Denny Hamlin on the pole for the fifth straight race at this 1.5-mile oval
NASCAR hopes the third time is the charm, producing a third straight first-time winner to start the 2021 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Dixie Vodka 400. A race that was once the site of the season finale is moved up to the first month this year as part of the sport's scheduling overhaul amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
HMS is the first intermediate, cookie-cutter 1.5-miler we'll see this season which brings the sport back to its 550-horsepower handling package. Paired with a 0.922" tapered spacer, the set-up slows speeds, increases downforce, and puts a premium on where you start.
Over long green-flag runs, the rules make it difficult to move through the field outside of restarts. Even at a track like HMS, where tire falloff creates better racing, it's tough to make up ground from mid-pack as clean air creates a clear advantage.
Like most events this season, the Cup starting field was set without any on-track practice or qualifying. Instead, each team on the entry list had a number calculated for them based on the rules below.
50% of the metric is their finishing position from the previous race (split between driver and owner).
35% of the metric is the team’s current position in the NASCAR Cup Series owner point standings.
15% of the metric is their fastest lap during the previous race.
Officials will then set the lineup based on those totals (the lower the number, the better the starting spot for each driver). It's the best compromise the sport could make while attempting to limit each team’s at-track time during the pandemic.
Only 38 cars were entered for 40 spots on the grid this week, leaving us two short of a full field. The 36 teams who have guaranteed spots showed up along with just two "open" cars: the No. 37 of JTG Daugherty Racing (Ryan Preece) and the No. 66 of MBM Motorsports (Timmy Hill).
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Joey Logano
3. Christopher Bell
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Kurt Busch
6. Michael McDowell
7. Brad Keselowski
8. Ryan Preece
9. Martin Truex Jr.
10. Cole Custer
11. Chase Elliott
12. Chris Buescher
13. Alex Bowman
14. Ryan Blaney
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
16. Aric Almirola
17. Kyle Larson
18. Erik Jones
19. Bubba Wallace
20. Justin Haley (i)
21. Daniel Suarez
22. Austin Dillon
23. Ryan Newman
24. Kyle Busch
25. Corey LaJoie
26. Cody Ware (i)
27. Anthony Alfredo (R)
28. Garrett Smithley (i)
29. James Davison
30. Chase Briscoe (R)
31. William Byron
32. Ross Chastain
33. Timmy Hill (i)
34. BJ McLeod (i)
35. Tyler Reddick
36. Josh Bilicki
37. Matt DiBenedetto
38. Quin Houff
(R) – Rookie
(i) – Ineligible to collect Cup Series points
QUALIFYING NOTES
- Denny Hamlin (pole) is the defending race winner and is starting on the pole for the fifth straight year at Homestead. He hasn't started outside the top five in his No. 11 Toyota at this track since November 2014.
- Joey Logano (2nd) is the highest-qualifying Ford in the race. Logano last won here in 2018.
- Christopher Bell (3rd) has the best starting spot of his career one week after his first Cup win at the Daytona International Speedway road course.
- Kurt Busch (5th) is the highest-qualifying Chevrolet.
- Michael McDowell (6th) has back-to-back top-10 starting spots for the first time since October 2019.
- Ryan Preece (8th) has back-to-back top-10 starts for the first time in his Cup career.
- Anthony Alfredo (27th) is the highest-qualifying rookie.
- BJ McLeod (34th) replaces Scott Heckert behind the wheel of his Live Fast Motorsports No. 78 Ford. McLeod is running the majority of races for the team.
NASCAR RACE BREAKDOWN
Race: Dixie Vodka 400
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway (Homestead, Fla.)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 28
TV: FOX, 3:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 267 laps (400 miles)
Stage 1: 80 Laps
Stage 2: 80 Laps
Final Stage: 107 Laps
PRE-RACE PREVIEW
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