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Spring Break has come, which means the greater Miami area is now a hotbed of students, vacationers and others looking for fun in the sun at the end of a long and dark winter. For NASCAR's best, though, a trip nearly 40 miles south of downtown Miami comes as the 2025 season is still just beginning. And rather than by the beach or the pool, the merriment for the stars of the Cup Series will come in getting to race at the one and only Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Traditionally an event coming either as or in the leadup to the season finale, Homestead shifts to a much earlier date on the calendar for this year's Straight Talk Wireless 400, offering a quick sequel to an all-time finish last October where Tyler Reddick blasted around the outside of Ryan Blaney in the final corner to take the win and earn a spot in the Championship 4. This time, what's at stake is the chance to become the fourth different driver to win a race this year and stamp their place on a playoff grid still looking to be filled.

To this point, Reddick, Blaney and defending champion Joey Logano are still trying to ensure that they'll race for the championship come the fall. And they're trying to join William Byron, Christopher Bell and now Josh Berry -- fresh off his first career win at Las Vegas -- on the list of drivers set to compete for the Cup title.

NASCAR 2025 race schedule, results: Complete list of Cup Series race dates, winners, tracks, locations

Where to watch the NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead

When: Sunday, March 23 at 3 p.m. ET
Where: Homestead-Miami Speedway -- Homestead, Florida
TV: FS1
Stream: fubo (try for free)

Starting lineup

Alex Bowman won the pole for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 in qualifying on Saturday, running a lap of 31.982 (168.845 MPH) to earn his first pole of the 2025 season and the sixth of his career.

  1. #48 - Alex Bowman
  2. #21 - Josh Berry
  3. #4 - Noah Gragson
  4. #19 - Chase Briscoe
  5. #24 - William Byron
  6. #12 - Ryan Blaney
  7. #42 - John Hunter Nemechek
  8. #2 - Austin Cindric
  9. #23 - Bubba Wallace
  10. #16 - A.J. Allmendinger
  11. #17 - Chris Buescher
  12. #22 - Joey Logano
  13. #54 - Ty Gibbs
  14. #5 - Kyle Larson
  15. #77 - Carson Hocevar
  16. #20 - Christopher Bell
  17. #38 - Zane Smith
  18. #9 - Chase Elliott
  19. #35 - Riley Herbst (R)
  20. #45 - Tyler Reddick
  21. #7 - Justin Haley
  22. #8 - Kyle Busch
  23. #11 - Denny Hamlin
  24. #41 - Cole Custer
  25. #1 - Ross Chastain
  26. #71 - Michael McDowell
  27. #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  28. #43 - Erik Jones
  29. #34 - Todd Gilliland
  30. #3 - Austin Dillon
  31. #60 - Ryan Preece
  32. #6 - Brad Keselowski
  33. #99 - Daniel Suarez
  34. #10 - Ty Dillon
  35. #88 - Shane van Gisbergen (R)
  36. #51 - Cody Ware
  37. #44 - J.J. Yeley

Storyline to watch

In the leadup to Sunday's race, the city of Homestead had been offering numerous updates concerning a wildfire in the Miami-Dade area, which is encroaching on the area around the speedway. Firefighters have continued to battle a brush fire that has burned over 26,000 acres of land, and the fire was 65% contained as of Saturday afternoon.

As of Saturday, all NASCAR events for the weekend have been proceeding as schedule. However, photos and videos from the racetrack have shown firefighting efforts off turn 2 and along the backstretch, offering a dramatic backdrop at times.

Though very rare, there is some past precedent for NASCAR events being affected by a natural disaster. In 1998, wildfires in the Daytona Beach area forced the Pepsi 400 to be moved from its usual July 4 weekend date all the way to October.

NASCAR news of the week

  • Following an incident at Las Vegas in which Christopher Bell stopped in teammate Chase Briscoe's pit stall after realizing he had a loose wheel upon leaving his own stall, NASCAR has issued a rule clarification to its teams concerning pitting in another team's pit stall. In the event a driver receives service in another team's pit stall to correct a safety issue (tightening loose wheels, removing pit equipment stuck on the car, etc.), the driver will either be forced to restart at the tail of the field or serve a pass-through penalty for pitting outside of their assigned box.
  • Denny Hamlin has picked up a major new sponsor as Progressive Insurance has signed an agreement to sponsor Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota for 18 races beginning this weekend. Progressive helps fill the void left by FedEx, which left NASCAR after nearly two full decades as Hamlin's primary sponsor.
  • Goodyear conducted a tire test at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday, following up on a test the week before at Phoenix Raceway as Goodyear continues to push for softer tire compounds with more short-term grip and greater wear over a long run. Participating Cup teams included those of William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe.
  • In its penalty report following Las Vegas, NASCAR issued two-race suspensions to pit crew members from both Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe's teams for the on-track loss of an improperly-installed wheel in last Sunday's race. NASCAR has also issued an indefinite suspension to Josiah Wright, rear tire changer for Brad Keselowski, for violating the sport's substance abuse policy.

Pick to Win

Tyler Reddick (+500) -- Reddick's win at Homestead last fall came through much more than just a classic, highlight reel-worthy pass for the win in the final corner. The driver of the No. 45 led a race-high 97 laps, continuing a trend of exceptional performances at Homestead since his Cup career began in 2019 (and dating back to when he won back-to-back Xfinity Series titles by winning Homestead in 2018 and 2019).

With the exception of a crash in 2022, Reddick's Homestead resume includes finishes of fourth, second and third along with his victory in five starts total. Take note, though, that last fall's victory was the only time that Reddick has led more than a single digit number of laps in a Cup race at Homestead.

You've seen the NASCAR longshots from the model. Now, see the full 2025 Straight Talk Wireless 400 leaderboard, including forecasts for who finishes first. Visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that has nailed 19 winners, including Chase Elliott's win at the 2025 Clash at Bowman Gray.