Ford 400 News and Notes

Driver Highlights - Miami
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Selected Driver Highlights – Homestead-Miami Speedway-specific
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last five races at Homestead. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Dish Network Ford)
• Three wins
• Average finish of 12.6
• Series-best Driver Rating of 126.1
• Average Running Position of 5.4, second-best
• Series-high 79 Fastest Laps Run
• No. 1 ranking in Fastest Green Flag Speed
• 512 Laps in the Top 15 (95.7%), second-best
• 82 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green) second-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
• One top five, two top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 8.7
• Average Running Position of 8.4, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 110.9, fourth-best
• 43 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• Fourth-fastest Green Flag Speed
• 450 Laps in the Top 15 (84.1%), fourth-most
• 70 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Three top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 11.4
• Average Running Position of 15.9, 14th-best
• Driver Rating of 83.7, 11th-best
• 33 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
• Ninth-Fastest Green Flag Speed
• 275 Laps in the Top 15 (51.4%), 13th-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 8.7
• Average Running Position of 9.5, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 99.8, fifth-best
• Sixth-fastest Green Flag Speed
• 490 Laps in the Top 15 (91.6%), third-most
• Series-high 92 Quality Passes

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Two top fives, four top 10s
• Average finish of 14.5
• Average Running Position of 20.8, 24th-best
• Driver Rating of 75.5, 19th-best
• 294 Laps in the Top 15 (55.0%), 11th-most
• 58 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 UAW-Dodge Dealers Dodge)
• One top five
• Average finish of 19.3
• Series-best Average Running Position of 5.0
• Driver Rating of 114.1, third-best
• 62 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• Second-Fastest Green Flag Speed
• Series-high 521 Laps in the Top 15 (97.4%)
• 79 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 22.7 in seven races
• Driver Rating of 98.5, sixth-best
• Average Running Position of 11.7, sixth-best
• Eighth-fastest Green Flag Speed
• 387 Laps in the Top 15 (72.3%), fifth-most
• 63 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Casey Mears (No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet)
• One top five
• Average finish of 22.5
• Driver Rating of 94.0, seventh-best
• Average Running Position of 12.6, eighth-best
• 42 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
• 142 Green Flag Passes, third-most
• 82 Quality Passes, tied for second-most

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet)
• One top five
• Average finish of 17.0
• Average Running Position of 7.2, third-best
• Driver Rating of 114.6, second-best
• 11 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
• Third-Fastest Green Flag Speed
• 263 Laps in the Top 15 (98.1%), series-best percentage
• 58 Quality Passes, best average per race

Bet On NASCAR - Ford 400

Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway marks the end of the NASCAR betting season and will determine this year's champion. It's the final race in The Chase for the Cup making for dynamic betting action with great NASCAR odds.

Jimmie Johnson's win at Phoenix last week ties a NASCAR modern-era record for most consecutive wins in a season with four. He can break NASCAR's modern-era (since 1973) mark with a fifth straight money-making triumph in the season finale.

Johnson now has eleven wins in the four-year history of the Chase and ten victories on the season. That means the driver of the No. 48 has won more than 25 percent of the first 39 Chase events. In addition to his ten wins this year, he's also posted 20 top-5's and 23 top-10 finishes and these type of numbers make it difficult to not support him on Sunday.

All Johnson needs to win his second consecutive Nextel Cup title is to finish 18th at Homestead – or 19th if he leads at least one lap, or 21st if he leads the most laps in the race. He enters this weekend's event with an 86 point lead over Jeff Gordon who's still mathematically eligible to raise the Cup.

Although it will take a total collapse by Johnson, Gordon shouldn't be overlooked at the ticket window or counted out just yet. The four-time Cup champion has the second most season wins with six, 20 top-5's and 29 top-10 finishes.

In seven career starts, Johnson and Gordon have never found Victory Lane at Homestead but with a championship on the line that may change. With the kind of domination Johnson has shown this season – with ten overall wins, including four in the Chase – coupled with the way he won last season's championship, we could be watching history in the making.

NASCAR odds list Johnson and Gordon the favorites to win the Ford 400. If you're looking for a larger price try Greg Biffle who's owned Homestead in recent years. Biffle has won the last three races on the 1.5 miles oval.

Ford 400 PreQ

OK – so who doesn’t think that Jimmie Johnson should be the top ranked driver heading into the season finale. Johnson has wrangled away the points lead by a considerable margin from teammate Jeff Gordon by posting four consecutive wins. That, folks, is a remarkable feat. Johnson is looking to put himself among the all time greats in NASCAR history by repeating as champion. He only needs to finish 18th place or better in order to secure the title so may not run that hard to get the win but you can bet he will wrap up the second championship of his career on Sunday.
While Jeff Gordon does have a chance at winning the championship it is doubtful that the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team will stumble. Gordon is running very well in his own right averaging a top 5 finish over the last six races. Unfortunately, Johnson is averaging a 3rd place finish over that span. Gordon will give it is all on Sunday at a track where he runs well. He has posted six top 10s in eight career starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway with an average finish of 11th place. Gordon, however, has never won here and will need to make it to victory lane and lead the most laps if he is to have any chance at keeping Johnson from the title. He may do so but expect Johnson to be the champion when all is said and done.

After bowing out of the championship race quite early thanks in large part to four consecutive finishes outside the top 25 Matt Kenseth has turned it around in the last four events. He has had a very strong car the last two weeks nearly winning at Texas and Phoenix only to settle for a top 5 finish. With those two runs he has recorded four straight top 5 finishes and should be a contender for the win in the Ford 400. Kenseth had his problems on this track early in his career but since the reconfiguration a few years back has posted a 3rd and 6th place finish. Expect the Roush Racing driver to put up a battle for the win once again.

We have been saying to avoid Kyle Busch for the last few weeks and he has been proving us wrong running very well at Atlanta but finishing in 20th position then following it up at Phoenix where he placed 4th. Busch, however, has not had any luck at Homestead where he has finished 41st and 38th in two career starts. He should be able to run much better than that this weekend as he looks to give Hendrick Motorsports a 1-2-3 finish in the point standings but with his struggles at this track Busch would be happy with a top 20 run.

Ryan Newman has posted back-to-back 5th place finishes to put himself in position to be the highest non-Chase point’s leader. It has been feast or famine for the #12 Alltel Dodge at Homestead however. In five career starts he has a pair of top 10s to go with three finishes outside the top 20 for an average finish of 20th place. Newman usually excels at this type of track but managed a just a 23rd place finish in this race last season. He does have plenty to race for however and could take some chances to get a top finish. Whether or not those chances pan out remains to be seen.

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RacingOne Power Rankings

Matt Kenseth has moved up to second in the Power Rankings this week, behind Jimmie Johnson, who continues to dominate in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

1. Jimmie Johnson: The steamroller races to Homestead where unless disaster strikes, a second championship banner will fly.

Last Week's Position: First

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: Four top-10 finishes in six career Cup starts at HMS.

2. Matt Kenseth: Besides Jimmie Johnson, Kenseth has been the hottest driver on the circuit. With his third-place finish at Phoenix, Kenseth jumped four spots in the standings with his fourth consecutive top five.

