A lot of drivers showed how riding the high line can pay dividends in finding speed at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but no one could get as close as Kyle Larson as he rallied late to pass his teammate Alex Bowman and score his first Cup Series win of the season.
RELATED: Official results | At-track photos | Watch NASCAR video highlights
Several drivers put together strong showings right behind the front-runners, while a few big names are already looking toward next week’s race at Martinsville Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to turn their luck around.
THREE UP
1. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Started: 10th
Finished: 7th
What happened: Maybe it’s sunshine and palm trees, but Allmendinger seems to love racing around the 1.5-mile track at Homestead. He extended his top-10 streak at the track to four — which remains the longest active among Cup drivers — and he capitalizes off the momentum he gained last week with an eighth-place finish at Las Vegas. Allmendinger had a top-10 car all day, but probably needed a little bit more chaos or a late-race restart to truly challenge for the win.
What’s next: The Los Gatos, California driver last made a start at Martinsville in a Cup car in the 2023 fall race. With a career average finish of 19.7 at the short track, it may be a climb for him to notch another top 10 next week. However, Allmendinger has still executed and brought a much-needed uptick in performance to the No. 16 team this year.
2. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
Started: 11th
Finished: 6th
What happened: The Prosper, Texas native had superb speed for most of the weekend, and it truly showed on race day as he spent most of the race with a top-15 car. He didn’t quite have as much as some drivers, though, given Buescher just barely missed out on stage points, finishing 13th and 11th in the first two frames of Sunday’s race. Still, Buescher remains ninth in driver’s points and continues a solid start in 2025 with a fourth top 10 through six weeks of racing.
What’s next: Buescher has netted a top-15 finish in the spring race at Martinsville Speedway the last five years and has two career top 10s at the track from the fall races in 2021 and ’23. Plus, RFK Racing has generally had a strong short-track package, so there’s a strong chance he’s a contender next week.
3. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Started: 30th
Finished: 13th
What happened: Dillon was one of the biggest benefactors from Blaney’s engine expiring on Lap 208. After spending much of the day in the back, the late caution was enough for the No. 3 driver to work his way up front at a track where he’s historically had good luck. He may still be looking for a top 10 in this season’s campaign, but a 13th-place effort gives him his second top-15 result of the season and a boost after finishing 32nd at Las Vegas.
What’s next: Perhaps the top 10 Dillon is looking for comes next weekend at Martinsville. He won a short track race last year (Richmond summer) and finished seventh at Martinsville in the fall race last year. It would go a long way for the No. 3 team to string solid performances together.
THREE DOWN
1. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Started: 16th
Finished: 29th
What happened: An early spin on Lap 70 from 15th place essentially sealed Bell’s fate on trying to bounce back from a 12th-place finish last week at Vegas. Bell had a fast Toyota over the long run, but couldn’t quite work through traffic like his teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe could, as Hamlin climbed from 23rd to second in Stage 2 and Briscoe chipped away at spots in the top 20.
What’s next: While bad luck has hit the No. 20 team the last couple of weeks after three straight wins, Martinsville is a great track for Bell to turn this around. He won there before in October 2022 and has three career top 10s at the track, plus given how last year ended for him at the track, there may be added fire to his competitive spirit to perform well.
2. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Started: 25th
Finished: 31st
What happened: The Florida native was never quite in contention this weekend, which is disappointing given how strong Chastain looked on an intermediate circuit just last week. What set Chastain back the most was a lack of long-run speed; he restarted 33rd on Lap 217, and while he did make up two spots on the final restart, he certainly struggled to move up more and drive his way to the top 20.
What’s next: Of course, there’s a special memory for Chastain at Martinsville, but more importantly, he’s yet to finish worse than 14th at the short track in the last six races there. With only two top 10s through six weeks, Chastain needs a boost if he wants to make it back into the playoffs this season.
3. Brad Keselowski
Started: 32nd
Finished: 26th
What happened: Keselowski struggled to discover the same speed his RFK Racing teammates were able to find as they snagged top 10s. It’s the first time since 2011 that Keselowski, who dropped four positions after the final restart, has gone the first six races without a top-10 finish.
What’s next: Luckily for Keselowski he heads back to Martinsville, where last time the Cup Series was in town, he led a race-high 170 laps and finished ninth. He also has two wins and 12 career top fives at the Virginia track, so there should be some promise that he can turn his season around starting next week.
