2017 NXS Season Review - Justin Allgaier

via NASCAR.com

For the second straight year, Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, finished third in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings. Here is a look back on his season.

It took just four weeks into the season for Allgaier to find Victory Lane, accomplishing the feat at Phoenix Raceway. It was his first win since 2012. Also, Allgaier claimed the first $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus and earned a berth in the playoffs. A second-place finish at Richmond in late April awarded Allgaier his second Dash 4 Cash bonus in three races.

In September, it was a home state victory for Allgaier at Chicagoland Speedway. The win was momentum for the playoffs, which began a week later, as well as the first time he had won multiple races in a season.

An infraction found after Phoenix left Allgaier without crew chief Jason Burdett for the title race. But he had seven-time Cup Series champion crew chief Chad Knaus to help the team out. Allgaier finished 12th in the race and third in the championship hunt of the final four drivers.

Overall, Allgaier had one of his best seasons with a 13.0 average finish, 17 top 10s and 10 top-five finishes. He also led Xfinity Series regulars with 495 laps led.

2017 MENCS Season Review - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

via NASCAR.com

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the No. 17 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, finished 13th in the 2017 Monster Energy Series standings. Here are the highlights from his fifth full year at NASCAR's top level -- his best yet.

Four top-10 finishes in the 2017 season's first nine races gave us all an inkling that this might be a fantastic season for Stenhouse. But the pole at Talladega -- just the second of his career -- for the GEICO 500 really got everyone's attention.

Stenhouse converted the pole position into a trip to Victory Lane at Talladega. Although he only led the first 13 laps and the last one, it was enough for Stenhouse's first Monster Energy Series victory.

Stenhouse added his personality and expertise to the Fox Sports analysis during the NASCAR XFINITY Series Pocono Green 250 in June as drivers took over the race's broadcast. Stenhouse served as a pit road reporter, as did Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones.

Stenhouse claimed his second career Cup Series victory at the circuit's other superspeedway, Daytona. This time his race-winning pass came in overtime, surging past David Ragan for the win.

On the strength of two superspeedway wins, Stenhouse joined the Monster Energy Series Playoffs for the first time in his career. He finished the season 13th in the standings and ended the season with three top-12 finishes in his last four races following his Round of 12 elimination.

Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. end their 5-year relationship

Associated Press

Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have ended their nearly five-year relationship.

A spokeswoman for Patrick confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday that the race car drivers "are no longer in a relationship."

Patrick didn't attend the season-ending awards ceremony last month in Las Vegas with Stenhouse, who was honored for making NASCAR's playoffs in 2017. That led to speculation about the status of the most prolific couple in motorsports.

Patrick and Stenhouse announced they were dating in early 2013. She is retiring as a full-time driver and hopes to end her career next year by racing in both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. It's an outgoing celebration she has dubbed the "Danica Double."

Field set for 'The Clash' at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR fans get a double-dose of racing action to open the 2018 season on Sunday, February 11, with The Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway capping a day that starts with Coors Light Pole Award qualifying for the 60th Annual Daytona 500.

A star-studded lineup of elite drivers will battle in the 75-lap event which airs live on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 3 pm ET. The annual preseason race will be run in two segments, with a competition caution at lap 25 separating the segments.

"A double-header, featuring The Clash and Daytona 500 qualifying, is a great way to start the 2018 season," said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. "The urgency created by the non-points race sets a tone for the season, providing a strong preview of the competition we expect will be a mainstay all year long."

"For four decades, the Advance Auto Parts Clash has been a staple of the Speedweeks lineup," Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile said. "The event has a rich history and serves as a preview to the Can-Am Duel qualifying races and the DAYTONA 500. Combining the Advance Auto Parts Clash and DAYTONA 500 Qualifying on the same day will deliver race fans a full day of NASCAR action."

Consistent with the eligibility criteria used to determine last year’s Clash field, there is no pre-determined number of cars. The exclusive field is limited to drivers who were 2017 Coors Light Pole Award winners, former Clash race winners, former Daytona 500 pole winners who competed full-time in 2017 and drivers who qualified for the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Eligible drivers are: 

2017 Coors Light Pole Award winners (14)

·        Ryan Blaney, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Erik Jones, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Martin Truex Jr.

