Championship-Minded Edwards Wins Homestead Cup Pole

Photo Credit: Nigel Kinrade Autostock

The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season started at Florida's Daytona International Speedway where a surprise winner Trevor Bayne took a Wood Brothers Ford to Daytona 500 victory circle. Returning to the state where the top stock car racing tour kicked off what was an overall unpredictable year, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title will be won by the first driver other than Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson for the first time since 2005.

The winner of that 2005 Cup championship, Tony Stewart, readies for the 2011 series finale at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway just 3 points behind the Chase points leader. Indiana state's Stewart target for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Ford 400 is the #99 car driven by a Columbus, Missouri native. A driver equally as skilled inside the car as he is charismatic outside of a race vehicle, Carl Edwards used plain consistency in 9 of the 10 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup races to take the point lead going into the Ford 400 on Sunday. Despite not winning an event so far in this 2011 NASCAR Chase, Edwards and the #99 Ford Fusion fielded by Roush Fenway Racing are in position to gain owner Jack Roush his third Cup Series championship. 

With no track activity on Friday due to rain drenching the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval, practice and qualifying for the Ford 400 took place Saturday. Immediately, Carl Edwards and the #99 team rocketed to the top of the time sheets in the two practice sessions. Parlaying the speed in practice, Edward's #99 Ford took pole in qualifying Saturday afternoon lapping the 1.5-mile Florida oval in 30.775 seconds. Equating to a 175.467 mile per hour average speed, Carl Edwards commented following his pole run success content with the importance of Sunday's Ford 400 race. "It is great to be on the pole. It is just one lap and tomorrow we have 267 laps and we have some serious competition out there. We are just going to go put this Ford Fusion up there and get a good pit stall and race hard all day Sunday.” said Edwards ahead of the 400-mile event.

On a mission Sunday, Carl Edwards starts from the front row while Chase contender Tony Stewart will launch from a 15th position in the #14 Chevrolet. With the fight for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship the tightest during Ford Championship Weekend at the race track, Tony Stewart only needs to improve a few spots over Carl Edwards to steal his third driver's title. Historically at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Edwards and Stewart each hold a pair of victories in the 400-mile event.

Collecting a little over one-tenth of a second slower than Edwards to start on the front row of the Ford 400 is Martin Truex Jr in the #56 Toyota. Recent Pheonix race winner Kasey Kahne is positioned 3rd in what will by his final event in the #4 Toyota for Team Red Bull. Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski claims the 4th and 5th spots in qualifying for Penske Racing. Part of the 12 drivers eligible in the 2011 Chase, both Kurt Busch and Keselowski enter with opportunities to gain positions to finish out the season. Drivers rounding out the top-10 for the start of the Ford 400 are in order of Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin.

Fastest in the first practice, the Hendrick Motorsports-backed #88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr will start 11th after qualifying for Sunday's race. In 11 race starts, Earnhardt Jr has yet to record a top-10 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway track in Sprint Cup Series competition. Other notable starters for the Ford 400 includes Regan Smith in 16th place driving the #78 Furniture Row car, the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Kyle Busch in 19th position, one-time 2011 Chase contender Kevin Harvick in 21st and 2003 Homestead-Miami race winner Bobby Labonte will start 35th. Also, Mark Martin will be racing his final race for Hendrick Motorsports in the #5 Chevy starting from the 25th position. Martin had announced weeks ago going to Michael Watrip Racing in 2012.

Concluding the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, the Ford 400 starts Sunday at 3pm Eastern time.

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup

Ford 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Starting Line-up

1. 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
2. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
3. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
4. 22 Kurt Busch Shell Pennzoil Dodge
5. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
6. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
7. 24 Jeff Gordon Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet
8. 16 Greg Biffle 3M/Novec Ford
9. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
10. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
11. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet
12. 43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Ford
13. 6 David Ragan UPS My Choice Ford
14. 39 Ryan Newman U.S. ARMY Chevrolet
15. 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
16. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet
17. 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
18. 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
19. 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota
20. 21 Trevor Bayne Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
21. 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
22. 51 Landon Cassill Security Benefit/ThnkATchr Today Chevrolet
23. 27 Paul Menard Duracell/Menards Chevrolet
24. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
25. 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
26. 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet
27. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
28. 0 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
29. 84 Cole Whitt Kangaroo Express Toyota
30. 55 J J Yeley Ingersoll Rand Ford
31. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
32. 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
33. 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing LLC Toyota
34. 35 Dave Blaney Golden Corral Chevrolet
35. 47 Bobby Labonte Reese Towpower Toyota
36. 30 David Stremme Inception Racing Chevrolet
37. 87 Joe Nemechek AM/FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves Toyota
38. 34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
39. 13 Casey Mears Hard Rock Vodka Toyota
40. 38 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's Ford
41. 32 T J Bell GreenSmoke.com Ford
42. 36 Geoffrey Bodine Luke & Associates Chevrolet
43. 71 Mike Bliss School Media Ford

Dillon Wins Truck Title Despite Valiant Run By Race Winner Sauter

Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

 

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

  

(November 18, 2011)

  

HOMESTEAD, Fla.—Austin Dillon withstood a strong challenge from race winner Johnny Sauter to win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship in Friday night’s Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

NASCAR called the event with 15 laps left with Sauter in the lead and Dillon in 10th place, giving Dillon, 21, the youngest champion in series history, a six-point edge over Sauter in the final series standings.

 

Dillon is the first driver in series history to win the rookie of the year title in his first full season and the series championship the following year.

