NASCAR Pre-race: ESPN's NASCAR Countdown - 2:00pm/et

Television Race Coverage: ESPN, 3:00pm/et

In the Booth: Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree
Pit Reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Vince Welch, Dr. Jerry Punch
NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe, Brad Daugherty, Rusty Wallace
ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage: Tim Brewer

SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 12:00 pm/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace

Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
Monday, November 21 at 1:00am/et on ESPN2;
Wednesday, November 23 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

ESPN's Coverage of NASCAR Sprint Cup Season Finale Expands with New Elements: ESPN's coverage of the final weekend of the NASCAR season will include some new elements as one of the closest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship battles in history concludes Sunday at Florida's Homestead-Miami Speedway. ESPN's telecast of the Ford 400 begins with NASCAR Countdown at 2 pm/et on Sunday, Nov. 20, with the race's green flag scheduled at 3:15 pm/et.
ESPN will use 72 cameras in the Ford 400 telecast, including two stationed high above the 1.5-mile superspeedway that will solely focus on championship contenders Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart, giving ESPN the ability to show viewers the two drivers at any time during the race. In addition, both will carry onboard cameras, and Stewart will be ESPN In-Race Reporter and will speak with ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett on the race's pace laps and during caution periods, bringing viewers the perspective of a driver competing in the race.
ESPN also will have robotic cameras in the garage stalls of both contenders, permitting overhead views of the respective race teams at work during ESPN's coverage of NASCAR Sprint Cup practice on Friday and views if one or both must go to the garage for repairs during Sunday's race.
NASCAR Countdown will include a feature on Stewart and his relationship with legendary racer A.J. Foyt, who was the inspiration for Stewart to carry #14 when he started his own NASCAR Sprint Cup team three years ago. NASCAR Countdown also will include a feature on Edwards and his Roush Fenway team being "championship ready" and an orchestral salute to Jimmie Johnson, whose reign of five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup titles ended this year. Actor Ron Perlman will appear in the opening segment, which was shot at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
ESPN news and information programs SportsCenter and NASCAR Now will have reporters Shannon Spake (Edwards) and Marty Smith (Stewart) following the two contenders in Miami on Thursday and at the track Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The newly-crowned champion will be interviewed by ESPN's Dr. Jerry Punch after climbing from his car at the end of the race and Punch will serve as master of ceremonies for the NASCAR Sprint Cup trophy presentation. The champion will travel to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Ct., for appearances on various ESPN platforms on Monday, Nov. 21. All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets with the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com.(ESPN)

TV Listings, Links and Info:
Jayski's TV Listings Page
NASCAR on TV
Race Fan TV

This Week - Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite Radio

motorracingnetwork.com

siriusxm.com

Practices:
Friday, November 18, 3:00 - 4:20pm/et, TV-ESPN2

Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Friday, November 18, 6:05 - 7:25pm/et, TV-SPEED

REVISED after Friday practices were washed out

Practices:
Saturday, November 19, 9:30 - 11:00pm/et, TV-SPEED

Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Saturday, November 19, 11:30am - 12:30pm/et, TV-SPEED

Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Saturday, November 19 at 2:40 pm/et, TV-SPEED, re-air scheduled at 8:00pm/et.

Track Specifications:
Track/Race Length: 1.5 mile oval, 267 laps, 400.5 miles
Degree of Banking: Turns: Variable 18-19-20 degrees
Straightaways: Length: 1,760 feet, Width: 50 feet, Banking: 4 degrees
Pit Road Speed: 45mph
OLD LAYOUT 1995-2002
Degree of Banking: Turns: 6 degrees
Straightaways: Length: 1,760 feet, Width: 60 feet, Banking: 3 degrees
Grandstand Seating: 65,000
Announced Attendence 2010: 67,000
Announced Attendence 2009: 70,000
Announced Attendence 2008: 80,000
Announced Attendence 2007: 80,000
Opened: 1995

Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden
Command to start engines: First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: Mark Fields, President of the Americas, Ford
Honorary Race Chairman: Edsel Ford III, Member, Board of Directors, Ford
Invocation: Pastor Scott Claunch, Calvary Chapel, Kendall, FL
National Anthem: American Idol finalist Pia Toscano
God Bless America: Johnny Holliday, international jazz artist, Homestead 482nd Security Forces Unit
Military Flyover: plane ?, 482nd Fighter Wing, Homestead Reserve AFB

Track Websites:
Homestead-Miami Speedway
ISC Motorsports
THEChampionshipTrack.com
Homestead-Miami Speedway - Facebook
Homestead-Miami Speedway - Twitter