Former Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole Award Winners (3)

·        Austin Dillon, Jimmie Johnson, Danica Patrick

2017 Playoff Drivers (3)

·        Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman

Peltier wins Snowball Derby pole

Preston Peltier turned a lap of 16.319 seconds which edged Bubba Pollard for the top spot during time trials on Friday for the 50th Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway.

“I wasn’t expecting to get the pole, but this is easily the best car I’ve had,” said the 40-year-old Peltier, whose best Derby finish was a seventh in 2015. “We’ve only had the car for four weeks.”

The field for Sunday’s 300-lap race will total 37 cars. The top 30 drivers from Friday’s time trials punched their tickets, three earned their way in on the strength of provisionals, leaving four available positions to be determined in this afternoon’s last-chance race.

NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who arrived in Pensacola on Friday, qualified 15th on Friday and was visibly frustrated with his No. 51.

In addition to Busch, defending Derby champion Christian Eckes, 17, qualified with a lap of 16.660 seconds, which was not good enough to make the field.

However, Eckes utilized his past champion’s provisional to guarantee himself a shot at becoming the first repeat winner since Cup driver Erik Jones completed the feat in 2012-2013.

Bubba Pollard, a longtime fan favorite at the famed half-mile asphalt oval, will start outside of Peltier on the front row after his fast lap of 16.344 seconds. The 30 year old from Senoia, Georgia, has 100 late model wins in his decorated career, but has never hoisted the Tom Dawson trophy.

NASCAR to standardize at-track rosters beginning in 2018

Starting in 2018, NASCAR will standardize the number of at-track individuals who work on each vehicle durinh a race weekend. Rosters across all three national series will be comprised of three categories: Organizational, Road Crew and Pit Crew. For each category, the team will decide how to distribute the positions for their respective rosters (e.g., a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team's Road Crew could be made up of a crew chief, car chief, five mechanics, two engineers and three specialists).

In addition, each roster member will be assigned a number / letter based on position, which must be visible at all times on both team uniforms and on armbands. All rosters will be made public prior to the race weekend.

Roster Categories / Job Examples

Organizational - Includes competition director, team manager, technical director, IT specialists, etc.

Road Crew - Includes crew chief, car chief, engineers, mechanics, shock specialist, tire specialist, aero specialisr, spotter, engine tuner, etc.

Pit Crew - Over-the-wall-crew.

Roster Breakdown (by series)

MENCS - 3/4* Organizational; 12 Road Crew; 5 Pit Crew
Additional road crew spot at road courses / Indianapolis

NXS - 1 Organizational; 7 Road Crew; 5 Pit Crew
Additional road crew spot available at 10 races

NCWTS - 1 Organizational; 6 Road Crew; 5 Pit Crew
Additional road crew spot available at 5 races

* For a 1-2 car organization, three roster spots can be dedicated to those on the Organizational Level.

Note: In 2018, the fueler can only perform the task of fueling the vehicle.

Martin Truex Jr. holds off Kyle Busch for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – At the end of a riveting, breathtaking battle that had fans in the grandstands on their feet long after the checkered flag, Martin Truex Jr. held off Kyle Busch by .681 seconds at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win Sunday’s Ford Eco-Boost 400 and his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title.

In Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s last race in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Truex—one of Earnhardt’s closest friends—kept Busch behind him during a 34-lap green-flag run to the finish.

"It’s just overwhelming," a tearful Truex said in Victory Lane. "To think about all the rough days and bad days, the days that we couldn’t run 20th, to be here—I never thought this day would come, and to be here is so unbelievable."

The victory was a timely gift for Furniture Row Racing owner Barney Visser, who is back home in Denver, Colo., recovering from a heart attack and subsequent bypass surgery. It was also a gift to Truex’s long-time girlfriend Sherry Pollex, who has been battling ovarian cancer.

"A lot of it was for her," said Truex, who won for the first time at Homestead and the 15th time in his career. "A lot of it was for me. A lot of it was for this team – just, I don’t even know what to say. We just never gave up all day long. We didn’t have the best car. I don’t know how we won that thing. Never give up. Dig deep."

The victory also was entirely appropriate. For the bulk of the season, Truex was the top driver in the series. Sunday’s victory was his eighth of the year, a series-best, and his seventh on 1.5-mile intermediate speedways. Truex had the No. 78 Toyota out front for 78 laps on Sunday, bringing his season total of laps led to a career-best 2,253, also tops in the series.

