“Huge sigh of relief”: NASCAR Insider happy with Daytona’s championship chances

The NASCAR Cup Series championship race will return to Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2026, making it the first time the track will host the title race since 2019. The move from Phoenix to Homestead will be a part of a yearly rotation, as the sport plans to host the championship at a new venue each year.

However, one of the tracks that won't be in that rotation is the Daytona International Speedway. This made many in the industry breathe a sigh of relief, including motorsports insider Jeff Gluck. The motorsports reporter for The Athletic made it known that Ben Kennedy, Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovations Officer for NASCAR, shot down the rumblings that Daytona could someday be in the mix to host the championship race.

Gluck also made it known that no superspeedway tracks or road courses are in the plans to host championship weekend. He took to X with comments from Kennedy on the matter, writing:

"Huge sigh of relief, as @BenKennedy33 nixes the idea that Daytona could be in the championship rotation. No superspeedways or road courses. 'We've unanimously agreed it needs to look and feel what we'd expect traditional NASCAR racing to look and feel like.'"

The Homestead-Miami Speedway formerly hosted the season-finale race for all three national series from 2002-2019. When the sport switched to the 16-driver playoff format, Homestead was the site for the championship race, where the top four drivers would battle it out for the title. Kyle Busch won the last championship race at the track in 2019.

In 2020, NASCAR moved the site of championship weekend to Phoenix, where this season will mark the sixth year it's hosted at the 1.0-mile track. Chase Elliott captured the championship in the first title race at Phoenix in 2020, while Joey Logano won the latest in 2024. Logano has the most championship race wins at Phoenix with two in 2022 and 2024.

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Kenny Wallace says NASCAR 'listened' to the fans with Homestead move while teasing another Team Penske win

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Former Cup series driver and FOX Sports personality Kenny Wallace applauded NASCAR's decision to move the championship race back to Homestead. The Missouri native believes that, once again, the organization acknowledged the fans with the move, but added that one question remains in the decision to move back to Homestead.

Because Team Penske has captured the last three Cup Series titles, Wallace pulled no punches as he questioned on X whether or not they can do the same in 2026.

"Once again. @NASCAR listens to the fans. Now the question. Will @Team_Penske win Homestead ? 😂," Kenny Wallace wrote.

The championship race at Phoenix has been dominated by Team Penske in recent memory. The North Carolina-based outfit has won the last three Cup Series titles with Joey Logano in 2022 and 2024 and Ryan Blaney in 2023.