Their next air racing foray would take place closer to home that following Spring, during the fantastic, but under-promoted Unlimiteds-only meet staged by Ft. Lauderdale's- Whittington Brothers: the 1979 Miami/Homestead International Air Races held at Florida's Homestead Airport, Feb. 26 - March 4. This time the racers were challenged by having to fly a 7-mile oval course, designed with three pylons at each end with a mile and a half long front and back straight-away, compared to Reno's then- 9.694mi. race course. Though the shorter course promised tighter competition and fewer blown engines, it demanded superior piloting skill and greater conditioning, to endure higher g-forces encountered while flying tighter turns on a smaller course during 10-lap races. The qualifying field allowed for 28 aircraft- divided into four 7-plane race brackets using the 'bump system', with the top five qualifiers locked-in for the Gold final.