Tag Archives: Homestead-Miami Speedway

Carl Edwards’ Exit Could Hasten Christopher Bell’s Advancement to XFINITY Series

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Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

How long do you think it took Christopher Bell to do the math?

Carl Edwards’ shocking announcement of his abrupt exit from the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has had a ripple effect that could go far beyond the promotion of Daniel Suárez to a full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ride.

Because Suárez will fill Edwards’ seat in NASCAR’s premier series, he won’t defend his NASCAR XFINITY Series title. Bell will be one of the beneficiaries of the changes in Suárez’s schedule. Continue reading →

From Small Beginnings, Rick Hendrick Reached Pinnacle of Success in Business and NASCAR

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HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 17: Jimmie Johnson (C), driver of the #48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, poses with team owner Rick Hendrick (L) and crew chief Chad Knaus (R) in Champions Victory Lane with their six trophies after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 17, 2013 in Homestead, Florida. Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images

It’s said reaching the top is the easy part; staying there is more difficult.

For Rick Hendrick, the climb up the mountain required a decade of hard work culminating in Hendrick Motorsports capturing its first NASCAR premier series championship in 1995.

Two decades later, Hendrick’s Chevrolet team remains stock car racing’s platinum standard: a record 12 NASCAR premier series titles – including Jimmie Johnson’s record-matching seventh crown in 2016 – and 245 victories with 16 different drivers.

“It just seems like yesterday we didn’t think we’d even make it through our first year (1984) and now we’ve won 12 of these things, and it’s hard to do,” said Hendrick following Johnson’s title-winning victory last November at Homestead-Miami Speedway in south Florida.

The 67-year-old Hendrick will reach yet another career milestone on Friday when he’s inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame (8 p.m. ET on NBCSN). The Class of 2017 includes fellow team owner Richard Childress, former Hendrick Motorsports drivers Mark Martin and Benny Parsons and pioneer car owner Raymond Parks. Continue reading →

Daniel Suárez: Promoted Earlier than Expected – But Not Too Soon

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Photo – Getty Images

Don’t worry about Daniel Suárez.

And don’t buy into the assumption that, in promoting Suárez to fill the seat of departing Carl Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing is making the same mistake it made in 2009 when the organization threw then-18-year-old Joey Logano into the deep end of the pool.

Laboring under the weight of replacing Tony Stewart in the No. 20 Toyota, Logano never blossomed at JGR. It took four years of seasoning and a move to Team Penske for Logano to realize his enormous potential in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car.

Suárez, on the other hand, is already 25, and possesses a ferocious work ethic matched only by his desire to learn – and learn quickly. Continue reading →

Ty Dillon Piloting Germain Racing’s No. 13 Entry in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

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Ty Dillon, driver of the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, climbs into his car during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Ty Dillon, driver of the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, climbs into his car during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Beginning in 2017, Ty Dillon will take over full-time driving duties of the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Germain Racing. Dillon follows Casey Mears, a seasoned veteran who, over the last six years, has helped build Germain Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series program into a viable organization that has garnered the respect and attention of NASCAR’s elite.
The 24-year old Dillon has made 17 starts in the Sprint Cup Series for several different teams, including Circle Sport/Leavine Family Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing. He scored a career-best sixth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2016 while serving as a relief driver for Tony Stewart.

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Roush Fenway Racing, Greg Biffle Part Ways

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Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 Roush Performance Ford, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo - Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 Roush Performance Ford, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo – Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Roush Fenway Racing and driver Greg Biffle have parted ways after the conclusion of the 2016 NASCAR season. Biffle, the organization’s longest-tenured driver, drove the No. 16 Sprint Cup Series entry since 2002. He joined Roush Fenway in 1998, and worked his way up through the NASCAR ranks, winning championships in the Truck and XFINITY Series’ and finishing runner up in the Sprint Cup Series. Continue reading →