Championship Weekend Returns to Homestead-Miami Speedway

In looking ahead to Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, we first need to look back. It was a somewhat chaotic weekend at Martinsville Speedway as all three of NASCAR's national series were on track for their last race before their champions are crowned in Homestead.

Since there are a maximum of 76 points available in a race, many of the Chase competitors in each series were mathematically eliminated from their series championships.

The Craftsman Truck Series race will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. Kayden Honeycutt, driving the No. 11 Toyota, and Layne Riggs in the No. 34 Ford will vie for the championship.

In the Martinsville race, which was won by Chandler Smith, Honeycutt finished 14th while Riggs, who led 156 of the 200 laps, finished third. Riggs will start the Homestead race 20 points behind Honeycutt. They will race for 200 miles.

The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series championship race will begin at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. The championship will be contested by five Chevrolet drivers.

Justin Allgaier, who finished second at Martinsville, will take the green flag as the points leader. Jesse Love trails by 22 points, Corey Day by 23, Carson Kvapil by 31 and Sheldon Creed by 42.

Kvapil won the race at Martinsville, while Love finished 30th, causing the biggest swing in the points standings. Saturday's race will cover 300 miles.

NASCAR's Cup Series championship will be decided in the 400-mile race starting at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8.

After the Martinsville race, won by William Byron, who led 362 of 500 laps, 2025 Cup champion Kyle Larson sits atop the standings. Larson, who finished ninth, leads Christopher Bell by 67 points and Denny Hamlin by 70 points. These three drivers are the only ones still competing for the championship.

Larson drives the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, while Bell, in the No. 20, and Hamlin, in the No. 11, drive Toyotas for Joe Gibbs Racing.

The track at Homestead-Miami Speedway rewards drivers who run close to the outside wall while providing multiple lanes for passing. Combined with the high stakes for championship contenders, that should make for exciting racing.

Don't be surprised if any of the three race winners come from non-championship-eligible drivers. The best way to overcome the disappointment of not being a series champion is to win the last race of the year.

In addition to racing, fans can enjoy music, food, drinks and activities before each race.

The renovated Fan Zone will open at 2 p.m. Friday, 12:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday. A prerace concert featuring Jason Derulo will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Additional scheduling, parking, gate access and ticket information is available at homesteadmiamispeedway.com.

Watch for coverage of Championship Weekend and race results in next week's edition.