| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 36 of 36 in the2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 Homestead-Miami Speedway | |||
| Date | November 16, 2008 (2008-11-16) | ||
| Location | Homestead-Miami Speedway,Homestead, Florida | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 77.9 °F (25.5 °C); wind speeds up to 17.1 miles per hour (27.5 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 129.472 miles per hour (208.365 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Michael Waltrip Racing | ||
| Time | 31.462 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| Laps | 157 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers | Dale Jarrett,Andy Petree,Jerry Punch | ||
The2008 Ford 400, a 400.5 miles (644.5 km) race, was the concluding event of the2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season along with the2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup, and decides the Sprint Cup Champion for the 2008 season, this race was historic for being the race where Jimmie Johnson became the second driver (after Cale Yarborough) to win the Sprint Cup title three years in a row. The 267-lap race on the 1.5 miles (2.4 km) track was held on November 16 atHomestead-Miami Speedway inHomestead, Florida.ABC covered the race beginning at 3 PMUS EST andMRN along withSirius Satellite Radio had radio coverage starting at that same time.
The race also served as the final event ofFord Championship Weekend, which also includes theCraftsman Truck SeriesFord 200 andNationwide SeriesFord 300 races on Friday and Saturday of that weekend, also serving as the season finales for those series as well.
Homestead-Miami Speedway is amotor racing track located inHomestead, Florida. The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, includingNASCAR, theVerizon IndyCar Series, the Grand-AmRolex Sports Car Series and theChampionship Cup Series.
From 2002 until 2019, Homestead-Miami Speedway hosted the final race of the season in all three ofNASCAR's series: theSprint Cup Series,Natiowide Series andCraftsman Truck Series.Ford Motor Company sponsored all three of the season-ending races; the races had the namesFord 400,Ford 300 andFord 200, respectively, and the weekend was marketed asFord Championship Weekend. The Natiowide Series had held its season-ending races at Homestead from 1995 until 2019.
Surprises were abound in the qualifying session, asDavid Reutimann won his first pole position in his career. Regan Smith wrapped up the Rookie of the Year award asSam Hornish Jr. failed to make the field. Jimmie Johnson started 30th and Carl Edwards would start at fourth.
Results1-Carl Edwards
2-Kevin Harvick
3-Jamie Mcmurray
4-Jeff Gordon
5-Clint Bowyer
6-Kasey Kahne
8-Travis Kvapil
9-Tony Stewert
10-Martin Truex Jr
Aftermath
With a 15th-place finish, Jimmie Johnson made history as he became just the second Sprint Cup driver to win three titles in a row. The response from NASCAR fans was phenomenal, as he won many accolades and was celebrated worldwide after his championship victory. Jimmie ended up beating 2nd place Carl Edwards by a total of 69 points.
Failed to Qualify:Sam Hornish Jr. (#77),Ken Schrader (#96),Max Papis (#13)