Ford EcoBoost 400 Results
Monday, November 17, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Updated Westgate Odds to win: 2014 EcoBooster 400 at Homestead
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| Jimmie Johnson is now 3/1 favorite to win at Homestead |
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2014
KEVIN HARVICK 5
JEFF GORDON 6
BRAD KESELOWSKI 6
JOEY LOGANO 6
JIMMIE JOHNSON 3
MATT KENSETH 12
KYLE BUSCH 15
KYLE LARSON 15
DENNY HAMLIN 12
DALE EARNHARDT JR 15
JAMIE McMURRAY 50
KASEY KAHNE 20
CARL EDWARDS 75
RYAN NEWMAN 35
TONY STEWART 60
KURT BUSCH 18
CLINT BOWYER 30
GREG BIFFLE 100
BRIAN VICKERS 100
PAUL MENARD 100
MARTIN TRUEX JR 75
AUSTIN DILLON 300
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 300
ARIC ALMIROLA 500
MARCOS AMBROSE 500
TREVOR BAYNE 500
AJ ALLMENDINGER 500
DANICA PATRICK 500
JUSTIN ALLGAIER 500
FIELD 500
Post Practice Notes & Top-Rated Drivers
Homestead Practice Notes and Final Driver Ratings: 2014 Ford EcoBoost 500
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| Strong Texas performance a good sign for Johnson at Homestead |
Homestead-Miami Speedway is one of only four tracks Johnson has yet to win at since he began running full-time in the Cup series. That’s 70 wins since 2002, none at Homestead. Along the way he’s grabbed six Cup titles, which is part of the reason he’s been in situations where he really wasn’t trying to win in the final race of the season at Homestead. In many of those instances, Johnson just had to play it safe and points-race.
Now Johnson can go all out as he’s the furthest back in points since he began Cup racing. He crossed Michigan off his ’things to do list’ in June, and between winning at Texas three weeks ago and what we saw Saturday during the final practice, he’s clearly the driver to beat on Sunday.
But the big story everyone wants to talk about is who is going to win the Sprint Cup among the Championship 4. The race itself, and who will win, almost becomes secondary to most in NASCAR Nation unless it’s a combination effort like Tony Stewart in 2011 when he held off runner-up Carl Edwards to win the race and the Sprint Cup.
Kevin Harvick was posted as the 9-to-2 favorite to win the race at the beginning of the week, as well as the 3-to-2 favorite to win the Sprint Cup, but he didn’t look nearly as intimidating during practice as he did on the other 1.5-mile tracks this season. Maybe because the paper-clip configuration and progressive banking make it unique to the others, but they were trying all types of set-ups during both of Saturday’s practices and couldn’t find that consistency they were searching for.
Harvick was fastest in the early session and then was eighth in the final session, but what had made him so intimidating to everyone else was the speeds they gained over 10-consecutive laps. He was blowing the doors off everyone in that category all season on the 1.5-mile tracks. His only win on the 10 1.5s this season was at Charlotte in October, but his confidence was high going into each of those races because of those stellar average speeds.
It’s not to say Harvick was slow, because he wasn’t. In the 10-consecutive lap category he was fourth best in the morning and seventh best in the afternoon. Any other team might be thrilled with that, but it might be kind of a downer for the No. 4 team because they have been the big dog in practice. What makes it even worse is that this 1.5-mile race is for the title. This is not the time for a sub-par practice. They raised the bar all season, now they're just a little bit under it.
Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, has to be thrilled with their practices where they had the third best 10-consecutive laps average during both sessions. The No. 11 team consistently ran fast laps and got their car looking better than it has all season. Remember, Hamlin’s team has underperformed on 1.5s all year -- only one top-5 finish -- but he’s also the only Championship 4 driver to win at Homestead, and he’s done it twice, including last season for his only win of 2013.
The entire No. 11 team has to be excited about their chances to not only win the Sprint Cup, but also win the race. Why not? Crew Chief Darian Grubb got the combo special done for as Stewart’s crew chief in 2011. They’ve also got the best pit crew in the series. And now they've got a very fast car on the long runs.
Both Harvick and Hamlin will have a rough Saturday night trying to sleep as they go for their first title, but Harvick’s might be a little tougher not just because of his practices, but also because the No. 11 looks stronger than ever, and maybe even better than his car.
If allowed to make a daily-double here in Las Vegas, like horse racing, for the race winner to the Cup winner, my play would be 11, 48 with 11. Johnson is the driver to beat, but Hamlin may be forced into winning and racing harder because Harvick is surely to be on his tail, just like Edwards was with Stewart in 2011.
Of course there's also Joey Logano and Ryan Newman racing for the title. Logano has a better resume on 1.5s this season as far as consistency goes, and Newman is right there with a 10th-place average on the 1.5s this season, but they didn't wow in practices. However, Logano's car did show noticeable improvements after his teammate, Brad Keselowski, shared some notes before Saturday's early session.
The best long shots to consider based on practices are Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer.
Read More Here.....Driver Ratings
Logano fastest in final practice among title contenders
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -- Joey Logano, trying to help team owner Roger Penske to a sweep of the major American racing titles, was the fastest of the four championship contenders in Saturday's final practice at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
''To be able to accomplish this would be really quite something, and that was really our goal from the beginning of the season,'' said Walt Czarnecki, executive vice president of Penske Corp. and the listed car owner of Logano's Ford.Team Penske won the IndyCar championship with Will Power in September, and a victory by Logano in Sunday's season finale would make Penske the only team owner to complete the sweep. A first-time champion will be crowned when Logano competes against Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman, with the Sprint Cup going to the highest-finishing driver.
