The NASCAR Cup Series is heading to Miami! Join us this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. on FOX for the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. NASCAR RaceDay pre-race action begins at 2 p.m. on FS1 before switching the coverage over to FOX at 3 p.m.
Sunday‘s race is scheduled for 267 laps with Stage 1 ending on Lap 80 and Stage 2 on Lap 160.
RELATED: Homestead-Miami weekend schedule | See every Homestead-Miami winner
WHO‘S ON THE POLE THIS SUNDAY?
Last summer, Denny Hamlin led 137 laps in the 2020 Dixie Vodka 400 en route to a dominating victory. This year, he gets to start right where he left off. Without qualifying for this weekend‘s race, Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team‘s metrics earned them their first Busch Pole Award of the season. See the full starting lineup.
BUY TICKETS
Limited tickets and special offers are on sale now for this weekend‘s slate of races. Want to be a part of the race weekend? Visit the Homestead-Miami Speedway ticket site or sign up to participate virtually by using the NASCAR Mobile App.
MARVELOUS IN MIAMI
Only six active Cup Series drivers have made their way to Victory Lane at the South Florida track and just Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin have multiple wins there. Like Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick each raced their way to title-winning victories in Miami. Kurt Busch also has a win at the 1.5-mile track. In fact, Kurt Busch is the only of those drivers to win on the track prior to its repave in 2003.
Will one of these drivers continue the exclusive trend or will an outside contender have something to say about it? Perhaps another young star?
ODDS
Hamlin‘s hot start to 2021 has the veteran leading the books at 5-1 heading into the weekend, according to BetMGM‘s NASCAR betting odds. Chase Elliott at 11-2, Kevin Harvick at 6-1, Martin Truex Jr. at 7-1 and Kyle Larson at 17-2 fall in just behind to round out the top five.
RULES PACKAGE
The rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.
GOODYEAR TIRES
Cup Series teams have 10 sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials for the 400.5-mile race. One of the most high-wear tracks on the circuit, Homestead-Miami presents an interesting challenge to teams looking to gain position on tire strategy throughout the race.
“Homestead has produced some of the best racing we have seen in NASCAR over the past several years,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear‘s director of racing. “As we have all seen, tires wear significantly at Homestead. That leads to some cars being fast at the beginning of the run, while others are faster at the end of the run. That‘s all based on a driver‘s ability to manage his tires — some guys are just better at that than others.”
NUMBERS TO KNOW
— This is the third time in Cup series history that the first two races of the season were won by first-time winners. The other two were in the first two years of the sport (1949, 1950).
— Of the drivers to win in the last six Miami races, only Denny Hamlin and Chris Gabehart are a current crew chief pairing. The duo won from first at Miami in 2020, making it the third time the race winner started on the pole.
— Alex Bowman and Martin Truex Jr. have both finished top 10 in the last four 1.5-mile races, the longest active streaks.
— Four of Ryan Preece‘s seven career top-10 finishes have come in the last 10 races and he has already scored 74 points in 2021, a tally it took him eight races to reach a season ago.
Stats provided by Racing Insights
FANTASY LIVE
Another week means another chance to beat the competition and show off your crew chief instincts. Take control of your very own team each week with NASCAR Fantasy Live — it‘s free to play! Learn everything you need to know at fantasygames.nascar.com.
2021 fantasy points leaders: Denny Hamlin (104), Joey Logano (85) and Kevin Harvick (75).
ALSO ON NASCAR.COM
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
New for this season, NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.