Hosting 2026 Championship Weekend 'A Great Honor' for Homestead-Miami

Photo: David Rosenblum, LAT Images for Toyota GAZOO Racing

NASCAR Championship Weekend is returning to Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2026.

Sure, it’s only for one year, right now, since NASCAR plans to rotate the season-finale each year for the foreseeable future, but regardless, the fans are rejoicing over the fan-favorite racetrack’s return to a position on the schedule it held for nearly two decades.

The outpouring of support for the mile-and-a-half racetrack began when it was first announced that Phoenix Raceway would be hosting Championship Weekend, and in the half-decade since, the outcry for Homestead to return to the final points-paying event of the season has gotten louder and louder.

Guillermo Santa Cruz, who has served as the Track President of Homestead-Miami Speedway since last Summer, says both the driver and the fan support of the racetrack were the main reasons that he accepted the job.

“This is huge,” Santa Cruz told Racing America on SI in a press conference on Tuesday. “One of the reasons I took the job, one of the factors that came into consideration, was when I found out how much the drivers love the track.”

Since the finale moved to Phoenix, fans have been vocal about Championship Weekend returning to @HomesteadMiami.

Today, I asked Guillermo Santa Cruz, Track President, what the support means to him, and how it inspired his team to get back to hosting the finale in 2026.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/TEsFHwRvqQ

— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) May 6, 2025

“I have been around NASCAR a long time. It took the hiring process for me to really pay attention to certain things. One of them was when I was told how much the drivers love the track. It started with that. After that, how much the fans love it.”

Santa Cruz was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Miami to Cuban parents Thus, the surrounding areas of Homestead-Miami Speedway were an integral part of his life, making the drive to return the racetrack to Championship Weekend an important issue.

The track president recalls the origins of Homestead-Miami Speedway, the idea of which came from the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The racetrack opened in 1995 and hosted NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series standalones until 1998, until the NASCAR Cup Series joined in 1999.

“When you look at that history and now be able to bring it back, to bring the championship back, to me it’s a huge responsibility,” Santa Cruz explained. “It’s a great honor. I know the team is incredibly pleased and proud, as well as they should be, because it’s all their hard work that brought the championship back.”

Although it’s only a one-year stint as host of Championship Weekend, Santa Cruz says his team at Homestead-Miami Speedway isn’t resting on their laurels and will work hard to make sure the 2026 Championship Weekend is a smashing success.

“We don’t take that lightly. We look forward to working with the people of Homestead and the city and the mayor, not only Homestead but Miami-Dade County, to put on the best show possible. It’s a huge responsibility but it’s also a lot of fun and I know we’re up to it.

2026 NASCAR Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway will kick off NASCAR’s new championship rotation on November 6, 7, and 8, 2026.