Skip to main content
Join Now
NASCAR Logo

Photo, video show proximity of grass fire to Homestead-Miami Speedway

JHby:Jonathan Howard•03/20/25•

Jondean25

NASCAR Homestead (3)
Oct 27, 2024; Homestead, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) takes the white flag in front of NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) during the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The fire that has broken out in the Miami area is starting to look concerning. NASCAR and local officials insist the weekend remains unaffected. When you see the photos and videos of how close the flames and smoke are, that’s hard to believe.

NASCAR is hoping that they don’t add wildfire to the list of reasons a race has been delayed or cut short or whatever could happen. Rain and snow are one thing. Fire? That is unheard of.

However, with the flames seemingly growing today, there should be concern. Jamie Little of FOX Sports says her hotel has changed. The highway to the Florida Keys has also been shut down.

The video below from John Haywood shows the smoke in particular. Could we see air quality issues this weekend? The fires around Miami are looking more menacing by the day.

These fires are something that local officials are monitoring. NASCAR is likely monitoring the fire in Miami as well. This weekend is a triple header with all three national series hitting the track. A lot of things that can potentially be delayed.

Tomorrow the action begins with Truck Series practice and qualifying. Then the trucks will race at 8:00 PM ET. A late start under the lights. Will the glow of the fires be enough to be seen on TV? We shall see. I’m sure we will see a general haze throughout the weekend.

On top of that, how does this affect drivers? Will it cause issues with the air enough to make cars run differently? Could we see drivers have a hard time breathing if it gets bad enough? There are a lot of questions heading into this weekend.

Fire in Miami not a concern for NASCAR … yet

Again, it is important to remember that NASCAR and local officials are optimistic. There have been no changes to the schedule, flights are landing as we speak with different teams. It isn’t as big of a deal as it looks like. At least, for now.

With no rain in the forecast, this fire could continue to grow. While there shouldn’t be any major winds, today and tomorrow there will be winds of 10+ MPH at times. Let’s hope that this fire gets put under control.

The red flag warning in the Miami area for the fire will be lifted tonight. So, that is a relief. At least, it will be lifted for most of the affected areas. When it comes to fighting fires, we’ll leave it up to the professionals.

The fires are close enough to Homestead-Miami Speedway that firefighters are using the pond at the track to fight the fires. So, that water could be very valuable in getting these flames under control.