Final Homestead-Miami Driver Ratings Following All Practice Sessions

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
Ford 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Sunday, November 21, 2010 - 10:19 am (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds   Practice 1  Qualifying   Practice 2   Practice 3

 1. Carl Edwards 8/1           1st               2nd              7th                 6th  
2008 winner with track best 6.5 average finish. Fastest average speeds in practice 2.      
 2. Jeff Burton 30/1            33rd             14th             2nd                1st      
Runner-up in 2009 race; using same car that posted top five finishes at Atlanta and Dover.
 3. Kyle Busch 8/1              2nd              33rd             1st                17th      
Career best of eighth in 2009 race; using chassis that led final two practices at Texas.
 4. Jeff Gordon 20/1            6th              11th             3rd                 7th      
Only track on tour he hasn’t won at; 9.5 average finish in 11 starts with 5 top five finishes
 5. Denny Hamlin 5/1         30th             37th              6th                 4th      
Won this race in 2009, third two other times; using winning Texas chassis from two weeks ago.
 6. Jamie McMurray 25/1    5th               3rd              8th                5th 
Terrific practice sessions using winning chassis from Charlotte; career best of third in 2008.      
 7. Greg Biffle 8/1               23rd             27th              4th                9th      
Won this race from 2004-06; Great practices despite losing primary car in Friday’s practice.
 8. Jimmie Johnson 4/1      3rd                6th              11th              22nd      
First time since 2005 he’ll have to race to win at Homestead; using Fontana car that finished third.
 9. Kevin Harvick 7/1          31st              28th            19th               29th    
Finished a series best second and third last two years using the COT; new car this week.
10. Martin Truex Jr. 40/1    9th               25th            22nd               3rd 
11.8 average finish in five career starts; third best average speeds in practice 2.              


Note: Since 1975, the first season of the current points system, only two drivers have overcome a deficit in the season finale to win the title -- Richard Petty in 1979 and Alan Kulwicki in 1992.

Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former Race and Sports Book Director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. He currently writes for multiple publications covering all sports. He can be reached at MM.Roberts7Gmail.com.

Driver Chassis Selections For Homestead-Miami Ford 400

MotorRacingNetwork.com

1. Denny Hamlin:Defending race winner; Fourth-best average finish (7.0) in the two races with the COT; Finished third in 2006 and 2007; Two-time winner on 1.5-mile speedways in 2010; Seventh-best average finish (14.1) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 291) that he won with at Texas two weeks ago.

2. Jimmie Johnson: Started from the pole and finished fifth last year; Finish was sixth top 10 in nine starts; Best finish, of second, came in 2004; Second-best average finish (10.4) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 580) that he finished third with at Auto Club last month.

3. Kevin Harvick: Leads all drivers with a 2.5 average finish in the two races with the COT;  Led 56 laps and finished third last year; Finish was seventh top 10 in nine starts; Fourth-best average finish (12.9) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 325) in the Ford 400.

4. Carl Edwards: Second-best average finish (4.0) in the two races with the COT; Finished seventh last year for fifth consecutive top 10; Won this event in 2008 after leading 157 laps; Eighth-best average finish (14.3) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 709) that he finished 16th with at Charlotte last month.

5. Matt Kenseth: Won the 2007 event after leading 214 laps; Win is one of three top 10s in 10 starts; 19.0 average finish in the two races with the COT; Leads all drivers with a 14.1 average finish (14.1) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 704) that he finished 15th with at Martinsville.

6. Jeff Gordon: Homestead is only active track he's yet to win at; Has finished sixth or better in last three races; Leads all drivers with nine top 10s; First in laps led (429) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season.

7. Kyle Busch: Homestead is his worst track based on his 25.2 average finish; Coming off first top 10 in five starts in eighth; Fifth in average finish (13.7) and laps led (276) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 283) that he most recently finished 32nd with in a tough outing at Texas.

8. Greg Biffle: Leads all drivers with three wins; 16.0 average finish in the two races with the COT; Fourth in laps led (302) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will return in the same car that he led 224 laps with at Texas. (Using backup car due to hitting wall with this primary car car in the first practice)

9. Tony Stewart: Led 43 laps and finished 22nd last year in first track start with Stewart-Haas; Finished ninth in 2008 with Joe Gibbs Racing for fifth top 10; Won the first two events on the old configuartion; Third in laps led (334) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 583) that he posted top 10s with at Las Vegas and Chicagoland.

10. Kurt Busch: Led 43 laps and finished fourth last year; Finish was second top five in four starts with Penske Racing; Won the 2002 race from the pole with Roush Racing; 15.6 average finish and 393 laps led in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 739) in the Ford 400.

11. Clint Bowyer: Fifth-place finish in 2008 lowered average finish to 16.2 in four starts; Led first lap last year en route to an 11th-place finish; Sixth-best average finish (13.8) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 328) in the Ford 400.

12. Jeff Burton: Coming off best finish (second) in 11 starts; 11th-best average finish (15.5) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will return in the same car that he posted top-five finishes with at both Atlanta and Dover.

