The Homestead-Miami Speedway race earned high marks from all the drivers, including Denny Hamlin, regardless of whether they finished first or spun out. From Kyle Larson’s early setback with a flat tire to Tyler Reddick’s final pass, the race captured the collective imagination of fans, spectators, and drivers, sparking a unanimous call for its inclusion in the playoffs.
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The race was marked by a staggering 33 lead changes among 11 drivers and witnessed six caution flags. Having competed on this track both when it hosted the Championship finale and during the Round of 8 playoffs, Hamlin’s opinion holds importance.
Despite not clinching a win himself, the #11 driver used his podcast to express his admiration for the track and the quality of racing it consistently delivers.
Furthermore, he subtly criticized NASCAR’s decision to relegate such an exciting race to the regular season. He commented, “I thought the race was fantastic obviously the racing um is as good as it gets at that racetrack… So it was just perfectly mapped out um when they put this racetrack on the schedule.”
“And very unfortunate we’re not going to see it in even in the playoffs next year. They just they put it where they thought was best but who knows if that’s right or not. But certainly from a pure standpoint you know that that is NASCAR racing 101.”
A growing chorus within the NASCAR community calling for a schedule reshuffle for Homestead
Chase Briscoe, journalists Austin Konenski, and Matt Weaver have all been vocal on social media, championing the Homestead track. After a P12 finish, Briscoe shared, “Today’s takeaways… @HomesteadMiami continues to be the best track on the schedule and it’s not even close and it’s so cool to see how pumped MJ is to be here.”
Konenski threw his weight behind returning the track to its former glory as the setting for the Championship finale, arguing, that Homestead-Miami Speedway should undoubtedly host the Championship 4 event in 2026 and beyond. According to him, Phoenix Raceway just can’t match what fans witnessed last Sunday — an all-time NASCAR playoff race featuring the world’s elite drivers.
Meanwhile, Matt Weaver captured the sentiment more succinctly, noting, “I’m too in the moment to be level-headed about it, and I need to think longer about it, but that is definitely one of the best pound-for-pound best NASCAR Cup races ever.” While he chose not to rank it yet, according to him, holistically, that was the good race.
