William Byron showed up when it mattered the most. Final stage was all his, so was the win.
The NASCAR Cup Series got out of Daytona but didn’t have to go very far for round three. Homestead-Miami Speedway served as host for the Dixie Vodka 400 and the most dominating performance of the season so far courtesy of William Byron. Polesitter Denny Hamlin made his way to the rear of the field because of “Unapproved adjustments.” Brad Keselowski took the pole in what was a great, sunny day for racing.
Buescher Fights off Keselowski
The first 80 laps of the race went pretty smoothly. Yellow flag flew only twice, one of those times thanks to a competition caution. Fans didn’t have to wait long for Miami’s multi-groove madness as cars were all over the place from the very start. Keselowski took control of the race and led more than half of the first stage, that was of course until someone got in his way.
Chris Beuscher got the lead late in the first stage but had to fight off the Dent Wizard 2 car on a restart after the second caution. Beushcer held on to win the Playoff point.
Hamlin Heats Up
One can’t discount Hamlin out of a race, even if he’s way back on the track. He’s been one of, if not the best Toyota so far this season. Beushcer regained the lead after giving way to Chase Elliott for a couple laps. Behind him was the Hendrick Motorsports’ train as Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Elliott followed closely, Three spots behind, Hamlin.
Engine problems brought the third caution of the race as Corey LaJoie went straight to the garage putting an end to his race. Flordia’s sunset saw a shootout for the second stage. Speaking of the devil, Hamlin had the stage win in his grasp but went a little bit too far or, high, rather. He went too high on the track to block teammate Martin Truex Jr., thus, giving William Byron a clear path to first place. The #24 Camaro would never look back from that point on.
Going, Going, Gone
Stage 3 had a few contrasts for the final 107 laps. For one, leaders looked like they turned off a switch. None of the previous heads of the pack were around by the time the sun set. Purple skies didn’t see Elliott, Buescher, or Keselowski anywhere near the front. The only ones left were William Byron, Kyle Larson, and of course, Denny Hamlin. One of them though, made a big mistake late in the race.
The JGR driver saw his well-earned progress shattered by a speeding penalty on pit road. That meant, he had to go all the way back yet again. This time, he would only set back 28 spots. Nonetheless, it was too high of a mountain to climb with just 60 laps to go. The final stage also saw last week’s winner, Christopher Bell, struggle to break in the top 20.
William Byron, on the other hand, only moved forward. He dominated the final stage of the evening to win almost 4 seconds ahead of Tyler Reddick.
Credit Where Credit’s Due
Byron came off his Axalta Camaro fresh off his second Cup Series win and gave all credit to his crew. “The team made a phenomenal job”. Said the 23-year-old. The 2018 Daytona 500 winner had a few words on the card saying it was “A really smooth drive.”
Heading West
Cup Series will begin his tour of the Wild West next week as they head out to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Featured Image: Getty Images
