With mere hours left for the 2025 Straight Talk Wireless 400 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Denny Hamlin’s latest press interaction unveiled his dissatisfaction with the race’s shift to the regular season schedule. Formerly the stage for the NASCAR Cup Series finale just five years ago, the speedway is now ready to host one of the initial 26 races that shape the playoff lineup.
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Hamlin supported a revision, aspiring to promote the Homestead-Miami race back into the playoff schedule, if not as the finale race. The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has an average finish of 10.5 across 20 starts at the venue, including three victories, six top-5s, and thirteen top-10s at Homestead.
However, Hamlin’s desire to shift the race into the playoff season wasn’t due to his success there; rather, he emphasized the race’s excitement. He expressed, “I would certainly like to see it play a bigger factor in our championship.”
Further elaborating on his viewpoint, Hamlin stated, “Whether it’s in the Playoffs, just a part of the championship race or round, or whatever it might be, I’d like to see it be a part of that as like we just talked about, the driver makes a bigger difference at this track compared to the car.”
The Homestead-Miami Speedway was the venue for the Cup Series championship race from 2002 through 2019 and has been in the playoffs schedule over the last three seasons.
However, several factors precipitated Phoenix Raceway’s ascendancy over Homestead as the decisive venue for crowning NASCAR’s champions. An important factor was the $178 million earmarked for infrastructural enhancements at Phoenix, supported by a commitment from the Arizona Office of Tourism to invest $1.5 million annually for 30 years in promoting the venue’s races.
Also, NASCAR aimed to optimize its substantial investment by hosting a premier event at the upgraded facility. Moreover, while still a contender in the circuit, Homestead began to reveal signs of wear, necessitating capital improvements that had not yet been sanctioned.
The volatile and saturated sports market of South Florida further exacerbated the challenges, often ending in what some industry insiders described as lukewarm local support for NASCAR’s top-tier event.
Hamlin on the things that make Homestead a driver’s race track
The drivers consistently applaud Homestead’s track configuration, which features multiple racing lines, especially the high line that allows them to race just inches from the wall — a tactic exemplified by Tyler Reddick’s outside maneuver to overtake Ryan Blaney in last year’s Round of 8.
Denny Hamlin attributed the racing at Homestead to a synergy between tire wear and the track’s layout. He noted that drivers have ample opportunities to alter their strategies, either by cutting the distance or by sustaining momentum, necessitating adaptability throughout the race.
At Homestead, drivers find themselves equipped with a variety of tactical options, thus compensating for any deficiencies in their cars’ performance.
Recently, Homestead has witnessed a series of victories by principal contenders in the 2025 Cup championship, including Hamlin, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Reddick. It remains to be seen whether one of these seasoned drivers will win another race on the track or if a new challenger will come out to claim victory this Sunday.