13. Mark Martin: Finished 12th in first track start with Hendrick Motorsports last season; Best finish, of second, came in 2005 with Roush Racing; Third-best average finish (12.7) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 595) that he led 41 laps and finished sixth with at Auto Club.

14. Jamie McMurray: Will make first track start in an Earnhardt-Ganassi Chevrolet; Three top 10s in eight starts; Ninth-best average finish (15.0) and 183 laps led in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1006) that he most recently won with at Charlotte.

15. Ryan Newman: Finished 23rd last year in first track start with Stewart-Haas; Posted two top 10s and an average finish of 20.3 in seven starts with Penske Racing; 16.7 average finish in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season.

16. Joey Logano: Finished 24th in first start last year; 17.3 average finish and 32 laps led in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Has scored five straight top 10s in last five races this season; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 290) in the Ford 400.

17. Juan Pablo Montoya: Has yet to post a top 10 in four starts; 22.8 average finish in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1015) that he most recently finished 11th with at Charlotte.

18. David Reutimann: Coming off best finish (15th) in three starts; Won the pole for the 2008 race; 19.0 average finish and 55 laps led in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season.

19. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Homestead is his worst track on the schedule based on his 23.9 average finish; Finished 41st and 28th, respectively, in two starts with Hendrick Motorsports; 20.2 average finish and 56 laps led in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 599) that he finished 22nd with at Kansas.

20. AJ Allmendinger: 10.5 average finish in two starts; 10th-best average finish (15.4) in the nine races on 1.5-mile speedways this season.

Edwards Leads First Homestead Practice, Biffle Goes to Backup Car

Greg Biffle was third fastest while in race trim during Friday's practice session for Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but hit the wall and will be going to a backup car. The difference between the two cars will be huge and take Biffle out of contention to win the race just because the car being replaced was his best car having won at Pocono and leading the most laps at Texas two weeks ago.

Carl Edwards was second fastest in race trim and then was fastest once qualifying trim was put on. Kurt Busch was second fastest overall with qualifying trim on. Jimmie Johnson was fast in both race and qualifying set-up finishing third.    

The big surprises were Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick who both struggled with qualifying trim. However, Hamlin was seventh fastest while in race trim early on in the session.

The fastest with race trim on was Mark Martin who eventually finished eighth fastest after the hour-and-a-half session was completed.

Friday practice for the FORD 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is over, after 90 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and any notes: (from Jayski.com)
#99-Edwards 175.838
#18-Busch 175.075
#48-Johnson 175.058
#17-Kenseth 175.001
#1- McMurray 174.989
#11-Hamlin was 30th fastest
#29-Harvick was 31st fastest
slowest: #26-Carpentier. 168.708 and #34-Kvapil 169.099
incident: #16-Biffle slapped the wall hard and the team is pulling out the backup car.


Practice 1 Speeds

Notes From Thursday Press Conference in Miami with Harvick, Johnson and Hamlin

The Big 3, here in Atlanta, had a fun Press conference Thursday in Miami

Call it a play day because that's, in a way, what Thursday was for the drivers. Sure, they'd rather be in their cars instead of all the media obligations, but they were game and had some fun needling each other, including points leader Denny Hamlin during an hour-long press conference down here in Coral Gables, Fla.

Denny Hamlin sat between Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson for the press conference and both drivers had their fun with Hamlin. Each was asked about being up there together and how it made them feel (Harvick and Johnson both stayed with Ron Hornaday when they first came to North Carolina and NASCAR, and Hamlin considers Harvick among his closer friends among the drivers).

"This has probably been one of the most awkward 30 minutes I've been through,'' Hamlin said. "My relationship with Kevin probably started about a year ago. He's got that go-kart race track at his house, so I proceeded to spend a bunch of money and take a go-kart there and race it a little bit and obviously got to know him a little bit more through that. Jimmmie, our relationship, has been professional for the most part. We understand that we have the same goal and we're all going for it and that's where the intensity that you see, whether it be back-and-forth comments, comes from. When you have three drivers that tight, any one is searching for an edge any way that they can. I think that's where you see the competitive nature of us.''

Said Harvick of Hamlin: "He definitely seems like the most nervous.''

Countered Hamlin: "I'm between you.''

When all three were asked what irked each other the other, Johnson spoke of Hamlin being in the lead and Harvick lurking. Hamlin then added: "I was told in these situations to deflect, so I turn to Kevin.''

Then Harvick said; "I'll give you something. I think the thing that irks me the most probably about Denny's team is his crew chief. Jimmie, is the fact that he's probably won the last four championships. Not that that's mean or anything. It's just when a guy has won four in a row, you beat your head against the wall and wonder, "Why can't we be competitive enough, why can't the whole sport be good enough to keep somebody from winning four in a row?''

Later, after the session when the drivers had their own areas for additional questions, Hamlin was asked again what irked him about Johnson and Harvick. Hamlin answered this time, saying: "That's not a whole lot that irks me about them. Their driving styles, I'm OK with, things like that. If I make an argument and you force an answer out, I'll say that Jimmie is just too corporate at times. Maybe that's the one thing that irks me. I know he has a whole lot of feelings bottled up in there, he just doesn't always express them more like me. Kevin, maybe it's the other way around, maybe he's too vocal, more like myself. Other than that, on the race track, I have absolutely no problem with them.''