November 2010: see my Homestead Race Info page

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Clinch Scenarios Set For Homestead: Only one finish guarantees Carl Edwards his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship  a victory in Sunday's season-finale Ford 400. Just three points separate points leader #99-Carl Edwards and second-place #14-Tony Stewart, a margin so tight, no other finish would clinch the title for Edwards regardless of where Stewart finishes. Stewart owns the tie-breaker (best finishes), and therefore could tie and win his third series championship. All other drivers are officially eliminated from championship contention. Edwards' three-point lead roughly translates to 13 points under the previous points system. That makes it the closest margin between first and second going into the final race in Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup history, and third-closest since the inception of the position-based points structure in 1975.(NASCAR)(11-14-2011)

Edwards - Stewart Homestead comparisons:
1 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.8
2011 Rundown
· One win, 18 top fives, 25 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 9.5
· Led 24 races for 784 laps
Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, four top fives, six top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 5.7 in seven races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.7
· Series-best Driver Rating of 117.5
· Series-high 173 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 162.956 mph
· Series-high 1,379 Laps in the Top 15 (86.0%)
· 236 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), seventh-most
2 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.1
2011 Rundown
· Four wins, eight top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.3
· Led 20 races for 848 laps
Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 12.4 in 12 races
· Average Running Position of 14.6, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.6, 11th-best
· 60 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 415 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 162.140 mph, 10th-fastest
· 1,037 Laps in the Top 15 (64.7%), seventh-most
· 235 Quality Passes, eighth-most
(NASCAR)(11-16-2011)

The Numbers for the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
(all 12 Sprint Cup races)
1 - fewest laps led by race winner (Bobby Labonte, 11/16/03)
1 - fewest caution (11/14/99)
2 - wins from the pole (Bill Elliott - 2001 and Kurt Busch - 2002)
3 - most wins (Greg Biffle)
4 of 12 - drivers in the Chase have won at HMS (Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch)
5 - fewest caution laps (11/14/99)
6 - fewest leaders (11/17/02)
6 - fewest cars on lead lap at finish (11/12/00)
8 - number of jet dryers available for track drying this weekend
10 - number of cautions in last year's race
12 - most leaders (twice, most recent 11/20/05)
12 - fewest lead changes (11/17/02)
25 - most lead changes (11/18/07)
29 - most on lead lap at finish (11/22/09)
31 - fewest running at finish (11/21/10)
42- most cars running at finish (11/11/01)
79- most caution laps (11/21/04)
90-135 minutes - amount of time it takes to dry the track after a significant rainfall (length depends on time of day and temperature).
214 - most laps led by race winner (Matt Kenseth, 11/18/07)
(Darnell Communications for Dodge Motorsports)(11-17-2011)

Facts and Stats - Homestead-Miami Speedway:
· Groundbreaking for Homestead-Miami Dade Motorsports Complex  as the track was originally named  began Aug. 24, 1993. The first race was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Nov. 5, 1995.
· The original configuration was a four-turn, rectangular oval based on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's layout.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Homestead was held on Nov. 14, 1999.
· 2002 was the first season of the Championship Weekend at Homestead, with all three of NASCAR's national series holding their season finale at the same track.
· Since the inception of the position-based points system in 1975, only three 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) and Jimmie Johnson in 2010 (made up 15 points on Denny Hamlin).
· There have been 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Homestead, one per season since 1999.
· Five drivers have competed in all 12 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Elliott Sadler and Tony Stewart.
· David Green won the first pole, in 1999.
· Tony Stewart won the inaugural race, in 1999.
· There have been nine different pole winners. Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson lead all drivers, with two.
· There have been eight different race winners, led by Greg Biffle, with three.
· Jack Roush has won seven races, most among owners.
· The race has been won from the pole twice: Bill Elliott (2001) and Kurt Busch (2002).
· The race has been won from a top-10 starting position in nine of 12 races.
· Denny Hamlin won in 2009 from the 38th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.
· Three active drivers have averaged a top-10 finish: Carl Edwards (5.7), Kevin Harvick (7.9) and A.J. Allmendinger (8.7).(NASCAR)(11-16-2011)

2011 Caution Update:
3 - fewest cautions this season (New Hampshire, 9/25/11) 7 - number of races extended beyond scheduled distance in 2011 18 - most cautions this season (Martinsville, 10/30/11) 270 - number of cautions in the first 35 races of 2011; includes 136 for accidents, 59 for debris and 36 for spins 255 - number of cautions in the first 35 races in 2010; includes 135 for accidents, 47 for debris and 36 for spins 1,304 of 10,283 - number of laps under caution in 2011 1,732.507 of 13,836.238 - miles under caution in the first 35 races (Darnell Communications for Dodge Motorsports)(11-16-2011)

