Practice #1 : Homestead Miami Speedway

4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1

Sunday, October 22nd, 2023

Homestead Miami Speedway , Homestead, FL

Homestead Miami Speedway logo
  • 16
  • 14
  • 6

  • Homestead-Miami Speedway
  • 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1
  • Busch Pole Award Pole Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
  • Age: 43
  • Team : No. 19 - Bass Pro Shops Toyota
  • Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
  • Crew Chief: James Small
  • Martin Truex Jr. won the Pole Award for the 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 with a lap of 32.256 seconds, 167.411 mph.
  • This is his 22nd pole in 655 NASCAR Cup Series races.
  • This is his second pole and 15th top-10 start in 2023.
  • This is his first pole in 19 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  • Bubba Wallace (second) posted his 15th top-10 start of 2023 and his first in five races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  • Tyler Reddick (third) posted his second top-10 start at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It is his 21st in 34 races this season.
  • Ty Gibbs (ninth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
  • This is Toyota's 500th pole across NASCAR's three national series. Toyota has earned 148 in the NASCAR Cup Series, 179 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 173 in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

  • Sunday, October 22nd, 2023
  • NASCAR Wire Service - Holly Cain
Christopher Bell Wins in Miami: Back to Championship 4

In one of the most thrilling NASCAR Cup Series Playoff races of the season, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell rallied from a frustrating race start to lead the final 16 laps of Sunday’s 4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to earn a second straight appearance into the Championship 4.

Bell, who only made his first appearance inside the top five on track with less than 50 laps remaining, got around a pair of the day’s front runners in the final laps to blaze to the lead in the No. 20 JGR Toyota and claim that automatic championship admission ticket. It’s the 28-year-old Oklahoma native’s second win of the season – sixth of his career – and the first of the season’s eight Playoff races to date.

Last year Bell famously pulled off a “walk off” victory in the regular season finale at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway to claim his first NASCAR Cup Series championship bid, ultimately finishing third in the title run. His win Sunday had that same “rally” feel and he now joins last week’s winner, Kyle Larson as the only two Playoff drivers set for the title run with one race remaining to decide the other two.

Bell led fellow Playoff driver, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney to the Homestead checkered flag by a 1.651-seconds – just ahead of Playoff drivers, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron. Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger rounded out the top five.

“I’ve got the best team behind me, honestly I don’t know [how we did it], that race was a whirlwind,’’ Bell said. “I was about ready to throw the towel in during that second stage, I got really frustrated. But [crew chief] Adam Stevens kept after it and gave me what I needed. Whenever we got some clean air this thing was really good.

“I cannot say how proud I am to be here with our partners, driving these Toyota Camrys. Thank you to everyone who supported me. This is better than a dream come true.’’

Although disappointed to not secure the win after leading 53 laps, Blaney said, “We were trying, we just needed laps.

“The long run car was really good. I just couldn’t fire off for 10 laps or so. I think the track cooling off [during the red flag] helped those guys. I think we were better in the hotter, sliker conditions when “fire off” speed didn’t matter as much and it fell off quicker. That played into our benefit.

“We ran out of laps a little bit,’’ he added. “I am proud of the effort. It was a really good day, we just got beat a little bit there at the end.’’

It was certainly the cap to a thrilling final 40 laps of competition to cap off the sunny South Florida afternoon.

In a matter of five minutes during those closing laps, Bell took the race lead and two of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates also in the Playoffs – Denny Hamlin and regular season champion Martin Truex Jr. – fell out the race with major problems. Hamlin’s No. 11 JGR Toyota slammed into the Turn 1 wall. And as the field slowed for that caution period, Truex turned down pit road and told the team his car “might be blowing up.’’

As Hamlin sat on pit wall, disappointed and speaking with his crew, Truex turned the engine off and the crew pushed his No. 19 JGR Toyota it into the garage. Both Playoff drivers were done for the day and dropping below the crucial top-four threshold that will advance to the Nov. 5 Championship 4 race in Phoenix. Truex was scored 29th and Hamlin, 30th.

All of it making for an even more intense race at the half-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway next week that will formally set the four-driver NASCAR Cup Series championship field.

“We tried and it just didn’t work out,’’ an obviously disappointed Hamlin said.

