The last time a driver won five consecutive NASCAR cup races was in 1971 when the legendary Richard Petty did it in a 48-race season. This feat has never been repeated in the 36-race NEXTEL Cup Chase Series. Now with a win this Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway's Ford Championship Weekend, the last race of the Chase Series, Jimmie Johnson will win his second consecutive NEXTEL CUP Championship and has the chance to tie Richard Petty and Bobby Allison with five consecutive NASCAR wins.

Last weekend at the Checker Auto Parts 400 at Phoenix International Speedway Hendrick Motor Sports' Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48 car won their 10th Nextel Cup race of the season; their fourth consecutive win in the last nine Chase races. Johnson has an 86-point stranglehold over teammate Jeff Gordon coming into the season finale. As long as Johnson can finish 18th or better then he'll take the Cup in 2007. A DNF is not likely for Johnson who may as well ease into his second consecutive Nextel Cup than risk everything to win the final race of the season. Most likely Johnson will finish in the top 10 but will not win the race.

But before you anoint Johnson as a post-modern Richard Petty, remember even if Johnson does manage to win his fifth consecutive NEXTEL Cup race this weekend (and his second consecutive Cup championship), Richard Petty won 10 in a row in 1967.

Who will win the Ford 400?

To say that Hendrick Motor Sports has dominated NEXTEL Cup this year is like saying Tiger Woods is good at golf. HMS' four drivers have now won 18 of 35 races this season; meaning that they have won more than half of all the races they have started in this season. The last team to do that was Petty Enterprises in 1970. Jeff Gordon, who has won four Cup championships, notched an amazing 29 top 10 finishes in 2007, and is still in second place to Jimmie Johnson by 86-points.

Of course, if they still scored points the way they used to Gordon would have been the runaway leader and wrapped up the Chase two weeks ago. But that was then and this is now, as SE Hinton used to say. Only five drivers have won in the history of Homestead-Miami Speedway. Of course, there have only been eight races in the tracks short history of which Tony Stewart won the first two races.

Lost in the odor of greatness between Johnson and Gordon is the minor fact that Greg Biffle has manhandled Homestead and is the defending Champion three times over! That is right, it's no typo but when it comes to season finales nobody closes like Greg Biffle. Biffle has won the past three season finales at Homestead-Miami. Obviously, crew chief Greg Erwin knows how to game plan in the land of drive-through liquor stores and set-ups (Styrofoam cup with ice).

Pick! Greg Biffle (6/1)

NASCAR - Ford 400 - Odds to Finish in the Top 3

Unlike his teammate Jimmie Johnson, the driver of the No. 24 Dupont Car, and second place in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, Jeff Gordon, really has nothing to lose and can go for it all, take risks and perhaps get really lucky in the last race of the 2007 season. But listening to his comments on Garage Pass you get the feeling that Gordon has already conceded the race before all the poll results have been tallied. And although the season ends in Florida the likelihood of this year's edition to the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup will be decided by a few hanging chads.

Despite all of his mechanical troubles in recent weeks, Carl Edwards is fired-up to finish this year's edition of the Nextel Cup Chase in the top 10. Last weekend at Phoenix the No. 99 Office Depot Ford was extremely fast and it looked like Edwards would notch his second win of the 10-race Chase but a parts failure ended his day early and left him thinking only what would have been. For Edwards to finish the year within the top 10 he'll need to finish the Ford 400 in fifth place or better and I don't think that is unrealistic.

If there is a home track advantage then Homestead-Miami Speedway is it for Office Depot since they are headquartered few miles away at Delray Beach. Edwards is bringing the same car he raced at Texas and at California where he came in 25th-place and second place respectively. Roush Fenway Racing has traditionally done well at Homestead. Last year Edwards ran eighth and I look for him to improve this result year. I think if Edwards can avoid parts failures in this race he could give Greg Biffle a run for the checkered flag.

Pick! Carl Edwards (9/2)

NASCAR - Ford 400 - Odds to Finish in the Top 3

Jeff Gordon (13/10)
Jimmie Johnson (9/5)
Tony Stewart (12/5)
Kyle Busch (12/5)
Martin Truex Jr (12/5)
Kurt Busch (12/5)
Matt Kenseth (3/1)
Denny Hamlin (7/2)
Carl Edwards (9/2)
Dale Earnhardt Jr (9/2)
Greg Biffle (6/1)
Clint Bowyer (6/1)
Kevin Harvick (15/2)
Ryan Newman (15/2)
Jeff Burton (9/1)
Kasey Kahne (9/1)
Casey Mears (10 /1)
Mark Martin (12/1)
zx Field (Any Other Driver) (15/1)
Reed Sorenson (18/1)
Juan Pablo Montoya (18/1)
JJ Yeley (30/1)
Jeremy Mayfield (30/1)
Ricky Rudd (30/1)
Bill Elliott (30/1)
David Gilliland (30/1)
Dave Blaney (30/1)
Robby Gordon (30/1)
Elliott Sadler (30/1)
David Stremme (30/1)
Jamie McMurray (30/1)
David Ragan (30/1)
Paul Menard (30/1)
Bobby Labonte (30/1)

*odds courtesy of Sportsbook.com

NASCAR - Ford 400 - Odds to Win

Jeff Gordon (9/2)
Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
Tony Stewart (8/1)
Martin Truex Jr (8/1)
Kurt Busch (8/1)
Kyle Busch (8/1)
Matt Kenseth (10/1)
Denny Hamlin (12/1)
Carl Edwards (15/1)
Dale Earnhardt Jr (15/1)
Greg Biffle (20/1)
Clint Bowyer (20/1)
Ryan Newman (25/1)
Kevin Harvick (25/1)
Jeff Burton (30/1)
Kasey Kahne (30/1)
Casey Mears (35/1)
Mark Martin (40/1)
zx Field (Any Other Driver) (50/1)
Juan Pablo Montoya (60/1)
Reed Sorenson (60/1)
Elliott Sadler (100/1)
Dave Blaney (100/1)
JJ Yeley (100/1)
Jeremy Mayfield (100/1)
Ricky Rudd (100/1)
Bill Elliott (100/1)
David Gilliland (100/1)
David Ragan (100/1)
David Stremme (100/1)
Bobby Labonte (100/1)
Paul Menard (100/1)
Jamie McMurray (100/1)
Robby Gordon (100/1)

*Odds courtesy of Sportsbook.com