"I remember my first championship with Dale Earnhardt," said team owner Richard Childress, Dillon’s grandfather. "I had the same feeling tonight watching my grandson."

 

"You can’t go out of the truck series any better than this," said Dillon, who will graduate to the Nationwide Series with RCR next year.

Denny Hamlin finished second in the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports truck, followed by Kevin Harvick, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Joey Coulter, who won the 2011 rookie of the year title. Coulter is a teammate of Dillon’s at Richard Childress Racing.

Early in the race, patience was a virtue for Dillon, who steered clear of potential complications and found a comfortable place to run at or near the back of the top 10.

As the race progressed, so did Dillon, who had worked his way into the second position behind Sauter before Ross Chastain’s spin on Lap 96 caused the fourth caution of the evening. The subsequent restart, however, brought more stress than Dillon ever could have expected.

Dillon fell back to 15th, fearing that he might have a problem with the right front fender on the No. 3 Chevrolet. Shortly thereafter, Sauter clinched most laps led, putting Dillon in danger of losing the championship if he lost more positions by the end of the race.

But Dillon drove back to the 10th position before rain halted the race on Lap 119 of 134 with Sauter in the lead.

"The fender got bent in—I don’t know how it happened," Dillon said. "I didn’t hit anybody on the track, but I think it happened on pit road. We got real tight once I got back there (in traffic). I think it was more on the conservative side when I was three-wide. We were three-wide in the middle, and to force a spot right there was not worth it."

 

Sauter, who won his second race of the season and the fourth of his career, wasn’t aware of how far behind Dillon had fallen on the restart.

"I had no clue," said Sauter, who won more than one event in a season in a top NASCAR touring series for the first time in his career. "Not one time tonight did they tell me where the 3 truck was. It didn’t really matter where he was running. We knew what we had to do, and that was lead the most laps and win the race.

"It’s a huge accomplishment, coming out here and doing what we needed to do. Six points is a bummer. You can think back on the season—dominating Kentucky, broke an axle, 20 to go, leading the race; ORP (Indianapolis), leading the race, flat tire; the lane violation at Texas, 22 points; six points at Pocono. You can go down the list—but everybody can. That’s just racing."

 

Notes: Greg Biffle and Travis Kvapil won rookie of the year honors and truck series championships, but not in consecutive years. Biffle accomplished the feat in 1998 (rookie) and 2000. Kvapil was rookie of the year in 2001 and champion in 2003. … Harvick had clinched the owners’ championship with his No. 2 truck before the series arrived at Homestead.

 

2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Ford 200
Race Results

 

1. 13 Johnny Sauter SafeAuto/Curb Records Chevrolet
2. 18 Denny Hamlin Dollar General/DirecTV Toyota
3. 2 Kevin Harvick Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet
4. 8 Nelson Piquet Jr. Piquet Realty Chevrolet
5. 22 Joey Coulter RCR Graphics Center Chevrolet
6. 21 Ty Dillon Charter Chevrolet
7. 24 Elliott Sadler AM/FM Energy Chevrolet
8. 17 Timothy Peters Tire Kingdom/Service Central Toyota
9. 23 Jason White Gunbroker.com Chevrolet
10. 3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet
11. 81 David Starr Zachry Toyota
12. 31 James Buescher Exide Chevrolet
13. 33 Ron Hornaday Jr. OneMain Financial Chevrolet
14. 29 Parker Kligerman Cooper Standard Dodge
15. 15 Dusty Davis Red Top Auto Auction Toyota
16. 5 Todd Bodine International Trucks/Monaco RVs Toyota
17. 4 Ricky Carmichael Monster Energy Chevrolet
18. 6 Justin Lofton CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet
19. 88 Matt Crafton Menards/Tarkett Chevrolet
20. 62 Brendan Gaughan Tire Kingdom/Service Central Toyota
21. 9 Max Papis GEICO Toyota
22. 60 Cole Whitt Fuel Doctor/Red Bull Chevrolet
23. 32 Blake Feese Red Hot Insurance Chevrolet
24. 39 Ryan Sieg RSS Racing Chevrolet
25. 98 Dakoda Armstrong Ferrellgas/EverFi.com Chevrolet
26. 51 German Quiroga telcel Toyota
27. 93 Ross Chastain National Watermelon Chevrolet
28. 9 Bryan Silas Rockingham Speedway Ford
29. 57 Norm Benning G.L. Hubbard & Sons Inc. Chevrolet
30. 68 Clay Greenfield Anave Weight Loss Dodge
31. 66 Max Gresham MattyBRaps.com/Gresham Motorsports Park Chevrolet
32. 7 Miguel Paludo Duroline Toyota
33. 74 Mike Harmon KOMA Unwind Chevrolet
34. 38 Dennis Setzer RSS Racing Chevrolet
35. 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb DrivenMale.com Ford
36. 7 Johnny Chapman BOBBER.info Toyota

Edwards Takes Ford 400 at Homestead, Johnson Claims 5th Sprint Cup Championship

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/ Getty Images for NASCAR

Shaping up the final race for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the Ford 400 plays host to what has been a season where we have seen some pleasant surprises. The major success is the tight Chase for the Sprint Cup which has placed Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick within 46 points. By the end of 400 miles at the Florida 1.5 mile oval, the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion would be celebrated by one driver.

