NASCAR: A trio of victories at Homestead-Miami in Xfinity
By Alex Herbst
As the victory celebrations get underway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway, more than one person is excited to end the day.
The series finale for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway was more than just one race, but in fact three in one. There was, of course, the Ford EcoBoost 300, and one of forty drivers could end up in victory lane and raise the trophy for winning the race.
There was the owner’s championship, with four all-star teams fighting for the title. And finally, there was the Championship 4 fighting for the Xfinity Series championship.
In the first of the three races, it was a dominating performance. Cole Custer put on a clinic at the front of the field in Miami, dominating the race and winning all three stages of the event. Leading the most laps, Custer earned his first career Xfinity Series win in the final race of 2017. It was also the first-ever win for Stewart-Haas Racing in NASCAR’s second division. This marks two Ford victories in Ford championship weekend races at Homestead-Miami.
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The owner’s championship fight, meanwhile, got intense at the finish. The four-way battle was between the #22 team of Sam Hornish Jr., the #18 of Ryan Preece, the #20 of Christopher Bell, and the #9 of William Byron. All were near the front at the end except for Bell, who exited early after losing an engine. It would be Team Penske celebrating at the finish, after contact between Preece and Elliott Sadler saw the #18 fade from the picture.
Finally, in the prize fight for the Xfinity Series championship, the four cars fighting for the title went down to two in the final laps. After Daniel Hemric was forced to replace a battery in the middle of the race, it left the JR Motorsports drivers to fight amongst themselves. The championship would come down to between William Byron and Elliott Sadler, with Byron coming out on top. The driver of the #9 Chevy won his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series title, in his only full-time season in the series. He will move up to the Cup Series in 2018 to drive for Hendrick Motorsports.
Here are the full race results from the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
- Cole Custer, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, Team Penske
- William Byron, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports (CHAMPION)
- Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Ryan Preece, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Matt Tifft, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
- Michael Annett, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
- Ty Majeski, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Casey Mears, Ford, Biagi-Den Beste Racing
- Justin Allagier, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
- Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Corey LaJoie, Toyota, JGL Racing
- Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
- Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
- Ben Kennedy, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, GMS Racing
- Ryan Reed, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Scott Lagasse Jr., Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- JJ Yeley, Toyota, TriStar Motorsports
- Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Jeremy Clements Racing
- Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
- Ray Black Jr., Chevrolet, SS-Green Light Racing
- Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
- Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
- Josh Williams, Chevrolet, King Autosport
- Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Means Motorsports
- Chad Finchum, MBM Racing
- Caesar Bacarella, Chevrolet, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
- David Starr, Chevrolet, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
- B.J. McLeod, Chevrolet, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
- Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Stephen Leicht, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
- Christopher Bell, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Timmy Hill, Dodge, MBM Racing
- John Graham, Dodge, Harmon Racing
- Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
- Jeff Green, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
Next: Richard Childress Racing Downsizing Xfinity Team
Beyond The Flag congratulates William Byron and the entire #9 team at JR Motorsports on their first-ever NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. We also extend our congrats to Team Penske and the #22 car on their owner’s title. Stay tuned to BTF for all the offseason news from the Xfinity Series, with updates on all the championship contenders for 2018.