are certainly low for the season's biggest race. 350. JSPorts posted: 02.03.2018 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think there will be at least 40. 35 current chartered teams, and someone will get the 23's charter (the only other team that plans to attempt a full season is the TMG #30, so they could acquire it.) Then the open cars, #62, 66, 92 & 96. There could be some other teams that try to run full-time, or the 99, 52 or 33 could also attempt Daytona. 351. Mile501 posted: 02.03.2018 - 8:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The number of cars that attempted the Daytona 500 each year but failed to qualify (starting in 1970, when field sizes were stabilized at 40-43 cars): Daytona 500 DNQs: 1970 - 21 1971 - 24 1972 - 30 1973 - 34 1974 - 23 1975 - 14 1976 - 25 1977 - 24 1978 - 18 1979 - 18 1980 - 26 1981 - 18 1982 - 21 1983 - 30 1984 - 30 1985 - 18 1986 - 21 1987 - 19 1988 - 27 1989 - 19 1990 - 19 1991 - 16 1992 - 15 1993 - 13 1994 - 17 1995 - 22 1996 - 8 1997 - 10 1998 - 14 1999 - 16 2000 - 13 2001 - 9 2002 - 11 2003 - 7 2004 - 2 2005 - 14 2006 - 15 2007 - 18 2008 - 10 2009 - 13 2010 - 11 2011 - 5 2012 - 6 2013 - 2 2014 - 5 2015 - 6 2016 - 4 [only 44 cars attempted--least ever at that time] 2017 - 2 [only 42 cars attempted--least ever] 2018 - ?? 352. TeamDCR fan posted: 02.03.2018 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I used to enjoy qualifying, now for the 500, it's not as interesting, but still worth watching, but for roughly 30 of the remaining 35 races, qualifying is no fun to watch since there is no chance of a car going home. 353. Mile501 posted: 02.03.2018 - 9:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Indeed. I remember being really into qualifying especially in 2007, watching closely and figuring out who might not make the race with every car that went out there. Now, there's none of that suspense anymore. 354. TeamDCR fan posted: 02.03.2018 - 10:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I have spread sheets somewhere with practice speeds compared qualifying speeds with marks by who was a go or go homer and where that sat in points amongst the non top 35 cars and how missing a race would impact it. 355. Kentucky Wildcat posted: 02.04.2018 - 7:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) In response to: "I remember being really into qualifying especially in 2007, watching closely and figuring out who might not make the race with every car that went out there. Now, there's none of that suspense anymore." I remember far back as 2001 watching qualifying in suspense, sitting on edge of the couch pulling for certain drivers to make it. Occasionally, a top 25 driver would miss the show. Soemtiems it was one my favorite drivers. It was exciting.. I would even DVR qualifying in 2008 if I was at work, could not wait get home watch it. Now days, I never tune in at all. Thank you Brain France for rueing NASCAR. It's so boring now to the point the drivers don't even appreciate being in the show because it's such a given 356. Ak47 posted: 02.04.2018 - 10:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Daytona 500 Expected Entry List (38 confirmed driver-team pairings) 00 Earnhardt 1 McMurray 2 Keselowski 3 Dillon 4 Harvick 6 Bayne 7 Patrick 9 Elliott 10 Almirola 11 Hamlin 12 Blaney 13 Dillon 14 Bowyer 17 Stenhouse 18 Busch 19 Suarez 20 Jones 21 Menard 22 Logano 24 Byron 31 Newman 32 DiBenedetto 34 McDowell 37 Buescher 38 Ragan 41 Busch 42 Larson 43 Wallace Jr 47 Allmendinger 48 Johnson 51 Marks 62 Gaughan 66 Thompson 78 Truex Jr 88 Bowman 92 Gilliland 95 Kahne 96 Kennington (Expected) 15/55 2nd Premium car TBA 52 2nd RWR car ??? 72 Tri-Star TBA Assuming one of those remaining "entries" ends up staying home, this could easily be the first time in Daytona 500 history no team misses the field, which really takes any and all interest out of the Twin 150s, at least for many fans. 357. Tide1732 posted: 02.04.2018 - 12:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not confirmed, But will run the Daytona 500 with his numbers. #15 or 55 Reed Sorenson or Joey Gase (Probably Reed Sorenson) #52 Cody Ware or Joey Gase (Probably Cody Ware) #72 Probably Cole Whitt Or a another unconfirmed number. #30 Regan Smith or Corey LaJoe #35 (Probably is Matt Kenseth) 358. Ak47 posted: 02.04.2018 - 12:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well Tide, there is no #35 car and the #30 won't be at Daytona, leaving only the other 3 cars I mentioned previously. 