A NASCAR official hands Myatt Snider the checkered flag after Snider won the NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — After years of seeing a handful of drivers — the same guys, really — dominate NASCAR’s top level nearly every week, the Cup Series is experiencing a little parity to start the season.

It’s a welcome sight for some. Others hope it’s a fleeting moment.

William Byron was the third surprise winner through three races this season with his victory Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Byron joined Michael McDowell and Christopher Bell as unlikely winners to start this season.

Byron controlled most of the final two stages at Homestead to win for the second time in 111 Cup starts. His first one came at Daytona last August and landed him one of the final spots in the playoffs.

No one saw that one coming.

Few had this one on the radar, either.

Byron entered the weekend as a 28-1 shot to win a race many expected would provide a return to normal for the racing series. Instead, McDowell and Bell have company in the relatively odd group of 2021 winners and drivers who have locked up postseason spots.

“A lot of people obviously made some good decisions on how to get better,” said 2017 series champion Martin Truex Jr., who finished third. “The box we have to work is so small … the rules are the rules and they haven’t changed in a while. The smaller teams get to catch up.”

Truex was quick to point out that he still believes the top teams — the heavyweights like himself, so to speak — will find their way back to the top sooner rather than later.

But the first three races have provided plenty of eyebrow-raising moments. Tyler Reddick was second Sunday, nearly 3 seconds behind Byron. McDowell had his third straight top-10 finish. Chris Buescher ran up front for the first part of the race.

“It definitely has closed the gap,” McDowell said.

McDowell and Bell were first-time winners to open the season. This rare run already has tightened the playoff race less than a month into NASCAR’s long season. A victory earns an automatic berth, and it’s unusual to have multiple unique winners in a season.

Few could have predicted this trio would have put a squeeze on some of NASCAR’s top teams. Two-time series champion Kyle Busch currently sits below the top 16 in the standings, as do Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney and Aric Almirola — all playoff qualifiers a year ago.

Byron hardly qualifies as a big a shocker as the previous two because he drives the famed No. 24 for Hendrick Motorsports. But he also hadn’t exactly been a regular in victory lane.

Then again, those inside the Hendrick organization had a feeling he could be in for something big this season since he reunited with former crew chief Rudy Fugle.

“That guy has been huge for my career,” Byron said. “He’s the reason I’m here and I’m just glad we could get him. … We really think the same way.”

Snider wins at Homestead after Gragson slams into lapped car

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Noah Gragson had close to a 9-second lead, the outside lane wide open and the white flag waiting for him ahead.

The JR Motorsports driver was on the verge of an elusive victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And then the unthinkable happened. A lapped car blew a tire and turned right in front of him. A fraction of a second earlier or later and Gragson would have cruised by and ended up in victory lane.

Instead, Gragson had nowhere to go and no time to stop. He slammed into David Starr and ended his day in disappointing fashion.

Myatt Snider was the beneficiary. Snider won the Xfinity Series race Saturday, taking the checkered flag in overtime after Gragson’s untimely wreck with two laps to go in regulation.

“What are you going to do?” Gragson said. “You’ve got (idiots) in the way every single week.”

The 26-year-old Snider celebrated his first victory in 36 starts with a reverse lap around the 1 1/2-mile track.

The Richard Childress Racing driver spun his tires on the first of two restarts in overtime, but got a second chance thanks to a late caution after AJ Allmendinger spun. Snider didn’t make the same mistake twice, driving by RCR teammate Tyler Reddick and turning the final two laps without much of a test.

“It’s just amazing to finally be in this position,” Snider said.

The biggest challenge for the first-time winner — the second in as many weeks in NASCAR’s second-tier series — was finding victory lane. Snider missed the turn before having to back up and try again.

Reddick was second, followed by Brandon Jones, Daniel Hemric, Jeb Burton and pole-sitter Austin Cindric.

The race provided some proof that Cindric might have more competition than some expected after he finished first and second in the first two races.

Gragson was as much the story as Snider. He was cruising toward his first win since last June when Starr blew a right-front tire and turned into the outside wall — and right in front of Gragson.

Gragson climbed out of his crumpled car, shook his head and fists in disgust. He took off his helmet and gloves and waved to the crowd before stepping into a waiting ambulance for a mandatory ride to the infield care center.

It was his third straight disappointing finish at Homestead. Gragson had the dominant car in both races at Homestead last year, but failed to win either.

“Definitely a bummer,” Gragson said. “They know who won this race based on speed the last three times we’ve been here. … There’s only one thing we know how to do and that’s rebound.”

Snider, the son of NASCAR broadcaster Marty Snider, took advantage and put Richard Childress Racing in victory lane for the first time in 2021. He had no friends and family members around to celebrate, which might not have been a bad thing.

“If you look at the bright side since everyone’s not here, I get to save it and (spread the party) over a longer period,” he said.