Chase Elliott won the biggest race of his life — rallying from having to drop to the rear of the field on pace laps to cross the Phoenix Raceway finish line first in the Series Finale 500 — earning his first career NASCAR Cup Series championship at the age of 24, the youngest champion in NASCAR’s premier series in 25 years.
Ultimately, Elliott won by 2.74 seconds over fellow title contender Brad Keselowski from Team Penske. Joey Logano was third and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin finished fourth.
Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, 45, was fifth in his final race as a full-time driver, and he congratulated his young Hendrick Motorsports teammate Elliott on-track and later on pit lane — a fitting symbol of the sport’s “changing of the guard.”
“Awesome, awesome, awesome,” Elliott screamed into his team radio after taking the checkered flag. “We are the champions!”
Three of the four title contenders led laps at the 1-mile desert oval. Logano was out front 125 laps and Keselowski led 16 laps, but Elliott’s 153 laps led were indicative of his motivation, talent and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team’s preparedness for this race. He only earned his place in the four-driver championship field with a clutch victory last week at Martinsville Speedway and made the most of that work on Sunday.
Elliott wrestled the lead away from Logano for good with 43 laps of the 312-lap race remaining. It was the result of a determined driver and team after the car failed pre-race inspection multiple times Sunday morning and had to start last in the 39-car field.
His focus was evident, however, from the drop of the green flag. Elliott’s Chevrolet was 15th by Lap 15. He took the lead for the first time at Lap 79 and led eight different times on the afternoon.
Once Elliott rallied to the front, the four title contenders were predominantly the top four drivers on track the remainder of the race — truly settling the championship among themselves.
“Obviously, when you don’t win it hurts, it definitely stings,” Logano said. “I told the guys before the race, you can’t lose. You either win or you get stronger. Unfortunately, we got stronger today.”
With this championship, Elliott and his father Bill (the 1988 series champion) became only the third father-son NASCAR Cup Series championship combination in the sport’s history joining Lee and Richard Petty and Ned and Dale Jarrett. Elliott’s father stood trackside for the race and joked afterward that he had given his son some simple advice for the big day. Advice Chase readily admits went through his head as he challenged for the life-changing trophy.
“He told me, ‘all you have to do is beat three people,’ ” a smiling Elliott said of his father’s pre-race advice. “He said all week he felt confident that we could come out here and do this. And he was right.
“This is a moment I’ve dreamed about. This is all I’ve wanted to do is be a race car driver and race in NASCAR. To be honest, I’m humbled.”
Elliott’s good friend Ryan Blaney finished sixth followed by regular-season champion Kevin Harvick, Matt DiBenedetto, William Byron and Martin Truex Jr.
Clint Bowyer, who is moving to the FOX television booth, and former series champion Matt Kenseth, who is returning to retirement, finished 14th and 25th, respectively, in their final race. Crew chief Chad Knaus, at the helm for Johnson’s seven titles, led Hendrick driver Byron to that ninth-place showing.
“I’m at a loss for words, this is unbelievable,” Elliott said. “Oh, my gosh. We did it. I mean, we did it. That’s all I’ve got to tell you. Unreal.
“Crew chief, Alan Gustafson, is now a NASCAR Cup Series champion, and very deserving. I just can’t say enough about our group. I felt like we took some really big strides this year, and last week was a huge one. To come out of that with a win and a shot to come here and have a chance to race is unbelievable. Heck, I don’t know. I don’t even know. This is unreal.”
The Cup Series’ next race is the 2021 Daytona 500, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 14 — 98 days away.
NOTE: NASCAR Cup Series post-race inspection is complete. All clear. No issues. Engine tear down is complete and all clear.
The checkered flag has waved on Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR career.
After 19 complete seasons and 686 career starts, Johnson is retiring from full-time Cup Series competition. He goes down in the sport’s record book tied for most driver championships, matching only NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Johnson won a series-high five championships in a row.
“My bucket is full,” Johnson said. “NASCAR has been so wonderful for me. This journey has been more than I could have ever dreamed of or expected or hoped for.”
It all came to a close Sunday at Phoenix Raceway in the Season Finale 500. Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, earned his first-ever Cup Series championship by not only having the best finish out of the title contenders but also winning the event. Johnson came in fifth.
Johnson didn’t realize the significance of his top-five run until daughter Evie celebrated it on pit lane afterward.
“Daddy, I think you won,” she said.
Johnson politely corrected his oldest of two.
