Johnny Davis at 9:30 pm ET on Thursday, November 19, 2015 Photo – Phil Cavali Photography
Johnny Davisis our guest on Fan4Racing with Catchfence NASCAR Weekend Previewon Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 9 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @beberly18 with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.
There’s some NASCAR history behind JD Motorsports with Gary Keller and as happens so often, that history is an interesting part of their NASCAR inter-woven fabric that has led them to what the organization is today.
This season, the organization has fielded three cars, the No. 01 with Landon Cassill, the No. 4 with Ross Chastain and the No. 0 with Harrison Rhodes. Other drivers behind the wheel of their cars this season include, ARCA Racing Series veteran Bobby Gerhart, a former K&N West winning driver, Michael Self, and GTS Champion Lawson Aschenbach.
However, it is co-owner and founder Johnny Davis, as in the ‘JD’ in JD Motorsports with Gary Keller with an interesting story behind their organization as they head into the last race of their 2015 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Even recent history has a way of becoming faded and forgotten, so this quick trip down memory lane will refresh an interesting journey behind the organization. Continue reading →
The field of drivers poses prior to the NASCAR Nationwide Series Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15, 2014 The field of drivers poses prior to the NASCAR Nationwide Series Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15, 2014 Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images
Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 GameStop/Rock Candy Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15, 2014 Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images
Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the series championship during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15, 2014 Photo – Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images
Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, celebrates with the trophy in Victory Lane with team owner Dale Earnhardt jr. after winning the series championship during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15, 2014 Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images
Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, celebrates winning the series championship during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15, 2014 Photo – Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 GameStop/Rock Candy Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15, 2014 Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images
The NASCAR Nationwide Series championship trophy sits on stage during the Championship Contenders press conference prior to practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 13, 2014 Photo – Patrick Smith/Getty Images
(L-R) Greg Ives, crew chief for the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., owner of Junior Motorsports, look on as Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, speaks with the media during the Championship Contenders press conference prior to practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 13, 2014 Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images
Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, looks on during the Championship Contenders press conference prior to practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 13, 2014 Photo – Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Charging away from a pack of pursuers on the final restart, Matt Kenseth scored his first NASCAR Nationwide Series win since October of last year in Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Chase Elliott, who had clinched the driver’s championship last Saturday in Phoenix, finished 17th after scraping the outside wall late in the race. Brad Keselowski delivered the Nationwide Series owner’s championship to Roger Penske with an eighth-place result in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Continue reading →
Restarts were everything in Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
And it was the restarts later in the race, leading to hard charges from Brad Keselowski for the win and Austin Dillon‘s Nationwide Series championship. With just five laps left, Keselowski rocketed to the lead from tenth place by passing Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson for the top spot.
“That late-race restart was key,” said Keselowski from victory lane. “We came in and put tires on with 20 to go, and that yellow – for a four-car crash on lap 183 – was out for (12 laps), and I didn’t think we were going to have a shot at it.
“But we got the right restart and made our way through. I’m going to have to watch the in-car camera, because that was one hell of a ride. Be glad there wasn’t a passenger with me, because they would have been screaming the whole way. I know I was.”
Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 AdvoCare Chevrolet, after winning the series championship after the NASCAR Nationwide Series Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2013 Photo – Getty Images
There was another driver screaming as Austin Dillon, expressed his excitement after holding off Sam Hornish Jr for the 2013 series’ championship. Despite Dillon’s No 3 car being sluggish for most of the race, he finished 12th, keeping his main competitor Sam Hornish Jr in his sights for the last two restarts of the night.
Hornish finished eighth, with 37 laps led and lost the title to Dillon by a mere three points. Dillon is the first driver to win the series championship without winning a race throughout the year. Season-long consistency paved the way to Dillon’s title.
“I was just glad to see the 12’s back bumper (after the final restart),” said Dillon. “I knew if I could see him and know where he was, that I wasn’t going to give up till the end. I had a great start and tried to get the jump on him. It worked out.
“That’s all I can say. He was a great competitor, and he brought his stuff tonight, and we were able to capitalize at the end. Man, it was a hell of a race.”
Keselowski’s Penske teammate, Joey Logano, gained six spots after the last restart to bring home the owner’s championship for the No. 22 Penske team. They edged out the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team, driven by Kyle Busch by a single point.
2013 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson, driver of the #51 Target Chevrolet, walks in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2013 Photo – Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
With his fourth second-place finish of the season, Larson claims the Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. His No. 32 car, however, failed post-race inspection for being too low – the team’s second offense. Keselowski’s victory also brings Ford the Nationwide Series manufacturers’ championship.
“It means a lot to me to win rookie of the year in the Nationwide Series,” said Larson. “A lot of veterans in the past and in the current Sprint Cup Series have won the rookie of the year. To add my name to that list hopefully means I’m doing something good.”
Larson is moving to the Sprint Cup Series next season to race the No. 42 car for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.
Keselowski caps a remarkable Nationwide Series campaign in 2013. The win was his seventh for the season, but his first in the No. 48. Keselowski won his first six races in the No. 22 Logano drove on Saturday. The 2010 Nationwide Series champion, Keselowski marked his 27th victory in the series.
