NASCAR has introduced that Homestead-Miami will retake its spot because the championship decider in 2026 as a part of a deliberate rotation system.
The 1.5-mile Florida monitor will host the ultimate spherical of the 2026 season on 6-8 November after being moved from its present slot in March. The change will apply to all three nationwide sequence hosted by NASCAR, together with the Cup Collection.
Homestead-Miami staged the ultimate spherical of each NASCAR season from 2002-19 and has remained a preferred venue amongst followers even after being faraway from the playoffs.
Phoenix, which took over the honour of internet hosting the Championship Race in 2020, will proceed to host two races subsequent yr. Though the precise dates haven’t been revealed, NASCAR mentioned the autumn race will occupy a outstanding spot within the Spherical of 8.
“This has been some time coming,” mentioned Ben Kennedy, NASCAR Government Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer. “It’s been since 2019 since we’ve had the championship race at Homestead. We moved it out to Phoenix for the previous a number of years, which has been nice for us. It’s been an incredible market.
“We’ve seen some nice racing there, and we’ve topped a few of our largest champions, however we’re excited to go to Homestead-Miami Speedway. I can let you know from just a few those who I’ve talked to to date throughout the business, by means of our companions, they’re over the moon about it. And from our followers, it’s the No. 1 asked-about championship venue as nicely. So we’re excited to lastly get the information on the market.”
NASCAR said {that a} new rotation system will kick in subsequent yr, with the venue for the title-decider to be shifted between a handful of tracks.
Miami and Phoenix have already been chosen beneath the brand new rotation system, with extra tracks set to be introduced at a later date.
The championship mentioned the opposite circuits which are being thought of come from a mixture of possession teams, together with Speedway Motorsports and NASCAR itself.
“When you’ve watched a number of different sports activities properties which are shifting the placement round yr after yr, a part of that’s to construct up pent-up demand,” mentioned Kennedy.
“However a part of it’s that variability in a number of the markets, after which slightly little bit of it’s what we talked about as nicely is simply having slightly little bit of differentiation because it pertains to the competitors and racing product as nicely.
“Having the playoffs be extra unpredictable yearly, the championship venue to be at a special location, I feel offers you the power to see completely different groups and drivers sort of rise to the event to have the ability to be topped a champion.”
Explaining what’s going to decide a monitor is appropriate for the ultimate spherical, he added: “I’d say it’s 4 or 5 issues.
“It’s advertising and promotion, for certain, and it’s location. We wish to be in a warm-weather market. Ideally, being in November, that first week of November, it sort of limits you to the quantity of races you can run.
“I’d say the standard of the ability. In Phoenix, we put over $100 million into the redevelopment of that monitor, and it was a giant catalyst for bringing this championship to the West Coast. We’re going to be placing an excellent quantity of capital into Homestead as nicely forward of the race.
“The racing product, I feel, is one other large a part of this. After which general, it’s simply all the business’s suggestions on this. So we collaborate with our broadcast companions, our groups. We hear from our drivers what they suppose, a number of our company companions, after which finally the followers, and the followers have a big voice on this, and we get their perspective on it each single yr.”
