Haslem’s first visit to Homestead stirs up family memories, thoughts of NASCAR ownership
Udonis Haslem grew up watching two sports with his grandfather: NASCAR and baseball. It meant Haslem’s trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday carried an added air of significance beyond just experiencing a unique sporting environment for the first time in his home county.
“Things [have] come full circle, and this is an amazing opportunity for me,” the Miami Heat power forward said. “[My grandfather] never had the opportunity to go to something like this, so this is my opportunity to do some of the things that he would’ve loved to do as a kid.”
Haslem, beginning his 20th season with the Heat, served as an honorary race official for the Dixie Vodka 400.
He’d hoped to exchange jerseys with 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, who was suspended Tuesday for the Homestead race after he crashed Kyle Lawson and then shoved him at the South Point 400 in Las Vegas last Sunday, but said he understood the complexity of the situation — as well as how high tensions can run in competitive sports — even though he was disappointed with the suspension.
The trip still made for an exciting new experience for the 42-year-old Miamian. When asked how Miami stacked up compared to other sports towns he’s come across in his career, Haslem unsurprisingly said he felt his hometown ranked at the top of the list.
“We’ve stepped up to the plate in every sports category,” Haslem said. “The Marlins have won, the Panthers were right there last year and they had the No. 1 seed, the Heat — obviously we know what we do and I got our ‘72 Dolphins, so we’re a sports town. Our fans just show up a little late sometimes, but that’s OK. They’ll be there. They just take their time.”
Haslem, who’s been open about his desire to be part of the Heat’s ownership group, also said he’d be willing to consider becoming part of the NASCAR world at the ownership level when asked about other former NBA players who’ve crossed over, including Michael Jordan and Brad Daugherty.
“I’m a person that is very ambitious,” Haslem said. “If it’s something that I’m interested in and it’s something that I want to be a part of, then we talk about it and we make that move. This is something that I’m definitely interested in. I like to compete. I love fast. I know it’s kind of a parody, but the movie ‘Talladega Nights’ is one of my favorite movies ever. Still watch it to this day.”
NASCAR’s importance in South Florida
Daniel Suarez, who’s originally from Mexico and drives the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro for Trackhouse Racing Team, said it’s been nice to visit an area with such a large Hispanic population. Miami feels like home – a welcomed feeling for Suarez, who finds himself away from Mexico “98 percent of the time.”
“There is a lot of people talking to me in Spanish,” he said Saturday. “Everything starts, I would say, driving to the race track. If you turn on the radio, you start flipping stations and everything is in Spanish and then we get to the race track and most of the security people speak Spanish, so it just feels different. ... I really feel good.”
Adassa, who sang the national anthem and is an Afro-Latin singer from Miami, explained how pleased she was to see Suarez on such a big stage in NASCAR Sunday. Trackhouse Racing is co-owned by Grammy Award-winning Cuban-American artist Pitbull. Adassa and Pitbull have collaborated on music in the past. She also starred in Disney’s “Encanto” as the voice of Dolores.
It all plays into making Homestead-Miami a unique stop on the NASCAR calendar.
“To me, as a Latina, to see another Latino there thriving is a great experience,” Adassa said. “And to be here today and share in the national anthem and be with the fans, which are absolutely intense. I love it. I love the energy going on here.”
Aric Almirola, a Cuban American driver from Florida, talked about how important it is for NASCAR to host an event in such a diverse place. The prospect of visiting the Little Havana neighborhood in Miami and dining at some of the city’s Cuban restaurants also excited him.
“To bring motor racing to this part of the country is very fitting and to do it here in Homestead-Miami, and race at, like I said, one of my favorite mile-and-a-half race tracks ... is very fitting,” Almirola said Friday, “and I’m so glad that we come down to this community and put on world-class racing with NASCAR.”
From watermelon farm to racetrack
Ross Chastain, who drives the No. 1 Camaro for Trackhouse, grew up just 160 miles away from Homestead-Miami Speedway in Alva on his family’s watermelon farm. He’s an eighth-generation watermelon farmer, and his father Ralph Chastain and brother Chad Chastain still run the family farm.
Chastain finished second in the 2022 Dixie Vodka 400 Sunday, maintaining his No. 2 ranking in NASCAR Cup Series playoff points. He’s the closest thing HMS had to a hometown driver for the race.
“We’re known in South Florida for farming and agriculture,” Chastain said before qualifying Saturday. “We’re not known for racing. ... I didn’t come in with a predisposed reputation of my dad. My dad raced locally down here in South Florida, but it wasn’t on this stage, so we’ve built up our fan base grassroots level.”
This story was originally published October 23, 2022 at 3:08 PM.