William Byron cruises to NASCAR Cup Series victory at Homestead-Miami

by racedaysaeditor | Posted on Sunday, February 28th, 2021

William Byron, driver of the #24 Axalta Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 28, 2021 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

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.

William Byron, driver of the #24 Axalta Chevrolet, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 28, 2021 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

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,” nas 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.”

William Byron, driver of the #24 Axalta Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 28, 2021 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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.

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Dent Wizard Ford, and Chris Buescher, driver of the #17 Fastenal Ford, lead the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 28, 2021 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

“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.

Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 NationsGuard Chevrolet, and Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Dent Wizard Ford, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 28, 2021 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

“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.

Interviews:

NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race: Second-place finisher Tyler Reddick (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet), Chris Buescher (No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford), third-place finisher Martin Truex Jr. (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota), Michael McDowell (No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford), race winner William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), race-winning crew chief Rudy Fugle –

NASCAR Cup Series Race – 23rd Annual Dixie Vodka 400

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Homestead, Florida

Sunday, February 28, 2021

1. (31) William Byron, Chevrolet, 267.

2. (35) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 267.

3. (9) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 267.

4. (17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 267.

5. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 267.

6. (6) Michael McDowell, Ford, 267.

7. (23) Ryan Newman, Ford, 267.

8. (5) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 267.

9. (13) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 267.

10. (24) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 267.

11. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267.

12. (22) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 267.

13. (15) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 267.

14. (11) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 267.

15. (21) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 267.

16. (7) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 267.

17. (32) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 267.

18. (30) Chase Briscoe #, Ford, 267.

19. (12) Chris Buescher, Ford, 267.

20. (3) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 267.

21. (8) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, 267.

22. (19) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 267.

23. (10) Cole Custer, Ford, 267.

24. (27) Anthony Alfredo #, Ford, 267.

25. (2) Joey Logano, Ford, 267.

26. (20) Justin Haley(i), Chevrolet, 266.

27. (18) Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 266.

28. (37) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 266.

29. (14) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 266.

30. (16) Aric Almirola, Ford, 264.

31. (28) Garrett Smithley(i), Chevrolet, 263.

32. (26) Cody Ware(i), Chevrolet, 261.

33. (36) Josh Bilicki, Ford, 259.

34. (34) BJ McLeod(i), Ford, 258.

35. (38) Quin Houff, Chevrolet, 258.

36. (25) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, Engine, 151.

37. (29) James Davison, Chevrolet, Engine, 61.

38. (33) Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, Electrical, 21.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 124.669 mph.

Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 12 Mins, 45 Secs. Margin of Victory: 2.777 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 6 for 36 laps.

Lead Changes: 20 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders: D. Hamlin 0;J. Logano 1-12;B. Keselowski 13-52;C. Buescher 53-67;W. Byron 68;C. Buescher 69-72;B. Keselowski 73-78;C. Buescher 79-82;B. Keselowski 83;C. Buescher 84-88;C. Elliott 89-92;C. Buescher 93-121;D. Suarez 122;B. Wallace 123-124;M. Truex Jr. 125-155;W. Byron 156;M. Truex Jr. 157-159;W. Byron 160-201;K. Larson 202-206;M. Truex Jr. 207-209;W. Byron 210-267.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): William Byron 4 times for 102 laps; Chris Buescher 5 times for 57 laps; Brad Keselowski 3 times for 47 laps; Martin Truex Jr. 3 times for 37 laps; Joey Logano 1 time for 12 laps; Kyle Larson 1 time for 5 laps; Chase Elliott 1 time for 4 laps; Bubba Wallace 1 time for 2 laps; Daniel Suarez 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 17,2,19,24,48,5,22,9,1,3

Stage #2 Top Ten: 24,11,1,19,5,17,4,12,48,2

–30–