HOMESTED, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Larson is tired of being disappointed and finished with a weekend at Homestead Miami Speedway.
Hendrick Motorsports driver won NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series races in his career at the South Florida Track, but he mostly remembers the heartbreak there.
This year, Larson has already won on a 1.5-mile track. There, they compete in NASCAR Cups, Xfinity and artisan track races. Larson came in from a late race spinout with a comeback victory in the track series on Friday, and he’s more attention.
Kyle Busch achieved feats at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2010 and 2017, and is the only driver to wipe out triple header weekends.
“It’s pretty special to have him in something like that,” Larson said. “More than anything, I love racing opportunities. I love Homestead. …I felt that running all three was a long weekend.
Larson scored five top five finishes in his homestead career with 11 cups. He leads the most laps (626) of active drivers, and his 12-stage victory in the next generation of cars is the best in the series. No other drivers have more than five stage wins.
Bush said he has a good shot in the sweep, considering how well Larson drives at Homestead.
“I did it first,” Bush said. “This is his place. He’s known to be very good here. It’s so comfortable to run through the wall, so you’ll benefit a lot from it.”
Larson came in fourth in 2021 and won the race in 2022, but the last two years have been frustrating.
He finished the race on lap 214 in 2023 after hitting a barrier on Pit Road, trying to corner Ryan Branny for the lead. Larson’s chances for victory ended last year when he spun off while racing Branny on the lead in under 20 laps.
“Every time I go there (to Homestead), I feel like I’m disappointed because I feel like I have the best cars and trucks. “Whether that’s my ending mistake, combined with hiccups on pit roads or hiccups later in the race, you end up losing.
“Literally, all but two or three races at Homestead, it felt like we had the best cars, the best chance to win.
Clarifying rules
NASCAR sent explanations to the race teams in all three national series about pitting on another team’s pit stall after Christopher Bell stopped at the pit stall at Joe Gibbs Racing Teammate Chase Brisco’s pit stall during the Penzole 400 last weekend in Las Vegas.
According to NASCAR, if the vehicle is served on another team’s pit stall to fix safety issues, you will receive a flag status penalty and must either restart in the field’s tail or pass-through to load the pit outside the assigned pit box.
The wheel on the bottom left was loose at Bell’s No. 20 Toyota when I left pit road last week. If the wheels were removed after leaving pit road, Bell would have been punished for two laps, and two pit crew members would have been stopped in the next two races. He instead stopped at a Briscoe food stall for service, was thrust upon drilling a hole on the outside of the box, and only had to reboot behind the field. He finished 12th.
NASCAR removed the fuel can or wedge wrench as an example of a safety issue and tightened the loose wheels.
Hamlin’s new sponsor
Joe Gibbs Racing announced Tuesday that the organization has signed a contract with Progressive Insurance to sponsor Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota Camley in 18 NASCAR Cup Series races this season.
The Progressive’s name and blue branding will be on display in Hamlin’s car and race suits, and his crew will wear progressive branded gear.
“Having an anchor partner is good for them (Joe Gibbs Race),” Hamlin said. “And certainly for my fans, they will be able to identify me each week.
On the pole
Hendrick Motorsport driver Alex Bowman concluded her first season in Miami, winning poles in Sunday’s race and driving the 48th Toyota, which promotes a 3-3 women’s basketball league.
Bowman’s sixth career pole, with Josh Berry (who won last weekend in Las Vegas) behind Noah Gragson, Briscoe and William Byron.
Odds and the end
Larson (+375) is a favorite of the BetMgm Sportsbook, followed by Tyler Reddick (+600). Larson’s 1,286 miles total led by a 1.5-mile track is almost twice as many as other drivers. Bell is second with 614. …Redick won the race last year, and Hamlin leads active drivers with three wins (2009, ’13, ’20).
