Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Justin Allgaier and Aric Almirola crashed moments into NASCAR Xfinity Series practice Friday ahead of Saturday’s championship decider at Phoenix Raceway.

A broken transmission from Brennan Poole’s No. 44 Chevrolet laid oil upon the race track entering Turn 1. Allgaier slid through the fluid and into the outside retaining SAFER barrier with the right side of his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. His teammate Brandon Jones did the same, as did Almirola in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Allgaier, a member of the 2024 Championship 4, is chasing his first Xfinity Series title Saturday night (7 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The No. 20 team, meanwhile, is seeking an owner’s championship.

MORE: Xfinity standings | Phoenix schedule

Upon entry to the corner, Allgaier was simply along for the ride.

“We all got into (the oil), and it just went straight,” Allgaier said after being evaluated and released from the infield care center. “I think that’s the frustrating part about this format is it comes down to one race, one weekend and we’re standing here in this situation. Obviously, the 20’s in it with us; it’s not ideal for anybody. But at the same time, we brought an incredible Brandt Camaro. It was by far the best car I’ve ever had here at this race track. And I think that’s the most frustrating part.”

To his point, Allgaier posted the second-fastest lap in Friday’s session within the few laps he made in his primary car. Both title contenders — as well as Jones and Parker Kligerman — will start from the rear in backup cars for Saturday night’s race 200-lap bout.

Both Allgaier and Almirola were able to practice their backups in Friday’s practice. Their incidents happened shortly after the 50-minute session began, and each championship contender was permitted to bring a race-ready backup car, wrapped in its primary paint scheme and equipped with an engine. Each was also allowed an extra set of tires.

Series director Wayne Auton conferred with crew chiefs of each of the other title contenders — Austin Hill’s No. 21 Richard Childress Racing team; Cole Custer’s No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing team; and AJ Allmendinger’s No. 16 Kaulig Racing team — to ensure all agreed with allotting the Nos. 7 and 20 teams an extra set of tires. Additionally, all Championship 4 teams — both in the drivers’ and owners’ points — will receive extra time in the garage to work on their respective vehicles, a NASCAR spokesperson confirmed.

Justin Allgaier walks through the NASCAR Xfinity Series garage after a Phoenix crash in practice.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

Allgaier was in exceptional position to win the spring race at Phoenix in March, ahead by three seconds with three laps remaining before his left-rear tire went flat, sending him into a spin and into the Turn 1 wall rear-first. Allgaier’s frustration Friday after his crash in practice was more obvious — more furious — as he slammed his fists on a metal toolbox in the No. 7’s garage, a rare burst of anger from the typically mild-mannered veteran.

“I feel like you all know me pretty well, and I got in a fight with a toolbox, so I don’t feel like that’s characteristic of me normally,” Allgaier said after practice. “(The emotions are) obviously high. They’re frustrating, especially when it’s out of your control. You drive down into Turn (1) expecting everything to be status quo, and it’s not, and five or six of us hit the wall.

“Two of the Championship 4 or 5 are in it. Yeah, it’s frustrating. It makes you want to rip somebody’s head off, right? But at the end of the day, this is the cards we’re dealt. We’re gonna go after it and not really much else we can do other than make sure this race car is better than the other three.”

Allgaier felt comfortable in his backup car despite the clear speed his primary vehicle showed and remains optimistic for Saturday.

“I think we’re gonna make some adjustments to maybe match the primary car a little bit better over the course of this afternoon before we roll through (technical inspection),” Allgaier said. “But I felt like balance-wise, I feel really good about where we’re at. You’re in a rush, right? You’re literally throwing stuff on there. Tire pressures were close, but they weren’t exact. We didn’t have time to get the brakes up to temperature. All those things. It’s not perfect, but I do feel like we did a great job of getting where we needed to get to, and I have no doubt tomorrow we’re going to be just as fast.”

Qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series season finale is set for 4 p.m. ET on Saturday on USA Network and the NBC Sports App.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

We’re bringing you live updates leading up to Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App, Peacock). Bookmark this page and check back often as we chronicle the action from the 1-mile track in the desert.

Overview: 

  • The 1-mile Phoenix Raceway hosts the 312-lap championship race on Sunday afternoon. Leaving the weekend, we’ll have our 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
  • Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick all escaped the Round of 8 and will compete for the 2024 title.
  • The goal is simple, yet extraordinarily difficult — be the first among the four to take the checkered flag, and you’re the champ.
  • It’s the third youngest Championship 4 ever. Team Penske teammates Blaney and Logano are the only former champions among them, and are the two most recent champs. Byron is a returner from last year’s Championship 4, while it’s Reddick’s first appearance.