For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski's Homestead-Miami Speedway Track News/Rumors/Links page

Stewart wins at Homestead AND the Championship: #14-Tony Stewart won the FORD 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for his 44th career win and 5th of the season and the chase. With the win Stewart captures his 3rd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Stewart and #99-Carl Edwards, who finished 2nd, tied with 2403 points, but Stewart wins the champions by the tiebreaker, 5 wins to 1. It is the 2nd time in Edwards career that hew has finished 2nd in the Championship. Stewart is the first owner-driver to win the championship since Alan Kulwicki in 1992.
The rain started to fall just after Stewart pulled in to victory lane.
#99-Edwards finished 2nd followed by #56-Truex Jr., #17-Kenseth, #24-Gordon, #33-Bowyer, #4-Kahne, #29-Harvick, #11-Hamlin and #31-Burton.
There were 26 lead changes among 15 drivers and 8 cautions for 54 yellow flag laps and an 1 hour and 14 minute red flag for rain. The attendance is listed as 73,000, up from 65,000 last year.
Scheduled Race Re-Airs: Monday, November 21 at 1:00am/et on ESPN2; Wednesday, November 23 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Fast Facts:
#14-Tony Stewart won his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. His other titles came in 2002 and 2005.
Stewart is the ninth driver to win three or more championships. The other drivers with three: Darrell Waltrip, Lee Petty, Cale Yarborough and David Pearson are either NASCAR Hall of Fame members or nominees.
Stewart tied second-place Carl Edwards in points, but won the tiebreaker: five wins to Edwards one. Stewart is the seventh champion to win the season finale in his title-winning season.
Stewart won a record five Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2011. His average finish during the Chase was 6.3. Runner-up Carl Edwards had a Chase-record average finish of 4.9.
Stewart is the second consecutive driver to overcome a points deficit going into the season finale to win the championship. Only three other drivers have accomplished the feat since the inception of the position-based points system in 1975 (Richard Petty in 1979, Alan Kulwicki in 1992 and Jimmie Johnson in 2010).
Stewart finished the 2011 season with five wins, nine top fives and 19 top 10s.
Owner Champion: Stewart-Haas Racing
This is Stewart-Haas Racingˇ¦s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
Tony Stewart has been co-owner with Gene Haas since 2009. Stewart has won 11 races as driver-owner.
Crew Chief Champion: Darian Grubb
This is Darian Grubbˇ¦s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
Grubb won the Daytona 500 as crew chief for Jimmie Johnson in 2006.
Grubb has 14 career wins (11 with Tony Stewart; two with Jimmie Johnson; one with Casey Mears).(NASCAR Statistics)(11-20-2011)

Championship Notes-n-Nuggets:
" Tony Stewart Won his third Cup Series championship in 464 starts. He won the 2002 and 2005 Cup championships.
" Tony Stewart is the only driver to win a Cup championship in the pre-chase format (2002) and the Chase format (2005,2011).
" Tony Stewart has been in the Chase's seven of eight seasons, all but 2006 when he missed the Chase by 16 points.
" Tony Stewart is the ninth driver to win three or more championships in the 63 Cup Series seasons.
" Tony Stewart is the first driver to enter the Chase winless in the regular season to win the championship.
" This is the first time 1-2 in points have been tied at the end of the season.
" Tony Stewart made his first Cup start at Daytona in Feb. 1999 and has started every race since.
" Tony Stewart has at least one Cup victory in each of his 13 seasons -- the longest active streak.
" Tony Stewart is the eighth driver to win Cup Series championships for more than one organization and the first since Terry Labonte in 1996.
" Tony Stewart is the first owner/driver to win a championship since Alan Kulwicki in 1992.
" Tony Stewart is the seventh driver to win the championship and the season finale.
" This is the first-time the champion and second in points finished 1-2 in the season finale.
" Tony Stewart's nine top-fives are the fewest top-five finishes by a champion since Bill Rexford had five in the 1950 season with only 17 starts.
" This is the 28th Cup Series title for a Chevrolet driver including the past seven.
" Tony Stewart is 40 years old (May 20, 1971) from Columbus Ind. He is the oldest champion in the Chase era.
" Crew Chief Darian Grubb earned his first Cup Series championship. He has been a Cup crew chief for 148 races.
(Racing Recall/nascar.com)(11-20-2011)