Harvick, kept needling throughout the session. When asked about the importance of pit crew and pit strategy, Harvick, referenced how Hamlin had such poor fuel mileage at Phoenix, having to pit late, which allowed Harvick and Johnson gain back many points. Harvick then patted Hamlin and said: "I hope they put that same carburetor on your car Sunday.''

Hamlin said: "It won't be.''

Harvick then added: "Hopefully, it's one that's worse.''

When asked about how they would handle the pressure, Hamlin got going and then got tongue tied that led to some fun from Johnson. Hamlin started by saying: "Inside the car, it's really all business. The busier I am outside the race car, probably the more focused I'd be inside the race car on a race weekend. I try not to give myself too much time with msyelf. You know what I mean?''

Johnson then whispered into Hamlin's ear, eliciting a smile.

"I'll stop there,'' Hamlin said.

A few more things from the drivers:
On nerves:
KEVIN HARVICK: "I think for me, I was more nervous about starting the Chase and more uptight as we went through the first five, six, seven weeks about not being able to be in contention when we got to this point. Sure, we're 46 points behind, but I was more nervous about failing to get to this point than I had been last week or this week.

I've been more relaxed this week than I have been the whole Chase to be honest with you, because this is the moment you live for. This is the easy part, in my opinion, to go out and race the car for a championship. This week you get all the things that you asked for. The only thing that's not guaranteed is the championship.

But for our team in particular, you look at last year, it was just a total disaster. It was the worst year that we've ever had at RCR. So it's a win‑win situation for us. There's no losing in a situation for everybody at RCR and myself. We've learned a lot of things that can help us go forward.

On the frustration from last weekend's finish at Phoenix:

Denny Hamlin: "Yeah, I mean, it was frustrating for a little while. I got the bloody knuckles to prove it. It's just part of it. It's part of our sport. We're all going to have emotions on those kind of days.

For me, when I said I was leaving Phoenix, I left Phoenix, it was over with, it was. It was completely over with. The only time I relived it is when I got home, I do my normal thing, always rewatch the races no matter what to learn as much as I can. Once that I was done, turned the TV off, it was done. I thought about it a little bit before I went to bed. When I woke up the next day, just kept myself busy.

For me, I got a lot of encouraging text messages talking about, This is a great situation you're in. If you said going into the Chase you'd have the lead, would you take it? I would have definitely said yes.

We've all had opportunities, all three of us had opportunities to break away from the pack at times. It seems like the other two constantly just make that tough and continue to put themselves in position to gain ground.

It's fitting that we're in the situation, all three of us, with this one race to go.

On the gamesmanship displayed Thursday and throughout the Chase
Jimmie Johnson: "I just think it's natural to poke at whoever is the guy, and I've been up there as the leader and had the others poking at me. Rub someone the wrong way today, it didn't matter. I know how this event alone has affected me. Everybody handles anything differently, but I would think that there's going to be plenty of thoughts in his mind over the next couple of nights.''

- Notes from Dustin Long, Virginia Pilot

Roush-Fenway Ford 400 Preview: History on their side at Homestead-Miami

Matt Kenseth


Matt Kenseth on racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway: “Homestead is pretty cool and I think the racing there is really exciting because of how unique of a track it’s become. They did a great job and they weren’t scared to go out on a limb and build it like no other track on the circuit that we race at. There are a lot of different lanes you can look for to race on so that makes it a lot of fun. It’s the only track we have that’s a true oval without the dogleg, and with the added banking in the backstretch being higher than the frontstretch, it makes all four corners a lot different. It’s a really unique track where everybody loves going to, and it’s a great place at the end of the year to crown all the champions.”

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway: "We only get the chance to race at Homestead once a year, and although it’s a 1.5-mile track which Roush Fenway seems to have success at, it’s still difficult to prepare for since there aren’t really any other tracks like it that we visit. Since they added the banking a few years ago, I really think it’s become a great place to watch a race at, and with all the Ford Championship Weekend events, you always want to finish the year out strong.”

Chassis: Primary: RK-704 (last run at Martinsville)

Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards on racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway: “Ford Championship weekend has always been a huge weekend for me and Roush Fenway. We’ve got a ton of momentum right now. I feel like our 1.5-mile program is really strong, and our team is riding a huge wave from last weekend’s win in Phoenix. We can’t lose at Homestead because no matter what happens we all feel like we finished the season strong. We’re just going to go for the win and hopefully finish top four in points. That would be huge.”

Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway: “It was great to finally get a win at Phoenix last weekend. Now we can go to Homestead and try for another win, and maintain our fourth place in the points. Carl has a great record at Homestead and won there in 2008. We are taking our newest car in the fleet which we ran at Charlotte so I feel it will be good. We’ve got a lot of momentum going into the final race of the season so we’d love to end the year with one more win.”

