| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 36 of 36 in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 The 2006 Ford 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | November 19, 2006 | ||
| Location | Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 268 laps, 402 mi (646.956 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures up to 71.6 °F (22.0 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)[3] | ||
| Average speed | 125.375 miles per hour (201.772 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 80,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Evernham Motorsports | ||
| Time | 30.293 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | |
| Laps | 90 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr., Bill Weber | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
| ||
The 2006 Ford 400 was the thirty-sixth stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, and the final round of the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on November 19, 2006, in Homestead, Florida, at Homestead–Miami Speedway, before a crowd of 80,000 people. The circuit is an intermediate track that holds NASCAR races. Roush Racing's Greg Biffle won the 267-lap race from the 22nd position. Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s Martin Truex Jr. finished second and Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin was third.
Kasey Kahne won his 12th career pole position by recording the quickest qualifying lap, and he led the first 18 laps before Kyle Busch passed him. He retook first on the 47th lap and led for 90 laps, more than any other driver. Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead after not making a pit stop during a caution period and held it until Truex took the lead after Earnhardt had a lengthy pit stop due to a lug nut problem. Biffle took the lead from Riggs, only to lose it to J. J. Yeley during the pit stop rotation, before passing him with twelve laps remaining to win his second race of the season and eleventh of his career. During the race, there were eleven cautions and fifteen lead changes among ten drivers.
The race resulted in Jimmie Johnson, the pre-race points leader, winning his first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Drivers' Championship by 56 points lead over his nearest opponent, Matt Kenseth. Hamlin finished third to end the season as the highest-placed rookie. Chevrolet finished the Manufacturers' Championship with 279 points, 76 more than Dodge and another point ahead of Ford
- ^ "The Race: The Ford 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ "2006 Ford 400". Racing-Reference. USA Today Media Sports Group. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ "Weather Information for Homestead, Miami". Old Farmer's Almanac. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ "2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup TV Ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Archives. Archived from the original on November 30, 2006. Retrieved January 6, 2015.