With an excellent long-run car, Busch slipped to fourth after the final restart on Lap 234 of 267 and needed nine laps to pass the stubborn No. 22 Ford of Joey Logano. Seven laps later, Busch slipped past fellow Championship 4 contender Kevin Harvick into second and set his sights on Truex.

Busch closed rapidly, but Truex found a line that allowed him to maintain an edge that shrank to as little as two car lengths. But Busch never could pull alongside his fellow Camry driver, and Truex inched away over the last four circuits.

"I told my guys we were going to dig deeper than we ever have today, and (with) 20 (laps) to go, I thought I was done – they were all better than me on the long run all day long," Truex said. "I just found a way. I found a lane that I could use, and I found a lane that was blocking enough of their air that they couldn’t use it and just made it happen.

"I can’t believe it. I’ve wanted this since I was a little kid and just never give up. Just never give up on your dreams, no matter what happens and what kind of crap you go through. And thank you, Barney. I wish you were here, buddy."

Kyle Larson finished third, closely trailing the championship battle after moving past Harvick for third on Lap 252. Harvick came home fourth, after debris from David Starr’s Chevrolet punched a hole in the nose of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.
 
"I was just really loose the whole last run," Harvick said. "When it started to get dark, we started to get tight in the corner, and then we got a hole in the nose. We got that fixed and just couldn’t quite get it where we needed to be to make good times.

"Some runs we fell off. Some runs we were tight on entry. There at the end we were just too loose."

Chase Elliott and Joey Logano ran fifth and sixth, respectively. Playoff driver Brad Keselowski finished sixth, ending the season fourth in the series standings.

Busch opted for a one-pit-stop strategy during the final stage of the race and appeared headed for the title until his brother, Kurt Busch, spun in Turn 4 on Lap 227 to bring out the fifth and final caution of the event and bunch the field for the restart on Lap 234.

"Yeah, it wasn't quite what we wanted there at the end," Busch said. "I thought we had a really great race car. Especially on the long runs, we were really, really good. Just came down to there at the end, not having enough tire when I got to the 78.

"So I just overused my stuff, and I knew I overused my stuff when I was running with the 22 (Logano) trying to get by him and just overworked everything, and got to the 4 (Harvick), got by him pretty quick. I tried to make sure that I could do that pretty quick so then I could have at least a little more tire life, but didn't seem to pay me off any when I got to the 78."

Notes: Earnhardt finished 25th in his final run in the No. 88 Chevy… Danica Patrick cut a tire and clobbered the Turn 2 wall on Lap 142 in her final trip in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. She plans to race in the Cup series for the final time in the 2018 Daytona 500… Patrick also collected Kasey Kahne in her wreck. Kahne ran his final race for Hendrick Motorsports on Sunday and will move to the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet next season… Truex’s teammate, Erik Jones, was crowned Sunoco Rookie of the Year in the series after finishing 21st. Jones will take Matt Kenseth’s place in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs racing Toyota next season. Kenseth finished eighth Sunday in his final ride in the car.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race - Ford EcoBoost 400

