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"Bonsai" predicts Hamlin as the champ: The season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 race may be taking place this Sunday, but South Florida got a taste of Vegas when Zoo Miami's "Bonsai," a binturong, became the official Zoo Miami "Wildlife Prognosticator," picking the winner of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Choosing from the four cars of #4-Kevin Harvick, #11-Denny Hamlin, #22-Joey Logano and #31-Ryan Newman, Bonsai had a tough decision to make as to who he thought would take home the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. After thorough consideration, Bonsai picked the #11 car of Denny Hamlin to take home the Championship. Bonsai is a unique animal found in the tall forests of Asia that can reach a weight of close to 50 pounds. They are primarily arboreal and are excellent climbers feeding on a variety of small mammals, birds, insects and fruits. Commonly called a "bear cat," they have thick black fur and a long prehensile tail with sharp claws. They are active both day and night and give off a scent that smells very much like popcorn. Their biggest threat in the wild is habitat destruction due to deforestation.(South Dade News Leader)(11-12-2014)

Final NASCAR start for Marcos Ambrose: Marcos Ambrose will make his final start in the #9 Stanley Ford this weekend at the Homestead-Miami Speedway for Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM). Ambrose will depart the organization as one of its most successful drivers. Since joining RPM in 2011, he has put the #9 Sprint Cup team in Victory Lane twice while also earning three poles. In addition, Ambrose has 33 Top-10 and 11 Top-Five finishes. Ambrose will be most remembered as one of the best road course racers in the history of NASCAR. "It's been about nine years since my family and I came over the 'water' to try out this experiment of NASCAR. And, it's been great. We've won races, had good runs and met a lot of wonderful people. But, it's time to take my family back across the 'pond' and go home. I made that decision this year, and once we did that, we started working towards that plan. That's what this year has been like, and everyone has been very supportive. We are finishing our NASCAR season, and we just want to spoil the guys in 'The Chase'. I have had a good time here in NASCAR. It's the most competitive form of racing in the world, and there is nothing like it. It's a grind, and you need to be focused all the time on the task at hand. It will be nice to get some more weekends off and get back to V8. I will miss NASCAR, and I will watch it too. I will watch the night races in the morning in Australia with breakfast, and that will be fun. I'm looking forward to that. I have good runs, memorable races that I'll carry with me for sure. It was great winning for 'The King' and racing for wins at Watkins Glen. These are memories that I'll have for a lifetime. I would have liked to win on an oval, sure, but I feel like I've accomplished a lot too. Now, it's just time to go back home with my family."(RPM)(11-12-2014)