Last Week's Position: Fourth

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: After a rough start, Kenseth has put together a string of two straight top 10s.

3. Jeff Gordon: A great year but not within the terms of the new format in order to win a title.

Last Week's Position: Second

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: Last year's 24th broke a string of four straight top-10 finishes.

4. Kyle Busch: Came up eight positions short of becoming the first driver to sweep Phoeinx in the Truck, Busch and Cup Series.

Last Week's Position: Third

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: Homestead is Kyle Busch's worst track based on his 39.5 finishing average..

5. Tony Stewart: Came back at Phoenix for a top five, but overall, hasn't been a factor since late September.

Last Week's Position: Eighth

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: Started his Cup career at HMS with two wins, has finished 15th in his last two starts.

6. Clint Bowyer: Trying to hang on to finish third in the standings.

Last Week's Position: Seventh

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: A 10th-place finish in his first career Homestead start a year ago.

7. Martin Truex Jr.: Driver and crew chief not on the same page regarding pit strategy in Phoenix.

Last Week's Position: Ninth

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: Finished second last season in his first start as a Cup regular at the track.

8. Kevin Harvick: Knocked down another top 10 but challenging for the win has been tough most of the year.

Last Week's Position: 10th

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: Five top 10s in six career Cup starts at Homestead.

9. Jeff Burton: Has a legitimate shot at finishing in the top five in the season standings.

Last Week's Position: Fifth

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: An average finish of 13.8 includes two third-place runs.

10. Ryan Newman: Two straight fifth-place finishes has the No. 12 team on an upswing toward the season finale.

Last Week's Position: 13th

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: Best finish is a sixth in five career Cup starts.

11. Greg Biffle: A few more laps and he may have passed Johnson at Phoenix and will now try for four straight Homestead wins Sunday.

Last Week's Position: N/R

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: After finishing 25th and 35th in his first two career starts, has won the last three Cup races at HMS.

12. Kurt Busch: Trying to earn as many points for Sam Hornish next year as possible.

Last Week's Position: Sixth

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: Scene of his 2004 title, Busch finished 43rd a year ago at Homestead.

13. Carl Edwards: Strong early but a sour engine ruined any chance of a Phoenix win.

Last Week's Position: 12th

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: Two top 10s in three career Cup starts.

14. Casey Mears: Looking for a good run to end a pretty decent year.

Last Week's Position: N/R

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: A fifth is a bright start in four years with an average finish of 22.5.

15. J.J. Yeley: Put on a good performance in front of the hometown fans by qualifying fourth and finishing 14th.

Last Week's Position: N/R

Homestead-Miami Speedway Fact: One career Cup start a year ago resulted in a 30th-place finish.

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Who's Hot / Who's Not : Outside The Chase

With just two races left on the Nextel Cup slate, the open roads of the great Southwest appeared the perfect place for a change of pace. After all, the subset of three dozen drivers outside the Chase had won just once during the playoffs, and you’d like to think the odds were in their favor heading to a one-mile short track – especially while toting the unpredictable Car Of Tomorrow in their wake.

However, that chance at redemption quickly became a desert mirage. While admirable performances were put in by a handful of teams, Sunday’s final results leaned heavily in favor of the playoff participants – again. For the second straight week, eight of the Top 10 finishers were also among the Top 12 in Nextel Cup points, making it difficult to argue that any of the Chasers didn’t deserve to be ranked amongst NASCAR’s elite.

But what about those drivers left behind? Now, just one race remains for any of them to salvage seasons that clearly didn’t turn out the way they intended. With time running out, who can defy the odds, putting together their best impression of a Happy Ending? And which teams have put themselves in a hole too deep to dig out of … not just for this year, but the beginning of the next? Read on to find out Who’s Hot and Who’s Not … outside the Chase for the Championship.

Hot / Not Update : How The Texas Edition Crowd Fared At Phoenix

The desert heat didn’t help many without a Chase sticker attached to their names; however, it did fuel the fire for Ryan Newman’s recent hot streak in Arizona. The No. 12 Alltel Dodge led four laps at Phoenix en route to a fifth-place finish; in the process, he moved up to 13th in the standings, taking a 58-point lead over Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the battle for “Best Of The Rest.”

Too bad Newman’s ride to the top didn’t come equipped with any passenger seats. Ricky Rudd and Elliott Sadler, both mentioned as “Warm” in last week’s edition, fell victim to some icy cold handling within their race cars. Rudd struggled to 35th – his worst performance since crashing out with a shoulder injury in September – while Sadler didn’t fare much better, coming home 27th in a less than rosy afternoon for Gillett Evernham Motorsports. None of GEM’s three entries finished within the Top 25, with Kasey Kahne’s car involved in two ugly wrecks.

Joining that threesome further down the running order was Bill Elliott, whose freezing cold tenure with the Wood Brothers appears to be nearing an end. A 34th place finish marked his fourth mediocre run in his last five starts, leaving it all but impossible for the No. 21 Ford to gain a qualifying exemption for the first five races of 2008. Brian Vickers fared a bit better, but not by much; last week’s “cool” customer wound up 21st, the third straight Top 25 finish for the team after failing to qualify for the two previous events before the streak.

Last week’s other featured driver, Mike Skinner (Cool), was not entered at Phoenix, concentrating instead on the Truck Series championship with his Bill Davis Racing Toyota.

Hot

While Newman’s Phoenix finish left him temporarily in control at 13th in points, he’s going to have a new challenger to the throne soon enough … and no, it’s not Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Greg Biffle sits just 65 points behind the Alltel Dodge after charging hard to a second place finish in the closing laps of Sunday’s race.

“We just kept working on it,” said Biffle of a run that left him just short of ending Jimmie Johnson’s four-race win streak. “I wish we would have had better track position where we could have got a crack at the No. 48, because we definitely had a faster car.”

That run leaves The Biff as one of the few men putting himself in position to be a Chase contender in ’08. Sure, the No. 16 has been inconsistent at times, but Biffle’s still the only man 13th or lower in points to win this Fall; and looking ahead to Homestead, he’ll be the favorite to sneak away with win number two on the year. Having won the season finale a record three years in a row, there’s no reason in the world to suggest Biffle won’t be a strong contender for number four – putting his best foot forward in his quest to finish 13th in points.

Warm

J.J. Yeley’s never lived up to the expectations many had for his career at Joe Gibbs Racing; with divorce up ahead, the sophomore’s simply trying to keep his head held high before he leaves the first ride in Cup in the rear view mirror. For him, that’s the equivalent of five Top 20 finishes in the last seven races, including a 14th at Phoenix to lead a rise to 20th in the current standings. With the opportunity to rise to as high as 17th after Homestead, the season for Yeley may not actually have been as bad as some made it out to be.

Cool

It once seemed a foregone conclusion Casey Mears was going to rise up into 13th in the final standings. But after a hot start to this year’s Chase, the driver of the No. 25 Chevrolet appears to have cooled off considerably. A 12th place run at Phoenix was the fifth straight race he failed to finish in the Top 10, accumulating a paltry average finish of 19th in the process. Now, he heads to Homestead, a track where he’s finished outside the Top 25 in three of his four career starts; falling 103 behind the battle for 13th place, Mears unlikely to make up the ground he needs with that type of track record.

