No reruns in 2021.
For the third time in three races of the NASCAR Cup Series 2021 season, a new driver is on the podium. William Byron wins the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The win is Byron’s second in his career and after the 31st start he led a race high of 102 of 267 laps.
Denny Hamlin, the pole sitter who started on Sunday, was stopped for an unauthorized adjustment and started in the back of the field for the infraction. Even so, Hamlin battled for the lead at various stages of the race, but a pit lane violation set him back again and essentially ended his day.
Last week’s race winner, Christopher Bell, was 21st while Chris Buescher, who led much of the race, was 20th.
Sporting News followed live race updates and lap-by-lap highlights from Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Homestead. Follow below for full results of the Dixie Vodka 400.
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(All times east.)
NASCAR at Homestead Results
Unofficial order of completion.
| Item | driver |
|---|---|
| 1. | William Byron |
| 2. | Tyler Reddick |
| 3. | Martin Truex |
| 4th | Kyle Larson |
| 5. | Kevin Harvick |
| 6th | Michael McDowell |
| 7th | Ryan Newman |
| 8th. | Kurt Busch |
| 9. | Alex Bowman |
| 10. | Kyle Busch |
| 11. | Denny Hamlin |
| 12. | Austin Dillon |
| 13th | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 14th | Chase Elliott |
| 15th | Daniel Suarez |
| 16. | Brad Keselowski |
| 17th | Ross Chastain |
| 18th | Chase Briscoe |
| 19th | Chris Buscher |
| 20th | Christopher Bell |
| 21st | Ryan Preece |
| 22nd | Bubba Wallace |
| 23. | Cole Custer |
| 24 | Anthony Alfredo |
| 25th | Joey Logano |
| 26th | Justin Haley |
| 27 | Erik Jones |
| 28. | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 29 | Ryan Blaney |
| 30th | Aric Almirola |
| 31. | Garrett Smithley |
| 32. | Cody ware |
| 33. | Josh Bilicki |
| 34. | BJ McLeod |
| 35. | Quin Houff |
| 36. | Corey LaJoie (DNF) |
| 37. | James Davison (DNF) |
| 38. | Timmy Hill (DNF) |
NASCAR at Homestead Live Updates, Highlights from Dixie Vodka 400
19:03 FINISH: William Byron takes the checkered flag home for the second time in his career and holds back a closing Tyler Reddick in the final lap.
6:55 pm: Single-digit rounds remaining, William Byron is pushed by Kyle Larson.
6:44 pm: With 28 laps to go, fuel is a problem for some, with William Byron still first, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex rounding out the top three.
6:32 pm: Kyle Busch entered the chat in the top 10.
6:28 pm: Byron, Truex, Larson, Custer, and Kurt Busch are the top 5 with 55 remaining. Fight for fifth place between Busch, Harvick and Keselowski.
6:26 pm: Denny Hamlin will restart on the 28th with 60 laps remaining. He’ll have to do the work.
6:21 pm: Denny Hamlin backwards (again) after accelerating on the pit lane.
6:12 pm: Seventy-two laps left, Byron still in the lead. Truex hot on his cock.
6 pm: After the restart, Chris Buescher fell to 19th place. 91 laps left, William Byron is currently in the lead, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin are fighting for second place.
5:56 pm: Byron and Hamlin are 1-2 on the restart, and the field extends to five for a moment. Drivers fight for position.
5:45 pm: William Byron enters the second leg with a late rush. Denny Hamlin was pushing for 1st place, but Byron was pulling forward to finish the stage.
5:36 pm: Another warning flag goes out when Corey LaJoie walks into the garage. Stage 2 ends, six laps to go.
5:26 pm: Twenty-four laps before the second stage, Martin Truex leads the race for the first time this season. Bruescher still remains in second place. Timmy Hill and James Davison are both DNF today.
5:14 pm: The pit stops began in the middle of the second stage.
