NASCAR race at Homestead full results: 3 takeaways from Denny Hamlin’s victory

Celebrations at Homestead-Miami Speedway are usually reserved for champagne spraying, confetti flying and championship trophy hoisting to mark the end of a winning season.

Late Sunday evening, Denny Hamlin’s victory at the same track for the Dixie Vodka 400 was more subdued. Still, Hamlin found a way to celebrate his 40th Cup race win like a champion. He gave a shrug on camera as a nod to Michael Jordan.

“I knew (Jordan) was watching,” Hamlin said, adding that the NBA star was the first person to text him after the race. “Why not? After a performance like that, you might as well live it up a little bit.”

The pole-sitter held a comfortable lead over the field to close out all stages of the race and run away with his third win of the season. He briefly exchanged the top spot with second-place finisher Chase Elliott during the final stage, but the No. 11 driver was able to retake first with 30 laps to go.

“I didn’t want to run up next to the wall when I got to the lead,” said Hamlin, who led 137 of 267 laps. “...I kinda ran as hard as I needed to there at the end and it was just enough.”

Hamlin pulled ahead of Elliott, who battled with Ryan Blaney for second place in the final laps. Blaney finished in third place. The race was under red flag conditions for over two and a half hours due to rain and multiple lightning delays.

“(It was) just really odd,” Elliott said of the delay, in which drivers were called back-and-forth to their cars five times. “I’ve never experienced anything like that...Just hated we started and stopped for everybody watching.”

REDDICK RUNS THE ROOKIES

From the race’s stuttering start to its necessary finish, fourth-place finisher Tyler Reddick controlled his pace.

The Cup series rookie didn’t look like one racing in front of most of the field, including leading names like Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson. Reddick jumped from a 24th place start to third place in less than 25 laps, and remained in third to close Stage 1 before moving into second place past Blaney to cap Stage 2.

Before the final stage, Reddick told the FOX NASCAR broadcast team he was excited to “duke it out” with Blaney and Hamlin leading the field.

That’s pretty much exactly what he did, competing alongside Elliott as well, who moved into the top three.

Only NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Tony Stewart has won at the track as a rookie. Although Reddick didn’t cement an official victory, he can still consider the race a personal best. It was the highest finish for the Richard Childress Racing driver in the Cup Series, and the best finish of any rookie driver this season.

Christopher Bell, another Rookie of the Year contender, moved up 25 spots during the race and finished in eighth place.

HAMLIN HOLDS THE LEAD

True to form, Hamlin looked like the pro he is at Homestead. Only four drivers — Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski — have all won two or more races so far this season, but Hamlin was the only one of those veterans in the picture at the Florida track. Now, he’s the only driver with three wins in 2020.

“This team fights for sure,” Hamlin said after the race. “My crew chief (Chris Gabehart) and myself had an hour-and-a-half phone call after Martinsville talking about how we’re going to go to work and keep fighting. This is a good response to a week like that.”

Hamlin finished 24th at Martinsville Wednesday, then won the first two stages of Sunday’s race with a large lead over the second-place finishers, Blaney in Stage 1 and Reddick in Stage 2, before taking the victory.

After winning the Daytona 500 to start the season, and at Darlington after the sport returned amid the coronavirus pandemic, Hamlin cemented his 40th win in the Cup Series at Homestead.

“It’s a number I’ve been looking at for quite a few years,” Hamlin said. “And at one point I didn’t know if I’d get there, but I’ve adjusted my goals since then, and there’s a bigger number I’d like to get to.”

“We’ve been on a roll these last two years,” Hamlin added.

BLANEY ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID

Ryan Blaney saw yet another top-three finish on Sunday, but couldn’t close the race. Still, the No. 12 driver remained in the top three, and led the field for 70 laps. He posted his first top-10 finish in seven races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“You’re proud of the runs that you’ve created and the speed our team’s got,” Blaney said after the race, adding that he’s being patient about a win.

The Penske driver has finished six races in the top five, and before Sunday, was sixth on the points leaderboard (now fifth). He finished second on Wednesday at Martinsville and third Sunday, but has yet to find himself in Victory Lane.

Blaney said he’s not worried though.

“Just proud of the efforts,” Blaney said after the race. “Not frustrated or anything. Just hopefully we can keep this up and keep getting a little bit better week in, week out.”

Other solid runs Sunday evening came from Bubba Wallace, who finished in 13th and Michael McDowell in 15th.

Austin Dillon, who announced the birth of his first child, Ace, on Instagram earlier in the day, finished in seventh place.

Menawhile, veterans Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth struggled on the track they’ve been known for dominating. Johnson finished 16th. Kenseth and points-leader Kevin Harvick finished a lap down in 25th and 26th place.

Their experience will only help them so much next Sunday at Talladega. As young faces emerge, it becomes increasingly clear that the superspeedway race will be anyone’s game.

NASCAR DIXIE VODKA 400 AT MIAMI-HOMESTEAD RESULTS