Phoenix took over the ‘Championship Weekend’ slot from its long-time Homestead-Miami location in 2020 and will again host the Cup, Xfinity and Truck deciders this November.
NASCAR’s Playoffs format culminates with four drivers entering the final round in contention to take the title.
Team Penske’s mastery of the one-mile Phoenix oval has enabled its drivers to walk away with the last three Cup championships.
That has led to calls that the finale should be moved around, which NASCAR has now confirmed will happen from 2026.
NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer, Ben Kennedy, said there are competition and marketing reasons behind the move.
“If you’ve watched a lot of other sports properties that are moving the location around year after year, part of that is to build up pent-up demand,” Kennedy explained.
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“But part of it is that variability in a lot of the markets, and then a little bit of… just having a little bit of differentiation as it relates to the competition and racing product as well.
“Having the playoffs be more unpredictable every year, the championship venue to be at a different location, I think gives you the ability to see different teams and drivers kind of rise to the occasion to be able to be crowned a champion.”
Homestead-Miami is a 1.5-mile oval that hosted the decider from 2002 through 2019.
Kennedy said NASCAR will seek feedback from industry stakeholders, including broadcasters, teams and drivers, before locking in a 2027 venue.
However, he effectively ruled out a superspeedway or road course taking the slot. That news has been welcomed by three-time and reigning champion Joey Logano.
“Whether it’s a short track or mile-and-a-half, that’s what our roots really are. That is what built our sport,” he said.
“Throwing in a road course or any other oddball type racetrack, superspeedway, it’s too much by chance and it wouldn’t be ideal I don’t believe for our sport.”
Phoenix will continue to host two races in 2026 including a slot in the Playoffs. It will also be part of the Championship Weekend rotation in future years.
NASCAR’s rotation announcement comes as Australia’s Supercars Championship introduces its own Finals Series this year, complete with a four-driver, final round showdown.
While Adelaide currently has a multi-year deal to host the Grand Final, having the same venue host the final each year has already been raised amongst teams and drivers as a potential concern.
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