Fans have always remembered Phoenix as the place where the NASCAR championship gets decided. However, before 2020, Homestead used to be the final race, and even during the time of the Florida circuit, NASCAR stuck to the same pattern for 18 years. With NASCAR repeating the finals location for years on end, Kevin Harvick made a proposal to spice things up a bit.
Kevin Harvick is no stranger to the Homestead finals race, as that’s where he claimed his title back in 2014. Despite the abundance of circuits in the country, NASCAR continues to host the final race at a selected location. In a recent episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, the former driver explained why NASCAR does not experiment with its tracks too much while making a suggestion to make the finals be held at rotational circuits every year.
Kevin Harvick’s need for diverse championship races
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Kevin Harvick and a few other drivers have spent decades racing in the Cup Series. As one of the front runners, Harvick has placed himself in the Championship 4 three times since the format was introduced. Making it in 2014, 2016, and 2018, Harvick enjoyed taking on Homestead as the final race, but he recently revealed that he would have liked other venues too.
In a clip that was uploaded on X from Harvick’s ‘Happy Hour’ podcast, the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver said he would like to see NASCAR rotate the venue for the finals. Bringing up his idea to the co-hosts and viewers, Harvick stated, “If you had three, do you need more than three in that rotation? If you had Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Homestead that rotated that championship race, I think if you, every three years, went to those locations and said, Because you have to take into account the weather.”
As it gets quite cold and snowy in most parts of the country, Kevin Harvick considered all the factors before suggesting the rotation of Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Homestead. Harvick continued to explain, “So there’s just not many places that you can go. That’s the biggest thing about all this. That’s right, yeah, you want, you want the weather to be good, but I’d love to see Las Vegas Motor Speedway have a championship race.”
Harvick saw how enjoyable the Las Vegas race was for drivers and fans alike, which led him to believe that Vegas would be a great track to add to the final rotation. Sharing a few good words about Vegas, Harvick noted, “What a great city [Las Vegas] to be able to cap it off the championship race. I’m not saying anything against Phoenix. I think Phoenix has done a great job. I think Homestead just always had that feel of, you know, just it felt different at Homestead than it does in Phoenix.”
Las Vegas, Phoenix and Homestead-Miami. @KevinHarvick would like to see the championship race rotate between three tracks. @KaitlynVincie | @MambaSmith34 | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/9lGQnfuDUC
— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) October 23, 2024
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Does Harvick's idea of rotating finals venues bring more excitement or disrupt tradition in NASCAR?
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Although Harvick pointed out that Homestead differs from Pheonix, he did not mean it negatively. He explained how he enjoys both venues but believes that if fans had different venues to experience the finals in every year, it would increase the anticipation for each of the tracks to return to the finals. Although this idea would diversify the Cup Series finals, Harvick also mentioned his interest in seeing the rotation for the All-Stars race too.
How did Homestead honor Kevin Harvick in 2023?
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Last year, Homestead-Miami Speedway made a big announcement to honor Kevin Harvick’s last season in NASCAR. The October playoff race was rebranded as the “4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1” as a nod to Harvick’s legendary career and his iconic No. 4 car. Mobil 1, Harvick’s long-time partner and NASCAR’s Official Motor Oil, teamed up with Homestead to celebrate the driver who left an enormous mark on the sport.
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Homestead-Miami Speedway held a special place in his heart, as it was where he won his only Cup Series championship in dramatic fashion, holding off Ryan Newman in a late-race shootout. Harvick also has an impeccable cup series record at Homestead, finishing top-10 in nineteen out of his 23 races at the track. Harvick’s last race at Homestead in 2023, saw Kyle Larson dominate, winning both stages and securing his third win of the season by holding off Ross Chastain and AJ Allmendinger as Harvick finished in a respectable P11.
Harvick certainly reaped the benefits of Homestead, but he feels that drivers should get opportunities to win the title at different tracks. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Does Harvick's idea of rotating finals venues bring more excitement or disrupt tradition in NASCAR?