The Final Lap with Kerry Murphey

1-Tony Stewart’s Homestead-Miami Clincher
Stewart trailed Carl Edwards by three points entering the 10th and final race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. Both drivers had predicted the championship wouldn’t be decided until the final lap, and they were right. Edwards, who started on the pole, led the most laps while Stewart yo-yoed through the field after fixing damage to the front of his Chevrolet. Amazingly, Stewart took the lead with 36 laps remaining. Edwards, in second place, stayed in full-out pursuit mode until the checkered flag waved, but finished 1.306 seconds behind Stewart. Both drivers scored 2,403 points with the tiebreaker – five wins to one – falling in Stewart’s favor.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 13, 2011) – Only one finish guarantees Carl Edwards his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship – a victory in Sunday’s season-finale Ford 400.

Just three points separate points leader Carl Edwards and second-place Tony Stewart, a margin so tight, no other finish would clinch the title for Edwards regardless of where Stewart finishes.
Stewart owns the tie-breaker (best finishes), and therefore could tie and win his third series championship.
All other drivers are officially eliminated from championship contention.
Edwards’ three-point lead roughly translates to 13 points under the previous points system. That makes it the closest margin between first and second going into the final race in Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ history, and third-closest since the inception of the position-based points structure in 1975.

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Earlier Talladega Chase Race Among Next Year’s Lineup Adjustments

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 28, 2011) – NASCAR announced today the 2012 schedule for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, with a lineup featuring a number of adjustments from the 2011 edition.

“We believe the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule will once again provide fans with what they’ve come to expect every season – the world’s most exciting and competitive form of motorsports,” said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. “Next year’s schedule has a few adjustments that we think will be good for the fans and good for the overall flow of the season. One thing will remain constant, however, and that’s the intense competition we see week in and week out from our drivers and race teams.”

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1 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota 52.309 172.055
2 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota 52.433 171.648
3 56 Martin Truex, Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 52.480 171.494
4 99 Carl Edwards Ortho Home Defense Max Ford 52.486 171.474
5 22 Kurt Busch Shell/Pennzoil Dodge 52.488 171.468
6 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 52.494 171.448
7 27 Paul Menard CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet 52.518 171.370
8 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet 52.519 171.367
9 16 Greg Biffle 3M/811 Ford 52.579 171.171
10 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet 52.594 171.122
11 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota 52.607 171.080
12 39 Ryan Newman Tornados Chevrolet 52.697 170.788
13 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge 52.739 170.652
14 33 Clint Bowyer Good Sam Club Chevrolet 52.749 170.619
15 6 David Ragan UPS Ford 52.749 170.619
16 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet 52.758 170.590
17 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet 52.768 170.558
18 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 52.774 170.539
19 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet 52.784 170.506
20 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford 52.805 170.438

LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S FINAL LAP PODCAST HERE – THE KYLE BUSCH INTERVIEW

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