NOTEBOOK: Nothing was wild at Homestead

            HOMESTEAD, Fla. - Seldom has a NASCAR finale been more predictable than Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

            Carl Edwards, whose only hope was to win, did so. In fact, he did so by managing to stretch his fuel longer than anyone else, and it was the second time he pulled off the same feat in a span of three weeks. By so doing, Edwards became the season's biggest winner with nine victories.

            Jimmie Johnson comfortably won the title without anything approaching drama. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s day fell apart at the end. A Ford owned by Jack Roush (Roush Fenway Racing) won for the sixth time in seven years at this track and fifth year in a row.

            Edwards blamed himself for failing to win the championship.

            "The only reason we didn't win the championship is I wrecked at Talladega," he told his crew. "We're going to kick some (butt) next year.

            "If you give 100 percent, you win, no matter what."

OK, you've had your fun

As expected, the front-row starters in the Ford 400 didn't remain there very long.

            Pole winner David Reutimann led the first lap before yielding Matt Kenseth, who started third, for the second. Edwards took the lead from Kenseth on lap 13, surrendered it again on the 16^th, and then proceeded to dominate.

            By the halfway point, Reutimann was hanging with the leaders - fifth at the time - but Speed had fallen to 20^th.

That familiar pattern

            As usual, when the end drew near, caution flags begat caution flags.

            The first half of the Homestead-Miami Speedway race had one spin, Aric Almirola's on the front straight of the 70^th lap. A debris caution flag on lap 140 got the yellow waving, and until all the fuel strategies played out at the end, they followed one after another.

Good crowd

            The Ford 400 wasn't sold out - very few races are anymore, NASCAR crowd estimates notwithstanding - but most of the seats were full. Since Homestead-Miami Speedway affords little room for infield fans and has a seating capacity of only 65,000, the crowd was probably about equal to capacity.

            Most of the empty seats, perhaps 1,000, were in turn one.

            You can reach Monte Dutton at mdutton@gastongazette.com.