This Sunday’s race was heralded by NASCAR fans as one of the season’s most electrifying events. Starting with Kyle Larson’s early setback due to a flat tire in Stage 1, and then watching him claw back to the top two by the race’s climax, to the unprecedented 33 lead changes — a new track record — the spectacle kept fans on the edge of their seats.
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Each playoff contender, except for Byron and Logano, took a turn at the front, and the final three laps saw the lead change hands three times.
During the final lap, Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing executed a deft last-lap maneuver out of Turn 4 to clinch his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Reddick overtook his team owner, Denny Hamlin, as they roared into Turn 1 and then soared high against the wall to surpass Ryan Blaney in the dying moments, winning the Straight Talk Wireless 400 race and carving out his spot in the Championship 4.
NASCAR insider and journalist for The Athletic, Jeff Gluck, took to his official X handle to proclaim, “That was THE best NASCAR playoff race ever. Ever. Everrrrrrrrrr.” Fans echoed his enthusiasm and seized the moment to issue a passionate plea to NASCAR, urging, “BRING THE CHAMPIONSHIP BACK HERE.”
One supporter asserted, “This should still be the finale,” while another exclaimed, “What a race! Get the season finale back to Homestead!”
Agreeing with Gluck, one fan remarked, “No lies detected.” A devoted NASCAR fan speculated about NASCAR’s possible regret after changing the playoff venues: “NASCAR takes Homestead-Miami Speedway out of the playoffs for 2025. Homestead-Miami Speedway: OK, watch this.”
That was THE best NASCAR playoff race ever. Ever. Everrrrrrrrrr.
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) October 27, 2024
NASCAR drivers share their fondness for the Homestead-Miami Speedway
Larson’s hunt for the lead in the final laps of the Homestead race was thwarted by an incident involving Austin Dillon and Ryan Blaney. Yet, his performance was noteworthy: starting second, encountering a flat tire that dropped him to 25th, getting to P15 by the end of Stage 2, and battling back to second place, only to grapple for the lead again.
In his pre-race comments, Larson had already shared his enthusiasm coming on the track, “I look forward to racing at Homestead-Miami – I just really love that track. We only get to go there once a year, whereas a lot of intermediates we go to twice a year. I wish we could go there twice because I just love the track.”
Blaney, finishing in third last year and second this Sunday, also cherishes this track. Before the race, he expressed, “I love going to Homestead-Miami and I feel like if you ask any driver they love that racetrack just because it’s so unique in its shape, the surface that it has. To me, that’s one of the more risk-reward racetracks that we go to.”
Joey Logano, who has secured his spot in the Championship 4 after winning the Las Vegas race, praised the track’s flexibility, noting that the drivers can compete in both the lower and upper lanes and that the significant tire wear adds the complexity of the race.