Links to keep handy:

  • What to Watch, a guide for all things Phoenix. (Seriously, read this and you’ll know what you’re talking about this weekend.)
  • Photos from the track from the more camera-talented folks among us.
  • Keep up with the action on the go with NASCAR Mobile, and follow along with live leaderboards and scanner audio with Race Center.

All times listed are Eastern.

Sunday, November 10

8 p.m.: Thanks for joining us to follow an unforgettable Championship Weekend. Congratulations to the No. 22 Team Penske crew and now-three-time champion, Joey Logano! | Unofficial results

7:40 p.m., checkered flag: The champagne goggles have been equipped as the No. 22 team celebrates the championship.

7:14 p.m., checkered flag: In his final start as a full-time driver, Martin Truex Jr. finished 17th after starting from pole position. Giants of the sport congratulated Truex when he climbed out of the car.

7:11 p.m., checkered flag: That’s the third championship for crew chief Paul Wolfe, too. He won the 2012 title with Brad Keselowski and in 2022 with Logano.

7:05 p.m., checkered flag: Ryan Blaney has joined his teammate on the championship stage — and to grab a beverage.

6:57 p.m., checkered flag: Joey Logano, Roger Penske and the No. 22 team are on the NASCAR Championship Stage, joined by NASCAR President Steve Phelps. It’s time to hand out some hardware.

6:52 p.m., checkered flag: Joey Logano joins elite company with his third championship title, joining the likes of Lee Petty, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough and Tony Stewart. Only Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have won more titles.

6:47 p.m., checkered flag: Tyler Reddick finishes sixth, and fourth in the title fight, in his first Championship 4 appearance.

6:46 p.m., checkered flag: William Byron will finish third in the race and championship.

6:42 p.m., checkered flag: That’s the third championship in a row for Team Penske, following Logano’s 2022 title and Ryan Blaney’s triumph last year — they’re undefeated in the Next Gen era. The duo went 1-2 for the first time in team history this year.

6:40 p.m., checkered flag: The No. 22 is ripping some fierce, smoky burnouts to celebrate his third title. The celebration is just beginning.

6:38 p.m., checkered flag: 🏁 Joey Logano is the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion!

6:37 p.m., Lap 311: ⚪️ White flag. Final lap for Joey Logano.

6:36 p.m., Lap 310: Two to go. Logano’s still got it.

6:35 p.m., Lap 307: Blaney is right on the bumper of Logano. It’s going to come down to the very end.

6:33 p.m., Lap 302: Just 10 laps remain in the 2024 season. Joey Logano has a half-second advantage over teammate Ryan Blaney. Can ‘Sliced Bread’ pick up his third title, or will YRB defend his?

6:30 p.m., Lap 299: If things stay green, it’s not looking good for William Byron (third) and Tyler Reddick (sixth). Both drivers’ lap times are far slower than what the Team Penske duo is running.

6:30 p.m., Lap 297: Blaney’s now within a second of Logano. Lapped cars are racing cautiously and giving the title contenders plenty of room.

6:28 p.m., Lap 292: Twenty laps remain. Can Ryan Blaney make up two seconds on Joey Logano — and can he make the pass if he catches his teammate?

6:27 p.m., Lap 290: Move the No. 12 to second; Ryan Blaney has moved past William Byron. It’s now a Team Penske 1-2.

6:23 p.m., Lap 283: Third-place Ryan Blaney has a car that gets faster over the run. He’s about three seconds behind Joey Logano in first, but William Byron separates the two. Lapped traffic will play a role in these closing 29 laps, too.

6:15 p.m., Lap 264: As things have settled, Logano holds a one-second lead over William Byron, who’s another second ahead of teammate Kyle Larson. Ryan Blaney runs fourth, while fifth-place Christopher Bell works to hold off Tyler Reddick.

6:13 p.m., Lap 260: Joey Logano has just swerved and weaved his way to the lead after restarting fifth. Wow!

6:12 p.m., Lap 258: 🟢 We’re back to green! Just 54 laps remain in the 2024 season.

6:10 p.m., Lap 256: We’ll see if Rudy Fugle’s forethought is good enough for a championship.

6:05 p.m., Lap 253: As the leaders pit again, William Byron will stay out on his fresh tires and inherit the race lead. Byron’s got the benefit of some cushion between his championship rivals; teammates Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell are ahead of fifth-place Ryan Blaney.

