NASCAR At Homestead-Miami Speedway: 2011 Start Time, Starting Lineup, TV/Radio Listings And More For Final Cup Chase Race

The final race of the NASCAR season is today at Homestead-Miami Speedway and we've got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about the Chase for the Sprint Cup finale for you below.

What time does the race start today? The Homestead start time is a bit later than most Chase races have been, because NASCAR and ESPN want the final race of the season to end close to prime time on the East Coast – and under the lights. The command to start engines will be given by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden at 3:12 p.m. Eastern time. The green flag will then wave at 3:20 p.m. Eastern. So if you want to tune in for the actual race itself and skip the pre-race show, just tune in at 3:20.

Race name/distance: The Ford 400 is 267 laps around the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway, which is 400 miles. Ford sponsors Homestead's "championship weekend" by putting its name on all three series finales at the track.

TV and radio: Today's race can be seen on ESPN. If you aren't near a TV, the radio broadcast can be found on your local Motor Racing Network (MRN) affiliate. Click here to see a list of stations where you can listen.

National anthem: If you watched American Idol last season, you should be familiar with Pia Toscano, who is singing today's anthem. Toscano was shockingly voted out far too early (in this writer's opinion) and had one of the best voices on Idol. She should do a great job with the anthem.

Tickets: The race has not been announced as a sellout, so you should be safe if you want to try and drive down to Homestead for a last-minute trip today. You'll be able to get tickets at face value from the ticket office.

Weather: C'mon...it's Florida! The whole weekend has been a combination of warm, muggy, breezy and occasionally rainy – which is typical for South Florida. The unofficial NASCAR weatherman says conditions should be warm and breezy with highs in the lower 80s. But there's also a chance of scattered showers, he says.

Last time: Carl Edwards won his second Homestead race in the last three years and set the stage for a fantastic 2011 season. If you're wondering, Tony Stewart finished eighth in that race.

Starting lineup for today's NASCAR race at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Chase contenders in bold):

1. Carl Edwards
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Kasey Kahne
4. Kurt Busch
5. Brad Keselowski
6. Matt Kenseth
7. Jeff Gordon
8. Greg Biffle
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Denny Hamlin
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
12. AJ Allmendinger
13. David Ragan
14. Ryan Newman
15. Tony Stewart
16. Regan Smith
17. Clint Bowyer
18. Marcos Ambrose
19. Kyle Busch
20. Trevor Bayne
21. Kevin Harvick
22. Landon Cassill
23. Paul Menard
24. Brian Vickers
25. Mark Martin
26. Jamie McMurray
27. Juan Pablo Montoya
28. David Reutimann
29. Cole Whitt
30. JJ Yeley
31. Jeff Burton
32. Joey Logano
33. Michael McDowell
34. Dave Blaney
35. Bobby Labonte
36. David Stremme
37. Joe Nemechek
38. David Gilliland
39. Mike Bliss
40. Casey Mears
41. Travis Kvapil
42. TJ Bell
43. Geoffrey Bodine