No repeats in 2021.
For the third time in three races in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, a new driver stands atop the podium, with William Byron taking home the honors from the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The win is Byron's second in his career, and he led a race-high 102 of 267 laps after starting 31st.
Denny Hamlin, the pole sitter entering Sunday, was dinged for an unapproved adjustment and started in the rear of the field for the transgression. Despite that, Hamlin found himself battling for the lead at various stages in the race, but a pit road speeding infraction again knocked him back, essentially ending his day.
"Get used to winning, boys!"
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 1, 2021
Rudy Fugle has a message for this No. 24 team! pic.twitter.com/MH8Q3aXWSQ
Last week's race winner, Christopher Bell, finished 21st, while Chris Buescher, who led a fair amount of the race, finished 20th.
Sporting News tracked live race updates and lap-by-lap highlights from the NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead on Sunday. Follow below for complete results from the Dixie Vodka 400 .
MORE: Watch NASCAR live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
(All times Eastern.)
NASCAR at Homestead results
Official order of finish.
Pos. | Driver |
---|---|
1. | William Byron |
2. | Tyler Reddick |
3. | Martin Truex Jr. |
4. | Kyle Larson |
5. | Kevin Harvick |
6. | Michael McDowell |
7. | Ryan Newman |
8. | Kurt Busch |
9. | Alex Bowman |
10. | Kyle Busch |
11. | Denny Hamlin |
12. | Austin Dillon |
13. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
14. | Chase Elliott |
15. | Daniel Suarez |
16. | Brad Keselowski |
17. | Ross Chastain |
18. | Chase Briscoe |
19. | Chris Buscher |
20. | Christopher Bell |
21. | Ryan Preece |
22. | Bubba Wallace |
23. | Cole Custer |
24. | Anthony Alfredo |
25. | Joey Logano |
26. | Justin Haley |
27. | Erik Jones |
28. | Matt DiBenedetto |
29. | Ryan Blaney |
30. | 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
7:03 p.m. FINISH: William Byron takes home the checkered flag for the second time in his career, holding off a closing Tyler Reddick in the final lap.
An impressive drive in so many ways!
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 1, 2021
Retweet to congratulate @WilliamByron on tonight's win at @HomesteadMiami ! pic.twitter.com/9zXo4rPG9m
6:55 p.m.: Single-digit laps remaining, with William Byron being pushed by Kyle Larson.
6:44 p.m.: With 28 laps to go, fuel is a concern for some, William Byron still in first, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex round out the top three.
Disappointment for @KurtBusch .
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 28, 2021
He hits pit road after running in the top five due to a vibration. pic.twitter.com/RhfHhYb6o3
6:32 p.m.: Kyle Busch has entered the chat, in the top 10.
6:28 p.m.: Byron, Truex, Larson, Custer and Kurt Busch are the top five with 55 left. Battle for fifth between Busch, Harvick and Keselowski.
6:26 p.m.: Denny Hamlin restarting at 28th with 60 laps to go. He's going to have to put in the work.
6:21 p.m.: Denny Hamlin to the back (again) after speeding on pit road.
6:12 p.m.: Seventy-two laps left in the race, Byron still at the top. Truex hot on his tail.
6 p.m.: Chris Buescher has fallen all the way down to 19th place after the restart. 91 laps to go in the race, William Byron currently in the lead with Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin fighting for second.
5:56 p.m.: Byron and Hamlin are 1-2 in the restart, and the field extends to five wide for a moment. Drivers fighting for position.
5:45 p.m.: William Byron takes Stage 2 with a late rush. Denny Hamlin was pressuring for No. 1, but Byron just pulled out ahead to end the stage.
STAGE WINNER: @WilliamByron slips past @dennyhamlin and @MartinTruex_Jr to claim Stage 2 of the #DixieVodka400 ! (📺: FOX) pic.twitter.com/HkSg212fHO
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 28, 2021
Denny Hamlin blocks his teammate, opening the door for William Byron!
— Peyton Wesner (@pcwesner) February 28, 2021
Your Stage 2 Winner: Byron, Baby! #NASCAR #CupSeries #Homestead 🌴 pic.twitter.com/rIT2SdOnj1
5:36 p.m.: Another caution flag is out, with Corey LaJoie heading to the garage. Stage 2 winding down, six laps to go.
5:26 p.m.: Twenty-four laps to go in Stage 2, Martin Truex leads the race for the first time this season. Bruescher still hanging around in second. Timmy Hill and James Davison both DNF today.