2011 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Chase Points Standings:
[after Homestead, race 36 of 36 and Chase race 10 of 10]
1) #14-Tony Stewart [5 wins], 2403 - 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion
2) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 2403
3) #29-Kevin Harvick [4 wins], 2345, -58
4) #17-Matt Kenseth [3 wins], 2330, -73
5) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 2319, -84
6) #48-Jimmie Johnson [2 wins], 2304, -99
7) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [0 wins], 2290, -113
8) #24-Jeff Gordon [3 wins], 2287, -116
9) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 2284, -119
10) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win], 2284, -119
top 10 go to the banquet in Vegas
11) #22-Kurt Busch [2 wins], 2262, -141
12) #18-Kyle Busch [4 wins], 2246, -157
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(11-20-2011)

Race Fast Facts - Homestead:
#14-Tony Stewart won the 13th Annual FORD 400, his 44th victory in 464 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, clinching his third series championship. Stewart owned the tie-breaker, five wins to second-place Carl Edwards' one.
Stewart is the seventh champion to win the season finale in his championship season.
There were 26 lead changes among 15 leaders. Both marks are track records.
This is Stewart's fifth victory and 19th top-10 finish in 2011.
This is Stewart's third victory and seventh top-10 finish in 13 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
#99-Carl Edwards (second) posted his seventh top-10 finish in eight races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It is his 26th top-10 finish in 2011.
#56-Martin Truex Jr. (third) posted his fifth top-10 finish in seven races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.(NASCAR Statistics)(11-20-2011)

Finishing spots for the Chase drivers at Homestead: (by standings order before the race)
1) #99-Carl Edwards, starts 1st on pole, finished 2nd
2) #14-Tony Stewart, 15th, WON and won Championship
3) #29-Kevin Harvick, 21st, 8th
4) #2-Brad Keselowski, 5th, 20th
5) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 9th, 32nd
6) #17-Matt Kenseth, 6th, 4th
7) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 11th, 11th
8) #22-Kurt Busch, 4th, 34th
9) #39-Ryan Newman, 14th, 12th
10) #11-Denny Hamlin, 10th, 9th
11) #24-Jeff Gordon, 7th, 5th
12) #18-Kyle Busch, 19th, 23rd
(11-20-2011)

Homestead Notes-n-Nuggets:
" Tony Stewart scored his 44th victory in his 464th start.
" This is Tony Stewart's fifth victory of 2011, all in the 10 Chase races. Stewart's five Chase wins are the most for a driver in the Chase.
" Tony Stewart earned his third victory at Homestead in his 13th start. His three Homestead victories are tied with Greg Biffle for the most.
" This is the seventh time the Cup Series champion won the last race of the season. The last time was Jeff Gordon in 1998.
" Tony Stewart passed 76 cars on the track in Sunday's race.
" Tony Stewart started the Chase ninth in points, the farthest back a driver has come back to win the Cup Series championship.
" Stewart-Haas Racing earned its 13 victory and the team's six wins in 2011 are tied for the most.
" This is Chevrolet's 18th victory of 2011 and second Homestead victory.
" Carl Edwards (second) scored his fifth top-five at Homestead, 19th top-five in 2011 -- the most of all drivers. Edwards' average finish of 4.9 in Chase is best ever by a Chase driver.
" Martin Truex Jr (third) earned his second top-five at Homestead and third top-five of 2011. Truex finished in the top-10 in four of the final five races.
" Matt Kenseth (fourth) posted his third top-five finish at and 12th top-five of 2011, five of which came in the Chase.
" Jeff Gordon (fifth) scored his sixth top-five at Homestead and 13th top-five of 2011.
" Clint Bowyer (sixth) -- Fourth top-10 finish in the last five races. Finished 2011 13th in points with four top-five finishes and 16 top-10 finishes
" Kasey Kahne (seventh) had 15 top-10 finishes in 2011 including seven in the final eight races.
" Jeff Burton (10th) had five top-10 finishes in 2011 including four in the final five races.
" Jimmie Johnson (32nd) finishes sixth in 2011 final points standings, his lowest points position in his 10th full-time season.
(Racing Recall/nascar.com)(11-20-2011)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Daytona in 2012:
#38 remains stayed 35th over the #71 team, with a lead of 28 pts.
34) #32-Bell/FAS Lane, 499, +33
35) #38-Kvapil/Front Row, 494, 28 points ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #71-Bliss/TRG, 466, 28 points out of top 35
37) #21-Bayne/Wood Brothers 347, -147
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
NOTE: there are a few teams in the top 35 that may not return in 2012 or points transferred
to other car owners such as the #6, #33, #4, #83 teams, so the #71, #21 and others could move up into the top 35
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(11-20-2011)