''Maybe we didn't verbalize it quite that way, but we really felt we were going to be competitive in all of these series, and the results have demonstrated that.''
Read More Here.....Yahoo! Sports
Friday, November 14, 2014
2014 EcoBoost 400 Starting Lineup Breakdown
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| Denny Hamlin starts eighth on Sunday |
Kevin Harvick, starting fifth, is the highest starter among the four drivers who enter the race on equal footing in the standings. Whoever finishes best in the Ford 400 among that group will be crowned the champion Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
MORE: Homestead picks | Odds | Teammates could play big role in deciding champ
Harvick is the favorite, having led more than 2,000 laps this year, and he showed in qualifying Friday he had the most speed. As for the other Chase finalists, Denny Hamlin will start eighth, Joey Logano will start ninth and Ryan Newman will start 21st.
Jeff Gordon is on the pole and will be joined on the front row by Kurt Busch.
Here’s the breakdown for the final race of the 2014 season (Chase finalists in CAPS):
MORE: Most surprising Cup champions | Breaking down the final four | Chase story lines
1. Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet — Still has to be wondering how in the world can he finish second in two races of the previous round and not advance to the championship round. He’ll have a lot of company in the bewilderment.
Jeff Gordon on pole for Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homsestead
In the third and final round of the knockout qualifying session, Gordon covered the 1.5-mile distance in 29.876 seconds (180.747 mph), narrowly beating Busch (29.895 seconds/180.632 mph) for the top spot on the grid.
Championship favorite Kevin Harvick (179.946 mph) will start fifth, with fellow contenders Denny Hamlin (179.348 mph) and Joey Logano (179.259 mph) eighth and ninth, respectively. Ryan Newman (178.241 mph), the fourth driver eligible for the championship, failed to advance to the final round and will start 21st.
Matt Kenseth (180.294 mph) and Brad Keselowski(179.994 mph), both eliminated from the Chase last Sunday at Phoenix, qualified third and fourth, respectively, for the race.
In the 25-minute first qualifying round, Keselowski set a track record at 181.238 mph (29.795 mph), breaking the mark of 181.111 mph established by Jamie McMurray in 2003. No driver has won a Sprint Cup race at Homestead from the pole since Busch accomplished the feat in 2002.
Gordon, eliminated from the Chase by one point last Sunday, moved toward the top of the track for his Coors Light Pole Award-winning run.
"The bottom just wasn't the perfect place for us to run," Gordon explained. "I could feel the tires going away, and then we needed to move up. So when we saw some of those guys running fast laps a little bit higher up, I was looking forward to making that last lap.
"The guys made some great adjustments. We unfortunately had a tire going down on the left front, so I don't know if that helped us or hurt us, but it was pretty nice to get that pole. That's awesome."
Gordon's Coors Light Pole Award—his first at Homestead, his third of the season and the 77th of his career—also was the 200th for Hendrick Motorsports.
Read More Here....NASCAR.com
Harvick fastest among Championship 4 in first Homestead practice
Harvick was second overall but first among the four Chase for the Sprint Cup finalists in the 90-minute practice session at the 1.5-mile track. Harvick turned a lap of 178.95 mph, slightly slower than Brad Keselowski’s lap of 179.004 mph.
MORE: Lawmaker: Busch should be suspended | France promises tougher stance| France likes new Chase | Team orders in play?
Among the other three championship contenders, Ryan Newman was ninth, Denny Hamlin 11th and Joey Logano 22nd.
Harvick, Newman, Hamlin and Logano all enter the season finale Sunday with equal points, and whoever finishes the best among the four will be crowned the 2014 Sprint Cup champion.
Following Keselowski and Harvick on the overall speed chart were Danica Patrick, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Larson, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Newman and Kyle Busch.
Qualifying for the Ford 400 is set for 6:15 p.m. ET today with two more practices scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
No major incidents occurred during the opening practice session.
- Sporting News
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Driver Chassis Selections for Homestead: 2014 Ford EcoBoost 400
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| Keselowski using winning Chicagoland chassis this week at Homestead |
#3-Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 481 at Homestead. This is the same Dow Chevy that Dillon raced to a 13th-place finish at Charlotte in October, a 16th-place finish at Chicago in September, a 22nd-place finish at Michigan in August and a 10th-place finish at Indianapolis in July.
#4-Kevin Harvick will utilize Chassis No. 850 this weekend. Harvick raced this Budweiser chassis multiple times this season, including the following races: Auto Club Speedway (36th), the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (second), Kentucky (seventh) and Bristol (August - 11th). The #4 Budweiser team also utilized this car during a two-day test at Homestead last month (Oct. 28-20). Harvick has 13 prior NSCS starts at the 1.5-mile track. He has earned five top fives and 11 top-10 finishes. Harvick has led a total of 136 laps at Homestead and has an average start of 14.0 and an average finish of 8.1 there.