For all competitor making the 43 car field for the Ford 400, there were personal as well as team honours at stake. Concluding at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, the achievements of 35 earlier races have yet some drivers hungry for more success or thirty to revive a season sporting misfortune.
Involved in a fair amount of bad experiences in 2010, Kasey Kahne's future has been the biggest story than his current season. In reaction to Kahne's 2011 and 2012 plans, 2010 was impacted when he departed his #9 Ford early for the Red Bull #83 Toyota. For the Ford 400, Kasey Kahne was able to place his Toyota on pole for what will be the last NASCAR Sprint Cup pole for almost three months.
Kasey Kahne led the first 4 laps of the Ford 400 until the Phoenix race winner Carl Edwards driving his Roush-Fenway Racing-owned #99 Ford muscled past the #83 Toyota for the lap 5 lead. Losing the lap just briefly during a lap 20 pit stop under the race's first caution for Devid Reutimann's wall impact on turn 4, Edwards would retake the lead in time for the restart back to green flag conditions.
As the field began to race again on lap 23, a second caution came swiftly. A critical incident for the 2010 Chase for the Sprint cup the #16 Ford of Greg Biffle made contact with title leader Denny Hamlin. Hamlin's #11 Toyota was forced into the in-field grass in order to regain control. Both cars were able to continue in contention but the Joe Gibbs Racing crew spent several pit stops to repair the mingled front end of the #11 machine.
Showing part of Ford's late season resurgence in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing for 2010, a challenger did present himself in the Ford 400. The #56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota piloted by Martin Truex Jr posted a significant appearance in the final race of 2010. Taking the lead on the first time on lap 73, Truex Jr initial time ahead of the field lasted for 26 circuit. As the #99 Ford of Edwards emerged as a dominant car early, Martin Truex Jr's #56 Toyota provided the fiercest fight through the first half of the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami.
On lap 88, Jeff Gordon's #24 Chevrolet began slowing as the four-time Cup champion reported an engine misfire. Down on power, the #24 car of Gordon fell to 24th place just 3 laps later. Hendrick Motorsports crew were optimistic the problem was limited to a disconnected spark plug. Unfortunately for the #24 crew, a pit stop during the third caution would leave the team in a more somber mood as the engine's lack of power appears to be a more terminal issue.
The problems of Denny Hamlin early left the Chase for the Sprint Cup interesting through this finale By lap 120, Kevin Harvick was leading the Cup contenders on track in 5th place. Jimmie Johnson was close behind in 8th while Denny Hamlin was recovering nicely from the lap 25 incident. The #11 Toyota crept up to 20th on the race track.
Caution flew just past of the mid-way point of the Ford 400 as the #47 Toyota of Marcus Ambrose impacted the wall on turn 4. After pit stops, the Michael Waltrip Racing #56 Toyota preserved the lead but Carl Edward sailed back to the lead as the drivers continued a see-saw battle.
Juan Pablo Montoya and Joey Logano were parties involved with a three-wide scenario which quickly results in the #42 of Montoya touching the #20 Toyota. The contact triggered the #20 of Logano into the wall to suffer massive front end damage. Joey Logano's race season ended with a crushed Toyota and an emotionally-crushed Joe Gibbs Racing Home Depot crew leaving competition before the checkered flag. Juan Pablo Montoya and Bill Elliott also sustained damage but continued to race the duration of the Ford 400 event.
With 100 laps to go, only 7 points separated the top-3 drivers in the Sprint Cup championship fight as the Ford 400 was led make to green by Carl Edwards. Denny Hamlin, one position behind Jimmie Johnson on the Homestead-Miami race track following pit stops, achieved a marvelous restart passing Johnson quickly as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver charged his way forward. Five laps later, the #11 Toyota of Hamlin has launched himself into the top-ten runners.
Kevin Harvick made a dramatic surge to lead the field back on to the Homestead-Miami race track. Regrettably, Harvick and the Richard Childress Racing crew had a short-lived triumph as NASCAR deemed speeding on pit road.
An 8th caution with 73 laps to go slowed the field as the #38 Ford of Dave Blaney hit hard between turn 3 and 4 striking the retaining wall. At the restart, the #56 Toyota slowed developing a flat tire. The driver held on to the #56 Michael Waltrip Racing but the deflated tire ruined the day for Martin Truex Jr. Little more than a lap following Martin Truex Jr's tribulations, caution came out for oil on the race track. Jeff Gordon's #24 Chevrolet wounded run ended as the Hendrick Motorsports engine gave up.
Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick pitted on lap 239 for fuel as well as tires under green bracing for the final run to the finish ahead of Jimmie Johnson. After the leaders pitted, caution came out just a few laps later spoiling their title charge effort. The race's 10th yellow flag on lap 243 flew for a scary incident involving the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch. Racing with Kevin Harvick for track position, the #29 Chevrolet connected with the #18 of Busch. Smashing the wall hard with his Camry's front end, Busch found smoke and flames building up in and around his #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Kyle Busch was thankfully unhurt but was left disappointed he was unable to sweep the final race weekend. Busch had won the Camping World Truck Series and the Nationwide Series finales for the Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.




Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images


From the resumption of the race after the final caution, Carl Edwards held onto the led while Jimmie Johnson took a firm grip of an important 2nd place position. With Kevin Harvick following Johnson in 3rd and Denny Hamlin buried deep outside of the top-10 through the final laps, the #48 Lowes Chevrolet was in the ideal spot to take an unprecedented 5th straight Sprint Cup title.

Crossing the finish line, Carl Edwards' #99 Ford maintained an 1.609 second lead over Johnson's #48 Chevrolet. After winning in Phoenix, Edwards capped a nearly two-year long winless streak which dated back to victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2008. Carl Edwards waited only one week to gain a second victory to round out the 2010 season. Another outstanding performance for Ford, Edwards led 190 of the races 267 laps.

