Latest news with #PhoenixRaceway
Fox News
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
NASCAR moving 2026 championship to Homestead as part of finale rotation
NASCAR will move its season finale to a familiar place to determine its national series champions. And then it will move again. Homestead-Miami Speedway, which played host to the championship race from 2002-19, will be the site of the 2026 finales for the three national series from Nov. 6-8, 2026. As for 2027, NASCAR said it will move to another site as part of a plan to rotate the finale. Phoenix Raceway, which has played host to the championships from 2020-2025, will be one of the tracks in the rotation. Other tracks in the rotation were not announced, but with its finale currently in early November, only warm-weather locations can be considered. What NASCAR doesn't know yet is how it will crown its champions. It has a committee working on the playoff format. The current format of eliminations results in four drivers eligible for the title in the final race, and the best finisher among those four at the finale is crowned the champion. Doing that, especially at one track, could favor or disfavor a driver depending on the driver's strength at that particular track. NASCAR's moving the championship around should increase the buzz as well as provide a little more competitive balance. "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," NASCAR Executive Vice President Ben Kennedy said. Homestead, which had a race in March this year, will continue to have one race, which will be the championship in 2026. Phoenix will continue to have two races annually. NASCAR's plan to move the season finale was first reported by The Athletic. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and IndyCar for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
Reuters
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
NASCAR to start rotating championship weekend in '26
NASCAR will switch gears and begin rotating the site of its championship weekend starting in 2026. Only two tracks in the past 23 years have hosted the season-ending tripleheader of title races: Homestead-Miami (2002-19) and Phoenix Raceway (2020-current). The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here. As with the Super Bowl or Final Four, bringing the finales of the Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series to different locations will boost exposure in more markets. Advertisement · Scroll to continue Unlike those events, played on uniform fields and courts, NASCAR's rotation model potentially could transform the competition due to the varying lengths, surfaces and conditions of the circuit's tracks. "Having the playoffs be more unpredictable every year, the championship venue to be at a different location, I think gives you the ability to see different teams and drivers kind of rise to the occasion to be able to be crowned a champion," said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovation officer. Kennedy said 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami will host in November 2026, and that 1-mile Phoenix will also remain in the rotation, but other tracks will be announced later based on several factors. Advertisement · Scroll to continue "I would say it's four or five things," Kennedy said. "It's marketing and promotion, for sure, and it's location. We want to be in a warm-weather market. Ideally, being in November, that first week of November, it kind of limits you to the amount of races that you can run. ... I would say the quality of the facility. In Phoenix, we put over $100 million into the redevelopment of that track, and it was a big catalyst for bringing this championship to the West Coast. We're going to be putting a good amount of capital into Homestead as well ahead of the race. "The racing product, I think, is another big part of this. And then overall, it's just the entire industry's feedback on this. So we collaborate with our broadcast partners, our teams. We hear from our drivers what they think, a lot of our corporate partners, and then ultimately the fans, and the fans have a large voice in this, and we get their perspective on it every single year." Homestead-Miami track president Guillermo Santa Cruz called it an honor to be the first locale in the new rotation. "There's nothing like having that ability to be the first one up and to have that blank sheet of paper in front of you and say, 'OK, what are we going to do?' Then you start," he said. "As a creative person, I love that. I love that ability to do that. That's my favorite thing in the world." NASCAR's championship weekend this year will be in Phoenix from Oct. 31-Nov. 2. --Field Level Media Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab Share X Facebook Linkedin Email Link Purchase Licensing Rights
New York Times
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
