Denny Hamlin reacts to Championship race debate after Homestead weekend

The talk coming into this past weekend’s NASCAR events at Homestead-Miami Speedway was whether or not the 1.5-mile racetrack should return as the home of Championship Weekend.

Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported that Guillermo Santa Cruz, named Homestead track president this past July, and elected local officials are pushing for the Championship Race to come back to South Florida. Homestead Vice Mayor Sean Fletcher is hoping as soon as 2026. But in order to secure the final weekend of the season, Homestead and Miami-Dade County need to put together a financial package to present to NASCAR. So far, that hasn’t happened.

Denny Hamlin said on Monday’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast that if he had to guess, NASCAR is going to do what’s best for them financially. Hamlin hopes there’s other factors NASCAR is considering along with the money.

“It’s NASCAR’s money, it’s not the teams’ money. They don’t get any of that, but they’re gonna do what financially is best for them,” Hamlin said. “Surely, when weighing the decision, it’s gonna come down to finances and it’s gonna come down to hopefully, where should we be. What side of the country should we be on, what racetrack should we be at, who owns the track — all those things play a factor in it.”

Homestead hosted the Cup Series Championship race from 2002-19. Phoenix Raceway has been the site for the last five Championship races and will be once again this November. Homestead is lauded as one of the more entertaining racetracks on the schedule but when it comes to facilities, it’s simply no match to Phoenix.

Denny Hamlin compares Homestead to Phoenix

First opened in 1995, Homestead is showing its age and has yet to see improvements. Phoenix has a lively atmosphere — greater than that of Homestead — Hamlin said.

“I do believe the Phoenix atmosphere in infield is a little better than Homestead,” Hamlin said. “Homestead, I think it’s time for some upgrades to that facility. It’s NASCAR’s show, are they willing to invest into the facility to make it up to date with championship venues of other sports or not? That’s TBD. … Phoenix — regardless of what you think about the racing there — it has all the things that it needs to be a championship weekend.

“… Phoenix fans have always supported that racetrack. Spring, summer, wherever it is, they come out in great numbers The fans just feel like they’re closer. It is more intimate surrounded by these mountains. It’s got everything, if just the racing could be a little better. However, I think we found a tire there this spring that certainly could end up being the x-factor in making the racing better.”

The 2025 Championship will be decided at Phoenix. 2026 remains up for grabs, but Bianchi is optimistic Homestead will win out.

“It’s hard to say what the odds are,” Bianchi said on Sunday’s Teardown podcast. “The vice mayor of Homestead put it at 70/30 that it was gonna happen. I’ve heard less than that from other people, but I’ve heard more optimistic from other people. We’ll see at the end of the day if this happens. If you’re asking my opinion, I think it does, but it has to make financial sense.”