NASCAR Championship Returning To Homestead-Miami In 2026 To Kick Off Annual Rotation
The NASCAR Championship race is heading to its old home at Homestead-Miami in 2026 to kick off a new rotation of hosts for the season finale.
The South Florida track was the last event on the calendar from 2002 until 2019 before it was moved to Phoenix Raceway in 2020. Many drivers and fans alike have been calling for it to move in recent years to mix things up.
“First and foremost, it’s fan feedback, and fans ranked Homestead-Miami Speedway as number one on the list of where they’d like to see a championship in the future,” Ben Kennedy, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Venue and Racing Innovation Officer said in a press conference on the move. “From what you guys may have seen and some of the fan sentiment so far, it leans very positive, which is great to see.”
Phoenix will remain in the Round of 8 in 2026 and will be one of the championship rotation tracks, but Kennedy wasn’t ready to name any others yet, but said the Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta speedways likely won’t be used.
“Weather is a big part of it,” Kennedy said. “Being in early November, we want to make sure we’re in a warm-weather climate and that it’s an atmosphere that a lot of our fans can come out and enjoy and not get the risk of a snowstorm or anything.”
“We want to make sure that we’re in a big market, a large metro (area) that can really embrace us. We want to make sure it’s marketed and promoted the right way, that it feels like a world-class championship facility. And Phoenix was that for a number of years. We’re going to be putting some capital into Homestead-Miami as well.”
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Kyle Busch won the last Homestead-Miami championship race and he was featured in a comical “Back to the Future”-themed video with 2012 winner Brad Keselowski to help announce the news.