“No,” she said. “The first four cars were in the championship and you beat everybody else.”
Evie was right. Behind Elliott were Championship 4 contenders Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in order. Johnson couldn’t have placed better among his competition.
The result counted for Johnson’s fifth top five this year and the 232nd in his career. He also closed out with 10 top 10s in 2020 and 374 since his rookie 2002 season.
That was Johnson’s last ride in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet — the same car he steered to Victory Lane a historical sixth-best 83 times since his first win on April 28, 2002 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, his home track. Alex Bowman will take over the entry in 2021.
“I’ve let in about as much as I can,” Johnson said. “I feel like the offseason will happen, and I won’t have team meetings and 2021 planning meetings, and my trips to the shop won’t be as frequent. I’ll still go and still be around HMS just because it’s home.
“But I think as next year comes around and I don’t go to Daytona for the 500 and those firsts that come along, that’s when it will take deeper — it’ll continue to set in deeper and deeper.”
Slowly but surely. Johnson still hopes to run one-off NASCAR races when he can.
And he’s not leaving the cockpit either, just switching to an open seat. Johnson partnered with Chip-Ganassi Racing to drive in the NTT IndyCar Series part time next year. He actually travels Monday to Monterey, California, for a Tuesday test. He practiced at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, earlier this week, too.
Johnson is going out on his own terms, which is all he wanted when he announced his retirement plan a year ago.
“I have friends that have been NASCAR drivers, friends of mine that have played professional football, professional baseball,” Johnson said. “Very few have had the opportunity to call their shot and say when they’re gone. Some have had injury, some were forced out, some sponsorship or opportunity passed them by. And either way, watching them, there’s a big voice that I’ve noticed.
Chase Elliott won his first NASCAR Cup Series title Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, joining his father, Bill, as champions of stock-car racing’s top division.
At 24 years, 11 months and 11 days old, Elliott became the third-youngest Cup Series champion in NASCAR history. Only Jeff Gordon, who claimed his first title at 24 years, three months and eight days old in 1995, and 1950 champ Bill Rexford (then 23 years old) were younger.
Elliott topped fellow finalists Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano in the season-ending race, held for the first time at the 1-mile Arizona oval. Hamlin, the ace for Joe Gibbs Racing this season, was also competing for his first Cup Series crown; Team Penske teammates Keselowski and Logano were both seeking their second series titles.
“I’m not sure that I still even know,” Elliott said when asked what the championship means to him. “I just, man, I’m at a loss for words. This is unbelievable. Oh, my gosh. We did it. I mean, we did it. That’s all I’ve got to tell you. Unreal.
“Championship crew chief, Alan Gustafson, is now a NASCAR Cup Series champion, and very deserving. I just can’t say enough about our group. I felt like we took some really big strides this year, and last week was a huge one. To come out of that with a win and a shot to come here and have a chance to race is unbelievable.”
Even more unbelievable considering Elliott had to come from the back of the field because of multiple failures in pre-race inspection. However, Elliott was already up to third place by the end of Stage 1. Then, he moved up to second by the end of Stage 2 before taking over the race in the final stage.
Elliott ended up leading a race-high 153 laps, including the final 43 circuits after passing Logano on Lap 270 of 312. Elliott’s margin of victory was a hefty 2.740 seconds over Logano’s teammate Keselowski.
Elliott became the fourth driver to bring a driving championship to team owner Rick Hendrick. His march to the title gave Hendrick Motorsports its 13th title and its first since 2016, when teammate Jimmie Johnson scored the last of his record-tying seven championships — all with Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick’s other titles came from Gordon, a four-time champ who spent all of his Cup Series career with the organization, and 1996 title winner Terry Labonte.
Elliott rode into the postseason picture with two victories, then advanced through the playoffs with wins in both the Round of 12 and Round of 8 finales. Along the way, he continued his mastery of road-course racing, stretching his win streak to four with triumphs at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course (a new venue added after the COVID-19 shutdown) and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. His other victories were career firsts, one on Charlotte’s oval layout and the other at Martinsville Speedway in the season’s penultimate race.
His Sunday triumph brings the championship back to the small town of Dawsonville, Georgia, where Bill Elliott’s march to his only Cup Series title was celebrated in 1988. The Dawsonville Pool Room, a shrine to the Elliotts and other Peach State racing legends, regularly cheered Bill Elliott’s wins by sounding its signature “si-reen.” The pool room’s owners shifted those victory cries to mark Chase Elliott’s accomplishments as he climbed through the NASCAR national series ranks.