5:14 p.m.: Pit stops have begun midway through Stage 2.
5:04 p.m.: Denny Hamlin making a push for 10th, battling with Kyle Larson for positioning. Quite the turnaround for Hamlin.
4:58 p.m.: Chase Elliott snags first place out of the restart, but still has a tight pack behind him.
4:57 p.m.: We got a restart, Buescher, Keselowski, Bowman, Elliott, Logano round out the top five. Byron and Larson all fighting for position.
4:46 p.m.: Chris Buescher takes Stage 1, his second career stage win.
STAGE WINNER: @Chris_Buescher pulls away late to win Stage 1 of the #DixieVodka400 at @HomesteadMiami !
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 28, 2021
📺: FOX | 📲: https://t.co/oWWAut6pxx pic.twitter.com/FkU0GAyJO5
4:42 p.m.: Eight laps to go in Stage 1, with Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher battlimng out for that top spot. They're separated by tenths of a second. Martin Truex heads up into top five. Alex Bowman sneaks into No. 3.
4:39 p.m.: Denny Hamlin says that he is expecting electrical issues after his AC gives out. Turns out, the hose just popped out.
Well, it was a problem in some fashion. 😂 pic.twitter.com/zfrB1nFbWr
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 28, 2021
4:33 p.m.: Caution flag out, for Davison. Chris Buescher takes the lead.
4:27 p.m.: Kevin Harvick has dropped out of the top 10, and Martin Truex is now into the top 10.
4:18 p.m.: Chris Buescher slides into second place as William Byron takes third. Joey Logano into fourth, and Stenhouse into fifth. Hamlin is still stuck in 20th, not making much room up.
4:10 p.m.: Lap 31 of 80 in Stage 1, and we're green again. Keselowski and Logano still 1-2 on the track. Denny Hamil up to 19th.
4:04 p.m.: Competition caution is out and the pits are open.
4:01 p.m.: Keselowski manages to wrestle the lead from Logano and opens up a 3 1/2 second lead over his teammate.
3:53 p.m.: Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick jockeying for position, with Christopher Bell rounding out the top five. Ricky Stenhouse and Kyle Larson were vying for the 10th spot, but Larson pulls into the top 10 handily.
3:48 p.m.: We have a green flag and Logano is out front.
GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! 🟢
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 28, 2021
Catch the #DixieVodka400 right now on FOX or stream the race on the Fox Sports app! pic.twitter.com/noN9ELfncZ
3:40 p.m.: Denny Hamlin to the back of the pack, leaving Logano at the front.
Engines about to be fired. Stages 80-80-107 (267 laps, 400.5 miles). Fuel run 61-66 laps. 10 sets tires (incl one set on car). Competition caution Lap 25. To rear: Hamlin, Bowman, & LaJoie for unapproved adjustments, Davison for 2x tech failures. On FOX @NASCARONFOX
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 28, 2021
3:38 p.m.: Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa gives the drivers the go ahead to start their engines…
3:33 p.m.: National anthem is sung, jets have flown overhead, and we are a short while away from race time.
3:23 p.m.: A little pre-race humor to get you revved up:
Ummm ... we're sorry about your trophy, @Buccaneers . 😳 @ClintBowyer | @JeffGordonWeb | @The_ChrisMyers pic.twitter.com/Qj9ykMsQmy
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 28, 2021
NASCAR race start time today
- Start time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- TV channel: Fox (TSN 5 in Canada)
- Live stream: Fox Sports Go | fuboTV (7-day free trial)
The green flag for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is scheduled to wave at 3:48 p.m. ET.
Weather is a regular concern for NASCAR races in Florida, but this weekend may be an exception. The National Weather Service's forecast for Homestead, Fla. , on Sunday is for sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s. The only threat to drivers may be the wind; the NWS is calling for southeast winds from 11-20 mph, with gusts up to 24 mph.
NASCAR lineup at Homestead
Here is the complete starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
Driver | Car No. | Team |
Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
Kurt Busch | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
Brad Keselowski | 2 | Team Penske |
Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
Chris Buescher | 17 | 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 | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
Cody Ware | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
Anthony Alfredo | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
Garrett Smithley | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
James Davison | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
Ross Chastain | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
Timmy Hill | 66 | Motorsports Business Management |
BJ McLeod | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
Josh Bilicki | 52 | Rick Ware Racing |
Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |