Logano leads final day of Next Gen testing at Homestead-Miami

Rachel Horton | NASCAR Studios

NASCAR Cup Series testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway concluded on Wednesday afternoon with a familiar name atop the speed charts.

Joey Logano posted the fastest lap at 167.126 mph on Wednesday in the Next Gen test session, wrapping up a two-day organizational test for teams to collect data and setup information ahead of the track’s Dixie Vodka 400 on Oct. 23 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), one of three pivotal races in the Round of 8 of the Cup Series Playoffs.

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Logano was consistently quick in the consecutive days of track time after posting the second-speediest lap in Tuesday’s opening session. Brad Keselowski, Logano’s former teammate and current co-owner and driver of RFK Racing, was second-fastest on Wednesday at 167.033 mph ahead of Kyle Larson (166.641 mph), Ryan Blaney (166.569 mph) and Denny Hamlin (166.441 mph)

The test carried on without notable issues before rain entered the area within the final hour of the session.

Homestead-Miami Speedway, host of the middle race of the penultimate playoff round, finds itself back on the postseason schedule for the first time since 2019, when it served as the season finale each year since 2002.

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Chase Elliott, winner of the 2020 Cup championship, noted this year’s event will bring just as much importance as any other race in the lead-up to a title run.

“It’s obviously different not being the last race, but there’s still a large amount of significance on the event, just like really all of the last 10 are,” Elliott said. “If you make it to the final one, that one’s a bit different. But the rest of them, you’re always trying to win, always trying to bank as many points as you can and you’re gonna do your part to get through the round.”