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2009 Ford 400

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2009 Ford 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5]
Race 36 of 36 in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
Map of Homestead-Miami Speedway. Gray dashed lines are other courses. Grey solid line is another pit road option.
Map of Homestead-Miami Speedway. Gray dashed lines are other courses. Grey solid line is another pit road option.
Date November 22, 2009 (2009-11-22)
Location Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km)
Weather Warm with temperatures approaching 83.1 °F (28.4 °C); wind speeds up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
Average speed 126.986 miles per hour (204.364 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 31.049
Most laps led
Driver Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 71
Winner
No. 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree, Jerry Punch
Nielsen Ratings <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • 3.3/6 (Final)
  • 3.2/6 (Overnight)
  • (5.607 million)[6]

The 2009 Ford 400 was the thirty-six and final stock car race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as well as the tenth and final race of the season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup. It was held on November 22, 2009 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, in Homestead, Florida before a crowd of 70,000 people. The 267-lap race was won by Denny Hamlin of the Joe Gibbs Racing team after starting from thirty-eighth position. Jeff Burton finished second and his teammate Kevin Harvick came in third.

Jimmie Johnson won the pole position and maintained his lead on the first lap of the race. Many Chase for the Sprint Cup participants, including Johnson, Kurt Busch and Mark Martin, were in the top ten for most of the race, although some encountered problems in the closing laps. Kyle Busch was leading the race with forty-four laps remaining, giving the lead to Hamlin who maintained it to win the race. There were seven cautions in the race, as well as eighteen lead changes among ten different drivers.

The race was Hamlin's fourth win in the 2009 season, and the eighth of his career. Johnson became the first driver to win four consecutive Drivers' Championships and was 141 points ahead of Mark Martin. Johnson's team owner Jeff Gordon won the Owners' Championship. Chevrolet won the Manufacturers' Championship with 262 points, fifty-five points ahead of Toyota and ninety-eight ahead of Ford. The race attracted 5.60 million television viewers.

Report

Background

Homestead Miami Speedway, where the race was held.

Homestead Miami Speedway is one of ten intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races, the others being Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Texas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway.[7] The race was held on the standard track at Homestead Miami Speedway; a four-turn oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long.[8] The track's turns are banked from 18 to 20 degrees, and both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch are banked at three degrees.[8]

Before the final race of the season, Jimmie Johnson led the Drivers' Championship with 6,492 points; Mark Martin was second with 6,384 points, 92 points behind Johnson. A maximum of 195 points were available for the final race.[9] Behind Johnson and Martin in the Drivers' Championship, Jeff Gordon was third with 6,323, and Kurt Busch was fourth with 6,281 points.[10] Chevrolet had already secured the Manufacturer's Championship, and entered the race on 256 points, 58 points ahead of Toyota on 198 points,[11] with a maximum of nine points available at the Ford 400.[12] Carl Edwards was the race's defending champion.[13]

Practice and qualifying

File:Scott Speed 389380271.jpg
Scott Speed qualified on the front row of the grid.

Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race—one on Friday, and two on Saturday. The first session lasted 90 minutes, and the second 45 minutes. The final session lasted 60 minutes.[3] In the first practice session, Kurt Busch was fastest, placing ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya in second and Clint Bowyer in third. Ryan Newman took fourth position and Joey Logano placed fifth. Tony Stewart, Edwards, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick and David Reutimann rounded out the top ten fastest drivers in the session.[14]

Although forty-eight drivers were entered in the qualifier;[15] according to NASCAR's qualifying procedure, only forty-three could race. Johnson clinched his fifth pole position of the season, with a time of 31.049. He was joined on the grid's front row by Scott Speed. Marcos Ambrose qualified third, Martin took fourth and Stewart started fifth. Harvick, Newman, Greg Biffle, Bill Elliott and Bowyer completed the top ten fastest qualifiers. Kurt Busch, one of the drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, qualified twelfth, while Jeff Gordon set the twentieth fastest time. The five drivers who failed to qualify were Joe Nemechek, Dave Blaney, Mike Skinner, Max Papis and David Stremme.[16] After the qualifier Johnson said, "I had a talk with myself to do what I could today and don't freak out if it's not as good as what Mark [Martin] ran. I kept my emotions in check and drove the car with the right touch and feel, and that comes from being relaxed, so it went well."[2]

