NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 picks for Homestead-Miami fall race

NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 continues at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players select one car per race, but there’s a simple twist: once they’ve made the pick, they can’t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car will be selected exactly once … a survivor pool, by another name.  Follow along weekly as our panel of pickers -- Dustin Albino from Jayski, along with Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com -- embarks on a season-long journey to think like strategists and prove their picking prowess.  We’ll also feature a fourth “community” 36 for 36 pick each week, as decided by fan vote on the r/NASCAR subreddit. Can the collective vote topple our trio of full-timers? Current Standings:

1. Steve Luvender: 853
2. r/NASCAR Community: -109
3. Cameron Richardson: -113
4. Dustin Albino: -117

Race 34 of 36: Miami

Hot afternoons last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway made for an impossibly close contest heading into this weekend. Dustin Albino entered the week in second place with a modest cushion over third but exited in last place following a day gone upside down from his pick, Tyler Reddick. Points leader Steve Luvender earned 27 points from Kyle Larson, while the big winners were the NASCAR subreddit -- their Martin Truex Jr. pick brought home 48 points, his best day since Dover Motor Speedway in April -- and Cameron Richardson’s 54-point race from Christopher Bell. Second through fourth are now separated by just eight points, with three picks remaining.  Homestead-Miami Speedway awaits our pickers next. It’s the fastest track left on the schedule, with just Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix Raceway ahead. Let’s see how our pickers handle this one. 

Jayski’s Dustin Albino: No. 5, Kyle Larson

Dustin’s pick last week: No. 45, Tyler Reddick (12 points) Total season points: 736 (fourth place, -2 since last week) Dustin: It’s become wildly apparent that I’ve cursed plenty of drivers throughout the year while choosing them in this space. Last week, Reddick won the opening stage at Las Vegas before tumbling down the frontstretch. So, I’m going to apologize in advance to Larson this weekend. This choice this weekend is easy, though, as very few drivers in NASCAR history have been better at running an inch off the wall, the preferred line at Homestead. Larson tends to lead plenty of laps at Homestead and not get the win -- aside from 2021 -- so maybe I’ll break that curse with three races remaining in the 2024 season.

NASCAR.com’s Steve Luvender: No. 45, Tyler Reddick

Steve’s pick last week: No. 5, Kyle Larson (27 points) Total season points: 853 (first place) Steve: Tyler Reddick has earned three top fives in his four Cup races at Homestead, and it’s no secret he knows how to work the track’s high line --  also as evidenced by his two Xfinity Series championship-winning races at the track in 2018 and 2019. After his early exit at Las Vegas, he needs a strong afternoon to remain in championship contention, and I think he’ll deliver.

NASCAR.com’s Cameron Richardson: No. 54, Ty Gibbs

Cameron’s pick last week: No. 20, Christopher Bell (54 points)  Total season points: 740 (third place, +1 from last week) Cameron: With just three races left, I’m taking a cautious approach and stashing Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson for the final two races. Homestead can be a tricky and nerve-wracking one for the playoff drivers fighting for the remaining three Championship 4 spots, so I’m rolling with the No. 54 driver. I do have confidence in Gibbs, though, as he finished seventh at Homestead last year. With a second full Cup season almost complete for the young driver, he can potentially improve upon that on Sunday.

r/NASCAR Community: No. 45, Tyler Reddick

r/NASCAR’s pick last week: No. 19, Martin Truex Jr. (48 points) Total season points: 744 (second place, +1 from last week) The r/NASCAR subreddit selected Tyler Reddick for Sunday’s race. Here’s what Redditors had to say about their choice this week in the voting thread:  u/Dont_hate_the_8: "Time to reap rewards from Reddick ripping the really high line!" u/Extreme-Bite-9123: "Definitely Reddick here. Really the only guy who has a chance of beating Larson" u/NoahGragsonsBarfBag (good username): “Of these three I think the 45 team will put the most into this weekend. Not the say Penske won’t for the 12, but I think Toyota has the edge over Ford for this one.” u/Joey_Logano (no relation): "Reddick and Homestead go together like Bananas and Mayonnaise aka a match made in heaven." Check back next week to see how our pickers fared as the season-long 36 for 36 journey continues. And, if you’ve got a competitive itch beyond meticulously managing your Fantasy Live lineup each week, feel free to save or print your own 36 for 36 sheet and see if you can beat our pickers and the Reddit community!