#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-820 for Sunday's race at Homestead. Kahne has raced this car five times this year. He drove it at the Fontana, California, oval in March and at Charlotte's All-Star Race in May, raced it to an eighth-place finish at Kentucky in June and drove it to Victory Lane at Atlanta in August. Most recently, Kahne drove this chassis at Dover in September. In 10 Sprint Cup Series starts at Homestead, Kahne has earned two pole positions, one top-five finish and four top-10s and led a total of 107 laps at the 1.5-mile track. He also has completed 2,593 of 2,675 laps there (96.9 percent). Kahne is the only driver with more than three starts at Homestead to have an average starting position inside the top 10 (8.3).
#10-Danica Patrick: will drive primary Chassis No. 10-908 which debuted in October 2014 at Charlotte with Kurt Busch and crew chief Daniel Knost. It started 11th and finished 11th after leading two laps. Backup chassis No. 10-845 was tested by Kurt Busch at Las Vegas in March, and then started 26th and finished 23rd at the 1.5-mile oval race weekend. The chassis was then used at Darlington, where Busch started 13th but finished 31st after being involved in an accident late in the race. The car was repaired and used in June at Michigan, where Busch started eighth, led 16 laps, but finished 13th. The car was back to Michigan in August, when Busch started 16th, led three laps and finished 31st. The Ford 400 will mark Danica Patrick's 82nd career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and her second at Homestead-Miami Speedway. She finished 20th there in 2013. In three NASCAR Nationwide Series outings, she started in the top-15 each time and finished 13th in November 2012. In six IndyCar Series races at the track, her best finished was second in 2010.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-898 debuted in August at Michigan with veteran NASCAR driver Jeff Burton at the wheel. Burton qualified 27th and felt the car was capable of advancing to the front, but a cracked tailpipe caught the heat shields underneath the car on fire around lap 65. It took 24 laps in the garage to make repairs, and Burton finished a disappointing 37th. Chassis No. 14-898 returned to action at Atlanta with Stewart. After starting 12th and passing five cars on the first lap, Stewart continued to show strength, climbing all the way to fourth place by lap 15. Changing track conditions saw Stewart drop to 12th by lap 100, but in working the low line around the track's corners, Stewart made the racecar work for him. Unfortunately, a flat right-front tire on lap 171 sent Stewart into the turn-two wall. The right side of Chassis No. 14-898 scraped along the SAFER Barrier and then moments later, the tire shredded, ripping apart sheetmetal and suspension components. Too damaged to repair, the car suffered a DNF (Did Not Finish). The car has been busy since, testing at Charlotte Sept. 29-30 and at Homestead Oct. 28-29. This weekend's Sprint Cup season finale marks the third career start for Chassis No. 14-898. Stewart has three wins, four top-fives, seven top-10s and has led a total of 450 laps in his 14 career Sprint Cup starts at Homestead. His average start is 15.9, his average finish is 11.9 and he has a lap completion rate of 99.9.
#15-Clint Bowyer: Chassis No. 817 serves as the primary chassis for Bowyer at Homestead. This chassis raced at Kansas in October (18th). Chassis No. 800 serves as the back-up chassis . This chassis raced at Bristol in August (17th) Kentucky in June (23rd) and Dover in June (4th). Bowyer has three top-fives and five top-10s in eight races at the 1.5-mile oval.
#16-Greg Biffle: the primary chassis is RK-930 which made is 2014 debut at Kansas with a 15th place finish, then went on to finish 13th at Texas. The backup chassis is RK-890 which last ran at Pocono, finishing 5th. Greg 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.: primary chassis RK-914 is the same chassis that Stenhouse Jr. has raced multiple times this year. This chassis was last raced at Charlotte where Stenhouse finished 24th. The backup chassis is RK- 877 which last raced at New Hampshire and finished ninth. Stenhouse has two career starts at Homestead, with an average starting position of 18.0 and average finishing position of 30.5.
#22-Joey Logano: will drive Primary Chassis PRS-923 at Homestead, which last ran at Chicago in September and finished 4th. The backup chassis is PRS-903 which was last used as a backup at Texas in Nov.
#24-Jeff Gordon: crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-914 for this Sunday's race. This chassis is brand new and has never been raced. On Nov. 18, 2012, Gordon led the final 13 laps en route to his only victory in 15 starts the South Florida track. His seven top-five finishes are two more than any other driver while Gordon is tied for most top-10s with 11.
#27-Paul Menard will utilize chassis No. 480 during Sunday's 400.5-mile event at Homestead. This is the same Richmond/Menards Chevy he raced to a 42nd-place finish at Charlotte in October, a 21st-place finish at Chicago in September, a fourth-place finish at Michigan in August and a 24th-place finish at Indianapolis in July. In eight starts at the 1.5-mile track, Menard has an average start of 26 and average finish of 24.1. He's completed 2,093 of 2,137 laps with one lap led. Menard also owns five NASCAR Nationwide Series starts earning one start from the third position, along with two top-five and three top-10 finishes.
#31-Ryan Newman will drive chassis No. 486 in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finale at Homestead. This Caterpillar chassis was utilized earlier this season at Kansas where the #31 team started 17th and finished sixth. In 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Newman owns one top-five and four top-10 finishes. His average start is 12.4 and average finish is 17. He's led 143 laps in competition. Newman's 11th-place finish at Phoenix advanced the #31 team to the Championship Round at Homestead. Newman is in a four-way tie for the lead heading into the season finale with 5,000 points.