359. Mile501 posted: 02.04.2018 - 1:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This discussion got me thinking... if there were to be 41 cars that attempt the Daytona 500, that could present some problems for NASCAR, because it could set up a scenario where one Duel race has a driver that misses the show while the other does not. 360. Tide1732 posted: 02.04.2018 - 2:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Reed Sorenson staying to Premium or retired from Racing? 361. Ak47 posted: 02.04.2018 - 2:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Premium said they wanted to bring back Sorenson but I think his seat is always in jeopardy to any driver with a paying sponsor. 362. Mile501 posted: 02.04.2018 - 9:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Consider a hypothetical 41-car field attempting the Daytona 500, with 5 open teams as listed below (using fictional car numbers 81-85 for simplicity in this example): #81 - 1st fastest open car in qualifying #82 - 2nd fastest open car in qualifying #83 - 3rd fastest open car in qualifying #84 - 4th fastest open car in qualifying #85 - 5th fastest open car in qualifying Duel #1 would include #81, #83, #85 Duel #2 would include #82, #84 If the #83 is the highest-finishing open car in Duel #1, then the Daytona 500 field is already set (with the #85 missing the field), no matter what happens in Duel #2. 363. Mile501 posted: 02.04.2018 - 9:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ...actually, to add to my previous comment, the Daytona 500 field would already be set in that situation if either the #81 or the #83 is the highest-finishing open car in Duel #1. 364. JSPorts posted: 02.05.2018 - 12:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) So basically, Duel 2 wouldn't matter at all except for starting lineup & pit selection. That would be anti-climactic. 365. zuel660 posted: 02.05.2018 - 7:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's something to think that there are 125 qualifiers in years past with almost as many cars starting in each of them as the entire Daytona 500 field will have in 2018....& as noted previously, that will basically remove all drama from the Duels on Thursday :-/ 366. Scott B posted: 02.05.2018 - 5:26 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) If the 500 field is set before Duel #2 is run, it would make sense for some of the smaller teams to park their primary cars and not put them at risk. Starting position doesn't mean a thing at Daytona. Losing your only good plate car in a wreck would be a huge setback for a low budget team. 367. JSPorts posted: 02.05.2018 - 7:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I just read the NASCAR.com article about the Duels. I'm confused as to how an open team will make the race. Are any spots for open teams determined by qualifying speeds like they used to be? I thought they were last year, but maybe I'm mis-remembering or they changed the rule. NASCAR.com makes it sound like the 2 highest-finishing open teams in each Duel will make the 500 no matter what. 368. TeamDCR fan posted: 02.05.2018 - 8:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's kinda like the days of the top 35. Now it's the two fastest open teams that are automatically in, then the remaining cars, however many there are fight it out. If one or both of the locked in open cars are in the transfer position, then the next fastest car is in. Last year went like this: 75 Gaughan and 7 Sadler were in on speed. 55 Sorenson and 96 Kennington were next fastest 83 Lajoie and 51 Hill had to race in no matter what Lajoie raced his way into through Duel 1 and Gaughan falls back on speed. Kennington raced in in Duel 2 and Sadler fell back on his speed. What could have happened: Had Gaughan or Sadler raced in, Sorenson would have been in on speed. If Both 75 and 7 raced in, then 55 and 96 would have been in. 51 and 83 go home. 369. Tide1732 posted: 02.06.2018 - 7:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Official (not announced by NASCAR) Will have 39 cars to 500. Possibility adition to #72 The #23 (Joey Gase) gets a TBA driver. Almost Withdrew. 370. Anonymous posted: 02.06.2018 - 7:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @369 where did this information come from? 371. Mile501 posted: 02.06.2018 - 8:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @370 - There are 39 confirmed teams at this point. Comment #356 gives a full list (and add to that the #72 TriStar team). 