For Paul Menard, most of the summer and beginning of Fall has served as the epitome of the word “cool:” sometimes good, never great … but always mediocre. After a ho-hum 22nd on Sunday, Menard continued an unbelievable streak in which he has finished between 21st and 30th in eleven of his last twelve starts. The lone exception? Talladega, where an untimely engine failure left Menard sitting less than pretty in 38th. If this kid were a veteran, I’d say this number tree wouldn’t leave him climbing towards great things; but as a rookie, it’s been key for the kid to gain valuable experience after struggling to simply qualify for several races the first half of the season.
With this unveiling of Elliott Sadler’s car for 2008, Haas CNC Racing officially finds itself without a primary sponsor for the coming season – putting even more pressure on driver Jeremy Mayfield to perform.

Cold

For anyone thinking Jeremy Mayfield would provide the magical solution to Haas CNC Racing’s problems … well, think again. The two-time Chase participant has been less than spectacular in a three-race stint in the car; his finishes of 40th, 22nd, and 39th have done nothing to build any sort of momentum heading into the ’08 season. What’s made it tough for this team is Friday qualifying; with an eye-popping average start of 39th place, Mayfield’s had to work from the back every weekend. That’s not the type of track record you want to sell potential sponsors, and this team is in need of one; with Best Buy announcing a move to Elliott Sadler’s team, primary sponsorship is up in the air for ’08.

For Joe Nemechek this month, the magic number – or lack thereof – has been three. Recently, the veteran inked a three-year deal with the team he’s currently with – Furniture Row Racing – ensuring he’ll be a part of the Nextel Cup circuit for years to come. But the curvy digit could also refer to the pile of DNF’s Nemechek accumulated on the track as of late; crashing out at Phoenix, he was left sitting in the garage to ponder recent finishes of 35th, 36th, and 38th. In fact, since joining this team the DNF total for the 44-year-old stands at six in just ten starts with the car; good thing he got that contract signed, sealed, and delivered before anyone could change the terms!

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Who's Hot and Who's Not in the Chase: Phoenix Edition

As the song by Herman’s Hermits says, “second verse, same as the first.” Well, in this case, the third and fourth verse are the same, too. Jimmie Johnson continued to make the Chase a bore by scoring his fourth straight win in Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500K, extending his lead to 86 over Jeff Gordon with just one race remaining on the schedule. But even with this second championship seemingly in hand, Johnson still has to survive at Homestead before he gets his hands on the big check. And while all eyes will firmly be on Johnson and Gordon, there are other drivers in the Chase peaking late in the season who are looking to end the year with a win.

So which drivers are actually looking forward to racing 400 miles on Sunday and which ones simply see it as 267 laps to run before taking off for vacation? Read this week’s Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in the Chase to find out.

League of his own

Jimmie Johnson: With his fourth straight win and tenth of 2007, Johnson and the No. 48 team are clearly a step above everyone else. Heading into the final race of the year at Homestead, the team merely needs to finish 18th or better in order to secure their second straight title. That shouldn’t be a tall order for Johnson, who has an average finish of 14.5 at Homestead, including four Top 10s in six starts. He doesn’t have any wins to his credit at this track yet … but would you really be surprised if checks that off his list on Sunday?

Hot

Jeff Gordon: He may be politically correct with the media, but you’ve got to believe that Gordon would love to go off when he’s asked what he thinks about the Chase. For the second time since the playoffs began, Gordon has missed out on winning the title thanks to the new and “improved” point system. Tied for an all-time modern record with 29 Top 10 finishes, Gordon would be leading the points by 344 if the Chase was never implemented. But as things stand, he is 86 behind his teammate going into the final race. Gordon may have conceded the title on Sunday, but you can bet the driver with no finish lower than 11th in the Chase will press on until the final lap.

Matt Kenseth: After a crash and resulting 34th place finish at Charlotte, Kenseth was dead last in the Chase standings; rightfully so, considering he had four finishes of 26th or worse in the first five Chase races. But that wreck must have jarred something in Kenseth and the No. 17 team. In the four races since, Kenseth has scored Top 5 finishes while vaulting to fifth in the standings. The team may be on a roll too late in the season, but with two straight Top 10s at Homestead; the roll should continue giving Kenseth a place on the stage come December.

Kyle Busch: While his teammates are trying to make history of another kind, Busch had his sights set on becoming the first driver to win in NASCAR’s three main series at the same track on the same weekend. But after winning the Truck Series and Busch series races, he fell short on Sunday; finishing the day in eighth place. There is still a shot that Busch can overtake Clint Bowyer for third in the standings, clinching the top three spots for Rick Hendrick. But looking at Busch’s career finishes at Homestead (41st and 38th), that becomes a longshot for sure.

Jeff Burton: On Sunday at Phoenix, Burton struggled to get the proper handling on his AT&T Chevy, but still managed to bring home a ninth place finish. With three straight Top 10s and four in the last five races, Burton is another driver ending the season on a high note after battling through rough times mid-season. In his third full season at RCR, Burton has an outside shot of ending the year in the Top 5 in the standings for the second straight season. But gaining 81 points on Tony Stewart might be a tall order for a driver who hasn’t had a Top 10 at Homestead in the last four years.

Warm:

Clint Bowyer: For a driver making his first appearance in the Chase, without a win to his credit and someone that nobody really gave a chance, Bowyer has done an admirable job in trying to keep pace with the red-hot Hendrick duo. Solidly in third place, brake problems hampered the No. 07 Chevy on Sunday but he was still able to pull through and finish the race in 11th place. His 19th place finish at Texas was his worst run in the Chase, but he should finish on a high note at Homestead; where he finished tenth last year.

Tony Stewart: Sunday’s race was full of frustration for Stewart as he tried to close out the season with another victory. Two slow pit stops by the No. 20 team erased the progress Stewart made on the track, but he did an admirable job to make his way back through the field in the tough to pass CoT, to finish fourth. The finish was his first Top 5 since the race at Loudon that kicked off the Chase back in September. Still, Stewart has put in enough solid finishes to hold onto the fifth position in the standings with one race remaining.

Kevin Harvick: Just because he’s out of the hunt for the Chase, doesn’t mean Harvick is done fighting for every position he can get. Late in the race he bumped and banged with Jeff Gordon and came home in sixth; good enough to move him up one place to seventh in the overall standings. Like many in the Chase, Harvick is getting warm way too late in the game. But his three Top 10s in the last four races have been good enough to keep him solidly in the Top 10. There is a good chance Harvick can earn book end wins to the season; ending the year with a win at a track he has five Top 10s at in six starts.

Cool

Martin Truex, Jr.: Following Sunday’s race, Truex wasn’t too pleased with crew chief Kevin Manion and his late race strategy. With 40 laps left in the race, Manion made the call to keep Truex on the track making him a “sitting duck”. After leading 72 laps on the day, Truex slid back in the final laps to finish seventh; his second straight Top 10. While the team has improved over the last two races, they are still looking for consistency. He has a chance of making the final Top 10, but he will need to improve on his 17th place average finish at Homestead to pull it off.