“It shows you how hard our sport is, that’s two cars and we had been up front,’’ JGR team owner Joe Gibbs said. “It also shows you in sports – particularly in ours with that 20-car (Bell) – it shows never to stop fighting.’’

With only that Martinsville race remaining, Byron now sits 30 points ahead of the championship cut-off line with Blaney in fourth place – 10 points up on Reddick. Bell’s JGR teammates Truex and Hamlin are now both 17 points below the Cut-off line.

Among the eight Playoff drivers, Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Chris Buescher – a three-race winner this season – struggled the most, going two laps down midway through the second stage and never cracking the top 20. He’s now in eighth place, 43 points back with a 21st place finish Sunday and will need to win the Martinsville race to advance to his first Championship 4.

One of the more unusual incidents of the entire season – let alone the Playoffs – happened during a green flag pit stop and involved Blaney and Larson – who were running first and second at the time with 53 laps remaining.

As their two cars approached pit road, Blaney slowed significantly, and Larson was still going faster directly behind him. While trying to avoid ramming into the back of Blaney’s Ford, Larson turned his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy to the right and went full-on into the sand-filled protective barriers at pit entrance causing them to explode with sand.

It caused enough damage on Larson’s car that he had to take it into the garage and the team retired it. Blaney was able to finish his pit stop and make his way back on track. He reassumed the lead when the rest of the cars pit following a nearly 13-minute red flag period.

“I need to look at data,’’ said an apologetic Larson, who finished 34th despite leading a race best 96 of the 267 laps. “I knew where the yellow line was but on the replay it looked like I missed it by a lot. So I need to look at data. I knew where the yellow line was and I was under control getting there and then he just slowed down, I locked the brakes, clipped him and hit the barrels.

“I’m upset with myself more than anything. Whether he got to pit road speed sooner than the yellow line or not, I could have just done a little better job.

“I hope they’re able to recover and he can get a good finish or the win and get the finish he (Blaney) deserves. Just a bummer. I thought we had a great car today and just made a mistake.’’

23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, Joe Gibbs Racing’s rookie Ty Gibbs, Team Penske’s Joey Logano, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon rounded out the top 10.

The NASCAR Cup Series moves to the famed Martinsville (Va.) Speedway half-miler for next Sunday’s Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to close out this round of competition and formalize the Championship 4 competitors for the Nov. 5 Phoenix season finale. Bell won last year’s Martinsville Playoff race. Larson won the Spring race this year.

  • Drivers Entered: 36
  • Laps Scheduled: 267
  • Margin of Victory: 01.651 Seconds
  • Time of Race: 3 Hours 11 Minutes 54 Seconds
  • Average Speed: 125.221
  • Cautions: 5 for 35 laps
  • Lead Changes: 25
  • Green Flag Passes: 3,377 (14.6 passes per green flag lap)
Kevin Harvick waits on the grid
Homestead, Florida - October 22, 2023 : Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Budweiser Ford, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
James GilbertGetty Images
DRIVER
DRIVER
#
MAKE
SINGLE BEST LAP
RANK
SPEED
TIME
BHND
LAP
LAPS
TOTAL
MULTI-LAP AVERAGES
5-LAP
10-LAP
15-LAP
20-LAP
25-LAP
30-LAP
10-LAP AVG
SPEED
FROM
TO

Bubba Wallace
23
Toyota
1
169.088
31.936
0.000
1
25
32.610
33.130
33.422
33.619
33.791
163.049
1
10
Austin Cindric
2
Ford
2
167.999
32.143
0.207
1
26
33.398
33.613
33.723
33.815
160.665
5
14
Ryan Blaney
12
Ford
3
167.764
32.188
0.252
2
32
33.046
33.206
33.329
33.412
33.506
33.631
162.666
1
10
Christopher Bell
20
Toyota
4
167.650
32.210
0.274
1
33
32.783
33.296
33.539
33.711
33.872
33.985
162.233
1
10
Michael McDowell
34
Ford
5
167.468
32.245
0.309
1
19
34.021
34.236
157.746
8
17
Martin Truex Jr
19
Toyota
6
167.364
32.265
0.329
1
30
32.844
33.249
33.536
33.715
33.829
33.968
162.453
1
10
Denny Hamlin
11
Toyota
7
167.152
32.306
0.370
1
29
32.770
33.250
33.534
162.455
1
10
Tyler Reddick
45
Toyota
8
166.935
32.348
0.412
1
28
32.817
33.279
33.568
33.724
33.846
162.305
1
10
Brad Keselowski
6
Ford
9
166.770
32.380
0.444
1
32
32.777
33.190
33.393
33.532
33.666
33.798
162.734
1
10
Chase Briscoe
14
Ford
10
166.744
32.385
0.449
1
33
32.782
33.259
33.532
33.723
33.937
34.071
162.406
1
10
Joey Logano
22
Ford
11
166.708
32.392
0.456
2
27
32.765
33.233
33.454
33.619
33.766
162.531
1
10
Daniel Suarez
99
Chevrolet
12
166.646
32.404
0.468
1
29
32.945
33.506
33.797
33.913
34.025
161.230
1
10
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
47
Chevrolet
13
166.631
32.407
0.471
1
27
32.859
33.209
33.384
33.525
33.674
162.635
1
10
Alex Bowman
48
Chevrolet
14
166.615
32.410
0.474
1
27
32.694
33.148
33.468
33.659
162.948
1
10
Kyle Busch
8
Chevrolet
15
166.615
32.410
0.474
2
21
32.777
33.247
33.520
33.702
162.466
1
10
Ross Chastain
1
Chevrolet
16
166.538
32.425
0.489
1
25
32.950
33.318
33.516
33.598
33.716
162.102
1
10
Kyle Larson
5
Chevrolet
17
166.477
32.437
0.501
1
26
32.821
33.170
33.303
33.416
33.593
162.827
1
10
Austin Dillon
3
Chevrolet
18
165.710
32.587
0.651
1
30
32.954
33.300
33.514
33.724
33.843
33.984
162.183
1
10
AJ Allmendinger
16
Chevrolet
19
165.680
32.593
0.657
1
20
32.962
33.313
33.570
33.772
162.123
1
10
Chase Elliott
9
Chevrolet
20
165.538
32.621
0.685
1
28
33.075
33.416
33.680
33.849
33.950
161.627
1
10
William Byron
24
Chevrolet
21
165.502
32.628
0.692
2
28
32.938
33.229
33.489
33.639
33.769
162.526
1
10
Justin Haley
31
Chevrolet
22
165.416
32.645
0.709
2
19
33.017
34.207
157.874
10
19
Harrison Burton
21
Ford
23
165.320
32.664
0.728
2
27
32.977
33.392
33.648
33.796
34.023
161.751
1
10
Kevin Harvick
4
Ford
24
165.274
32.673
0.737
1
26
33.089
33.351
33.616
33.799
33.903
161.934
1
10
Ryan Preece
41
Ford
25
164.835
32.760
0.824
2
32
33.036
33.401
33.627
33.798
33.970
34.084
161.697
1
10
Erik Jones
43
Chevrolet
26
164.544
32.818
0.882
2
14
33.188
33.519
161.123
1
10
Aric Almirola
10
Ford
27
164.499
32.827
0.891
2
27
33.101
33.461
33.677
33.779
33.921
161.404
1
10
Corey Lajoie
7
Chevrolet
28
164.444
32.838
0.902
2
27
33.078
33.413
33.587
33.756
33.894
161.638
1
10
Ty Gibbs
54
Toyota
29
164.299
32.867
0.931
2
27
33.142
33.604
33.862
33.971
34.051
160.735
1
10
John Hunter Nemechek
42
Chevrolet
30
164.134
32.900
0.964
2
27
33.230
33.438
33.640
33.804
33.910
161.503
1
10
Ty Dillon
77
Chevrolet
31
163.994
32.928
0.992
1
25
33.101
33.434
33.631
33.811
33.947
161.531
1
10
Chris Buescher
17
Ford
32
163.959
32.935
0.999
1
28
33.323
33.622
33.787
33.854
33.966
160.634
1
10
Todd Gilliland
38
Ford
33
163.815
32.964
1.028
1
22
33.313
33.869
34.099
34.222
159.491
1
10
Ryan Newman
51
Ford
34
163.631
33.001
1.065
2
23
33.371
34.206
34.336
157.872
9
18
JJ Yeley
15
Ford
35
162.607
33.209
1.273
2
18
33.537
33.884
34.045
159.395
2
11
Josh Bilicki
78
Chevrolet
36
159.165
33.927
1.991
3
22
34.208
34.236
157.734
1
10