NASCAR

NASCAR in Miami: Schedule, watch info, picks for Homestead playoff race

Here's a full preview for NASCAR playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, NBC).

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The best drivers in the world are taking their talents to South Beach this weekend.

NASCAR will continue the playoffs at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the second race in the Round of 8. Joey Logano locked up his spot in the Championship 4 title race with his win in Las Vegas last week, leaving seven drivers to fight for the final three spots.

Homestead-Miami will present a unique challenge for the competitors, who haven’t visited the 1.5-mile oval since last October. The track has a one-of-a-kind layout for its size, making it incomparable to any other venue on the schedule.

So, who is racing in Miami? What’s the schedule for TV and streaming? And which drivers could contend for the win? Here’s everything you need to know for 2024 Straight Talk Wireless 400:

When is the NASCAR race in Miami?

The Straight Talk Wireless 400 is set for Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Before the race, there will be practice and qualifying sessions on Saturday. The 38 drivers will be split into two groups (found here) with each group getting 20 minutes of free practice and then competing in two-round qualifying. Here’s how it works:

  • Each driver will make one lap in the first round, with the five fastest drivers in each group advancing.
  • In the final round, the remaining drivers each get one lap to set the top 10 starting order. The fastest driver overall will start on the pole, the fastest driver in the other group will start second.
  • Positions 3 through 10 are set on final round times – Group A filling the even-numbered positions (4th, 6th, 8th, 10th), Group B filling the odd-numbered positions (3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th).
  • Positions 11 through 38 are set based on first round times – Group A filling the even-numbered positions, Group B filling the odd-numbered positions.

What is the NASCAR TV schedule this weekend?

Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Jeff Burton (analyst) and Steve Letarte (analyst) will be on the call for NBC with Marty Snider, Kim Coon and Dave Burns serving as pit reporters. Here’s the full TV and streaming schedule:

Saturday, Oct. 26 (streaming)

Sunday, Oct. 27 (NBC and streaming)

NASCAR Homestead-Miami entry list, drivers

Thirty-eight drivers will race at Homestead-Miami – the 34 full-timers, plus four others.

A.J. Allmendinger and Kaz Grala will continue their part-time schedules for Kaulig Racing and Rick Ware Racing, respectively. Elsewhere, J.J. Yeley will make his seventh start of the season for NY Racing Team and Chad Finchum rejoins MBM Motorsports for his second race of 2024.

Here’s the full entry list for Homestead-Miami:

Car numberDriverTeamSponsor
1Ross ChastainTrackhouse RacingKubota
2Austin CindricTeam PenskeFreightliner
3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingBass Pro Shops
4Josh BerryStewart-Haas RacingPanini
5Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsHendrickCars.com
6Brad KeselowskiRFK RacingConsumer Cellular
7Justin HaleySpire MotorsportsChili's
8Kyle BuschRichard Childress RacingRebel Bourbon
9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsNAPA Auto Parts
10Noah GragsonStewart-Haas RacingBeef A Roo
11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingMavis Tire
12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeMenards
14Chase BriscoeStewart-Haas RacingZep
15Kaz GralaRick Ware RacingMeat N' Bone
16A.J. AllmendingerKaulig RacingWorldwide Express
17Chris BuescherRFK RacingFastenal
19Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingBass Pro Shops
20Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingRheem
21Harrison BurtonWood Brothers RacingDEX Imaging
22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeHunt Brothers Pizza
23Bubba Wallace23XI RacingMcDonald's
24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsValvoline
31Daniel HemricKaulig RacingCirkul
34Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsLove's Travel Stops
38Todd GillilandFront Row Motorsportsgener8tor
41Ryan PreeceStewart-Haas RacingBonanza Cabernet
42John Hunter NemechekLegacy Motor ClubFamily Dollar
43Erik JonesLegacy Motor ClubDollar Tree
44J.J. YeleyNY Racing TeamUrban Youth
45Tyler Reddick23XI RacingMonster Energy
47Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingKroger/Vitamin Water
48Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsAlly
51Corey LaJoieRick Ware RacingSchluter Systems
54Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs RacingMonster Energy
66Chad FinchumMBM MotorsportsGreenLightPP.com
71Zane SmithSpire MotorsportsWellcare
77Carson HocevarSpire MotorsportsZeigler Auto Group
99Daniel SuarezTrackhouse RacingFreeway Insurance
2024 Straight Talk Wireless 400 entry list

NASCAR Homestead-Miami predictions, picks, favorites

You aren’t going to find many upset winners at Homestead, largely due to the track difficulty, tire wear and playoff stakes.

Over the 25 races held there since it first opened in 1999, all 17 drivers who have won at the track have at least 19 career victories except Byron and Bell. They have 13 and nine career victories, respectively, but they are young active drivers who are on pace to easily surpass that mark.

So, who should you look at this weekend? Larson stands out as the favorite with a series-best 625 laps led – including 295 over the past two years. Hamlin has the most Homestead wins with three and 12 top-10s in 19 career starts.

Other playoff drivers to watch include Bell (last year’s Homestead winner) and Byron (2021 Homestead winner). Bell has been more consistent than any driver in the playoffs, and a win in the next few weeks seems inevitable. Byron, likewise, has four straight top-fives over the past month.

Reddick, Blaney and Elliott, facing a points deficit, are heading to a track where they’ve all had some success. Reddick has three top-fives in four Homestead starts, Blaney led 53 laps last year while finishing second and Elliott’s 10.4 career average finish at Homestead is second only to Bell (10.0).

So, long story short, all of the heavy hitters should challenge for the win on Sunday.

NASCAR Homestead-Miami winners list, race history

Seven of the 38 drivers in the field are past winners at Homestead-Miami, including just two with multiple victories.

Hamlin leads all drivers with four Homestead-Miami wins, followed by Busch with two. The one-time winners are Truex (2017), Logano (2018), Byron (2021), Larson (2022) and Bell (2023).

NASCAR playoff standings entering Homestead-Miami

With Logano winning last week in Las Vegas, just three spots remain in the Championship 4. That leaves seven drivers at risk, though some are in a bigger hole than others. Hamlin, Reddick, Blaney and Elliott are below the cut line with Homestead-Miami and Martinsville still to go before the bottom four are eliminated.

You can find a full explanation of NASCAR’s playoff format right here.

Here’s the playoff standings entering Homestead-Miami:

RankDriverPoints
1.Joey LoganoADVANCED VIA WIN
2.Christopher Bell4,086 (+42 above the cut)
3.Kyle Larson4,079 (+35 above the cut)
4.William Byron4,071 (+27 above the cut)
5.Denny Hamlin4,044 (-27 below the cut)
6.Tyler Reddick4,041 (-30 below the cut)
7.Ryan Blaney4,024 (-47 below the cut)
8.Chase Elliott4,018 (-53 below the cut)
Playoff standings entering Homestead-Miami
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