Kurt Busch: It was an up and down day for the No. 2 team Sunday at Phoenix, but one they hope to use as a learning experience for next season. After starting ninth, Busch hung in the Top 10 for a while until his Dodge’s handling turned “wicked”. At one point Busch was as far back as 18th, but he was able to rally thanks to some major adjustments to finish the race in 12th. The finish still dropped him one spot to tenth in the standings with one race remaining. Busch holds a 47 point lead over Truex for the final spot on the stage at the banquet, but with two finishes of 36th or worse in his last three Homestead starts; no lead is safe.

Cold

Denny Hamlin: While Truex felt his crew chief left him hanging, Hamlin’s team can point to their driver as the cause for their sub-par finish on Sunday. After getting busted for speeding not once, but twice in Phoenix; Hamlin had to settle for a 16th place finish. Now dead last in the Chase standings, thanks to no Top 10s in the last three races, he’ll need a repeat of his third place finish at Homestead last year if he wants to try and climb out of the cellar.

Carl Edwards: Edwards claimed his first pole of the season on Friday at Phoenix and opened the race by leading the first 87 laps, setting the stage for a good day for the No. 99 team. But as good it as it started, it turned south just as fast. On lap 105, his engine went sour and sent the team behind the wall. The team tried to make repairs and eventually sent him back out on the track, a move that would ultimately earn him one position on the track, but he was done for good on lap 162. His 42nd place finish dropped him four spots in the Chase to ninth. But the team has one more chance to redeem themselves at Homestead, a track where he is tied for the best average finish (8.7).

Will Jimmie Johnson’s dream season continue? Can Jeff Gordon steal the trophy away from his younger protégé? Will one of the other Chasers win the race and try to steal a little bit of the limelight? We’ll just have to wait until Sunday to find out who ends the 2007 season hot or not.

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Ford 400 HOT! Sheet

In this, the final edition of our HOT! Sheet for 2007, who better to lead the way among drivers who have made every race than the leader of the pack, Jimmie Johnson. The reigning champion is in the midst of a stretch that is unheard of. He has started in the top 10 in 17 of the last 19 races, and he ended there in 14 of those. The team has made six trips to victory lane in that stretch, including each of the last four weeks. If he makes it five in a row this weekend, his name will be alongside the King, Richard Petty. Barring something extremely catastrophic, we see title number two in a row on Sunday.

A man who has drank from the Cup in the past, Kurt Busch, is ending his season on a high note. As you can see on our chart below, he has an average finish of about 8th in the last three events. That’s exactly where he ended up at Atlanta and Texas. He then followed that up with a strong 12th place showing last week at Phoenix. He has won here before, and the team is fighting to stay inside the top 10 so they can go to New York City for the banquet. So look for another strong effort from the #2 car.

Let’s stay with the theme of former champions and talk about the efforts of Matt Kenseth down the stretch. After four straight finishes outside the top 25, the team has put together a string of four straight top 5 showings. At Martinsville, he came from 24th up to 5th. After that, it was 17th up to 4th. Then in the last two races, he has come from 18th starting spot to place 2nd and 3rd respectively. He’s riding a lot of momentum from leading the most laps (93) at Phoenix. Watch him close out the season powerfully.

Totally at the other end of the spectrum this final week is Dale Earnhardt, Jr. The series most popular driver is limping his way out of the #8 car for the final time this weekend. Our chart below doesn’t lie. He really does have an average finish of 27.33 in the last 6 races. Included in there is three DNFs. The latest frustration came at Phoenix when he spun on his own coming off of a corner and smacked the wall, taking him out for the race in last place. His value has plummeted and you may be tempted to pick him up, but we wouldn’t recommend it.

Speaking of a dive, that’s exactly what Denny Hamlin has done throughout the Chase. The #11 team entered with a lot of promise, but only has two top 10s in the last 9 races so far (Talladega 4th, Martinsville 6th). As indicated below, he has an average finish of 20.11 during the Chase. The team had a stellar effort last season here when they came from a 33rd starting position up to 3rd at the finish line. We can’t say sit him, but he definitely deserves our ‘buyer beware’ label this week.

www.profantasysports.com.

Ford 400 Preview

Hopefully, you are in the same situation as Jimmie Johnson, with a reasonably comfortable points lead over the others in your fantasy league. If that is the case, then you can play this week conservatively to maintain that position. If, however, you are in Jeff Gordon's shoes, you will have to roll the dice a bit and take drivers that your competition has overlooked, and then hope they produce.

Most of you, however, are in the same position as Clint Bowyer and the remainder of the field, so this race is for pride only. This is one last chance to win before the 2008 season. Unfortunately, since NASCAR only visits Homestead-Miami Speedway once per year, finding the right driver is more difficult than at most points during the season. The drivers face the same challenge, since this progressively banked course is unique in stock car racing. Until this spring—when Las Vegas Motor Speedway was reconfigured—no other speedway measuring more than a mile in length boasted progressive banking.

The Proud Few
Toss away the stats from the first four races on this track. From 1999 through 2002 this course had flat corners that encouraged single file racing. In 2003, the track added graduated banking that becomes steeper the closer one gets to the outside wall. The lower groove is shorter, but the upper groove allows a driver to carry more momentum onto the straightaways and the advantage evens out over a complete lap. Some of the best racing of the year comes in this final event.

Even with only one trip to Homestead each year, a few drivers have managed to stand out from the competition. Two of these racers will certainly come as no surprise, since Johnson and Gordon have been dominating every track recently. Despite earning only a single finish outside the top 10 each in the past four races, they probably will get dumped from most rosters this week because of their astronomical salary caps, but in straight up games, they are going to remain the class of the field for one more race.

Greg Biffle will also fail to catch any of your competition by surprise after he won the last three races here. The driver of the No. 16 struggled in the first progressively banked race in 2003 to finish 35th, but he must have learned something to dominate the track the way he has since. Biffle may be less of a sure thing than most would believe, however, because he does not have the same car in which he won last season. That Ford was destroyed in a tire test at Vegas earlier this year, and he is going to have to start from scratch. If he shows promise in practice, you'll know he found the right setup notes.

Kevin Harvick is not necessarily a name one associates with Homestead, but that could change this week. He has not yet won on this track, but he came close in 2003 with a second-place finish to Bobby Labonte. Since then, he's swept the top-10, with an average result of 6.3 in the last four races. He certainly won't win any good sportsmanship awards this season after intentionally swerving into Gordon late in the Checker Auto Parts 500k, but that altercation underscores just how badly he wants to finish up front and fantasy owners can't ask for more from their drivers.

Carl Edwards is another driver who has swept the top 15 at Homestead. His first effort on this track in 2004 resulted in a 14th, which was followed by a fourth in 2005 and an eighth last year. His 2005 finish was part of a near sweep by Roush Racing when he followed Biffle, Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth across the line, and that kind of consistency makes the organization an even greater threat this week.

30-something
NASCAR is filled with interesting numbers, and there are two drivers in the field who improved by exactly 30 positions between their first and second starts. As impressive as that is on its face, they also finished second and third last year.

First-year driver Martin Truex Jr. ran a pre-rookie race here in 2004 and struggled to finish 32nd. He capped off his remarkable freshman season last year with a second in the Ford 400 and looked like he was capable of winning most of afternoon. His first NASCAR Nextel Cup career victory came this season on the high banks of Dover, so you can expect him to run the upper groove most of the day and finish in the top five.

Denny Hamlin was still getting started in the fall 2005 race when he finished 33rd. Last year, he ended the day third and with threes factoring heavily into the equation, the third time might be the charm. It's been 18 races since he won at New Hampshire this summer, and that victory capped off a strong run of 10 top-10s in 12 events. Since then, he has only six such finishes in his last 18 attempts, but this team is better than the record shows. Watch him in practice and if he shows promise, he should get the start.

The driver most likely to gain 30 positions over his 2006 result this week is Casey Mears, which would give him a second-place finish. He was strong on this course with Chip Ganassi Racing power under the hood, finishing fifth in 2005 and running nearly as well last year before he blew an engine late in the race. With the reliable Hendrick Motorsports' engine package propelling him down the straightways, his odds have only improved.

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Driver Handicaps: Homestead

This weekend the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the season-ending Ford 400. To help you make your Dale Jr. Reality Cup Racing fantasy picks, RacingOne brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 267-lap event.

Who's Hot at Homestead-Miami

Greg Biffle has won the last three events.
Jimmie Johnson has finished ninth or better in four of the last five races.
Mark Martin leads all drivers with four top fives.
Carl Edwards has a 8.7 average finish.
Kevin Harvick has finished in the top 10 in the last four races.
Jeff Gordon has finished in the top five twice on the new track configuration.

Keep an Eye On at Homestead-Miami

Tony Stewart will be driving the same car that won at Chicagoland and Indianapolis.
Martin Truex Jr. is coming off a second-place finish at Homestead.
Jeff Burton will be racing one of the best cars in the No. 31 stable..
Kurt Busch will return in the same car that won at Michigan in August.
Kasey Kahne holds a 5.0 average running position in the last two races at Homestead.

Track Performers

The Hendrick Motorsports teammates of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson lead all drivers with nine wins each on tracks exactly 1.5-miles in length. Mark Martin and Tony Stewart are tied for second with seven wins a piece. Jeff Burton rounds out the top five in wins with six. Martin leads all drivers with 46 top-10 finishes, followed by Gordon with 44. Ryan Newman is the current pole leader on 1.5-mile tracks with 11. In 2007, Gordon and Matt Kenseth lead all drivers that have made all seven starts on 1.5-mile tracks in finishing average at 9.9 and 13.0, respectively.

Homestead-Miami Rookie Report

Paul Menard and Juan Pablo Montoya are the only Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates that have made a NEXTEL Cup start at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Both of them started last year's race and Menard was the tops among the two, finishing 17th. In 2007, Montoya holds the best average finish (23.3) on tracks exactly 1.5-miles in length (seven starts). Rookie Standings

Qualifying Tidbits

Seven drivers have won poles in the eight NEXTEL Cup races held at Homestead-Miami Speedway with only Kurt Busch repeating, taking the top spots in 2002 and 2004. Jamie McMurray set the track qualifying record in 2003 with a lap of 181.111 mph. History has shown qualifying in the front of the field is imperative to finish well at Homestead with six of seven pole winners going on to finish in the top 10. Last year's race winner Greg Biffle was an major exception to that trend, starting 22nd. Past Pole Winners | Starting Positions of Homestead-Miami Winners

Top 20 Driver Notes - Based on Current Standings

1. Jeff Gordon (Points: 6201): Gordon's 24th-place finish in this event last year was only the second time he has finished outside the top 10 at Homestead Miami Speedway. The finish also raised his finishing average in the four races on the new track configuration to 10.3. Gordon has led 46 laps at HMS, with the most of them coming in the 2005 race when he was up front for 39.

2. Jimmie Johnson (Points Behind: -9): Last year, Johnson used a ninth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway to clinch his first NEXTEL Cup championship. In 2005, Johnson entered the race 52 points behind leader Tony Stewart, saw his championship hopes go up in smoke when he cut a right-rear tire on lap 127 that sent him into the Turn 3 wall. The 40th-place finish was his worst performance at HMS in five career starts. Prior to 2005, Johnson posted three consecutive finishes of eighth or better, including a runner-up finish in 2004 when he lost the title to Kurt Busch by a mere eight points. This weekend Johnson, who can secure the title with an 18th-place finish, will be driving the same car (chassis No. 363) that won at Atlanta, California and Las Vegas.

3. Clint Bowyer (Points Behind: - 111): Bowyer finished 10th in his first NEXTEL Cup start at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2006. This weekend he will look to lock up his 18th top 10 of the season by driving the same car (chassis No. 170) that finished second at Kansas in September.

4. Carl Edwards (Points Behind: - 261): Edwards has yet to finish outside the top 15 in three starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His 8.7 average finish currently is tied with Kevin Harvick for the best among all drivers. In 2004, Edwards led 94 laps, marking the first time he has been up front in Cup competition at HMS. This weekend's chassis (No. 320) is the same one Edwards finished second with at California in September.

5. Tony Stewart (Points Behind: - 322): Stewart's finishing average (10.0) ranks first among all drivers that have competed in every event at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Stewart's two wins on the old configuration put him with Greg Biffle as the only multiple winners at HMS. This weekend he will be shooting for his third top-10 finish on the new variable banking in the same car (chassis No. 143) that won at Chicagoland and Indianapolis.

6. Kyle Busch (Points Behind: - 328): Homestead-Miami Speedway is Kyle Busch's worst track on the circuit based on his 39.5 finishing average. However, his starting average is the best at 3.5. Sunday will mark Busch's final race in the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He will make that start in chassis No. 412, which finished 41st at Kansas after a early race accident.

7. Kevin Harvick (Points Behind: - 392): Harvick currently holds the best average finish (8.7) among all drivers that have competed in four or more events at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His last four finishes have all resulted in a top 10, including a second-place in the first race on the track's new configuration in 2003. This weekend he will shoot for his sixth top 10 at HMS by driving the same car (chassis No. 120) that finished sixth at Kansas.

8. Jeff Burton (Points Behind: - 400): This weekend Jeff Burton will be making his fourth start at Homestead-Miami Speedway with Richard Childress Racing. His best finish with the team came last year when he took the checkered flag in 14th. Burton's previous track starts came with Roush Racing where he posted three top fives - all coming on Homestead's old configuration. Burton will shoot for his first top 10 at Homestead with RCR driving the same car (chassis No, 155) that most recently finished sixth at Texas earlier this month.

9. Kurt Busch (Points Behind: - 419): Last year, Busch finished 43rd in his Homestead-Miami Speedway debut with Penske Racing after a crash took him out of contention. Thanks to a suspension by Jack Roush, Busch missed the 2005 race at HMS. Busch, who is the only multiple pole winner at HMS, has two top fives - including a win in 2002 - in five starts with Roush Fenway Racing. This weekend Busch will return in the same car (chassis No. PSC-111) that won at Michigan in August.

10. Denny Hamlin (Points Behind: - 424): This weekend Denny Hamlin will be making his third career NEXTEL Cup Series start at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In his first attempt in 2005, Hamlin had to start at the rear of the field in a backup car after crashing his No. 11 Chevrolet on his qualifying attempt. He finished 33rd in that event. Last year he bounced back to finish third. The FedEx team will unload the same car (chassis No. 121) that has finished in the top 10 in five of six races this season.

11. Matt Kenseth (Points Behind: - 448): Over the past two seasons, Kenseth has boosted his Homestead-Miami Speedway finishing average to 22.7 after two consecutive finishes of sixth or better. With finishes of 19th or worse in his five previous starts, Homestead is Kenseth's worst oval on the circuit based on finishing average. This weekend Kenseth will look to continue to turn his luck around at HMS by driving the same car (chassis No. RK-323) that finished fourth at Atlanta last month.

12. Martin Truex Jr. (Points Behind: - 513): Last year, Truex Jr. boosted his Homestead-Miami Speedway finishing average from 32.0 to 17.0 with a second-place finish. He started 20th and led 27 laps in that event.

13. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Points: 3714): Earnhardt Jr. has yet to post a top-10 finish in seven starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His best finish of 13th came in his first start in 2000. In 2002 he qualified inside the top 10 (second) for the only time, and led 46 laps before a broken valve spring knocked him out of contention. This weekend he will make his last start in the Budweiser Chevrolet, which will be the same chassis (No. 42) that finished 14th at Texas earlier this month.

14. Casey Mears (Points Behind 13th: -79): Mears hopes his first Homestead-Miami Speedway start will Hendrick Motorsports will help his overall record at the 1.5-mile speedway. Although he captured one top five in 2005, Mears has posted finishes of 26th or worse in his three other starts with Chip Ganassi Racing. Last year engine problems relegated him to a 32nd-place finish and a 22.5 overall average finish.

15. Greg Biffle (Points Behind 14th: -2): Biffle has won the last three Cup races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Biffle's victory in the 2004 race was his first finish of 25th or better. Last year's win boosted his finishing average from 15.5 to 12.6. This weekend Biffle will drive the same car (chassis No. RK-315) that won at Kansas in September.

16. Ryan Newman (Points Behind 15th: -21): Newman has posted an average finish 20.6 in five starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His best finish came in his first start in 2002 when he drove a Ford to a sixth-place finish. Newman's only other top 10 (seventh) came in 2005 when he switched from his Dodge Charger back to the previous Dodge Intrepid. This weekend he will be driving the same car (chassis No. PRS-110) that finished fifth at Texas.

17. Kasey Kahne (Points Behind 16th: -366): Homestead-Miami Speedway is the site of Kahne's first NASCAR win. In 2003 Kahne won the Busch Series event from the third starting position. Sunday will mark his fourth NEXTEL Cup start at the track. Last year he started from the pole and led 90 laps en route to a fourth-place finish. It was his first Cup finish inside the top 15 at HMS.

18. Bobby Labonte (Points Behind 17th: -47): This weekend Bobby Labonte will be making his second start in a Dodge for Petty Enterprises at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His seven previous starts have all come with Joe Gibbs racing. Labonte won the first race on the new banking in 2003 after passing Bill Elliott, who cut a tire, on the last lap. His three other top 10s came in his first track starts, which included him leading 174 laps en route to a runner-up finish in the inaugural race.

19. Jamie McMurray (Points Behind 18th: -1): This weekend will be McMurray's second start with Roush Fenway Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His first four starts came with Chip Ganassi Racing, where his finishes consist of two top 10s. His best start came in 2003 when he set the current qualifying record by winning the pole. McMurray, who finished 35th with Roush last year, will pilot the same car (chassis RK-393) that finished ninth at Texas earlier this month.

20. Juan Pablo Montoya (Points Behind 19th: -34): Homestead-Miami Speedway is the site of Montoya's first career NEXTEL Cup start. He started 29th and finished 34th in this event after crashing on lap 251. This weekend he will be racing the same car (chassis No. 707) that finished second at Indianapolis.

www.racingone.com

Matt McLaughlin's Driver Handicaps : Ford 400

Driver Handicaps – Homestead Edition

Jimmie Johnson – Johnson has Top 10 finishes in four of his six starts at Homestead, including a second place result scored here in 2004. For those looking for a little drama, Johnson did crash out here in 2005 en route to 40th place.

Jeff Gordon – Gordon has Top 10 finishes in six of eight Cup races at Homestead, producing an average finishing position of eleventh. His best run here was third in 2004.

Clint Bowyer – Bowyer finished tenth here last year in his only Homestead Cup start. He started the Chase with a victory; can he end it with one as well?

Kyle Busch – In two Homestead Cup starts, Busch has finished 38th and 41st. It may be for the better that he isn’t running for the title this weekend; his meltdown would make Chernobyl look like a Black Cat firecracker.

Tony Stewart – Stewart won the first two Cup races ever run at Homestead back in 1999 and 2000. But in the six Cup races run here since, he’s managed just two Top 10 finishes.

Matt Kenseth – After struggling mightily at Homestead early in his career, Kenseth has managed to post Top 10s in the last two Homestead Cup races. However, his average finish here remains 23rd.

Kevin Harvick – Harvick finished second here in 2003, and has Top 10 finishes in five of his six Homestead Cup starts. He won a Busch race here in 2004.

Jeff Burton – Burton hasn’t managed a Top 10 finish here since 2002, back when few folks knew Bill France, Jr. had a son named Brian. He has finished third here twice in days of yore.

Carl Edwards – Edwards is averaging a ninth place finish here after three Cup starts.

Kurt Busch – Busch won here in 2002, but finished dead last here last year after a wreck. It’s been that type of up and down experience for him here; he owns a middling average of 21st at Homestead.

Martin Truex, Jr. – Truex finished second in this race last year. This year, even a finish that good isn’t going to help him any.

Denny Hamlin – Hamlin finished third in this race last year. Again, it’s a matter of too little too late this year.

Ryan Newman – Despite two Top 10 finishes in five Homestead Cup starts, Newman is averaging a 21st place finish here.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – After seven Homestead Cup starts, Junior is still looking for a Top 10 result. His average Cup finish here is 27th.

Greg Biffle- Biffle has won the last three Homestead Cup races.

Casey Mears – Mears finished fifth here in 2005, but his average finish after four Homestead Cup starts is 23rd.

Jamie McMurray – McMurray is averaging an 18th place finish at Homestead despite two Top 10 finishes in five career starts.

Bobby Labonte – Labonte dominated the inaugural Homestead Cup race, only to get bumped aside by then-teammate Tony Stewart at the finish. He had Top 10 finishes in four of his first five starts here, and won the 2003 Homestead Cup race when Bill Elliott had a flat on the last lap. His last three outings here have been less than stellar, however.

