Homestead Cup Race Thread

[Jonesi]

49 cars entered (6 cars will DNQ). Last Car of Yesterday race ever, and final Cup race of year.

Top 35 - Mark Martin in #01. Top 35 Owners Points for start of next year all but locked, #22 has 136 point lead over #21 in 36th. If Blaney starts race but finishs 43rd with no lap lead, Elliott needs 175 points, which requires at least 3rd place or better finish.

Need for speed - Bill Elliott in #21 (has champion provisionals left), Johhny Benson in #36, and Patrick Carpentier in #10.

Part time - Sam Hornish Jr in #06, Sterling Marlin in #09 (looks like he's got this ride next year) and Burney Lamar in #08.

[Jonesi]

From Jayski, not good news for Ward:
Ward out, Bodine in #4 at Homestead: Tim Morgan, President of Morgan-McClure Motorsports, Inc. (MMM), and Larry McClure, Team Manager announced that Todd Bodine will drive the #4 State Water Heaters/Lucas Oil Chevy for Morgan McClure Motorsports in the final race of the season this weekend at Miami-Homestead Speedway. Morgan stated, "Ward has worked hard for us this year, he is a good driver and a friend. Todd has been helpful to us in the past and has agreed to step in and help us benchmark our efforts as we get ready for the 2008 season." Both Ward Burton and the MMM team have agreed that his change is the best way to fully evaluate the performance of the team. Morgan continued, "We are proud to have State Water Heaters back as a sponsor for our team next year. We are currently in the process of negotiating additional sponsorship and selecting a driver for the upcoming 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season."(Morgan McClure Motorsports PR/site (http://morgan-mcclure.com/home.html))(11-12-2007)

[Alexamateo]

Sterling Marlin in #09 (looks like he's got this ride next year) .


Good for Sterling, and it may bode well for Daytona. FInches cars always run good there (3rd with Geoff Bodine one year, 4th with Mike Wallace last year) Sterling has a good history there and Daytona sometimes smiles on the downtrodden. Maybe it's a surprise upset Daytona 500 win for Sterling and James Finch next Feb. :D

[RaceFanStan]

1st Practice Speeds
01 Kasey Kahne #9 Dodge 175.839 mph
02 Ryan Newman #12 Dodge 175.627 mph
03 Jeff Burton #31 Chevrolet 175.461 mph
04 Jeff Gordon #24 Chevrolet 175.211 mph
05 Jimmie Johnson #48 Chevrolet 175.177 mph
06 Kyle Busch #5 Chevrolet 175.001 mph
07 Kurt Busch #2 Dodge 174.995 mph
08 Carl Edwards #99 Ford 174.956 mph
09 Dale Earnhardt Jr #8 Chevrolet 174.848 mph
10 Clint Bowyer #07 Chevrolet 174.831 mph
11 Mark Martin #01 Chevrolet 174.554 mph
12 A J Allmendinger #84 Toyota 174.526 mph (has to get in on Speed ONLY)
13 Elliott Sadler #19 Dodge 174.469 mph
14 Juan Montoya #42 Dodge 174.458 mph
15 Matt Kenseth #17 Ford 174.340 mph
16 Tony Stewart #20 Chevrolet 174.278 mph
17 Bobby Labonte #43 Dodge 174.143 mph
18 Dave Blaney #22 Toyota 174.109 mph
19 Greg Biffle #16 Ford 174.036 mph
20 Martin Truex Jr #1 Chevrolet 174.020 mph
21 Johnny Sauter #70 Chevrolet 173.992 mph
22 Casey Mears #25 Chevrolet 173.846 mph
23 Denny Hamlin #11 Chevrolet 173.840 mph
24 Paul Menard #15 Chevrolet 173.784 mph
25 David Ragan #6 Ford 173.673 mph
26 David Stremme #40 Dodge 173.650 mph
27 Michael Waltrip #55 Toyota 173.594 mph (has to get in on Speed ONLY)
28 Kevin Harvick #29 Chevrolet 173.483 mph
29 Patrick Carpentier #10 Dodge 173.349 mph (has to get in on Speed ONLY)
30 Reed Sorenson #41 Dodge 173.316 mph
31 Brian Vickers #83 Toyota 173.216 mph (has to get in on Speed ONLY)
32 Jeremy Mayfield #66 Chevrolet 173.160 mph
33 David Reutimann #00 Toyota 173.155 mph (has to get in on Speed ONLY)
34 Sam Hornish Jr #06 Dodge 173.138 mph (has to get in on Speed ONLY)
35 David Gilliland #38 Ford 173.060 mph
36 Joe Nemechek #78 Chevrolet 173.005 mph (has to get in on Speed ONLY)
37 Sterling Marlin #09 Chevrolet 172.972 mph (has to get in on Speed ONLY)
38 John Andretti #49 Dodge 172.889 mph (has to get in on Speed ONLY)
39 Tony Raines #96 Chevrolet 172.750 mph
40 Dale Jarrett #44 Toyota 172.745 mph
41 Robby Gordon #7 Ford 172.662 mph
42 Johnny Benson Jr #36 Toyota 172.601 mph (has to get in on Speed ONLY)
43 J J Yeley #18 Chevrolet 172.557 mph
44 Ricky Rudd #88 Ford 172.524 mph
45 Burney Lamar #08 Dodge 172.469 mph (has to get in on Speed ONLY)
46 Jamie McMurray #26 Ford 172.232 mph
47 Kyle Petty #45 Dodge 171.592 mph
48 Bill Elliott #21 Ford 171.233 mph (has to get in on Speed ONLY)
(I bet Bill is glad he has a Champion's Provisional left)