#33-Brian Scott will pilot chassis No. 454 during the 267-lap event at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This chassis saw track action this season at Atlanta, Las Vegas, Texas, Charlotte, Michigan and Kentucky. Slugger Labbe will crew chief the #33 entry this weekend. Scott will be making his first Sprint Cup Series start at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the Homestead-Miami 400 on Sunday.
#48-Jimmie Johnson: Crew chief Chad Knaus has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 48-891 for this weekend's event in Homestead. This car was tested at Homestead last month and also finished 12th at Chicago in September. The backup car is Chassis No. 48-799, which was last raced at Kansas in May where Johnson finished ninth. In 13 starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Johnson has four top-five and eight top-10 finishes. Johnson won two poles (2007 and 2009) and has led 99 laps. He has yet to win at the 1.5-mile track, which is one of four tracks where he has yet to reach Victory Lane. Others include Chicago, Watkins Glen and Kentucky. Johnson has an average start of 15.8 and finish of 14.8.
#55-Brian Vickers: will drive primary chassis 808 which finished 26th at Darlington, 42nd & 19th at Michigan & 15th at Dover in Sept. Backup chassis 797 finished 43rd at Dover in June.
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 National Guard team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-877. Earnhardt most recently raced this chassis to an 11th-place finish at Chicago in September. In 14 Sprint Cup starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Earnhardt has led 121 laps and recorded one top-five finish and two top-10s. He scored his best finish -- third -- at Homestead in the 2013 season finale.
#99-Carl Edwards: The #99 Fastenal team will unload primary chassis RK-910 was last run in 2014 at the second Charlotte race, starting in the 10th spot and finishing 8th. Backup chassis RK-897 was Backup for second Texas race. Edwards has won two times at Homestead in the Sprint Cup Series in 2008 and 2010. He has 10 Sprint Cup starts at the 1.5-mile oval with an average start of 11.7 and an average finish of 6.6.
- compiled by Jayski.com
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Kevin Harvick comes in as favorite to win Homestead and Sprint Cup
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| Kevin Harvick is 9/2 favorite to win at Homestead Sunday |
Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS team travel to Homestead-Miami Speedway this week to contend for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) championship in Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400.
Chase Update… Harvick enters the season finale tied atop the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings with Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Newman. From that group of four, the highest-finishing driver in Sunday’s race will be crowned the 2014 NSCS champion.
Season Review… In the first 35 races of the season, Harvick has earned four wins, 13 top fives, 19 top-10 finishes and eight pole awards. He has also has led a series-high 2,083 laps.
Chassis Info…The No. 4 Budweiser team will utilize Chassis No. 850 this weekend. Harvick raced this chassis multiple times this season, including the following races: Auto Club Speedway (36th), the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (second), Kentucky Speedway (seventh) and Bristol Motor Speedway (August – 11th). The No. 4 Budweiser team also utilized this car during a two-day test at Homestead-Miami Speedway last month (Oct. 28-20).
Homestead Stats… Harvick has 13 prior NSCS starts at the 1.5-mile track. He has earned five top fives and 11 top-10 finishes. Harvick has led a total of 136 laps at Homestead-Miami Speedway and has an average start of 14.0 and an average finish of 8.1 there.
Loop Data… Harvick owns a number of impressive marks in NASCAR’s Loop Data scoring system at Homestead-Miami Speedway leading into this weekend’s event, including: first in closers (40 positions gained); fourth in driver rating (99.1); fourth in average running position (10.855); fourth in laps in top 15 (1,805 laps); fifth in fastest drivers early in a run (164.262 mph); fifth in fastest on restarts (160.051 mph); fifth in green flag speed (161.857 mph); seventh in quality passes (398); eighth in laps led (78 laps); ninth in fastest drivers late in a run (159.888 mph); ninth in green flag passes (681 passes); and ninth in speed in traffic (161.248 mph).
A Look Back… During last year’s Ford EcoBoost 400, Harvick started sixth, led eight laps and ended up 10th. The finish marked Harvick’s sixth-straight top-10 finish at the track.
Harvick on racing for a championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Now that you’re in the mix to contend for the championship, what’s your outlook for this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway? “Going there and knowing that you’ve been there and tested, the No. 22 (team) has been there and tested and the No. 11 (team) has been there and tested, you go down there and it’s just a matter of going through the notes and trying to put together one more weekend. I think, for us, we’re going to approach it as having a good time, having fun and really try to keep it as low key as possible, just for the fact that this is what we all signed up to do — to race for a championship and to go to Homestead and just have a chance. So, let’s go down there and go for it and see where it all winds up.”
Your team has shown speed week in, week out. Having fast cars certainly makes it a lot easier to go to the race track every week, doesn’t it? “It certainly does. I think for me and my confidence, when I climb into the car every week, I know that thing is going to be fast, and if it’s not, I know we can figure out what we need to do to make it better. I’m just really proud of everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing and particularly my team for everything that we’ve built this year and been a part of.”
Reflect on the progress your team has made this year. “The progress that we’ve made this year is really something that I think we’re all proud of, just for the fact that we were able to knock off a win early, we were able to overcome so many problems, we’ve won a race in the Chase now, we’ve gotten this far in the championship race and we’ve done, really well as a group. We’ve built a race team from scratch, really from not one nut or bolt in a trailer and not one race car. Everyone has done a great job and everyone at SHR has given us the financial ability and all of the tools that we needed to go about building a race team how we wanted to. It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of.”
