Is the pressure already on in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season?
After a very fortunate caution due to a damp track, a handful of physical and messy restarts allowed Christopher Bell to outduel Joey Logano for the win in last Sunday’s race at the Daytona road course. Though Bell is in a Joe Gibbs Racing car, the No. 20 team did not earn a playoff berth last season. That means two playoff spots are already claimed by teams that did not make last season’s playoffs, after Michael McDowell’s Daytona 500 victory.
Two races in, it’s not too early to do the math. Though Chase Briscoe will eventually contend in some races this season, his chances of making the playoffs on points are low compared to the driver he replaced (the retired Clint Bowyer, who did make the playoffs as a wild card). So, flip Bell for Briscoe, and there’s still at least one more driver who made last year’s playoffs that will not this season.
Keep that in mind, even though it is just late February, during this early stretch of the 2021 Cup Series schedule.
The circuit turns now to a 1.5-mile intermediate track for the first time this year, at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s race.
NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead schedule
Green Flag Time: 2:48 p.m. CT Sunday
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5 mile oval)
Length: 267 laps, 400 miles
Stages: 80 laps, 80 laps, 107 laps
TV coverage: FOX
Radio: MRN
Streaming: Fox Sports app (subscription required); MRNRadio.com and SiriusXM for audio (subscription required)
UH OH: NASCAR owner Chip Ganassi suspended one race for violating COVID-19 protocols at Daytona
Dixie Vodka 400 starting lineup
Row 1
1. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Row 2
3. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
4. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Row 3
5. Kurt Busch, No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
6. Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Row 4
7. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
8. Ryan Preece, No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Row 5
9. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
10. Cole Custer, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Row 6
11. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
12. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
Row 7
13. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
14. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Row 8
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
16. Aric Almirola, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Row 9
17. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
18. Erik Jones, No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
Row 10
19. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
20. Justin Haley, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Row 11
21. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Toyota
22. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Row 12
23. Ryan Newman, No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
24. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Row 13
25. Corey Lajoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
26. Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
Row 14
27. Anthony Alfredo, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
28. Garrett Smithley, No. 53 Rick Ware Racing Ford
Row 15
29. James Davison, No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
30. Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Row 16
31. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
32. Ross Chastain, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Row 17
33. Timmy Hill, No. 66 Motorsports Business Management Toyota
34. BJ McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford
Row 18
35. Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
36. Josh Bilicki, No. 52 Rick Ware Racing Ford
Row 19
37. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
38. Quin Houff, No. 00 StarCom Racing Chevrolet