Kasey Kahne – Kahne led 90 laps here last year en route to a fourth place finish. His other two Homestead Cup starts yielded less than satisfactory results.

J.J. Yeley – Yeley ran out of gas late and finished 30th last year, after a decent run in his only Cup start at this track.

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Johnson's unbelievable roll continues with pole win at Homestead
November 16th, 2007

Homestead, FL (Sports Network) - Jimmie Johnson captured the pole for Sunday's Ford 400 Nextel Cup race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, the final event of 10 races which make up the Chase for the Nextel Cup. The pole win puts him in perfect position for a record-setting fifth straight win and second consecutive Nextel Cup championship.

If Johnson wins a fifth consecutive race he would not only clinch the title, but be the first driver in the modern era (1972 and later) to win five in a row. Seven drivers in the modern era have won four straight (Cale Yarborough - 1976, Darrell Waltrip - 1981, Dale Earnhardt - 1987, Harry Gant - 1991, Bill Elliott - 1992, Mark Martin - 1993 and Jeff Gordon - 1998). The all-time record was set in 1967 by Richard Petty with an amazing 10 consecutive wins.

The No.48 Lowe's Chevrolet driver grabbed the top spot with a best lap of 30.545 seconds (176.788 m.p.h.). The pole victory was Johnson's fourth of the season and 13th of his Cup career.

"I felt like we had a good car in practice today," said Johnson. "Ryan (Newman) put up a solid number and I wasn't sure we could get close to that. I felt like I had a good lap and luckily it was good on the clock too."

Starting alongside Johnson on Sunday will be Ryan Newman who posted a time of 30.583 seconds.

Four of the eight Nextel Cup races at Homestead have been won by a driver starting in the front row.

Kasey Kahne (30.621), who was fastest in the final practice and Matt Kenseth (30.669) will make up row two.

The remainder of the "Chase" field will start in the following order: Kurt Busch (fifth), Kevin Harvick (eighth), Jeff Burton (ninth), Carl Edwards (10th), Gordon (11th), Tony Stewart (14th), Martin Truex Jr. (15th), Kyle Busch (18th), Clint Bowyer (19th) and Denny Hamlin (32nd).

Although the "Chase for the Nextel Cup" winner is still in doubt entering this week's event in Florida, it is not a close race. By winning the last four events Johnson, 2006 Nextel Cup Series champion, is on the verge of successfully defending his title.

When Gordon won the Bank of America 500 at the Lowe's Motor Speedway, he held a 68-point led over Johnson. It was his second consecutive win and he looked like a pretty sure bet to win his fifth series title. Gordon had just won in "Jimmie's house" and had just posted his fourth top-five in five "Chase" races.

But then Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus went on a roll that was even better than the one that won them the 2006 championship. In that year they put together a string of five straight top-two finishes (four seconds and one win). This time around he began his charge with a win at Martinsville, normally Gordon's bailiwick. He followed that win with triumphs at Atlanta, Fort Worth and Phoenix. The wins in Texas and Arizona were the first ever for Johnson at both tracks.

Now Johnson heads to Sunday's final event with a commanding 86-point lead and his competition already thinking that it is all over.

"Those guys are on an unbelievable roll...and we're just coming up short at a crucial time," said Gordon after the race in Phoenix. "It's over. Even if we win it, it's because they have problems. While we'll accept it, we don't want to do it that way."

Even if Gordon wins the race and leads the most laps, Johnson only needs to finish 18th or better to capture the crown.

"I'm just trying to take it one step at a time and one lap at a time," said Johnson.

The race is scheduled to begin on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. (et).

A disappointed Tony Stewart ready to see '07 season end
November 17, 2007

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -As usual, Tony Stewart didn't mince his words.

He's ready for NASCAR's 2007 season to end.

Not even a year with three victories and 23 top-10 finishes were enough to satisfy Stewart, a two-time series champion. With a little luck in Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he could finish as high as fourth in the seasonlong Chase for the Nextel Cup standings.

But instead, he's entering the final race lamenting what might have been.

``We're obviously not in the position we want to be in this time of year,'' Stewart said. ``The only way to get to the next chapter is to start the next chapter. You do that by ending this year and getting to next year.''

Stewart was second in the Chase - two points off the lead - after the Dodge Dealers 400 at Dover in late September. A wreck at Kansas the next week led to a 39th-place finish there, a two-spot slide in the Chase standings, and he never really recovered.

Chalk it up to a run of bad luck, Stewart said.

``I've never seen us have some of the stupid things that have happened this year,'' he said. ``Some of them have been self-inflicted. I've been speeding on pit lane twice this year. That's something, I mean, I haven't sped twice in eight years. I made the mistake. It was just little things here and there this year.''

Like just about every other NASCAR driver, Stewart has two simple goals for Sunday.

- Win the race.

- Don't screw things up for Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon.

Stewart, the 2002 and 2005 NASCAR champion, said he and the other 41 drivers in Sunday's race know the stakes are huge for Johnson and Gordon, the last two contenders in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

And no one wants to be the guy who knocks either of those drivers from the race early.

``We want them to decide it on their own, not us decide it for them,'' Stewart said. ``Doesn't mean that we're not going to try to win the race because, I can promise you, that's the best way to go through the offseason is by winning the last race of the season.''

Johnson has won four straight races and needs to finish only 18th or better to eliminate whatever chance Gordon has of capturing his fifth title.

``I think it's impressive,'' Stewart said. ``I don't think there's anything that's bad about it.''

RUDD'S RETIREMENT: NASCAR's Iron Man is set to say farewell.

Ricky Rudd, who made a record 788 consecutive starts at one point in his career, is retiring after Sunday's Ford 400. He'll start 38th in the field.

``The reality just hasn't settled in but I'm looking forward to having time to spend with my family,'' said Rudd, a 23-time NASCAR race winner. ``I've been fortunate enough to have achieved so many things in my life both on and off the track. As much as I will miss racing on Sundays, I look forward to the next adventure.''

Rudd, 51, raced for 30 straight seasons before skipping 2006 to evaluate his future. He returned this season and has one top-10 finish in 30 previous starts - although he did start the year qualifying second at the Daytona 500.

``I gave it everything that I had, and hopefully everyone will remember that about me,'' Rudd said.

Sunday will mark Rudd's 906th career NASCAR start, second all-time behind Richard Petty's 1,184.

FREE CAR: It might not be the best car when the winter weather comes to Aurora, Colo., but Diann LaGrange isn't complaining.

She drove away from Homestead Saturday with a new Roush Stage 3 Mustang, the top prize in an Office Depot contest to reward customer loyalty. The red-and-white car bore the signatures of Carl Edwards and Jack Roush, had the No. 99 logo stitched into the seats and a 425-horsepower engine.

``It's as close as you can get to riding in a real race car,'' Roush said.

Edwards took LaGrange for a couple laps around the Homestead oval, getting the car up to about 125 mph. He said his mother has a similar vehicle, and offered LaGrange one piece of advice.

``Be careful,'' Edwards said.