Chassis: RK-709 This car last raced at Charlotte in October, finished 12th

ON THE TRACK…The Aflac team will be unloading chassis RK-709. Edwards raced this Ford Fusion most recently at Charlotte in October where he finished 16th. It was a new car at Charlotte.

FOR THE RECORD…Edwards’ average start at Homestead is 15.3, his average finish is 6.5 which is the best of all active drivers. He has also led a total of 251 laps there, third among active drivers. He has only finished outside the top 10 once in six starts.

IN THE LOOP… According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last six races at Homestead, Edwards has turned 112 of the track’s fastest laps, spent 1,112 laps in the top 15, and has a driver rating of 111, which leads all active drivers in these categories.

Greg Biffle

Biffle on Homestead: “We’re taking the same car to Homestead that we led with at Texas and won with at Pocono. We’ve had some success at Homestead obviously and it would be great to end another season with a win there. We had some extreme highs and lows during this Chase but the highs are encouraging for next season. We know that we can compete for wins now as long as we don’t have part failures. We are still working on our short track program but I think we’re moving in the right direction. We’ll just go to Homestead this weekend and do everything we can to finish this season with a win.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin on Homestead: “Biffle has an incredible record at Homestead with his three wins in a row so we know he can get it done if we can give him a fast racecar. Just like most every other week this year, we need to qualify up front and stay there with good pit stops. If we can do that, the rest will be up to Biffle and we should be able to compete for the win. We had one get away from us in Texas and it would be great to end the 2010 season with another trip to victory lane.”

• Biffle’s average finish at Homestead is 13.5 from an average starting position of 16.1.
• Biffle finished three seasons in a row (2004, 2005 and 2006) with wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Last year at Homestead Biffle fought a loose racecar and finished 14th after starting eighth.
• The car that Greg is racing this weekend at Homestead is the same car he won with at Pocono and led 224 laps with two weeks ago in Texas.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release

Jimmie Johnson Homestead-Miami Ford 400 Preview: Using Winning Vegas Chassis

Jimmie Johnson

RACE NOTES
Homestead-Miami Speedway

• Johnson has made nine Sprint Cup Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he has earned three top-five and six top-10 finishes.
• The 1.5-mile track is one of only four venues on which the Sprint Cup Series competes that Johnson hasn’t visited Victory Lane. (Michigan, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Homestead)
• Johnson has completed 94.1% (2265 of 2408) of competition laps at the venue and has led 71.
• He has an average start and finish of 19.3 and 12.7.

Chassis
Johnson will pilot chassis No. 580 in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race. He last drove that car to a third-place result at Auto Club Speedway in October.
Johnson drove back up chassis No. 558 from a first-place starting spot to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway in September.

JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES
DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING FROM 2004 OR 2005 TO HELP YOU THIS SEASON?: “In both instances, kind of different routes to get to this same opinion, it’s not over until the last lap at Homestead. Clearly the 97 (Kurt Busch) losing his wheel mid-race at Homestead led us to believe that it was maybe our day and that things were going to work out. The green-white-checkered run to the finish at the end, I don’t think the green-white-checkered was in play at that time and he was the car behind me when it counts – the 97 and he wins the championship. That one proved to me that it’s not over until the last lap. At Homestead, with the 20 (Tony Stewart) car, we blow a tire and wreck and the 20 needed to finish like in the top-25 or something if we did things right. We had a great evening going and the 20 ran terrible. I still kick myself today for not coming to pit road, not getting the tire off the car because I felt like I had a problem and it was slowing down my pace and maybe we could have recovered from going down a lap and put more pressure on the 20 and come back and finish like we needed to, but we didn’t. I know that if we stay in the game till the last lap at Homestead, we will have a chance. That’s my mindset off of those two examples.”

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO QUESTION YOUR PERFORMANCE AT HOMESTEAD? “I’m not sure why that’s even relevant. If you look at points accumulated over the course of the Chase, I think that will speak volumes as to what type of Chase took place. I know we’ve been competitive, but not as dominant as we wanted to all year long. We’ve got to go down there and race for it; there’s no doubt about it. I continue to hear that the No. 48 hasn’t had to race for it before and we’ve raced for it all Chase long.

“Maybe at Homestead we’ve been able to protect, but we certainly know that’s not the case this year and I love where we are. I love putting pressure on these guys and in fact I’m glad we cut their lead in half.”

I KNOW YOU DON’T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT YOURSELF IN THESE TERMS, DO YOU THINK YOUR GREATNESS CAN BE SOLIDIFIED WITH A COME FROM BEHIND CHAMPIONSHIP? “You know, it would probably be received better than the ones in the past, with the runaway show we’ve had on a couple of them. I don’t care how I win it. However we win it, that’s cool (laughter). I would love to come back and win from behind and eliminate that stat because that seems to be the only thing that everyone talks about right now.

“When I look at the way we started the Chase, I’m more frustrated at what we did then, in the fact we didn’t capitalize at Loudon. Last week we missed a pit call late in the race. Everybody behind us had tires on. We ended up ninth. When you go back through the season, look at little things, we’ve left points on the table. That’s unlike us from years past. That’s the part we’re fighting right now.”

SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER NOTES
Career Wins

• Johnson has 53 wins in his Sprint Cup Series career, his most recent coming at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 26, 2010.
• The El Cajon, Calif.-native is currently 10th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, one victory behind Lee Petty.
• He is second in total wins among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon (82).
• Johnson needed only 296 starts to hit the 50 mark. Only three drivers have reached 50 victories quicker – Gordon (232), Darrell Waltrip (278) and David Pearson (293).
• Johnson has won at least three Cup races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first eight full-time seasons.
• Johnson has won Sprint Cup Series races at all but four (Michigan, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Homestead) of the 22 tracks on which the series competes.
• Johnson was the first driver to win three of the first five races in The Chase.
• Johnson’s 10 wins in 2007 was the highest number recorded in a single season since Jeff Gordon posted 13 victories in 1998.
• The four-consecutive wins scored by the No. 48 team in the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ties a modern-era NASCAR record.

Career Poles

• Johnson has collected 25 poles in his Sprint Cup career.
• The championship driver has earned at least one pole a year since his first full-time season in 2002.
• He had a career-high six poles in 2008.
• Johnson’s most recent pole position was at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 24, 2010.

Career Starts

• In 35 2010 starts, Johnson has collected six wins, 16 top five and 22 top-10 finishes.
• Johnson has finished in the top five in the Sprint Cup Series point standings each year since his first full season in 2002.
• Johnson is the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup every year since the format was adopted in 2004.
• In 326 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 1333 top-five and 202 top-10 finishes.
• He has a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.
• Johnson has led a total of 10,995 laps (of 93,961) in his Sprint Cup career, covering over 125,856 miles.
• He has finished on the lead lap 252 times.

Primary Car History – Chassis No. 580
Date           Event          Start        Finish
02/28/2010 Las Vegas   20            1
04/19/2010 Texas           4             2
05/22/2010 All-Star        7           13
06/13/2010 Michigan      3             6
08/21/2010 Bristol          1           35
10/10/2010 California     8             3

Race 10 of Chase
		Points Coming	Starting	Finishing	Points After
Year		Into Event	Position	Position	Event
2004	Homestead	2	39	2	2
2005	Homestead	2	32	40	5
2006	Homestead	1	15	9	1
2007	Homestead	1	1	7	1
2008	Homestead	1	30	15	1
2009	Homestead	1	1	5	1

Jimmie Johnson – Homestead-Miami Speedway

Date	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Led
11/11/2001	30	16	267/267	Running	0
11/17/2002	16	8	267/267	Running	27
11/16/2003	10	3	267/267	Running	7
11/21/2004	39	2	271/267	Accident	0
11/20/2005	32	40	124/267	Running	0
11/19/2006	15	9	268/268	Running	2
11/18/2007	1	7	267/267	Running	1
11/16/2008	30	15	267/267	Running	6
11/22/2009	1	5	267/267	Running	28

Jimmie Johnson – Year-by-Year Cup Statistics

Year	Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Final
						Points
2001	3	0	0	0	0	52
2002	36	3	6	21	4	5
2003	36	3	14	20	2	2
2004	36	8	20	23	1	2
2005	36	4	13	22	1	5
2006	36	5	13	24	1	1
2007	36	10	20	24	4	1
2008	36	7	15	22	6	1
2009	36	7	16	24	4	1
2010*	35	6	16	22	2	2

* to date

- GMR Live Marketing for Team Lowe’s Racing, Press Release

Kevin Harvick Homestead-Miami Ford 400 Preview: Brand New Chassis This Week

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala
Race Notes and Quotes

This Week’s Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 325 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet is a completely brand new car which will see its first laps on the track during Friday’s practice session.

Career Homestead Stats … The Homestead 400 marks Harvick’s 358th career start in the NSCS.

• In nine NSCS starts at the 1.5-mile oval, Harvick owns four top-five and seven top-10 finishes.
• He has completed all but one lap of competition at Homestead (2,407 of 2,408).
• His best Homestead finish is second (2003 and 2008).
• He has started inside the top 10 in six of his nine Homestead races.

Sweet Spot … Harvick owns an average start of 11.6 and an average finish of 8.4 at Homestead. Both marks are best of all circuits on the NSCS tour for the Bakersfield, Calif., native.

Phoenix Recap … Harvick and the No. 29 overcame a pit road miscue in the latter stages of last weekend’s race at Phoenix to storm back from 18th and finish sixth. A missing lugnut on a pit stop with 88 laps to go forced Harvick to give up his fourth-place position on the track and pit a second time. The miscue allowed the team to top off with fuel, which aided them in the final laps as several cars pitted under green-flag conditions for fuel. The effort was the team’s eighth top-10 finish in the nine Chase races to date.

Mr. Consistent … The RCR driver leads all NSCS drivers in top-10 finishes with 25. For the season, Harvick owns three points-paying wins (Talladega in April, Daytona in July and Michigan in August), a second straight Budweiser Shootout victory at Daytona in February, and 31 top-15 finishes in the season’s 35 races.

In the Loop … Harvick owns some very impressive loop data statistics over the season’s first 35 races.

• First in average finish (8.8).
• Second in Closer category, total positions improved during the last 10 percent of each race.
• Third in fastest drivers late in a run.
• Third in fastest speed in traffic.
• Third in green flag speed.
• Fourth in Driver Rating, a formula combining the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, led most laps, and lead lap finish.
• Fifth in percentage of laps run on lead lap.
• Fifth in fastest drivers early in a run.
• Fifth in average running position.

Crew Chief of the Year … By helping Harvick stay on or near the top of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings for most of the 2010 season with crafty, gutsy and successful race decisions, Gil Martin was named the 2010 WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year. A formal announcement was made last weekend in Phoenix, and Martin served as grand marshal of the WYPALL 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Phoenix. Martin, who notched his first win as a crew chief in 2001 and has six NSCS wins overall, was the first crew chief in NASCAR history to win in all three of its top divisions (Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series).

Kevin Harvick Foundation Christmas for Kids Concert … The Kevin Harvick Foundation, along with 93.1 The Wolf, will host a charity toy drive concert on December 16, 2010 at Johnny and June’s Ultra Saloon in Winston-Salem, N.C., which will benefit foster children in Guilford and Forsyth Counties through Foster Friends of N.C. and the Kevin Harvick Foundation. Headlining the holiday concert is country music star, Sara Evans. Opening for Evans are Bridgette Tatum and special guest star, Kyle Petty. The evening will also include door prizes, a silent auction and more. Doors open at 8:30 p.m., and admission to the event is a $20 new, unwrapped toy or cash donation. Go to www.fosterfriendsnc.org to see a detailed wish list of items needed. For more information about the Kevin Harvick Foundation, please visit www.kevinharvickfoundation.org.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

How do you feel about where you are in the point battle? “I feel excited because the worst we can finish in the points is third. We have a great race track for us, and we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. There’s really nothing else that matters at this point. Just throw it all out there, and if it gets rough, it gets rough. If it doesn’t, then we just go race and see where it all falls in the end. It’s still a no pressure, no lose situation for us, and I like it.”

How has Gil Martin’s leadership affected this Chase? “I think when you speak of Gil (Martin, crew chief), he is great for me because he’s very good with our people, and that can be my shortfall, sometimes. He’s very motivating. He’s very good in controversial situations by guiding the team and telling them what they need to do, and keeping them away from the things that they don’t need to focus on. Last week was a great example. After our tough pit stop, I was pretty down, but he stayed after me and picked my spirits back up.”

With the improvements at RCR, do you think ‘hey, I’m close, I like my chances’? “Well, Homestead has been a great race track for us. We’ve had great results over the past several years there. It’s a race track that kind of fits my driving style. We’ve run well there, and I don’t think there is anything that should keep us from doing that this time, either.”

How does Homestead fit your driving style? “It’s just unique. You can charge turn one a little bit more than you can at most places, because as you get through the corner, the banking seems to get steeper all the way through, and you have options. You can run the top, you can run the bottom, you can run the middle, or you can split the middle-top or middle-bottom and make your car turn. It’s just a unique race track, and it seems to fit the guys that like to move around and make their cars work in different spots.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release

Denny Hamlin Homestead-Miami Ford 400 Preview: He's Using Winning Texas Chassis

DENNY HAMLIN EXPRESS NOTES:

Denny Hamlin winning last years season finale at Homestead-Miami

Hamlin, FedEx Racing Bitten by Fuel Mileage at Phoenix: Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team looked destined to visit Victory Lane and increase their lead at the top of the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings Sunday at Phoenix International Speedway during a truly dominating run but, in the end, fuel mileage undid their distinct advantage and relegated them to a bittersweet 12th-place finish. Hamlin collected bonus points for both leading a lap, and for leading a race-high 190 laps on the day to maintain his Chase lead heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend.

“Go Denny!” – FedEx Delivery Vehicles Take to the Streets in Support of the FedEx Racing Team: To celebrate the on-track success of the FedEx Racing team, a total of 600 FedEx delivery vehicles in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Phoenix and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale markets will carry a special decal showing the company’s support for the #11 team’s Chase for the Sprint Cup campaign.

Hamlin at Homestead: This weekend will mark Hamlin’s sixth start at Homestead-Miami and his 187th career start at the Cup level. A year ago, with a championship out of reach, Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team headed to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway prepared to go all out for a race win, put an exclamation point on a successful season, and attempt to climb back into the top five in points. In the end, they accomplished all goals as Hamlin battled forward from his starting position of 38th to lead a race-high 71 laps and claim a first win at Homestead.

In 2008, after a season and Chase full of up and downs, it came as no surprise that the final laps were nail biting for Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team. With a car that was as strong as any on the track at Homestead, Hamlin and team were put in the unenviable position of having to sacrifice track position for fuel with 12 laps to go. And, though several cars followed Hamlin off the track, or ran out of fuel on it, the cars that went the distance relegated Hamlin to a frustrating 13th-place finish.

