Statistical Advance: Analyzing the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, going into the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race on Sunday, November 8 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

NASCAR Cup Series Chase Championship Race Fast Facts: Homestead-Miami

• This season marks the 17th time Homestead-Miami Speedway has hosted the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race. Prior to the 2020 season, Homestead-Miami Speedway hosted the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race from 2004-2019 (16 consecutive seasons).
• During the Postseason Era (2004-2026), only two tracks have hosted the Championship Weekend:
  • Homestead-Miami Speedway (2004-2019, 2026)
  • Phoenix Raceway (2020-2025)
• During the Postseason Era (2004-2026), a total of 15 different drivers have won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race.
• Greg Biffle (2004, 2005, 2006 – all at Homestead) and Joey Logano (2018 at Homestead and 2022, 2024 at Phoenix) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in Championship Race wins from 2004-2025 with three victories each.

• Five drivers that earned a spot in the Chase this season have previously won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race (2004-2025): Joey Logano (2018 at Homestead and 2022, 2024 at Phoenix), Denny Hamlin (2009, 2013 at Homestead), Chase Elliott (2020 at Phoenix), Kyle Larson (2021 at Phoenix) and Ryan Blaney (2025 at Phoenix).
• A total of 15 different crew chiefs have won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, led by Doug Richert with three wins (at Homestead from 2004-2006 all with driver Greg Biffle).
• Among the crew chiefs that earned a spot in the Chase this season, five have previously won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race – Adam Stevens (2015, 2019), Alan Gustafson (2012, 2020), Paul Wolfe (2022, 2024), Cliff Daniels (2021) and Jonathan Hassler (2025).
• A total of seven different organizations have won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race (2004-2025), led by RFK Racing with six victories (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 all at Homestead-Miami); followed by Hendrick Motorsports (2012, 2016, 2020, 2021), Joe Gibbs Racing (2009, 2013, 2015, 2019), Team Penske (2018, 2022, 2024, 2025), Stewart-Haas Racing (2011, 2014), Furniture Row Racing (2017), Trackhouse Racing (2023).
• Since the inception of the NASCAR Cup Series Postseason in 2004, the winner of the Championship Race has won the season title 11 times: 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024.
  1. In 2011, Tony Stewart won from the 15th starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and as a result secured his third-career NASCAR Cup Series championship in the closest points battle in series history – tied with Carl Edwards – Stewart won the title by virtue of the tiebreaker: most wins.
  2. In 2014, Kevin Harvick won from the fifth starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the first year of the elimination-style format of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, as a result he won his first series title.
  3. In 2015, Kyle Busch won from the third starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the second year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, as a result he won his first series championship.
  4. In 2016, Jimmie Johnson won from the 14th starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the third year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he tied NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the series-most championships with seven each.
  5. In 2017, Martin Truex Jr. won from the second starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the fourth year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he won his first series championship.
  6. In 2018, Joey Logano won from the fifth starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the fifth year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he won his first series championship.
  7. In 2019, Kyle Busch won from the fourth starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the sixth year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he became just the second active driver at the time with multiple titles (20115, 2019) joining seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson.
  8. In 2020, Chase Elliott won from the first starting position at Phoenix Raceway in the seventh year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he won his first series championship. Worth noting, Elliott was served a pre-race penalty and as a result of serving the penalty he actually started the race from back of the field and still won.
  9. In 2021, Kyle Larson won from the pole position at Phoenix Raceway in the eighth year of the elimination-style format of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, and as a result he won his first series championship.
  10. In 2022, Joey Logano won from the pole position at Phoenix Raceway in the ninth year of the elimination-style format of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. With the win, Logano earned his second NASCAR Cup Series championship (2018, 2022), becoming just the second active driver with multiple titles.
  11. In 2024, Joey Logano won from the second starting position at Phoenix Raceway in the 10th year of the elimination-style format of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. With the win, Logano earned his third NASCAR Cup Series championship (2018, 2022, 2024).
• Three non-Postseason drivers have won the season finale race: Greg Biffle (Homestead: 2004 and 2006), Denny Hamlin (Homestead: 2013) and Ross Chastain (Phoenix 2023)
• Three manufacturers have won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race during the Postseason Era (2004-2026), led by Ford with 10; followed by Chevrolet with seven and Toyota with five.
• Homestead-Miami Speedway has participated in the NASCAR Cup Series post season from 2004 – 2019, 2026. This season the track will host the Championship Weekend for the first time since 2019.
• A total of 11 different drivers have won the Homestead-Miami Speedway post season races, led by Greg Biffle with three victories (2004 – 2006).
• Six times the winner of the Homestead-Miami Speedway Playoff race has gone on to win the championship during the Postseason Era (2004-Present): 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.

