Jimmie Johnson opens 3-to-1 favorite in Las Vegas to win 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup

Denny Hamlin offers some nice value for 2014 at 15/1 odds

LAS VEGAS - Jimmie Johnson hasn't even completed his victory lap around the television talk show circuit after his 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup title, yet on Tuesday afternoon William Hill sports books in Nevada opened up their odds to win 2014's Sprint Cup with, of course, Johnson listed as the driver to beat once again at 3-to-1. 2013 Sprint Cup runner-up Matt Kenseth is the second choice at 11-to-2 (+550, bet $1 to win $5.50) odds.

The big difference between last season's Sprint Cup odds and 2014 is that there aren't a lot of uncertainties coming into the season. The big story coming into the 2013 season was the arrival of the Gen-6 car. The initial belief was that Hendrick Motorsports would be ahead of the curve like they were in 2007 when the Car of Tomorrow was introduced on a limited race schedule, and they lived up to the projections.

Last season also saw the defending Sprint Cup winner Brad Keselowski and his Penske Racing team switch manufacturers from Dodge to Ford. The transition proved to be rough as Keselowski failed to make the Chase and didn't win until race No. 31 at Charlotte, his only win of the season. With a year under his belt in the new car and with Ford, Keselowski is 15-to-1 to win in 2014.

The only major change coming into the 2014 season is Kevin Harvick switching over from Richard Childress Racing, where he's been since 2001 when he took over the legendary No. 3 car for Dale Earnhardt, to Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick's car will look similar because he'll still be in a Chevy and also brought Budweiser over as a sponsor, but his new can number will be No. 4.

Despite the change, Harvick's odds still resemble what they were last season when his first number posted was 16-to-1 at the Wynn sports book. William Hill has tabbed him at 15-to-1 odds to win in 2014. Stewart-Haas will also welcome Kurt Busch to the team as driver of the No. 41 car with odds on him posted at 30-to-1. The boss, Tony Stewart, comes in at 15-to-1 while the fourth Stewart-Haas driver Danica Patrick, in her second full Cup season, opens at 250-to-1 odds.

Everything begins and ends with Jimmie Johnson who just won his sixth Sprint Cup trophy in eight seasons. One more title and he'll tie NASCAR royalty, Richard Petty and Earnhardt, for the most in history with seven. The thing that was so impressive about Johnson's title in 2013 was that he didn't dominate on the 1.5-mile tracks like he had in his previous five championship seasons. Usually the key to winning a title is by faring well on the type of tracks that there are the most of, yet Johnson only won once in the 11 races held on 1.5-mile tracks.

Kenseth was the best on 1.5-mile tracks in 2013 with four wins, and it was obvious that Joe Gibbs Racing was ahead of everyone else on the big horsepower tracks. Along with Kenseth's four wins, teammate Kyle Busch won twice on those tracks along with a win at Fontana's 2-mile layout. Busch's fourth-place finish in the Chase was the best of his career and he is listed as the third favorite to win in 2014 at 13-to-2 odds.

The big wild card in 2014 will be Denny Hamlin, who came into 2013 as one of the favorites to win it all 7-to-1 just behind Johnson's 7-to-2 odds, but missed four races with a back injury and then got stuck in the middle of Toyota using his car as a Guinea Pig towards the later half of the season. For 2014, William Hill has posted him at 15-to-1 which may be the best value on the board just because of his affiliation with JGR. Not to mention, he closed the 2013 season with a win at Homestead to keep his streak alive of winning at least one race in each of his first eight full seasons.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. failed to earn a checkered flag in 2013, but he still managed to run well enough to compete for wins and finished the season fifth in points. Because of such a successful season and being affiliated with HMS, Earnhardt is listed as the 7-to-1 fourth choice to win the 2014 title. The low odds also have to do with supply and demand. Even though Earnhardt Jr. has never won a title, and has won only two races in seven seasons - both at Michigan - the sports books have to anticipate the Junior Nation coming strong as usual and have saddled his odds lower than they probably should be.

Jeff Gordon has been looking for his fifth Sprint Cup title since 2002 which, not so coincidentally, is the same season he brought Johnson into the HMS stable full-time. Gordon finished sixth in 2013 with only one win and has lots of promise for 2014, but his 10-to-1 odds won't get people running to the bet windows.

Carl Edwards is 18-to-1 followed by Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne and Joey Logano at 20-to-1 each. Martin Truex Jr. leaves Michael Waltrip Racing and will drive the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy in 2014, the car that Kurt Busch ran like one of the best on 1.5-mile tracks in 2013. Truex Jr. is one of the best on 1.5-mile tracks himself and brought his entire pit crew from MWR over to the new team, an area the No. 78 team struggled with throughout 2013. Truex Jr. is 30-to-1 to win it all next season.

The driver everyone is waiting to see what number will be posted is Austin Dillon, the grandchild of Richard Childress. No one cares about his 75-to-1 odds to win the 2014 Sprint Cup as a rookie, but what we all want to see is if Childress believes enough time has passed and unretires the famous No. 3 car. Cheerios is set to be the primary sponsor and Dillon will inherit the stable of cars from the No. 29 garage that Harvick drove to finish third in points.

Read More Here.......William Hill odds to win 2014 Sprint Cup

Jimmie Johnson 2013 Sprint Cup Champion, his sixth title in eight seasons

One of the truest of all champions in any sport....was 7/2 favorite coming into 2013 season at Wynn Las Vegas

Think the championship ring hats will catch on? Hope not 

Johnson only had one win on 1.5-mile tracks, his lowest amount during his six Championship seasons

Six-timer Jimmie Johnson co-hosts ESPN SportsCenter

Jimmie Johnson media tour hits Bristol for ESPN

Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson faced his biggest fear Tuesday night: Reading from a teleprompter.

