It was announced in May that the 2026 season finales for all three NASCAR national series will be hosted by the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 1.5-mile track in South Florida had played this role previously from 2002-2019 and will continue to do so now after a brief hiatus. Following the completion of the 2024 season, former driver Kyle Petty has expressed his full support for this comeback.
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Petty said on PRN’s Fast Talk show that drivers benefit from the multiple lane and strategy choices they have at the track. He added, “I know we go to Phoenix and everybody wants to give it to a Penske driver and we’re going to go down to Homestead and everybody’s already got Larson’s name and Reddick’s name written on it. Sorry, that’s just the way it is.”
“If we went to Martinsville, we’re going to put Blaney on it and we’re going to put Hendrick on it and we’re going to do some of those things,” Petty continued. “So, there are tracks that match certain drivers. But as we saw yesterday, no matter how well you run, you still have to put the total race together.”
Petty sure is a fan of how races play out at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Phoenix, however, he was not so fond of initially. He noted how he had never seen a good race at the short track and believed that it was a wrong move on NASCAR’s part to move the finale there. But what made the venue work was the playoff format by which four drivers raced for the title.
“It’s the point battle that you’re following during the race that makes that race so exciting,” Petty explained.
The significance of Homestead-Miami as a finale venue
News of the return has been very well received by the NASCAR community over the past few months. The track celebrated its 30th season in 2025. When it first hosted the championship in 2002, Tony Stewart ended up being the title winner. He later went on to win two more championships there.
Jimmie Johnson secured his record-tying seventh Cup Series championship at Homestead as well. The track has served as the venue where many drivers like Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Joey Logano won their maiden championships.
The beautifully worn surface and the progressive banking at the track demands the most out of driver skill by producing multiple racing grooves.