On Saturday morning, Martin was fastest in the second practice session, ahead of Denny Hamlin in second, and Johnson in third. Newman was fourth quickest, and Kyle Busch took fifth. Jeff Burton managed sixth. Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano and Martin Truex, Jr. followed in the top ten. Of the other drivers in the Chase, Jeff Gordon finished with the seventeenth fastest time, while Stewart set the twenty-fourth fastest time.[17] Burton paced the final practice session, with Harvick and Martin followed in second and third respectively. Truex was fourth fastest, ahead of Newman and Logano. Johnson was scored seventh, Casey Mears eighth, Brad Keselowski ninth and Hamlin tenth. The other Chase drivers, Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch were scored fifteenth and eleventh respectively.[18]

Race

File:Ford400.JPG
The start of the race with Jimmie Johnson leading.

The race, the last in the 2009 season, began at 3:15 pm EDT and was televised live in the United States on ABC.[1] Around the start of the race, weather conditions were partly cloudy with the air temperature 28 °C (82 °F).[19] Fidel Gomez, assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, began pre-race ceremonies with an invocation. Actress Anika Noni Rose performed the national anthem, and Actor Mike Rowe commanded the drivers to start their engines.[19] During the pace laps, Robby Gordon had to move to the back of the grid because of him changing his engine.[19]

Johnson retained his pole position lead into the first corner, with Speed behind him. Two laps later, Harvick had moved into fourth position; Jamie McMurray, who began the race in eleventh, had moved up four positions to seventh place. By lap six, Ambrose began to reduce the lead of Johnson, and Martin got loose on the same lap but regained control of his car. On lap nine, Stewart passed Martin for fourth. One lap later, Ambrose passed Johnson to become the new race leader. On lap 13, Johnson retook the lead off Ambrose. After having made three positions early, Harvick moved up into second position by passing Ambrose. On lap 16, Ambrose's car suffered a flat tire and came into the pits.[19]

Earnhardt who began the race in thirty-second, had moved up nineteen positions to thirteenth by lap 24. Two laps later, Ambrose began to slow and pitted three laps later to change his car's battery. On lap 33, Stewart passed Johnson to become the new race leader while Ambrose's car went into his garage. Three laps later, Earnhard. had passed McMurray for tenth position. On lap 38, Clint Bowyer passed Martin for fourth position, as Ambrose rejoined the race four laps later. On lap 47, Kurt Busch passed Martin to claim sixth position. Three laps later, green flag pit stops began, as Matt Kenseth and Martin were the first to pit. Johnson made his pit stop one lap later.[19]

On lap 53, Kurt Busch became the new race leader after Stewart came into the pits. One lap later, Kurt Busch came into the pits and Bowyer became the new race leader. On lap 57, Harvick passed Bowyer to clinch the lead. Two laps later, Bowyer moved into second position by passing Stewart. Four laps later, Stewart reclaimed the lead after passing Harvick. On lap 64, Johnson passed Martin to move into ninth. By lap 73, Stewart had a 2.4 second lead over Harvick. One lap later, Newman collided with the wall, falling to eleventh place, and escaped with minor damage. On the 79th lap, Truex moved into seventh after passing Jeff Gordon. Two laps later, Ambrose spun at turn four but avoided contact with the barriers, causing the first caution of the race, and the pace car came out on track. During the caution, most of the leaders made pit stops.[19]

Stewart maintained his lead on the restart, but Harvick reclaimed the lead immediately afterward, and Stewart was passed by Bowyer for second. One lap later, Stewart dropped to sixth as he was passed by Johnson, Montoya and Kurt Busch. On lap 89, Montoya passed Kurt Busch to move into fourth position. Two laps later, Montoya moved into third position after passing Johnson. On lap 92, Montoya passed Bowyer for second, as Burton moved into third. Three laps later, Kurt Busch moved up into sixth after passing Johnson. On lap 101, John Andretti collided with the wall, causing the second caution of the race. As with the first caution, most of the leaders made their pitstops.[19]

Denny Hamlin won the race after leading the most laps.

