Entry List

Dixie Vodka 400

Sunday, February 28th, 2021

Homestead Miami Speedway, Homestead, FL

  • 16 Ford
  • 5 Toyota
  • 17 Chevrolet

  • Sunday, February 28th, 2021
  • NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer
William Byron cruises to NASCAR Cup Series victory at Homestead-Miami

In a No. 24 Chevrolet that steadily improved its performance as the sun went down, William Byron streaked to a decisive victory in Sunday's Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

With Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. battling for second place behind him, Byron cruised to a 2.777-second victory over Reddick, who charged through the field late in the final 60-lap green-flag run to the finish.

Truex ran third, with Larson coming home fourth. The victory was Byron's first of the season, first at Homestead and the second of his career. The win was the 264th in the NASCAR Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports, leaving the organization four victories behind Petty Enterprises for most all-time.

"It was just a really smooth day," said Byron, who won Stage 2 after finishing fourth in the opening 80-lap stage. "We worked hard in the winter on this track. I can't believe it."

Though Reddick made his charge by running inches from the outside wall, Byron preferred to maintain a respectful distance from the fence whenever possible.

"You had to go to the wall at certain times," said Byron, who led 102 laps, a career-best for a single race. "(Turns) 3 and 4, it was really fast up there. I definitely didn't do it as good as the Xfinity cars do it, but I used it when I had to. This car was just awesome. It was really a lot of hard work. I think we went to the sim (simulator) four or five times this offseason, and it pays off, man. It's awesome."

Byron delivered the first Cup victory to crew chief Rudy Fugle, with whom he teamed to great success in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In fact, the last time Byron and Fugle worked together, they won the 2016 season finale at Homestead.

Reddick didn't score a point in either of the first two stages, but his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was lightning fast at the end of the race. When Reddick moved into fourth place past Kevin Harvick on Lap 254 of 267, he was nine seconds behind Byron. By the end of the race, despite having to clear both Truex and Larson for second, he had trimmed more than six seconds off Byron's lead.

"Once I really saw how fast we were in clean air, when I saw how fast we were catching everybody, it's beyond frustrating," said Reddick, who matched his career-best finish. "Three different decisions on restarts would have put me miles ahead, and I would have been within reach.

"Second's great, but I saw how much faster I was than those guys at the end, so naturally, it's frustrating."

Chris Buescher was dominant early, leading a career-high 57 laps in a single race and picking up the second stage win of his career in the opening segment. But as the sunlight faded, so did Buescher's No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. He finished 19th.

Truex thought his car capable of maintaining Byron's pace in the final run and was disappointed when it didn't.

"On that last run, for whatever reason, I was just babying it," Truex said. "The 24 (Byron) got the lead from me on that (last) restart (on Lap 208), and then the 5 (Larson) got by us, and I'm just biding my time waiting for them to start coming back to me, and they just never did.

"They obviously were really fast at the end, and we weren't quite as good that last run. These things are so hard to win. These cars are so touchy and just needed one more adjustment to have a chance."

Harvick came home fifth, followed by Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, as both drivers have scored top-10 finishes in each of the first three races of the season. Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman and Kyle Busch completed the top 10. Denny Hamlin ran 11th, failing to keep his top-10 streak alive because of a late-race pit road speeding penalty.

Hamlin nevertheless retained the series lead by 20 points over Harvick.

  • Drivers Entered: 38
  • Laps Scheduled: 267
  • Margin of Victory: 02.777 Seconds
  • Time of Race: 3 Hours 12 Minutes 45 Seconds
  • Average Speed: 124.669
  • Cautions: 6 for 36 laps
  • Lead Changes: 20
  • Green Flag Passes: 3,411 (14.8 passes per green flag lap)