5:04 pm: Denny Hamlin pushed for 10th place and battled Kyle Larson for positioning. Pretty much the turning point for Hamlin.
4:58 pm: Chase Elliott takes first place in the restart but still has a tight pack behind him.
4:57 p.m .: We have a fresh start, Buescher, Keselowski, Bowman, Elliott, Logano round off the top 5. Byron and Larson are all fighting for their positions.
4:46 pm: Chris Buescher takes the first stage, his second stage win in his career.
4:42 pm: Eight laps before the first stage, Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher fight for the top spot. They are separated by tenths of a second. Martin Truex moves up to the top 5. Alex Bowman sneaks into third place.
4:39 pm: Denny Hamlin says he expects electrical problems after his AC power goes out. It turned out that the hose just popped out.
4:33 pm: Careful, Davison. Chris Buescher takes the lead.
4:27 pm: Kevin Harvick dropped out of the top 10 and Martin Truex is now in the top 10.
4:18 pm: Chris Buescher slips into second place, William Byron into third place. Joey Logano was fourth and Stenhouse fifth. Hamlin is still stuck in 20th place and not making up much space.
4:10 pm: Round 31 of 80 in stage 1 and we’re green again. Keselowski and Logano still 1-2 on the track. Denny Hamil until the 19th.
4:04 pm: The caution in the competition is over and the box is open.
4:01 pm: Keselowski manages to wrest the lead from Logano and gives his teammate a lead of 3 1/2 seconds.
3:53 pm: Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick battle for their position, with Christopher Bell rounding out the top 5. Ricky Stenhouse and Kyle Larson vied for 10th place, but Larson easily moves into the top 10.
3:48 pm: We have a green flag and Logano is in front.
3:40 pm: Denny Hamlin on the back of the box and Logano on the front.
Engines about to be fired. Stages 80-80-107 (267 laps, 400.5 miles). Fuel run 61-66 laps. 10 sets of tires (including one set on the car). Beware of the round 25 competition. Backwards: Hamlin, Bowman & LaJoie for unapproved adjustments, Davison for 2x technical errors. On FOX @NASCARONFOX
– Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 28, 2021
3:38 pm: Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa gives drivers the opportunity to start their engines …
3:33 pm: The national anthem is sung, jets have flown over us and we are a short time away from race time.
3:23 pm: A little pre-race humor to get you going:
NASCAR race start time today
The green flag for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is scheduled to fly at 3:48 p.m. ET.
Weather is a regular problem at NASCAR races in Florida, but this weekend can be an exception. The National Weather Service’s forecast for Homestead, Florida on Sunday is for sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s. The only threat to drivers can be the wind; The NWS calls for southeast winds of 11 to 20 miles per hour with gusts of up to 24 miles per hour.
NASCAR lineup at Homestead
Here is the full grid for Sunday’s NASCAR race at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
| driver | Car no. | team |
| Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Joey Logano | 22nd | Team Penske |
| Christopher Bell | 20th | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Kevin Harvick | 4th | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| Kurt Busch | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| Michael McDowell | 34 | Motorsport in the front row |
| Brad Keselowski | 2 | Team Penske |
| Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 19th | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| Chris Buescher | 17th | Roush Fenway Racing |
| Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| Erik Jones | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| Justin Haley | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| Daniel Suarez | 99 | TrackHouse Racing |
| Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| Ryan Newman | 6th | Roush Fenway Racing |
| Kyle Busch | 18th | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Corey LaJoie | 7th | Spire Motorsports |
| Cody ware | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
| Anthony Alfredo | 38 | Motorsport in the front row |
| Garrett Smithley | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
| James Davison | 15th | Rick Ware Racing |
| Chase Briscoe | 14th | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| Ross Chastain | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| Timmy Hill | 66 | Motorsport business management |
| BJ McLeod | 78 | Live motorsport fast |
| Tyler Reddick | 8th | Richard Childress Racing |
| Josh Bilicki | 52 | Rick Ware Racing |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
