NASCAR at Homestead results: William Byron goes from 31st to first in Dixie Vodka 400 victory

No repeats in 2021.

For the third time in three races in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, a new driver stands atop the podium, with William Byron taking home the honors from the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The win is Byron’s second in his career, and he led a race-high 102 of 267 laps after starting 31st.

Denny Hamlin, the pole sitter entering Sunday, was dinged for an unapproved adjustment and started in the rear of the field for the transgression. Despite that, Hamlin found himself battling for the lead at various stages in the race, but a pit road speeding infraction again knocked him back, essentially ending his day.

Last week’s race winner, Christopher Bell, finished 21st, while Chris Buescher, who led a fair amount of the race, finished 20th.

Sporting News tracked live race updates and lap-by-lap highlights from the NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead on Sunday. Follow below for complete results from the Dixie Vodka 400 .

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(All times Eastern.)

NASCAR at Homestead results

Unofficial order of finish.

NASCAR at Homestead live updates, highlights from Dixie Vodka 400

7:03 p.m. FINISH: William Byron takes home the checkered flag for the second time in his career, holding off a closing Tyler Reddick in the final lap.

6:55 p.m.: Single-digit laps remaining, with William Byron being pushed by Kyle Larson.

6:44 p.m.: With 28 laps to go, fuel is a concern for some, William Byron still in first, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex round out the top three.

6:32 p.m.: Kyle Busch has entered the chat, in the top 10. 

6:28 p.m.: Byron, Truex, Larson, Custer and Kurt Busch are the top five with 55 left. Battle for fifth between Busch, Harvick and Keselowski.

6:26 p.m.: Denny Hamlin restarting at 28th with 60 laps to go. He’s going to have to put in the work.

6:21 p.m.: Denny Hamlin to the back (again) after speeding on pit road. 

6:12 p.m.: Seventy-two laps left in the race, Byron still at the top. Truex hot on his tail. 

6 p.m.: Chris Buescher has fallen all the way down to 19th place after the restart. 91 laps to go in the race, William Byron currently in the lead with Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin fighting for second.

5:56 p.m.: Byron and Hamlin are 1-2 in the restart, and the field extends to five wide for a moment. Drivers fighting for position.

5:45 p.m.: William Byron takes Stage 2 with a late rush. Denny Hamlin was pressuring for No. 1, but Byron just pulled out ahead to end the stage.

5:36 p.m.: Another caution flag is out, with Corey LaJoie heading to the garage. Stage 2 winding down, six laps to go.

5:26 p.m.: Twenty-four laps to go in Stage 2, Martin Truex leads the race for the first time this season. Bruescher still hanging around in second. Timmy Hill and James Davison both DNF today.

5:14 p.m.: Pit stops have begun midway through Stage 2. 

5:04 p.m.: Denny Hamlin making a push for 10th, battling with Kyle Larson for positioning. Quite the turnaround for Hamlin.

4:58 p.m.: Chase Elliott snags first place out of the restart, but still has a tight pack behind him.

4:57 p.m.: We got a restart, Buescher, Keselowski, Bowman, Elliott, Logano round out the top five. Byron and Larson all fighting for position.

4:46 p.m.: Chris Buescher takes Stage 1, his second career stage win.

4:42 p.m.: Eight laps to go in Stage 1, with Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher battlimng out for that top spot. They’re separated by tenths of a second. Martin Truex heads up into top five. Alex Bowman sneaks into No. 3. 

4:39 p.m.: Denny Hamlin says that he is expecting electrical issues after his AC gives out. Turns out, the hose just popped out.

4:33 p.m.: Caution flag out, for Davison. Chris Buescher takes the lead. 

4:27 p.m.: Kevin Harvick has dropped out of the top 10, and Martin Truex is now into the top 10. 

4:18 p.m.: Chris Buescher slides into second place as William Byron takes third. Joey Logano into fourth, and Stenhouse into fifth. Hamlin is still stuck in 20th, not making much room up.

4:10 p.m.: Lap 31 of 80 in Stage 1, and we’re green again. Keselowski and Logano still 1-2 on the track. Denny Hamil up to 19th. 

4:04 p.m.: Competition caution is out and the pits are open.

4:01 p.m.: Keselowski manages to wrestle the lead from Logano and opens up a 3 1/2 second lead over his teammate.

3:53 p.m.: Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick jockeying for position, with Christopher Bell rounding out the top five. Ricky Stenhouse and Kyle Larson were vying for the 10th spot, but Larson pulls into the top 10 handily.

3:48 p.m.: We have a green flag and Logano is out front. 

3:40 p.m.: Denny Hamlin to the back of the pack, leaving Logano at the front.

3:38 p.m.:  Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa gives the drivers the go ahead to start their engines…

3:33 p.m.:  National anthem is sung, jets have flown overhead, and we are a short while away from race time. 

3:23 p.m.:  A little pre-race humor to get you revved up:

NASCAR race start time today

The green flag for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is scheduled to wave at 3:48 p.m. ET.

Weather is a regular concern for NASCAR races in Florida, but this weekend may be an exception. The National Weather Service’s forecast for Homestead, Fla. , on Sunday is for sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s. The only threat to drivers may be the wind; the NWS is calling for southeast winds from 11-20 mph, with gusts up to 24 mph.

NASCAR lineup at Homestead

Here is the complete starting lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR race at Homestead-Miami Speedway: