2-Headed Monster: Should the Championship Race Return to Homestead?

Another race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, another classic finish — perhaps the greatest playoff race to date, some would say.

Granted, there have been some great playoff races there. The first playoff finale of the Chase era was pretty great, with Kurt Busch losing a wheel and having to work his way back through the pack. Greg Biffle and Mark Martin door-to-door to the finish line the following year was one of the closest finishes in history at that point.

Add William Byron vs Elliott Sadler in Xfinity and Martin Truex Jr. vs Kyle Busch in Cup, both in 2017, for the former winner’s only Cup Series title, and you start to form a compelling argument. That said, Phoenix has had its share of great finishes in the other two series in the few short years the series has had its desert classic. This week, Vito Pugliese and Luken Glover share the strengths that both tracks bring to the table in 2-Headed Monster.

Standing in a Desert Alone

Taking an unpopular position is not always an easy task. In fact, it’s often the exact opposite of that. Following Jeff Gluck’s poll following last week’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway coming in at almost 94%, this is one of those times.

But someone has to stand up for the little guy. And in this case, the little guy is Phoenix Raceway. Much maligned for its less-than-impressive Cup Series contests the last few (15 …) years, it has many lamenting for the old days of Ford Championship Weekend in South Florida. While not every race at Homestead has been a last-corner nail-biter, every championship race at Phoenix hasn’t been a snoozefest either.

The Xfinity title races in 2021 and 2022 come to mind. Daniel Hemric nudging Austin Cindric aside for his first series crown — and thus far, his only race win — was not exactly something everyone thought might be a possibility. While late restarts to decide the championship in 2016 led to Carl Edwards having a “take this job and shove it” moment, the overtime battle for the Xfinity title didn’t seem to generate the same kind of pushback.

Noah Gragson, whose rivalry and war of words with Ty Gibbs wasn’t in a vacuum, as was stalking Gibbs for the final few laps in 2022 and working lapped traffic as the race came to a close.

The Truck Series has had its share of championship finales at Phoenix that have not disappointed. Well, that’s unless you’re Grant Enfinger in last season’s contest when half the field lost their collective minds the final 20 laps of the event.

The green-white-checkered finishes that followed were made possible in part by the unique configuration of the Phoenix frontstretch, which sees the field fan out to six- or seven-wide, then funnel back down into two lanes into turn 1. Or, in this case, they just continued to run into each other.

2022 was also an overtime affair, with Zane Smith having to hold off Ben Rhodes and Chandler Smith for the final three laps. It netted him his first championship and helped propel him into a Cup Series ride a couple years later.

While wrecks don’t make a race, I think the lack of Cup Series moments is owed more to the car itself than the racetrack. Phoenix is a first-class facility, and travel to and from the track is about as a trouble-free experience that a fan could ask for.

I say this because while the vast majority of fans will be watching on TV, you could’ve added another lane through the grandstands safely this weekend at Homestead. While it might not be a title race, it’s still a playoff event. I know Dolphins fans were probably more invested to see how Tua Tagovailoa fared this weekend, but it wasn’t a great look optics-wise for those watching at home.

For years, the Cup Series was plagued by intermediate tracks that got strung-out, leaving a lot to be desired. Everyone was looking for an answer, which in lieu of new short tracks became road courses. Now, with the Next Gen car in its third year of competition, it seems to have definitively cured the ills which plagued the previous-generation machine, while making short tracks only digestible if there’s random tire failures like at Bristol in March of this year.

I am definitely not anti-Homestead, but having to leave a location which works just fine for the other two series seems to be the bigger issue. We’ve prattled on about how to possibly fix the short-track situation, be it more horsepower, the old larger aspect ratio tire and wheels or removing the diffuser … none of which have happened and none of which NASCAR seems inclined to entertain.