How would coming out ahead at Homestead affect your legacy? “This is all about winning a championship. That’s what we all show up for. We all want to be competitive on a weekly basis, but at the end of the year, you want that championship trophy. I think I’ve been fortunate to have won all of the marquee races and won at different race tracks, Nationwide championships, Truck championships as an owner, so we’ve been able to achieve a lot of things. That Cup trophy is the one thing that’s eluded us up until to this point. I definitely want to check that off of the list and be able to experience that for not only myself, but for all the guys that work on my car and haven’t been able to win that championship either. It’s been fun and hopefully we can reach that goal if not this year at some point.”
- Elevation Group of Companies for Budweiser Racing
Video: Roberts talks Homestead Odds
Homestead-Miami Preview: 2014 Ford EcoBoost 500
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| From 16 Chasers down to the final four this week |
Kevin Harvick has been posted by the Westgate SuperBook as the 8/5 favorite (Bet $100 to win $160) to win the championship followed by Joey Logano at 9/4, Denny Hamlin at 13/4 and Ryan Newman at 17/4. No points carry over from the eliminator round. It’s now head-to-head for all the marbles. While the eventual winner doesn’t have to win the race to win the title, there’s a strong possibility that one will win just because two of the drivers competing have been the among the best on 1.5-mile tracks this season.
There have been 10 races on 1.5-mile tracks this season and for the most part, there weren’t many surprises. Harvick won at Charlotte in October and also finished second at Kansas (May), Charlotte (May) and Texas (Nov). He also has led the most laps on 1.5-mile tracks this season while dominating every one of those practice sessions to the point where he looked to have the best car in all of them. Harvick is not only the favorite to win the Championship, he’s also favored to win Sunday’s race.
Logano grabbed wins on 1.5-mile tracks at Texas (April) and Kansas (Oct) and has four other top-5 finishes on them. Between he and teammate Brad Keselowski, Penkse Racing has won five of the 10 races on these type of tracks. After perhaps being rushed to the Cup series too quickly by Joe Gibbs Racing, where he was expected to some day win a championship, Logano has proven how good he is this season and is on the verge of finally winning the a Cup championship.
Denny Hamlin grabbed his only top-5 finish of the Chase last week at Phoenix and has been consistent throughout, but now he’s got to try and beat the Penske duo and Hendrick engines on a 1.5-mile track, something he hasn’t been successful at doing this season. His only top-5 finish on these type of tracks came in August at Atlanta. His team hasn’t had the power all season and they’re going to have to be creative to get some this week.
But Hamlin does have a couple of advantages. For one, his crew has been by far the best during the Chase. They routinely have the best pit stops, so while he may be losing speed to the big horsepower teams on the track, he’s gaining a second or two on them in the pits.
This track has also been kind to Hamlin. Of all the 1.5-mile tracks on the circuit, Homstead stands out as being the most unique and unlike the others with progressive banking and being in the shape of a paper-clip rather than the traditional tri-oval. Last season Hamlin struggled on the 1.5-mile tracks while his Joe Gibbs teammates Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth were dominating on them, but closed the season out with a win at Homestead. Hamlin also won at Homestead in 2009.
Harvick, Logano and Newman have never won at Homestead, but Harvick has been the closest with two runner-up finishes and two other third-places. Logano had his best career run last season with eighth-place while Newman was third in 2012.
Newman is the most unlikely of the Chase contenders because he hasn’t won a race all season. The new Chase format was designed to force drivers to win more, but he’s shown consistency still has it’s place in the sport. If he were to win the title without winning a race, he would be the first Cup champion ever to do so. To beat the other three drivers, he’s going to have find a little more power under the hood. He’s been solid all season on 1.5-mile tracks -- 15th or better in the last eight -- but he’s going to be overmatched.
The top drivers on 1.5-mile tracks this season that aren’t eligible to win the championship have been Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch have also fared well. While Busch hasn’t won on any of them this season, he has finished fifth or better in the last three, which should be a good sign for teammate Hamlin.
The smart pick is either Harvick or Logano to win the title, but I’m going to go for Hamlin to somehow find a way to finish better than the other three. I’ll also take Jeff Gordon to win the race, and watch out for Johnson who was dominating at Texas using a set-up package for 2015 that was discovered during a test session at Homestead a week prior.
Read More here........Top-5 Finish Prediction
Video: Roberts talks Homestead odds
Hamlin's pit crew big reason where he is in Chase
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| Denny Hamlin's pit crew should win an award for their excellence |
Hamlin twice went a lap down to race winner Kevin Harvick, only to get the laps back as the “lucky dog,” the highest-scored lapped car.
But when Hamlin needed a strong performance from his crew late in the race, the over-the-wall gang was up to the challenge.
On Hamlin’s final pit stop, Hamlin’s pit crew gained three positions for the driver of the No. 11 Toyota, boosting him from eighth to 11th in the running order and giving Hamlin the working margin he needed to advance to the season finale at Homestead with championship eligibility.
Ultimately, Hamlin came home fifth and had nothing but praise for his crew in the aftermath of a stressful race.