As Jimmie Johnson finished second, he became the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion. Coming into the NASCAR Sprint cup finale, Johnson was unaccustomed to being on the outside of the championship lead from his experiences for the first four titles.

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

Coming up short on the year, Kevin Harvick finished 3rd in the Ford 400 and 3nd overall (41 points off of Johnson) in the Sprint Cup Chase standings. Due to NASCAR Sprint Cup's Chase format, Harvick gave up a healthy points margin in exchange for this points payoff. Having entered the season with few questions on Kevin Harvick's driving ability, questions surrounded whether his time was best spent at Richard Childress Racing. With 3 wins and 26 top-10 finishes (the most of any driver in 2010), the Californian driver returns in 2011 as a bona fide Sprint Cup contender.

NASCAR Sprint Cup points runner-up in 2010 Denny Hamlin season ended with a 14th place run at Homestead, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver's Chase points totaled to a 39 marker deficit to Jimmie Johnson.

With Ford prevailing in the race bearing their corporate name, Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) cars round out the top-5 behind Harvick. A career-high finish for Aric Almirola of 4th place was accomplished by the young, part-time driver of the #9 Ford while RPM's potentially brightest star for 2011 AJ Allmendinger brought the #43 Ford home 5th.

With all 36 races in the books for 2010, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will next celebrate the season that was leading up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Banquet. For another year, Jimmie Johnson will be the guest of honour. Congratulations!
 


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Ford 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race Results

Pos #  | Car #  | Driver  | Sponsor/ Car Make

1. 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
2. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
3. 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
4. 9 Aric Almirola Budweiser Ford
5. 43 A J Allmendinger Insignia HDTV Ford
6. 83 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
7. 39 Ryan Newman U.S.Army Chevrolet
8. 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet
9. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
10. 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
11. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
12. 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
13. 12 Brad Keselowski No. 12 Penske Dodge
14. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
15. 21 Bill Elliott Motorcraft / Quick Lane Ford
16. 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
17. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
18. 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
19. 98 Paul Menard Mastercraft / Menards Ford
20. 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
21. 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
22. 09 Bobby Labonte C & J Energy Chevrolet
23. 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota
24. 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Mobil 1 Dodge
25. 37 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford
26. Marcos Ambrose Clorox / Kleenex Toyota
27. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
28. 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Ford
29. 71 Andy Lally Anderson's Maple Syrup Chevrolet
30. 7 Kevin Conway  ExtenZe Toyota
31. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
32. 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota
33. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
34. 34 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's Ford
35. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
36. 38 Dave Blaney A&W All American Food Ford 
37. 24 Jeff Gordon Dupont Chevrolet
38. 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
39. 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
40. 64 Landon Cassill Empire Steel Buildings Toyota
41. 87 Joe Nemechek Young Eagles / HeatRedefined.com Toyota
42. 36 J J Yeley Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
43. 66 Mike Bliss PRISM Motorsports Toyota

Kyle Busch Nets 13th NASCAR Nationwide Win of 2010

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/ Getty Images for NASCAR

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 

(November 20, 2010)

 

HOMESTEAD, Fla.—Kyle Busch pulled away from Kevin Harvick during a 23-lap run to the finish to win Saturday’s Ford 300 Nationwide Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

Harvick ran second, followed by 2010 series champion Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne.

 

With his 13th victory in 29 starts this season, Busch extended his single-season win record. The victory was his 43rd in the Nationwide Series, leaving him five behind all-time leader Mark Martin.

 

Danica Patrick qualified fifth, pitted early and led four laps—her first of the season—by staying out while others pitted under caution on Lap 24. Soon after a restart on Lap 28, however, she dropped back to 21st in the running order. She finished a career-best 19th in her 13th start in the series.

 

After winning the owners championship in his own No. 18 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday night, Busch secured the Nationwide owners’ title for Joe Gibbs Racing on Saturday. Stenhouse clinched Raybestos rookie of the year honors.

 

Notes: Keselowski scored his 26th top-five finish of the year, a single-season record. … The victory was Gibbs’ 49th in the past three seasons. Busch has 31 of those. ... Busch led 153 of 200 laps.

 

 

NASCAR Nationwide Series

Ford 300

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Race Results 

 

