Homestead Miami. On Sunday afternoon, yours truly was expecting the Motor Racing Network to cover Motors, but instead, they were covering Mother Nature. So, I was waiting to bring you coverage of the Dixie Vodka 400, but the ocean got involved as well, by spewing a water spout. It stayed on the ocean, and didn’t impact the race, but I found it very interesting. When they were attempting to start engines, it was raining in the turn three and four areas of the track. The reason I was waiting is because NASCAR has a policy that when you see lightning in the area, you can’t be racing. So, the race was put under a red flag until the lightning subsided. They called the drivers back to their cars, but as they were starting their engines, they had to restart the 30 minute clock because lightning was spotted within 10 miles of the speedway. Once they got going, Denny Hamlin was on the pole. They could only run five laps because Mother Nature was at it again. So NASCAR had the drivers get out and seek shelter. Once they got going, the race was very exciting, with several lead changes. But the only thing that was open on Sunday afternoon was FedEx. Everything else was shut down, even NAPA know how. The number 9 car led by Alan Gustafson from Point Orange, Florida wouldn’t be celebrating in victory lane, as Elliott was forced to let FedEx go by. He would have to settle for second on Sunday evening, as number 11 would open up the mailbox and deliver a win. This was Chris Gabeheart’s first race back after being suspended for the infraction that the number 11 committed at Charlotte during the Coca Cola 600. When Denny Hamlin was trying to leave the pits, he kept spewing out the weights that crew chiefs use for balancing the car. That led to Hamlin being 8 laps down, and also resulted in Gabeheart’s demise and a four race suspension. Sunday night was the perfect storm for Hamlin, as the dice turned up all 11. The battle for the Bill France Cup now moves on to Talladega, where you have to mind your p’s and q’s, because the cars will have restrictor plates on them, and that will lead to trying to avoid “the big one” which can happen at the track that most people at NASCAR call “Dega.” Here are the driver standings after Homestead Miami. Harvick is your points leader, with a new second place man, NAPA know how Chase Elliott. Joey Logano has slipped to third, after being in second most of the year. The defending champion is number 9 in the points after Sunday’s results which had him finish in sixth place.