“They’re probably the reason that we’re in this position anyway,” Hamlin said. “I’ve been riding their coattails for most of the year. What they do for me on pit road, and obviously law of averages, every now and then, that stone is going to hit you, and it hit you that first pit stop, and luckily it was the first one. If it was later in the day, we were not going to overcome it.
“But you know, yeah, it’s crazy that that mistake is what put us back there, but they made up for it tenfold throughout the entire day with great stops. It’s great to have them on your side, knowing that you’ve got the fastest pit crew on pit lane going into a one race shootout. I like my chances.”
- Reid Spencer / NASCAR Wire Service
Kyle Busch going for fourth straight top-5 on 1.5-mile tracks
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| Kyle Busch is 10/1 to win at Homestead on Sunday |
Despite not being eligible to win the Sprint Cup championship, the driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has plenty to race for in Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400.
The statistics show that the 2014 Chase has been strong for Busch and the M&M’s team overall, with three top-five finishes and six top-10s in the first nine races of NASCAR’s 10-race playoffs. However, accidents at both Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last month and at Phoenix International Raceway last weekend have him sitting eighth in the standings heading into this weekend. For the season as a whole, Busch has nine top-fives and 15 top-10s, which includes a win in March at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
Homestead, site of this weekend’s finale, had never been kind to Busch until two seasons ago. He dominated the 267-lap race in 2012, leading six times for a race-high 191 laps. But 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 the checkered flag saw the M&M’s team come up short on fuel and foiled a seemingly certain win in the closing laps. He backed up his strong run from 2012 with an eighth-place finish last year. Busch’s 2012 result was his first top-five at the 1.5-mile South Florida oval, bettering by far his seven previous finishes of 41st, 28th, 20th, 19th, eighth, 32nd and 23rd.
While mathematically eliminated from the championship hunt, Busch sits eighth in the standings, 40 points behind fifth-place Brad Keselowski. Busch also sits 16 points behind his seventh-place JGR teammate Matt Kenseth. The Las Vegas native can climb as high as fifth in the standings this weekend.
So, before the curtain falls on the 2014 Sprint Cup season at Homestead, Busch will reach for a Homestead win in order to top off another strong Chase. From there, he and the M&M’s team hope to take some momentum from Homestead to build upon for another Sprint Cup title run in 2015.
KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:
Do you feel like you’ve had two strong Chase runs in-a-row?
“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 Phoenix last weekend and the bad luck we had at Talladega, I think we’ve done a really nice job. At New Hampshire and Texas, we had basically wrecked race cars and brought home top-10 and top-five finishes. 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 in the Chase than we did throughout the season. 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 with our M&M’s Camry, and let the points fall where they may. We can get up to fifth 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.”
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 in 2012 and Dave (Rogers, crew chief) 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 the last two years. 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 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.”
KYLE BUSCH’S HOMESTEAD SPRINT CUP SERIES PERFORMANCE PROFILE
| Year | Date | Event | Start | Finish | Status/Laps | Laps Led | Earnings |
| 2013 | 11/17 | Ford EcoBoost 400 | 11 | 7 | Running, 267/267 | 0 | $140,293 |
| 2012 | 11/18 | Ford EcoBoost 400 | 8 | 4 | Running, 267/267 | 191 | $198,318 |
| 2011 | 11/20 | Ford 400 | 19 | 23 | Running, 266/267 | 16 | $114,966 |
| 2010 | 11/21 | Ford 400 | 33 | 32 | Running, 242/267 | 0 | $86,625 |
| 2009 | 11/22 | Ford 400 | 30 | 8 | Running, 267/267 | 1 | $130,623 |
| 2008 | 11/16 | Ford 400 | 8 | 19 | Running, 266/267 | 0 | $84,975 |
| 2007 | 11/18 | Ford 400 | 18 | 20 | Running, 266/267 | 1 | $86,550 |
| 2006 | 11/19 | ×Ford 400 | 3 | 38 | Running, 206/268 | 28 | $78,600 |
| 2005 | 11/20 | Ford 400 | 4 | 41 | Accident, 115/267 | 0 | $66,425 |
× Race length extended due to green-white-checkered finish.
- True Speed Communication for Kyle Busch Motorsports/Joe Gibbs RacingRyan Newman using sixth-place Kansas chassis at Homestead
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| Ryan Newman is 9/2 to win Sprint Cup, 30/1 to win at Homestead |
No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet SS at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Ryan Newman will drive chassis No. 486 in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finale. This chassis was utilized earlier this season at Kansas Speedway where the No. 31 team started 17th and finished sixth.
Newman at Homestead-Miami Speedway … In 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, the South Bend, Ind., native owns one top-five and four top-10 finishes. His average start is 12.4 and average finish is 17. He’s led 143 laps in competition.
About Caterpillar … For nearly 90 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. Customers turn to Caterpillar to help them develop infrastructure, energy and natural resource assets. Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. The company principally operates through its three product segments – Resource Industries, Construction Industries and Energy & Transportation – and also provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment. For more information, visit caterpillar.com. To connect with us on social media, visit caterpillar.com/social-media.
#NewmanNation …His 11th-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway advanced the No. 31 team to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Newman is in a four-way tie for the lead heading into the season finale with 5,000 points.
Newman Media Availability … Newman, along with car owner Richard Childress, are scheduled to participate in the Championship Media Day on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. ET at Trump National Doral.