Johnson became the first athlete co-host of ESPN’s SportsCenter when he sat in on the 6 p.m. ET edition of the popular highlight and analysis show, joining regular hosts John Anderson and Lindsay Czarniak.

Johnson was featured in several segments, including one in which he asked analyst Tedy Bruschi six questions about the NFL. During the segment, Johnson and Bruschi discussed the personal foul that was called on Ahmad Brooks for his high hit on Drew Brees during Sunday’s Saints-49ers game. Bruschi emphatically said he believed the hit to be legal, and offered to pay part of Brooks’ fine, just as his fellow ESPN analyst Ray Lewis had.

Bruschi then challenged Johnson to pay part of the fine with him and Lewis. After an awkward pause, Johnson agreed, saying: “Yeah, why not.”

The show tried to make things easy for Johnson, who has little-to-no broadcasting experience, by setting him up for interviews with Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, with whom he compared beards and talked about winning a World Series, and Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops. Johnson and Stoops are friendly, and shared stories about spending time together in Norman. Johnson’s wife attended Oklahoma.’

Later in the show, the hosts asked Johnson about Donovan McNabb’s recent quote in which the former quarterback said he didn’t believe Johnson was an athlete.

“There’s so much going on inside the car. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, and Donovan certainly is,” said Johnson. “I’d love to invite him out and have him come experience driving a race car and what that all entails. See the hand-eye coordination. It’s blazing hot inside that car. You have four layers of fire suit on. Your heart rate is probably 140 to 150 … over a three-to-four-hour period of time. So there is a lot going on … including all the G-forces that are being put on all the drivers.”

Later in the show, During a NASCAR-only edition of the segment “Not Top Ten,” Johnson made repeated sarcastic references to his fellow drivers not being “athletes,” a gentle way of firing back at McNabb.

The appearance was Johnson’s second national-TV appearance of the day. On Tuesday morning he appeared on ABC’s Live with Kelly and Michael, where hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan had some fun with the driver by giving him time to practice reading from a teleprompter.

“Seriously?” asked Johnson, as he saw what the show had written for him on the teleprompter. He blushed, and after being prodded by Strahan, continued reading:

“Check out Jimmie Johnson, the super sexy six-time champ, on SportsCenter tonight … ”

The crowd cheered and laughed, and then the show cut to commercial.

Read More Here....USA Today

Johnson shouldered a heavy burden for the past three seasons

from Mike Smith on SportingNews.com

Jimmie Johnson takes his profile to new heights with sixth Sprint Cup

Jimmie Johnson captures sixth title in eight seasons...brilliant driver! 

Jimmie Johnson couldn’t be blamed for wanting to truly savor his sixth Sprint Cup championship on Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

He wanted to enjoy it for what it was, and not simply as another stepping stone toward seven-time Cup champions Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

But he also seemed to know that the debate of ‘greatest NASCAR driver ever’ that has centered for several decades around The King and The Intimidator will intensify further now that he’s made his way into it.

“I have six, and we will see if I get seven,” he said after winning Title No. 6 by 19 points over Matt Kenseth via a ninth-place finish in the season-ending Ford Ecoboost 400.

“Time will tell. I think we need to save the argument until I hang up the helmet – then it’s worth the argument. If people want to argue and fight about it right now, then they can. But let’s wait until I hang up the helmet before we start thinking about this.”

Those words will surely not be heeded by the sport’s diehards, who now must consider Johnson among the greatest stock car drivers of all time.

He continues to thrive in one of, if not the most competitive age in NASCAR history – constantly setting the bar higher and higher. And this dominance seems to have no end in sight.

Johnson would appear to have at least a good decade still ahead of him in the cockpit and his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team, led by crew chief extraordinaire Chad Knaus, remains the model of consistency even as its core has changed considerably.

“We’ve taken a group of new individuals, new engineers, mechanics, pit crew members; they’ve all evolved into a pretty spectacular team,” Knaus said. “I don’t think we’re even close to the potential of the team yet. That’s exciting for me.”

Read More Here....NBC Sports

Hamlin wins season finale at Homestead, Johnson wins sixth Sprint Cup

Denny Hamlin has won a race in each of his eight full seasons

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Denny Hamlin found redemption for a lost season, as Jimmie Johnson advanced to the threshold of legend. 

Sidelined for four races with a broken back earlier in the season, Hamlin took the checkered flag in Sunday's Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as Johnson claimed his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship with a ninth-place finish. 

Johnson finished the season 19 points ahead of polesitter and race runner-up Matt Kenseth, who held off a furious charge by third-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the closing laps. With six NASCAR Sprint Cup titles, Johnson is one behind all-time leaders Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. 

The title was a record 11th for team owner Rick Hendrick.

"I don't even know where to start," Johnson said after the race. "I'm at a loss for words, but I'm so proud and so thankful for this opportunity at Hendrick Motorsports. I'm thankful that Jeff Gordon and Rick Hendrick gave me this opportunity back in 2002.

"This sport is about people, and our people at Hendrick Motorsports -- especially on this 48 car -- rose up and got the job done. I'm so thankful to be able to drive for this race team and so honored and so excited to have a 'six-pack.'"

