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Homestead-Miami primer: Everything you need to know about race, track

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Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick are live on set to preview the NASCAR Championship at Homestead and describe what is crossing the line.

Here’s the final Cup primer of the season, covering all that’s on tap for this weekend, season highlights and information about Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Miami Highlights


  • The last seven Miami races were won by seven different drivers
  • The last three Miami races were won by drivers getting their first win at Miami
  • The last six Miami races were won by drivers from three organizations: Hendrick Motorsports, Joe 
Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing
  • Jimmie Johnson won at Miami in 2016; he led only the final three laps
  • Ford has seven Miami wins but has not won there since Carl Edwards won for Roush Fenway Racing in 
2010 (Edwards tied for the championship in 2011, but Tony Stewart and Chevrolet won the title by wins)
  • 13 of the last 14 Miami races had at least seven cautions
  • The last three Miami races had a final green flag stretch of seven laps or less
  • Three Miami races had an overtime finish: 2004, 2006 and 2016
  • Miami is one of two active tracks where Team Penske is winless, the other is Indianapolis
  • There were eight DNFs at Miami in 2016 all eight were for accident, it was the most DNFs for accident 
in one race at Miami
  • The driver who led the most laps failed to win the last six races at Miami
  • There were 18 or more lead changes in the last eight Miami races, 20 in 2016
  • 12 of 18 Miami races were won from a top-10 start position
  • Jimmie Johnson won from a 14th place start position in 2016 the worst start by a Miami winner in the 
last four races (Johnson started in the race in the rear after unapproved impound adjustments)
  • Bobby Labonte passed Bill Elliott on the last lap of the 2003 race in Miami, the only last lap pass ever at 
the track (Labonte led only one lap in the entire race)
  • The final lead change was in the last eight laps in the last three Miami races (every race in the 
elimination format)
  • In the three years of the elimination format (since 2014), the driver who won the Championship also 
won the race
  • Four times the driver who won at Miami also won the Championship: 2011, 2014-2016
  • This will be the first time a Chevrolet has not made the Championship four at Miami
  • 10 of 13 Miami Playoff races were won by playoff drivers
  • Two of the four Championship drivers have won at Miami: Kevin Harvick 2014 and Kyle Busch 2015
  • This will be the first appearance in the Championship four for Brad Keselowski, Keselowski won the 
Championship in 2012 prior to the introduction of the elimination format
  • The pass for the win came in the final eight laps in all three races at Homestead under the elimination 
format
  • Jimmie Johnson was the best running of the four playoff drivers for only seven laps last year
  • All four playoff drivers had a significant issue in the race in 2016, three of the four finishes in the top-six

2017 Season highlights


  • Joe Gibbs Racing (8), Furniture Row (5) and Chip Ganassi Racing (2) won 15 of the last 18 races
  • The pole winner has won six times in 2017: Kyle Larson ACS, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Talladega-1, Kyle 
Larson MIS-1, Kyle Busch POC-2, Kyle Busch NH-2, Martin Truex Jr. KS-2
  • The final lead change came in the last 10 laps in 20 of 35 races in 2017, the final three laps in 13 races 
and on the last lap in four races
  • The pass for the win came in the final 10 laps in five of the last seven races of 2017
  • Either Martin Truex Jr. or Kyle Busch won a stage in 23 of 35 races in 2017
  • Martin Truex Jr. has won at least one stage in 14 of 35 races in 2017 but has not won a stage in the last 
seven races which is his longest stretch of races without a stage win in 2017
  • Martin Truex Jr. is the only driver to win both Stage 1 and 2 and go on to win the race (Las Vegas, Kentucky)
  • Five drivers have won a race but have not won a stage in 2017
  • Three drivers have won a stage but have not won a race in 2017
  • Atlanta, Pocono-1, Michigan-2 Chicagoland and Phoenix-2 are the only races without a caution before 
the end of stage 1
  • Atlanta, Michigan-2 and Chicagoland are the only races to not have a caution other than stage 
breaks in the first two stages of the race
  • Three Cautions at Watkins Glen the fewest in a race in 2017
  • 15 cautions at Kansas-1 and Dover-1 are the most in a race in 2017
  • Three times a driver has won after going to the rear: Jimmie Johnson Texas-1 (unapproved tire 
change), Joey Logano Richmond-1 (transmission change), Jimmie Johnson Dover-1 (rear gear change)
  • Denny Hamlin won in New Hampshire-1 after going to a backup car prior to qualifying
  • Three times in 2017 a driver has gone on to win after a speeding penalty: Kurt Busch Daytona-1, Brad 
Keselowski Martinsville-1 and Martin Truex Jr. Chicagoland
  • Martin Truex Jr. won at Kansas after a restart violation on lap 36, it was the fourth time in 2017 a driver 
has recovered from a in race infraction to win and the second time by Martin Truex Jr.
  • Three drivers got their first career win in 2017: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Talladega-1, Austin Dillon Charlotte-1, Ryan Blaney Pocono-1, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the first first-time winner to get his second win in 2017
  • There have been two track records set in 2017: Kyle Busch (Kentucky), Kurt Busch (Texas-2)
  • Eight times driver has swept all three rounds of qualifying: Kevin Harvick- IMS 2014, MIS 6/14 and TX 4/17, DAR 2017; Joey Logano MART 4/16 10/17; Brad Keselowski TX 11/15; Kyle Busch CHI 2017
  • Qualifying was cancelled twice in 2017: Martinsville-1, Bristol-1
  • 11 races had an overtime finish in 2017: PHX-1, ACS, TAL-1, Dover-1, Daytona-2, KY, Indy, MIS-2, 
RICH-2, CLT-2, MART-2
  • Four races were won with a last lap pass: Daytona-1 Kurt Busch passed Kyle Larson, Talladega-1 Ricky 
Stenhouse Jr. passed Kyle Busch, Talladega-2 Brad Keselowski passed Ryan Newman, Martinsville-2 
Kyle Busch passed Denny Hamlin
  • Three races were affected by rain in 2017: Bristol-1 (postponed until Monday), Charlotte-1 (delayed 90 
minutes lap 145), Indianapolis (Delayed on Lap 12 for 2 hours)
  • Three drivers ended the longest winless streaks of their career in 2017: Ryan Newman 127 races, Kasey 
Kahne 102 races and Kyle Busch 36 races
  • Homestead-Miami Speedway is located 287 miles south of Daytona International Speedway
  • At the end of the Miami race, the Cup Series will have raced 10,581 laps and 14,035 miles; even more with an overtime finish
  • Martin Truex Jr. won six of 10 races on 1.5 mile tracks in 2017, he finished 8th, 8th, 3rd and 2nd in the other four
  • Three of the four Championship four drivers won a race on a 1.5 mile track in 2017, Kyle Busch’s best finish on a 1.5 mile track in 2017 is second in the Coke 600 at Charlotte
  • Martin Truex Jr. is the only driver to finish in the top-10 in all 10 races on 1.5 mile tracks in 2017, Kevin Harvick is a close second with nine
  • Martin Truex Jr. led 1,054 laps on 1.5 mile tracks in 2017 the most of all drivers, the second most laps led is 707 by Kevin Harvick a difference of 347 laps, 90 more laps than the scheduled race distance at Miami
  • The four playoff drivers combined led 77% of the laps raced on 1.5 mile tracks in 2017 (2354 of 3072): Martin Truex Jr. 1,054, Kevin Harvick 707, Kyle Busch 460 and Brad Keselowski 133
  • Jimmie Johnsons 28 career wins on 1.5 mile tracks are the most all time
  • Toyota has six wins on 1.5 mile tracks in 2017, all by Martin Truex Jr.
  • One 1.5 mile track race was won from the pole in 2017: Kansas 2 by Martin Truex Jr.