Like his father, Chase Elliott carried the No. 9 to a championship. They are the third father-son duo to win Cup Series titles, following Lee and Richard Petty, and Ned and Dale Jarrett — all NASCAR Hall of Famers.
“All you can dream for is an opportunity, and I’ve been very fortunate to have that over the years,” Elliott said. “You know, and that’s all thanks to some great people. You know, my parents obviously have played a huge role. The past year has been tough. I lost my best friend about a year ago tonight. Lost my grandmother last year. And all those things bring families closer, so I really can’t thank them enough.”
The championship marked Elliott’s second national series title. He also secured the NASCAR Xfinity Series title as a rookie with JR Motorsports in 2014.
The title was also a first for crew chief Alan Gustafson, who completed his fifth season atop the No. 9 team’s pit box. Gustafson’s crown came in his second Championship 4 appearance; he also helped guide four-time champ Jeff Gordon to the title round in his final full season in 2015.
Jimmie Johnson made his final NASCAR Cup Series start as a full-time driver in Sunday’s Season Finale 500 at Phoenix Raceway.
As the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion rides into the next phase of his racing career with 83 career victories, his fellow peers took time to share how Johnson has impacted them and the sport.
The only man that I have watched the sunrise with multiple times, we had always wanted to close the book together. The day has come, my friend. Let’s go race like hell and see what happens on the other side. Much love #OneFinalTimepic.twitter.com/0is3T4C4wr
It has been a pleasure watching your journey and look forward to the next chapter. Going to be a roller coaster ride of emotion today. Enjoy every second! https://t.co/GtEhsPDQTH
Words can’t describe what it means to be on this journey with @JimmieJohnson for #OneFinalTime and I’m truly grateful for him and this team! He defines being a champion on and off the track. Very proud of him and his amazing career. @allyracing@TeamHendrick
To the guy I’ve idolized. To the guy I geeked out over at DIS when filling in the 43 in 2017. To the guy that’s been all class on n off the track. To the guy who called me just about every day during the madness of this season. To the guy I’m honored to call friend. Thanks JJ!🤘🏾 pic.twitter.com/rnJ0GucbxG
I’m going to miss racing with you pal. Myself and a lot of other kids wanted to be just like you growing up. Not everyday you get to compete with one of your heros. Here’s to ya champ. 🍻 https://t.co/ff4F9WDz62
No one has done it better! Champion of life more than anything and this video shows a lot of that. Incredible things on the track, off of it, and everywhere in between. I’m sure glad I get to line up across the bar from him from now on instead the starting grid. 😜. #48 https://t.co/11etvPKBdj
NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 contender Chase Elliott started from the rear of the field in Sunday’s Season Finale 500 (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN. Sirius XM) after his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection twice at Phoenix Raceway.
Elliott was slated to start from the Busch Pole position and lead the field to green. Instead, Elliott dropped back on pace laps. Fellow title hopefuls Joey Logano was lined up second, followed by Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin.
Elliott was one of four drivers competing for the 2020 Cup title, alongside former champions Keselowski and Logano of Team Penske. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Hamlin, like Elliott, was seeking his first championship.
The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season wraps up today at Phoenix Raceway. That being said, we have our last chance at Cup Series prop bet glory until Daytona Speedweeks 2021.
Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile flat track. Richmond and New Hampshire are its top corollary tracks. Martinsville can be considered a minor corollary track as well.
Looking at performance in these races, there are two underrated teammates on a top-tier team I like betting to finish near the front of the field:
NASCAR at Phoenix Betting Picks
Aric Almirola (+105) for Top-10 Finish
In three low-downforce races at Phoenix with Stewart-Haas Racing, Almirola has never finished worse than eighth place. In fact, if we extend that to Richmond and New Hampshire, Almirola is seven for eight in the top-10 department under low-downforce rules with his current team.
That should make him a favorite to finish in the Top 10 again this week, but he’s priced as a dog at DraftKings and even money at FanDuel.
Almirola’s teammate has been nearly as good on the short flat tracks this year. Custer finished a place behind Almirola at both Phoenix and New Hampshire. He also finished in 14th place at Richmond.
Custer placed between 10th and 16th in average green flag speed, average running position and driver rating at each of these races. That certainly makes him an underdog to finish in the Top 10, but he’s been on the cusp in each race in all the important metrics.