This team has made a habit of not qualifying particularly well at this 1.5-mile oval but generally run very strong come Sunday. Hamlin made his sixth-ever Cup start at Homestead in the fall of 2005 and it ended up being the ultimate learning experience as he found the wall both in practice and qualifying then fought handling to bring the car home in 33rd. 2006 was a completely different story. Coming to South Florida in the thick of the Chase for the Nextel Cup and looking to put an exclamation point on a record-setting rookie season, Hamlin drove an excellent race, bringing the #11 home in third place and locking up third place in the 2006 championship standings.

 The 2007 race at Homestead followed the same script as the 2006 edition – starting from deep in the pack; Hamlin wasted little time pushing forward and gained 15 spots through the first 18 laps. He would lead 19 laps on the day and run in the top five for most of the 267 laps before finishing an impressive third.

FedEx Express South Florida Region Along for the Ride in Homestead: The #11 FedEx Express Toyota will carry the letters SFL on the b-post this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in recognition of the FedEx Express AGFS and U.S. Operations teams in the South Florida market. In addition to their commitment to customer service, the team is very involved in supporting FedEx community initiatives.

Hamlin will use Texas chassis this week

Homestead Chassis – JGR 291 and 285: The FedEx team will unload Chassis JGR 291 this weekend in Homestead. 291 ran, and won, two weeks ago in Texas. Chassis 285 will serve in backup duty.


HAMLIN CONVERSATION – Homestead-Miami Speedway:

It’s all for the taking at Homestead this weekend – this is a scenario you said you welcomed, still this case?: “I still like the idea that we are all going to be racing for the championship on track this weekend. It’s really good for this sport and for the fans. I hated the way our race ended last week only because we had been so strong. It was frustrating to run up front and see it go away at the end but we are still in the lead and we still think we will be very good at Homestead.”

Did you imagine this Chase could be so tight going into the last race?: “I didn’t but that is the goal of the Chase versus the old system. This is how it’s supposed to work in the Chase, a real shootout at the final race. Over the past four years we’ve had scenarios where the 48 was comfortably ahead and didn’t need to race for the win at Homestead to win the championship. This year is definitely different and it should make for an exciting race.”

Looking back at this season, short of winning the Championship on Sunday did you accomplish everything you wanted to: “We did as a team, yes. There were points where were really good, really consistently good and winning races but there were also points where we didn’t run as well as we wanted to. To win eight races was awesome and something we can be really proud of, but we want this championship and we want to keep improving and challenging ourselves. I think our potential to be even better is there.”

- Weber Shandwick Worldwide for FedEx Racing, Press Release

Roush Drivers Have The Edge in Season Finale; Johnson Should Win 5th Title In a Row

By Micah Roberts
Gaming Today Las Vegas

After 35 races of what has been long season, the NASCAR Sprint Cup season regrettably comes to a close this week at Homestead-Miami. Usually at this juncture of the season with football going on and college basketball just starting, I’m happy to take a breather from NASCAR for a few months, but not this year. Every week just gets better and better with new wrinkles to the season like veterans fighting, crew chiefs talking smack and most of all, meaningful racing.

Every race down the stretch has been meaningful making this one of the greatest seasons in NASCAR history. We have three drivers separated by 46 points, the equivalent of a driver winning a race and finishing eighth, with one race to go. The drama played out by the three drivers last week at Phoenix was gripping television that you don’t see too much out NASCAR. This week, the stakes are even greater.

Denny Hamlin has small 15 point lead over defending four time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson and a 46 point lead over Kevin Harvick. Each of these drivers are capable of winning the race which adds more to the excitement. In each of the years Johnson won, he just coasted around Miami points racing with hopes of not wrecking and staying out of trouble. This week, all three will be going hard for the win.

The Las Vegas Hilton Super Book has updated their odds to win the title with Hamlin a 5/9 favorite, followed by Johnson at 8/5 and Harvick at 10/1. Beginning in 1975, since the current point system has been in place, only two drivers have won the title while coming into the final race trailing. Richard Petty did it in 1979 and Alan Kulwicki did it in 1992, probably the only year that could compare with this season’s Chase.

The edge in this race goes to Hamlin just because he won this race last season and comes in as one of the most sound teams in NASCAR right now. Every part of their operation is excelling right now and it was just two weeks ago that they won on a 1.5-mile track at Texas. Although the Miami track is shaped more like a paper clip rather than the traditional D-shaped ovals like we see on all the other 1.5-mile tracks, they still will have an edge over most of the other teams.

The only problem I see with Hamlin is the mounting pressure that his crew chief Mike Ford put on their team. Following their Texas win that elevated Hamlin to the lead in points, Ford made a lot of comments about Johnson’s team and how they psyched out his crew and how they basically threw their season away.

Are you kidding Mike Ford? Do you really believe the four-time champ, the coolest, calmest driver in NASCAR who has anti-freeze running through his veins is going to be psyched out? If anything, all Ford did was motivate the No. 48 team, giving them bulletin board material. That kind of stuff usually doesn’t work out so well in other sports and if Johnson wins Sunday, it’s going to be a facial served like never seen before in NASCAR.