Season Breakdown


  • Different Winners: 15
  • Most Wins: 7 - Martin Truex Jr.
  • Most Poles: 8 - Kyle Busch
  • Most Runner Ups: 8 – Kyle Larson
  • Most Top-fives: 18 – Martin Truex Jr.
  • Most Top-10s: 25 – Martin Truex Jr.
  • Most Laps Led: 2175 – Martin Truex Jr.
  • Stage Wins: 19 – Martin Truex Jr.
  • Stage Top-5s: 47 – Martin Truex Jr.
  • Stage Top-10s: 54 – Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr.
  • Playoff Points: 69 – Martin Truex Jr.

Miami Track Facts


  • November 19th will be the 19th race at Homestead-Miami Speedway
  • Homestead-Miami Speedway hosted a race every season since 1999 and was the final race of the 
season since 2002
  • Homestead-Miami Speedway hosted the season finale in ever playoff season (14 times total)
  • This will be the 11th and final race on a 1.5 mile track in 2017 and the last of five in the playoffs
  • This will be the third points race held in the state of Florida for the MENCS in 2017

Homestead-Miami Track History


  • Homestead was devastated by Hurricane Andrew in August, 1992. Ralph Sanchez, a long time promoter of street races in Miami, had long dreamed of a first-class track in South Florida. After the hurricane he approached the city of Homestead with a proposal to build a track. Within two weeks he negotiated an agreement whereby the City would own the track on county land and lease the facility to Sanchez.
  • Ground was broken August 23, 1994. The first points race was a Busch Series race held on November 5, 1995 won by Dale Jarrett before a sellout crowd. The first competition was an exhibition race for NASCAR Trucks won by Geoff Bodine.
  • The first Cup race was November 14th, 1999 won by Tony Stewart driving the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac led by crew chief Greg Zipadelli. It was Stewart’s third win of his rookie season. Stewart also won the following year.
  • ISC became the sole owner of the Speedway in 2001 pursuant to an agreement that was made in 1997 when ISC acquired 40% ownership
  • In 2003 the track underwent a major reconfiguration from what was nearly a flat 1.5 mile track to computer designed progressive banking of 18-20 degrees in the turns. The project required over 4 million cubic feet of fill that was hauled in with 10,000 truckloads. The pole speed jumped nearly 25 mph in 2003 to 181.111 (the all-time record) from the previous record of 156.440 mph
  • Homestead has been the NSCS season ending race since 2002.
  • Ford Championship Weekend began in 2003.
  • The 2005 events were held under the lights for the first time.
  • Some features of the 600 acre facility: 1,005 Palm trees, five level 12 story high tower building, 750 TV 
monitor, garage area for 120 cars and 30 suites above the garages
  • In 2009 the track hosted all of North America’s premier motorsports championships: IndyCar, Grand- 
Am, Indy Lights and NASCAR’s Sprint Cup, Xfinity (then Nationwide) and Camping World Truck Series.
  • At 25 degree longitude, Homestead is the southern most track that NASCAR visits