6:02 p.m., Lap 250: 🟡 Caution No. 4. Zane Smith has backed into the Turn 1 wall; he’s out of the car and done for the day in his final start driving the No. 71. This timing could be quite a break for William Byron.

6:01 p.m., Lap 249: William Byron has finally pitted. How will the strategy work out for the No. 24 team?

5:57 p.m., Lap 241: Don’t expect the No. 24 car to pit yet; crew chief Rudy Fugle says it’s too early. We’ve got a split strategy to decide the championship, folks!

5:56 p.m., Lap 237: A lap later, Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick are among those to pit. William Byron will inherit the lead.

5:55 p.m., Lap 236: Leader Christopher Bell and third-place Joey Logano hit pit road.

5:54 p.m., Lap 234: Move Ryan Blaney past Joey Logano for second, and the championship lead. Expect pit stops soon.

5:46 p.m., Lap 220: Kyle Larson has passed Tyler Reddick for fifth place.

5:46 p.m., Lap 219: Ryan Preece is in trouble. He’s pitting after sustaining damage to the No. 41, which was running 19th. No caution.

5:39 p.m., Lap 199: Joey Logano has moved past his Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney for second position and the championship lead.

5:35 p.m., Lap 195: Hello, Tyler Reddick! The No. 45 has rocketed up to fifth place on the restart with a power move on the outside. Championship 4 drivers now run 2-3-4-5 behind Christopher Bell.

5:35 p.m., Lap 194: 🟢 Green flag for the final stage of the season!

5:32 p.m., Lap 191: C-Bell is back on top after pit stops. Blaney, Byron and Logano follow, while Tyler Reddick will restart ninth.

5:25 p.m., Lap 186: 🟡 Caution No. 3. Stage 2 has ended and it belongs to Ryan Blaney … barely.

5:24 p.m., Lap 184: It’s a side-by-side battle between Blaney and Bell for the lead. Joey Logano is closing fast!

5:21 p.m., Lap 178: New leader! Defending champ Ryan Blaney has moved past Christopher Bell for the top spot with eight laps remaining in Stage 2.

5:14 p.m., Lap 163: I’ll probably regret this, but I’m taking Christopher Bell out of my Fantasy Live Garage and putting Tyler Reddick on the bench. Bell’s speed has been remarkable today, and I’d hate to miss out on fantasy points.

Steve Luvender updated Fantasy Live lineup Phoenix 2024 championship

5:10 p.m., Lap 156: At the halfway point in the race, Christopher Bell continues to lead. Championship 4 drivers run second (Blaney), third (Logano), fourth (Byron) and 10th (Reddick).

5:02 p.m., Lap 139: NBC has reported that No. 22 jackman Graham Stoddard isn’t feeling well. Patrick Gray will replace Stoddard from Team Penske’s No. 2 team to do the job for Joey Logano. Logano runs fourth.

4:57 p.m., Lap 130: Christopher Bell is back to the top spot as the pit cycle (nearly) completes. Ryan Blaney trails by 1.7 seconds, followed by William Byron another second back. Joey Logano runs seventh, while Tyler Reddick is 10th.

4:54 p.m., Lap 124: Seems pitting later didn’t harm Blaney much; he leads the Championship 4 drivers, and with the newest tires to boot.

4:51 p.m., Lap 117: The Championship 4 drivers have headed to pit road under green for fresh tires and fuel. Ryan Blaney pitted the latest of the four.

4:50 p.m., Lap 114: Some mid-pack cars have started to pit to split Stage 2. Expect much of the field to pit within the next few laps.

4:45 p.m., Lap 105: Ryan Blaney has passed Chase Elliott for second place, putting a gap on fourth-place William Byron.

4:30 p.m., Lap 73: Christopher Bell has quickly made his way to the race lead. He’s not competing for a championship this year.

4:29 p.m., Lap 72: 🟢 We’re back to green in Stage 2!

4:20 p.m., Lap 69: 🔴 The red flag is out, and it’s an unusual one. The pace car has crashed into the sand barrels at the end of pit road. Oh, my. There will be a pause for cleanup.

NASCAR pace car hits pit barrels 2024 championship race

4:15 p.m., Lap 65: Under caution, the field headed to pit road. The No. 9 team put Chase Elliott out in front to begin the second stage, followed by Christopher Bell, William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano. Logano’s stop wasn’t perfect, but it’s still early. Tyler Reddick lost a spot on pit road, exiting eighth.

