CONCORD, N.C. – The final race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season has arrived.
And on Sunday, Jeff Gordon will also make his final lap behind the wheel of the iconic No. 24 Chevrolet SS as he competes for a fifth championship in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Before the green flag waves at Homestead-Miami Speedway, take a look at some key notes to keep an eye on.
BROADCAST INFORMATION: Sunday's race will air live on NBC at 3 p.m. ET. Can’t make it to a television? Tune into MRN or SiriusXM to catch the Homestead-Miami radio coverage. This weekend’s qualifying session will take place Friday evening on NBC Sports Network. Tune in to this weekend’s practice sessions this Friday and Saturday. Here is the full broadcast schedule:
Friday, November 20:
Noon ET, Sprint Cup Series Practice, NBC Sports Network
6:15 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, NBC Sports Network
Saturday, November 21:
10 a.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Practice, CNBC
1 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, NBC Sports Network
Sunday, November 22:
3 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Race, NBC/ MRN/ SiriusXM (3:15 p.m. ET green flag)
THIS WEEK’S PAINT SCHEMES: Kasey Kahne will drive the No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS in this Sunday’s event at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Gordon will take to the track for his final race in the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS. Teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will pilot the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS and No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, respectively, in the final race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
JEFF GORDON YELLOW: Gordon’s teammates and their partners have come together to run the familiar “Jeff Gordon yellow” for the car numbers on the No. 5, No. 48 and No. 88 Chevrolets during this Sunday’s race at the South Florida track.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI: Hendrick Motorsports drivers have earned one win, three pole positions, 13 top-five finishes and 26 top-10 finishes at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The win came courtesy of Gordon in 2012, when he led the final 13 laps of the race en route to Victory Lane.
KAHNE AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI: According to NASCAR loop data, in the last 10 years at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kahne ranks second in green-flag passes (855 passes), sixth in average speed late in a run (160.398 miles per hour), sixth in quality passes (44.5 percent, 445 passes), eighth in average running position (12.692 average), eighth in fastest laps run (4.0 percent, 108 laps), ninth in laps in the top 15 (64.4 percent, 1,720 laps) and ninth in laps led (4.0 percent, 107 laps).
FINAL LAP: Sunday’s race in Homestead-Miami is scheduled to be Gordon’s final start as a full-time Sprint Cup driver. His career began on Nov. 15, 1992, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Richard Petty’s final start. This will mark Gordon’s 797th consecutive start – extending his NASCAR record.
GORDON AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI: On Nov. 18, 2012, Gordon led the final 13 laps on the way to his only Sprint Cup victory at the South Florida track. His seven top-five finishes and 16 starts are the most at the 1.5-mile track while the driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS is tied with Harvick for most top-10 finishes.
JOHNSON AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI: Even though Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s team have earned two poles, four top-five finishes and nine top-10 finsihes at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the South Florida track remains one of the four venues on the current Sprint Cup schedule where Johnson has yet to score a win.
EARNHARDT AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI: Earnhardt, who has yet to earn his first win at Homestead, has been on the upswing in his most recent visits to the 1.5-mile oval. While he has a total of one top-five finish and two top-10 finishes in his 15 starts at the facility, the Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has finished inside of the top 15 in his last four trips to Homestead-Miami Speedway, including a career-best third-place finish in the 2013 event.