SPARK PLUGS: Besides the championship, there's another big battle Sunday: The top 35 in owner points. Dave Blaney's No. 22 car, owned by Bill Davis, needs only to finish 34th or better in the Ford 400 to secure 35th place in the owner standings and a guaranteed spot in the first five races next season. The No. 22 car holds a 95-point lead over owner Glen Wood's No. 21 car entering the final race. ... Toryn Green of the rock band Fuel will sing the national anthem before Sunday's race. ... Mike Ford of Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 11 team earned a $20,000 prize Saturday for being named WypAll Wipers' Crew Chief of the year.

Earnhardt prepares for final ride at DEI
November 16, 2007

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -Dale Earnhardt Jr. began the day with an early morning photo shoot with his new Hendrick teammates, then quickly turned his focus to his old team.

NASCAR's most popular driver climbed into his red No. 8 Chevrolet on Friday for the start of his final weekend with Dale Earnhardt Inc., intent on a strong close to his 11-year run with his late father's company.

``I've got a lot of great relationships here and I just want to make sure this weekend is all about the No. 8 car, the Budweiser car, this team and trying to get a finish that they deserve,'' he said. ``It's just a good group of guys and its going to be difficult running your last race with them. You know you are going to miss it.''

It's mixed emotions for Earnhardt, who officially joins Hendrick Motorsports after Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He's excited about his new job, where he'll join a team that has won 18 races this season and is on the verge of its seventh Cup title.

It comes at the expense of DEI, which was built from the ground up by the late Dale Earnhardt and molded into one of NASCAR's top teams with Junior behind the wheel.

But the team hasn't been the same since Earnhardt's 2001 death, and Junior has struggled with the direction of the company under stepmother Teresa's leadership. He demanded majority control of the organization during tense talks on a contract extension, then finally decided in May to simply walk away.

Leaving DEI was certainly not an easy decision, and finding a new job was just as difficult. But he felt comfortable with Rick Hendrick, and knew the ultra-successful team would give him his best shot at finally winning a Cup title.

``He's got some mixed emotions, but he's also really excited about being over there with our organization,'' Hendrick said. ``Things change, and I think Dale Sr. would want him to do what's best for him. And that's what he's trying to do.''

Despite the impending change, Earnhardt was determined not to quit on his old team. He made one last desperate push to make the Chase for the championship during the summer, and when he came up short he still chased wins.

Earnhardt has won at least one race in each of his first seven Cup seasons, but has just one final chance to race his way into Victory Lane this season. He takes a 61-race winless streak into Sunday's finale and wants to break it as a parting gift to crew members who stood by him even when they knew he was abandoning them at the end of the year.

He'll start 13th in Sunday's race.

``The guys have been great and they've been really, really supportive,'' Earnhardt said. ``They've got better attitudes that I can say I have had. If this weekend goes smooth and is a good one and everybody leaves here with a good positive attitude, a lot credit has to go to how they've all acted and how they've handled it.

``I've tried to keep the wheels on it figuratively and literally, and its been really hard sometimes when you don't run the way you want to. But I want to finish good with these guys ... aside from us splitting up, I want to be proud of what we're doing.''

Hendrick knows the past three months have been difficult on his newest driver. He's got just two top-10 finishes in the past 10 races to go along with a pair of engine failures and two crashes.

But he noticed a lift in the driver late last month when he tested his new Hendrick ride at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

``If you saw him in Atlanta, he's ready to go and get the year started,'' Hendrick said. ``He's had a miserable half of the year with all the racing luck, and I think he's ready to win another race and move on.''

The test was widely considered a success, as Earnhardt got to feel a Hendrick car and his new team learned more about his driving style. With crew chief Tony Eury Jr. already working at Hendrick to prepare for Earnhardt's arrival, the transition could be easy.

``They've been super nice and been really easy to get to know and I wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought I might be,'' he said. ``I thought they were happy with what I was doing at the test and that gave me a lot of confidence that I am going to be a good asset to the company.''

But first he's got to get through this final weekend, then he'll head into the offseason hoping to spend as much time as he can with new teammates Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears. The foursome posed for pictures early Friday morning, and Earnhardt wants the interaction to continue.

``The more time we can all spend together before the season starts, the better we can get an idea of what each other is looking for in a teammate and what we're all like as drivers,'' he said. ``I've raced with these guys a long time, but I don't know the confidential information that they share and the more time we can be around each other and understand how to utilize each other's weaknesses and strengths, is important to me.

``I just want to try to make sure we're complementing each other.''

Hendrick would like to lock up Johnson's services as he has Gordon's
ESPN.com

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- No surprise, if it's up to Rick Hendrick, Jimmie Johnson will drive a Hendrick Motorsports racecar for the remainder of his career.

Hendrick said he is fully prepared to do whatever it takes to retain Johnson's services for as long as he drives professionally in the Nextel Cup Series. Money. Assets. Car dealerships. And most importantly, championship-caliber racecars.

"My goal with him is real simple -- to keep him with me for as long as he races," Hendrick said.

"It's a flattering comment, and I think I kind of knew that," Johnson said. "But it's something we've never talked about or put on the table."

Back in 1999, Hendrick made a landmark decision to sign Jeff Gordon to a lifetime driving contract. With that came equity partnership in the company, and eventually partial ownership of the No. 48 car Johnson drives.

"Jeff and I have an unbelievable relationship, and Jimmie and I have developed the same thing," Hendrick said. "It's just one of those situations where [Gordon] meant so much to our company, and he's been there for me when I was sick and everything else.

"He wanted to do [the lifetime contract]. I wanted to do that. So we did it."

It's as much about intangibles as it is talent.

"It can't be just talent -- it's a lot of things that come along with the talent," Hendrick said. "And Jimmie is surely that kind of guy. So again, my goal is real simple. I'm going to give him the best equipment and take care of him, pay him as much as anybody's going to get paid and give him opportunity off the track."

Hendrick co-owns Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in San Diego, and the two have commercial real estate partnerships together, as well.

"I've been blessed with a lot of great opportunities, and I'm certainly not starving right now," Johnson said. "If we get the job done and win this championship, there will be more opportunities at Hendrick, with Lowe's in building more stock and presence with Lowe's and other sponsors that may want to come on board, so directionally it would be going the right way. We just haven't talked about it yet."

Like Gordon, Johnson presents the unique package that includes both elite driving talent and premiere marketability. He signed a long-term contract extension in 2006 that runs through 2010, but in a sport in which premiums are placed on the aforementioned attributes owners are often required to renegotiate contract extensions long before their current deals are set to expire.

Hence, a lifetime deal is a possibility.

"He says that's what he wants to do," Hendrick said. "So we'll be looking at every option and everything that can come down the road that can do that. That's not just from this year. I've felt that way since his second or third year. We've all always talked about being together.

"There's two ways of looking at it, too. Jimmie understands that for him to do what he needs to do, he has to have the team behind him. Not speaking for Jimmie, but if you look at what he's won, what he won last year and what he's going to win this year, somebody might try to pay you a little more money on the front end but can you make as much overall?

"That's the key to this thing. That's why guys usually end up staying. I'm going to do whatever I've got to do to keep Jimmie Johnson."