Where’s Newman … Newman is scheduled to attend the Championship 4 autograph session on Saturday at the Sprint Experience located in the Homestead-Miami Speedway midway. Wrist bands will be distributed at The Sprint Experience during the week and one wristband guarantees all four driver autographs.
Race Rewind … In last season’s NASCAR finale, Newman started 15th and finished 17th.
Drive Home a Winner … Quicken Loans’ latest sweepstakes, “Drive Home a Winner” awards one lucky winner both a brand-new Chevrolet SS and a year’s worth of mortgage payments. The sweepstakes, open to those 18 and older, is a collaboration between General Motors and Quicken Loans. Fans can enter by visiting www.qlracing.com.
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
What are your feelings heading into the final race of the season Homestead-Miami Speedway?
“I am so proud of my guys and all the effort they have put into this. I want to thank Luke Lambert, everyone at RCR, ECR Engines, Caterpillar, Chevrolet, Quicken Loans, WIX Filters and Kwikset for giving me the opportunity to race for the championship. We’ve been fighting very hard all year long. We did what we had to do to get to this position. We flew under the radar and turned in the solid performances to earn one of the four positions. There’s been so much on the line week in and week out during this new Chase format. We’ve been able to dig in and move on. It’s no different with the Homestead-Miami Speedway race. We are going to keep digging and hope it will be good enough to win a Sprint Cup Series championship.”
Can you get it done in Homestead?
“I sure hope so. We are certainly going to try. I mean, if we can win Homestead, it would be the icing on top of all the cake.”
- Richard Childress Racing
Monday, November 10, 2014
NASCAR should leave Chase format as is
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| There was certainly more spirited events this year than ever before |
Since the Chase was introduced in 2004, the format and way teams compete for the championship has been changed, molded and completely rewritten on four different occasions. These changes altered how many drivers qualified, how they made their way in, and how the eventual champion was crowned.
With this latest change producing drama and excitement unlike anything we've seen in the sport for quite some time, NASCAR needs to embrace this format and let it be.
"NASCAR's core responsibility is to always look down the road and position the industry to excite our fans with the highest level of competition in the world," NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said when introducing the new format in January. "... The new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will be thrilling, easy to understand and help drive our sport's competition to a whole new level."
Read More Here.......Fox Sports
Ryan Newman Sprint Cup Champ with no wins on season?
It has produced everything fans could want in a playoff-style championship battle.
Drama. Suspense. Controversy.
MORE: Breaking down Chase final four | Newman's bump-and-run | Harvick now Chase favorite |Gordon, Kes ousted
Big moments, and big performances.
Desperate drivers making desperate moves, leading to tense moments and thrilling finishes.
There’s been raw emotion, incredible passion and confrontation.
There have even been two wild fights, if you like that sort of thing.
In almost every way, the new, revamped Chase has been wildly successful.
There’s only one thing that could ruin the 2014 Chase, only one thing that could take the shine off a brilliant move and burst NASCAR’s bubble.
Read More here.......Sporting News
Jeff Gordon makes Kevin Harvick Chase favorite at Homestead
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| The SuperBook in Las Vegas agrees with Gordon, posts Harvick 8/5 |
That’s OK. Jeff Gordon did after Harvick won at Phoenix Sunday to advance to the championship race next Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway with Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman.
“Harvick looks really good,” Gordon said.
MORE: Chase: Breaking down final four | Harvick dominates at Phoenix | Newman's dramatic push | Gordon, Keselowski out
Gordon said that while the other three Chase drivers — Hamlin, Logano and Newman — stood near him. Gordon looked at them and said: “The guy has led the most laps all year long, guys. It's not me that's saying this.”
“Kevin looked good there in the test, and man, they've just been so strong lately, and it seems like they've gotten some of the bugs worked out in their team that they had early in the year,” Gordon said.
“I think if they do that next week, they're going to be really tough to beat like they were (at Phoenix).”
Read More Here......Sporting News
Homestead-Miami Speedway Track Facts: 2014 Ford EcoBoost 400
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2014 Championship Four at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Rank
|
Driver
|
Races
|
Poles
|
Wins
|
Top Fives
|
Top 10s
|
DNFs
|
Average Finish
|
Driver Rating
| |
1
|
Denny Hamlin
|
9
|
0
|
2
|
4
|
5
|
0
|
11.2
|
93.4
| |
2
|
Joey Logano
|
5
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
20.8
|
71.2
| |
3
|
Ryan Newman
|
12
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
2
|
17.0
|
84.8
| |
4
|
Kevin Harvick
|
13
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
11
|
0
|
8.1
|
99.1
|
* – Based on last nine races at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2005 – 2013).
Homestead-Miami Speedway:
History
· Groundbreaking for Homestead-Miami Dade Motorsports Complex – as the track was originally named – began Aug. 24, 1993.
· The first race held at Homestead-Miami Speedway was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Nov. 5, 1995 – won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett.
· The original configuration was a four-turn, rectangular oval based on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's layout.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead was held on Nov. 14, 1999 – won by Tony Stewart.
· 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 position-based points system in 1975, only four drivers have made up a points deficit in the season finale: Richard Petty in 1979 (made up two points on Darrell Waltrip), Alan Kulwicki in 1992 (made up 30 points on Davey Allison), Jimmie Johnson in 2010 (made up 15 points on Denny Hamlin) andTony Stewart in 2012 (made up three points on Carl Edwards).
