NASCAR executive VP Ben Kennedy comments on the future of championship rotation racetracks

Ben Kennedy, the NASCAR EVP, chief venue & racing innovation officer, shared his thoughts on rotating the Championship racetrack. Voicing his support, Kennedy said he expects to see different drivers and different teams, as NASCAR will move the championship around.

According to the latest reports, NASCAR announced the shift from Phoenix Raceway to Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2026 as its Championship 4 venue. However, it will not be the Homestead-Miami from 2026 onwards, as the governing body will rotate the venues.

The Phoenix Raceway hosted the Championship 4 races over the last five occasions, and is slated to do it in 2025 as well. However, a new system of rotating the final venue will start from 2026. Kennedy said via ESPN:

"Yes, mixing it up, and I think you are going to see different teams and different drivers as we move this championship around," Kennedy said about the move. Some are going to rise to the occasion, and others aren't. It's going to be interesting to see how that plays out."

"We still want to keep the playoff schedule. We want to keep a lot of that intact. But you've seen over the past few years some small nuances and changes we've met, we've created in it, just to keep that level of unpredictability high," he added.

The Homestead-Miami Speedway, a 1.5-mile track in Homestead, Florida, also hosts the IndyCar and FIA GT Championship.

NASCAR has hosted its Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway for the last few years after moving the final venue from Homestead-Miami. NASCAR raced at Homestead-Miami from 2002 to 2019 before moving to Phoenix in 2020.

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Ben Kennedy revealed why NASCAR chose Homestead-Miami as the final venue in 2026

A general view of the front stretch during practice for the 4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Ben Kennedy also revealed why the Homestead-Miami Speedway was chosen as the final venue in 2026.

"A big part of this is also hearing feedback from the industry, be it teams, drivers, broadcast partners, industry partners and, importantly, the fans," Kennedy said. "It was the fans who ranked Homestead-Miami Speedway as the No. 1 track that they would like to see the championship at."

The final Championship 4 races will take place at the Homestead-Miami Speedway from November 6-8, 2026, including all three national series races — the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series. As for 2025, Phoenix Raceway will continue to be the venue for the final Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series races.