Pos #  |  Car #  | Driver | Sponsor/Car Make

1. 18 Kyle Busch Z-Line Designs Toyota
2. 33 Kevin Harvick Jimmy John's Chevrolet
3. 22 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Dodge
4. 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # CitiFinancial Ford
5. 17 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Ford
6. 60 Carl Edwards Copart.com Ford
7. 20 Joey Logano GameStop / MASTIFF Toyota
8. 62 Brendan Gaughan Aspen Dental Toyota
9. 98 Paul Menard Richmond / Menards Ford 200
10. 10 Jason Leffler ABF U-Pack Moving Toyota
11. 12 Justin Allgaier Verizon Wireless Dodge
12. 99 Martin Truex Jr. Out! Pet Care Toyota
13. 42 Parker Kligerman GetMoreVacations.com / Bandit Chippers Dodge
14. 32 Reed Sorenson Dollar General Toyota
15. 66 Steve Wallace 5-hour Energy Toyota
16. 11 David Reutimann Rexall / Dollar General Toyota
17. 84 Cole Whitt Red Bull Toyota
18. 09 Brian Scott Shore Lodge Toyota
19. 7 Danica Patrick GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
20. 23 Robert Richardson Jr. R3 Motorsports Chevrolet
21. 26 Sam Hornish Jr. Alliance Parts Dodge
22. 05 David Starr Cash America Chevrolet
23. 34 Tony Raines BeaStockCarDriver.com Chevrolet
24. 15 Michael Annett Germain.com Toyota
25. 49 Mark Green Anderson's Maple Syrup Chevrolet 
26. 21 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Racing Chevrolet
27. 35 Jason Keller TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet
28. 28 Kenny Wallace Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet
29. 16 Colin Braun Con-way Freight Ford
30. 01 Mike Wallace Suncore Industries Chevrolet
31. 40 Mike Bliss Westerman Companies Chevrolet
32. 88 Aric Almirola GT Vodka Chevrolet
33. 27 Chase Mattioli CollegeComplete.com / GreenTreeProfit.com Ford
34. 92 Brian Keselowski K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge
35. 87 Joe Nemechek Gator.com Chevrolet
36. 70 Shelby Howard BlackFlyDay.com Chevrolet
37. 24 Eric McClure Hefty Odor Block Ford
38. 38 Kasey Kahne Great Clips Chevrolet 
39. 04 Jeremy Clements Boudreaux's Butt Paste Chevrolet
40. 91 David Gilliland D'Hondt-Humphrey Motorsports Chevrolet
41. 56 Kevin Lepage Sunshine Plumbing/MitchellSwabackCharities Toyota
42. 96 Dennis Setzer K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge
43. 36 Jeff Green TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet

Kasey Kahne Clobbers Cup Field for Homestead Pole

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/ Getty Images for NASCAR

 

Homestead is the home stretch for the 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup series of 2010. A 1.5 mile true oval track, the Homestead-Miami Speedway plays host to one of the closest three-way points battles since the Chase for the Sprint Cup format was innovated by NASCAR in 2004. With Hamlin, Johnson and Harvick separated by only 46 points entering the final race, the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup appears have the potential of needing all of the event's 267 laps.


Breaking a two-race pole streak Ford Motor Company products in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Kasey Kahne stormed to the Ford 400 pole his #83 Red Bull Toyota. Rounding the 1.5 mile in a time of 30.525 to take the final pole of 2010, Kahne and the Team Red Bull narrowly nicked Phoenix race winner Carl Edwards by a margin of just 0.031 seconds on the track. As qualifying concluded and the grid was set for the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, less than 7/10th of a second separates Kasey Kahne's lead time with the slowest race entry speed posted by 40th place Juan Pablo-Montoya.

Kahne's 4th pole of this season, this is the driver's first top time since making an early entrance into Team Red Bull Racing. Having parted ways with has long-time Sprint Cup team (the #9 car existing within Richard Petty Motorsports) after the fall Charlotte event, Kasey Kahne is spending some early seat time inside the #83 Toyota preparing for a full season for 2011. 

The Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing #1 Chevrolet of Jamie McMurray starts 3rd in this final event in afairy tale season for a driver many motorsport insiders wrote off prior to his victory at this year's Daytona 500. Bill Elliott is another continuing to make notable appearances in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. The Dawsonville, Georgia 1988 NASCAR Cup champion positioned the #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in 4th. The #43 Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) Ford driven by AJ Allmendinger allowed 3 of the top-5 vehicles starting at the front of the Ford 400 to display a Blue Oval badge. A solid top-5 for Allmendinger within the uncertainty of RPM's 2011 operation, a bright spot for the embattled Ford team is qualifying where at least one team car started in the top-10 for 8 of the final 10 races.

In regards to the much anticipated final showdown Sunday for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup, second place in the points Jimmie Johnson starts in the best spot. Qualifying his #48 Lowes Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports 6th for the Ford 400, Johnson's so-called "drive for five" championships has the driver favoured (at least for the beginning of the event) to repeat the title victory which he's achieved the past four seasons.

Buried in 37th, current Chase for the Sprint Cup points leader Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Toyota will be need to pick up considerable ground over the 400 mile distance to complete the eagerly-awaited spoiling of Jimmie Johnson's Sprint Cup series dominance. A difficult job, breaking through the field of the Homestead-Miami Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup race is a custom for Hamlin having never started better than 25th in previous qualifying attempts at the 1.5 mile oval. Last year, the #11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin won the season's final event starting 38th on that day.  

Third 2010 Sprint Cup contender Kevin Harvick will also be required to make up some race distance after a lackluster time trial run. Starting better than Denny Hamlin in 28th place, Harvick's #29 Chevrolet will attempt to regain the series point lead honours which were stripped from the Richard Childress Racing pilot due to the Chase reformatting after Richmond. 

With engine set to roar at 1 P.M. Eastern for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup series finale Ford 400, expectations are to see a competitive event amongst the 43 who all have something to prove prior to the checkered flag.    