While Homestead-Miami Speedway does put on a great show with the Cup cars, the biggest issue with Phoenix, as all short tracks, is the car itself. – Vito Pugliese

Bring it Back Home(stead)

Let me start out bold here: the Homestead-Miami race was one of, if not the best, playoff race under this current format. And in my lifetime, it is up there as one of the best races I’ve seen. 

The race had a little bit of everything. Multiple lane options for drivers to experiment with, opportunities to pass or force someone into a mistake, drama, short runs, long runs, you name it. It was one of those races where fans should have been on the edge of their seats from the drop of the green flag all the way to the checkered flag. 

Additionally, in a time where it feels like many base a race’s success on how many cautions it had or who the leader was, those facts didn’t matter. Sure, there were a couple of accidents and some popular drivers up front, but the racing overall was the star of the show. 

Had that been the championship race, it would have been discussed for decades. All of the title contenders (aside from Joey Logano) stepped up to the plate and battled at the front. And even as a Round of 8 race, we had the four drivers below the cut line entering the race dropping their gloves to fight for the win. 

In retrospect of that race, there is only one clear question. Why is Homestead-Miami not still the championship race? 

Not only will the race not return to its former championship slot in 2025, it will move completely out of the playoffs to the opposite side of the calendar, an absolute head-scratcher. 

Homestead has a great package to offer. It’s in a warm climate, which is optimal as temperatures begin to decline late in the year. Drivers and teams enjoy going there, and the fans typically show out for the annual event. And while the track is eyeing an upgrade in its facilities, it is still a great venue to host NASCAR’s Championship Weekend.

The South Florida track also has a unique quality to it: exhibiting the grassroots appeal of the sport in its Southern roots while also offering international flair with the Miami culture. That alone can be intriguing to several fans. 

But aside from the facility, its location and its past, the racing is what sets Homestead apart from other considerations. It gives you a compelling mix of rim-riders and bottom feeders, or drivers who prefer to ride in-between. Previous races have aroused the argument that the racing is set apart, but look no further than this year’s historic race there, with new track records of 33 lead changes (at the start/finish line) and 55 green flag passes for the lead.

Even with some minor improvements, Phoenix Raceway still features struggles with passing, and it hasn’t produced the quality of Homestead as the championship race. To see the amount of action for the lead that Homestead possessed was incredible for one of NASCAR’s cookie-cutter tracks. 

As mentioned above, drivers enjoy going to South Beach and an opportunity to win Homestead. When it was announced that it was being moved out of the playoffs, the general response from the industry were voices of disappointment and frustration. Reigning champion Ryan Blaney told reporters that “it’s unfortunate” that Homestead won’t be in the playoffs next season, exemplifying likely what several drivers think of the decision.

Phoenix did an admirable job of going all in to earn the bid to host the title race, but it just lacks what Homestead can provide. In the 2023 finale, Phoenix featured a Next Gen-era-high 2,813 green flag passes. That showed improvement, given the Next Gen’s struggles on short tracks, but it was still under half the amount of green-flag passes made at Homestead this past weekend. Granted, Homestead is larger and wider, but that action is what makes the track a fan favorite. 

Even outside of the NASCAR Cup Series, Homestead presents a desirable product across the board. Last year’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series finale was, well … a circus. It was an embarrassing display that had Cup drivers lamenting what took place. 

The NASCAR Xfinity Series has arguably put on the best races among the three series at Phoenix, but the car is also perfectly suited for the demands of Homestead. Drivers can ride inches from the wall, just like the Cup competitors, but they can pack air on cars in front of them, something that the Next Gen car lacks. The characteristics of the car mesh well with the Florida speedway, and the Truck Series would likely have cleaner races (as long as drivers don’t intentionally crash each other like we saw this go-around). 

The city of Homestead is reportedly preparing to place its bid to host the 2026 Championship Weekend, and what’s not to like? 

The racing product is excellent, the location is ideal, the right moves are being made to the facility and it’s popular with fans. That should be enough to bring the three championship trophies back to Homestead. – Luken Glover