Harvick maintained his lead on the restart. Three laps later, Ambrose collided with the wall which prompted the third caution. Most of the drivers stayed on track during the caution, allowing Harvick to remain the leader on the restart. A collision involving Montoya and Stewart occurred on lap 116 and the third caution was given as a result. Harvick led on the restart, although he was passed by Kurt Busch within eleven laps. By lap 143, Kurt Busch had a 1.5 second lead over Harvick. Two laps later, Hamlin passed Harvick to claim second. On lap 155, Montoya and Stewart were involved in a collision and prompted the fifth caution. During the caution, all of the leaders made pit stops and Montoya was black-flagged for two laps. On lap 158, Hamlin reclaimed the lead, followed by Kurt Busch and Burton.[19]

On lap 165, Johnson moved into seventh. Afterward, Johnson passed Jeff Gordon for sixth position. Seven laps later, Kurt Busch reclaimed the lead off Hamlin. During the 184th lap, Burton passed Hamlin for second. Ten laps later, a sixth caution came out as Robby Gordon spun sideways. All leading cars made pit stops, with Hamlin maintaining his lead until Burton passed him on the restart. By lap 205, Burton had a lead of over two seconds. On lap 216, debris was spotted on the track and the seventh and final caution was prompted. The lead drivers made their pit stops. One lap later, Michael Waltrip became the new leader, followed by Andretti. Kurt Busch regained the lead one lap later, when Waltrip and Andretti made their pit stops. Kyle Busch immediately passed Kurt Busch on the restart for the lead. One lap later, Hamlin reclaimed the lead off Kyle Busch.[19]

On lap 229, Jeff Gordon passed Johnson for the seventh position. Seven laps later, Martin moved into twelfth. After 247 laps, Hamlin's lead over Kyle Busch was 2.3 seconds. During the 249th lap, Edwards passed Bowyer for eighth. Six laps later, Kurt Busch passed Kyle Busch for third, and Kyle Busch lost fourth place to Johnson on lap 256. Hamlin maintained the lead to win his fourth race of the 2009 season. Burton finished second, ahead of Harvick and Kurt Busch. Johnson, who finished fifth, became the first driver to clinch four consecutive Drivers' Championships. Gordon, Edwards, Kyle Busch, Truex and A.J. Allmendinger rounded out the top ten finishers.[19][20]

Post-race

Jimmie Johnson, who qualifed on pole position, won the championship after finishing fifth in the race

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"History, boys, No one ever -- ever! I don't know how to thank you guys. Thank you so much."

Jimmie Johnson, speaking on his team radio after winning the championship.[21]

Hamlin appeared in victory lane to start celebrating his fourth win of the season in front of 70,000 who attended the race.[22] Hamlin also earned $347,975 in race winnings.[20] After winning the race, Hamlin described his disappointment by saying, "The car took off and it was game-over, Everyone's got a little fight in them, especially when they get done wrong. After our performance today, it's easy to put yesterday behind me.[23]

Afterward, Johnson began celebrating his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup Series championship. During the celebration, Johnson was delighted with his performance, saying, "The truth of it is, to do something that's never been done in this sport -- to love the sport like I do and respect it like I do -- and the greats: Petty, Earnhardt, Gordon ... to do something they've never done is so awesome. To win four championships in eight years, what this team has done ... I don't know where to start. It's unbelievable."[24] Burton, who finished second, commended Johnson's achievements saying, "It’s hard to say he’s the best when you’re out there racing against him, but you have to put him on the list.”[25] Martin, who finished second in points, said,

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"Our car didn't work well [Sunday], It didn't work well, and we really struggled with it. And as the sun went down, we went to the back. We came in and pitted and tried to do some work on it to try to improve it, and it didn't really improve it a whole lot, so then we were stuck with sorry track position on top of not having a great race car. We just fought and fought and fought, and actually the last adjustment perked it up, and we drove from 21st to 10th, and then right at the end a couple of the guys got the high line going and got me back."[26]

In the Drivers' Championship, Johnson finished first with 6,652 points, one-hundred and forty one ahead of Martin in second. Jeff Gordon followed in third with 6,473. Kurt Busch and Hamlin rounded out the top five positions with 6,446 and 6,335 points respectively.[27] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet won with 262 points, fifty-five ahead of Toyota and ninety-eight ahead of Ford. Dodge finished fourth with 159 points.[11] 5.60 million people watched the race on television.[6] The race took three hours, six minutes and eighteen seconds to complete, and the margin of victory was 2.632 seconds.[20]

