Looking Ahead to NASCAR Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway

On September 27th, Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS) hosted an event for media and influencers at the track. The South Dade News Leader had a chance to sit down with Track President Guillermo Santa Cruz to discuss the October 26th – 27th NASCAR Playoff Races, as well as next years races, which are scheduled for March 21st-23rd. This will be Santa Cruz’s first race weekend since taking on the job of president this summer.

We asked Santa Cruz about preparations for the races. He told us, “We’re 30 days out and activity is starting to pick up. We are holding our influencer event today to help get the word out about what we are doing. I do talk a lot about Homestead and the importance of our linkage to the community. Over the next few weeks, this place is going to come alive. Literally. Hundreds of people are going to descend on the track to put on a show, a spectacle, and a race that is unique to all of NASCAR, because there is no other place like Homestead-Miami Speedway.”

He continued, “We’ll be welcoming the incredible drivers at a critical point in their series, where people have to go all out on a track that is particularly inviting for competition, that yields singularly exciting races, and where everything is on the line as they work their way to the Championships.”

This year, the Craftsman Truck Series Baptist Health Cancer Care 200 and the Xfinity Series Contender Boats 300 will be run as a doubleheader on Saturday. The Straight Talk Wireless 400 Cup Series race will be held on Sunday. Each of these races is the middle race of the round of eight, as eight drivers vie to be one of the four who will run for the Championship in their respective series. Baptist Health and Contender Boats are returning sponsors, but this is Straight Talk Wireless’s first time to sponsor a race at HMS.

Santa Cruz told us, “We’re happy to welcome Straight Talk Wireless to the fold to sponsor the 400. It speaks to the commitment to NASCAR in general, but to the South Florida market in specifics. With the multi-year commitment of this big sponsor, we have big plans and big things that we want to do. To have that sponsorship and that kind of support in this market, we are really grateful.”

We then asked about any upcoming changes and new attractions such as the Beach and the Container Bar area for this year’s races and for the spring races next year. Santa Cruz said, “I got here three months ago, and this will be my first race weekend as a NASCAR Executive, not as a guest and a fan. So, I’m going to look at everything and see, where do we go from here? What is the future, how do we position ourselves, and how do we honor this market? How do we honor the City of Homestead, and how do we honor the general market, which is so unique and truly international?”

He continued, “What are we going to be, are we going to be the South Beach track, the beach, the Keys, or are we going to be strictly Homestead? What is authentic to this market? I’ll look at all of that during race weekend, then we’ll talk it up and see, moving forward, what is best for everyone.”

We concluded the interview talking about the March races. Santa Cruz began, “The character of South Florida changes during the Spring. We have snowbirds from the North and Canada, but we also have folks from Brazil getting away from their summer heat. So, we’ll have a different supply of fans to work with at a time of the year when the weather tends to be really good. Blue skies and a little windy, but it’s very welcoming, and the colors pop. It will give us the chance to appeal to fans that may be new to NASCAR. So, there is an opportunity there. For me, personally, that I don’t have to wait for a whole year to do it again makes me very excited.”

He continued, “I’ll have six months too. I’ve been through one, so how do we make it better? I’ll tell you one thing already, it’s that we lean into the international market. I’ve already shared with the folks at NASCAR some of my past experience with those markets. Homestead Miami Speedway needs an international strategy, and the fact that NASCAR will be racing in Mexico next year is a real plus.” It was clear from this interview that exciting times lay ahead for Homestead-Miami Speedway and for our community. Watch for more coverage of NASCAR as we head into Race Weekend.