NASCAR Championship Weekend moving to Homestead in 2026
NASCAR also announced that it will rotate its season finale for the Cup, Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series starting next year among 'NASCAR's marquee venues and key markets.'
NBC Sports, which has broadcast the Cup playoffs and championship race since 2015, will do so through 2031.
Phoenix, which has hosted NASCAR's Championship Weekend since 2020, will be among the rotating sites for the season-ending race for each series. NASCAR also announced that Phoenix will host two Cup weekends next year and that the track's second race weekend will be in the third round of the playoffs. Those dates will be announced later.
Homestead-Miami Speedway's Championship Weekend will be Nov. 6-8 in 2026.
Homestead hosted the championship races for Cup, Xfinity and Trucks from 2002-19 before the season finale moved to Phoenix.
'Homestead-Miami Speedway has a history of competitive, championship racing that will provide nostalgia for veteran drivers and fans and exhilaration for NASCAR's new generation,' said Ben Kennedy, EVP, Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer, in a statement.
'As we move forward, the rotating model will provide new challenges for competitors as well as opportunities for unique venues to host our loyal fans at NASCAR Championship Weekend.'
Kyle Larson won the most recent Cup race at Homestead, taking the checkered flag in March in a race that had 27 lead changes. Last fall's playoff race at Homestead saw Tyler Reddick win after going from third to first on the last lap. The last three laps each had a different leader in that event.
'This place is awesome,' said Christopher Bell, who finished fourth in that race and watched those lead changes ahead of him. 'It leads to some amazing races.'
He's not the only driver who feels that way.
'It's just an awesome race track,' Larson said of Homestead this season. 'Definitely the best across all the series in our sport. It's just fun. It races kind of similar in all the divisions. It's just a cool place.' NASCAR Cup champions crowned at Homestead
2004 — Kurt Busch
2005 — Tony Stewart
2006 — Jimmie Johnson
2007 — Jimmie Johnson
2008 — Jimmie Johnson
2009 — Jimmie Johnson
2010 — Jimmie Johnson
2011 — Tony Stewart
2012 — Brad Keselowski
2013 — Jimmie Johnson
2014 — Kevin Harvick
2015 — Kyle Busch
2016 — Jimmie Johnson
2017 — Martin Truex Jr.
2018 — Joey Logano
2019 — Kyle Busch
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- NBC Sports
NASCAR Friday schedule at Richmond Raceway
Stock cars and trucks will be turning laps for roughly 10 consecutive hours Friday at Richmond Raceway. The Craftsman Truck Series will open the action at 2:05 p.m. ET with a 55-minute practice immediately followed by qualifying for a 250-lap race at 7:30 p.m. Ty Majeski is the defending winner of the race. The Cup Series will practice and qualify from 4:30-6:30 p.m. ET, setting the field for Saturday night's 400-lap race. Denny Hamlin, a native of nearby Chesterfield, Virginia, won the Cup pole last August at Richmond Raceway. Richmond Raceway Friday schedule (All Times Eastern) Friday, Aug. 15 Garage open 9 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. — Truck Series 11 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. — Cup Series Track activity 2:05 - 3 p.m. — Truck practice (FS2) 3:10 - 4 p.m. — Truck qualifying (FS2) 4:30 — 5:30 p.m. — Cup practice (truTV, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) 5:40 - 6:30 p.m. — Cup qualifying (truTV, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) 7:30 p.m. — Truck race (250 laps, 187.5 miles; Stage 1 at Lap 70, Stage 2 at Lap 140; FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) Weather Friday: Partly cloudy with a high of 89 degrees and light winds. Chance of rain 21%. It's expected to be 83 degrees with a 16% chance of rain around the start of the Truck race.


New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
How to watch NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond: Channel, contenders for Cook Out 400 as playoffs near
Richmond's lights burn hot and close. The 0.75-mile oval sits low in the Virginia air, its surface worn enough to reward patience but slick enough to punish a missed mark. The playoff clock shows two races left, and the short-track sprint is a return to elbows-out racing after the measured apexes of Chicago and Watkins Glen. Advertisement Watkins Glen gave us a Kiwi showcase, Shane van Gisbergen's fourth win of the year, and a reminder of the oval gap that still dogs him in points. Chase Briscoe brings steady short-track form. He's averaged a solid 16th place at Richmond in recent years and turned in a fourth at Bristol this spring. Ryan Preece hovers near the playoff bubble, still chasing a first Cup win, while Austin Dillon carries the ghosts of last year's contact-heavy Richmond finish, which later cost him playoff eligibility. The Next Gen car, now in its fourth season, has reshaped Richmond into a strategy race again. Its symmetrical body and wider tires have evened out corner speeds, making track position as much about pit calls as throttle. Long green-flag runs magnify tire falloff over a stint, and force crews to choose between fresh rubber early or holding track position late. After sundown, the groove widens, inviting the high lane into play and changing braking points lap by lap. BetMGM's board tilts toward Denny Hamlin at Richmond, with Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson and William Byron close behind. Watch the opening 50 laps for who can pass in dirty air, since early movement often predicts who will control the rhythm once the race settles. Richmond has a habit of pulling a mid-pack car into the conversation if the driver keeps the wheel straight and the brakes cool when the sun drops. Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Denny Hamlin: Sean Gardner / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ballon d'Or 2025: Dembélé highlighted, anger rises at Barça
Ousmane Dembélé At Barça, there's a growing sense that Ousmane Dembélé is being promoted too heavily for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, unlike Lamine Yamal. What's frustrating the Barça-friendly press, who are solidly in Yamal's corner, is a recent move by the official Ballon d'Or communications team. Mundo Deportivo was quick to point out that less than 24 hours after the UEFA Super Cup, the Ballon d'Or page released a video spotlighting Ousmane Dembélé as he took part in a test where he had to choose between various football legends. In the video, the Frenchman names Lionel Messi as his ultimate MVP. But for many, this doesn't go unnoticed: they see it as a subtle way to put Dembélé in the limelight—a media boost that could have a real impact on the Ballon d'Or race. The Catalan press didn't waste any time responding. They're calling out what they see as excessive promotion of the Frenchman compared to Yamal, the young Barça star and direct rival. Even though the Ballon d'Or account posts videos and highlights of all the contenders, the fact that Dembélé was highlighted so soon after a key match is being viewed as blatant favoritism. Between sporting achievements and media maneuvering, the race for the Ballon d'Or is shaping up to be more intense than ever.