Hocevar suspended and fined $100K before Homestead finale

Homestead-Miami Speedway reclaims its spot as the NASCAR season finale for the first time since 2019.

Three championships will be decided under the Florida sun this weekend.

The Cup, O'Reilly Auto Parts, and Craftsman Truck Series all crown their champions at one venue.

Kyle Larson enters the Cup finale with a 67-point lead over Christopher Bell.

Denny Hamlin trails by 70 points in third place.

Larson needs just nine points to secure his third championship in six seasons.

NASCAR's Racing Insights projects his title chances at 99.4 percent.

The O'Reilly Series battle is much tighter.

Justin Allgaier leads the standings by 22 points over Jesse Love.

Corey Day sits 23 points back, followed by Carson Kvapil at 31 and Sheldon Creed at 42.

All five drivers remain mathematically eligible heading into Saturday's 200-lap showdown.

In the Truck Series, Kaden Honeycutt holds a 20-point advantage over Layne Riggs.

Both drivers are chasing their first championship.

The weekend schedule begins Thursday, November 5.

Truck Series practice runs at 6:30 p.m. ET on the NASCAR Channel.

Friday, November 6, brings a packed day of racing.

Truck Series qualifying starts at 2:30 p.m. on FOX Sports 2 and FOX ONE.

O'Reilly Series practice follows at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited.

Cup Series practice gets underway at 5:30 p.m. on TRUTV and HBO MAX.

The Truck Series championship race closes Friday at 7:30 p.m. on FOX Sports 1 and FOX ONE.

The race features a 30-30-74 lap stage format over 134 laps.

Saturday, November 7, begins with O'Reilly Series qualifying at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited.

Cup Series qualifying follows at 2:30 p.m. on TRUTV and HBO MAX.

The O'Reilly Series championship race takes place at 5:00 p.m. on The CW and ESPN Unlimited.

That race uses a 45-45-110 lap stage format over 200 laps.

Sunday, November 8, is the main event.

NBC broadcasts the Cup Series championship pre-race show at 2:00 p.m. ET.

The green flag drops at 3:13 p.m. ET for the 267-lap finale.

The race features an 80-85-102 stage format.

Teams will have nine sets of tires available.

A full field of 40 cars is entered for the Cup finale.

The entry list includes 38 O'Reilly Series cars and 35 Truck Series entries.

Radio coverage comes from MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Live streaming is available through NBC's platforms.

But the biggest story off the track this week involves Carson Hocevar.

Spire Motorsports suspended Hocevar before the Homestead weekend.

NASCAR also fined him $100,000 following incidents at Martinsville.

The penalty came after the November 2 race at Martinsville Speedway.

Hocevar will miss the season finale as a result of the suspension.

Spire Motorsports made the decision to park him before NASCAR acted.

The team did not wait for the sanctioning body to force the issue.

NASCAR Vice President explained the penalties for Hocevar and Josh Berry in a separate statement.

The exact nature of the Martinsville incidents has not been fully detailed in public.

Hocevar's absence opens a seat for the Homestead race.

Spire Motorsports has not announced a replacement driver as of publication.

The timing puts the team in a difficult position for the finale.

Homestead-Miami Speedway last hosted the season finale in 2019.

That year, Kyle Busch won the Cup championship at the track.

NASCAR moved the finale to Phoenix in 2020 and kept it there through 2025.

The return to Homestead brings back a traditional season-ending venue.

The track is a 1.5-mile oval with progressive banking.

Drivers can run multiple grooves, which often produces close racing.

Kyle Larson won the most recent Cup race at Homestead in 2024.

That race was held in October as part of the playoff schedule.

Now the track hosts the championship decider for all three national series.

The weekend combines practice, qualifying, and racing across three days.

Thursday offers only Truck Series practice as a warm-up.

Friday features qualifying for Trucks and practice for all three series.

The Truck Series title race closes Friday night under the lights.

Saturday adds qualifying for O'Reilly and Cup Series.

The O'Reilly Series championship race runs Saturday afternoon.

Sunday is reserved entirely for the Cup Series finale.

The schedule allows fans to watch every series compete for a title.

Television coverage spans multiple networks.

FOX Sports 1 and FOX ONE carry Truck Series events.

The CW and ESPN Unlimited handle O'Reilly Series coverage.

NBC broadcasts the Cup Series finale on Sunday.

TRUTV and HBO MAX carry Cup practice and qualifying sessions.

The NASCAR Channel provides additional coverage on Thursday and Friday.

Canadian viewers can watch on TSN.

International viewing options vary by region.

Radio listeners can tune to MRN or SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

The championship scenarios are clear for each series.

In Cup, Larson controls his own destiny with a 67-point cushion.

Bell and Hamlin need a near-perfect race and significant bad luck for Larson.

Mathematically, both remain alive but face long odds.

In the O'Reilly Series, the race is wide open.