American Industrialist John D. Rockefeller once said “I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity”; the idea for Homestead-Miami Speedway was an opportunity that came in the wake of Hurricane Andrew.

Sources say that Hurricane Andrew caused between $26 and $34 billion worth of damage, most of which was in southern Florida. 65 people lost their lives in one of the only Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States during the 20th Century.

In hopes of revitalizing the area, the idea for the track was developed and on August 24th, 1994, one year to the day after the devastating storm made landfall in Florida, the groundbreaking for the 434-acre facility took place.

The track opened the following year as a flat, rectangular oval that initially had some unfavorable reactions to the design and created poor crash angles that made on-track incidents more dangerous.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series began running at the track the first year it was built, but NASCAR’s premier division did not make its debut until 1999 when Tony Stewart won the inaugural Pennzoil 400.

A few years after the track opened its gates, a multi-million dollar renovation project changed the track configuration to more of a traditional oval in hopes of increasing the speed on the track and helping the cars pass one another.

The inaugural Ford Championship Weekend for NASCAR’s top-three series took place in 2002, just before another major track transformation.

A $12 million re-banking project was started in May of 2003. The end result was the current 1.5-mile oval with 18-20 degree banking in the turns. The new changes were widely accepted by NASCAR drivers and fans alike.

Now, Homestead-Miami Speedway displays high speeds and action-packed races making it the perfect venue for the final races of the NASCAR season. This year, the track proudly announced it would be the championship venue for not only NASCAR’s highest divisions, but also for IndyCar, Grand-Am and Firestone Indy Lights Series.

Out of the ashes came new life in Homestead, Florida.

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