Phoenix Raceway has been NASCAR’s championship battleground for six consecutive seasons, but the responsibility of staging the sport’s finale has returned to Homestead-Miami Speedway this year. The 1.5-mile South Florida oval, which hosted season-ending races across all three national NASCAR series from 2002 through 2019, will once again stage its tripleheader weekend from Nov. 6–8.
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That shift ends Phoenix’s recent run at the center of championship week, even though the Arizona venue developed an atmosphere that resonated strongly with competitors and spectators. Homestead Track President Guillermo Santa Cruz acknowledged Phoenix’s execution while outlining the approach Homestead intends to adopt. He said,
“I think Phoenix has done a really excellent job. The track, it’s spectacular. The hospitality is incredible. The support from the community, from Andale, and from Phoenix in general, I think that’s really important.” Santa Cruz expanded on that idea by emphasizing community involvement as a central lesson. He stated,
“That’s one of the takeaways that we’re bringing back to Homestead is how the community has embraced it. And that means all sorts of things. It means government, it means community leaders, it means businesses, things like that. Homestead is not that different. It’s a population about the same 100,000 people. We have a team from the city of Homestead that’s also here.”
He continued by pointing to the visible connection between Phoenix and its local base, saying that the takeaway is for them to see the love that NASCAR gets here in Phoenix. And Homestead intends to bring that to the venue.
Support for Phoenix Raceway as a title-deciding venue came from several factors tied directly to the on-track product and the surrounding experience. Fans gravitated toward the facility because of its modern fan-facing infrastructure, the distinct racing created by its layout, and weather conditions that removed uncertainty from championship weekend.
A $178 million renovation reshaped the track and altered race flow by relocating the start-finish line to the exit of the former Turn 2. Besides that, the racing was accentuated with access rarely offered elsewhere on the schedule. The Desert Diamond Casino Infield Experience placed NASCAR fans within arm’s reach of the sport’s inner workings.
Spectators were allowed to move freely through garage areas, observe inspection procedures, sign the start-finish line, and stand directly behind pit boxes as teams executed stops.
Situated in Avondale, Arizona, Phoenix Raceway also benefited from conditions that all but eliminated the risk of rain delays. That reliability ensured NASCAR fans traveling from every U.S. state and multiple countries could witness a champion crowned without interruption.
Homestead-Miami Speedway celebrates its 30th season this year. And given that the intermediate track has already carried a reputation as a measure of driver execution, owing to the surface wear and progressive banking that support multiple grooves, it will be a task for them to create the same thrill Phoenix offered.
While the championship spotlight shifts east, Phoenix will remain part of the Cup Series calendar, continuing to host two races during the season as it has in prior years.