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Homestead, Florida

Sunday, November 19, 2017

               1. (2) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota, 267.
               2. (3) Kyle Busch (P), Toyota, 267.
               3. (7) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 267.
               4. (9) Kevin Harvick (P), Ford, 267.
               5. (18) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 267.
               6. (19) Joey Logano, Ford, 267.
               7. (5) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford, 267.
               8. (4) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 267.
               9. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267.
               10. (21) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 267.
               11. (17) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 267.
               12. (16) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 267.
               13. (13) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 266.
               14. (26) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 266.
               15. (6) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 266.
               16. (15) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 265.
               17. (30) David Ragan, Ford, 265.
               18. (20) Aric Almirola, Ford, 265.
               19. (12) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 265.
               20. (29) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 265.
               21. (14) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 265.
               22. (8) Kurt Busch, Ford, 265.
               23. (28) Landon Cassill, Ford, 265.
               24. (23) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 265.
               25. (24) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 264.
               26. (32) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 264.
               27. (22) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 264.
               28. (33) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 264.
               29. (11) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 264.
               30. (31) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 263.
               31. (34) Corey LaJoie(i), Toyota, 261.
               32. (36) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 259.
               33. (27) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Accident, 234.
               34. (10) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, Brakes, 225.
               35. (37) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Engine, 212.
               36. (38) * David Starr(i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 175.
               37. (25) Danica Patrick, Ford, Accident, 139.
               38. (39) * Ray Black II(i), Chevrolet, Too Slow, 49.
               39. (35) * Joey Gase(i), Toyota, Accident, 4.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  131.9 mph.
Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 02 Mins, 11 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.681 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  5 for 26 laps.
Lead Changes:  13 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders:    0; M. Truex Jr. (P) 1-12; K. Larson 13-82; B. Keselowski (P) 83; K. Larson 84-121; K. Busch (P) 122-123; K. Larson 124-145; K. Busch (P) 146; K. Larson 147-161; M. Truex Jr. (P) 162-175; K. Busch (P) 176; M. Truex Jr. (P) 177; K. Busch (P) 178-216; M. Truex Jr. (P) 217-267.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Larson 4 times for 145 laps; M. Truex Jr. (P) 4 times for 78 laps; K. Busch (P) 4 times for 43 laps; B. Keselowski (P) 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 42,2,18,4,78,24,41,11,22,14
Stage #2 Top Ten: 42,78,4,18,2,41,20,22,24,11

William Byron wins emotional battle for XFINITY title, as Cole Custer dominates

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – As Cole Custer celebrated his first victory in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and 19-year-old William Byron reveled in the series championship, a heartbroken and angry Elliott Sadler confronted the driver he believed cost him a long-coveted NASCAR title. 

Custer took the checkered flag in a different zip code, crossing the finish line 15.405 seconds ahead of second-place Sam Hornish Jr., who delivered the owners’ championship to Roger Penske. The real action, however, occurred three-quarters of a lap behind the winner.

Sadler had passed Byron, his JR Motorsports teammate on Lap 165 of 200. The 42-year-old veteran stayed out front until Lap 191, when he closed on the No. 18 Toyota of Ryan Preece and lost momentum. Byron charged past Sadler into third place—and into the lead among the four drivers battling for the title.

With four laps left, Sadler pulled up to Byron’s bumper. Byron shot past Preece’s Toyota, clearing him to the inside. Sadler tried to follow but couldn’t complete the pass, and slid up into Preece’s Camry, with the right front of Sadler’s No. 1 Chevrolet clipping the left rear of the Toyota.

Sadler hit the wall and his title hopes were gone. The disconsolate driver finished second in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings for the fourth time, and his disappointment stood in marked contrast to the elation of his young teammate.

"I don’t know that I took a breath the last 20 laps," Byron said. "That was incredible. I just have to thank this team. This is awesome. Elliott raced me clean, and we just raced hard for it. I just can’t believe this. 

"I’ve just got to thank God for giving me this platform to perform. I can’t believe this. I’m tired, whew. I’ve never driven that hard in my life."

Team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. had his share of nervous moments as his drivers fought for the championship.

"Man, that is tough watching those guys battle like that together," Earnhardt said. "William did a great job running an awesome race. To be as young as he is, he drove like a veteran tonight. I know Elliott is probably really disappointed. It’s hard to watch any of your guys lose one, but at least we will be taking the trophy back to Mooresville tonight. 

"This is great for JRM and all our employees. One thing about William winning, the over-the-wall guys I’m pretty close to a lot of them. They pit my car, too (in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series). It’s pretty cool to see these guys enjoy themselves. This really effects a lot of people.  I’m really glad to be a part of it."

All but forgotten in the dramatic championship battle and its aftermath was Custer’s overwhelming maiden victory. Pulling away steadily after a restart on Lap 97, Custer posted the largest margin of victory in the series this season and the largest ever at the 1.5-mile track.

Custer led 182 laps and scored a perfect driver rating of 150.0, the only time a driver has accomplished that feat this year.

"We knew we were going be really good this weekend, but our Haas Automation Mustang was unreal," Custer said. "We really wanted to have a good showing at Ford Championship Weekend.  Even though we weren’t in it (the Championship 4), we wanted to win."

Preece was racing for the owners’ championship against the No. 22 Ford of Hornish and the No. 9 Chevrolet of Byron after Christopher Bell fell out with engine problems after 78.

