2016 Ford EcoBoost 300

The 2016 Ford EcoBoost 300 was a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida on November 19, 2016. The race was the 33rd and final race of the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 22nd iteration of the event. Daniel Suárez would dominate the whole race winning the pole, leading the most laps at 133, and winning the race which would all culminate in him winning the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. Suárez became the first Mexican born driver to win a NASCAR championship in the top 3 series.[2]

2016 Ford EcoBoost 300
Race details[1]
Map of Speedway
Map of Speedway
Date November 19, 2016 (2016-11-19)
Official name 2016 Ford EcoBoost 300
Location Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida
Course Oval
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 200 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Weather Clear
Average speed 116.445 mph (187.400 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Joe Gibbs Racing
Time 31.779
Most laps led
Driver Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 133
Winner
No. 19 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network NBCSN
Announcers Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte

Background

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Homestead–Miami Speedway is a motor racing track located in Homestead, Florida. The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, including NASCAR, the IndyCar Series, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series, and the Championship Cup Series.

From 2002 to 2019, Homestead–Miami Speedway had hosted the final race of the season in all three of NASCAR's series as Ford Championship Weekend: the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The races currently have the names Dixie Vodka 400, Contender Boats 250, and Baptist Health 200, respectively.

Championship battle

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This was the first year the NASCAR Xfinity Series had the playoff format where only four drivers can win the Championship in the end. The four drivers that would contend for the Xfinity Series championship would be Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier, Daniel Suárez, and Erik Jones. Jones would be the only rookie to compete for the Championship. Allgaier was the only winless driver to compete for the Championship. All four drivers would get in by points.

Entry List

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver
  • (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points
  • (CC) denotes championship contender
# Driver Team Make
0 Garrett Smithley (R) JD Motorsports Chevrolet
01 Ryan Preece (R) JD Motorsports Chevrolet
1 Elliott Sadler (CC) JR Motorsports Chevrolet
2 Austin Dillon (i) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
3 Ty Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Ross Chastain JD Motorsports Chevrolet
5 Cole Custer (i) JR Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Bubba Wallace Roush Fenway Racing Ford
07 Ray Black Jr. (R) SS-Green Light Racing Chevrolet
7 Justin Allgaier (CC) JR Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Matt DiBenedetto (i) TriStar Motorsports Toyota
11 Blake Koch Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
13 Brandon Hightower MBM Motorsports Dodge
14 Cole Whitt (i) TriStar Motorsports Toyota
15 Travis Kvapil (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford
16 Ryan Reed Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 Matt Tifft (i) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 Daniel Suárez (CC) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Erik Jones (R) (CC) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
22 Ryan Blaney (i) Team Penske Ford
24 Corey LaJoie JGL Racing Toyota
25 Josh Reaume Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
28 Dakoda Armstrong JGL Racing Toyota
33 Brandon Jones (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
39 Ryan Sieg RSS Racing Chevrolet
40 Timmy Hill MBM Motorsports Toyota
42 Kyle Larson (i) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
44 J. J. Yeley TriStar Motorsports Toyota
46 Jordan Anderson Precision Performance Motorsports Chevrolet
48 Brennan Poole (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
51 Jeremy Clements Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet
52 Joey Gase Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet
62 Brendan Gaughan Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
70 Dexter Stacey Derrike Cope Racing with JP Motorsports Chevrolet
74 Mike Harmon Mike Harmon Racing Dodge
77 Ryan Ellis Obaika Racing Chevrolet
78 B. J. McLeod (R) B. J. McLeod Motorsports Ford
86 Brandon Brown (i) Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet
88 Alex Bowman JR Motorsports Chevrolet
89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Chevrolet
90 Mario Gosselin King Autosport Chevrolet
93 David Starr RSS Racing Chevrolet
97 Josh Bilicki Obaika Racing Chevrolet
98 Aric Almirola (i) Biagi-DenBeste Racing Ford
99 Jeff Green B. J. McLeod Motorsports Ford
Official Entry List

Qualifying

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Daniel Suárez won the pole with a time of 31.779 and a speed of 169.924 mph.[3]

Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 19 Daniel Suárez (CC) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31.779 169.924
2 1 Elliott Sadler (CC) JR Motorsports Chevrolet 31.812 169.747
3 20 Erik Jones (R) (CC) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31.850 169.545
4 22 Ryan Blaney (i) Team Penske Ford 32.031 168.587
5 2 Austin Dillon (i) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 32.039 168.545
6 7 Justin Allgaier (CC) JR Motorsports Chevrolet 32.120 168.120
7 42 Kyle Larson (i) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 32.127 168.083
8 88 Alex Bowman JR Motorsports Chevrolet 32.270 167.338
9 6 Bubba Wallace Roush Fenway Racing Ford 32.284 167.266
10 33 Brandon Jones (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 32.330 167.028
11 3 Ty Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 32.337 166.991
12 11 Blake Koch Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 32.514 166.082
13 16 Ryan Reed Roush Fenway Racing Ford 32.311 167.126
14 62 Brendan Gaughan Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 32.324 167.059
15 98 Aric Almirola (i) Biagi-DenBeste Racing Ford 32.386 166.739
16 14 Cole Whitt (i) TriStar Motorsports Toyota 32.465 166.333
17 48 Brennan Poole (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 32.472 166.297
18 5 Cole Custer JR Motorsports Chevrolet 32.528 166.011
19 44 J. J. Yeley TriStar Motorsports Toyota 32.537 165.965
20 4 Ross Chastain JD Motorsports Chevrolet 32.635 165.467
21 24 Corey LaJoie JGL Racing Toyota 32.752 164.875
22 46 Jordan Anderson (i) Precision Performance Motorsports Chevrolet 32.761 164.830
23 39 Ryan Sieg RSS Racing Chevrolet 32.763 164.820
24 10 Matt DiBenedetto (i) TriStar Motorsports Toyota 32.948 163.895
25 28 Dakoda Armstrong JGL Racing Toyota 32.952 163.875
26 01 Ryan Preece (R) JD Motorsports Chevrolet 32.960 163.835
27 51 Jeremy Clements Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet 33.186 162.719
28 0 Garrett Smithley (R) JD Motorsports Chevrolet 33.267 162.323
29 78 B. J. McLeod (R) B. J. McLeod Motorsports Ford 33.334 161.997
30 07 Ray Black Jr. (R) SS-Green Light Racing Chevrolet 33.392 161.715
31 86 Brandon Brown (i) Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet 33.433 161.517
32 40 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 33.471 161.334
33 52 Joey Gase Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 33.547 160.968
34 13 Brandon Hightower* MBM Motorsports Dodge 33.694 160.266
35 15 Travis Kvapil (i)* Rick Ware Racing Ford 33.707 160.204
36 90 Mario Gosselin* King Autosport Chevrolet 33.726 160.114
37 97 Josh Bilicki* Obaika Racing Chevrolet 33.951 159.053
38 25 Josh Reaume* Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 34.026 158.702
39 18 Matt Tifft (i)* Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
40 99 Jeff Green** B. J. McLeod Motorsports Ford 33.743 160.033
Failed to Qualify, Withdrew, or Driver Changes
41 93 David Starr RSS Racing Chevrolet 33.716 160.161
42 89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Chevrolet 33.861 159.476
43 74 Mike Harmon Mike Harmon Racing Dodge 34.099 158.362
44 70 Dexter Stacey Derrike Cope Racing Chevrolet 34.191 157.936
45 77 Ryan Ellis Obaika Racing Chevrolet 34.276 157.545
Official Starting Grid

* – Qualified via owners points.

** – Qualified via past champions.

Race

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Pole sitter Daniel Suárez led the first lap of the race. The first caution did not take long as it came out on lap 4 when Brandon Hightower spun in turn 1. The race restarted on lap 8 of the race. On lap 23, Kyle Larson took the lead from Suárez. On lap 24, the second caution flew when Ryan Reed spun in turn 2. Kyle Larson won the race off of pit road and he led the field back to the restart on lap 33. Justin Allgaier was the new leader for the Championship. But Suárez passed Allgaier and eventually on lap 36, Suárez took the lead. Soon green flag pitstops began on lap 78. On lap 80, Daniel Suárez went on pit road handing the lead to Justin Allgaier. Allgaier pitted on lap 81 giving the lead to Ryan Sieg. Sieg eventually pitted and Kyle Larson was the new leader after everything cycled through. On lap 89, the third caution flew for oil on the track. The race restarted on lap 96. On the restart, Ty Dillon took the lead from Kyle Larson. On lap 100, Daniel Suárez took the lead. On lap 114, Ty Dillon took the lead back. On lap 125, the 4th caution flew when Brennan Poole spun off of turn 2. During the green flag run, Erik Jones brushed the wall with the front of his car having a hole in it and he got his car taped up for the restart. Suárez won the race off of pit road and he led the field to the restart on lap 132. On lap 137, the 5th caution flew for a 3 car crash on the backstretch. It started when Ryan Reed had a flat right rear tire after he brushed the wall in turns 3 and 4 and he ended up spinning down the backstretch. Behind Reed, Jeremy Clements attempted to get slowed down but was run into from behind by Jordan Anderson giving both cars heavy damage and catching Anderson's car on fire. The red flag was displayed for a short bit to clean up the mess. Aric Almirola did not pit and he led the field to the restart on lap 144. On the restart, Suárez immeadietly passed him for the lead. Eventually, the top 4 had all four Championship contenders in it and all four broke away from the pack.

