NASCAR insider reveals details about future of Phoenix Raceway after Championship moved to Homestead-Miami

Earlier today, it was reported that NASCAR will take the championship weekend from Phoenix and move it back to Homestead-Miami. If that is the case, will that take a race weekend away completely from Phoenix Raceway?

Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported today that the 2026 NASCAR championship weekend will take place at Homestead-Miami. For the last several years, Phoenix has hosted the final date of the season that determines the three national series champions.

While Homestead has landed 2026, NASCAR is planning on creating a rotation of championship sites. That is, according to Bianchi.

“The title weekend moving to Homestead is just for the 2026 season, according to those sources, as another track will be selected to host in 2027, beginning a rotation in which a different venue is chosen each year,” Bianchi writes. “Phoenix is expected to be included in this rotation, the sources said, and the track will continue to have two races each season.”

NASCAR has raced at Phoenix for the championship every season since 2020. It has started to become a race that many do not look forward to. Most of that has to do with how the Next Gen car races on shorter, narrower tracks.

Meanwhile, Homestead-Miami continues to put on fantastic races. Simply great stock car racing on a 1.5-mile track. A return in 2026 will be welcomed.

NASCAR Phoenix: Where does the second date go?

When it comes to the second NASCAR Phoenix race in 2026, what will happen? Is it going to stay in the postseason? Will it just be changed out for the spot that Homestead usually occupies in the Round of 8?

With NASCAR being at the whims of Mother Nature, racing in October and November is tough. You have to go to places that aren’t going to be too cold. After all, we see what happens when the track at Bristol is too cold and the Goodyear tires rip apart.

So, if Phoenix is keeping a second NASCAR date in 2026, it is likely to be later in the year. There is a reason why NASCAR went to Daytona, Atlanta, Austin, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Homestead-Miami for the first six races of the season this year: warm weather.

The same applies to the end of the year. It is no surprise that Vegas, Phoenix, and Homestead-Miami are all at the end of the schedule, too. If NASCAR rotates championship venues, I think we could see Homestead, Phoenix, and maybe Las Vegas in the rotation. That is what makes the most sense from the outside looking in.

It would be tough for NASCAR to give Speedway Motorsports the championship date, though. But if they are open to it, maybe that means Charlotte can be included in the rotation.

Then there are tracks like Kansas that could theoretically host the championship. That track has invested a ton into improvements and fan experiences. The weather could keep it from being included, though.