Hamlin won for the first time this season, the second time at Homestead and the 23rd time in his career. The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has won at least one race in each of his eight full seasons in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. 

As elated as he was with the victory, Hamlin took time to acknowledge the excellence of Johnson and his No. 48 team. Johnson's average finish in the 10 Chase races was 5.1.

"I think they do a great job of being consistent," Hamlin said. "Really, I'd say with everyone else in the Chase, you can almost count on them having one bad race. The 48, they just never have that one bad race. I don't know how to explain it, but they just don't make any mistakes. You have to beat him on performance. To do that, that's really hard.

"Unfortunately, we're racing during the Jimmie Johnson Era. We're just unlucky in that sense. I think being out there and racing with him, I can say that I think he's the best that there ever was."

Martin Truex Jr. completed his tenure at Michael Waltrip Racing with a fourth-place run, one spot ahead of teammate Clint Bowyer. Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Johnson and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 10. 

Johnson's path to the title was far from easy. Moments after a restart on Lap 194, Paul Menard rammed the back of Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet as the outside line checked up. The impact jerked Johnson's car sideways, but the five-time champion was able to regain control and keep the car off the outside wall. 

His momentum sapped, however, Johnson plummeted to 23rd in the running order, the precise finishing position he needed to secure his sixth championship. Over the next nine laps, Johnson recovered to 16th and drove the No. 48 out of the danger zone. 

From that point on, he advanced as high as sixth before finishing ninth, and the sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup title was his. 

"I had contact from behind that pushed me into the 20 (Kenseth), and both of us were out of control and sliding toward the outside fence at that point," Johnson said. "I didn't know what to think. That got us mired back in traffic and made the last 50 laps kind of interesting.

"We still had an awesome race car and got the job done."


NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race - Ford EcoBoost 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Florida
Sunday, November 17, 2013

    1. (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267, $322350.
    2. (1) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 267, $293251.
    3. (21) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 267, $203860.
    4. (8) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 267, $174235.
    5. (25) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 267, $167968.
    6. (4) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 267, $156701.
    7. (11) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 267, $140293.
    8. (3) Joey Logano, Ford, 267, $119518.
    9. (7) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 267, $134221.
    10. (6) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 267, $126246.
    11. (26) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 267, $123596.
    12. (18) Carl Edwards, Ford, 267, $115435.
    13. (13) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 267, $94060.
    14. (10) Elliott Sadler(i), Toyota, 267, $88110.
    15. (20) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 267, $107593.
    16. (19) Aric Almirola, Ford, 267, $116421.
    17. (15) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 267, $113343.
    18. (27) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 267, $105999.
    19. (22) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 267, $121585.
    20. (24) Danica Patrick #, Chevrolet, 267, $80935.
    21. (2) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 267, $104255.
    22. (9) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #, Ford, 267, $122396.
    23. (14) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 267, $85360.
    24. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 267, $91660.
    25. (30) Parker Kligerman(i), Toyota, 267, $93543.
    26. (23) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 267, $103724.
    27. (31) David Gilliland, Ford, 266, $90368.
    28. (40) Casey Mears, Ford, 266, $95568.
    29. (29) David Ragan, Ford, 266, $93157.
    30. (28) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 265, $103230.
    31. (32) David Reutimann, Toyota, 265, $74685.
    32. (37) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 264, $71960.
    33. (39) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 264, $71760.
    34. (41) Ken Schrader, Ford, 263, $71560.
    35. (42) Joe Nemechek(i), Toyota, 263, $71360.
    36. (36) AJ Allmendinger, Toyota, 257, $79135.
    37. (33) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 248, $78912.
    38. (38) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 242, $65750.
    39. (12) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, Accident, 229, $91741.
    40. (17) Trevor Bayne(i), Ford, Engine, 223, $57750.
    41. (35) Josh Wise(i), Ford, Rear Gear, 119, $53750.
    42. (43) Tony Raines(i), Chevrolet, Vibration, 104, $49750.
    43. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford, Brakes, 63, $46250.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  130.693 mph.
Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 03 Mins, 52 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.799 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  8 for 37 laps.
Lead Changes:  22 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   M. Kenseth 1-11; D. Hamlin 12-13; M. Kenseth 14; K. Harvick 15; M. Kenseth 16-25; D. Ragan 26; K. Harvick 27; Kurt Busch 28-31; M. Kenseth 32-91; K. Larson(i) 92; M. Kenseth 93-139; D. Earnhardt Jr. 140; M. Kenseth 141-142; D. Earnhardt Jr. 143-153; M. Kenseth 154-166; D. Hamlin 167-207; K. Harvick 208-213; B. Keselowski 214-222; D. Hamlin 223; D. Earnhardt Jr. 224-235; D. Hamlin 236-239; D. Earnhardt Jr. 240-243; D. Hamlin 244-267.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  M. Kenseth 7 times for 144 laps; D. Hamlin 5 times for 72 laps; D. Earnhardt Jr. 4 times for 28 laps; B. Keselowski 1 time for 9 laps; K. Harvick 3 times for 8 laps; Kurt Busch 1 time for 4 laps; D. Ragan 1 time for 1 lap; K. Larson(i) 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 13 in Points: J. Johnson - 2,419; M. Kenseth - 2,400; K. Harvick - 2,385; Kyle Busch - 2,364; D. Earnhardt Jr. - 2,363; J. Gordon - 2,337; C. Bowyer - 2,336; J. Logano - 2,323; G. Biffle - 2,321; Kurt Busch - 2,309; R. Newman - 2,286; K. Kahne - 2,283; C. Edwards - 2,282.

