“We need to go back”: NASCAR insider takes a firm stance for the return of Championship race to Homestead-Miami

The Homestead-Miami Speedway served as the home of the NASCAR Championship race between 20002 and 2019. The season finale now takes place at the Phoenix Raceway, and the venue is expected to stick around for the foreseeable future. However, there has been a widespread demand from fans, drivers, and insiders alike for the sport to bring back the championship race to Homestead.

In a recent conversation on PRN, Jamie Little of FOX Sports made her case for why NASCAR should bring back the final race of the season to Homestead. She spoke about her extensive coverage of different races at the racetrack in South Florida and said that it would be best for the sport if it went back to Homestead to cap off the season.

"That vibe down there in South Florida, that race, the racing that you get no matter what you're doing down there; I've covered IndyCars, Xfinity, Trucks, Cup, they're all amazing," Jamie Little shared.

"It's just the way that track has worn out; it's the way it has been built, the colors at the racetrack, it's just very unique, and it's such a great place. I think we need to go back, I think the drivers are fans of going back. So, if they do the renovation, yes. Clean up the pit road, the area that we talked about, maybe the garages, but leave the racetrack alone, please," she added.

While many, like Jamie Little, including the Track President and the Vice Mayor of Homestead, want the track to return as the venue for the Championship race, there are financial obligations NASCAR needs to consider before making that switch.

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NASCAR lacks financial incentives to switch back to Homestead

The 1.5-mile racetrack has always been considered one of the most entertaining tracks on the NASCAR calendar. And while the governing body itself wants to go back to Homestead-Miami for the season finale, according to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, there isn't much financial incentive for them to make that switch.

"NASCAR wants to be here [Homestead]. They would like to have their Championship here, but this, at the end of the day, is also a business decision…The city by itself can’t write the check," Bianchi explained on the Teardown podcast (1:50 onwards)

"The Arizona, Phoenix — that community is paying NASCAR essentially to have the Championship at Phoenix Raceway. And so, if you’re going to move the Championship from there, you’re gonna go somewhere where you’re going to essentially get the same dollars," he added.

However, in a previous report from Bianchi, he noted that the Homestead Track President, Guillermo Santa Cruz, and Homestead Vice Mayor Sean Fletcher are preparing an enticing financial package and are hoping to bring back the championship race to Miami as soon as 2026.