· There have been 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, one per season since 1999.
· 113 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead; 89 in more than one.
· Two drivers have made all 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Homestead: Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon.
· David Green won the first Coors Light pole at Homestead in 1999 at a speed of 155.759 mph (34.669 sec.).
· There have been 11 different Coors Light pole winners, led by Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne with two each.
· Youngest Homestead-Miami pole winner: Joey Logano (11/18/2012 – 22 years, 5 months, 25 days).
· Oldest Homestead-Miami pole winner: Bill Elliott (11/11/2001 – 46 years, 1 month, 3 days).
· Jamie McMurray (November, 2003) and David Reutimann (November, 2008) won their first career Coors Light poles at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
· There have been nine different NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners at Homestead-Miami; three have won more than once, led by Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart with three each. Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin (two each) are the only other drivers with multiple wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
· Of the three drivers with multiple wins at Homestead, Tony Stewart is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Pontiac (1999, 2000) and Chevrolet (2011).
· Two of the 15 (13.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole: Bill Elliott (2001) and Kurt Busch (2002).
· Five of the 15 (33.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Homestead have been won from the front row: two from the pole and three from second-place.
· 10 of the 15 (66.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Homestead have been won from a starting position inside the top 10.
· 5 of the 15 (33.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Homestead have been won from a starting position outside the top 10 – most recently - Jeff Gordon (15th-place starting position; 2012).
· Denny Hamlin won the 2009 race from the 38th-place starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started at HMS.
· Two drivers have won consecutive races at Homestead-Miami: Tony Stewart (1999 - 2000) and Greg Biffle(2004 – 2006, three straight).
· Carl Edwards leads the series in average finish at Homestead with a 6.600; only two other drivers have an average finish inside the top 10: Kevin Harvick (8.078) and Martin Truex Jr. (9.222).
· Roush Fenway Racing leads the series in wins at Homestead with seven, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing with five.
· Youngest Homestead winner: Kurt Busch (11/17/2002 – 24 years, 3 months, 13 days).
· Oldest Homestead winner: Bill Elliott (11/11/2001 – 46 years, 1 month, 3 days).
· Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick lead the series in runner-up finishes at Homestead with two each.
· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Homestead with seven; followed by Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick with five each.
· Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick lead the series in top-10 finishes at Homestead with 11 each; followed byJimmie Johnson with eight.
· Eight of the nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who have won at Homestead-Miami participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Tony Stewart (1999) is the only driver to win at Homestead in his first appearance.
· Dale Earnhardt Jr. lead the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 14.
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Homestead was the (4/10/2010) race won by Greg Biffle with a MOV of 0.017 seconds.
· Danica Patrick became the first female driver to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway last season; starting 24th and finishing 20th.
NASCAR in Florida
· There have been 176 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among eight tracks in Florida.
Track Name
|
City
|
NSCS
|
Daytona International Speedway
|
Daytona Beach
|
135
|
Homestead-Miami Speedway
|
Homestead
|
15
|
Daytona Beach & Road Course
|
Daytona Beach
|
10
|
Palm Beach Speedway
|
W. Palm Beach
|
7
|
Speedway Park
|
Jacksonville
|
6
|
Five Flags Speedway
|
Pensacola
|
1
|
Golden Gate Speedway
|
Tampa
|
1
|
Titusville-Cocoa Speedway
|
Titusville
|
1
|
· 173 drivers in NASCAR national series history 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
|
Fireball Roberts
|
33
|
0
|
0
|
LeeRoy Yarbrough
|
14
|
0
|
0
|
Marshall Teague
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
Joe Nemechek
|
4
|
16
|
0
|
Bobby Johns
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
David Reutimann
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
Aric Almirola
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
Shorty Rollins
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Rick Wilson
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
Joey Coulter
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup: Homestead-Miami Speedway
· Homestead-Miami Speedway has been a part of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup since the playoff’s inception in 2004. This season the track will host its 11th Chase event.
· The winner of the Homestead-Miami Chase race has gone on to win the championship during the Chase era once: Tony Stewart (2011).
· Greg Biffle leads the series in Chase race wins at Homestead-Miami with three (2004 – 2006); followed by Carl Edwards with two (2008, 2010).
· The worst finish in a Chase race by the eventual series champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway is 15th (three times), Tony Stewart in 2005, Jimmie Johnson in 2008 and Brad Keselowski in 2012.
· Chase Contenders have won seven of the 10 previous Chase races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Two non-Chase contenders have won a Homestead-Miami Chase race: Greg Biffle (2004 and 2006) and Denny Hamlin(2013).
· Four of the 10 previous Chase races at Homestead the eventual series champion has finished in the top five.
· Roush Fenway Racing leads the series in Chase race wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway with six, including five consecutive: Greg Biffle (2004 – 2006), Matt Kenseth (2007) and Carl Edwards (2008).
· Ford leads the series in Chase wins at Homestead with six; followed by Chevrolet with two.
· The most dominant performance by a Chase race winner at Homestead-Miami Speedway is Carl Edward’svictory in 2010. He posted a Perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 and led 190 of the 267 laps (71.1% of his laps completed) - most by a Chase race winner at Homestead.
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