- NASCAR Wire Service

Homestead-Miami Driver Chassis Selections: 2013 Ford EcoBoost 400

Ryan Newman using winning Brickyard chassis this week at Homestead

#2-Brad Keselowski: Primary Chassis for Homestead is PRS-866, which last raced at Dover finishing 37th. The backup chassis is PRS-854 which was a backup at several races but not raced.

#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 DeWalt team will bring chassis No. 840 to the season finale this weekend. The team ran this chassis at four races this season. Ambrose brought home the chassis best finish of ninth at Kansas in October. Ambrose has five Cup starts at the South Florida track with a best finish of 13th which he tallied last season. He also has two Nationwide starts at the track and brought home a 10th-place finish in 2007.

#10-Danica Patrick: will pilot Chassis No. 10-828 which is a new car that has not been used previously.

#14-Mark Martin: Chassis No. 14-827: This car debuted two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth with driver Mark Martin. The AAA Texas 500 was the first time this car turned wheels on the racetrack, although it had been tested in the wind tunnel numerous times. Chassis No. 14-827 qualified 33rd and rallied to a solid 11th-place finish. It was quickly turned around for its second career start this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

#15-Clint Bowyer: Primary chassis No. 738 finished 27th at Las Vegas, 11th at Darlington and third at Kentucky. Backup chassis No. 733 raced at Phoenix in March and raced at Pocono.

#16-Greg Biffle: and the Matt Puccia led #16 3M Fan Appreciation Ford Fusion team will bring primary chassis RK-862, which first hit the track at the second Pocono race and more recently has raced at Chicago and then at Charlott in October, finishing 16th. The backup chassis is RK-859 which last ran at Indy and finished 24th. Biffle won at Homestead three years in row, starting in 2004. In addition to his three wins, Biffle has four top-five and five top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile track.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: and the #17 Ford EcoBoost team will be using primary chassis RK-820 which last ran at Kansas and finished 30th. The backup chassis RK- 811 which raced numerous times in 2012 as the #99.

#22-Joey Logano: Primary Chassis is PRS-865 for Homestead, which last ran at Dover and finished 3rd. The Backup Chassis is PRS-842 which last raced at Bristol finishing 5th.

#27-Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 428 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This #27 Menards / Moen Chevy was raced previously this season at Indianapolis, Michigan, Chicago and Charlotte. Menard has seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His best start of 16th came in 2010 and best finish of 11th came in last year's season-ending event. The Wisconsin native has completed 1,864 of 1,870 laps attempted (99.7 percent) at the Florida track.

#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot chassis No. 438 from the RCR stable at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend. This is a new car that will make its first laps on track this weekend. In 12 starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Harvick has earned five top fives and 10 top 10s. He has completed 100 percent of the laps run in NSCS competition (3,208 of 3,209) and has an average start of 14.7 and average finish of 7.9. Sunday s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway will mark the end of a chapter in Harvick s racing career his final race for Richard Childress Racing. In his 13 years in the NSCS, Harvick has earned 23 wins, 100 top fives and 208 top 10s. In addition, he s also earned two NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) titles and 35 NNS wins for the team during his career.

#31-Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 426 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend at Homestead. This #31 Caterpillar Chevy was utilized earlier this season at Michigan in June, Indianapolis in July, Chicago in September and Charlotte in October. Sunday's event marks Burton's 15th start at the 1.5-mile oval and 691st-career Sprint Cup Series entry. He has amassed four top-five and six top-10 finishes and led 29 laps at the Homestead, Fla.-based race track.

#39-Ryan Newman will pilot Chassis No. 39-733 at Homestaed, a workhorse of the No. 39 fleet, chassis No. 39-733 debuted at Indianapolis in July 2012, when Newman recorded a seventh-place finish. The crew turned the car around in just a couple of days and took it to Pocono, where it finished sixth. Two weeks later, the chassis was back on track at Michigan, where it finished eighth. The chassis earned its first top-five finish at Chicago. The chassis next raced three weeks later at Dover. The chassis made its last start of 2012 at Kansas in October, when Newman was involved in an incident that forced him to retire from the event prematurely. Chassis No. 39-733 was outfitted with a new front clip and a Chevrolet SS body over the offseason and saw its first laps of 2013 at Kansas in April, when Newman finished 14th. He then raced this Chevrolet SS to a 10th-place finish at Darlington in May. Newman again raced Chassis 39-733 at Pocono in June, when he recorded a fifth-place finish. He was in contention to score another top-10 with Chassis 39-733 at Kentucky in June, but a late-race restart saw him shuffled to 14th when the checkered flag waved. Then, Newman qualified the car on the pole and led 45 laps en-route to earning his first win of the 2013 season in July s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. A week later, Newman overcame a series of slow stops on pit road at Pocono to record a fourth-place finish. The #39 team then utilized Chassis 39-733 at Michigan in August, when Newman fought through an ill-handling condition to finish 13th. Most recently, Chassis 39-733 was raced at Chicago, where Newman was able to kick off the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup with a 10th-place finish.

#43-Aric Almirola:: The #43 Smithfield team will bring chassis No. 864 to the season finale. The #43 team raced this chassis at Chicago in September and Charlotte in October with a best finish of 13th at Chicago. Almirola has three starts at the mile-and-a-half track in the Sprint Cup Series. He scored his best finish when filling in for Kasey Kahne at Richard Petty Motorsports in 2010 when he crossed the finishline in fourth. Last season, he started fifth but ran out of gas on the last lap and finished seventh. He also has six total starts in the Nationwide and truck series where he scored one top-five and two top-10s.