372. Ak47 posted: 02.06.2018 - 9:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think we can assume exactly 40, given surprise teams really don't show up to Cup events anymore, at least without an earlier press release. The #72 and the 2nd Premium car (probably #55) will be the last 2 additions to the list I outlined in post 356. I would expect #55 to be Reed Sorenson considering that if another driver came with substantial backing, we'd have heard about it by now. As for the #72, I wouldn't be surprised if Cole Whitt was back, but TriStar recently said on Twitter they have news to announce, and Reddit (which is usually pretty accurate in the rumor mill) believes Corey LaJoie will end up being the driver. The 2nd Rick Ware car seems to have fallen off the grid and Tide is talking out his ass in regards to BK Racing, which had all of its assets seized and will not be racing, barring an immediate change in ownership stemming from the bank's divestiture of Devine's assets. Thus, 38 + (#55) + (#72) = 40 cars. 373. Anonymous posted: 02.06.2018 - 9:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also it hasn't been announced for the 500 but I had seen pictures on Facebook from The Motorsports group and they had a brand new car built. The new camero body. They could possibly enter last minute. 374. Canadianfan posted: 02.06.2018 - 11:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @373 The #30 is planning for Atlanta not Daytona 375. Mile501 posted: 02.06.2018 - 11:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @374 - Is that information posted somewhere? I've seen a few different people say that but I haven't found anything official regarding the plans for the #30. 376. Tyson posted: 02.06.2018 - 12:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'd be surprised if Premium brought the 55 to Daytona. They haven't announced plans to do so and essentially are already fielding two cars in the 7 and 51. I could see RWR bringing the 52 seeing as the 51 is basically a Premium car for Daytona 377. Anonymous posted: 02.06.2018 - 2:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just confirmed on their Facebook page. Tristar will be full time in 2018 with Whitt and lajoie. They also have a Charter from front Row Motorsports. Lajoie will race the 500 378. Ultimate Warrior #18 posted: 02.06.2018 - 3:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lajoie will run the majority of the schedule in the #72 Whitt requested to take a step back and run part time in the #72. Also there may still be a chance that Tri Star will run a full time Xfinity Entry. 379. Tide1732 posted: 02.08.2018 - 6:46 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) My cup winners in 2018 1 Daytona: Kyle Busch (Finally gets a Daytona 500 win) 2 Atlanta: Brad Keselowski 3 Las Vegas: Jimmie Johnson 4 ISM: Martin Truex Jr. 5 Fontana: Kyle Larson 6 Martinsville: Joey Logano 7 Texas: Denny Hamilin 8 Bristol: Kyle Larson 9 Richmond: Erik Jones (First cup win) 10 Talladega: Brad Keselowski 11 Dover: Kevin Harvick 12 Kansas: William Byron (First cup win) Showdown: A.J Allmendinger All-Star Race: Jimmie Johnson 13 Charlotte: Kyle Busch 14 Pocono: Joey Logano 15 Michigan: Brad Keselowski 16 Sonoma: Martin Truex Jr. 17 Chicago: Kyle Larson 18 Daytona: Kyle Busch 19 Kentucky: Denny Hamilin 20 New Hampshire: Kevin Harvick 21 Pocono: Martin Truex Jr. 22 Watinks Glen: Chase Elliott (First cup win) 23 Michigan: Ryan Blaney 24 Bristol: Clint Bowyer (Returning a win) 25 Darlington: Joey Logano 26 Indianapolis: Joey Logano Chase races 27 Las Vegas: Denny Hamilin 28 Richmond: Kevin Harvick 29 Charlotte Infield: Kyle Busch 30 Dover: Jimmie Johnson 31 Talladega: Jimmie Johnson 32 Kansas: Kevin Harvick 33 Martinsville: Brad Keselowski 34 Texas: Martin Truex Jr. 35 ISM: Kyle Larson 36 Homestead: Jimmie Johnson Champion of Final-4: Jimmie Johnson, Behind Truex Jr.,Kyle Larson and Denny Hamilin. 380. Brandon posted: 04.01.2018 - 2:31 am Rate this comment: (4) (0) A total of 39 manufacturers raced in the 2534 races from 1949-2017, here is how many races each showed up to. Alfa Romeo: 1 AMC: 97 Aston Martin: 1 Austin: 1 Austin-Healey: 3 Buick: 609 Cadillac: 33 Chevrolet: 2376 Chrysler: 402 Citroen: 1 DeSoto:6 Dodge: 1590 Edsel: 3 Ford: 2499 Frazer: 1 Goliath: 1 Henry J: 38 Hudson: 209 Jaguar: 3 Kaiser: 24 Lincoln: 68 Mercury: 890 Meteor: 1 MG: 5 Morgan: 1 Nash: 117 Oldsmobile: 979 Packard: 40 Plymouth: 1073 Pontiac: 1268 Porsche: 2 Rambler: 7 Renault: 1 Studebaker: 118 Toyota: 396 Triumph: 1 Tucker: 1 Volkswagen: 1 Willys: 7 381. Scott B posted: 04.01.2018 - 4:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thanks for compiling those stats, Brandon! I miss the days when an owner/driver could just show up with a car with no manufacturer support behind the effort. Maybe someday the sport will swing back in that direction, but with body templates and laser inspections, probably not. 382. Brandon posted: 04.01.2018 - 4:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Glad I could be of help to anyone who has always wondered about those stats. Sometimes I wonder what NASCAR would be like with no manufacturer contracts, and open competition. 