NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Report
November 23, 2015
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race: Ford EcoBoost 400
Date: November 15, 2015
No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start: 18th
Finish: 3rd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 267/267
Laps Led: 86
Final Points Position: 7th
Recap: Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford team started 18th, received a penalty that dropped them to the tail of the field, then drove to the front to lead the most laps yet came up just short to finish third in the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. The Miller Lite Ford was strong early in the race, as Keselowski advanced to seventh-place by lap 10. At lap 11, Keselowski and several other competitors drove through oil put down by the No. 11 machine, causing them to make contact with the outside wall. The Ford Fusion sustained moderate right side damage, but the pit crew was able to make repairs during the ensuing pit stop. During the stop, NASCAR cited the No. 2 team for too many men were over the wall, which resulted in Keselowski having to drop to the rear field on the restart. The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion made a spirited charge to go from 40th to 10th in just 20 laps, showing the speed of his Ford Fusion. By the halfway mark of the race, Keselowski broke into the top-five and, at lap 173, he assumed the lead for the first of three times on the evening. His 86 laps led were the most in the event. Keselowski looked poised to capture the checkered flag until lap 256 when NASCAR called a debris caution. On the final restart, Keselowski was not able to hold off a charge from eventual race winner and 2015 champion Kyle Busch. The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford came home a respectable third place to finish off the season. The result sees Keselowski lock up seventh in the final season standings.
Quote: "Yeah, we led a lot of laps. The last four races we have run pretty strong, maybe not quite as strong as Phoenix as we wanted but three of the four races we were really strong and we just didn't have enough to close it at the end. I was really proud of my team tonight, really happy with what they were able to give me and we were able to take a run at it, we just didn't quite have enough at the end on that final restart to hold those guys off."
No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion – Joey Logano
Start: 2nd
Finish: 4th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 267/267
Laps Led: 72
Final Points Position: 6th
Recap: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion team wrapped up the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season by finishing fourth in Sunday night's Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In a race that was delayed due to rain, Logano started the race in the second position and took the lead on lap one, pacing the field for the first 19 circuits. Logano dropped back when he stayed out on the track while others pitted just 10 laps before the competition caution. Despite falling all the way to 12th, Logano was able to race his way back into the top-three. During a round of green-flag pit stops, Logano grabbed the lead again on lap 93 and held court at the front of the field through a second round of green-flag stops. In all, Logano would lead 72 laps on the night. Late in the race, while running fifth, Logano attempted to short pit and make up some time on the field on newer tires, but a slow stop relegated him to the ninth position. A late-race caution allowed Logano to race his way up to fourth, where he would finish at the end of the 267-lap event. Logano wrapped up the 2015 season with six wins (a series best), six poles (series best), 22 top-five finishes (second best in the series) and 28 top-10 finishes (series best). Logano finished sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, the third-straight year the 25-year old has finished in the top-10 in points.
Quote: "Unfortunately, we didn't win and that's what we wanted to do. We had a fast Shell-Pennzoil Ford that led a lot of laps, so I'm proud of the laps we led. We had a few good runs and made an adjustment that just took it out of the track and by the time we got it back we lost too much track position. We had a bad pit stop under green and lost more there, so it was too little, too late. We couldn't redeem ourselves after a couple mistakes tonight."