2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Ford 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Starting Lineup


# Pos  | Car #  | Driver| Sponsor/ Car Make

1. 83 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
2. 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
3. 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
4. 21 Bill Elliott Motorcraft / Quick Lane Ford
5. 43 A J Allmendinger Insignia HDTV Ford
6. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
7. 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
8. 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
9. 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
10. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
11. 24 Jeff Gordon Dupont Chevrolet
12. 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Ford
13. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
14. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
15. 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
16. 98 Paul Menard Mastercraft / Menards Ford
17. 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
18. 12 Brad Keselowski No. 12 Penske Dodge
19. 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
20. 47 Marcos Ambrose Clorox / Kleenex Toyota
21. 36 J J Yeley Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
22. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
23. 39 Ryan Newman U.S.Army Chevrolet 
24. 9 Aric Almirola Budweiser Ford
25. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
26. 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Mobil 1 Dodge
27. 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
28. 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
29. 87 Joe Nemechek Young Eagles / HeatRedefined.com Toyota
30. 66 Mike Bliss PRISM Motorsports Toyota
31. 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet 
32.  09 Bobby Labonte C & J Energy Chevrolet
33. 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota 
34. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
35. 71 Andy Lally Anderson's Maple Syrup Chevrolet
36. 38 Dave Blaney A&W All American Food Ford
37. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
38. 37 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford
39. 34 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's Ford
40. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet 
41. 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota
42. 7 Kevin Conway ExtenZe Toyota
43. 64 Landon Cassill  Empire Steel Buildings Toyota

Scott Dixon Wins IZOD IndyCar Finale at Homestead

 

Photo Credit: Dana Garrett

 

Finishing off this 17-race IZOD IndyCar Series season of 2010 in Florida state, a 27-car field of North America's top open wheel racing teams assembled for the Cafes Do Brasil 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. For drivers and teams still wishing for one more major on-track accomplishment in 2010, they were left with 200 laps around the 1.5 mile oval to leave their season on a high note.

 

Capping what has been a marvelous season for the Penske Racing and Target-Chip Ganassi Racing squads, each team had one driver poised to become the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Champion. Penske's Will Power and Target Chip Ganassi's Dario Franchitti would battle through the final IndyCar round of 2010 on the oval of Homestead-Miami Speedway. Claiming first blood in qualifying with Franchitti's #10 car taking pole, Target-Chip Ganassi Racing was immediately positioned perfectly coming to green flag of the Cafes Do Brasil 300.

 

Though a championship race maintained hotly contested through the first-half of the Homestead-Miami Speedway event, the fight on the track among many of the IZOD IndyCar Series teams provided one of the most exciting open wheel races the oval has held. As dusk fell on the speedway for the Saturday night event, sparks coming from the underbodies of Dallara race cars were like fireworks for what would be an exciting finale to this 2010 tour. 

 

Dario Franchitti led for the first 42 circuits of the Cafes Do Brasil 300 with teammate Scott Dixon pursuing in second place, an active fight took place 3rd place and back. Moving through the field in a hurry, 8th place starter Tony Kanaan flew this #11 Andretti Autosport to 3rd on the 20th lap. Never winning at the Homestead-Miami track, Kanaan has an 7-season long record of finishing the event which compiles to a 6.14 average race result.

 

Photo Credit: Ron McQueeney

 

Based on the fact last year's Homestead-Miami Speedway race ran caution-free, the show on the 1.5 mile oval presented very little on-track excitement. However, thanks to five cautions regrouping the field of IZOD Indy cars, the 2010 race at the Florida race track was much more dramatic than the caution-free 2009 event. Mario Moraes' suffered gearbox failure on his #32 KV Racing Technology car brought out the first yellow flag on lap 36 allowing an opportunity for all the lead lap drivers to receive attention of their pit crews. Franchitti retained the lead but the #6 Penske Racing team used a speedy pit stop to vault their driver Ryan Briscoe into 2nd place. Without the security net of his Target-Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Franchitti was vulnerable to assault from the Penske Racing #6 car on the lap 42 restart.

 

Using a strong acceleration run, Briscoe blazed by Dario Franchitti to take the lead on the next lap. For what would be part one of this battle between the two, as Franchitti retook the lead the caution flag came out once more when the #24 Dreyer and Reinbold Racing car driven by Ana Beatriz met the turn 4 wall. Only the female Brazilian's 3rd IZOD IndyCar event, Beatriz reported gearbox troubles with her vehicle a few laps prior to the ultimate ending in the Homestead-Miami Speedway's retaining wall.

 

With the first battle cut short by the yellow flag, when the Cafes Do Brasil 300 was sent back to green on lap 51, Dario Franchitti and Ryan Briscoe had a battle for the race's lead. Swapping the lead 5 times at the start/finish line through 6 laps, the #10 Target car and the #6 Verizon vehicle were inavertedly opening the door for competition for chase down the dicing duel.

 

Not limited to Franchitti and Briscoe, the lead at Homestead-Miami Speedway turned in an IZOD IndyCar battle royal. Demoted to 3rd after lap 37 pit stops, Scott Dixon shot by his teammate and Briscoe to take the lead just as Tony Kanaan was also positioning himself for a run at front. On lap 69, Tony Kanaan received a reward for his effort as the #11 car surges to 1st place. Lasting only 4 laps, the lead would cycle back to Dario Franchitti on lap 73.

 

Within a long 85-lap stretch since the caution for Ana Beatriz's crash, the lead changed hands during green flag pit stops rewarding Alex Tagliani with a race lead on lap 98. Keeping the FAZZT Race Team car out front for 3 laps, Tagliani would come for service after a brief playtime leading the Cafes Do Brasil 300. Completing the race in 14th spot after a pit road violation cost the #77 team later in this event, the first-year FAZZT Race Team now has a season of experience with some moments of greatness to build on for 2011.

 

Ending the long green flag run was an incident which would ulimately decide the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series championship. After backsliding through the early stage at Homestead-Miami Speedway out of the top-10, the #12 Penske Racing car of Will Power had been running 3rd approaching the last quarter of the race. Having to run a higher line to keep his car competitive, Power would brush the outside wall through turn 3 and turn 4 on lap 129 causing a yellow flag to be thrown a lap later. As the Penske Racing team were unable to effectively repair the #12 car, Power was sidelined into 25th for the oval race.

