The NASCAR Cup Series continues its stay in Florida for the third consecutive week with Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400, creating questions about the weather. The season-opening Daytona 500 dealt with a nearly-six hour rain delay and the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 saw a smattering of rain. With weather potentially playing a role in Sunday’s trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway, here is the forecast for the 400-mile race, which fans can watch online with a fuboTV trial.
According to AccuWeather.com, the forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-80s throughout the afternoon. There is currently a 25% chance of precipitation on what should be a partially-cloudy day. This number is higher than Saturday’s 4%, but it will still create optimism among NASCAR fans. They will look forward to an afternoon of racing, one likely without rainfall.
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The last time the NASCAR drivers headed to the Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Dixie Vodka 400, they dealt with several delays due to lightning and rain in the area. The race took place in June due to the COVID-19 altered schedule and started nearly an hour late due to rainfall on Turns 3 and 4.
The Dixie Vodka 400 began at 4:50 p.m. ET after an early delay, but the drivers only completed five laps before the red flag came out. Lightning struck and sent the drivers to their respective RVs for more than two hours. They returned to their vehicles just after 6 p.m. ET and fired their engines, but lightning struck once again.
Following long delays, the drivers finally headed back onto the oval in an attempt to finish the Dixie Vodka 400. They completed 28 laps with Chase Elliott and Tyler Reddick leading the pack, but lightning struck once again. This weather brought the race to a halt once again.
The NASCAR drivers ultimately managed to complete the 400-mile race with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin leading the final 30 laps and holding off Elliott to secure his third victory at the South Florida track. He crossed the finish line under the checkered flag at 10:46 p.m. ET and capped off a grueling schedule that featured three races in eight days.
Less than one year later, Hamlin will return to the track and attempt to break a tie with the other three-time winners in Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart. He will lead the field on the pace laps after winning the Busch Pole. Team Penske’s Joey Logano will join him on the front row as former NFL linebacker Jonathan Vilma waves the green flag to start the race.