#47-A.J. Allmendinger Crew chief Brian Burns will bring Chassis 708 to Homestead: "The car we will have at Homestead is 708," crew chief Brian Burns said. "AJ raced it at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. It is only the third race so it is still a fairly new car. He is familiar with it and we should unload well. We have made some gains on intermediate tracks and should have a pretty good baseline package after learning some things at Texas Motor Speedway."

#48-Jimmie Johnson: will drive chassis No. 797 at Homestead, which last ran and won at Texas in November. And also won at Dover in Sept. Chassis No. 824 serves as the backup.

#55-Elliott Sadler: Primary 792 which has not raced but tested at Homestead on Oct 29-30. In 12 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Sadler owns a top-10 finish and has led 18 laps. In 433 Sprint Cup starts he s won three races, eight poles and led 1,244 laps. In 229 Nationwide starts he s won nine races, 15 poles and led 1,422 laps. Sunday marks his fourth race in the No. 55 this season.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-822. Earnhardt first raced this chassis to an eighth-place finish at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway in October. Earnhardt tested this chassis at Homestead in October. In 13 Sprint Cup starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Earnhardt has led 93 laps and recorded one top-10 finish and four top-15 results. He scored his best finish -- 10th -- at Homestead in the 2012 season finale.

#99-Carl Edwards.:RK- 854 last ran at Charlotte. RK 831 last ran at Kansas.

- compiled by Jayski.com

Carl Edwards has Homestead-best 6.0 average finish, along with two wins

Carl Edwards has two wins at Homestead; he's 18/1 to win Sunday

Carl Edwards – Ford 400
Team: No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig
Primary Chassis: RK- 854 last ran at Charlotte
Backup Chassis: RK – 831 last ran at Kansas

ADVANCE NOTES

Edwards at Homestead
Edwards’ average start at Homestead is 11.0, his average finish is 6.0 which is the best of all active drivers. He has also led a total of 560 laps there, the most among active drivers. He has only finished outside the top 10 twice in nine starts.

In the Loop
According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last nine races at Homestead, Edwards has turned 264 of the track’s fastest laps, spent 1,881 laps in the top 15, and has a driver rating of 119, which leads all active drivers in these categories.

The Car
The team will unload RK – 854 which last ran in the Bank of America 500 where Edwards landed his 16th top-10 finish this season.

QUOTE WORTHY

Edwards quotes on the Ford 400:
“Ford championship weekend at Homestead has always been good to us. As a team, we’ve always been able to perform well at that race. I love going down to south Florida and I had the opportunity to meet some fire fighters and first responders at the Miami-Dade fire district at the start of the chase, so hopefully we get to have a few of those guys and girls out at the race track. Who doesn’t like to go to Florida in November? It’s a beautiful place, they make it a fun event and the race track itself has always been one of my favorite; The pavement is worn out, you can slide the cars sideways, there are three or four distinct grooves in the corners, you can ride right up by the fence or down by the bottom of the racetrack, so to drive it’s a really fun weekend. Our chase has obviously not gone the way we wanted and I don’t’ think we really have anything to lose points wise there. So for us, especially coming off such a disappointing final two laps in Phoenix, we want to wrap this season up standing in victory lane and that’s what we plan on doing. We’re going there for one thing and that’s to win.”

- Roush Fenway Racing

Homestead-Miami Preview: 2013 Ford EcoBoost 400

Jimmie Johnson using his winning Texas chassis this week at Miami

Jimmie Johnson will find himself in another familiar position at Homestead-Miami Speedway this Sunday of not having to race hard while nursing his point lead. He's never won at Homestead over his career because in past situations there, he's just trying to stay out of trouble. On Sunday, all he has to do is finish 23rd or better and he'll win his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup title in eight seasons.

The likelihood of Johnson winning the title is so great that the LVH SuperBook in Las Vegas has taken their championship odds off the board, citing Johnson's lead too large. Last week with only a seven point lead, he was 1-to-5 (Bet $100 to win $20). What would his odds be with a 28-point lead over Matt Kenseth? Maybe 1-to-25?

However, there is small window of hope if rooting for Kenseth or Kevin Harvick who sits third, 34-points back. Johnson's last two races at Homestead didn't go very well, finishing 32nd there in 2011 and 36th last season while battling Brad Keselowski for the Championship. It's unlikely that Johnson will fare as poorly, but it's still something that has to be dangling around in his head.

Winning the Sprint Championship is inevitable, but winning the race is unlikely, just because he'll be in cruise control mode with no intentions of mixing it up with the leaders. He'll play it safe and keep himself in position to always be out of harm’s way.

Read More Here..........Top-5 Finish Prediction

Kurt Busch's "last chance" to win for Furniture Row Racing

Kurt Busch posted at 20/1 odds to win at Homestead

DENVER (Nov. 13, 2013) – Closing out the season at a racetrack where he achieved his greatest moment as a NASCAR driver, Kurt Busch is looking for some more magic at Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of Sunday’s final Sprint Cup Series race of 2013.

It was at the 1.5-mile intermediate South Florida track where Busch held off Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon to capture the 2004 Cup championship, the first year of NASCAR’s Chase playoff format.

“Since 2004 there’s been a nostalgic feeling when I get to Homestead,” said Busch. “Winning the championship in the first year of the Chase was a magical time for me. But right now the focus is on the present, not the past.