NASCAR announces 2026 championship return to Homestead: ‘Right time to do it'
Homestead-Miami Speedway will host NASCAR's 2026 championship weekend for its Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series, the league announced Tuesday, returning the championship finales to the South Florida track that previously hosted the races for nearly two decades in a move that will likely be celebrated across the sport. Homestead, a mile-and-a-half oval located just south of Miami, hosted championship weekend for its three national series beginning in 2002 through the 2019 season before NASCAR shifted the event to Phoenix Raceway, which has served as host ever since. The Homestead race moved out of the playoffs entirely in 2020 and 2021, then served as the second of three semifinal-round races from 2022 to 2024 before moving to March this season. Regarded as one of NASCAR's most competitive tracks, Homestead is widely popular among fans and competitors alike, with both camps frequently voicing their support for the facility to host championship weekend again. This support, along with continued great racing there and renowned enthusiasm within the South Florida community championed by Homestead track president Guillermo Santa Cruz, has created a groundswell of support that compelled NASCAR to bring back its championship weekend to Homestead. The three title races will occur Nov. 6-8, 2026. 'We talked about it for quite a while, but we felt this was the right opportunity, the right time to do it,' said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR executive vice president, chief venue and racing innovation officer. 'We have a great new president down there with Guillermo taking the lead; (the track) has put on some amazing races, and this was a big opportunity for us to shake things up.' Homestead's return as host for the 2026 championship weekend, which The Athletic reported last month, coincides with NASCAR rolling out a new rotating model where the event will shift tracks from year to year, similar to how several marquee annual sports championships are moved to different sites. The details are still being determined, Kennedy said, but the rotation will consist of tracks in weather-friendly locales. In addition to Homestead, Phoenix will be included in the rotation. Phoenix's annual date will also stay in the playoffs and is set for a spot in the semifinal round next year. 'It is a change,' Kennedy said of NASCAR departing from its tradition of a single host for the championship. 'We've also made a handful of other pretty bold changes to the schedule — we've gone to new venues, we've shook up the Clash (exhibition race), we've changed the playoff schedule — and one of the remaining things that we have on our checkoff list is to also begin a rotation of our championship and move it to different venues. So glad we were able to deliver on that one.' The league isn't ready to announce the host for the 2027 championship weekend. Ideally, NASCAR wants future championship venues to be unveiled well in advance. 'If we can continue to bump forward the announcement year after year, I think it's going to help all of us from a planning perspective and from a promotion perspective because that just gives us a much longer window to be able to talk about these events,' Kennedy said. 'It'd be great to plan a few years out as that gives us opportunities to engage the local community, gives us opportunities to promote the event and have a lot of bites at the apple and really create a lot of anticipation. A lot of other sports are planning their finals and their big events years in advance, and we'd like to eventually do the same.' But before the 2027 championship weekend comes next year's championship. This puts Homestead on the clock; in 18 months, it will again host NASCAR's biggest race weekend outside of the Daytona 500. And there is much to do to get the track ready. Plans are underway to make infrastructural improvements to the facility, which opened in 1995 and has begun to show its age. One of the reasons Phoenix secured the championship beginning in 2020 was due to massive renovations that elevated it into a top-class venue. 'We have a very long menu list of items that we could do to (Homestead),' Kennedy said. 'I think a lot of it is going to be looking to expand our hospitality footprints to make the midway and activation areas more user-friendly. And then we've also looked at some options in the infield, as well. 'We just really want to overall enhance some of the elements for the fan experience.' NASCAR has been working with state, county and city officials and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau to put together a financial incentive package to assist in any capital improvement projects undertaken. These efforts, while still ongoing, have thus far not materialized. Still, returning championship weekend to Homestead was an opportunity NASCAR could no longer resist, even if the league might end up on the hook for the expenses. 