Lucky Dogs - Who got a lap back on each caution at Homestead: (and their finish)
Caution 1: no driver a lap down
Caution 2: no driver a lap down on track
Caution 3: #13-Mears, 26th
Caution 4: #47-Labonte, 27th
Caution 5: #84-Whitt, 37th
Caution 6: #36-GBodine, 30th
Caution 7: #35-Blaney, 28th
Caution 8: #00-Reuitmann, 18th
(11-20-2011)

Penalty Report / Infraction Sheet - Homestead:
Car#, Lap, Infraction, Flag, Penalty, Lap Assessed
#42 14 Speed-Exiting pits Y tail end 21
#71 82 Speed-Entering pits G / Y pass thru / tail end 87
#48 108 Pitting before pit road is open Y tail end 116
#4 110 Pitting before pit road is open Y tail end 116
#21 110 Pitting before pit road is open Y tail end 116
#16 114 Too many crewmember(s) in contact with pit service area Y tail end 116
#21 134 Pitting before pit road is open Y tail end 138
#48 141 Pitting before pit road is open Y tail end 146
#48 142 Running the stop and go sign/light Y 1 lap 142
#22 143 Pitting before pit road is open Y tail end 146
#35 144 Running the stop and go sign/light Y 1 lap 144
#21 154 Pitting before pit road is open Y tail end 160
#21 156 Crewmember(s) over the wall too soon Y tail end 160
(NASCAR Statistics)(11-20-2011)

Race Coverage of the Ford 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, November 20, 2011.
Television (TV): ESPN at 3:00 pm/et; NSCS Countdown pre-race show at 2:00 pm/et; green flag approx 3:16pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
ESPN2, Monday, November 21 at 1:00am/et;
SPEED, Wednesday, November 23 at 12:00pm/et

Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Ford 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway have been made.
Pole sitter #99-Edwards chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #56-Truex Jr.took pit stall 4, the first pitstall in front of the start finish line.
#4-Kahne, who starts 3rd took the 14th pit stall, the 2nd stall with an opening in front of it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #17-Kenseth, who starts 6th.
The other driver with a shot at the championship is #14-Stewart, starts 14th and is in pit stall 16.BR> To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(11-19-2011)

NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.(2-11-2010)

Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.(10-11-2009)

See Jayski's - 2011 Sprint Cup Race Results Page for pole winner, race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup, practice speeds and chase stats as well as link to race track and race information page for each race

Edwards wins Homestead pole: #99-Carl Edwards won the Coors Light pole for the Ford 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a speed of 175.467mph. It is his 3rd pole of the season and the 10th of his career. Edwards wins the Coor's Light Pole Award and the $100,000 by winning the most poles in 2011. Edwards tied #17-Kenseth, #22-Busch and #16-Biffle with 3 poles in 2011, but the tie breaker is points position. #56-Truex Jr. starts 2nd followed by #4-Kahne, #22-Busch, #2-Keselowski, #17-Kenseth, #24-Gordon, #16-Biffle, #48-Johnson and #11-Hamlin.
Edwards is the points leader by 3 with #14-Stewart in 2nd, Stewart starts 15th.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #21-Bayne, #84-Whitt, #55-Yeley, #66-McDowell, #35-Blaney, #30-Stremme, #87-Nemechek and #71-Bliss.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (5): #46-Speed, #7-Sorenson, #37-Skinner, #92-Riggs and #93-Enfinger.
See the starting lineup, qualifying speeds and notes on my Homestead Starting Lineup/Qualifying Results page.(11-19-2011)

Starting spots for the Chase drivers at Homestead: (by standings order before the race)
1) #99-Carl Edwards, starts 1st on pole
2) #14-Tony Stewart, 15th
3) #29-Kevin Harvick, 21st
4) #2-Brad Keselowski, 5th
5) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 9th
6) #17-Matt Kenseth, 6th
7) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 11th
8) #22-Kurt Busch, 4th
9) #39-Ryan Newman, 14th
10) #11-Denny Hamlin, 10th
11) #24-Jeff Gordon, 7th
12) #18-Kyle Busch, 19th
(11-19-2011)