What’s surprising is that the statements made came from a Joe Gibbs employee who was always adamant about keeping Redskins players mouth’s shut before big games.

Because Johnson has never had to race too hard at Miami, it adds to the whole drama of what will happen. In last years race, while Johnson finished fifth in cruise control, Harvick finished third.

While the three drivers will battling for position and going for the win, there will be several others who are equal to them and won’t budge an inch for them beginning with the Roush drivers. Carl Edwards got his first win in two years last week at Phoenix. His last win before Sunday came at Miami in 2008. In fact prior to Hamlin winning last year, a Roush driver had won the previous five Miami races and six of seven.

Jeff Gordon is mired in a 64 race winless streak and Miami is the only place he has never won at. Another driver who has been racing very well lately is Hamlin’s teammate, Joey Logano, who has five consecutive top-10 finishes and three straight top fives coming into this week.

I’ve been rooting for Hamlin and Harvick all season, but because of the brashness of Hamlin crew chief, I’ve all of a sudden jumped on the Johnson band wagon despite having wagers on the others to win the Championship. I’ll take Johnson to finish in the top-3 with Hamlin seventh and Harvick eighth. Both Johnson and Hamlin will lead a lap which makes the projected difference of 19 points giving Johnson the title by a mere 4 points.

The role of teammates will be seen in new regards similar to what we see in Formula one racing. Positions are everything this week. Enjoy the race!

Early Top Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #16 Greg Biffle (10/1)
2) #99 Carl Edwards (10/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (8/1)
4) #24 Jeff Gordon (12/1)
5) #17 Matt Kenseth (15/1)      

          

Homestead-Miami Ford 400 Odds & Ends

History

·            Groundbreaking for Homestead-Miami Dade Motorsports Complex – as the track was originally named – began Aug. 24, 1993. The first race was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Nov. 5, 1995.

·            The original configuration was a four-turn, rectangular oval based on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's layout.

·            The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Homestead was held on Nov. 14, 1999.

·            2002 was the first season of the Championship Weekend at Homestead, with all three of NASCAR’s national series holding their season finale at the same track.

Notebook

·            Since the inception of the current points system in 1975, only two drivers have made up a points deficit in the season finale: Richard Petty in 1979 (made up two points on Darrell Waltrip) and Alan Kulwicki in 1992 (made up 30 points on Davey Allison).

·            There have been 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Homestead, one per season since 1999.

·            Five drivers have competed in all 11 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Elliott Sadler and Tony Stewart.

·            David Green won the first pole, in 1999.

·            Tony Stewart won the inaugural race, in 1999.

·            There have been nine different pole winners. Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson lead all drivers, with two.

·            There have been eight different race winners, led by Greg Biffle, with three.

·            Jack Roush has won six races, most among owners.

·            The race has been won from the pole twice: Bill Elliott (2001) and Kurt Busch (2002).

·            The race has been won from a top-10 starting position eight of 11 times.

·            Denny Hamlin won last season from the 38th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

·            Three active drivers have averaged a top-10 finish: Carl Edwards (6.5), Jeff Gordon (9.5) and Kevin Harvick(8.4).

NASCAR in Florida

·         There have been 164 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Florida.

·         162 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series have their home state recorded as Florida.

·         There have been 10 race winners from Florida in NASCAR’s three national series:

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Bobby Allison	84	2	0
Fireball Roberts	33	0	0
LeeRoy Yarbrough	14	0	0
Marshall Teague	7	0	0
Joe Nemechek	4	16	0
David Reutimann	2	1	1
Bobby Johns	2	0	0
Shorty Rollins	1	0	0
Rick Wilson	0	2	0
Aric Almirola	0	1	2

Homestead-Miami Speedway Data

Race #: 36 of 36 (11-21-10)

Track Size: 1.5 miles

Race Length: 267 laps/400.5 miles

·     Banking/Corners: 18-20 degrees

·     Banking/Straights: 4 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 1,760 feet

·     Backstretch: 1,760 feet

Driver Rating at Homestead
Carl Edwards                111.0

Matt Kenseth                 105.3

Martin Truex Jr.             103.8

Kevin Harvick                101.1

Greg Biffle                    99.0

Jeff Gordon                  95.1

Denny Hamlin                94.7

Jimmie Johnson            92.9

Mark Martin                   91.9

Jeff Burton                   88.7

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2009 races (4 total) at Homestead.

Qualifying/Race Data

2009 pole winner: Jimmie Johnson (173.919 mph, 31.049 seconds)

2009 race winner: Denny Hamlin, 126.986 mph, 11-22-09)

Track qualifying record: Jamie McMurray (181.111 mph, 29.816 seconds, 11-14-03)

Track race record: Tony Stewart (140.335 mph, 11-14-99)

Pit Window: Every 50-55 laps

compiled by Mike Forde, NASCAR Media Services

Las Vegas Hilton Super Books Odds to win Ford 400