Results

Qualifying

Qualifying results
Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.049 173.319
2 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 31.269 172.695
3 47 Marcos Ambrose JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 31.272 172.678
4 5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.331 172.353
5 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 31.351 172.243
6 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31.369 172.145
7 39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 31.389 172.035
8 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 31.391 172.024
9 21 Bill Elliott Wood Brothers Racing Ford 31.421 171.860
10 33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31.425 171.838
11 26 Jamie McMurray Roush Fenway Racing Ford 31.425 171.838
12 2 Kurt Busch Penske Championship Racing Dodge 31.433 171.794
13 44 A.J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 31.441 171.750
14 1 Martin Truex, Jr. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 31.460 171.646
15 07 Casey Mears Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31.463 171.630
16 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 31.473 171.576
17 202 David Gilliland Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31.494 171.461
18 36 Michael McDowell Tommy Baldwin Racing Toyota 31.499 171.434
19 171 Bobby Labonte TRG Motorsports Chevrolet 31.506 171.396
20 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.517 171.336
21 19 Elliott Sadler Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge 31.518 171.331
22 00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 31.528 171.276
23 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 31.549 171.162
24 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 31.580 170.994
25 9 Kasey Kahne Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge 31.585 170.967
26 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31.585 170.967
27 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Championship Racing Dodge 31.613 170.816
28 37 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Chevrolet 31.615 170.805
29 77 Sam Hornish, Jr. Team Penske Dodge 31.617 170.794
30 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31.644 170.648
31 96 Erik Darnell Hall of Fame Racing Ford 31.666 170.530
32 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.680 170.454
33 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 31.688 170.411
34 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 31.694 170.379
35 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31.714 170.272
36 98 Paul Menard Robert Yates Racing Ford 31.715 170.266
37 7 Matt Crafton Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota 31.787 169.881
38 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31.818 169.715
39 55 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 31.886 169.353
40 34 John Andretti Front Row Motorsports Chevrolet 31.901 169.274
41 6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 31.939 169.072
42 43 Reed Sorenson Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge 31.952 169.003
43 08 Terry Labonte Carter Simo Racing Toyota
Champion's Provisional
Failed to qualify
44 187 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 31.633 170.708
45 66 Dave Blaney Prism Motorsports Toyota 31.964 168.940
46 170 Mike Skinner TRG Motorsports Chevrolet 32.017 168.660
47 113 Max Papis Germain Racing Toyota 32.042 168.529
48 09 David Stremme Phoenix Racing Chevrolet
Source:[16]

Race results

Race results
Pos Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Pts.
1 38 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 1952
2 26 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 1751
3 6 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 1701
4 12 2 Kurt Busch Penske Championship Racing Dodge 267 1651
5 1 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 1601
6 20 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 150
7 24 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 267 146
8 30 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 1471
9 14 1 Martin Truex, Jr. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 267 138
10 13 44 A.J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 267 134
11 10 33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Raacing Chevrolet 267 1351
12 4 5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 127
13 34 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 267 124
14 8 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 267 121
15 22 00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 267 118
16 9 21 Bill Elliott Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 267 115
17 25 9 Kasey Kahne Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 267 112
18 11 26 Jamie McMurray Roush Fenway Racing Ford 267 109
19 15 07 Casey Mears Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 106
20 33 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 267 103
21 29 77 Sam Hornish, Jr. Team Penske Dodge 267 100
22 5 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 267 1021
23 7 39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 267 94
24 35 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 91
25 27 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Championship Racing Dodge 267 88
26 36 98 Paul Menard Robert Yates Racing Ford 267 85
27 2 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 267 82
28 32 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 79
29 17 202 David Gilliland Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 76
30 39 55 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 266 781
31 19 171 Bobby Labonte TRG Motorsports Chevrolet 266 70
32 16 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 266 67
33 40 34 John Andretti Front Row Motorsports Chevrolet 266 64
34 41 6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 266 61
35 3 47 Marcos Ambrose JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 251 631
36 31 96 Erik Darnell Hall of Fame Racing Ford 247 55
37 28 37 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Chevrolet 243 52
38 23 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 235 49
39 37 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota 227 46
40 42 43 Reed Sorenson Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge 116 43
41 21 19 Eliott Sadler Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge 116 40
42 43 08 Terry Labonte Carter Simo Racing Toyota 88 37
43 18 36 Michael McDowell Tommy Baldwin Racing Toyota 35 34
Source:'[4][20]
1 Includes five bonus points for leading a lap
2 Includes ten bonus points for leading the most laps

Standings after the race

References

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  5. Weather information for the 2009 Ford 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac. Accessed 2013-06-22. Archived 2013-07-05.
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