Byron Earns Second Career Victory at Homestead-Miami

After two weeks at the iconic Daytona International Speedway, the NASCAR Cup Series headed south in the state of Florida to Homestead-Miami Speedway for round 3 of the 2021 season.

LAP 1: Denny Hamlin was named the pole-sitter based on NASCAR’S starting grid formula, but before the green flag flew, the #11 Toyota driver was sent to the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments to the car. Joey Logano inherited pole position and pulled away at the start.

LAP 12: Logano’s Penske teammate, Brad Keselowski, closed the gap and passed him for the lead.

CAUTION – LAP 25: The yellow flag waved for the competition caution, which allowed teams to put and make adjustments. Keselowski held on to the lead on pit road.

LAP 53: After working his way through the top 10, the #17 of Chris Buescher used the lower groove of the track to make the pass on Keselowski and take the lead.

CAUTION – LAP 65: The yellow waved for James Davison in the #15 when his engine expired, leaving a large trail of smoke and oil in his wake. The field pitted during the caution and Buescher maintained the lead.

STAGE 1 END – LAP 80: Chris Buescher held on to win the stage, the second he’s won in his career. Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr, and Kyle Larson completed the top 5 at the end of the stage. 

LAP 88: After struggling with short-run speed all race long, an impressive pit stop during the stage break put the #9 of Chase Elliott in P4 to start the second stage. His Chevrolet fired off well and he was able to pass Buescher for the lead, but within 3 laps, Elliott began to fall off the pace. Buescher inherited the top spot and pulled away with the lead once again. 

LAP 120: Green flag stops began with several mid-pack cars coming down pit road for service. Buescher and other front runners stayed out 2 extra laps before making their stop. After all cars had pitted, the lead cycled through to Martin Truex Jr, with Buescher in second place. 

CAUTION – LAP 153: The third yellow flag of the day came out when Corey Lajoie’s engine expired and leaked oil on the track. All teams opted to pit during the caution and Martin Truex Jr Held onto P1 for the 2-lap shootout to the end of the stage.

STAGE 2 END – LAP 160: Exiting Turn 4 on the last lap of the stage, the #24 of William Byron went to the bottom of the track to pass both Martin Truex Jr and Denny Hamlin at once. Byron won the stage with Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Truex, and Kyle Larson rounding out the top 5. 

CAUTION – LAP 199: The final yellow flag of the day came out when the #10 of Aric Almirola made contact with the #12 of Ryan Blaney that resulted in debris on the racetrack. Byron maintained the lead during the caution and dominated once the race restarted.

CHECKERED FLAG – LAP 238: William Byron crossed the line over 4-seconds ahead of Tyler Reddick to score the second victory of his career.

RESULTS:

1. William Byron
2. Tyler Reddick
3. Martin Truex Jr
4. Kyle Larson
5. Kevin Harvick
6. Michael McDowell
7. Ryan Newman
8. Kurt Busch
9. Alex Bowman
10. Kyle Busch
11. Denny Hamlin
12. Austin Dillon
13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
14. Chase Elliott
15. Daniel Suarez
16. Brad Keselowski
17. Ross Chastain
18. Chase Briscoe
19. Chris Buescher
20. Christopher Bell
21. Ryan Preece
22. Bubba Wallace
23. Cole Custer
24. Anthony Alfredo
25. Joey Logano
26. Justin Haley
27. Erik Jones
28. Matt DiBenedetto
29. Ryan Blaney
30. Aric Almirola
31. Garrett Smithley
32. Cody Ware
33. Josh Bilicki
34. BJ McLeod
35. Quin Houff
36. Corey Lajoie
37. James Davison
38. Timmy Hill