Looks like several of the "make it on speed or go home gang" are DOWN on speed !!! :eek:

[Jonesi]

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g202/gr8link/slu.jpg
01. Jimmie Johnson #48 Chevrolet
02. Ryan Newman #12 Dodge
03. Kasey Kahne #9 Dodge
04. Matt Kenseth #17 Ford
05. Kurt Busch #2 Dodge
06. Mark Martin #01 Chevrolet
07. David Ragan #6 Ford
08. Kevin Harvick #29 Chevrolet
09. Jeff Burton #31 Chevrolet
10. Carl Edwards #99 Ford
11. Jeff Gordon #24 Chevrolet
12. David Gilliland #38 Ford
13. Dale Earnhardt Jr #8 Chevrolet
14. Tony Stewart #20 Chevrolet
15. Martin Truex Jr #1 Chevrolet
16. Sterling Marlin #09 Chevrolet (FASTEST of the need for speed gang)
17. Brian Vickers #83 Toyota (had the speed when he needed it)
18. Kyle Busch #5 Chevrolet
19. Clint Bowyer #07 Chevrolet
20. Johnny Benson #36 Toyota (had the speed when he needed it)
21. Casey Mears #25 Chevrolet
22. Johnny Sauter #70 Chevrolet
23. Dave Blaney #22 Toyota
24. JJ Yeley #18 Chevrolet
25. Jamie McMurray #26 Ford
26. Dale Jarrett #44 Toyota (had the speed when he needed it)
27. Reed Sorenson #41 Dodge
28. Patrick Carpentier #10 Dodge (had the speed when he needed it)
29. Sam Hornish Jr #06 Dodge (had the speed when he needed it)
30. David Stremme #40 Dodge
31. Elliott Sadler #19 Dodge
32. Denny Hamlin #11 Chevrolet
33. Juan Montoya #42 Dodge
34. Jeremy Mayfield #66 Chevrolet
35. David Reutimann #00 Toyota (had the speed when he needed it)
36. Bobby Labonte #43 Dodge
37. Greg Biffle #16 Ford
38. Ricky Rudd #88 Ford
39. Paul Menard #15 Chevrolet
40. Kyle Petty #45 Dodge
41. Robby Gordon #7 Ford
42. Tony Raines #96 Chevrolet
43. Bill Elliott #21 Ford (uses a Champion's Provisional)

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g202/gr8link/dnq.jpg
The 6 drivers that will be going home :
A J Allmendinger #84 Toyota
John Andretti #49 Dodge
Joe Nemechek #78 Chevrolet
Michael Waltrip #55 Toyota
Todd Bodine #4 Chevrolet
Burney Lamar #08 Dodge

[dwboogityfan]

Great run for Sterling to get into the race, he has been pretty impressive with Finch so far. Good to see DJ and Johnny Benson make the show also - just a shame that BDR didn't put Benson in the #36 all season. I'm sure he would have made more races than Mayfield.
Surprised to see Allmendinger and Mikey miss as they both had good speed in practice. Hoepfully this will be the last race where this ridiculous top 35 rule is used but I won't hold my breath.

[RaikkonenRules]

Typical that Bill Elliott runs out of champ provisionals at the final race :p :

[Jonesi]

Typical that Bill Elliott runs out of champ provisionals at the final race :p :

No, he's only started 43rd five times, and I think one of those times (Atlanta) he was just the last non-Top 35 qualifier so it did not count as a Champ Prov, so he had 2 CPs left.

[RaikkonenRules]

I'm sure it said somewhere he had only left before this race.

[Jonesi]

Q: How many Cautions so far caused by spinning DEI cars?





A: All of them.

[muggle not]

I have always considered Tony as one of the best drivers in Nascar, however, I lost much respect for him with his comment....."lets see if you can fix it now".

Congrats to Jeff for an awesome year with 30 top 10 finishes.

Congrats to Johnson for winning the Championship under the Chase format, and, for finishing 2nd to Jeff by over 440 points under the Classic and true measurement of a Championship.

[SOD]

I wonder if Grdon will implement team orders next year?

Congrats to Jimmy, winning two in arow is no fluke. could say that he won last year becuase he was in a Hendrick car.

[MD24]

Congrats to the 48 team, but I'm so disappointed I thought Gordon was going to get it this year

[SOD]

Under the old rules, Gordon would have easily won it.