A number of lanes, progressive banking, and excessive tire put on make Homestead some of the beloved tracks on the schedule by each followers and drivers. Final yr’s race noticed a spectacular three-way struggle for the win with Tyler Reddick going from third to first to win on the ultimate lap. That very same race featured a document 33 lead modifications between 11 totally different drivers.
There’s fixed motion and no scarcity of line selections across the 1.5-mile speedway, which hosted the NASCAR Cup Sequence title decider yearly between 2003 and 2019. It was chosen for a motive, and even now, there may be loads of help for reinstating it because the finale. Others declare the observe can also be one thing sorely wanted in trendy NASCAR, with the present era of automotive and tightness of the sphere making passing more durable than it is ever been earlier than.
So what do the drivers suppose?
Loads of choices
Alex Bowman, who begins Sunday’s race from pole place, famous how the observe “simply offers you choices” that many different tracks do not. He additionally earned pole place because of a sudden cloud shifting over the observe, exhibiting simply how weather-sensitive the 20+ yr outdated floor may be.
“Yeah, when your race automotive is sweet, it’s actually, actually enjoyable,” he continued. “It’s nonetheless actually exhausting to go, for certain, identical to anyplace else we go. However there’s so many alternative strains you may run, and operating the wall may be so technical and lots of enjoyable.
“It is so excessive threat that there is not many different issues that we do which are that prime threat. Except for possibly making pace on the Chicago road course or a few of these locations. And possibly not a lot with this automotive because it was with the metal physique automotive, however it nonetheless makes it lots of enjoyable. So yeah, I take pleasure in it. This hasn’t been one in all my higher racetracks, so a spot that I am engaged on quite a bit, and I am glad to a minimum of be on the nice facet of issues on Saturday, thus far.”
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Ally Chevrolet Camaro; Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, The Beast Killer Dawn Toyota Camry
Photograph by: David Rosenblum / NKP / Motorsport Photos
Off-throttle time and tire put on
Denny Hamlin leads all energetic drivers with three wins at Homestead, so he has a motive to like this place much more than others. He was additionally one of many drivers on the shedding finish of final yr’s epic battle.
“I believe there’s a mixture between the tire put on you could have at this observe versus the best way the observe units up itself,” defined Hamlin when requested about what makes it so good for drivers. “Actually could make lots of totally different strikes – you may reduce distance or you may attempt to hold momentum, and that’s one thing that needs to be fluid all through the run. As a driver, you could have lots of instruments at your disposal once you come to this observe to vary your line to assist the race automotive do issues it’s not doing nicely on the time. Definitely, it is lots of off throttle time and that often, when it’s important to use each pedals, the motive force is examined extra.”
Watch: Thrilling remaining lap sees Tyler Reddick go Ryan Blaney, win at Homestead
Proper up in opposition to the wall
Josh Berry joins Bowman on the entrance row for Sunday’s race and is NASCAR’s most up-to-date winner after a powerful victory at Las Vegas within the No. 21 Wooden Brothers Racing Ford.
One of many defining traits of Homestead is that the quickest means across the observe is often proper up in opposition to the skin wall, one thing perfected by drivers like Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell.
“I believe you see the blokes that may run the wall somewhat bit higher than others, which are somewhat bit extra dedicated to it, after which a few of us see it, like I stated a minute in the past, that you have to be somewhat bit extra versatile and be capable to run totally different lanes,” stated Berry. “So everyone form of has their very own technique, however I really feel like each time we see tire put on and issues like we see right here, actually the automobiles that drive good and keep beneath of you for a future actually present out simply as a lot as the motive force’s expertise.”
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro
Photograph by: David Rosenblum / NKP / Motorsport Photos
A real ‘drivers’ observe
A number of drivers have referred to as Homestead their favourite race observe and Austin Dillon is amongst them, who stated he “appears ahead to returning to Homestead-Miami Speedway. It’s my favourite observe that we race at. Homestead-Miami Speedway is a driver’s racetrack. It’s a lot enjoyable to run proper up in opposition to the fence. It’s important to be disciplined in the way you drive and save your tires. It’s a observe that’s been good for me in my profession profitable a NASCAR Truck Sequence and NASCAR Xfinity Sequence Championship. The Miami environment is simply one of many issues I really like about this time of yr. There’s good climate, and followers all the time present as much as help NASCAR racing.”
It is a sentiment shared by his Richard Childress Racing teammate Kyle Busch, who gained at Homestead in each 2015 and 2019 en path to claiming the Cup Sequence title.
Watch: No regrets: Kyle Larson’s tackle his Homestead-Miami spin
“Homestead-Miami Speedway is all the time a enjoyable racetrack,” stated the veteran driver. “It lends itself to drivers nicely as a result of it may be a 3, even 4 lane observe as we enterprise from the underside all the best way to the wall. I’ve all the time regarded ahead to going to Homestead. It is a distinctive mile-and-a-half. We have run nicely there. I’ve gained there. It has been an incredible observe for me. I’ve gained two championships by profitable races there.”
Each races this yr noticed the ultimate go for the win come within the remaining two laps with Larson operating down Layne Riggs late within the Truck race whereas Justin Allgaier prevailed in an time beyond regulation restart in Saturday’s Xfinity race [although Larson had a massive 16-second lead before a late caution].
Primarily based on final yr’s end at Homestead, that development is prone to proceed on Sunday.
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