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NASCAR Starting Lineup for Sunday's Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

Defending winner William Byron grabs the pole in a bid to earn his way into the Phoenix Championship 4 Finale.
NASCAR Starting Lineup for Sunday's Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

The NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 continues with the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It’s the last visit to an intermediate oval this season as teams travel to the 1.5-mile track that used to host the Championship 4 finale.

Homestead is known for its wide racing grooves, cars able to run anywhere from the inside apron to all the way to inches from the outside wall. Rim riders like Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick have been able to take advantage of the variable banking in recent years, moving to the front with limited interference despite a line that makes them scuff the wall, using up more racetrack than anyone else.

Due to its previous place in racing history, championship contenders tend to do well at Homestead. But just two playoff drivers appeared in the top five during Saturday’s lone practice session while just three qualified inside the top 10. To be fair, that trio occupies the top three spots for the race as last year’s winner William Byron, Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott topped the charts after the final round.

Only the 36 chartered teams showed up to attempt Sunday’s race, leaving the field four short of a full 40-car grid. Barring a last-minute surprise, no unchartered, part-time teams are expected to attempt any race the rest of the season.

1. William Byron (P)
2. Christopher Bell (P)
3. Chase Elliott (P)
4. John Hunter Nemechek (i)
5. Kyle Larson (P)
6. Ty Gibbs (i)
7. Tyler Reddick
8. Chris Buescher
9. Brad Keselowski
10. AJ Allmendinger (i)
11. Kyle Busch
12. Martin Truex Jr.
13. Ryan Blaney (P)
14. Denny Hamlin (P)
15. Justin Haley
16. Kevin Harvick
17. Joey Logano (P)
18. Michael McDowell
19. Chase Briscoe (P)
20. Ross Chastain (P)
21. Harrison Burton (R)
22. Erik Jones
23. Daniel Suarez
24. Noah Gragson (i)
25. Cole Custer
26. Austin Cindric (R)
27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
28. Aric Almirola
29. Todd Gilliland (R)
30. Ty Dillon
31. Corey LaJoie
32. Austin Dillon
33. Landon Cassill (i)
34. JJ Yeley (i)
35. BJ McLeod (i)
36. Cody Ware

(R) – Rookie
(i) – Ineligible to collect Cup Series points
(P) – Playoff driver

Qualifying Notes

  • William Byron (first) earned his first pole of the season and drove the fastest-qualifying Chevrolet. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is also the defending winner of this race, run in March of last season.
  • Christopher Bell (second) has qualified eighth or better in seven of the eight playoff races. He was also the fastest-qualifying Toyota.
  • Chase Elliott (third) had his best qualifying effort since a second at Daytona in the regular season finale.
  • John Hunter Nemechek (fourth) was the fastest in Saturday’s lone practice session. He signed a one-race deal earlier this week to sub for the suspended Bubba Wallace in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota.
  • Kyle Larson (fifth) still has a (P) next to his name as his No. 5 team is still alive in the owner’s championship in place of Ryan Blaney’s No. 12.
  • Ty Gibbs (sixth) earned the best Cup qualifying effort of his career after being named the driver of the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota for the rest of the season.
  • Chris Buescher (eighth) was the fastest Ford in qualifying. He led over 60 laps in this race last March.
  • Joey Logano (17th) is the one Round of 8 driver locked into the Championship 4 after his victory last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
  • Ross Chastain (20th) qualified the worst of all eight championship-eligible drivers.
  • Harrison Burton (21st) is the fastest rookie.
  • Noah Gragson (24th) remains in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet as Alex Bowman continues his recovery from a concussion suffered at Texas Motor Speedway.
  • Corey LaJoie (31st) had a disappointing qualifying effort after a surprise top-5 showing in Saturday’s lone practice session.

Related: Best Homestead-Miami Speedway Drivers for DraftKings

NASCAR Race Breakdown

Race: Dixie Vodka 400
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway (Homestead, Fla.)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 23
TV: NBC, 2:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 267 laps (400 miles)
Stage 1: 80 Laps
Stage 2: 85 Laps
Stage 3: 102 Laps

Pre-Race Preview

Bryan Nolen returns a married man to host the latest edition of The Frontstretch Podcast. This week, Nolen’s guest is Alpha Prime Racing’s David Schildhouse, the assistant general manager who talks about a long-term strategy to build this NASCAR Xfinity Series organization into a powerhouse program. Then, co-host Jared Haas swings by as the duo takes a look at Homestead-Miami and which Round of 8 title contenders are ready to shine.