NASCAR Preview: Homestead-Miami 400 – Season Finale
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season comes to a close at Homestead-Miami, where three drivers will battle it out for the championship.
Track preview
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a 1.5-mile oval located in Homestead, Florida. The track features progressive banking of 18 to 20 degrees in the turns and four degrees of banking on the straightaways.
Homestead-Miami Speedway opened in 1995 under the name Homestead Motorsports Complex. Originally, the track consisted of a rectangular layout reminiscent of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with just six degrees of banking in the turns. The track was reconfigured in 1997, transforming the turns into sweeping 180-degree corners, while keeping the amount of banking the same. More banking was eventually added in 2003.
The NASCAR Cup Series has visited the venue since 1999, and it was previously the site of the championship race from 2002 to 2019. The finale was hosted in Phoenix for the next six years before returning to Homestead. Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle and Denny Hamlin are tied for the most wins at the track, with three each.
Weather forecast
The weather report indicates mostly sunny skies with temperatures around 28 degrees Celsius. There is a very low chance of rain predicted.
The race is set to include 267 laps. Stage 1 will last 80 laps, Stage 2 will last 85 laps and Stage 3 will last 102 laps.
The race is scheduled to begin on November 8 at 15:00 EST (12:00 PST, 20:00 GMT).
The storylines
Kyle Larson was noticeably frustrated after a subpar day at Martinsville kept him from locking up the championship a week early. Nevertheless, he is still the overwhelming favourite for the title. He carries a 67-point lead into the season finale at Homestead-Miami, one of his best tracks. Larson has won two of the last four races at the venue, the most recent coming last season. It would take a serious mishap to end his run for a third championship - thanks to stage points, he may claim the title before the race is even halfway through.
Luckily for Denny Hamlin, he has also found good results at Homestead-Miami. He has won three times at the track and finished fifth and third in the previous two events, respectively. However, Hamlin’s momentum has slowed since the start of the postseason. After boasting an average finish of 8.2 across the first 26 races, his average finish across the nine Chase races has dropped to 11.2. He is not out of the title conversation yet, but he will need to have a perfect day at the expense of his two championship rivals suffering disaster.
Christopher Bell won at Homestead-Miami in 2023. He has earned two other top fives in his six starts at the track and has collected several top fives at other intermediate tracks this season as well. With only one win to his name in 2026, consistency has brought Bell this far - but it will take more than a solid result for him to be crowned champion on Sunday.
If anyone were to spoil the championship party and win the race, Tyler Reddick would be a solid bet. Reddick has an average finish of 4.0 in the last three races in Homestead, including a win. His victory at Phoenix a few weeks ago proved he can still mix it up with the frontrunners and come away on top. It would be a fitting conclusion to a season that saw him dominate the first few months of the schedule.
A late-season charge wasn’t enough for Chase Briscoe to steal the championship, but his team demonstrated that they had the pace to win, especially at intermediate tracks like Homestead. Briscoe finished fourth here in 2025 and won two of the three most recent 1.5-mile oval races this year. He could surprise the field on Sunday, although it is more likely he helps his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates in Bell and Hamlin as they fight for the title.
Dark horse: A.J. Allmendinger
For a driver whose three Cup wins have all come at road courses, Allmendinger has performed exceptionally well at Homestead-Miami, with an average finish of 5.7 in the last four races there. He finished third in 2022. Can he best the field when they least expect it and head into the offseason with another win under his belt?
A look at The Chase
Points leader Kyle Larson had the chance to secure the title last weekend but failed to do so. Unsuccessful pit strategies, spins and typical Martinsville chaos took a toll on many Chase drivers, but three remain in contention for the championship. Larson still holds a sizable 67-point advantage over second place, which now belongs to Christopher Bell. Denny Hamlin dropped back to third, 70 points behind Larson. For Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney, the title is no longer in reach.
Weekend snapshot
The Craftsman Truck Series will conclude their season on Friday. The title fight is down to two drivers: Kaden Honeycutt and Layne Riggs. Riggs currently trails Honeycutt by 20 points, but he finished second behind Kyle Larson last time the series came to Homestead, while Honeycutt finished 10th.
The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will crown a champion on Saturday. Five drivers remain in contention. Justin Allgaier, the 2024 champion, leads the standings by 22 points over 2025 champion Jesse Love. Corey Day sits third, 23 points off the lead. Carson Kvapil moved up to fourth, 31 points behind Allgaier, and Sheldon Creed is fifth, 42 points back. Justin Allgaier won the race at Homestead in 2025.
Schedule
Thursday
Craftsman Truck Series Practice - 18:30 EST (15:30 PST, 23:30 GMT)
Friday
Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying - 14:30 EST (11:30 PST, 19:30 GMT)
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Practice - 16:00 EST (13:00 PST, 21:00 GMT)
Cup Series Practice - 17:30 EST (14:30 PST, 22:30 GMT)
Craftsman Truck Series Race - 19:30 EST (16:30 EST, 00:30 GMT)
Saturday
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifying - 13:00 EST (10:00 PST, 18:00 GMT)
Cup Series Qualifying - 14:30 EST (11:30 PST, 19:30 GMT)
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race - 17:00 EST (14:00 PST, 22:00 GMT)
Sunday
Cup Series Race - 15:00 EST (12:00 PST, 20:00 GMT)
Edited by Tarun Suresh
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