Homestead-Miami Speedway hosted NASCAR’s championship weekend yearly from 2002 by 2019 earlier than the finale shifted to Phoenix Raceway for 2020 onwards.
However calls from each drivers and followers to return to the favored intermediate monitor in Southern Florida have solely grown louder lately, and now it is lastly taking place. Homestead will once more host the title-decider for the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Collection in 2026.
However maybe equally vital to that is the truth that NASCAR has formally introduced plans to rotate championship weekend, transferring it to numerous tracks yearly. The objective, per a launch, is “to make sure that the season’s thrilling conclusion is shared amongst NASCAR’s marquee venues and key markets. Just like different main sports activities championships, NASCAR will showcase its championship weekend on the brand new rotating mannequin to supply higher publicity for its season’s finale in a number of markets.”
The way forward for Phoenix
Within the Subsequent Gen period, Staff Penske have been undefeated for 3 consecutive seasons within the title-decider, successful the championship yearly. Phoenix will keep two Cup dates on the 2026 schedule with NASCAR confirming that it’ll have a race within the Spherical of 8. It is unclear what monitor it’ll change within the penultimate spherical of the playoffs.
“Homestead-Miami Speedway has a historical past of aggressive, championship racing that can present nostalgia for veteran drivers and followers and exhilaration for NASCAR’s new technology,” stated Ben Kennedy, EVP, Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer. “As we transfer ahead, the rotating mannequin will present new challenges for opponents in addition to alternatives for distinctive venues to host our loyal followers at NASCAR Championship Weekend.”
Guillermo Santa Cruz, who was appointed monitor president at Homestead-Miami Speedway late final 12 months, stated of the information: “As we have a good time our thirtieth season, it’s becoming we are going to begin our subsequent decade returning to our championship roots at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2026 NASCAR Championship Weekend will supply the brightest younger stars of the game the chance to hitch the illustrious 18-year historical past of championship racing in South Florida alongside veteran fan-favorite drivers.”
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Photograph by: Chris Graythen – Getty Photographs
The host monitor of NASCAR’s finale modified usually in its early years. It wasn’t till the Nineteen Seventies when the collection started to see some form of consistency with Ontario Speedway internet hosting the ultimate race from 1974 to 1980, after which Riverside Worldwide Raceway till 1986. From 1987 by the 12 months 2000, the season concluded at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
2001 was an outlier 12 months as a result of cancelled New Hampshire race following the tragic occasions of 9/11, which moved that race to the very finish of the season. However Homestead hosted it for the longest consecutive interval (18 years) earlier than the shift to Phoenix for the 2020s.
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