“This will be my final ride with Furniture Row Racing and I want to make it a good one. We have plenty to shoot for when the green flag drops on Sunday.”

Busch, who is coming off a fifth-place finish at Phoenix, is positioned in 10th place in the Chase driver point standings.

“We want to be 10th or better in the final point standings,” said Busch, a seven-time Chase participant. “Being in the top-10 not only has a better ring to it, but it shows how far this single-car team out of Colorado has come in a short period of time and how well it has fared against the big dogs of the sport.”

An added perk for finishing in the top-10 is that Busch would be invited to speak at the NASCAR’s awards banquet, Dec. 6 at the Wynn Hotel in his hometown of Las Vegas.

But there’s more to shoot for at Homestead than a podium appearance at the annual awards gala.

“This is our last chance to take the Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet to Victory Lane,” said Busch, a 2002 winner at Homestead. “There’s nothing I want more for these Furniture Row guys who have worked so hard all year to give me a fast race car.

“Though we have a bunch of top-fives (11) and top-10s (16) we don’t have that W. A victory would cap off an already successful season for our single-car team. It’s been a great ride with a great bunch of guys and with an outstanding organization led by team owner Barney Visser.”

Speaking of top fives, Busch is tied for third with 11 top-five finishes this season. He also is one top-five finish shy of equaling his most top-fives in a season of 12, set in 2002.

Busch has also scored three top-five finishes in the nine Chase races. He was fourth in the Chase opener at Chicago, second at Kansas and fifth at Phoenix.

“Outside of those three races we seemed to have hit a brick wall in the Chase,” noted Busch. “But to finish fifth last week was a big moment and gives us plenty of momentum heading into Homestead.”

                                                      Busch’s 2013 Sprint Cup Series Results

Date	Event	St	Fn	Laps	Led	Status	Money	Points	Standing
2/24	Daytona 500	11	28	195/200	0	Running	336,234	16	26
3/3	Phoenix	25	27	315/316	0	Running	102,920	17/33	29
3/10	Las Vegas	24	20	266/267	0	Running	129,275	24/57	29
3/17	Bristol	19	4	500/500	1	Running	134,255	41/98	16
3/24	Fontana	10	5	200/200	0	Running	146,585	39/137	13
4/7	Martinsville	19	37	457/500	0	Accident	102,961	7/144	19
4/13	Fort Worth	2	37	316/334	0	Running	117,603	7/151	24
4/21	Kansas	13	15	267/267	0	Running	112,855	29/180	22
4/27	Richmond	14	9	406/406	36	Running	114,630	36/216	20
5/5	Talladega	33	30	182/192	2	Accident	116,325	15/231	20
5/11	Darlington	1	14	367/367	69	Running	122,975	31/262	18
5/26	Charlotte	2	3	400/400	8	Running	218,560	42/304	18
6/2	Dover	13	12	400/400	8	Running	128,575	33/337	17
6/9	Pocono	20	7	200/200	0	Running	119,430	37/374	15
6/16	Michigan	2	35	193/200	21	Running	107,340	10/384	20
6/23	Sonoma	7	4	110/110	15	Running	154,860	41/425	17
6/30	Kentucky	27	6	267/267	0	Running	116,455	38/463	14
7/6	Daytona	22	6	161/161	0	Running	150,485	38/501	9
7/14	N. Hampshire	2	31	283/302	102	Running	110,430	15/516	14
7/28	Indianapolis	6	14	160/160	0	Running	192,270	30/546	14
8/4	Pocono	5	3	160/160	9	Running	153,930	42/588	13
8/11	Watkins Glen	13	9	90/90	0	Running	111,330	35/623	11
8/18	Michigan	2	3	200/200	43	Running	136,315	42/665	9
8/24	Bristol	2	31	476/500	54	Running	122,740	14/679	12
9/1	Atlanta	32	4	325/325	0	Running	65,235	40/719	10
9/7	Richmond	2	2	400/400	73	Running	185,355	43/821*	8*
9/15	Chicagoland	16	4	267/267	0	Running	169,960	40/2040	6
9/22	N. Hampshire	4	13	300/300	0	Running	115,830	31/2071	7
9/29	Dover	9	21	397/400	0	Running	108,155	23/2094	9
10/6	Kansas	19	2	267/267	0	Running	229,810	42/2136	7
10/12	Charlotte	10	14	333/334	0	Running	110,280	30/2166	7
10/20	Talladega	30	18	188/188	3	Running	113,030	27/2193	9
10/27	Martinsville	19	18	499/500	0	Running	109,155	26/2219	9
11/3	Fort Worth	31	17	333/334	0	Running	133,505	27/2246	10
11/10	Phoenix	8	5	312/312	0	Running	137,630	39/2285	10

                                              Avg. Start: 13.54  Avg. Finish: 14.51   Laps Led:  444   Top 5s: 11   Top 10s: 16

                                  Poles: 1  Outside Poles: 7   Money: $4,837,283      *Reseeded 10^th after Chase points were reset

                      Busch’s Career Record Homestead-Miami Speedway

Year	Start	Finish	Status/Laps	Laps Led	Earnings
2000	10	19	Running, 264/267	0	$50,300
2001	32	23	Running, 267/267	0	49,550
2002	1	1	Running, 267/267	28	297,100
2003	7	36	Running, 147/267	0	63,760
2004	1	5	Running, 271/271	4	130,650
2005	DNE
2006	36	43	Accident, 9/268	0	100,506
2007	5	2	Running, 267/267	17	263,808
2008	38	43	Accident, 207/267	0	61,876
2009	12	4	Running, 267/267	43	157,275
2010	15	18	Running, 267/267	0	112,898
2011	4	34	Running, 220/267	0	108,450
2012	26	9	Running, 267/267	0	107,318