4:10 p.m., Lap 60: 🟡 Caution No. 2. It’s the end of Stage 1, won by Joey Logano. Of the Championship 4 contenders, William Byron finished the stage fourth, while Ryan Blaney raced his way up to sixth and Tyler Reddick placed seventh. (No stage points are awarded to Championship 4 drivers in the championship race, by the way; the title is determined by the driver ahead of the others at the checkered flag.)

3:57 p.m., Lap 35: Not much movement as the green-flag run settles in, but one notable early mover is Kyle Busch. Busch started 25th and has already moved up to 13th. Championship battle aside, ‘Rowdy’ is under significant pressure for a win today. He’s won at least one race in every single season since 2005, but he’s winless in 2024; if he doesn’t finish first today, his win streak ends at a record 19 consecutive years.

3:50 p.m., Lap 20: Ryan Blaney is already up to eighth place after starting 17th.

3:46 p.m., Lap 11: Tyler Reddick just made a bold four-wide move around the outside Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin. Wow.

Tyler Reddick pass Austin Cindric Kyle Larson Denny Hamlin Phoenix championship race 2024

3:46 p.m., Lap 10: Joey Logano has moved past Martin Truex Jr. for the race lead. Logano is chasing his third title.

3:45 p.m., Lap 10: 🟢 Restart. Let’s try this again!

3:39 p.m., Lap 3: Ty Gibbs has walked from his damaged Toyota. His 2024 season is over.

3:36 p.m., Lap 2: 🟡 Caution No. 1. Well, that was fast. Ty Gibbs has crashed with a hard hit into the outside wall. It’s been a rough go for the No. 54 lately; he’s finished no better than 30th in the past month.

3:35 p.m., Lap 1: 🟢 Green flag for Martin Truex Jr. — and the championship race is underway! Follow along on NBC and with our live leaderboard.

3:27 p.m.: Cars are rolling to begin pace laps — behind honorary pace car driver Michael Phelps. We all know he likes to go fast!

3:23 p.m.: Engines are fired and cars will roll off pit road momentarily. It’s getting real now.

3:17 p.m.: The United States Air Force Band Singing Sergeants have drawn a one-mile track full of cheers with their beautiful performance of the national anthem. Next, those engines will fire!

3:15 p.m.: Pre-race ceremonies are underway, beginning with a moment of silence in memory of NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Bobby Allison.

3 p.m.: Tune in now to NBC, the NBC Sports App or Peacock to catch coverage of this afternoon’s championship race.

2:59 p.m.: And there they are! All eyes are on William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick this afternoon.

NASCAR 2024 Championship 4 drivers introduction stage

2:57 p.m.: Mamba Smith is getting things rolling by introducing the Championship 4 drivers. (Big fan of the Chief Hype Officer jacket!)

Mamba Smith driver introductions Chief Hype Officer gold jacket

2:45 p.m.: Much respect for MTJ in the pre-race Drivers Meeting.

2:35 p.m.: There’s a newly-minted millionaire, thanks to the NASCAR Powerball Playoff. Meagan Lewis of New Orleans is a million dollars richer!

2024 Powerball Playoff winner

2:30 p.m.: Nelly is getting the crowd moving for a pre-race concert on the frontstretch!

2:10 p.m.: It’s the last race for Michael McDowell at Front Row Motorsports.

2:05 p.m.: Today is Daniel Hemric’s final race in the No. 31 for Kaulig Racing.

2 p.m.: Stewart-Haas Racing makes its final laps this afternoon.

1:55 p.m.: Here’s my final Fantasy Live lineup for the year. I’ve got the Championship 4 drivers, of course, plus Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell.

Steve Luvender's Fantasy Live lineup for Phoenix. Joey Logano Chase Elliott William Byron Ryan Blaney Tyler Reddick Joey Logano

1:45 p.m.: Speaking of goodbyes, when the checkered flag flies tonight, we’ll bid farewell to some familiar sights and pairings; we’ve rounded up the chapters closing after this weekend.

1:40 p.m.: While we wait for takeoff, take some time to read The Making of Martin, a long-form piece from NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert highlighting the journey of Martin Truex Jr. Truex, who will start from pole position, makes his final start as a full-time driver this afternoon.

1:35 p.m.: NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola shared the cases for and against each Championship 4 contender heading into this afternoon’s title fight. It’s a good refresher of what we might expect to see.

1:30 p.m.: It’s the final day of NASCAR Championship Weekend. Which Cup Series driver will join Ty Majeski and Justin Allgaier as the 2024 NASCAR champions?