383. Tide1732 posted: 05.09.2018 - 6:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is not the final cup start for Matt Kenseth, Same for Danica Patrick makes is final cup start here in 2018 Daytona 500 And now, Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets his final cup start here. 384. JSPorts posted: 05.09.2018 - 7:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) To date, this is the last start for David Starr & Ray Black, Jr., too. Those two guys are probably unlikely to be back. 385. kup posted: 09.30.2018 - 7:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) It is not How to "win" with a car-team-$pon$or advantage. It is How to "loose" and take hard times with Respect to others. Some "multi-champs" is SO Greedy and acting like a Pro-Coward. So-called "7-8 titles" are deeply Non-Sense! Without a "chase circus" & #48 - JJ is average guy. Classic Style Titles: 2004: #24 Hendrick's Jeff 2005: #20 Gibbs's Tony 2nd 2006: #48 Hendrick's (Jeff's) Jim 1st 2007: #24 Hendrick's Jeff 2008: #99 Roush's Carl 1st 2009: #48 Hendrick's (Jeff's) Jim 2nd 2010: #29 Childress's Kevin 1st 2011: #99 Roush's Carl 2nd 2012: #2 Penske's Brad 1st 2013: #48 Hendrick's (Jeff's) Jim 3rd ! 2014: #24 Hendrick's Jeff 2015: #4 Stew-Hass's Kevin 2nd 2016: #4 Stew-Hass's Kevin 3rd ! 2017: #78 Visser's Martin 1st 14 year$: 10-time$ Chevy$! & 2-t Ford ... Teams: 6-time$ HM$&GMC, 2-t Roush&Ford, 2-t SHR&GMC. What i$ Cha$e? Money$ tollKing! Jeff got all hi$ "cup$" in a '24 Chevy, was he able to do it w\o #24? Nope! Deep respect to all Drivers who got some "cups" & wins! in a different teams! Kevin Harvick is a 3-time! - with 2 teams! but all with Chevy. Jimm Johnson is a 3-time! - all with HMS&Chevy. Tony Stewart is a 2-time - all with Gibbs&GMC. Carl Edwards is a 2-time - all with Roush&Ford. Brad Keselow is a 1-time - Penske&Dodge Na$car's?gift4Dodge. Martin Truex Jr is a 1-time - Visser&Toyota DaleJr?gift4Denver. CUT_LINE: driver$ like "Jeff&Jimm" are too much over_rated by a dumb crowd. Fear & Greed via Socio(eco/ego)nomic's ;) Any "$uper-hero" is a Myth! What i$ Cha$e? Cha$e is Na$car! Na$car is Money$ tollKing! $how mu$t go on! 386. Tarheel posted: 09.30.2018 - 7:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Average guy". So without the chase he'd "only" have three titles, and he'd still have 83 wins. Doesn't sound average to me, and I am in no way a Johnson fan. 387. Alex posted: 08.04.2019 - 2:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kenseth's sponsor for this race should be ?DeWalt Throwback? 388. RaceFanX posted: 08.04.2019 - 3:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't think it should be. While the scheme was a throwback to Kenseth's original DeWalt colors it was co-branded with Habitat for Humanity for the purpose of promoting hurricane relief efforts as stated. 389. Anthony2 posted: 08.04.2019 - 7:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First race without the use of pit stop data. No longer important? 390. Spen posted: 10.18.2019 - 11:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) To anyone with a good grasp on pre-1975 point systems: Have we ever had a system in which Truex wouldn't win the title? 391. Mile501 posted: 10.18.2019 - 12:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @390 - Probably the 1974 point system, which was probably the most strange and confusing system NASCAR has ever used. That system heavily rewarded the top finishers in the Daytona 500, where Truex finished 13th in 2017. He also had a poor finish in the second-highest paying race (Indy), which would have also hurt him with the 1974 format. 392. Spen posted: 10.19.2019 - 7:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Who would benefit though? Even under the '74 system, I can't imagine that Kurt's craptacular season would be enough to win the title with. Blaney, maybe???? Of course it's next to impossible to calculate this year under that system without having the exact monetary values known. I'd also be interested to know how the standings would look under the '72 system. 