A Look Back at the …
Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 from Phoenix International Raceway

Winner: Jimmie Johnson
Time of Race: 2 hours, 49 minutes, 26 seconds
Average Speed: 110.486 mph
Margin of Victory: 1.033 seconds
Caution Flags: 4 cautions for 23 laps
Lap Leaders: 9 among 4 drivers: Kurt Busch 1-52; J. Johnson 53; Kurt Busch 54-55; J. Johnson 56-73; R. Newman 74; Kurt Busch 75-89; J. Johnson 90-243; M. Kenseth 244-247; J. Johnson 248-312.

Post-Race Quotes
“The safest place on the track is up front. If we can lead the race, that's the best position to be in. If not, the top three-to-five. There's a lot of give and take that takes place on the racetrack. That's where I want to be. From 10th or 15th on back, it is so cut throat, I mean, everybody is just messing with one another, from aero situations, pinning each other down, even some light contact. That is not where I want to be. So the goal is to go there [Homestead], be as competitive as we can, stay up front in that zone where the drivers work with one another.

—   Phoenix race-winner and points-leader Jimmie Johnson on his strategy going into the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“I was really proud to show up the way that we did this weekend. It would have been easy for us to come in here with our tails between our legs, really bow out, try to pull a conservative race, hang out, finish right behind the 5 … whatever the situation may have been. We didn't want to do that. We wanted to come in here confident and go after it and attack.”

—   Johnson’s crew chief, Chad Knaus, on the team’s mentality heading into Phoenix after the disastrous 38^th-place finish at Texas the week prior.

“Anytime that Jimmie is down is not usually because of performance, it's usually because of an incident like you had last week. There was no doubt in my mind they were going to come this week and make a statement. Obviously, leading all the laps pretty much and winning the race sends a statement out there that he is the best, that they're not going to be denied this year. The only thing that was going to keep him from winning the championship this year was bad luck. Obviously, they had a big enough gap where they could afford that one [bit of] bad luck that they had last week.

—   Third-place finisher Denny Hamlin, on Johnson’s rebound win at Phoenix.

Phoenix International Raceway Notes
Jimmie Johnson won the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 from Phoenix International Raceway. The victory was his seventh of the season, fourth of the Chase and 47^th of his career. Johnson sits alone in 13^th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list and three shy of the top 10. Jeff Gordon (82 wins) is the only active driver ahead of Johnson.

Johnson leads the point standings by 108 markers over Mark Martin with one race remaining in the season. If Johnson finishes 25^th or better at Homestead, he will win his fourth consecutive title regardless of how Martin fares.

Jeff Burton (second) posted his fourth top 5 of 2009 and fifth consecutive finish of 15^th or better.

Denny Hamlin (third) scored his 14th top 5 of the year. It was his third top-3 finish in the last four races. Hamlin sits eighth in the point standings.

Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top 5. It was Martin’s 14th top-5 finish of the season and Truex’s first.

A Look Ahead to the …
Ford 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway

Track Specs: 1.5-mile oval; Banking/Turns: Variable (18 - 20 degrees); Banking/Straightaways: 4 degrees
2008 Winner: Carl Edwards
Cup Practice Times: Friday, November 20: 11:30 am – 1:00 pm EST (televised live on SPEED Channel); Saturday, November 21: 1:30 – 2:15 pm EST (SPEED); Happy Hour on Saturday from 2:50 – 3:50 pm EST (ESPN2).
Cup Qualifying: Friday, November 20: 3:10 pm EST (ESPN2).
NASCAR Sprint Cup Ford 400: Sunday, November 22: 3:30 pm EST (coverage begins at 11:30 am EST on SPEED TV and continues on ABC at 2:30).

Homestead-Miami Speedway Facts
Homestead-Miami Speedway has hosted 10 Cup races since Tony Stewart won the inaugural event in November 1999.

There have been seven drivers that have earned a victory at HMS with two, Bill Elliott (2002) and Kurt Busch (’03), having won from the pole.

Greg Biffle (seven starts) leads all drivers with three wins in Homestead. Tony Stewart has two, while Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Bill Elliott, Matt Kenseth and Bobby Labonte one apiece.

Jeff Gordon, who has started in all 10 events, leads the series with five top-5 finishes. Mark Martin (nine stars) has four, while seven drivers have three each. Gordon also leads the circuit with eight top 10s; Kevin Harvick owns six.

Carl Edwards (five starts) leads all active drivers with a 6.4-place average finish.

Jamie McMurray holds the Cup track qualifying record of 181.111 mph set in November 2003. David Reutimann is the defending pole winner.

Kurt Busch leads the pack with two poles earned at Homestead-Miami.

Carl Edwards is the defending winner of the race. Edwards has four consecutive runs of eighth or better at HMS and has never finished worse than 14^th. Johnson, who will clinch the championship with a finish of 25^th or better, has averaged a 13.6-place finish.