 

Fuel played on the minds of many teams through the final stage of the Cafes Do Brasil 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway as some team risked being only a few laps short of going rest of the race distance. Being solace to teams, a yellow flag slowed the field again as Milka Duno spun in turn 4. Impacting the turn 4 wall in an almost similar fashion to the #24 car, Duno too escaped unhurt from a Dallara-Honda race machine. The final caution for Duno secured the chances for all vehicles to make it to the checkered flag.

 

Making a conservative choice to pit, the #10 Target-Chip Ganassi Racing team brought Dario Franchitti to this pit stall for fuel and tires through the final 18 lap run to the finish. With Franchitti in 9th place on the restart, the #9 Target car of Scott Dixon led the field fending out Tony Kanaan. Stretching out a 2.76 second lead, Dixon cruised to the finish of the Cafes Do Brasil 300. Compiling three wins in 2010, Dixon's Homestead-Miami Speedway victory contributed to the New Zealander's 3rd place in the overall IZOD IndyCar Series.

 

As Dixon flew to victory, action since the last restart was dominated by a fierce fight that Danica Patrick brought to Tony Kanaan for the 2nd place position. Perhaps hurting one of them a chance of chasing down Scott Dixon's #9 car, the #11 and #26 ran side-by-side through the final distance as considerable ground on 4th place Briscoe assured this was going to be a two-car battle to the end for the runner-up spot. Into the final lap, Danica Patrick timed a perfect move into turn 1 to grab an edge on Tony Kanaan's car for what would be a 0.0111 second advantage. "After I crossed the line, I said it wasn't a win, but it sure felt like one. This was a great way to end the season." Patrick said perceptive the Andretti Autosport late lap dueling pleased the crowd. Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves rounded out the top-5 of the Homestead-Miami finale.

A wonderful end to the season for team owner Chip Ganassi topped with driver Dario Franchitti repeating as IZOD IndyCar Series championship, the season netted 6 wins including the Indy 500 for the Target-Chip Ganassi Racing. Once again bettering the Penske Racing team in the open wheel racing series, the first full-season effort of Will Power and the later year improvements of Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe provided some rich challenge on Target-Chip Ganassi Racing team race-to-race for 2010. As the Homestead-Miami Speedway ends the IZOD IndyCar season, the cars and drivers of the season will rest until the 2011 season opener in St Petersburg this upcoming March.


2010 IZOD IndyCar Series
Cafes Do Brasil Indy 300
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race Results

 

 

Pos # |Car # |  Driver/Country of Origin  | Team

 

1. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
2. 7 Danica Patrick/United States Andretti Autosport
3. 11 Tony Kanaan/Brazil Andretti Autosport
4. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia Penske Racing
5. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil Penske Racing
6. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil AJ Foyt Enterprises
7. 26 Marco Andretti/United States Andretti Autosport
8. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
9. 4 Dan Wheldon/England Panther Racing
10. 02 Graham Rahal/United States Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
11. 37 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States Andretti Autosport
12. 19 Alex Lloyd/England Dale Coyne Racing
13. 20 Ed Carpenter/ United States Panther Racing
14. 77 Alex Tagliani/Canada FAZZT Race Team
15. 34 Bertrand Baguette/Belgium Conquest Racing
16. 36 Sebastian Saavedra/Colombia Conquest Racing
17. 2 Raphael Matos/Brazil Luczo Dragon/de Ferran Motorsports
18. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan KV Racing Technology
19. 8 EJ Viso/Venezuela KV Racing Technology
20. 06 Hideki Mutoh/ Japan Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
21. 22 Justin Wilson/England Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
22. 67 Sarah Fisher/United States Sarah Fisher Racing
23. 78 Simona De Silvestro/Switzerland HVM Racing
24. 18 Milka Duno/Venezuela Dale Coyne Racing
25. 12 Will Power/Australia Penske Racing
26. 24 Ana Beatriz/Brazil Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
27. 32 Mario Moraes/Brazil KV Racing Technology

 

Dario Franchitti takes Pivotal Pole for IZOD IndyCar Finale at Homestead

Photo Credit: Dana Garrett

Arriving at the 1.5 mile oval of Homestead-Miami Speedway, North America's top open wheel series sets for a late Saturday night running of a 300-mile event.With 27 cars running in this finale round of the IZOD IndyCar Series, the cars of Will Power and Dario Franchitti are likely to dominate the spectator's focus of the 200-lap distance.

Concluding what has been a memorable 2010 season, the final race of this year's IZOD IndyCar Series season will resolve whether two-time and reigning series champion Dario Franchitti will pull off another 'come from behind' points victory. Franchitti also claimed the single championship point which closes the Scot to only 11 markers to the Australian Will Power. Both previous championships, Dario Franchitti was lacking behind other drivers heading into the last round of the IndyCar championship. In 2007 driving for Andretti-Green Racing (now Andretti Autosport), Franchitti won the title on the final lap of the final corner at Chicagoland Speedway as then-leader Scott Dixon ran out of fuel. Last year, a crash by Ryan Briscoe in Japan gave another opening for Franchitti now with Target-Chip Ganassi Racing. Through pit stop strategy at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Franchitti found himself again the champion.


While Dario Franchitti's #10 car took top spot in qualifying with a 213.187 MPH average speed, Target-Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon positioned himself into 2nd place. Helpful to his Scottish teammate starting on the front row with a trust-worthy competitor, Dixon holds Will Power one more position at bay. Building more confidence on ovals, Australian Will Power qualified 3rd for the IZOD IndyCar Saturday finale. Even though he continues to sit in the lead of the 2010 championship into the last race, Power is finding himself surprisingly an underdog after a sensational first full season effort with Penske Racing.