Final laps

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With 49 laps to go, Justin Allgaier took the lead from Suárez. While he took the lead, Elliott Sadler hit the turn 2 wall which dropped him back one spot. With 44 to go, Erik Jones took the lead. With 42 to go, the 6th caution flew for debris. Daniel Suárez won the race off of pit road but Aric Almirola and Ryan Blaney did not pit and Almirola led the field to the restart with 37 to go. Suárez immeadietly passed Almirola for the lead. Soon Suárez had built a sizeable lead over Erik Jones and Justin Allgaier but Jones reeled in Suárez with around 16 to go and was all over his rear bumper. But Jones hit the wall with 15 to go causing him to lose momentum. He closed in on Suárez again but hit the wall again two laps later. Jones was closing in on Suárez again when the 7th and final caution flew with 10 laps to go when Ray Black Jr. spun off of turn 4. This put pressure on crews to make the perfect stop for their driver. Everyone took four tires but Sadler's team took two tires and they won the race off of pit road putting them in front of the Championship 4. Allgaier's crew had a mess up as the jackman slipped going to the left side of the car which lost Allgaier two spots in the process. Cole Whitt stayed out and he led to the field to the restart with 3 laps to go. He quickly stacked up the field including Allgaier and Jones who were behind Whitt and Sadler took the lead. Suárez immeadietly went to Sadler's outside and Suárez was the new leader with 3 laps to go. Sadler tried to catch Suárez but couldn't and Daniel Suárez won the race and the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. Behind them, Alex Bowman crashed on the front stretch after contact with Bubba Wallace. Suárez became the first Mexican born driver to win a NASCAR Championship in the top 3 Series of Trucks, Xfinity, and Cup. This would be his first and only Championship. Ty Dillon, Elliott Sadler, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Dillon rounded out the top 5 while Justin Allgaier, Kyle Larson, Brendan Gaughan, Erik Jones, and Aric Almirola rounded out the top 10.[4]

Race results

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Pos Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Run Laps Led Status Points
1 19 Daniel Suárez (CC) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 133 running 40
2 3 Ty Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 17 running 40
3 1 Elliott Sadler (CC) JR Motorsports Chevrolet 200 1 running 38
4 22 Ryan Blaney (i) Team Penske Ford 200 0 running 0
5 2 Austin Dillon (i) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 0
6 7 Justin Allgaier (CC) JR Motorsports Chevrolet 200 6 running 35
7 42 Kyle Larson (i) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 200 23 running 0
8 62 Brendan Gaughan Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 33
9 20 Erik Jones (R) (CC) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 3 running 32
10 98 Aric Almirola (i) Biagi-DenBeste Racing Ford 200 9 running 0
11 6 Bubba Wallace Roush Fenway Racing Ford 200 0 running 30
12 39 Ryan Sieg RSS Racing Chevrolet 200 1 running 30
13 44 J. J. Yeley TriStar Motorsports Toyota 200 0 running 28
14 88 Alex Bowman JR Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 27
15 33 Brandon Jones (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 26
16 16 Ryan Reed Roush Fenway Racing Ford 200 0 running 25
17 5 Cole Custer (i) JR Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 0
18 14 Cole Whitt (i) TriStar Motorsports Toyota 200 3 running 0
19 28 Dakoda Armstrong JGL Racing Toyota 199 0 running 22
20 11 Blake Koch Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 199 0 running 21
21 01 Ryan Preece (R) JD Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 running 20
22 4 Ross Chastain JD Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 running 19
23 86 Brandon Brown (i) Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet 198 0 running 0
24 51 Jeremy Clements Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet 198 0 running 17
25 18 Matt Tifft (i) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 197 0 running 0
26 15 Travis Kvapil (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 196 1 running 0
27 48 Brennan Poole (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 196 0 running 14
28 07 Ray Black Jr. (R) SS-Green Light Racing Chevrolet 195 0 running 13
29 0 Garrett Smithley (R) JD Motorsports Chevrolet 195 0 running 12
30 13 Brandon Hightower MBM Motorsports Dodge 195 0 running 11
31 78 B. J. McLeod (R) B. J. McLeod Motorsports Ford 195 0 running 10
32 99 Jeff Green B. J. McLeod Motorsports Ford 194 0 running 9
33 25 Josh Reaume Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 193 0 running 8
34 97 Josh Bilicki Obaika Racing Chevrolet 189 0 running 7
35 24 Corey LaJoie JGL Racing Toyota 167 0 oil leak 6
36 46 Jordan Anderson (i) Precision Performance Motorsports Chevrolet 134 0 crash 0
37 52 Joey Gase Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 87 0 ignition 4
38 90 Mario Gosselin King Autosport Chevrolet 49 0 overheating 3
39 40 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 43 3 brakes 0
40 10 Matt DiBenedetto (i) TriStar Motorsports Toyota 2 0 vibration 0
Official Race results

References

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  1. ^ "2016 Ford EcoBoost 300". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  2. ^ "Daniel Suarez wins 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  3. ^ "Suarez Claims Homestead Pole". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  4. ^ "Daniel Suarez is the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion". Retrieved November 20, 2016.


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