Homestead-Miami Speedway Totals

Races	Win	T5	T10	Pole	Laps Led	Laps Completed	AvgSt	AvgFn	DNF	Money
12	1	4	5	2	92	2720 of 3209 – 84.8%	15.6	19.8	2	$1,503,491

 

Furniture Row Over-the-Wall Crew

Front-tire changer	Matt Humphries, Conover, N.C.
Front-tire carrier	Thad Wymer, Thomasville, N.C.
Rear-tire changer	Jake Lind, Welcome, N.C.
Rear-tire carrier	Josh Sobecki, New Kensington, Pa.
Jackman	Brian Gainey, Moline, Ill.
Gasman	Milan Rudanovic, Sussex, N.J.
2nd Gasman	Ryan Bergenty, Plainville, Conn.

Furniture Row Road Crew

General Manager	Joe Garone, Denver, Colo.
Crew Chief	Todd Berrier, Kernersville, N.C.
Competition Director	Pete Rondeau, Saco, Maine
Car Chief	Blake Harris, Maypearl, Texas
Engineers	Cole Pearn, London, Ontario,  Matt Faulkner, Memphis, Tenn.
Spotters	Rick Carelli, Arvada, Colo., Clayton Hughes, Thomasville, N.C.
Engine Specialist/Builder	Scott Meesters, Hanford, Calif., Earnhardt-Childress Racing
Shock Specialist	Nick Kerlin, Old Fort, Ohio
Tire Specialist	Chad Krauch, Loveland, Colo.
Technical Support	Michael McCullough, Imperial, Calif.
Mechanics	Ryan Bergenty, Plainville, Conn. , Gary Frost, Romeo, Mich.
Transportation	Henry Benfield (also gas runner) Statesville, N.C.   Jason Churgin, San Fernando Valley, Calif., Jim Gilbert, Belleville, IL. Dave Hicks, Montcalm, WVa. Chuck Lemay, DeKalb, IL

- DMF Communications for Furniture Row Racing

Kevin Harvick makes final start for RCR at Homestead

Kevin Harvick to run final race for RCR on Sunday; he's 7/1 to win

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS

Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Week’s Budweiser Chevrolet SS at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 438 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Homestead 400. This is a new Chevrolet and will run its first competitive laps when it arrives at the 1.5-mile track.

Sunshine State Stats … Since 2001, Harvick has made 12 Sprint Cup Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Throughout the years, the RCR driver has earned five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. Harvick holds an average starting position of 14.7 coupled with an average finishing position of 7.9, has completed 99.9 percent (3,208 of 3,209) of the laps contested and has 128 laps led to his credit.

Championship Hunt … Heading into the season-finale event at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Harvick sits third in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, 34 markers behind leader Jimmie Johnson and six points out of second place.

Sign Here, Please … Harvick is scheduled to sign autographs on Saturday, Nov. 16 from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. ET in the Homestead Midway. Any fan with a ticket to Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event can visit the Midway to participate in the autograph session.

Special Look … In celebration of his 14-years with RCR, Harvick will sport a custom designed helmet featuring memorable moments, achievements and milestones from his successful career with the organization.

Looking Back … Harvick will complete his 13th season of Sprint Cup Series racing at RCR following Sunday afternoon’s 267-lap event at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Since his first series start at Rockingham Speedway in 2001, the California native has made 23 trips to Victory Lane, earned six pole awards, 100 top-five and 208 top-10 finishes in 465 starts.

Race Rewind … After starting the 267-lap affair from the 23rd position, Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser team drove to an eighth-place finish in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season-finale event at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

Share your thoughts on racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“Homestead (Miami Speedway) has been a great race track for us, whether it was flat or banked. It’s been a race track where we’ve run well. It would be nice to close out my career at Richard Childress Racing with a win there and go out on the right note. RCR is where I got my start and it’s been a great career so far.”

Is it difficult to go to a track only once a year?
“It’s definitely different for the fact that it seems like the track changes so much more because we only go there once a year, not to mention the progression of the car is so different from year-to-year. Homestead has aged over the years because of the climate it’s in and has become a very challenging track to drive and figure out. It does create new challenges when you only go there once a year, because you don’t put as much focus on that specific track with testing and the things you should do to collect the needed data to put into the simulations to get the right starting point.”

Are you fatigued or excited when you finally get to Homestead-Miami Speedway?
“You’re pretty excited when you get to Homestead, because you know you’re going to get some time off. You’re obviously still working during the winter doing photoshoots and working with sponsors, but at least you get to come home and sleep in your own bed at night. It’s great to get month or so off, but I’m pretty excited for the last day of school.”

Is it bittersweet for you to close out this chapter of your career?
“I’m excited for what lies ahead. I’m extremely grateful for opportunity that Richard (Childress, team owner) gave me, and I’m proud of everything that we have accomplished throughout the years.”

- Richard Childress Racing

Kyle Busch in position to have best Chase finish ever with good Homestead run

Kyle Busch finished fourth at Miami last year; he's 5/1 to win Sunday

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 12, 2013) – Even though Kyle Busch sits in fourth place in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings, 57 points behind five-time champion Jimmie Johnson and too far out to compete for the title, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot on the line for Busch Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

As the curtain falls on the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, the driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR)has plenty to race for in Sunday’s season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400.

