We head to the Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday for the Dixie Vodka 400. Homestead is a 1.5- mile oval that is steeply banked. The turns at Homestead are banked progressively from 18 degrees on the bottom groove to 20 degrees up near the wall. Expect to see the Cup Series drivers taking multiple grooves on around the turns on each end of the raceway to find the fastest way. Homestead compares to the Darlington Raceway, so with the track temps above 100 degrees expect to see some slipping and sliding from the tires on Sunday.
Here are a few drivers to consider for the Dixie Vodka 400.
Denny Hamlin +500- Denny will lead to the field to the green flag in Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead. Hamlin won the 2020 Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead, leading 137 of the 267 laps and had the 2nd most fastest laps in that race. Hamlin currently has the best average driver rating at Homestead of 118.1 with 2 top 10 finishes including the victory in 2020. Hamlin off to a great start in 2021 in the NASCAR Cup Series with 2 top 5 finishes, expect Denny to be in contention Sunday.
Kyle Larson +1000- Larson rolls off from the 17th starting position at Homestead on Sunday, and the Dixie Vodka 400 will be an excellent litmus test for Larson and team. Larson 3 top 5 finishes at Homestead in 7 races with Chip Ganassi racing, and now with Hendrick Motorsports will be in a very competitive race car. Larson comes from a dirt racing background, and that is the style that tends to be a great success around Homestead when it comes to finding the fast line. With a little patience and a few yellow flags, I expect Larson to be in the top 5 by the final stage. Consider Larson for the win on Sunday.
Joey Logano +1000- Logano will fire off from the 2nd position on Sunday alongside Denny Hamlin to begin Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 for the Cup Series. Logano has 5 top 10 finishes including 4 top 5s over the last 6 races at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, but did struggle in the 2020 Dixie Vodka 400 finishing 27th. With an average driver rating of 101.9 over the last 38 races held on the 1.5-mile intermediate tracks, Joey is for sure a top contender for Sunday’s race at Homestead.
Kyle Busch +1000- Kyle will take the green flag from the 24th starting spot at Homestead on Sunday afternoon. Kyle finished 14th in the Daytona 500 and the 35th place finish last week on the Daytona Road Course will have Busch doing some work on Sunday afternoon. Homestead has been a very good track for Kyle, top 10 finishes in 8 of the last 9 races including 5 top 5 finishes with 2 wins. Kyle led 120 of the 267 to claim victory in 2019 as well as the Championship. Breath of fresh for Kyle and the team heading into Homestead Sunday.
Christopher Bell +2800- Bell will start in the 3rd position on Sunday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, off his first career victory at the Daytona Road Course 1 week ago. Bell finished 8th in the Cup Series race at Homestead one year ago in the now defunct Levine Family Racing #95, and that car was not as fast as the Joe Gibbs car Bell is in now. Bell picked up a top 5 in the 2019 Xfinity Series race at Homestead for Joe Gibbs, and once again Bell should have a great showing on Sunday. Take Bell as a longshot for the Dixie Vodka 400.
AUTHOR: Jeff Jeter