Saturday, November 9

6:40 p.m.: The next time the Cup Series cars take to the track, they’ll be racing for a championship (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App, Peacock). For tonight, though, all eyes are on the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Cole Custer and Austin Hill will fight for the championship (7 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

6:25 p.m.: Ah, right, the Championship 4! Tomorrow, Joey Logano will start second, William Byron eighth, Tyler Reddick 10th, and Ryan Blaney 17th. | Full lineup

6:25 p.m.: Truex and Logano — tomorrow’s front row — shared a handshake and a smile. A neat moment indeed.

6:24 p.m.: The pole is the 25th of Truex’s career and second in a row.

6:22 p.m.: Joey Logano, the final driver to qualify, isn’t quite fast enough to beat the No. 19, posting a 26.728-second lap to Truex’s 26.718. Martin Truex Jr. will start from pole position in his final race as a full-time driver!

6:13 p.m.: In his last start as a full-time driver for Joe Gibbs Racing — piloting a throwback paint scheme harking back to the beginnings of his Cup career some 20 years ago — Martin Truex Jr. has jumped to the top of the leaderboard. Five cars still need to set their times.

6:09 p.m.: The final round of qualifying is underway! Tyler Reddick is on track first.

6:07 p.m.: Don’t sweat the No. 12’s qualifying lap too much, Blaniacs: last year’s title was won from a 15th-place starting position.

5:57 p.m.: Joey Logano has posted the fastest lap in Group B, followed by Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell and Harrison Burton — they’ll join the top five from Group A to compete for the Busch Light Pole Award. Ryan Blaney, who placed ninth in Group B, will be the only championship contender to not advance to the final round of qualifying. He’ll start 17th tomorrow.

5:43 p.m.: Uh oh! Josh Berry has gone for a spin in Turn 1. The corner has been treacherous for many drivers making their qualifying runs. It appears Berry kept damage minimal to the No. 4, but the rear of the car bounced off the wall slightly.

5:30 p.m.: William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick will advance to the final round of qualifying from Group A. Group B, you’re up next! The second group includes Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney.

5:05 p.m.: Group A cars are qualifying now, making single-car time trials. The five fastest qualifiers from the group will face off against Group B’s top five to determine who wins the Busch Light Pole Award for the final time in 2024. Group A includes Championship 4 drivers Tyler Reddick and William Byron.

5 p.m.: Let’s set the starting lineup for tomorrow’s championship race, shall we? Qualifying starts momentarily; catch it on USA Network and follow along on our Race Center live leaderboard.

Friday, November 8

7 p.m.: The Cup Series hits the track next tomorrow afternoon for qualifying (5 p.m. ET, USA Network). Tonight, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series crowns its champion among Christian Eckes, Grant Enfinger, Corey Heim and Ty Majeski (8 p.m. ET, FS1).

6:55 p.m.: That’s it for practice! It’s Ryan Blaney’s 27.174-second lap (132.48 mph) stands as the quickest time in the field. William Byron was fourth overall at 27.272, while Joey Logano (ninth, 27.323) and Tyler Reddick (21st, 27.524) trailed.

6:54 p.m.: Close call for William Byron at the end of practice.

6:46 p.m.: Blaney’s car is quite speedy. Not only has he set the fastest lap in the session, he’s also set the fastest five-lap, 10-lap, and 15-lap average.

6:35 p.m.: Ryan Blaney has just jumped to the top of the leaderboard with a super-quick 27.174-second lap.

6:25 p.m.: In his final start as a full-time driver, Martin Truex Jr. is the quickest so far at the 20-minute mark. Of the Championship 4 drivers, William Byron is third, Joey Logano is 12th, Ryan Blaney is 23rd, and Tyler Reddick is the 25th-fastest driver.

6:11 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson has gone for a spin, slowing practice for a brief caution. Johnson did a remarkable job keeping the No. 84 off the wall and damage-free.

6:05 p.m.: Cars are on track for the final practice session of the year. Teams have three sets of tires to use over the next 50 minutes ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying session.

6 p.m.: We’ll know the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion in about 48 hours from now. The weekend kicks off for the Cup Series with a 50-minute practice session at 6:05 p.m. ET, airing on USA Network. Follow along with the entire weekend schedule.

Posted on by Holly Cain

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney certainly made a championship statement Friday afternoon, besting the field in opening practice at the Phoenix Raceway one-miler in both single-lap speed, 10-lap and 15-lap average.

