2017 Ford EcoBoost 300
# 2017 Ford EcoBoost 300

The 2017 Ford EcoBoost 300 was the 33rd and final stock car race of the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the Championship 4 race, and the 23rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, November 18, 2017, in Homestead, Florida at Homestead–Miami Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 134 laps to complete. At race's end, Cole Custer, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, would dominate the race to take his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory and his only victory of the season.

Meanwhile, third-place finisher, JR Motorsports driver William Byron would win his only NASCAR Xfinity Series championship after battling with teammate Elliott Sadler, passing Sadler with nine to go using the car of Ryan Preece to pass Sadler for the championship.

## Background

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 Verizon IndyCar Series, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and the Championship Cup Series.

Since 2002, Homestead-Miami Speedway has hosted the final race of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series. Ford Motor Company sponsors all three of the season-ending races; the races have the names Ford EcoBoost 400, Ford EcoBoost 300 and Ford EcoBoost 200, respectively, and the weekend is marketed as Ford Championship Weekend. The Xfinity Series (then known as the Busch Series) has held its season-ending races at Homestead since 1995 and held it until 2020, when it was moved to Phoenix Raceway, along with NASCAR's other two series.

### Championship drivers

* Justin Allgaier advanced by virtue of points.
* William Byron advanced by winning the 2017 Ticket Galaxy 200.
* Daniel Hemric advanced by virtue of points.
* Elliott Sadler advanced by virtue of points.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | KDST and Company |
| 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | OneMain Financial |
| 01 | Joe Nemechek (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Fleetwing |
| 2 | Ben Kennedy (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Rheem, Emerson Electric |
| 3 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Fight Colorectal Cancer |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Florida Watermelon Association |
| 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pilot Flying J |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Brandt Professional Agriculture, TradeMark Nitrogen |
| 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | ScubaLife |
| 8 | Caesar Bacarella | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Alpha Prime Regimen |
| 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Liberty University |
| 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection |
| 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | CrashClaimsR.Us, Chris Kyle Memorial Benefit |
| 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | TriStar Motorsports |
| 15 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Industrial Piping |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Lilly Diabetes |
| 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Safelite AutoGlass |
| 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Dollar Shave Club 500 |
| 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | GameStop, PowerA |
| 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Poppy Bank |
| 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | Ford | REV Group, Fleetwood RV |
| 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Allegiant Air |
| 24 | Corey LaJoie (i) | JGL Racing | Toyota | Youtheory |
| 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Menards, Jeld-Wen |
| 38 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 39 | Stephen Leicht | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | Buddy Gregg RVs & Motorhomes |
| 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Broken Bow Records, Granger Smith |
| 46 | Quin Houff | Precision Performance Motorsports | Chevrolet | Duke Cancer Institute |
| 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | DC Solar |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | RepairableVehicles.com |
| 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Premier Millwright, Donate Life Florida |
| 55 | Matt Mills | NextGen Motorsports | Toyota | K-Play, J. F. Electric |
| 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Ford EcoBoost |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 74 | John Graham | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | Magellan Aviation Group, Dog Shelter Happy House |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Main Gate Enterprises |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Racing with Jesus, Visone RV |
| 90 | Josh Williams | King Autosport | Chevrolet | StarTron |
| 93 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Code Rum |
| 98 | Casey Mears | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | GEICO Military |
| 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Mahindra |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, November 17, at 2:30 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes. Tyler Reddick, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.609 and an average speed of 165.598 mph (266.504 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 32.609 | 165.598 |
| 2 | 2 | Ben Kennedy (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 32.669 | 165.294 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 32.773 | 164.770 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The final practice session, sometimes known as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, November 17, at 5:00 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes. William Byron, driving for JR Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.513 and an average speed of 166.087 mph (267.291 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 9 | William Byron (R) (CC) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.513 | 166.087 |
| 2 | 2 | Ben Kennedy (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 32.592 | 165.685 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 32.631 | 165.487 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, November 11, at 11:15 AM EST. Since Homestead–Miami Speedway is under 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 15 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 15 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.