Qualifying Fast Facts - Homestead:
#99-Carl Edwards won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 13th Annual FORD 400 with a lap of 30.775 seconds, 175.467 mph.
This is his 10th pole in 265 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his third pole and 25th top-10 start in 2011.
This is his second pole in eight races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He joins Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne atop the all-time poles list at Homestead. In the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup era (2004-Present), three eventual champions have won the pole at Homestead: Kurt Busch in 2004 and Jimmie Johnson in 2007 and 2009.
#56-Martin Truex Jr. (second) posted his 13th top-10 start of 2011 and his second in seven races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
#4-Kasey Kahne (third) posted his sixth top-10 start at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It is his 20th in 36 races this season.
Championship contender #14-Tony Stewart, second in points, qualified 15th.(NASCAR Statistics)(11-19-2011)

Fastest Qualifier by Manufacturer at Homestead::
Chevy: #24-Gordon, 174.436, starts 7th
Dodge: #22-Busch, 174.520, starts 4th
Ford: #99-Edwards, 175.467, starts 1st
Toyota: #56-Truex Jr., 174.808, starts 2nd

Johnson needed a pole to continue streak: #48-Jimmie Johnson is without a Coors Light Pole in 2011, endangering a nine-season run of at least one pole extending to the 2002 season. A pole this week would match Buck Baker and Geoffrey Bodine for the series' 10th-longest streak.
UPDATE: Johnson failed to win the pole at Homestead, snapping his pole streak at 9 seasons, #11-Denny Hamlin, also lost a streak of 6 straight seasons with a pole, as he failed to win one in 2011.(11-19-2011)

Coverage of Qualifying for the Ford 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 2:40pm/et.
Television (TV): SPEED, 2:30pm/et
Jayski.com: Jayski's Qualifyin Page
Qualifying Re-Air: 8:00 pm/et on SPEED

Qualifying Order for the Ford 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is posted. 48 cars/drivers are listed. Go-or-go homers are now mixed in with the top-35 drivers, slowest by fastest in first practice.
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #36-Bodine, slowest in practice.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #88-Earnhardt Jr., who was fastest in first practice.
Qualifying order is set by the first practice session, with slowest driver going out by speed and the fastest going out last. The non-top 35 drivers are now mixed in with the top-35 in owners points, slowest to fastest.
See the full qualifying order on the Homestead Qualifying Page.(11-19-2011)

Happy Hour practice for the FORD 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is over, after 60 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and notes:
#99-Edwards 171.124
#6-Ragan 170.913
#84-Whitt, 170.063
#43-Allmendinger 169.705
#51-Cassill 169.609
#14-Stewart is 27th fastest
slowest: #36-GBodine 162.734 & #93-Enfinger 162.925
note: Both practices were rained out on Friday and are being held Saturday, televised live on SPEED.
See fastest speeds, best 10-lap averages, laps run on the Homestead Practice Speeds Page.(11-19-2011)

First Saturday practice for the FORD 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is over, after 90 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and notes:
#88-Earnhardt Jr. 173.193
#99-Edwards 172.678
#17-Kenseth 172.298
#39-Newman 172.068
#48-Johnson 172.013
#14-Stewart is 15th fastest
slowest: #36-Bodine 161.189 and #93-Enfinger 164.004
note: the speeds run in this practice will determine the qualifying order, scheduled for 2:40pm/et on SPEED.
Both practices were rained out on Friday and are being held Saturday, televised live on SPEED.
#37-Skinner brought out the red flag for an engine problem.
A brief rain shower fell midway, stopping practice for about 5 minutes.
See fastest speeds, best 10-lap averages, laps run on the Homestead Practice Speeds Page.(11-19-2011)

Practice rank for the non top-35 drivers:
if things stay the same, these eight drivers would make the race:
#21-Trevor Bayne, 24th fastest overall
#35-Dave Blaney, 26th
#55-J.J. Yeley, 29th
#66-Michael McDowell, 30th
#84-Cole Whitt, 31st
#87-Joe Nemechek, 37th
#46-Scott Speed, 38th
#71-Mike Bliss, 39th
these drivers would miss the race if the order stayed the same:
#30-David Stremme, 41st
#7-Reed Sorenson, 42nd
#37-Mike Skinner, 43rd
#92-Scott Riggs, 44th
#93-Grant Enfinger, 47th

Rain Out Procedures: Starting at Kentucky Speedway, there will be a rain-out qualifying procedure change for all three NASCAR national series. If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.(NASCAR)(7-7-2011)

