Homestead-Miami Speedway will host the next race of the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Cup Series. While the track may not be a favorite for drivers like Chris Buescher or Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Larson views it as a prime venue for his team.
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Christopher Bell boasts the best average finish among active drivers at Homestead, with a solid 10.0 across four starts. William Byron, however, has outshone others in recent performances, achieving an impressive average finish of 5.7 in his last three starts there since 2021.
Larson, who has an average finish of P13 over ten starts and a win to his name at the venue in 2022 starting from P5, expressed a slight discontent with the scheduling.
He noted during the pre-race media session that it’s a pity the Cup Series only makes its way to Homestead once annually, unlike other intermediate tracks which see NASCAR Cup action twice a year:
“I look forward to racing at Homestead-Miami – I just really love that track. We only get to go there once a year, whereas a lot of intermediates we go to twice a year. I wish we could go there twice because I just love the track. So yeah, I look forward to going there because, one, I love it, and we’re really, really fast there. And yeah, it’s just a good track for us,” said Larson.
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— Homestead-Miami Speedway (@HomesteadMiami) October 26, 2024
But rather than increasing the number of races at Homestead, NASCAR has completely shifted its role in the playoff landscape. According to the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Homestead-Miami Speedway has been moved from its playoff slot to become the sixth race of the regular season, taking place in March right after Las Vegas.
The change sees Talladega stepping in to fill the Florida track’s previous playoff position.
Larson isn’t the only one who cherishes trips to Homestead
While Larson’s affection for the Miami track is well-documented, he’s not alone in his sentiments. Ryan Blaney, who clinched P3 there last year, also counts it among his top picks. In anticipation of the race, the Team Penske driver expressed,
“I love going to Homestead-Miami and I feel like if you ask any driver they love that racetrack just because it’s so unique in its shape, the surface that it has. We put a great run together there last year and had a great shot to win that race, so I really enjoy it. To me, that’s one of the more risk-reward racetracks that we go to.”
Joey Logano, Blaney’s teammate, also lauds the track for its distinctiveness, noting that drivers have the flexibility to race both the lower and upper lanes and that the extensive tire wear it causes adds a challenging dimension to setting up the race car.
However, despite its popularity among drivers, the track’s shifting role—from hosting the Cup Series finale for 19 years to a Round of 8 fixture, and now being moved out of the playoffs entirely—casts uncertainty over its future presence on the annual NASCAR calendar.