393. Maverick19 posted: 12.04.2019 - 12:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 8 races featured drivers leading 190+ laps. Kevin Harvick Atlanta (292) Kyle Busch Martinsville 1 (274) Kyle Larson Bristol 1 (202) Martin Truex Coke 600 (233) Kyle Larson Dover 1 (241) Erik Jones Bristol 2 (260) Martin Truex Richmond 2 (198) Denny Hamlin Phoenix 2 (193) NONE of these resulted in wins. The driver that led the most laps outright won just 9 of the 36 races in 2017, which I feel has to be a record. This year that number was 18. 394. Spen posted: 12.04.2019 - 3:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that 2002 was probably pretty low in that department too. Not something I've ever looked into though, so I could be wrong. 395. kup posted: 01.05.2020 - 2:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) UPS: Universal Points System. Driver's UPointS = Miles / Aver.Finish 2017 UPS _ Driver = Miles / AF 1438 _ Martin Truex, Jr. = 13512.89 / 9.4 1206 _ Kevin Harvick = 13389.73 / 11.1 1183 _ Denny Hamlin = 13727.43 / 11.6 1177 _ Kyle Busch = 13530.25 / 11.5 1088 _ Chase Elliott = 13058.76 / 12.0 1011 _ Brad Keselowski = 12538.51 / 12.4 985 _ Kyle Larson = 13095.49 / 13.3 943 _ Matt Kenseth = 13388.77 / 14.2 TOTAL: UPS! 17 seasons 2001-2017: J.Gordon 5 in: 01, 04, 07, 09, 14. K.Harvick 3 in: 10, 15, 16. C.Edwards 2 in: 08, 11. J.Johnson 2 in: 06, 13. M.Martin 1 in: 02. M.Kenseth 1 in: 03. T.Stewart 1 in: 05. B.Keselowski 1 in: 12. Martin Truex, Jr. 1 in: 12. In 17 years 9 drivers won UPS-title. 2 drivers won 8/17 years. Mostly Chevy boyz. 396. ThatBowmanFan88 posted: 04.28.2020 - 6:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Honestly 2017 wasn't really bad of a year. This is the season is tied (with 2013) 2nd most amount of different winners in the decade. (At 17) We had 3 first time winners, We had some great races and finishes. We get to see Matt get his (possible) last win We saw a deserving champion battling so much adversity. We also got to see some adversity for other drivers too. My point is, the 2017 season wasn't so bad, it was a good year, and honestly top 5 of the decade maybe. But hey, I respect your opinion as you should respect mine, 397. Jimmie4life posted: 04.28.2020 - 7:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @396 15 different winners, actually. 398. SweetRich posted: 07.02.2020 - 4:15 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) After years of struggling, climbing to the top and being stopped by the avalanche of what is competing in NASCAR racing, Martin Truex Jr. reaches the mountain top as The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion. The never say die driver who became a household name in the mid 2000's in the then Busch Series, winning the title in '04 and '05, competing for Dale Jr. Yes, it did take until 2015 for Truex Jr. to become a regular to win races and compete for titles, but his road to the title in '17 was a long and winding one to say the very least. After being the last driver remaining from Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s heyday, he went to Michael Waltrip Racing, reformed that team into a contender for four years, becomes a contender throughout 2012 and 2013 to win races before spingate happened and stopped any chance of becoming really good. He then joins Furniture Row and slowly but surely becomes a title contender after a rough 2014 with solid finishes, running up front and finishing the job in '15, '16 and '17, with Homestead '17 being the last piece of the puzzle to fit for a true rags to riches story. 399. SweetRich posted: 07.06.2020 - 10:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The final career cup series race for TriStar Motorsports. 400. ShinyMew151 posted: 07.06.2020 - 11:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Was 2018, not 2017. They came back in 2018 with LaJoie and Whitt splitting the 72 401. SweetRich posted: 07.06.2020 - 11:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Correct. I had forgotten that LaJoie and Whitt competed in the car that season. 402. Rich posted: 09.25.2020 - 11:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte were the commentators. Marty Snider, Dave Burns, Kelli Stavast and Parker Kligerman were the pit road reporters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: