When Kyle Busch won his second championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2019, no one knew it was the end of an era. After 18 years as NASCAR’s championship track, the 1.5-mile oval with its popular banked turns was replaced by Phoenix Raceway. Now, according to The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi, NASCAR plans to bring the championship back to South Florida in 2026 – but this news is too good to be true for some NASCAR fans.
This decision marks another change in how NASCAR crowns its champion. Since creating the elimination-style playoff system in 2014, NASCAR has tried to balance old traditions with new ideas. This has often upset traditional fans who preferred the old season-long points system. Homestead hosted championship races during these changing years, including both the original “Chase” format and later the elimination playoffs ending with the Championship 4 finale.
What makes this track change important is Homestead’s reputation as one of NASCAR’s best racing surfaces. The track’s banking increases from 18 degrees at the bottom to 20 degrees near the wall, creating multiple racing lanes that reward driver skill and tire management. Only last year, we saw Tyler Reddick launch himself in the championship race with a slingshot move against Ryan Blaney on the final lap. In fact, this is one of the few tracks where the infamous Next Gen car thrives.
Phoenix, on the other hand, often makes passing difficult during championship races. Even the option tires NASCAR brought out in this year’s spring race didn’t exactly make the track any good. The timing raises questions about whether this is just the first step in bigger changes to NASCAR’s playoff system, which faced criticism in 2024 when Joey Logano won the championship despite having a poor regular season.
NEWS: Homestead-Miami Speedway to host the 2026 championship races for the Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series, sources tell @TheAthletic.
Story below includes the reasoning behind the decision and what NASCAR plans to do with championship weekend beyond 2026. https://t.co/CkJvEslrji
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) April 21, 2025
Fans Debate Whether Track Change Hints at Bigger NASCAR Playoff Overhaul
“This might be part 1 in a larger restructuring. I’m not sure if they’ve talked about it on Hauler Talk since, but it certainly sounded like the smallest possible change they were considering was rotating the championship race,” said one skeptical fan. Sure, rotating the championship race does create excitement and could potentially end the Penske domination, but the format remains the same.
Another fan commented, “Only thing that could make this better is if the championship was a double header and points mattered and playoff points carried over into it.” This shows that fans want a championship format that balances the excitement of a final race with more weight given to season-long results. The report specifically mentions a “championship race” (singular), suggesting the basic format will stay the same for 2026, disappointing those hoping for bigger changes. Still, most agree that Homestead offers better racing than Phoenix.
Some of the strongest criticism questions the business sense of the move. “Huge gamble,” warns one skeptical fan, noting that Phoenix has consistently sold out its championship weekend while “They just took a track that was a for sure sellout(good luck trying to sell those fall tickets now), and a race that has had steady ratings, and are now 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 forget, the Arizona Office of Tourism spends $1.5 million on NASCAR, which in turn allows them to promote races at the Desert Mile. So, it’s more than just the venue and the weather; it is about the support that NASCAR receives from local authorities and racing community to help stage the championship race. Well, there are talks that NASCAR and Homestead Miami Speedway are working behind closed doors and could cut out a deal for 2026. “I’m hopeful in the not-too-distant future the championship will come back,” Homestead track president, Santa Cruz, said.
Well, the report didn’t mention that the road to Phoenix might be closed after 2026. Given NASCAR’s expansion plans and the spread of dates on their calendar, it will be a tall task for them to search for optimal venues to host championship weekend. And in case, this rotation experiment goes south, the obvious choice would be to go back to Phoenix. “Worth noting article says this is only for 2026, and a rotation which includes Phoenix begins in 2027.”
As NASCAR prepares for its 2025 season, Phoenix will still host the championship finale. And it’s worth noting that there’s no official word on Homestead’s return just yet.
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