1. 1. In 2011, Tony Stewart won from the 15th starting position at Homestead, and as a result secured his third-career championship.
   2. In 2014, Kevin Harvick won from the fifth starting position at Homestead in the first year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result won his first title.
   3. In 2015, Kyle Busch won from the third starting position at Homestead in the second year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he won his first championship.
   4. In 2016, Jimmie Johnson won from the 14th starting position at Homestead in the third year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he tied NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the series-most titles with seven.
   5. In 2017, Martin Truex Jr. won from the second starting position at Homestead in the fourth year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he won his first series championship.
   6. In 2018, Joey Logano won from the fifth starting position at Homestead in the fifth year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he won his first series championship.

• The worst finish in a Postseason race by the eventual series champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway was 15th, and it occurred three times: Tony Stewart in 2005, Jimmie Johnson in 2008 and Brad Keselowski in 2012.
• Two non-Postseason drivers have won the Homestead-Miami Championship Race (2004-2019): Greg Biffle (2004 and 2006) and Denny Hamlin (2013).
• Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing leads the Cup Series in post season race wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway with six, including five consecutive: Greg Biffle (2004 – 2006), Matt Kenseth (2007) and Carl Edwards (2008).
• The most dominant performance by a Playoff race winner at Homestead-Miami Speedway was Carl Edward’s victory in 2010. He posted a Perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 and led 190 of the 267 laps (71.1% of his laps completed) – the most by a postseason race winner at Homestead.

Homestead-Miami Speedway Stats & Tidbits:
Season Race: No. 36 of 36 (November 8, 2026)
Track Size/Type: 1.5 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Purse: $13,855,063
Banking/Turns (All four): 18-20 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch & Backstretch: 4 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 1,760 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,760 feet
Race Length: 267 laps / 400.5 miles
Stages 1 Length: 80 Laps
Stages 2 Length: 85 Laps (End on Lap 165)
Finale Stage Length: 102 Laps (Ends on Lap 267)

QUALIFYING & RACE RECORDS

Track Qualifying Record:
Brad Keselowski, Team Penske Ford, 181.238 MPH, 29.795 secs. November 14, 2014, Set in Round 1 of 3

Track Race Record:
Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 142.654 MPH, (02:48:47), November 17, 2019

2025 Pole Winner:
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 168.845 MPH, 31.982 secs. March 22, 2025

2025 Race Winner:
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 131.876 MPH, (03:02:13), March 23, 2025

HISTORY

• Groundbreaking for Homestead-Miami Dade Motorsports Complex – as the track was originally named – began August 23, 1994, thanks to Ralph Sanchez, a long-time promotor of street races in the area.
• The 600-acre sporting facility, at the time of construction, was owned by city of Homestead on county land and was leased by Sanchez.
• The original configuration of Homestead-Miami Speedway was a four-turn, rectangular paved oval based on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s layout.
• The first race held at Homestead-Miami Speedway was a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event on November 5, 1995. The inaugural O’Reilly Series race was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett. Jarrett owned the No. 32 Ford he won the race in, and Jarrett only led the last two laps of the event. The average speed of the race was 92.229 MPH.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway was held on November 14, 1999. The inaugural Cup Series race was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, driving a Joe Gibbs Racing The average speed of the race was 140.335 MPH.
• International Speedway Corporation (now NASCAR) became the sole owner of Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2001.
• The 2002 season was the first year the Championship Weekend was held at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with all three of NASCAR’s national series holding their season finale at the same track. The track would host the season finale from 2002-2019.
• In 2003, the track underwent a major reconfiguration from what was a flat 1.5-mile rectangular-shaped track to a 1.5-mile asphalt oval with progressive banking in the turns.
• At 25-degree longitude, Miami is the southernmost track that NASCAR visits within the United States. Mexico City is at 19 degree longitude.
• There have been 27 NASCAR Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, one per season since 1999.