Busch’s best previous finish in the Sprint Cup standings was fifth in 2007, the year before he joined JGR. The statistics show that the 2013 Chase has been his best ever, with five top-five finishes and six top-10s in the first nine races of NASCAR’s 10-race playoffs.

For the season as a whole, Busch has 16 top-fives and 21 top-10s. Another top-five finish Sunday at Homestead would tie his career high of 17 top-fives in 2008 and best his career high of 21 top-10s, also set in 2008.

Homestead had never been kind to Busch until last year’s season finale. He dominated the 267-lap race in 2012, leading six times for a race-high 191 laps. While he had the dominant car, the Las Vegas native had to settle for a fourth-place finish after a long, green-flag run to finish the race had the M&M’s team come up short on fuel and foiled a seemingly certain win in the closing laps.

Busch’s 2012 result was his first top-five finish at the 1.5-mile South Florida oval, bettering by far his other seven finishes of 41st, 28th, 20th, 19th, eighth, 32nd and 23rd.

While mathematically eliminated in the championship hunt, Busch still can climb as high as second in the final standings as he is currently 29 points behind second-place JGR teammate Matt Kenseth, and 23 points behind third-place Kevin Harvick. Behind Busch lurks Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is six points behind Busch in fifth, and Jeff Gordon, who sits 23 points behind Busch in the sixth spot.

So, before the curtain falls on the 2013 Sprint Cup season at Homestead, Busch will reach for a Homestead win in order to top off the strongest Chase of his career, and he and the M&M’s team hope to take the momentum from their best Chase ever and build it into Busch’s first Sprint Cup title in 2014.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

The numbers say so, but does this actually feel like the best Chase that you’ve ever had?
“I think so. Obviously, you look at some of the things that we could have done better, too. We proved to ourselves we could do it and we came out here this year and we were able to follow up on last year’s success. Barring Kansas, I think we’ve done a really nice job. Wish we would have finished the race better at Martinsville, and we had a good run going at Texas and I messed up on pit road. But weeks like Phoenix last week, we probably had a 12th- to 14th-place car and we just kept digging and ended up getting a seventh out of it. Those are the encouraging weeks, along with some of the other top-five finishes we had. Other than that, we’ve run a lot better this year than in years past. The pace that those guys up front have kept up has been really tough. All we can do is go out there Sunday, try and win the race, and let the points fall where they may and hope we can gain a spot or two once the checkered (flag) drops.”

How did the car react at Homestead-Miami Speedway during your test session a few weeks ago?
“Everything was really, really close to last year’s stuff – very similar. The track seems to have aged a little more and maybe the tire compound could use a little bit of help to be better there just because we’ve run the same one I think now three or four years. The tire compound is fine, it’s not that big of a deal. Definitely a lot of grip for the first few laps and then it really tapers off and then everybody is running up next to the fence. I think that’s what we saw in years past. As it did get darker, the track seemed to widen out. It’s just during the day, when it’s hot out and it’s slick out, that the best you can do is run right next to the wall. As the nighttime came, you could start moving around a little bit more. It’s definitely still a racey joint, but track temperatures are very conducive to that. Our M&M’s Camry was pretty good and we’d really like to finish off the year with a big win.”

How close do Dave Rogers and Jason Ratcliff work together?
“Dave (Rogers, crew chief) and Jason (Ratcliff, JGR’s No. 20 crew chief) are probably, in my opinion, they are one of the two closest crew chiefs in the garage area just from the resources that they’ve had and the time that they’ve spent working with each other in the Nationwide Series. They were at JGR Nationwide since, I want to say, ’06 or something like that. They turned that program from not really winning many races to winning races and winning a ton of races. Those two together, they’ve worked a lot over the years and sharing notes and communicating and having offices right next to each other. Dave made the jumpfirst over to the Cup side and, obviously, Jason followed a couple years later. I don’t think any of that communication has ever died down. They’re still fierce workers. They work each other competitively because each tries to burn as much midnight oil as he can. They’re really smart and do work together quite often.”

What are your expectations for Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway?
“That track hasn’t been great to me, but we really turned the corner there last year and Dave and the M&M’s guys brought a really good racecar. I’ve run well there in the Truck Series. I won the Nationwide race there in 2010 and 2011, as well. Homestead is a fun racetrack. It’s real challenging because of the way the race changes from the beginning to the end, and the way things change from the beginning to the end of your runs. You run the bottom, then you go to the top. You’re always moving around. You’re always thinking. It’s a cool racetrack. The sun is going to play havoc on our eyes getting down into turn one during the race.”

Like you said, Homestead has not been a great track for you, statistically, but that changed last year. Is Homestead a place you might be starting to figure out in the Sprint Cup car?
“We ran a lot better there in 2009 than where we finished and we were running top-10 in 2011 before we got wrecked, so, we’ve had a few races where our runs have been much better than the results have shown. In 2009, Denny (Hamlin) and I battled on that last restart and I just couldn’t quite stay ahead of him. Track position is big there and, once he got out in clear air, he was gone. I was trying hard to get back ahead of him and ended up scraping the fence. I’ve never run that well there overall, but Dave (Rogers, crew chief) really gave me the best car I’ve ever had there last year. I’m hoping we can have another strong car and finish off the season strong, and it can give us some momentum for the offseason and for next year.”

- True Speed Communications for Kyle Busch Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing