Rain falls, but track dried for start of Ford 400

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- The start of Sunday's NASCAR Winston Cup finale Ford 400 was threatened by overnight rain at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Rain fell overnight and into Sunday morning but by 11:30 a.m. ET, it had ceased. Just before noon, the sun began to peek through the clouds, and the start was delayed by a few minutes.

NASCAR began to dry the track shortly after noon.

Bud Pole winner Kurt Busch will lead the 43-car field to the green flag when the 267-lap event on the flat, 1.5-mile oval begins.

The race will decide the Winston Cup championship, with leader Tony Stewart ahead of Mark Martin -- the only other driver with a chance to win the title -- by 89 points.

Stewart has won two of the three previous Winston Cup events at Homestead. He will start sixth while Martin will start 34th.