NASCAR at Homestead-Miami: Entry list, watch info, TV schedule, favorites

NASCAR’s best drivers are taking their talents to South Beach.

The 2023 playoffs will continue this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with just two races remaining in the Round of 8 before the championship race.

Kyle Larson became the first driver to punch his ticket to the Championship 4 last week after his victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That leaves seven playoff drivers still fighting for the final three spots in the title race.

Here’s everything you need to know for the 4EVER 400 at Homestead-Miami:

What is the NASCAR at Homestead-Miami entry list?

Thirty-six drivers will race at Homestead-Miami. The 32 full-timers will all compete, plus four others.

Three of those four are veterans who race part-time – Ryan Newman, J.J. Yeley and Josh Bilicki. Additionally, Xfinity Series regular John Hunter Nemechek – who will be promoted to the Cup Series next year – will make his first start of the season.

Here’s the full entry list for Homestead (car numbers, driver names, team names and sponsors):

• No. 1, Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, Kubota
• No. 2, Austin Cindric, Team Penske, Freightliner
• No. 3, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Bass Pro Shops
• No. 4, Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Budweiser
• No. 5, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, HendrickCars.com
• No. 6, Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing, BuildSubmarines.com
• No. 7, Corey LaJoie, Spire Motorsports, Gainbridge
• No. 8, Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, 3CHI
• No. 9, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Hooters
• No. 10, Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing, Smithfield
• No. 11, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Sport Clips Haircuts
• No. 12, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Menards
• No. 14, Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing, Magical Vacation Planner
• No. 15, J.J. Yeley, Rick Ware Racing
• No. 16, A.J. Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing, Campers Inn RV
• No. 17, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, Fastenal
• No. 19, Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, Bass Pro Shops
• No. 20, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, Rheem
• No. 21, Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing, DEX Imaging
• No. 22, Joey Logano, Team Penske, Shell/Pennzoil
• No. 23, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, McDonald’s
• No. 24, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Liberty University
• No. 31, Justin Haley, Kaulig Racing, LeafFilter Gutter Protection
• No. 34, Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports, Love’s Travel Stops
• No. 38, Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, Serial1.com E-Bikes
• No. 41, Ryan Preece, Stewart-Haas Racing, United Rentals
• No. 42, John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy Motor Club, Sunseeker Resort
• No. 43, Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club, Allegiant
• No. 45, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, McDonald’s
• No. 47, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Daugherty Racing, Kroger
• No. 48, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Ally Financial
• No. 51, Ryan Newman, Rick Ware Racing, Jacob Companies
• No. 54, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Monster Energy
• No. 77, Ty Dillon, Spire Motorsports, Raze Shot Focus
• No. 78, Josh Bilicki, Live Fast Motorsports, Zeigler Auto Group
• No. 99, Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing, Freeway Insurance

When is the NASCAR race this weekend at Homestead-Miami?

The 4EVER 400 at Homestead-Miami is set for Sunday, Oct. 22, at 2:30 p.m. ET. The race title pays tribute to 2014 Cup champion Kevin Harvick, who drives the No. 4 car and will retire at the end of this season. He will drive a paint scheme reminiscent of his 2014 car on Sunday.

Before the race, there will be practice and qualifying sessions. The 36-car field will be split into two groups (found here), with each group practicing for 20 minutes on Saturday at 9:05 a.m. ET.

Qualifying will start immediately after practice, around 9:50 a.m. ET. Each car from the two practice groups will make a lap in the first round, with the five fastest cars in each group advancing to the final round. In the final round, the remaining drivers each get a lap to set the top 10 starting order, while positions 11 through 36 are set based on first round times.

NASCAR TV schedule this weekend at Homestead-Miami

Saturday, Oct. 21 (streaming online)

• Practice: 9:05 p.m. ET, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
• Qualifying: 9:50 p.m. ET, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app

Sunday, Oct. 22 (NBC, Peacock and streaming online)

• NASCAR Countdown to Green: 2 p.m. ET, NBC, NBCSports.com
• 4EVER 400: 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBCSports.com
• NASCAR Post Show: 5:45 p.m. ET, Peacock

NASCAR playoff standings entering Homestead-Miami

Larson is the only playoff driver who has clinched a spot in the Championship 4. The remaining seven drivers have two races left in the Round of 8 to lock themselves in – which they can do by either winning a race or being ahead of the bottom four drivers in the points standings.

Here is the playoff picture entering Homestead-Miami:

1. Kyle Larson, clinched with Las Vegas win

2. William Byron, +9 points above the cutoff

3. Martin Truex Jr., +2 points above the cutoff

4. Denny Hamlin, +2 points above the cutoff

—

5. Christopher Bell, -2 points below the cutoff

6. Tyler Reddick, -16 points below the cutoff

7. Ryan Blaney, -17 points below the cutoff

8. Chris Buescher, -23 points below the cutoff

You can find a full explanation of NASCAR’s playoff format right here.

NASCAR Homestead-Miami past winners, race history

Seven of the 36 drivers competing this weekend have won at Homestead-Miami, with two collecting multiple victories: Hamlin (2009, 2013, 2020) and Busch (2015, 2019).

Five others have one win at Homestead-Miami: Harvick (2014), Truex (2017), Logano (2018), Byron (2021) and Larson (2022), who won this race last season.

NASCAR at Homestead-Maimi favorites, drivers to watch

It takes a unique skill set to succeed at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 1.502-mile true oval is one-of-a-kind in NASCAR, with its progressively banked corners forcing drivers to run the high line for maximum speed.

Larson, the defending race winner, thrives at this track type. He enters Homestead with zero pressure after winning at Las Vegas last week, which could make him even more dangerous on Sunday. He has five top-fives and 526 laps led in his last seven starts at the track dating back to 2015.

Beyond Larson, the retiring Harvick has shined in South Beach. He has a series-best 7.3 average finish with 19 top-10s in 22 career starts. Harvick, along with Elliott (9.7 average finish in seven starts) and Busch (11 top-10s in 18 starts), could try to steal the spotlight from the playoff contenders.

The playoff drivers with the best history at Homestead-Miami (outside of Larson) include Truex (9.7 average finish in 18 starts), Hamlin (9.8 in 18 starts) and Reddick (two top-fives in three starts). Buescher (19.7 in seven starts) and Blaney (18.6 in eight starts) have historically struggled at the track.

What is the weather for Homestead-Miami this weekend?

NBC Miami is predicting a sunny weekend in Homestead, Fla. There’s a 15% chance of rain on Saturday, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures reaching 85 degrees. Sunday will be even better for drivers and fans – sunny, 84 degrees and an 8% chance of rain. Keep up to date with the latest forecast right here.