NASCAR schedule-makers are a sneaky lot. Ending the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida was first thought of as a way to end in a warm-weather region. Now it's like throwing a curve ball on a 3-2 count in the bottom of the ninth at the World Series.

Homestead-Miami started life as a relatively flat 1.5-mile oval. Then it changed to a 1.5-mile oval with progressive banking in 2003, which meant that all the setups that used to work there were of no more use than a buggy whip as standard equipment on a Dodge Viper.

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If I did have to say there is a sore spot, it's Homestead. That's just a totally different racetrack. It's really unique, and it takes a different setup. And you've got to go there with an open mind.

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-- TONY EURY JR.

Add the new car into the mix, and you've got yourself a genuine puzzle palace.

"Homestead is just a totally different track," said Tony Eury Jr., crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Chevrolet. "It looks like a Chicago or a Kansas, but the setup is nothing like it. It's pretty wild. We really haven't had a whole lot of success there. We've led some laps and we've run fairly well, but we've never put the whole race together.

"If I did have to say there is a sore spot, it's Homestead. I think we'll be fine once we get down there. That's just a totally different racetrack. It's really unique, and it takes a different setup. And you've got to go there with an open mind."

Having an open mind is a necessary talent for a crew chief this season, because of the new car and its tendency to fall over on the right side, push all day long and refuse to accept a setup for more than 10 laps at a time.

"It's just so different from anything you've ever run," Eury Jr. said. "Every setup I've ever had there, you go with something like you run at Michigan or California, and it just doesn't work. It's a unique deal the way they put the corners in there and the flat straightaways and all. It's kind of like Darlington. It's just got its own personality."

The progressive banking is a nightmare for crew chiefs, because each area of the track requires different setups. That is frustrating, because the track is wide and has plenty of room to race, but the cars are almost line-specific.

That means adjustability. In case the task wasn't already tough enough, the Ford 400 starts in the daylight and finishes under the lights, which causes all sorts of setup and handling issues.

"Homestead lets drivers race multiple lines on the track so basically our focus will be to make sure we have adjustability built into our car's setup on Sunday since the race starts later in the afternoon and will continue into the evening after the sun sets and track conditions change," said Todd Parrott, crew chief for Travis Kvapil's No. 28 Ford.

Driver Jeff Burton agreed.

"I think you definitely have to hunt for the best line," he said about driving at Homestead. "As a driver you have to be open to trying different lines so you can find which line works best for your car. The problem lies when you are trying to get your car set up during practice. You question yourself as to what line you want to run. It's really easy to set your car up for one line then move somewhere else and find out that it doesn't work as well. You really have to be committed to where you want to run and stay there."

Burton's teammate, Clint Bowyer, never raced on the old Homestead-Miami layout, so the new track is all he knows. That can be a blessing, he said.

"Well, I was never on it before so the way it is now is all I know," Bowyer said. "It's unique. It seems like the corners are tight and then they open up, if that makes any sense. It seems like the transition getting into the corner is kind of tight and you really have to pull on the wheel, then it opens up and you have plenty of room up off. It's a unique racetrack and one I need to improve on."

Any discussion of HMS without input from the No. 16 team would be incomplete. Greg Erwin, crew chief for Greg Biffle, said his team was gunning for win No. 4 in the season finale.

"We're taking the car that we finished second with at the second [Fontana] race in August," Erwin said. "Homestead is obviously a place where Greg has had a lot of success. Our finish last year was a little disappointing but we could add to his list of Homestead wins this weekend if things go our way.

"It'll be important to have a good qualifying run so we can start up front and try to maintain track position rather than have to work our way through the field. It would be great for this team to end the season with a win and carry that through to Daytona."