"To be honest with you, if there’s a person you don’t want to cost a championship to, it’s Elliott Sadler," said Preece. "You know, I’m just trying to do team orders here. I was racing for an owner championship. Yeah, we weren’t racing for the win right there, but we were still racing the 9 (Byron)."

"It’s not where I want to be right there. Obviously, I hate it, but I can’t take it back."

Notes: With only three cautions—two for planned stage breaks--the race set a speed record at 136.140 mph… Championship contender Justin Allgaier had seven-time Cup champion Chad Knaus calling the shots on his pit box in place of suspended Jason Burdett, but Allgaier’s car struggled to a 12th-place finish, third in the title race… Daniel Hemric, the fourth Championship 4 driver, and the only one not from the JRM stable, lost 12 laps with electrical problems early in the race and came home 34th.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race - Ford EcoBoost 300

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Homestead, Florida

Saturday, November 18, 2017
 
               1. (2) Cole Custer #, Ford, 200.
               2. (8) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 200.
               3. (6) William Byron # (P), Chevrolet, 200.
               4. (1) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 200.
               5. (5) Ryan Preece, Toyota, 200.
               6. (7) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 200.
               7. (10) Matt Tifft #, Toyota, 200.
               8. (14) Elliott Sadler (P), Chevrolet, 200.
               9. (18) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 199.
               10. (9) Ty Majeski, Ford, 199.
               11. (12) Casey Mears, Ford, 199.
               12. (16) Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 199.
               13. (23) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 199.
               14. (20) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 199.
               15. (17) Corey LaJoie, Toyota, 199.
               16. (11) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 199.
               17. (19) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 198.
               18. (25) Ben Kennedy #, Chevrolet, 198.
               19. (28) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 198.
               20. (15) Ryan Reed, Ford, 198.
               21. (13) Scott Lagasse Jr., Chevrolet, 198.
               22. (21) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 198.
               23. (29) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 197.
               24. (26) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 196.
               25. (27) Ray Black II, Chevrolet, 196.
               26. (24) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 196.
               27. (22) Joe Nemechek(i), Chevrolet, 196.
               28. (33) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 196.
               29. (32) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 195.
               30. (36) Chad Finchum, Toyota, 194.
               31. (30) Caesar Bacarella, Chevrolet, 193.
               32. (38) David Starr, Chevrolet, 192.
               33. (35) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 191.
               34. (4) Daniel Hemric # (P), Chevrolet, 187.
               35. (37) Stephen Leicht, Chevrolet, Brakes, 102.
               36. (3) Christopher Bell(i), Toyota, Engine, 78.
               37. (34) Timmy Hill, Dodge, Vibration, 54.
               38. (39) John Graham, Dodge, Parked, 31.
               39. (31) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, Electrical, 19.
               40. (40) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Clutch, 10.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  136.14 mph.
Time of Race:  02 Hrs, 12 Mins, 13 Secs. Margin of Victory:  15.405 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  3 for 14 laps.
Lead Changes:  5 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   T. Reddick 1-2; C. Custer # 3-23; T. Reddick 24-26; C. Custer # 27-48; T. Reddick 49-61; C. Custer # 62-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  C. Custer # 3 times for 182 laps; T. Reddick 3 times for 18 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 00,42,23,3,18,60,21,1,14,01
Stage #2 Top Ten: 00,22,42,18,9,1,48,60,7,24 

Christopher Bell takes NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title; Chase Briscoe gets first win

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The tandem burnouts filled the frontstretch at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a thick cloud of smoke, as Chase Briscoe celebrated his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, and runner-up Christopher Bell exulted in his first NASCAR championship.

In a Ford EcoBoost 200 that ran caution-free except for the planned breaks after the first and second stages, Briscoe, the pole winner, passed Ben Rhodes for the lead on Lap 96 of 134 on Friday night and pulled away to beat Bell to the finish line by 2.887 seconds, after Rhodes ran out of gas on Lap 129.

Two enormously talented open-wheel stars who have made successful transitions to stock car racing, Bell and Briscoe are close friends, but their careers have been following markedly different trajectories as of late.

Briscoe collected the last trophy for Brad Keselowski Racing, which is closing its doors at the end of the season, and he hasn't announced plans for next year. Bell, on the other hand, will run for the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship next season in top-of-the-line equipment at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Bell gave Kyle Busch Motorsports its second title in three years under a format where the highest finisher among four eligible drivers—in this case Bell, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton and Austin Cindric--is crowned champion.

"To be able to do this for all of the guys at Kyle Busch Motorsports and to win the championship for a team that deserves the championship, words just can’t describe my feelings right now," said Bell, who scored a series-high five victories this season.

"To run as good as we have, week in and week out, and not just this year ... This whole organization, this whole team has been good for so many years. You just don’t want to be the guy that lets them down, and I’m glad I didn’t let them down tonight."

Briscoe, who also won the 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year, certainly improved his standing with the win, achieved in his 23rd start in the series.

"This is a long time coming," said Briscoe who finished one position and nearly 16 seconds ahead of third-place Sauter, the defending series champion. "So proud of all these guys. To know that they’re not going to have a job next year, and we continued to bring really good trucks even though we were outside the playoffs, such a testament to how good these Brad Keselowski guys are.

"I know two years ago I was sleeping on couches, and now to be a winner in NASCAR. I wish we were in the final four. I felt like we could have been, but that’s part of the circumstances."

By virtue of his third-place finish, Sauter was runner-up for the championship. Cindric, Briscoe’s teammate at BKR, ran fifth, one position ahead of Crafton, a two-time series champion.

Bell started 2017 with a victory in the Chili Bowl Nationals for midget cars, a title the Oklahoma native has coveted since childhood. He ends the year as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, a perfect bookend to a banner year for the 22-year-old prodigy.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race - Ford EcoBoost 200

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Homestead, Florida

Friday, November 17, 2017

               1. (1) Chase Briscoe #, Ford, 134.
               2. (13) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota, 134.
               3. (11) Johnny Sauter (P), Chevrolet, 134.
               4. (6) Ryan Truex, Toyota, 134.
               5. (3) Austin Cindric # (P), Ford, 134.
               6. (8) Matt Crafton (P), Toyota, 134.
               7. (9) Stewart Friesen #, Chevrolet, 134.
               8. (4) Grant Enfinger #, Toyota, 134.
               9. (7) Justin Haley #, Chevrolet, 134.
               10. (17) Timothy Peters, Chevrolet, 134.
               11. (15) Regan Smith, Ford, 134.
               12. (12) Myatt Snider, Toyota, 134.
               13. (10) Kaz Grala #, Chevrolet, 133.
               14. (16) Cody Coughlin #, Toyota, 133.
               15. (14) John H. Nemechek, Chevrolet, 133.
               16. (20) TJ Bell, Chevrolet, 132.
               17. (18) Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, 131.
               18. (5) Noah Gragson #, Toyota, 131.
               19. (2) Ben Rhodes, Toyota, 130.
               20. (19) Dalton Sargeant, Chevrolet, 129.
               21. (22) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 128.
               22. (26) Josh Reaume, Chevrolet, 126.
               23. (24) Wendell Chavous #, Chevrolet, 125.
               24. (23) Robby Lyons(i), Chevrolet, 125.
               25. (27) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 119.
               26. (21) Chris Windom, Chevrolet, Electrical, 71.
               27. (25) Camden Murphy, Chevrolet, Suspension, 9.
               28. (30) Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, Engine, 8.
               29. (28) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, Electrical, 7.
               30. (29) Mike Senica, Chevrolet, Parked, 4.
               31. (32) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, Electrical, 0.
               32. (31) Ray Ciccarelli, Chevrolet, Engine, 0.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  135.556 mph.
Time of Race:  01 Hrs, 28 Mins, 58 Secs. Margin of Victory:  2.887 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  2 for 12 laps.
Lead Changes:  6 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   C. Briscoe # 1-33; C. Bell (P) 34-43; C. Briscoe # 44-48; B. Rhodes 49-83; C. Briscoe # 84-87; B. Rhodes 88-95; C. Briscoe # 96-134.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  C. Briscoe # 4 times for 81 laps; B. Rhodes 2 times for 43 laps; C. Bell (P) 1 time for 10 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 4,29,98,27,16,19,88,21,24,02
Stage #2 Top Ten: 27,4,29,16,21,19,02,88,18,24