In a move that will delight traditionalists, thrill the sunburned faithful, and mildly terrify air conditioning units across South Florida, NASCAR has announced that its 2026 Championship Weekend is returning to Homestead-Miami Speedway. Yes, the big show—the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Truck Series—will all crown their champions under the palms and pink skies of Homestead from November 6 to 8, 2026.
This isn’t just a venue change. This is a long-overdue homecoming. From 2002 to 2019, Homestead was the place where dreams were made, legends were born, and the title fight came down to 400 miles of baking heat, high tire wear, and one of the raciest tracks on the calendar. It was the Daytona 500 of season finales. And then it wasn’t.
“Homecoming is a good word,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR Executive Vice President, Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer. “We can’t wait to get back there. It’s a great race track. I mean, we’ve crowned a lot of Legends there, a lot of Hall of Famers.
“We’ve had some amazing championship races. And undoubtedly, it’s going to deliver in 2026 so we can’t wait to be there in November 2026, and we’re really excited to be able to press the button and announce this thing.”
We got Phoenix. And while Phoenix Raceway has done a fine job—sellouts, sunshine, spectacular sunsets—let’s be honest: Homestead just hits different. The progressive banking, the multi-groove madness, the “run the wall or lose” drama—it turns a championship race into a high-speed game of chicken with the SAFER barrier. It’s what the final round of NASCAR should be. You want to win the title? Be fast, be fearless, and bring extra right-rear tires.
But there’s more. This isn’t just about one good decision—it’s the start of something even better. NASCAR’s switching to a rotating Championship Weekend model. That’s right: like the Super Bowl or the Final Four, the finale is now a traveling roadshow. One year it’s Miami, maybe the next it’s Vegas, then maybe back to Phoenix, or—dare we dream?—a wild-card like Darlington.
“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.”
It’s a genius move. Not only does it share the glory across NASCAR’s marquee venues, but it gives fans in different regions a chance to be part of something huge. It adds unpredictability. Different tracks reward different styles. It’s like making the final boss of a video game change shape every season. You want a title? You’ll have to earn it at a new battlefield every year.
Still, there’s something poetic about starting this new era by going back to where it all felt right. Homestead isn’t just a racetrack—it’s a stage. A place where Kyle Busch wept, where Joey Logano climbed the fence, and where Brad Keselowski powered a blue deuce into immortality.
Now, those same names—Busch, Keselowski, Logano—will return, hoping for one last Homestead hurrah. And they’ll do it with a new generation nipping at their heels, trying to carve their own legends on that sun-bleached asphalt.
So yes, this is a very good thing. Homestead is back, the finale is going on tour, and NASCAR just made the championship feel massive again.
Bring sunscreen. Bring noise. And bring a spare set of nerves.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.