Nobody realized that an era was coming to an end when Kyle Busch won his second title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2019. The 1.5-mile oval with its well-liked banked turns was replaced by Phoenix Raceway after serving as NASCAR’s championship circuit for 18 years. Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic claims that NASCAR intends to return the championship to South Florida in 2026, but some NASCAR fans find this information too good to be true. The way NASCAR selects its champion has also changed as a result of this decision. Since implementing the elimination-style playoffs in 2014, NASCAR has made an effort to strike a balance between traditional and innovative concepts. Traditional supporters who favored the previous season-long points system have frequently been displeased by this. During these transitional years, Homestead held championship races, including both the original “Chase” format and later the elimination playoffs ending with the Championship 4 finale.
Homestead’s standing as one of NASCAR’s top racing venues is what makes this course modification significant. In order to provide various racing lanes that reward driver skill and tire management, the banking on the course increases from 18 degrees at the bottom to 20 degrees near the wall. Tyler Reddick’s slingshot move against Ryan Blaney on the last lap of the championship race was only witnessed last year. The notorious Next Gen car really flourishes on this circuit, making it one of the few. In contrast, Phoenix frequently makes passing challenging in championship races. The track wasn’t particularly improved by the optional tires that NASCAR introduced for the spring race this year.
Given the time, it is unclear if this is merely the beginning of more significant reforms to NASCAR’s playoff structure, which came under fire in 2024 after Joey Logano won the championship in spite of a dismal regular season. Fans Discuss Whether a Track Change Indicates a More Comprehensive NASCAR Playoff Reorganization This could be the first phase of a more extensive reorganization. One doubtful fan commented, “I don’t know if they’ve discussed it on Hauler Talk since, but it sounded like the smallest change they were considering was rotating the championship race.” Although the formula stays the same, rotating the championship race adds provide interest and may put a stop to Penske’s dominance. “The only thing that could improve this is if the championship,” said another fan.
This demonstrates that fans prefer a championship model that gives more weight to season-long results while still balancing the thrill of a final race. Those looking for more significant changes will be disappointed since the report clearly refers to a “championship race” (singular), implying that the fundamental structure would remain same for 2026. Most people however concur that Homestead has better racing than Phoenix. Some of the most forceful criticism casts doubt on the move’s business acumen. One doubtful fan cautions, “Very risky,” pointing out that Phoenix has regularly sold out its championship weekend while “They just took a race that has had consistent ratings and a track that was a sellout (good luck trying to sell those fall tickets now), and they’re moving it back to a track that hasn’t sold out in well over a decade, and saw a ratings decline year after year when it hosted the the final race. Love the on track product, but something about this track isn’t attracting spectators.”
Not to mention that NASCAR receives $1.5 million from the Arizona Office of Tourism, enabling them to advertise events at the Desert Mile. The assistance that NASCAR obtains from local government and the racing community to help organize the championship race is therefore more important than the location and the weather. There are rumors that Homestead Miami Speedway and NASCAR are negotiating behind closed doors and may reach an agreement in 2026. “I hope the championship will return in the not-too-distant future,” stated Santa Cruz, president of Homestead Track. The possibility of the road to Phoenix being closed beyond 2026 was not mentioned in the report.
Finding the best locations to host championship weekend will be a difficult assignment for NASCAR given their expansion goals and the calendar’s dispersed dates. And returning to Phoenix would be the natural option if this rotation experiment went awry. According to a noteworthy article, this is only for 2026; a cycle that includes Phoenix starts in 2027. The championship finale will still take place in Phoenix as NASCAR gets ready for the 2025 season. It’s also important to remember that Homestead’s comeback has not yet been officially announced.
