Could NASCAR race at Homestead Miami be canceled? All you need to know

With the ongoing brush fire in south Miami-Dade, NASCAR fans fear the Homestead-Miami Speedway race could be canceled. However, the City of Homestead announced that the race weekend will continue as scheduled.

The Miami-Dade brush fire reportedly broke out on Tuesday. At the time of writing, it has destroyed 22,000 acres of land amid dry conditions and strong winds and only 20% of it has been contained. While officials advised the public to limit outdoor exposure, the 267-lap race around the Homestead-Miami Speedway is still a go.

The City of Homestead took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an update on the situation.

"Grass Fire Update: The City of Homestead & emergency teams are monitoring the fire. US 1 may close intermittently; Card Sound Rd remains closed. Power outages possible due to damage. Fire is 20% contained. NASCAR events remain on schedule. Stay updated," the City of Homestead wrote.

The NASCAR Cup Series will return to the track with Tyler Reddick as the defending race winner. Reddick, the driver of the No. 45 Toyota Camry, took the checkered flag in last year's Homestead-Miami race in fall to secure his first Championship 4 appearance.

Christopher Bell, who won three of the first four races of the 2025 season, is another favorite for the race weekend. He has an average finish of 8.8 at the 1.5-mile track, second-best all-time to Kevin Harvick.

Tyler Reddick leads Bell and Larson at Homestead-Miami Speedway last year - Source: Imagn

While the City of Homestead and emergency teams continue to monitor the fire, the Straight Talk Wireless 400 will be held on March 23 at 3:00 p.m. ET. FS1 will broadcast the race for the TV coverage.

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Former NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick shares favorite to win at Homestead-Miami

Kevin Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion, picked Kyle Larson to win the Homestead-Miami race on Sunday. While Harvick didn't explain why he chose the No. 5 driver, he leads the podcast team on points standings for race predictions.

On the latest episode of the Happy Hour podcast, the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver said:

“I think I'm going to go with the No. 5 (Kyle Larson). And that's why I like to pick first, because I am the leader in the clubhouse. So that's how I get to pick first, right?" [58:12 onwards]

Meanwhile, podcast co-hosts Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith shared their picks for the upcoming race.

"I'm takingdReddick. We talked about him, too, but I already had him down," Vincie said.

"I think that they've been fast. So far, they've been fast. This week, they led some laps. Give me Bubba Wallace," Smith predicted.

Kyle Larson only won once at Homestead-Miami Speedway in October 2022. His most recent outing at the track last year saw him finish 13th after starting alongside pole-sitter Tyler Reddick in the front row.

Vincie and Smith's picks both drive for 23XI Racing, a Toyota team co-owned by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin and six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan. Bubba Wallace kicked off the year strong with a Duel 1 win but struggled to finish within the top 10 in recent races.