STARTS

• In total 170 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway; 133 have competed in more than one.
• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway with 23 starts.
• Top five in Cup starts at Homestead-Miami: Kevin Harvick (23), Denny Hamlin (21), Kurt Busch (21), Ryan Newman (21), Kyle Busch (21).
• Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in the Cup Series in starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway with 21 starts.
• Top five active drivers in Cup starts at Homestead-Miami: Denny Hamlin (21), Brad Keselowski (18), Joey Logano (17) and Michael McDowell (16).
• A total of three different drivers have made their NASCAR Cup Series career debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway: Bobby Hamilton, Juan Pablo Montoya and Drew Herring.

• Of the three drivers that made their first career NASCAR Cup Series start at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Drew Herring put up the best finish in his series debut with a 29th-place finish in 2019.
• Casey Atwood leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 6.333 in three starts.
• Josh Berry leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in average starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 7.0 in two starts.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Homestead-Miami Speedway (All-Time & Active)

POLES

• A total of 18 different drivers have won the pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and five of the 18 have won multiple poles.
• David Green won the first NASCAR Cup Series pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 1999 at a speed of 155.759 MPH (34.669 sec.) in a Pontiac owned by Tim Beverly (Tyler Jet Motorsports). It was Green’s only pole of his Cup career. After starting on the pole, he finished 22nd in the race.
• This weekend, five of the 18 NASCAR Cup Series pole winners at Homestead-Miami Speedway are entered:

• Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Homestead-Miami Speedway with three (2015, 2017, 2018).
• Denny Hamlin is the only driver to win consecutive poles in the NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway – 2017 and 2018.
• Three NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won their first Cup Series career pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
  • David Green (November 1999),
  • Jamie McMurray (November 2003)
  • David Reutimann (November 2008)
• Youngest Cup Series Homestead pole winner: Joey Logano (November 18, 2012 – 22 years, 5 months, 25 days).
• Oldest Cup Series Homestead pole winner: Bill Elliott (November 11, 2001 – 46 years, 1 month, 3 days).
• A total of 10 different organizations have won a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

• Joe Gibbs Racing leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Homestead-Miami Speedway with six poles among four drivers: Joey Logano (2012), Matt Kenseth (2013), Denny Hamlin (2015, 2017, 2018) and Martin Truex Jr. (2023).
• Five different manufacturers have won the pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series, led by Toyota with nine, and followed by Chevrolet (seven), Ford (four), Dodge (three) and Pontiac (one).

WINS

• A total of 18 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and six different drivers have won more than once at the 1.5-mile track.
• The inaugural Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, driving a Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac. The average speed of the race was 140.335 MPH.
• This weekend, six of the 18 NASCAR Cup Series race winners at Homestead-Miami Speedway are active:

• Greg Biffle (2004, 2005, 2006), Tony Stewart (1999, 2000, 2011) and Denny Hamlin (2009, 2013, 2020) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway with three wins each.
• Of the six drivers with multiple wins at Homestead-Miami, Tony Stewart is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Pontiac (1999, 2000) and Chevrolet (2011).
• Two drivers have won consecutive races at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the series: Tony Stewart (1999 – 2000) and Greg Biffle (2004 – 2006, three straight).
• Youngest Cup Series Homestead-Miami race winner: William Byron (February 28, 2021 – 23 years, 2 months, 30 days).
• Oldest Cup Series Homestead-Miami race winner: Bill Elliott (November 11, 2001 – 46 years, 1 month, 3 days).
• No driver has scored their first career Cup win at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• A total of 12 different starting positions on the grid have produced wins in the NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Four of the 27 NASCAR Cup Series races (14.8%) at Homestead-Miami Speedway have been won from the pole or first starting position: Bill Elliott (2001), Kurt Busch (2002) and Tyler Reddick (2024) won from the pole. Denny Hamlin won from the first starting position in 2020 due to Metric Qualifying.
• Eight of the 27 NASCAR Cup Series races (29.6%) at Homestead-Miami Speedway have been won from the front row: four from the first starting position and four from the second starting position.
• The first, second and the fifth starting positions are the most proficient starting positions in the field producing more winners (four each) than any other starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway (14.8%).

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Homestead-Miami Speedway

• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started in the NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway is 38th, by Denny Hamlin in 2009.
• Tony Stewart (1999) is the only driver to win at Homestead-Miami Speedway in his first appearance.
• A total of eight different organizations have won at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.

