NASCAR’s championship weekend returns to Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2026. It ends a six-year stretch where the finale ran elsewhere and restores a spot that many in the garage felt still belonged in South Florida.
For Track President Guillermo Santa Cruz, the move is more than just a schedule shift. It ties back to what he hoped to deliver when he took on the job in 2024 and what fans had been asking for. He grew up in the area and saw how much the championship meant to the market before the event left.
“My mindset from the get-go was to try to bring the championship back,” Santa Cruz said. “Nobody told me, ‘You have to try to bring the championship back. If you do a good job, you’re going to get the championship.’ There were no strings attached. I quit my job at IMG, and I took on this challenge, and I wanted to bring the championship back. Nobody told me to say that.”
Why Homestead-Miami Was Chosen Again
From 2002 through 2019, Homestead-Miami closed out the season and built a strong identity around multi-groove racing and high-pressure moments. Its layout allowed wide, competitive action and created NASCAR championship weekends that stood out year after year.
When the finale shifted to Phoenix in 2020 after upgrades there, NASCAR planned for a possible rotation. Fans kept asking for Homestead’s return, and internal surveys showed the same trend.
Santa Cruz believed Homestead could be successful whether it raced in March, the playoffs, or as the finale.
“I think we can be a very successful track no matter when we race, because racing in March is challenging for some reasons,” he said. “Obviously, having a playoff race is better from a promotional and sporting perspective, and having a championship is the ultimate. No matter what, I think we would always thrive. So, it’s a good equation, but the answer is that, well, we don’t have to worry about it because we’ve got the championship.”
Identity for the Future
Santa Cruz wants the event to reflect the area he knows, not a version of South Florida built for tourists.
“We have to be and offer the best version of South Florida that we possibly can,” he said. “The way I see it, we have to represent the South Florida I know and grew up in. Meaning it’s a multicultural community and has all these influences: it’s the most diverse market in NASCAR, the most cosmopolitan city in the rotation. We have to reflect that, and be welcoming and fun.”
He said that it has become central to how the track plans the weekend.
“That’s a guiding principle for us. Don’t try to be something that you’re not. We’re not South Beach. We’re closer to the Keys chill, relaxed, fun, and come have a good time. We put on great racing, everybody knows that. Now, come enjoy the rest of the things that we’re putting out there.”
For him, the return of the NASCAR championship is both responsibility and celebration. “Like I said, it’s a big responsibility, but it’s also planning a big party,” Santa Cruz said.
He added that once the weekend begins, he hopes to take in the moment. “It’s going to be a party. It’s going to be fun. It’s the championship. Once that green flag drops on Friday night of the Truck Series race, hopefully everything at that point will have gone well and I can sit back and enjoy the ride.”
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