Qualifying for Sunday’s Cup Series Championship Race (3 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is set for Saturday afternoon, and the four championship-eligible drivers no doubt took advantage of Friday’s 50-minute session.

RELATED: Practice results | At-track photos: Phoenix

Team Penske’s Blaney paced the field with a lap of 132.480 mph in the No. 12 Ford Mustang. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron was next fastest in the No. 24 Chevrolet (fourth), with Blaney’s Penske teammate Joey Logano ninth and Regular Season Champion Tyler Reddick 21st on the speed chart in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. Logano’s 60 laps was the most run among the title four.

Blaney’s crew chief Jonathan Hassler wasn’t too surprised the car showed speed immediately and said certainly, the practice session was a confidence-builder.

“I felt pretty strongly coming to this week that we’d be able to have some speed, but you never know for sure in this sport, or the times you do are few and far between,” Hassler said of his defending champion team. “So, a little bit of relief. That’s where we expected to be, but you never really know until the number goes on the board.

“It certainly invigorates the whole team to see our number there at the top of the board,” he added. “And I think everyone on this team is confident that we could go and contend for another championship, but it certainly gives some extra pep in everybody’s step.”

On the other side of Friday’s speed chart, Billy Scott, Reddick’s crew chief, did not seem overly concerned with his team’s outing. He said they intended to review the outing but were going to be careful not to “overthink.” His team won the regular-season title and won its way into the Championship 4 with a thrilling Homestead-Miami Speedway victory in the Round of 8.

And, it has a unique asset in the pits: NBA legend Michael Jordan, a co-owner of the 23XI Racing team.

“His presence in itself is very inspiring — obviously, he’s one of the most competitive people you’d ever meet in anything he does, so just having them there, we certainly want to make him proud,” Scott said. “But he’s also an avid fan and learning everything he can about the sport. He’s very intuitive of what’s going on. He understands everything from the strategy to the set-ups to motivating people. Every now and then, he’ll speak up at the right time, and it certainly goes a long way in having a little bit of extra motivation.

“Certainly, he wants to win this, absolutely. I cannot even imagine what it’s like when he’s been so successful at the highest level of his sport for so long – the greatest, arguably, of all time. So to see that enthusiasm back in him when he’s been there for the couple wins he’s witnessed in person. It’s very rewarding and cool to see the genuine joy he gets.”

The Cup Series gets back on track Saturday for the final Busch Light Pole Qualifying session of the 2024 NASCAR season (5:05 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Byron is the defending race polesitter, and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain is the defending race winner. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell won at Phoenix this spring.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Reid Spencer

AVONDALE, Ariz. — NASCAR President Steve Phelps provided positive bookends to his State of the Sport press conference Friday morning at Phoenix Raceway.

In the preamble to questions from reporters, Phelps described NASCAR racing as “resilient and growing,” citing a welcome recovery from adverse weather that affected television ratings for several of the Cup Series’ most important events.

To end the news conference on the dais he shared with NASCAR chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell, Phelps delivered a message familiar to those who have covered the sport for the past six years.

RELATED: Championship Weekend schedule

“I’ve said this at every single one of these States of the Sport,” Phelps said. “This is my seventh year saying this, and I will say it this year, next year and the following years, which is: The best days of NASCAR are not behind us. They are ahead of us, and I believe that to be true.”

As Phelps pointed out, aggregate television ratings as well as attendance improved year-over-year despite the ill-timed challenges presented by the weather.

“We had an event, the Clash at The Coliseum, and we were looking at a historic atmospheric river for our event — that’s what they called it — just a lot of rain. I think we’ll go with that. So, we did something we had never done before. We pulled a race up a day, and we raced on Saturday night.

“Got crushed in the ratings. Fans didn’t know when it was, how they were going to get there … Saturday’s the lowest-rated day of the week. But it was the right thing to do. It was a financial bath for us, but it was the right thing to do for the industry.

“Go two weeks down the road, and we had more rain. So, we delayed the start of the (Daytona 500) a full day, and we took a ratings bath. So, we were down minus-27. Then we had a rain-shortened race at the Coca-Cola 600, a rain-interrupted event at the Chicago Street Race, so three of your biggest races — down double digits.”

Despite the hardships caused by weather, NASCAR’s rating numbers have reached positive territory entering the season finale at Phoenix.

“What does that say to me?” Phelps asked rhetorically. “It says to me that the sport is resilient, and the sport is growing.”

