Homestead, FL (SportsNetwork.
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Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, Jeff Gordon won the pole for the
season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. While Gordon will start on the
pole for Sundays Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead, three of the four drivers
battling for the Sprint Cup Series championship will start in the top-10. Kevin
Harvick, the winner of last weekends race at Phoenix, qualified fifth. Denny
Hamlin, who won the 2013 season-finale at this 1.5-mile racetrack, took the
eighth spot, and Joey Logano was ninth. Ryan Newman, who is the only one in the
final four without a victory this season, will start 21st. Gordon earned his
third pole of the season and the 77th of his Cup career after making a lap at
180.747 mph during the third and final round of Fridays knockout qualifying at
Homestead. Its his first pole in 16 races here as well. Gordon also gave
Hendrick Motorsports its 200th pole in NASCARs premier series. Im really excited
about that pole, Gordon said. Ive never been on the pole here before, and to be
the 200th pole for Hendrick Motorsports is really cool. I think the way we are
looking at this weekend is we want to close out the season the absolute best we
can. It has been a tremendous season. The No. 24 team has been incredible this
year. We are disappointed that we arent in this thing for the championship, but
thats not going to stop us from trying to go out to win the pole and win the
race. Gordon finished second at Phoenix but came up one point short of making
into the Championship Round. Ryan Newmans 11th-place finish there allowed him to
top Gordon for the last spot in the final four. Newman bumped rookie Kyle Larson
and put him into the wall while the two were battling for the 11th position on
the final turn of the last lap. Kurt Busch qualified second, followed by Matt
Kenseth and Brad Keselowski, who set a new track qualifying record at Homestead
with a lap at 181.238 mph during the first qualifying round. The highest
finisher among the four title contenders in this race will win the championship.
Neither Hamlin, Harvick, Logano or Newman has yet to win a title in the series.
Today was really about trying to get a solid starting spot, said Harvick, whose
fifth-place in qualifying came with a lap at 179.946 mph. We were able to do
that with my Budweiser (sponsored) team. Just really proud of my guys. We had a
really good day today. Just got to keep doing what we have to do and see where
it all falls on Sunday. Newman finished among the top-10 in the opening round of
qualifying but failed to advance beyond the second round after posting a lap at
178.241 mph. We just struggled there a little bit, Newman said. My first run was
pretty good. The second run wasnt what we needed it to be. Our first run was
where we were in practice. In the second run, we just werent where we needed to
be. We missed it just a little bit on the balance. All 43 drivers who attempted
qualifying made the starting field.
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Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown.
INDIANAPOLIS -- Canadas James Hinchcliffe has a bruise on the bridge of his
nose, a black-and-blue reminder of his big wreck. He can hide it with the helmet
hell need now that hes back in the race car. Hinchcliffe, from Oakville, Ont.,
was cleared to drive Thursday by IndyCars medical team following a concussion
Saturday in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He passed the post-concussion tests
and should be all set to qualify this weekend for the Indianapolis 500. He
couldnt wait another day, hopping in the No. 27 Honda with 2 minutes left in
practice to turn his first lap of the month on the oval at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. "I went overkill on resting because I really wanted to get back out
here," he said. "I think a big part of it was my nose is so big it absorbed a
lot of the impact and it left my head relatively unscathed." He can laugh about
it now, but it wasnt so funny Saturday when debris from Justin Wilsons car flew
into the cockpit, striking Hinchcliffe in the head. He was taken away from the
track on a stretcher, transported to a hospital and diagnosed with a concussion.
"Luckily, I dont remember most of it," he said. "Its a scary situation any time
an injury like that happens." Hinchcliffe suddenly pulled off the road course at
IMS following a restart and could be seen holding his head with both hands as he
exited his car. "Everybodys been giving a lot of credit for the heads up
decision to pull off, but that must have been a subconscious thing because I
have no memory of that," he said. "I guess I was very lucky to come in time to
not get into the wall there." Series officials said concussions are handled on a
case-by-case basis and that drivers with head injuries must pass an ImPACT test
before theyre cleared to compete by series medical director Dr. Michael Olinger.
The 27-year old Canadian passed his after doing nothing more this week than some
light training. He woke up Sunday with a headache but said he was fine by
Monday. He was back in the gym Wednesday and ready to resume racing for Andretti
Autosport. "I went overkill on the rest," he said. "Everything that they asked
me to do I did, and then some. Ive been wearing my sunglasses for like 96
straight hours, staying away from all electronics. Anything they asked me to do
I went overkill because I knew the goal was to get back and I really wanted to
qualify this car, and it looks like Im going to be able to do that now." E.J.
Viso replaced Hinchcliffe in practice this week and got a double dose of bad
news: He was out of work and the engine in the No. 27 Honda blew during
Thursdays practice. "I really expect that the help, effort and input I gave
during these past few days are going to reflect in a goood way in the coming
days and during the Indy 500," Viso said.
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Jersey. "I feel really proud to be able to help Andretti Autosport and I
hope to be driving with them again sometime in the future." Here are five other
things to know from Thursdays practice: PRACTICE: Three-time Indianapolis 500
winner Helio Castroneves turned a lap of 227.166 mph -- becoming the first
driver to top 227 this week. Ed Carpenter was second at 226.257 and Will Power
Townsend Bell and Ryan Hunter-Reay round out the top five. Kurt Busch,
attempting to race in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCARs Coca-Cola 600 on the same
day, was ninth. There were 34 drivers on the track who turned 2,516 laps.
Castroneves said hes ready for the weekends two-day qualifying runs. "You dont
realize how tough it is at this place," he said, "so to do two days in a row,
itll be really tough." HELIO SWAP: Helio Castroneves is trading in the firesuit
for a chance to show "who wears the pants in my family" on "Celebrity Wife
Swap." The three-time Indianapolis 500 champion appears on the May 27 episode on
ABC. Adriana Henao, the mother of Castroneves 4-year-old daughter, Mikaella,
moved into the home of Larry Birkhead in December, while he opened his Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, home for Birkhead. Birkhead had a daughter with late former
Playmate Anna Nicole Smith. "I think it was a great experience for Adriana to
try a different family," Castroneves said. HELMET AUCTION: Takuma Sato will put
his Indy 500 helmet up for auction. Sato, who drives the No. 14 Honda, will give
up his race-worn helmet to raise money for "With you Japan" charity, which Sato
founded to help the victims of the 2011 tsunami that wreaked havoc on the island
country. The helmets red, white and blue scheme echoes Satos distinctive helmet
but also integrates elements from Japans only IndyCar race winner and the
Speedways first four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt, who owns the No. 14 car.
The helmet will feature Satos car number plus bricks to represent the historic
Brickyard. The four white stars atop the helmet were included as a tribute to
Foyts four Indy victories as a driver. CALLING THE ACTION: Former Indy car
driver and team owner Robbie Buhl will join chief announcer Paul Page and
Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson as an analyst for the IMS
Radio Network broadcasts of Indy 500 qualifying and the race. HAWKSWORTH BACK:
English rookie Jack Hawksworth only turned one lap a day after he became the
first driver to crash on the oval this month. He waited for the call to the
track in the IMS media centre while his Bryan Herta Autosport team worked on the
No. 98. "Im going to give it the beans and see what weve got," he said.
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