  • Homestead-Miami Speedway
  • 23rd Annual Dixie Vodka 400
  • Race Winner: William Byron
  • Age: 23
  • Team : No. 24 - Axalta Chevrolet
  • Owner: Rick Hendrick
  • Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
  • William Byron won the 23rd Annual Dixie Vodka 400, his second victory in 112 Cup Series races.
  • This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in 2021.
  • This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in five races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  • Tyler Reddick (second) posted his second top-10 finish in three races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It is his first top-10 finish in 2021.
  • Martin Truex Jr. (third) posted his 11th top-10 finish in 18 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  • Chase Briscoe (18th) was the highest finishing rookie.
  • Denny Hamlin leads the point standings by 20 points over Kevin Harvick.
  • Byron - 23 years 2 months 30 days - is the youngest winner in Homestead-Miami Speedway history.
Denny Hamlin takes the checkered flag
Homestead, Florida - June 14, 2020 : Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Toyota, takes the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Michael ReavesGetty Images
Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway Entry List
ENTRY # DRIVER HOMETOWN DOB AGE MAKE SPONSOR TEAM CREW CHIEF
1 10 Aric Almirola Tampa, FL Mar 14, 1984 40 Ford Smithfield Stewart-Haas Racing Mike Bugarewicz
2 2 Brad Keselowski Auburn Hills, MI Feb 12, 1984 40 Ford Dent Wizard Team Penske Jeremy Bullins
3 11 Denny Hamlin Chesterfield, VA Nov 18, 1980 43 Toyota Small Business Grant Contest Joe Gibbs Racing Chris Gabehart
4 22 Joey Logano Middleton, CT May 24, 1990 34 Ford Shell Pennzoil Team Penske Paul Wolfe
5 4 Kevin Harvick Bakersfield, CA Dec 8, 1975 48 Ford Busch Light Stewart-Haas Racing Rodney Childers
6 1 Kurt Busch Las Vegas, NV Aug 4, 1978 46 Chevrolet Monster Energy Chip Ganassi Racing Matt McCall
7 18 Kyle Busch Las Vegas, NV May 2, 1985 39 Toyota M&M's Fudge Brownie Joe Gibbs Racing Ben Beshore
8 19 Martin Truex Jr Mayetta, NJ Jun 29, 1980 44 Toyota Bass Pro Shops Joe Gibbs Racing James Small
9 34 Michael McDowell Phoenix, AZ Dec 21, 1984 39 Ford Love's Travel Stops Front Row Motorsports Drew Blickensderfer
10 6 Ryan Newman South Bend, IN Dec 8, 1977 46 Ford Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs RFK Racing Scott Graves
11 3 Austin Dillon Lewisville, NC Apr 27, 1990 34 Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Off Road Richard Childress Racing Justin Alexander
12 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr Olive Branch, MS Oct 2, 1987 37 Chevrolet Koger / Tide Power Pods JTG Daugherty Racing Brian Pattie
13 66 Timmy Hill Port Tobacco, MD Feb 25, 1993 31 Ford Unsponsored MBM Motorsports Clinton Cram
14 5 Kyle Larson Sacremento, CA Jul 31, 1992 32 Chevrolet NationsGuard Hendrick Motorsports Cliff Daniels
15 48 Alex Bowman Tuscon, AZ Apr 25, 1993 31 Chevrolet Ally Hendrick Motorsports Greg Ives
16 12 Ryan Blaney High Point, NC Dec 31, 1993 30 Ford DEX Imaging Team Penske Todd Gordon
17 7 Corey Lajoie Kannapolis, NC Sep 25, 1991 33 Chevrolet Marwin Sports Apparel Spire Motorsports Ryan Sparks
18 9 Chase Elliott Dawsonville, GA Nov 28, 1995 28 Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts Hendrick Motorsports Alan Gustafson
19 21 Matt DiBenedetto Grass Valley, CA Jul 27, 1991 33 Ford Menards / Moen Wood Brothers Racing Greg Erwin
20 17 Chris Buescher Prosper, TX Oct 29, 1992 31 Ford Fastenal RFK Racing Luke Lambert
21 43 Erik Jones Byron, MI May 30, 1996 28 Chevrolet Armor All Richard Petty Motorsports Jerry Baxter
22 78 BJ McLeod Wauchula, FL Nov 17, 1983 40 Ford Traxion.gg / Motorsports Games Live Fast Motorsports Frank Kerr
23 37 Ryan Preece Berlin, CT Oct 25, 1990 33 Chevrolet Slim Jim JTG Daugherty Racing Trent Owens
24 99 Daniel Suarez Monterrey, Mexico Jan 7, 1992 32 Chevrolet Camping World Trackhouse Racing Travis Mack
25 51 Cody Ware Greensboro, NC Nov 7, 1995 28 Chevrolet Nurtec ODT Rick Ware Racing Mike Hillman Sr
26 42 Ross Chastain Alva, FL Dec 4, 1992 31 Chevrolet Chevrolet Accessories Chip Ganassi Racing Phil Surgen
27 23 Bubba Wallace Mobile, AL Oct 8, 1993 31 Toyota Door Dash 23XI Racing Mike Wheeler
28 24 William Byron Charlotte, NC Nov 29, 1997 26 Chevrolet Axalta Hendrick Motorsports Rudy Fugle
29 41 Cole Custer Ladera Ranch, CA Jan 23, 1998 26 Ford HaasTooling.com Stewart-Haas Racing Mike Shiplett
30 53 Garrett Smithley Ligonier, PA Apr 27, 1992 32 Ford KSDT CPA / Rich Mar Florist Rick Ware Racing Billy Plourde
31 52 Josh Bilicki Menomonee Falls, WI Jun 3, 1995 29 Ford Jacob Companies Rick Ware Racing Peter Sospenzo
32 8 Tyler Reddick Corning, CA Jan 11, 1996 28 Chevrolet Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Richard Childress Racing Randall Burnett
33 00 Quin Houff Weyers Cave, VA Sep 15, 1997 27 Chevrolet 8 Ball Whiskey StarCom Racing George Church
34 77 Justin Haley Winamac, IN Apr 28, 1999 25 Chevrolet Diamond Creek Water Spire Motorsports Kevin Bellicourt
35 20 Christopher Bell Norman, OK Dec 16, 1994 29 Toyota Rheem Joe Gibbs Racing Adam Stevens
36 15 James Davison Melbourne, Australia Aug 28, 1986 38 Chevrolet Rick Ware Racing Rick Ware Racing Pat Tryson
37 14 Chase Briscoe Mitchell, IN Dec 15, 1994 29 Ford Ford Performance Racing School Stewart-Haas Racing Johnny Klausmeier
38 38 Anthony Alfredo Ridgefield, CT Mar 1, 1999 25 Ford Dude Wipes Front Row Motorsports Seth Barbour