Tyler Reddick, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, would win the pole after setting a time of 32.604 and an average speed of 165.624 mph (266.546 km/h) in the third round.

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Quin Houff, Matt Mills, and Morgan Shepherd.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 32.864 | 164.314 | 32.486 | 166.225 | 32.604 | 165.624 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 32.885 | 164.209 | 32.707 | 165.102 | 32.745 | 164.911 |
| 3 | 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 32.798 | 164.644 | 32.824 | 164.514 | 32.810 | 164.584 |
| 4 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) (CC) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 33.020 | 163.537 | 32.838 | 164.444 | 32.820 | 164.534 |
| 5 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 33.184 | 162.729 | 32.908 | 164.094 | 32.839 | 164.439 |
| 6 | 9 | William Byron (R) (CC) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.289 | 162.216 | 32.967 | 163.800 | 32.986 | 163.706 |
| 7 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 33.197 | 162.665 | 32.751 | 164.880 | 32.996 | 163.656 |
| 8 | 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | Ford | 32.989 | 163.691 | 33.070 | 163.290 | 32.998 | 163.646 |
| 9 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 32.855 | 164.359 | 32.876 | 164.254 | 33.096 | 163.162 |
| 10 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 33.261 | 162.352 | 32.933 | 163.969 | 33.143 | 162.930 |
| 11 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 33.353 | 161.904 | 33.027 | 163.503 | 33.188 | 162.709 |
| 12 | 98 | Casey Mears | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 33.495 | 161.218 | 33.048 | 163.399 | 33.263 | 162.343 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 |||||||||||
| 13 | 3 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 33.198 | 162.660 | 33.071 | 163.285 | - | - |
| 14 | 1 | Elliott Sadler (CC) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.234 | 162.484 | 33.122 | 163.034 | - | - |
| 15 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 33.479 | 161.295 | 33.242 | 162.445 | - | - |
| 16 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (CC) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.350 | 161.919 | 33.272 | 162.299 | - | - |
| 17 | 24 | Corey LaJoie | JGL Racing | Toyota | 33.273 | 162.294 | 33.319 | 162.070 | - | - |
| 18 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.217 | 162.567 | 33.332 | 162.006 | - | - |
| 19 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.101 | 163.137 | 33.382 | 161.764 | - | - |
| 20 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 33.423 | 161.565 | 33.531 | 161.045 | - | - |
| 21 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 33.457 | 161.401 | 33.629 | 160.576 | - | - |
| 22 | 01 | Joe Nemechek (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.425 | 161.556 | 33.714 | 160.171 | - | - |
| 23 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 33.449 | 161.440 | 33.723 | 160.128 | - | - |
| 24 | 93 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 33.456 | 161.406 | - | - | - | - |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||||
| 25 | 2 | Ben Kennedy (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 33.509 | 161.151 | - | - | - | - |
| 26 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.540 | 161.002 | - | - | - | - |
| 27 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 33.572 | 160.848 | - | - | - | - |
| 28 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 33.582 | 160.800 | - | - | - | - |
| 29 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 33.650 | 160.475 | - | - | - | - |
| 30 | 8 | Caesar Bacarella | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.841 | 159.570 | - | - | - | - |
| 31 | 15 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.885 | 159.363 | - | - | - | - |
| 32 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 34.017 | 158.744 | - | - | - | - |
| 33 | 90 | Josh Williams | King Autosport | Chevrolet | 34.023 | 158.716 | - | - | - | - |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||||
| 34 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 34.049 | 158.595 | - | - | - | - |
| 35 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34.067 | 158.511 | - | - | - | - |
| 36 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 34.298 | 157.444 | - | - | - | - |
| 37 | 39 | Stephen Leicht | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 34.402 | 156.968 | - | - | - | - |
| 38 | 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 34.622 | 155.970 | - | - | - | - |
| 39 | 74 | John Graham | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 36.100 | 149.584 | - | - | - | - |
| 40 | 38 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 36.229 | 149.052 | - | - | - | - |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | 46 | Quin Houff | Precision Performance Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34.170 | 158.033 | - | - | - | - |
| 42 | 55 | Matt Mills | NextGen Motorsports | Toyota | 34.184 | 157.969 | - | - | - | - |
| 43 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 34.504 | 156.504 | - | - | - | - |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||||

## Race results

* Note: Justin Allgaier, William Byron, Daniel Hemric, and Elliott Sadler are not eligible for stage points because of their participation in the Championship 4.

Stage 1 Laps: 45

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 3 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) (CC) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 8 | 1 | Elliott Sadler (CC) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 01 | Joe Nemechek (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |

Stage 2 Laps: 45

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 9 | William Byron (R) (CC) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 1 | Elliott Sadler (CC) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 7 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (CC) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 10 | 24 | Corey LaJoie | JGL Racing | Toyota | 1 |

Stage 3 Laps: 110

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 182 | running | 60 |
| 2 | 8 | 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 44 |
| 3 | 6 | 9 | William Byron (R) (CC) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 34 |
| 4 | 1 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 18 | running | 50 |
| 5 | 5 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | running | 45 |
| 6 | 7 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 35 |
| 7 | 10 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | running | 30 |
| 8 | 14 | 1 | Elliott Sadler (CC) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 29 |
| 9 | 18 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 28 |
| 10 | 9 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 35 |
| 11 | 12 | 98 | Casey Mears | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 26 |
| 12 | 16 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (CC) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 25 |
| 13 | 23 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 14 | 20 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 23 |
| 15 | 17 | 24 | Corey LaJoie | JGL Racing | Toyota | 199 | 0 | running | 23 |
| 16 | 11 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 21 |
| 17 | 19 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 20 |
| 18 | 25 | 2 | Ben Kennedy (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 28 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 26 |
| 20 | 15 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 17 |
| 21 | 13 | 3 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 23 |
| 22 | 21 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 198 | 0 | running | 17 |
| 23 | 29 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 14 |
| 24 | 26 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 13 |
| 25 | 27 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 12 |
| 26 | 24 | 93 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 11 |
| 27 | 22 | 01 | Joe Nemechek (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 28 | 33 | 90 | Josh Williams | King Autosport | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 9 |
| 29 | 32 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 195 | 0 | running | 8 |
| 30 | 36 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 194 | 0 | running | 7 |
| 31 | 30 | 8 | Caesar Bacarella | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 0 | running | 6 |
| 32 | 38 | 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | running | 5 |
| 33 | 35 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 191 | 0 | running | 4 |
| 34 | 4 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) (CC) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 3 |
| 35 | 37 | 39 | Stephen Leicht | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 102 | 0 | brakes | 2 |
| 36 | 3 | 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 78 | 0 | engine | 0 |
| 37 | 34 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 54 | 0 | vibration | 1 |
| 38 | 39 | 74 | John Graham | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 31 | 0 | parked | 1 |
| 39 | 31 | 15 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19 | 0 | electrical | 1 |
| 40 | 40 | 38 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 10 | 0 | clutch | 1 |
| 41 | | 46 | Quin Houff | Precision Performance Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | |
| 42 | | 55 | Matt Mills | NextGen Motorsports | Toyota | | | | |
| 43 | | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | | | | |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | William Byron | 4,034 |
| 1 | 2 | Elliott Sadler | 4,029 (-5) |
| 1 | 3 | Justin Allgaier | 4,025 (-9) |
| | 4 | Daniel Hemric | 4,003 (–31) |
| | 5 | Cole Custer | 2,288 (–1,746) |
| 1 | 6 | Brennan Poole | 2,223 (-1,811) |
| 1 | 7 | Matt Tifft | 2,211 (-1,823) |
| | 8 | Ryan Reed | 2,161 (-1,873) |
| 1 | 9 | Michael Annett | 2,155 (-1,879) |
| 1 | 10 | Brendan Gaughan | 2,153 (-1,881) |
| | 11 | Blake Koch | 2,138 (-1,896) |
| | 12 | Jeremy Clements | 2,107 (-1,927) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
