By Mark Spoor, Turner Sports Interactive
November 14, 2003
10:40 AM EST (1540 GMT)
The final Winston Cup champion will get the first of many moments in the sun on Sunday in Miami.
Matt Kenseth, who clinched his first series championship last weekend at Rockingham, is scheduled to be Bill Weber's guest "On The Wagon" to open the pre-race broadcast of the season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Later in the show, Weber and Kenseth will take viewers back to Kenseth's hometown of Cambridge, Wis., to see how the town is celebrating their hometown boy's big accomplishment.
That time, already: Dave Burns will have a special holiday edition of "Dave Discovers" on Sunday. Yes, it's that time again.
Driver's Ed: In this week's "Benny and the Pits" segment, Benny Parsons will introduce us to a member of Bobby Labonte's Winston Cup team that spends his time away from the track running a driving school for law enforcement professionals.
Imagine how hard that class is.
Ask The Producer: This week's question comes from a couple of viewers who want to know what was the producer's favorite moment from the 2003 TNT/NBC season..
"Probably the 38 car flipping over five times at Talladega -- from a couple of standpoints. First of all, that Elliott Sadler was able to go through all of that and still get out of the car, plus I think we did an excellent job of covering that story."
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Agreed. From a viewer's standpoint, that was easily one of the highlights of the season, coverage-wise.
Let your voice be heard: Each week, we'll pick one question to ask the producer of the NBC/TNT telecast. Why did they do things this way? Why did they talk to that driver? Any question that eats at you could be answered right here in the Viewer's Guide.
Send your questions to the e-mail box in this piece.
Quote of the week: "I have been wrong about a lot of things in life, but there is one thing I was right about and that is Matt Kenseth." -- Mark Martin, car owner of the No. 17 Ford.
Truer words were never spoken.
On to this weekend's schedule...
Winston Cup Series: Ford 400
Site: Homestead, Fla.
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval, 20-degree variable banking in turns, 3-degree banking in straightaways. Frontstretch: 1,760 feet, Backstretch: 1,760 feet)
 | Last year |  | Kurt Busch records his fourth win of the 2002 season.
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| |  | Junior's quest for a top-10 points finish goes up in smoke.
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Race distance: 267 laps, 400 miles
TV: Bud Pole Qualifying: SPEED 1:30 p.m. ET Friday. Happy Hour: SPEED 10 a.m. ET Saturday. Race: NBC, 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
Last year: Kurt Busch passed Ryan Newman with 11 laps remaining to win last year's season-ending race.
Last race: Starting last after making an engine change, Bill Elliott led for the first time on lap 186, then held off Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman for his first victory of the season in Sunday's Pop Secret 400.
Potential storyline: After 33 seasons, the Winston Cup era officially comes to an end on Sunday. Nextel takes over has title sponsor of NASCAR's premier series next season.
Point to ponder: Tony Stewart won the first two races held at Homestead-Miami Speedway (1999-2000) and last week's winner, Bill Elliott, won this race in 2001.
Next race: Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, Feb.15, 2004.
Busch Series: Ford 300
Site: Homestead, Fla.
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval, 20-degree variable banking in turns, 3-degree banking in straightaways. Frontstretch: 1,760 feet, Backstretch: 1,760 feet)
| Last year |  | Scott Wimmer scores his fourth win of 2002.
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|  | Front-runner Greg Biffle has trouble after half way.
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|  | Waltrip tries to hold off Biffle to maintain the lead.
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Race distance: 200 laps, 300 miles
TV: Happy Hour: SPEED, 11:45 a.m. ET Friday. Race: NBC, Noon ET Saturday.
Last year: Scott Wimmer led twice for only 12 laps to win the season finale Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to garner his fourth win in an eight-race stretch.
Last race: Jamie McMurray won his third straight Rockingham Busch Series race, cruising to victory in Saturday's Target House 200.
Potential storyline: Only 89 points separate series leader Brian Vickers and sixth-place Bobby Hamilton Jr. heading into Saturday's season finale.
Point to ponder: If recent history is any indication, Hamilton Jr. has a decent of winning the championship Saturday. In the past six races, Hamilton Jr. has garnered 962 points, 175 more than Vickers.
Next race: Hershey's Kisses 300, Daytona International Speedway, Feb. 14, 2003.
Craftsman Truck Series: Ford 200
Site: Homestead, Fla.
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval, 20-degree variable banking in turns, 3-degree banking in straightaways. Frontstretch: 1,760 feet, Backstretch: 1,760 feet)
Race distance: 134 laps, 201 miles
TV: Race: SPEED, 3:15 p.m. ET Friday.
Last year: Ron Hornaday won the season-ending Ford 200 while his one-race teammate, Mike Bliss, clinched the series title.
Last race: Kevin Harvick, stuck in heavy traffic, barely held off a charging Ted Musgrave to win the Silverado 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.
| Last year |  | Ron Hornaday scores his 26th-career victory.
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|  | Championship rivals battle for the lead early.
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Potential storyline: The closest championship battle in series history will be decided Friday. Brendan Gaughan, who's held the No. 1 spot since Sept. 4, leads Ted Musgrave by 26 points. Travis Kvapil is 32 off the pace with Dennis Setzer holding the fourth position, 39 points back.
Point to ponder: Gaughan posted the fastest lap time in Tuesday NCTS testing session at Homestead, Gaughan, a six-time winner this season, posted a lap in 32.100 seconds; an average speed of 168.224 mph.
Next race: Florida Dodge Dealers 250, Daytona International Speedway, Feb. 13, 2003.
Mark Spoor is an associate producer of NASCAR.com. The Domino's Viewer's Guide appears each Thursday. The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.
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