NASCAR's championship is heading back to Homstead as part of event rotation

Back by popular demand, Homestead-Miami Speedway will once again host the NASCAR championship weekend in 2026 but what shape and form that takes is still very much to be decided.

The much-anticipated announcement was made on Tuesday and a press conference with NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Venue and Racing Innovation Officer, Ben Kennedy followed.

Kennedy also confirmed that 2026 would the first year of what would become an annual rotation of the season finale, starting with Homestead, but also featuring Phoenix and other tracks based on factors like market size, facility amenities and race quality.

“We have a group that's been working on our longer term strategy of the championship locations for quite a while now, and we have discussed all sorts of variations of options,” Kennedy said. “To your point, the economic impact and I think the story we're able to tell, not only at the track, but a lot of community involvement that we're able to create at Phoenix and that we're going to see at Homestead-Miami Speedway is a big part of this as well.

“We want to make sure -- and we say this all the time as it related to the schedule. We want to make sure we're in the right markets at the right time and we're doing it with the right partners and right stakeholders.”

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With the NASCAR season ending in November, that also means markets with weather patterns that are comfortable and conducive to hosting the championship weekend without the thread of freezing temperatures and snow.

“If it is as far north as a New Hampshire or a Michigan, as an example, we're going to look at over 30 years of past weather history on that date and that weekend to make sure that we're limiting our risks because a lot of fans will come and camp out for that entire weekend,” said Kennedy, who added that “a lot of fans that will drive to see the race, and then many fans that will tune in on TV as well.

“If we have snow on the ground or it's below freezing temperature, fans don't want to come out for a weekend to a championship venue, and it's a bit of an issue. We're going to be thoughtful about that. I don't think it rules out any venues or tracks per se, but it is part of our consideration set.”

And while NASCAR has hosted the championship race for the entirety of this decade at two tracks it owns, Kennedy also said there is a willingness to work with other track owning entities like Speedway Motorsports, who owns tracks like Texas and Las Vegas, that could factor into that discussion.

“I think anything is on the table at this point, to be honest, whether it's NASCAR property or elsewhere,” Kennedy said. “The great part about it is we have a good relationship with Speedway Motorsports and they have many prominent events in the playoffs, cutoff races at the Charlotte oval and Bristol and a handful of others.

“Nothing to report today on exactly where we would be considering or where those properties might be, but I think all cards are on the table at this point.”

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There is also the matter of how champions will be decided starting next year as NASCAR has created a committee of industry insiders to debate and formulate any changes that need to be made to the format.

Joey Logano winning the championship last year with the worst statistical year long statistic created a significant amount of fan uproar and NASCAR has been responsive to at least having a conversation about it.

Kennedy said there isn’t a ‘firm deadline’ on when those decisions need to be made but it’s worth noting that popular ideas include a three-race championship round instead of just a single decisive race or a return to a year-long format.

Those factors would alter what kind of event Homestead will host next year.

“I'd say at some point in the next few months, I think we'll have more to be able to share on what that looks like,” Kennedy said.

“I would say it's been a very collaborative process. Tim Clark and the team have led it, and we had a great meeting in Daytona with many stakeholders across the entire industry, whether it was teams, drivers, broadcast partners, people that are looking at data from what our fans are saying. So it was a really collaborative process.”

For his part, Logano remains an advocate of the system that he’s won three championships within a seven year span.

“You're talking to a guy that thinks we have a great system,” Logano said. “I would make minimal changes, if any (but) there's different opinions, right? All of us will have different ones, probably depending on where you're sitting. I try to look the at it and ask what do I think is most entertaining?

“As I watch the Truck Series or Xfinity Series, that's what I am, a pure fan watching. What brings the most drama but also the most do-or-die moments?

“As a fan of sports in general, I like watching people with their back up against the wall, have to perform or you're going home. I love that. That's what I love about the Playoffs. Our format does that, right? It gives everybody in the Playoffs an opportunity to go out there and show up when it matters the most. It also gives the opportunity for teams to create a huge advantage going into the Playoffs with the Playoff points that's there.”

Logano also conceded that ‘no one wants to hear my opinion’ because of his success and how it’s created this conversation but added that the status quo ‘is fun to watch as well.’

But really, the announcement on Tuesday was about Homestead, and the return of a track that drivers nearly universally have advocated should be part of the mix. It’s in a perfect media market in Miami and South Florida, and its coastal worn surface produces viable lanes from the apron to the wall.

It’s the perfect race track, as articulated by pretty much everyone who has competed or watched races there, and now NASCAR is rewarding that continued enthusiasm with the finale in 2026.

“I mean, if you're asking drivers, it's about the track, right,” Logano said. “The environment obviously is really cool. It's different being in Miami. That's a neat thing but the drivers, what we care about is the racing, right? Can we move around the racetrack, can we do different things, are the tires falling off, is that fun? To us, yeah, that's fun.

“Having a slick track that's tough, challenging, a couple bumps there, you're running up next to the wall, you can run a little bit off the wall, you can do stuff. That is something that is special.”

It also means a certain level of investment being put into the facility by NASCAR as the amenities have aged considerably since it was built in 1995.

Track president Guillermo Santa Cruz doesn't expect a lot of major renovations but a lot of subtle things.

"It could stand a fresh coat of paint," Santa Cruz said. "We're very close to the ocean, so the salt tends to give the place a bit of a beating sometimes.

"Other things that we want to do to improve the fan experience when it comes to hospitality, when it comes to our Champions Club in particular. ... We're going to be looking at some very basic things, whether it's access, egress, things like that, but also how to make the place a little bit more comfortable and find additional ways to provide shade, which is always a nice plus here in South Florida."

But Santa Cruz said they are not touching the beloved racing surface itself.

Lastly, Kennedy also addressed another item that will be sure to be met with positivity, in that the championship rotation will not include superspeedways or variables due to the inherent variables in those disciplines.

“Never say never, but I think we've unanimously agreed that it needs to look and feel like what we would expect traditional NASCAR racing to look and feel like,” Kennedy said. “Short tracks, intermediate tracks, mile tracks are all on the board. Superspeedways, I think we all feel like right now we wouldn't consider that as a championship venue, not that Daytona isn't a championship caliber venue.

“There are a lot of story lines that come out of those events, and we want to make sure that, when we go to Homestead, Miami, or Phoenix or wherever it might be in the future, that there is a lot of strategy and that a lot of our championship drivers are also contending for the victory at the end of that race.”

So for now, Homestead-Miami Speedway will get the next championship race but expect a rotation that includes the likes of Phoenix, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Texas, Darlington, Nashville and Martinsville to all be under consideration.