The Entry List for the Ford 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is posted, 48 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
#32-T.J. Bell takes over, Bliss moves to the #71
Not in top 35 of owners points:
#7-Reed Sorenson(i) (37/36)
#21-Trevor Bayne(i) (38/17)
#30-David Stremme (43/22)
#35-Dave Blaney (44/12)
#37-Mike Skinner(i) (39/35)
#46-Scott Speed(i) (40/35)
#55-J.J. Yeley (49/17)
#66-Michael McDowell (41/35)
#71-Mike Bliss (i) (36/35)
#84-Cole Whitt(i) (50/1)
#87-Joe Nemechek(i) (42/35)
#92-Scott Riggs (54/9)
#93-Grant Enfinger(i) (0/0)
In the event that qualifying is cancelled:
the eight who would make it [8]: #'s 21,71,7,37,46,66,87,30
missing the race would be [5]: #'s 55,35,92,84,93
See the full entry list at my Jayski's Homestead Entry List.(11-14/16-2011)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Homestead:
#38 remains in 35th over the #71 team, but with the #71 missing the race, the #38 now leads by 28 pts.
34) #32-Bliss/FAS Lane, 484, +41
35) #38-Kvapil/Front Row, 471, 28 points ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #71-Lally/TRG, 443, 28 points out of top 35
37) #7-Gordon/RGM, 334, -137
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(11-13-2011)

2011 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Chase Points Standings:
[after Phoenix, race 35 of 36 and Chase race 9 of 10]
1) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 2359
2) #14-Tony Stewart [4 wins], 2356, -3
These drivers below are officially eliminated from the Csase:
3) #29-Kevin Harvick [4 wins], 2308, -51
4) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 2294, -65
5) #48-Jimmie Johnson [2 wins], 2291, -68
6) #17-Matt Kenseth [3 wins], 2289, -70
7) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [0 wins], 2257, -102
8) #22-Kurt Busch [2 wins], 2252, -107
9) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win], 2252, -107
10) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 2249, -110
top 10 go to the banquet in Vegas
11) #24-Jeff Gordon [3 wins], 2247, -112
12) #18-Kyle Busch [4 wins], 2224, -135
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(11-13-2011)