Phelps took umbrage at the suggestion amplified by social media that the drivers competing for series championships at Phoenix this weekend weren’t worthy of their positions in the respective Championship 4 races.

“What I would say is that all of our drivers knew the format,” Phelps said. “And these drivers in all three national series competed and went to the highest level, and they deserve to be here.

“So just take the Cup race. You have a former champion who won to get in, as he did last year (Ryan Blaney); a Regular Season Champion who won to get in here (Tyler Reddick); and you have a two-time Cup champion who won to get here (Joey Logano). And then the young man who pointed his way through, William Byron, is an incredible talent.

“So, all four of these drivers deserve to be here. Full stop.”

O’Donnell addressed the recent controversy in the Round of 8 elimination NASCAR Cup race at Martinsville Speedway that resulted in stiff penalties to 23XI Racing, Trackhouse Racing and Richard Childress Racing for manipulating the outcome with Championship 4 spots on the line.

“What I saw at Martinsville pissed me off, and it pissed everyone off at NASCAR,” O’Donnell said. “Because we all know better, and we know what happened. We do have rules in the rule book where we can address it, and we did. We had a call with our OEMs where we were very clear what our intentions are going forward.

“Will we have a rule next year (addressing the OEMs’ role)? One thousand percent, and they know that.”

O’Donnell also said that NASCAR will always look at potential tweaks to the postseason format but that playoffs are here to stay.

Phelps also had high praise for the production facility that opened this year in Concord, North Carolina, citing the volume of high-quality, targeted content produced for a wide array of platforms.

“What we’ve done so far in that building is nothing short of extraordinary,” he said.

MORE: The Making of Martin: A 25-year retrospective of a Cup champion

Other topics included in the discussion included recognition of Martin Truex Jr., who is retiring from full-time competition at the end of the season; a nod to Tony Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, which is selling its charters and will leave the sport; NASCAR’s promise to continue its innovations with a vibrant schedule; and progress with partner Goodyear in the production of softer tires for short tracks and road courses.

“We are going to continue to be bold and innovative in everything that we do,” Phelps said. “Not just the race schedule, but everything that we do to drive this sport forward. It’s the only way you will grow is to be bold and innovative in the decisions that are made, and we’re going to do that.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

AVONDALE, Ariz. — The battle to get into this weekend’s Championship 4 field at Phoenix Raceway has been a claws-out, stress-filled contest the last two weeks, with ramped-up pressure at Homestead-Miami and Martinsville. Joey Logano, though, has been above that whole fray, ever since his victory in the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas.

“Not my deal,” Logano said with a laugh. “I don’t have to worry about it. My batteries are recharged. Everyone had their tongues hanging out trying to get in.”

RELATED: Championship Weekend schedule | At-track photos

Logano and fellow title hopeful Tyler Reddick enter Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series season finale (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Peacock) with teams that have relished the extra time to focus on their Phoenix game plan. Those two will face off against Ryan Blaney and William Byron, who clinched their Championship 4 slots with clutch performances just last weekend at Martinsville.

Logano has had the longest runway, thanks to his Vegas victory on Oct. 20 that made him the first to clinch. He and his No. 22 Team Penske Ford group have used that formula before, advancing from the Round of 16 this year with a playoff-opening win at Atlanta, and using a Round of 8-opening triumph in 2022 to seal a Championship 4 berth, one that he converted into his second Cup Series title.

The extra lead time has been valuable for No. 22 crew chief Paul Wolfe, a meticulous veteran who joined Team Penske in 2010.

“I think it’s definitely real. I like where we’re at,” Wolfe said in a pre-Martinsville interview. “We did it two years ago, and really it’s all about preparation and making sure we’ve done everything we know possible when we unload in Phoenix, and it just gives you a bigger time frame to go through all that and go over that and focus on that so mentally, you’re not drained when you get to Phoenix. We’re two weeks ahead of where a lot of guys will be. I mean, everyone that’s made it this far in the playoffs has people working in the background preparing, whether they know that they are yet or not.

“So to say that no one else is thinking about Phoenix, that’s not true, but as our team directly, we’ve been able to spend the time and know that when we load up, I can kind of sit back and know that we’ve looked at everything, we feel confident with what we have, and you’re not mentally drained when you get there on Friday and you’re ready to go and feel fresh. I think that’s the biggest thing.”

Reddick rolled into the Phoenix field by virtue of his compelling last-lap dash on Oct. 27, snatching a Homestead-Miami victory from fellow playoff drivers Blaney and Denny Hamlin, his team co-owner at 23XI Racing. The title shot is the first for Reddick, who is an Xfinity Series champion twice over, but it’s also the first for his 23XI group.

