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NASCAR rcently announced its 2021 schedule, which will feature a new look in the state of Florida, with two consecutive weeks of racing as Homestead-Miami Speedway moves to the second race of the season on Sunday, Feb. 21.
As is tradition, the season will start with the running of the 63rd annual Daytona 500, The Great American Race, at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 14, before moving south in the Sunshine State for the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.
“It’s going to be an incredible month of February for racing in Florida, taking us back to the storied past of the NASCAR Cup Series, plus having fans back to our facility,” said Homestead-Miami Speedway president Al Garcia. “Having back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series races in the Sunshine State to kick off the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season will provide two different kinds of incredible competition.
“A February race weekend here at Homestead-Miami Speedway affords us many unique opportunities to entertain the South Florida community and welcome fans from across the country, many of whom may be coming from Daytona,” Garcia said.
Fans wishing to attend the historic February Dixie Vodka 400 can take advantage of an early access pre-sale. Available online or by phone, tickets for the general public start at $35 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and younger. Fans who originally purchased tickets to the 2020 event can take advantage of even lower pricing when renewing by the deadline of Nov. 16. For information visit www.HomesteadMiamiSpeedway.com or call (866) 409-RACE (7223).
With the 2021 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it marks the first time since 1952-54 that the NASCAR Cup Series season has opened with the first two events in the state of Florida. In both ’52 and ’54, the first three events kicked off the season in Florida — Palm Beach Speedway, the Daytona Beach/Road Course and Speedway Park in Jacksonville. The ’53 season began at the Palm Beach track followed by road course at Daytona. All three of the venues are no longer in existence.
As part of NASCAR’s return to racing earlier this year, Homestead-Miami Speedway served as the first venue to have guests back to the track with local military personnel attending the Dixie Vodka 400 on June 14. The race originally was scheduled for Mar. 22 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From 1999 through 2019 (21 years), Homestead-Miami Speedway hosted NASCAR Cup Series races in November, including the series’ finale beginning in 2002. This season, the Cup Series race was moved to March, then ultimately to June as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Homestead-Miami Speedway has been open since 1995 following an initiative to spur economic recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. The Speedway, which was founded by Miami businessman, racing enthusiast and philanthropist Ralph Sanchez, is a 650-acre facility that features a 1.5-mile oval and 2.21-mile road course. The Speedway hosts on-track events nearly 300 days per year and generates more than $301 million annually for the region.