Chassis selections for Homestead: see the list of many teams and what chassis were selected by the team to run at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
MISSING? why are some teams missing? like the #4, #11, #24 or others? those teams do not report what chassis in the race previews or prs.
#00-David Reutimann: The #00 Aaron's Dream Machine is racing chassis No. 708 this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. No. 708 debuted at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 6th with a 22nd place finish. Reutimann qualified sixth but was forced to start from the rear due to an engine change following final practice. Chassis No. 651 will serve as the backup.
#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the #1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats team will be bringing Chassis #1120 to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend. This chassis was previously run at Charlotte this past October.
#2-Brad Keselowski: and the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-804 during Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS). This is a new chassis to the #2 fleet. The featured tag line on the rear bumper of the "Blue Deuce" this weekend in Homestead will be "Cheers To The Champion." Keselowski gave it a valiant effort, but will come up just short of the championship in his first year behind the wheel of the Miller Lite Dodge and this message serves as a congratulation to the eventual champion.
#5-Mark Martin: crew chief Lance McGrew has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 685 for Sunday's finale. Martin most recently drove this car at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September. Sunday's race also will be Martin's final event in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Since 2009, Martin has competed in 107 points-paying events for the team. He posted five wins in 2009 and earned his fifth runner-up finish in the Sprint Cup Series final point standings. In 107 Cup events, he's scored 23 top-five finishes, 42 top-10s and 10 pole positions in the #5 Chevy.
#6-David Ragan: is driving primary chassis RK-750 which last ran CHarlotte  finished 11th. The backup chassis is RK-711 which last ran Darlington  finished 21st. UPS employee, and Hollywood, Florida resident, Arthur Vanarsdale, will deliver the green flag for Sunday's NASCAR season finale. Vanarsdale was recently inducted into the UPS Circle of Honor, which recognizes drivers who've achieved 25 years or more of accident-free driving. Through the end of the season, UPS My Choice will be featured as the primary design on David Ragan's #6 UPS Ford.
#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 735 for the 267-lap race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This Stanley Ford Fusion has been run previously this season at Las Vegas, both Texas and Charlotte races, Kentucky and Atlanta. Australian Word of the Week: Fossick= To Prospect for Gold
#13-Casey Mears: Crew chief Bootie Barker has prepared chassis 702 for Mears for Homestead competition. The Florida race will be the second event for the fresh Camry chassis. "This race car is new to our fleet. We ran it at Texas and liked the characteristics we saw. It is a different chassis design than we've had in the past and it is truly a joint effort between Michael Waltrip Racing and Germain Racing that went into the build of this race car," said Barker. At Texas Mears qualified 33rd in the field of 43 cars, raced just outside the top-20, and logged the important information the crew needed to know about this new racing chassis. Mears finished 25th.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-671 made its debut in late July in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. It qualified 24th, and after serving a pit road penalty on lap 29 that dropped it to 32nd, rallied to finish sixth. Prior to Indianapolis, it had never turned a wheel on the racetrack, but it did spend considerable time in the wind tunnel. Chassis No. 14-671 made a handful of return trips to the wind tunnel in preparation for its second career start in October at Charlotte, where it made an immediate statement by winning the pole. Stewart then dominated the first half of the Bank of America 500 by leading three times for 94 laps. He faded, however, in the second-half of the race when his car got tight in traffic, but he persevered to finish eighth. The season finale at Homestead will mark Chassis No. 14-671's third career start.
#16-Greg Biffle: is racing primary chassis 786 which last raced at Charlotte and finished 15th.
#17-Matt Kenseth: will run primary chassis RK-741 which last run at Texas. This weekend at Homestead, Kenseth will pilot the #17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion.
#18-Kyle Busch: Chassis No. 334 is a brand new chassis that will make its race debut in Sunday's Ford 400 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
#22-Kurt Busch and his Steve Addington-led #22 Penske Racing "Double-Deuce" team will be racing the "PRS-759" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger in this weekend's Ford 400 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This will mark the initial outing for Busch, Addington and crew with this chassis. However, it is the same chassis that Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski put into Victory Lane by winning the Aug. 7 Good Sam RV 500 at Pocono Raceway. Carrying the #2 Miller Lite colors, Keselowski started 13th and led two times for 19 laps in claiming that big win. It came after Keselowski had broken his ankle in a testing crash at Road Atlanta on Wednesday of that week. "The car we had last weekend at Phoenix was one that the #2 team had raced before and it looked like we had a winning car before we ran out of fuel," crew chief 'Addington offered. "The car for this weekend is already a proven winner. We're looking to give it a return visit to Winners' Circle there at Homestead on Sunday."
#27-Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 364 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #27 Duracell/Menards Chevy was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and was last seen on track at Atlanta Motor Speedway in October, where Menard started 22nd and finished 18th. This racer also saw competitive laps at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Menard drove it to Victory Lane after starting 15th
#29-Kevin Harvick: will race chassis No. 373 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) stable. The #29 Budweiser team has raced this car twice this season. Harvick finished 22nd in the car at Michigan International Speedway in August and scored a sixth-place finish in it at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October.
#31-Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 367 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Caterpillar Chevy is a recent addition to the fleet and ran for the first time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July where Burton started 13th and finished 35th after facing electrical issues in the closing laps. It later ran at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September, where Burton started 27th and climbed through the field to post a 13th-place finish. Most recently this racer started 31st and finished in the 21st position at Kansas Speedway in October.
#33-Clint Bowyer: will pilot chassis No. 350 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend. This Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevy, built new in 2011, has seen action four times this season, posting top-15 efforts at Texas (started-third, finished-second), at the Coca-Cola 600 in May (started-10th, finished-15th) at Michigan in June (started-27th, finished-eighth) and Dover in October (started-27th, finished-eighth).
#35-Dave Blaney: will pilot the No. 297 with Blaney at Texas Motor Speedway. Blaney made the show and will look to repeat his success at HMS this weekend. TBR purchased the chassis from Richard Childress Racing this season. Paul Menard drove the chassis prior to TBR.
#36-Geoff Bodine will pilot the No. 802 chassis this weekend at HMS. TBR last ran chassis No. 802 at Texas Motor Speedway. The team also ran No. 802 at Phoenix International Raceway as a backup, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway in March and August, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway and Kansas Speedway in October this season.
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: crew chief Jim Pohlman and the #42 Target Team are bringing chassis #1111 to Homestead this weekend. This chassis is new and has not seen any track time, it only has been run in aerodyne on November 9.
#43-A.J. Allmendinger: The #43 Richard Petty Motorsports team has prepared chassis No. 783 for this weekend's event at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This Best Buy Ford Fusion was run previously this season at Chicago and Charlotte.
#48-Jimmie Johnson: last drove primary chassis No. 659 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October. Johnson has driven backup chassis No. 669 four times, most recently at Dover International Speedway in October.
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-668. Earnhardt most recently raced this chassis to a seventh-place finish at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway earlier this month.
#99-Carl Edwards the #99 Aflac team will be unloading chassis RK-739. This car last raced at Texas two weeks ago where Edwards led 14 laps and finished second.
(from team PR's/sites if reported)(11-17-2011)