Dixie Vodka 400: Power Rankings

Race Information

Race: Dixie Vodka 400
Laps: 400
Date: June 14th 3:30pm
Venue: Homestead Miami Speedway
2019 Winner: Kyle Busch (2:48:47)
Broadcast: Fox

Track

Homestead Miami Speedway. Home to the final race of the Monster Energy Cup Series (since 2002), this 1.5 mile asphalt oval (1 of 4 on tour) speedway opened in 1995. The turns are 18-20 degrees in banking and the straightaways are 3 degrees. Sam Hornish set the track record here in 2006. The course features aqua, purple and silver colors, mimicking the nearby south beach ambiance. The stadium holds 46,000 seats and is perfectly in the middle for a tour course. It’s distance is average, it mimics many oval courses and opening when it did, it’s not an older course nor is it among the newest.

Photo by Michael Bush/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Favorites

Chase Elliott (third selection this year) — Chase has averaged a fourth place finish here over the recent years. Currently third in the standings, he also has top 10 finishes in four of his last five races.

Joey Logano (fourth selection this year) — Joey is arguably the best racer at Homestead with a recent win. Prior to that win he had a sixth place finish and back to back fourth place finishes in 2015 and 2016. Add to that his 2020 season which has two wins and three top 10 finishes in his last four races.

High Risk/High Reward

William Byron (first selection this year) — This one has little historical support, in fact he was 24th here last year. Recently however, he has been excellent with top 12 finishes in four of his last six races and he is looking good. Call this a gamble.

Denny Hamlin (second selection this year) — Denny has been strong at Homestead lately with nothing but top 12 finishes. I’m more concerned with his recent races where three of his last five have landed him outside the top 15.

The Dark Horse

Matt Kenseth (second selection this year) — If it’s not obvious, I’m a fan of Kenseth and was floored when he had to go over a year on the sidelines because he didn’t have a sponsor. Homestead is a strong course for him, with nothing but top ten finishes over the last five years. His 2020 season, while promising during the middle of multiple races, has yielded only one top 12 result and numerous finishes outside the top 20.

Fun Fact: Due to the shuffling of events this year, Homestead will serve as a mid-season race with the Dixie Vodka 400 (it held the spot as the final race from 2002-2019) and instead Phoenix Raceway will be the last race of the year.

2020 Results

Favorite: Avg Finish 10th (27th Percent)
High Risk/High Reward: Avg Finish 20th (50th Percent)
Dark Horse: Avg Finish 17th (45th Percent)