NASCAR Race: Denny Hamlin Secures Pole Position for Sunday's Dixie Vodka 400

Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the Dixie Vodka 400 at [...]

By John Newby

Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which is available on fuboTV with a free trial. The drivers will cover 400 miles at the popular track and will follow a perennial championship contender to the starting line. Denny Hamlin has won the Busch Pole.

NASCAR determined the starting order using a formula based on multiple factors. 25% of the formula is the driver's finishing position from the previous race. Another 25% is the car owner's finishing position from the previous race. 35% is the team owner's points ranking, and the final 15% is the fastest lap from the previous race. Based on this formula, Hamlin will line up on the front row while Joey Logano joins him.

Hamlin is currently the Cup Series points leader (104) after two races on the schedule. He won two stages during the Daytona 500 and then he added another during the O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 at the Daytona Road Course. While he hasn't won a race yet, Hamlin still has two top-five finishes.

Logano sits behind Hamlin with 92. He has no Stage or race wins but has led a total of 36 laps. He has also been in contention for the win two weeks in a row. Logano has one top-five finish, which he registered during the road course race.

Cup Series drivers traditionally take part in qualifying and practice laps in the week leading up to each race on the schedule. However, the COVID-19 pandemic is still an issue, so NASCAR removed these laps for the majority of the season. There are only eight races on the schedule that will tentatively have practice and qualifying. The Busch Pole qualifying session took place prior to the season-opening Daytona 500, but the next session will not occur until March 28 at Bristol Motor Speedway's dirt track.

The 2020 Dixie Vodka 400 took place in June due to a COVID-19-altered schedule and dealt with several issues. The weather played a major role in the early portions of the race as lightning strikes sent the drivers to their RVs multiple times. The first delay took place after only five laps.

While the race took much longer to complete than anticipated, it did provide intriguing storylines for the viewers. The drivers covered 400 miles with Hamlin ultimately securing the victory. He held off Chase Elliott, who finished in second place. Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, and Aric Almirola rounded out the top five and secured critical playoff points.

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