Homestead-Miami Speedway hosted NASCAR’s championship weekend yearly from 2002 by means of 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 observe in Southern Florida have solely grown louder in recent times, and now it is lastly taking place. Homestead will once more host the title-decider for the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Sequence in 2026.
However maybe equally necessary to that is the truth that NASCAR has formally introduced plans to rotate championship weekend, shifting it to varied tracks yearly. The purpose, 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 offer better publicity for its season’s finale in a number of markets.”
The way forward for Phoenix
Within the Subsequent Gen period, Workforce Penske have been undefeated for 3 consecutive seasons within the title-decider, profitable the championship yearly. Phoenix will preserve 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 observe it’s going to exchange within the penultimate spherical of the playoffs.
“Homestead-Miami Speedway has a historical past of aggressive, championship racing that may present nostalgia for veteran drivers and followers and exhilaration for NASCAR’s new era,” stated Ben Kennedy, EVP, Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer. “As we transfer ahead, the rotating mannequin will present new challenges for rivals in addition to alternatives for distinctive venues to host our loyal followers at NASCAR Championship Weekend.”
Guillermo Santa Cruz, who was appointed observe 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 provide 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 Photos
The host observe of NASCAR’s finale modified usually in its early years. It wasn’t till the Seventies when the sequence started to see some kind of consistency with Ontario Speedway internet hosting the ultimate race from 1974 to 1980, after which Riverside Worldwide Raceway till 1986. From 1987 by means of 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.
In a teleconference that adopted, NASCAR put in place some guardrails for what tracks will probably be thought-about as a part of the rotating finale from 2027 onwards.
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