Rotating Championship Tracks is a Realistic Option, Says NASCAR COO
What’s Happening? It is no secret that the NASCAR Championship Race weekend could move from Phoenix. However, in a new interview…
Since losing the NASCAR season finale to Phoenix, fans have urged NASCAR to return the race to Homestead Miami Speedway. With the future location of the Championship race still in the air this weekend, the track will have a chance to make its case for a return.
From 2002 to 2019, Homestead Miami played host to NASCAR’s season finale. The track status lasted through, technically, three championship formats and three generations of NASCAR race cars.
Yet, in 2020, NASCAR opted for a change of venue, sending all three NASCAR National Series to the renovated short-track Phoenix Raceway. That season would be the first time NASCAR’s finale did not occur in the Deep South.
At the time, this was a welcome change; while most fans did not want the event to leave Homestead, the high quality of NASCAR’s short-track product in the Generation Six era proposed a chance at a thrilling championship race. Furthermore, the track was known for its great attendance and passionate fans.
However, when NASCAR introduced the Gen Seven Next Gen Car in 2022, the racing radically changed, resulting in a still lackluster product on track. Despite package changes and a recent in-race tire test, NASCAR has yet to find a solution to this problem.
The nostalgia of Homestead and lackluster racing at Phoenix has turned a return to Florida into a battle cry for passionate fans and some racers.
One NASCAR executive has been rather open about the sport’s exploration for a new season finale host track or even host tracks. On multiple occasions, NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell has stressed that the sport is open to multiple options and multiple tracks.
At November’s State of the Sport press conference, O’Donnell even listed a set of tracks they have considered. These tracks include Darlington, Charlotte, Las Vegas, and, of course, Homestead.
However, in recent interviews, O’Donnell has highlighted that the location could not be at just one track; rather, as he told the hosts of NASCAR’s Hauler Talk, “a rotation is going to be really important for us.”
When asked where NASCAR was looking for this potential host, O’Donnell said, “wherever we can put on a great race.” Fans believe Homestead is that place, as the Next-Gen car has a stellar resume at 1.5-mile tracks, especially at Homestead.
But, back in November, O’Donnell already laid out the stakes for the track’s return.
What’s Happening? It is no secret that the NASCAR Championship Race weekend could move from Phoenix. However, in a new interview…
During the State of the Sport press conference, O’Donnell was asked about the finale’s future and whether it could return to Miami in 2026, as NASCAR had already announced Phoenix’s return in 2025.
Prior to the release of NASCAR’s 2025 schedule, 2026 looked like the most realistic date for the track. On Apr. 17, 2024, the Homestead City Council passed a resolution to prepare a bid to bring the finale back to South Florida in 2026.
In the same quote in which he listed potential host tracks, O’Donnell said that the circumstance would have to be right for Homestead to return. “Miami’s certainly been one that we’ve looked at,” O’Donnell said. “I would say that in March, when we go back, how do we do from an attendance standpoint? That’s going to be really big for us to see.”
While the racing is great at Homestead, Phoenix has set a high standard for fan interest and attendance. As O’Donnell went on to say, “It’s very difficult to replicate what we see this week in the atmosphere, what goes into it, the crowd that shows up consistently. So as we look and consider other venues, all of that has to come into play.”
That leads us to this weekend; as NASCAR heads to Homestead, a lot is on the line, most of which seems to be in the hands of the fans. When drivers take the green flag throughout the weekend, make sure to keep an eye on the stands.
What’s Happening? During Friday’s State of the Sport press conference, NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell was asked if NASCAR’s Championship weekend would…
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