Penske Racing #6 car of Ryan Briscoe accompanies his teammate in the second row off the start of the Cafes Do Brasil Indy 300. In 5th, Panther Racing's Dan Wheldon once again quests for another top oval finish backed up by the final time this season by teammate Ed Carpentier in 7th place. When the IZOD IndyCar Series returned to the ovals, Panther Racing has found themselves a close competitor to the Penske/Chip Ganassi superteam bunching providing someone outside of the Andretti Autosport camp to see as a spoiler. Also showing flashes of brilliance this season has been the #22 car of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing piloted by Justin Wilson. However, following the spin-out during the Honda Indy Toronto, the Z-Line Design car appeared to be suffering an off-note through the latter half of the open wheel season. Wilson has placed 6th on the lineup for the Homestead-Miami finale as one of his stronger oval qualifying effort this year.

Andretti Autosport's Tony Kanaan, hard-luck rookie for KV Racing Technology Takuma Sato and the third Penske Racing car of Twin-Ring Motegi winner Helio Castroneves wraps up the top-10 in qualifying for the Cafes Do Brasil Indy 300.

With the Indy Racing League and Homestead-Miami Speedway's parent company International Speedway Corporation at apparent odds with each other, likelihood dictates that this might be the last time for a while that IZOD IndyCars will visit the Florida oval. For 2011, indications point to Las Vegas Motor Speedway filling in the season finale spot but the IRL has still left the final date TBA on the upcoming season schedule.

Hardly known as an action track, the Homestead-Miami Speedway is known as a difficult place to pass under long green flag conditions. Barring cautions, the best way IndyCar teams will gain track position is through the pits. Though the normally bulletproof crews of Penske Racing appear to hold an edge, the Target Chip Ganassi Racing pit crews are certainly championship quality.
Coverage of the Cafes Do Brasil Indy 300 will start on Versus at 6 P.M. in the United States. Canadian fans will finally receive a break as TSN is simulcasting the final race of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series on the main TSN channel.

2010 IZOD IndyCar Series

Cafes Do Brasil Indy 300

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Qualifying Results

Pos | Car# | Driver/Country of Origin | Sponsor/Team

1. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
2. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
3. 12 Will Power/Australia Penske Racing
4. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia Penske Racing
5. 4 Dan Wheldon/England Panther Racing
6. 22 Justin Wilson/England Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
7. 20 Ed Carpenter/ United States Panther Racing
8. 11 Tony Kanaan/Brazil Andretti Autosport
9. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan KV Racing Technology
10. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil Penske Racing
11. 7 Danica Patrick/United States Andretti Autosport
12. 34 Bertrand Baguette/Belgium Conquest Racing
13. 24 Ana Beatriz/Brazil Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
14. 26 Marco Andretti/United States Andretti Autosport
15. 67 Sarah Fisher/United States Sarah Fisher Racing
16. 8 EJ Viso/Venezuela KV Racing Technology
17. 32 Mario Moraes/Brazil KV Racing Technology
18. 02 Graham Rahal/United States Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
19. 77 Alex Tagliani/Canada FAZZT Race Team
20. 37 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States Andretti Autosport
21. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil AJ Foyt Enterprises
22. 19 Alex Lloyd/England Dale Coyne Racing
23. 2 Raphael Matos/Brazil Luczo Dragon/de Ferran Motorsports
24. 36 Sebastian Saavedra/Colombia Conquest Racing
25. 78 Simona De Silvestro/Switzerland HVM Racing
26. 06 Hideki Mutoh/ Japan Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
27. 18 Milka Duno/Venezuela Dale Coyne Racing

  

Entry List for 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Cafes Do Brasil Indy 300 at Homestead

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

2010 IZOD IndyCar Series
Cafes Do Brasil Indy 300
Homestead-Miami Speedway

Car #  | Driver/Home Country | Team

 

1. 02 Graham Rahal/United States Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
2. 06 Hideki Mutoh/ Japan Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
3. 2 Raphael Matos/Brazil Luczo Dragon/de Ferran Motorsports
4. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil Penske Racing
5. 4 Dan Wheldon/England Panther Racing
6. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan KV Racing Technology
7. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia Penske Racing
8. 7 Danica Patrick/United States Andretti Autosport
9. 8 EJ Viso/Venezuela KV Racing Technology
10. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
11. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
12. 11 Tony Kanaan/Brazil Andretti Autosport
13. 12 Will Power/Australia Penske Racing
14. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil AJ Foyt Enterprises
15. 18 Milka Duno/Venezuela Dale Coyne Racing
16. 19 Alex Lloyd/England Dale Coyne Racing
17. 20 Ed Carpenter/ United States Panther Racing
18. 22 Justin Wilson/England Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
19. 24 Ana Beatriz/Brazil Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
20. 26 Marco Andretti/United States Andretti Autosport
21. 32 Mario Moraes/Brazil KV Racing Technology
22. 34 Bertrand Baguette/Belgium Conquest Racing
23. 36 Sebastian Saavedra/Colombia Conquest Racing
24. 37 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States Andretti Autosport
25. 67 Sarah Fisher/United States Sarah Fisher Racing
26. 77 Alex Tagliani/Canada FAZZT Race Team
27. 78 Simona De Silvestro/Switzerland HVM Racing

 27-car lineup