'We're doing the right thing for the right reasons, we're bringing the championship back,' Santa Cruz said. 'And we're talking to everybody. But it was really about doing what's right for the sport and right by the fans more than anything. We still have a strategy to work with our community, to work with local government and get some support, but we're very happy with the fact that we're doing the right thing.' Regardless of any improvements to the Homestead facility, the track itself won't be changed, meaning the great racing that has long defined the track should continue when NASCAR returns to crown a champion in November 2026. 'We worked so hard, we wanted this so bad, and we're just thrilled enough to be entrusted with our responsibility of hosting the championship again and knowing that we're going to do a great job,' Santa Cruz said. (Top photo of Kyle Busch securing the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
Axios
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
11 things to do in Phoenix in April
With temperatures on the rise, the Valley has one more month to embrace outdoor events. 🎶 Reggae Rise Up Arizona Enjoy a three-day festival of reggae music with performances by Wiz Khalifa, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley and more. April 4-6, noon-11pm Friday and Saturday and noon-10pm Sunday; Tempe Beach Park. Tickets from $80. 🎮 Game On Expo Gamers unite! Revel in all things video games, anime, e-sports and music. April 4-6, 11am-10pm Friday and Saturday and 11am-5pm Sunday; Phoenix Convention Center. Tickets from $52. 🏳️🌈 Rainbows Festival Celebrate Phoenix's LGBTQ+ community at this street fair, complete with two live entertainment stages. April 5-6, 10am-6pm; Heritage Square Park. Free! 🎠 Maricopa County Fair Partake in carnival rides, fried food and animal exhibitions. April 4-6 and 10-13, opens at 11am; Arizona State Fairgrounds; $7 presale or $10 at the gate. 🌿 Buds-A-Palooza 2025 Cannabis enthusiasts will take over downtown Phoenix at this art and music street fair. April 11, 2pm-10pm; Roosevelt Row. Tickets from $60. Honor football player-turned-soldier Pat Tillman at this annual 4.2-mile fundraising run. Proceeds support ASU's Tillman Scholar Program. April 12, 7am; Downtown Tempe; $70.42. Take a self-guided tour of some of the Valley's most well-manicured private gardens. April 12, 9am-5pm; various private residences. Tickets from $85. Bring the family to this classic Ahwatukee Easter celebration, featuring a parade, craft fair and festival. April 19, 10am-4pm; Ahwatukee Community Park. Free! Join this charity run to raise money for homeless veterans in the Valley. April 19, 8am; Phoenix Raceway; $45. April 26-27, 10am-5pm Saturday and 11am-5pm Sunday; Phoenix Convention Center; $5 online or $10 at the door.
NBC Sports
14-03-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
How to watch Sunday's Cup race at Las Vegas: Start time, TV info and weather
Christopher Bell will try to continue his historic run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Ciricuit of The Americas and Phoenix Raceway, Bell is poised to become the first driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2007 with four consecutive wins. Bell still is seeking his first Cup win at Vegas but has dominated recently at the 1.5-mile track. Last October, he qualified first and led a race-high 155 of 267 laps but finished second. He also finished second from the pole position in the Oct. 15, 2023 race. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is trying to become the first since Bill Elliott in 1992 to win four of the first five races. Bell already is the first to win three consecutive races in the Next Gen era. There have been eight drivers with four consecutive victories in NASCAR's premier series: Cale Yarborough (1976), Darrell Waltrip (1981), Dale Earnhardt Sr. (1987), Harry Gant (1991), Elliott (1992), Mark Martin (1993), Jeff Gordon (1998), and Johnson (2007). Details for Sunday's Cup race at Phoenix Raceway (All times Eastern) START: The race will begin shortly after 3:30 p.m. PRERACE: The Cup garage opens at 12:30 p.m. ... The drivers meeting will begin at 2:30 p.m. ... Driver introductions will be at 2:55 p.m. DISTANCE: The race is 267 laps (400.5 miles) on a 1.5-mile oval. STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 80. Stage 2 ends at Lap 165. ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 36 cars entered TV/RADIO: FS1 will begin its race broadcast at 3:30 p.m. Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage. FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — A mix of clouds and sunshine with a high of 72 degrees and 10-15 mph winds. It's expected to be 62 degrees with a 0% chance of rain at the start of the Cup race. LAST YEAR: Kyle Larson led a race-high 181 laps and held off a late charge by runner-up Tyler Reddic.