• Joe Gibbs Racing leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway with nine victories among five drivers: Tony Stewart (1999, 2000), Bobby Labonte (2003), Denny Hamlin (2009, 2013, 2020), Kyle Busch (2015, 2019) and Christopher Bell (2023).
• RFK Racing leads the Cup Series in consecutive wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway with five straight from 2004-2008.
• Five different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway, led by Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota with eight victories each; followed by Pontiac (two) and Dodge (one).
• Ford leads the Cup Series in consecutive wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway with five straight from 2004-2008.

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

• A total of 21 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished runner-up at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and four drivers have finished runner-up multiple times at the 1.5-mile track.
• Kevin Harvick (2003, 2008, 2015) and Martin Truex Jr. (2006, 2018, 2019) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Homestead-Miami Speedway with three second-place finishes each.
• Ryan Blaney (2023, 2024) leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Homestead-Miami Speedway with two second-place finishes.

Runner-Up Finishers at Homestead-Miami Speedway (All-Time)

Top-Five Finishes:

• A total of 46 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished inside the top-five at Homestead-Miami Speedway, 27 of the 46 have finished in the top-five multiple times.
• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes at Homestead-Miami Speedway with 12 top fives.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active Cup Series drivers in top-five finishes at Homestead-Miami Speedway with seven top fives.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Homestead-Miami Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 69 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished inside the top-10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-10 finishes at Homestead-Miami Speedway with 19 top-10 finishes.
• Denny Hamlin leads all the active Cup Series drivers in top-10 finishes at Homestead with 14 top-10 finishes.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Homestead-Miami Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Average Finish:

• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 7.478 in 23 starts.
• Tyler Reddick leads all active Cup drivers in in average finishing position at Homestead with an 8.8 in six starts.

Top 10 in Average Finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway (All-Time & Active)

LAP LEADERS & LEAD CHANGES

• A total of 68 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Kyle Larson leads all NASCAR Cup Series drivers in laps led at Homestead-Miami Speedway with 645 laps led out of 3,094 laps completed (22%) – 12 starts.
• The most laps led at Homestead-Miami Speedway by the race winner was 214 of the scheduled 267 laps (80.1%) by Matt Kenseth on November 18, 2007 – he started from the fourth position.
• The most laps led at Homestead-Miami Speedway by a driver that did not win was 191 of the scheduled 267 laps (71.5%) by Kyle Busch on November 18, 2012 – he started eighth and finished fourth.
• The fewest laps led at Homestead-Miami Speedway by the race winner was one lap led of the scheduled 267 laps by Bobby Labonte on November 16, 2003 – he started second and passed Bill Elliott on the last lap to win the race.
• Last season’s race winner, Kyle Larson, led 19 of the 267 scheduled laps (7.1%)

Top 10 Lap Leaders at Homestead-Miami Speedway (All-Time & Active)

• The most leaders in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is 15 set in 2011.
• The fewest leaders in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is four set in 2017.
• The most lead changes in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is 33 set in 2024.
• The fewest lead changes in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway is 11 set in 2022.
• The NASCAR Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway have had a last lap pass for the lead to win the race twice: 2003 (Bobby Labonte passed Bill Elliott) and 2024 (Tyler Reddick passed Ryan Blaney)

FEMALE COMPETITORS

• Danica Patrick is the only female driver to compete at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.

TRACK SPECIFIC STATS

• The closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway was the November 20, 2005 race won by Greg Biffle over Mark Martin by a margin of 0.017 second.
• Last season’s Cup race at Homestead-Miami was the second-closest finish in series history at the track with a 0.241 second.

Top Five Closest Margins of Victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway

• Qualifying has been cancelled at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series three times – 2019 (weather), 2020 (pandemic), and 2021 (pandemic).
• None of the 27 Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway have been shortened due to weather.
• Three times the NASCAR Cup Series race has resulted with an overtime finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

NASCAR IN FLORIDA

• There have been 383 NASCAR national series races among 11 tracks in the state of Florida.
• The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Florida was on July 10, 1949 at the Daytona Beach & Road Course in Daytona Beach, Florida – the event was won by Red Byron (Oldsmobile).

FLORIDA DRIVERS IN NASCAR

• A total of 201 different drivers that have made at least one start in a NASCAR national series race have their home state recorded as Florida.
• There have been 13 NASCAR national series race winners from the state of Florida have combined to win 117 NASCAR national series races.

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