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Other drivers to watch
Denny Hamlin has been running well of late with top-fives in three of his last four races. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was fifth last Sunday at Phoenix. He has finished third in his last two Cup starts at Miami. He led for 19 laps in last year’s event and Miami is the style of track where Hamlin and his crew chief, Mike Ford, can really get the best out of the No. 11 Toyota.
Hamlin is ninth in the Chase, just three points ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and only one point behind Matt Kenseth. He had a disappointing end to his playoff last year when he was outside the top 15 in three of the last four races and wound up 12th in the standings. That’s why a top-10 finish in this year’s Chase is extremely important to him. He’s chosen to end the season in a chassis he last ran in March at Las Vegas when he started 29th and came home ninth.
Kyle Busch started the Chase in first place and was picked by some as the driver to beat in the playoff. But four of his first six Chase results were miserable ones and his title hopes were dashed. Still, Busch has run much better in the second half of the playoff and has four top-10s in his last five starts. He’s raced only three times at Miami, where his starts have been a lot better than his finishes (20th is his best result). But if he remains in a good groove, he could change that on Sunday.
Jeff Burton’s first full season of Cup racing was in 1994 and he has never won a championship. That won’t change this year but Burton, who is fourth in the Chase, has had a very solid 2008. In nine Miami Cup starts, the veteran driver from Richard Childress Racing has three top-fives and four top-10s.
Keys to success at Homestead-Miami
The track was renovated for the 2003 race to add variable banking to what was a flat course. The move paid off as the racing has been much better, and passing has increased. There's been more side-by-side racing, creating more competitive races.
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Goodyear will bring a firm tire to the race but there still should be a lot of slipping and sliding because with the blistering sun that shines on the venue throughout the year, the track surface is always susceptible to losing grip. This will add another element to deciding the race winner.
A key to running well at Miami is being able to move around on the variable banking. Drivers will want to run the bottom and be fast on the bottom but they must have cars that go up top and race well should the groove on the bottom go away. Watch for Johnson to favor running the bottom and Edwards to favor running the top.
Every driver wants to cap his season with a good result but like at other tracks, posting a solid finish at Miami takes more than a great setup and near flawless driving. It also helps to have good fortune on your side.
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