NASCAR drivers have taken on a variety of track layouts in the first five weeks of the season. Now, it's time for Homestead-Miami Speedway, a venue celebrated for how it tests them.
Simply put, the 1.5-mile track that once hosted the championship races offers something that is not as readily available at other ovals on the schedule.
"Homestead-Miami Speedway is always a fun racetrack," Kyle Busch said in a release from Chevrolet. "It lends itself to drivers well because it can be a three-, even four-lane track as we venture from the bottom all the way to the wall.
"...I've always looked forward to going to Homestead. It's a unique mile-and-a-half. We've run well there. I've won there. It's been a great track for me. I've won two championships by winning races there."
What separates Homestead from other intermediate tracks? Kansas, Las Vegas, and Charlotte all offer multiple lanes for drivers to use, but this particular track takes that concept to the next level.
Homestead is the only intermediate track on the schedule known specifically for drivers running inches against the wall. Yet, its history also features multiple examples of drivers using the bottom lanes to great success.
The 1.5-mile track also forces drivers to manage their tires during the long runs. Pushing too hard on the worn-out surface to make passes early can lead to issues later if there aren't numerous cautions and opportunities to pit.
Homestead brings to the forefront a blend of skill and strategy that drivers crave.
"Homestead, it's still one of those racetracks you go to where tires fall off, you slip and slide around, and you work really hard as a driver all race all day long," Michael McDowell said.
"You have a lot of options, you can run the bottom, run the top, or run the top to the bottom. So, you can find where your car works best, you can find clean air, and it's just one of those tracks that you just drive all day long and it's a lot of fun."
Numerous drivers list Homestead as one of their favorites. With some drivers, this is expected, considering past success. William Byron, Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Busch have all won national series races at the Florida track.
McDowell has yet to check off this goal, but he still enjoys testing himself at Homestead. The same goes for Ryan Blaney, a driver who seemingly flipped a switch as his Cup Series career progressed.
Blaney, the 2023 champion, finished 17th, 26th, 29th, 17th, and 11th in his first five Cup starts at Homestead. He scored a third-place finish in 2020 but then finished 29th and 17th in his next two starts. In the last two seasons, however, Blaney has finished second while leading 100 total laps.
"It's one of those places I kind of categorize it like Martinsville," Blaney told AltDriver."I kind of struggled early there and everything and worked really hard to try to figure out, 'How do I need to be good?'
"Watched a lot of guys do a lot of really cool things around there. It's like, 'How do I learn to do that?'"
The efforts have paid off for Blaney and while he hasn't yet won a national series race at the Florida track, he has learned to love it for the excitement and opportunities it provides.
"It's one of the most fun places we go to," Blaney said. "Anywhere you're kind of sliding the car around because not a lot of places we go -- especially with this car, there's not as much side force, so you can't really slide it as much. You'll bust your tail. Homestead, you can kind of get away with that stuff."
These drivers will continue to celebrate Homestead this weekend as they battle for a spot in the playoffs. The tripleheader schedule will begin on Friday with a Truck Series race (8 p.m. ET on Fox). It will continue Saturday afternoon with the Xfinity Series race (4 p.m. ET on CW). The weekend will end on Sunday afternoon with the Cup Series race (3 p.m. ET on FS1).