Adding in two races at Martinsville, Custer has four finishes in five races inside or near the Top 10. He also has a strong history in the various developmental series.
All together, Custer should be priced closer to +175. These odds at DraftKings, or a similar +195 price at FanDuel, are both good values for the rookie.
The Season Finale 500 at Phoenix Raceway will crown the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion among the Championship 4 of Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano on Sunday (3 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). This marks the first time that Phoenix has hosted the title-awarding event.
Elliott and Hamlin are each in search of their first titles, while Team Penske teammates Keselowski and Logano are each looking for their second championship.
Ahead of the title race, learn more about the title-contending drivers, race previews, gambling odds and more for the championship battle.
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
See all his wins: There was a wait for the young star to reach Victory Lane but he has hit double-digit Cup wins in his young, blossoming career. | Read more
Growing up NASCAR: From his days running up to his dad’s ride to his own path to NASCAR stardom, Elliott has already had quite the journey. | Read more
Drivers under 30 to win title: Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and more are part of this club that Elliott is looking to join. | Read more
Welcome to Awesomeville: NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert took a journey to Elliott’s hometown in 2018 to explore the connection between the town and its second-favorite (only to his dad) son. | Read more
Why Elliott will win: With the most consistent performance over the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs so far, is the stage set for Elliott’s biggest triumph? | Read more
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
See all his wins: Recap each and every one of Hamlin’s 44 NASCAR Cup Series victories | Read more
Hamlin’s highlights: Relive all the top moments in the career of the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing | Read more
All the wins, no title: Where does Hamlin stack up on the wins list of drivers without a Cup title to their name? | Read more
Why Hamlin will win: Is this Hamlin’s time to shine? Find out why Phoenix sets up well for the veteran driver. | Read more
Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
See all his wins: From a surprise win at Talladega in 2009 to his most recent triumph at Richmond in 2020, see every one of Keselowski’s 34 NASCAR Cup Series victories. | Read more
Keselowski’s kool moments: From his early days in the Xfinity ranks with JR Motorsports to his rise as a Cup champion, see the top moments in the driver’s career. | Read more
One, twice, multiple times a champ: Keselowski is aiming to become the 17th driver with at least two titles. Who else is part of the club? | Read more
Good luck charm?: An item from Keselowski’s last championship celebration will be making its way to Phoenix. | Read more
Why Keselowski will win: Does Keselowski’s major success with the 2020 short-track rules package — to the tune of three wins — set him up for a major day at Phoenix? | Read more
Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Christian Petersen | Getty Images
See all his wins: Recap Logano’s early wins at Joe Gibbs Racing to his rise to prominence at Team Penske. | Read more
‘Sliced’ just right: See the early days of the future champion racing in the Northeast to his rise into a NASCAR star. | Read more
Finishing in style: Logano’s 2018 race win in the final event earned him the championship that year and he is far from the only driver to win the final race and a championship in the same year. | Read more
Championship confidence: With a win from the spring race and a playoff surge, Logano believes he and the No. 22 team are the squad to beat on Sunday. | Read more
Why Logano will win: If you believe in recency bias both in the playoffs and at Phoenix as well as past title success in this elimination format, then Logano just might be the driver to take home the 2020 title. | Read more
Playoff history and the championship club
Phoenix Raceway
A storied club: See the drivers who have won NASCAR Cup Series championships throughout the sport’s history. | Read more
Championship 4 appearances by driver: This year’s Championship 4 field has a new face in Chase Elliott, plus returning favorites. See who’s made the final in the elimination era. | Read more
Clutch in the playoffs: Elliott’s victory at Martinsville last weekend was just the latest entry of a driver delivering when needed most in the postseason. | Read more
Excelling in elimination: The Championship 4 race is, for all intents and purposes, an elimination race and there are four of them throughout the playoffs. | Read more
Key story lines to watch for
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Racing Insights Power Index: How do the Championship 4 stack up against each other across a variety of statistics? Our friends at Racing Insights analyzed just that to provide a little “cheat sheet” for Sunday’s race. | Read more
Tires lead to titles: Late restarts in the Xfinity and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series title races saw fresh tires have an advantage and lead to championships. Will the same be true on Sunday? | Read more
What they’re saying: Hear what the Championship 4 drivers are saying heading into the title race and which driver is earning comparisons to Mark Martin | Read more
Everything to know for Phoenix: Get the lowdown on stage lengths, Goodyear tires and much more for Sunday’s race. | Read more
Forever family: Team owner Rick Hendrick’s emotions are bubbling to the surface ahead of Johnson’s final full-time start in the No. 48 Chevrolet. | Read more
State of the sport: NASCAR President Steve Phelps discusses the unprecedented 2020 season, plans for the Next Gen car and more in his annual address. | Read more
Will it take a win to take home the title?: In this format, a driver in the Championship 4 has always won the race to win the NASCAR Cup Series title. The Preview Show examines if that will be the case once again. | Read more
Not your typical season: After a season that saw a more than two-month break following the most recent Phoenix race, several doubleheaders and a lot of catch up over the summer, the title race is here and will not be undermined by the circumstances. | Read more
All about the team: Even with two drivers in the Championship 4, there is no divided loyalty for Team Penske. | Read more
Ranking the field: Pat DeCola breaks down the Championship 4 to see where they stack up heading into Sunday’s final race. | Read more
Fantasy forecasts and gambling insights
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
Eyes on the odds: How do the Championship 4 stack up in the betting odds for Sunday? Is there a good value bet on the board? Check out the latest odds provided by BetMGM. | Read more
Life in the Fastlane: It’s the final week of Fantasy Live. Do you eschew stage points and go with playoff drivers, do you load up on non-playoff plays or look for a balance of both? RJ Kraft serves as your fantasy zen master to get ready for Phoenix. | Read more
Duel in the desert: Need help in your fantasy league with the title on the line? NBC Sports’ Steve Letarte and PJ Walsh of The Action Network look at some under-the-radar plays to boost your lineup. | Read more
Fixated on the Finish Line: Which Penske driver is the pick to make in Group 1? Is Chase Elliott the slam-dunk Group 2 choice? NBC Sports’ Steve Letarte and PJ Walsh of The Action Network break it down. | Read more
Analyzing the last 10: Who has been the best driver at Phoenix over the last 10 races there? MRN has tallied the driver averages for the 1-mile track over that stretch. | Read more
The rise of Phoenix
Chris Graythen | Getty Images
New-look title race: For the first time in this format, Phoenix will host the championship and that creates a new look (and aggressiveness on the dogleg to boot) to decide the champion. | Read more
Every winner in the desert: Two of the Championship 4 have won here. Two have not. Take a look at the track winners from Alan Kulwicki to Joey Logano. | Read more
Paint palettes for the desert: Check out this weekend’s schemes for the final race weekend of the year, presented by TikTok. | See the schemes
Memorable moments: A milestone win for Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final Cup win, Matt Kenseth’s final Cup win to date and a post-race fracas to remember between Gordon and Clint Bowyer are among the top scenes we’ve seen in recent years. | Read more
A history of hosts: Road courses, dirt tracks and high-speed ovals have served as season-finale venues through the years, and Phoenix is the most recent addition to the list. Check out fun facts about the NASCAR Cup Series’ season-ending speedways. | Read more
They could, and they did. And maybe the Cup Series should, too.
NASCAR’s premier league races on the same 1-mile Arizona track Sunday (3 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott make up the Championship 4. Hamlin and Elliott are going for their first title – much like Creed and Cindric (another foreshadow?) – while Logano and Keselowski are aiming for their second.
If they’re smart, they watched the other two series’ finale and took notes.
“I laughed about it when the caution came out at the end there because I couldn’t believe how similar it was to the truck race,” Justin Allgaier said. “… When we took our set of tires with 30 to go, I really thought we had done the right thing. I really thought we made the right choice. So did Grant last night, and it didn’t work for him.”
He’s talking about Gander Trucks driver Grant Enfinger, who – like Allgaier – stayed out with old tires when the final yellow flew. Enfinger and Allgaier both restarted on the front row in their respective races. Come checkered flag two laps later, Enfinger was 13th and Allgaier was fifth.
Creed made his run to first from ninth. Cindric fired off third on his race-determining restart.
“Those are some tough calls,” said Cindric’s crew chief, Brian Wilson. “I based that on what I saw in the truck race last night. I’m good friends with Jeff Stankiewicz (Creed’s crew chief), and I watched him make that call, talked to him about it this morning. Just between watching that and what I saw in the Cup race in the spring, it seemed like tires really mattered.”
Creed and Cindric weren’t the only ones to pit under caution. A bunch of trucks and cars did, which really helped their odds. It made the buffer between them and the leaders thinner. They didn’t have to make up all that much ground to fight for the lead.
Phoenix’s track also allows for some unpredictable, fanned-out restarts. Heck, Cindric was behind Allgaier when the green flag waved. He then sandwiched himself between Allgaier and Allgaier’s teammate, Noah Gragson, who was not title eligible. Cindric pulled forward, and the race was his to win.
All that’s left now is the Cup Series. Another championship could very well come down to tire strategy.
“I hope not for their sake,” Allgaier said. “From a fan standpoint, it obviously adds a lot of action. The folks that were here tonight got a great show at the end. The folks at home watching on TV, they obviously got a great show.
After establishing the pace most of the afternoon, 22-year-old Austin Cindric ultimately relied on raw determination to claim the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. The Team Penske driver pulled off the most clutch lap-pass of his young career to take the race victory in Saturday’s Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 200 and earn his first NASCAR title.
After pitting for tires just before a final overtime restart, Cindric was able to work his way forward at the final green flag and got around Noah Gragson on the last lap — driving away to a .162-second victory for his sixth win of the season, easily the most celebrated of his career.
After celebratory donuts in his car, Cindric pulled himself out of the driver’s window, climbed on top of his bright yellow No. 22 Team Penske Ford and flashed No. 1 victory signs on both hands before waving a giant champion’s flag.
“There was a lot of work put into this race car,” a grinning Cindric said, carefully taking the time to thank everyone from his team owner, NASCAR Hall of Famer Roger Penske, to his sponsors, his team, pit crew, spotter and ultimately his mom and dad.
“I’m speechless, I can’t believe it. You know the equipment you’re in is the best of the best and the people you’re working with are the best of the best,” he added.
Certainly as exuberant as Cindric understandably was, the other three members of the Championship 4 felt disappointment and dismay. Veteran Justin Allgaier, who led a race high 76 laps — four more laps out front than Cindric — was in position to try and secure his first NASCAR title.
The 34-year-old driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet kept the field honest consistently throughout the evening but ultimately on that last restart Allgaier was unable to hold off Cindric who had fresher tires and was able to muscle around Allgaier and Allgaier’s JR Motorsports teammate Gragson.
Allgaier finished fifth and the other Championship 4 drivers, Justin Haley and Chase Briscoe, finished eighth and ninth, respectively.
Gragson (second), Brandon Jones (third) and Michael Annett (fourth) were the non-playoff drivers to finish in the top-five. Harrison Burton, Ross Chastain, Haley, Briscoe and Jeremy Clements rounded out the top 10.
“So close but so far away,” Allgaier said. “First of all, hats off to Austin and the entire Team Penske group, they’ve been strong competitors all year. To have the race they did tonight, they were obviously the best car and they deserved to win. I’m proud of my guys, proud of everybody at JR Motorsports.
“We had a shot at it at the end and when it’s all said and done, that’s all you can really ask for.”
For most of the race the title contending quartet ran up front. In addition to Cindric and Allgaier, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe showed the speed that had made him the winningest driver in the series this year. He won a career-high and season-best nine races and led 41 laps on this championship night, but a struggle to get his car comfortable, a late-race spin and the loss of track position were setbacks he ultimately couldn’t overcome.
“Just a frustrating day, this is by far not my best race track,” said Briscoe, who will move into the SHR team’s No. 14 NASCAR Cup Series ride next year.
“At the start of the race for me, just to lead laps here, I was like ‘wow this is different.’ I was just so loose at the beginning of the race and as the night came I was freer and freer and I don’t know how many times I about wrecked into one. I ended up hitting the wall. I’ve got to do a whole lot better job. There’s just something about this place that I really struggle at. We have a lot of homework to do.
“Definitely frustrating to finish fourth in the championship after the year we had, but overall to win nine races, it’s been a phenomenal year.”
Haley, a three-race winner in 2020, didn’t lead any laps in his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, but he rallied from a slow start and kept his car competitively among the top 10.
“It’s been awesome,” Haley said of his playoff berth. “Just the growth of this Kaulig Racing team from when I stepped into it last year and were out in the first round of the playoffs.
“Just the courage and the faith and everyone at Kaulig Racing, we bet on each other. I love it. I love everyone there. Super excited and super blessed to have another year. Doesn’t sting as much because I know next year I get another chance at it.”
NOTE: Post-race inspection was clear, no major issues. The Nos. 7, 8 and 22 each had one lug nut not safe and secure in post-race inspection. Engine tear down will take place tonight for Cindric’s car.
