Advertisement

Drivers to watch during Cup playoff race at Homestead

NBC Sports
·3 min read
2

The NASCAR Cup Series continues the Round of 8 with a Sunday afternoon race at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, post-race on Peacock).

Kyle Larson already has a spot in the Championship 4 after winning at Las Vegas. Seven other playoff drivers have the opportunity to win at Homestead and join him.

Here is a look at the drivers to keep an eye on during the Sunday afternoon race at the 1.5-mile track.

FRONTRUNNERS

Kevin Harvick

Points position: 14th

Best finish this season: 2nd (Darlington I)

Past at Homestead: He has completed all but two of 5,880 possible laps in 22 starts at Homestead. Harvick has 19 top-10 finishes, 12 top fives and one win, which secured his championship in 2014. He will make his final start at Homestead while running the Budweiser scheme from his championship season.

Kyle Larson

Points position: 1st

Best finish this season: 1st (Richmond I, Martinsville I, Darlington II, Las Vegas II)

Past at Homestead: He has nine starts at Homestead with five top-10 finishes, five top fives and one win. Larson has led at least 130 laps in three different races at the 1.5-mile track, including 199 last season.

Denny Hamlin

Points position: 4th

Best finish this season: 1st (Kansas I, Pocono, Bristol Night)

Past at Las Homestead: He has failed to complete only five laps in his 18 starts at the 1.5-mile track while scoring 12 top-10 finishes, five top fives and three wins. Hamlin has no DNFs at Homestead and he has an average finish of 9.8. Worth noting is Hamlin’s six starts from the pole between 2015-2021.

William Byron

Points position: 2nd

Best finish this season: 2nd (Las Vegas I, Phoenix I, Darlington I, Atlanta II, Watkins Glen, Texas)

Past at Homestead: He has five starts at Homestead with two top-10 finishes and one win. He started from pole last season but finished 12th after scoring 17 stage points. Byron is nine points above the first driver outside of a transfer spot to the Championship 4.

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

Chris Buescher

Points position: 8th

Best finish this season: 1st (Richmond II, Michigan, Daytona II)

Past at Homestead: He has seven starts at Homestead with an average finish of 19.7 and no top-10 finishes. His best finish was 13th in last season’s playoff race. Buescher has one top-10 finish in five starts at 1.5-mile tracks this season. He finished eighth at Charlotte.

Ryan Blaney

Points position: 7th

Best finish this season: 1st (Charlotte, Talladega II)

Past at Homestead: He has eight starts at Homestead with one top-10 finish and one top five. He finished 17th or worse in six races at the 1.5-mile track. This includes last season’s playoff race when he spun in the warm-up lane after a pit stop.

Martin Truex Jr.

Points position: 3rd

Best finish this season: 1st (Dover, Sonoma, New Hampshire)

Past at Homestead: He has 18 starts at Homestead with 12 top-10 finishes, seven top fives and one win. Truex finished second or better in three straight races between 2017-2019. He finished sixth in last season’s race. Truex has one top-10 finish in the playoffs and six finishes of 17th or worse.

Chase Elliott

Points position: 17th

Best finish this season: 2nd (Fontana, Indianapolis)

Past at Homestead: He has seven starts at Homestead with three top-10 finishes and two top fives. He has finished 14th or worse three times since 2019. The exception is a runner-up behind Denny Hamlin in 2020.