The last time the Cup Series visited Homestead-Miami Speedway, Ryan Blaney was just a corner away from victory. But it wasn’t to be when a wild move from Tyler Reddick against the outside wall cost him the win by a tiny .241 seconds.
Instead, for the second time in the last two trips the series made to the 1.5-mile track, Blaney had to settle for second. Indeed, he has three top-fives at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but no wins.
“Last year, that was driver error of not doing my job on the last lap,” he admitted. “You just try to look back on those things as far as that scenario of what would I do different, but as far as our approach of the car and things like that, I think we’ve done a really good job the last two years. It’s just a matter of trying to keep putting yourself in position to win that race.
“I’d like to win there. That’s a tough place to win at and we’ve had a good shot the last two years. We just need to put it together.”
Unfortunately for Blaney, he’s not the only driver who wants to win Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400, airing at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. And Homestead-Miami appeals to a certain type of driver.
Odds via BetMGM
+375 – Kyle Larson
+600 – Tyler Reddick
+650 – Ryan Blaney
+800 – William Byron
+800 – Christopher Bell
+1200 – Denny Hamlin
+1600 – Chase Elliott
+1600 – Joey Logano
+1800 – Ross Chastain
+1800 – Kyle Busch
The driver who’s just the type? AJ Allmendinger. He’s alternated between full and part-time seasons with Kaulig Racing, but he hasn’t missed the chance to compete in the Homestead race in three out of those four years. In those three races, he has an average finish of 5.3. That’s tied for the best average finish of any driver in the Cup Series in the Next Gen era with Christopher Bell.
Allmendinger is back to full-time with Kaulig Racing this season and is coming off of a strong eighth-place finish at Vegas, suggesting that the team has speed. Homestead might be the chance to secure that elusive first Cup win on an oval, but Allmendinger would be happy with a strong finish to build up the team.
“Homestead has been a really good racetrack for us over the last couple years and it’s a track I’ve always enjoyed,” Allmendinger said. “We’re coming off a good weekend in Las Vegas and we’ll carry that momentum on to Homestead. I’ve been happy with the speed of our Chevys the last few weeks; if we go there with the same mindset to execute, we have an opportunity to have another really good run.”
Neither Bell nor Allmendinger are the favorites, though, but the driver who is shouldn’t be a surprise based on the track length. Kyle Larson has more wins (five) and more top-five finishes (18) at intermediate-length tracks like the 1.5-mile Homestead Miami Speedway, and at Homestead itself he’s led more laps than any other driver entered in the race.
Additionally, Larson will be the first driver this season to run a tripleheader by competing in both the Truck Series and Xfinity Series as well on Friday and Saturday, giving him multiple chances to get to victory lane and an additional feel for the track.
That feel could be valuable: with the exception of 2021’s adapted schedule for the pandemic, Homestead-Miami has been a fall race (previously the championship venue), not a spring event. The warmer weather could make an impact on the type of racing.
For one driver, this race is particularly special. Ross Chastain is a native of Alva, Florida, not far from the racetrack and enjoys the chance to visit home and have his hometown support him at the racetrack. A good performance would be extra special with that in mind.
“It’s the closest to home in Alva, just a couple of hours away and I’m going to drive over to the track. The weather in South Florida is beautiful and it’s fun to have so many friends and family at the track,” Chastain explained as to why he enjoys Homestead.
“I think Homestead provides some great racing and the ability to run up by the wall. I was there last week for an event at the track and got to meet different people from the community. I enjoy it anytime I get the chance to go to South Florida.”
While other drivers might not have the same personal connection, plenty of others echoed Chastain’s praise for the track. It’s a driver favorite because of the many different lines it offers.
“I look forward to returning to Homestead-Miami Speedway. It’s my favorite track that we race at,” said Austin Dillon, for one.
“Homestead-Miami Speedway is a driver’s racetrack. It’s so much fun to run right up against the fence. You have to be disciplined in how you drive and save your tires,” he explained.
“The Miami atmosphere is just one of the things I love about this time of year. There is nice weather, and fans always show up to support NASCAR racing.”
One thing to keep in mind: there is currently a large grass fire burning very near the track. As of Thursday, it had burned over 24,000 acres and was 30%. The city of Homestead, Florida, has continued to post updates on its Twitter account and has indicated that “NASCAR Cup Series events are set to continue as scheduled” (with no mention of Trucks or Xfinity).
Practice and qualifying will air from 1 p.m. ET on Saturday on Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
$100,000 Sweetens the Deal in the Xfinity Series
It’s the first Dash 4 Cash race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend, and that means an extra $100,000 prize is on the line for the highest-finishing eligible driver in Saturday’s Hard Rock Bet 300, airing at 4 p.m. ET on CW Network, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
That list of drivers is Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Jesse Love, and Sam Mayer. The lineup is set based on the results of last week’s race at Vegas: Allgaier was the winner, and the next three drivers competing this week (so not runner-up Aric Almirola) make up the list.
If Allgaier’s hoping to make it two wins in a row and claim the check, he’ll not only have to earn his first win at Homestead-Miami but his first top-five at the track, even, since he started full-time Xfinity Series competition in 2009. The defending champion has not had the best luck at the track in his career.
By contrast, Austin Hill is the most recent winner at Homestead, having won there late in last year’s season, a race where his Richard Childress Racing teammate Jesse Love finished fourth to secure a top-five in his first-ever run at the track.
Sam Mayer has also won at Homestead, that win coming two years ago when he was driving for JR Motorsports, and has a solid Homestead record to his name.
Bear in mind, one of those drivers will collect the check whether or not they win: the money just goes to the highest finisher.
That might be for the best because there’s a challenger going for the win. Cup Series regular Kyle Larson is entered in the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports car, and he knows how to win at Homestead, having led more laps than any Cup Series driver at the track. The prize money would surely be even sweeter if it came with the added confidence of having beaten a former champion of the sport.
Practice and qualifying will air from 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday on the CW App.
Truck Series Completes the Triple
The Craftsman Truck Series opens a triple-header NASCAR weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway with Friday’s Baptist Health 200, airing at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
It’s an early chance at a battle for the lead in the championship standings, with four drivers building a gap between them and the rest of the field. That group is led by Ty Majeski, closely followed by Corey Heim who’s won two of three races this year, Grant Enfinger, and Chandler Smith.
A win is the clearest way for any of those drivers to stretch out a lead as well as earn a guaranteed place in the Playoffs alongside Heim. However, the winner of that third race was Cup Series regular Kyle Busch when he drove the No. 07 Spire Motorsports truck at Atlanta.
That truck is back this weekend with a formidable Cup Series talent behind the wheel in the form of Kyle Larson, who will be participating in all the series this weekend. That gives him extra motivation for the first of three wins.
Also competing is Ross Chastain in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports entry, another Cup Series talent moonlighting in the Truck Series.
With the amount of skill in the race, winning will be a challenge.
Practice and qualifying will air from 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday on the FS2.
