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Latest news from the NASCAR Championship Cup Series (local time):
1:45 p.m.
Carlos Slim Domit, the son of a billionaire businessman who has long supported pilot Daniel Suarez, said he would continue to support NASCAR's first Mexican champion in 2019.
"The season has been very enjoyable and we hope to have good news for next year," Domit said Sunday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. "We are all very proud of what he has accomplished."
Suarez, who won the 2016 Xfinity Championship, will be at Joe Gibbs Racing after just two seasons in the Team Cup while the team makes room for Martin Truex Jr. Suarez has been associated with Stewart-Haas Racing as the venue for # 39; potential landing.
Suarez won pole at Pocono and has only finished three of the top five this season. He is 20th in the standings.
Suarez refused this weekend to discuss his plans for 2019.
Domit said that NASCAR "has been supporting diversity for a long time" and that the success of Suarez was an example of this commitment.
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1:20 p.m.
Actor Josh Dallas is introduced to the NASCAR Finals and has professed his love for IndyCar.
Dallas is the grand marshal of the Homestead-Miami Speedway circuit and will order pilots to start their engines.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Dallas grew up watching the races. But when asked for details, he laughed and acknowledged that he was a fan of IndyCar who participated in several events at Indianapolis 500.
"I'm an Andretti guy," he says.
He is also a guy from Martin Truex Jr. Dallas says he wants the reigning champion of the Cup series to repeat because he "loves the story of Truex".
Furniture Row Racing, a team composed of a Denver-based car, teamed up with Truex in 2014 and dominated the series in 2017. The team is also closing its doors after the final because sponsorship problems.
Dallas is best known for his roles as Prince Charming in the TV series ABC "Once Upon a Time" and Fandral in the adaptation of "Thor" by Marvel Comics. He currently plays in the drama series NBC "Manifest".
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12
Jimmie Johnson gets a makeover for his farewell race with team leader Chad Knaus.
Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR champion, surprised the sport when he showed up at Homestead-Miami Speedway shaved close for the first time in nearly twelve years. Johnson tweeted the picture of a razor with the caption: "I'm going for the weekend of regression!" Johnson, a fitness enthusiast, looked just as naive as his rookie status in 2002. This is part of a regression weekend that honors his story with Knaus and the sponsor, Lowe's. s. Johnson has been paired with both for 17 years, but will part with his team leader next season and Lowe will leave NASCAR.
Johnson, 43, will face his first winless season in 17 seasons.
NASCAR is laughing at Johnson's retro look with a tweet that said, "2002 called, she wants her back."
Johnson's pepper and salt beard however remains, at least on the official emoji on his Twitter feed.
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11:30 am
NASCAR believes it can overcome its current decline and that the best days for the sport are coming.
To get there, Steve Phelps, president of NASCAR, said that "everything is at stake" while the sanctioning body is trying to get the sport out of its recession.
Phelps held its first press conference as president of NASCAR Sunday, just hours before the championship season finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. He added that nothing was forbidden in the discussions on the 2020 schedule, which could include two-headed programs, mid-week races, a tight schedule, shorter races and even a potential schedule shared with IndyCar.
Mr. Phelps reaffirmed that the France family was optimistic about the future of NASCAR and that Jim France was heavily involved since the replacement of his nephew Brian as president and CEO in August.
Brian France has been charged with driving while intoxicated in August and is on leave from his family business. Phelps replaced Brian France at the annual meeting on the state of the sport with reporters and offered an optimistic view of NASCAR's future.
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10:50
The NASCAR champions will be determined on Sunday as title contenders Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. take the green flag in the season finale.
The top finalist of the four at the Homestead-Miami Speedway will win the trophy. The other 36 drivers in the group of 40 cars will probably stay away.
Busch is the 2015 champion and has gained momentum after his win in Phoenix last week. He also has the most coveted booth stand thanks to a controversial decision on Saturday.
Harvick is the 2014 champion and took off in the final after being stripped of a win and an automatic slot two weeks ago in Texas because of an illegal stake. Logano is looking for his first title after finishing runner-up in 2016. Truex is the reigning champion of the Coupe Series whose Furniture Row Racing team closes after the race.
Truex goes to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019, one of many series changes on the horizon.
The most notable: Jimmie Johnson, seven-time champion of the Cup, and Chad Knaus, the team leader, separate after 17 years together. Sponsor Lowe is also leaving NASCAR.
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More AP racing events: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
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