With the bonus preparation time has come additional resources, with Toyota-affiliated Joe Gibbs Racing offering assistance in the days leading up to the Phoenix finale.

“Knowing we’re in, knowing that this car right here that we’re working on is going to be a Championship 4 car, just gave us extra time to really focus on that car and understand what the work going into that car, what it means, what it’s going to be racing for,” Reddick said during Thursday’s Championship Weekend Media Day. “It’s been really cool over, I’d say, the last week to see everyone from JGR chipping in and helping and coming by the shop, going over the car with our folks at Airspeed. It just feels like everyone has really banded together and made sure we have everything we need on the car, that it’s as fast as it can be when we get here.”

MORE: What to Watch: Phoenix

That optimism came with a slight note of caution from No. 45 crew chief Billy Scott, who signaled last week that he hoped the team could keep its successful stride. Martinsville, however, was a wash for Reddick, who retired short of last Sunday’s finish with a brake issue. The team will aim to make that result a forgettable blip on its season-long journey this weekend.

“Most of our team, and Tyler, myself, we’ve not been a part of a Cup final four,” Scott said. “So just trying to get ahead of it, trying to understand what surprises we’re in store for, trying to already act like we’re going to Phoenix instead of Martinsville, I feel like has been helpful. Working on our car more, getting ahead of time on that, making sure we go over everything a couple times, being prepared for practice changes out there with a different schedule. I think all that’s beneficial. We just have to make sure we don’t lose our kind of flow we’ve got. We’ve had a few good weeks of really competitive racing that we don’t want to lose track of that and get out of the rhythm, and momentum is a real thing. So it’s kind of the fear in the background.”

Logano, for one, is using the advantage as motivation. The No. 22 team started out slowly this year, but ratcheted up its performance when it mattered with all three wins in the second half of the season. Two of those have come in the playoffs, providing the luxury of breathing room for crucial stretches of the 10-race postseason.

“I mean, it just gives you more time, right?” Logano said. “Give this team time, we become pretty dangerous pretty quickly.”

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

“There is – as we know it – no Xfinity Series without Wayne Auton.” – Kyle Petty

“Wayne’s been a staple of this sport for so many years.” – Justin Allgaier

“He’s like, one of my favorite people that works at NASCAR.” – Austin Cindric

Not often do people agree unanimously on anything, a statement truer in racing than in most other circles. Wayne Auton is the exception.

At age 66 and after more than 40 years spent working for the sanctioning body of the United States’ top form of stock-car racing, Auton’s storied career as the series director of the NASCAR Xfinity Series will come to an end Saturday at Phoenix Raceway with the conclusion of the 2024 campaign.

Put simply, Auton loves racing. That much is obvious to anyone who’s spent two seconds around the jovial, mustached native of Hickory, North Carolina, who’s usually chuckling along the way.

FUELED UP AND FIRED UP

The racing career of Wayne Auton began nearly 60 years ago, a child joining his father, Robert “Hoot” Auton, to lend a hand in the infield of Rockingham Speedway.

The high-banked, 1-mile oval nestled in south-central North Carolina holds plenty of memories for Auton. Unocal, then the fuel supplier for NASCAR, used to hire the safety teams and fire trucks for each event. Hoot owned some fire equipment, Wayne said, and therefore the duo went to plenty of Rockingham races.

That led to an encounter with none other than “Big” Bill France Sr., the founding face of NASCAR.

“Let me tell you – he was a giant,” Auton recalls. “My dad introduced me to him in the Unocal building in the infield in Rockingham. And he got talking to me a little bit. He said, ‘What are you gonna do for a living?’ I said, ‘I’m gonna go work for you.’ He said, ‘Keep that thought. You never know.’ So here I am.”

Auton was somewhere between the ages of 8 and 10 at that time – “I can’t remember exactly” – and by age 28, Auton was exactly right.

Wayne Auton, middle, officiates at a local track.
NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

He started his career selling cushions at his local Hickory Motor Speedway, then drinks, then popcorn, earning $0.03 per box sold. He then took a larger leap, becoming the track’s fire marshal, tying back to his father’s fire equipment. Shortly thereafter, David Hoots – today, a former Cup Series race director – became Hickory’s chief steward, necessitating a new official on staff. Enter the 20-year-old Auton.

“That was my first job being an official,” he said.

Eight years later, after time spent at Hickory, Tri-County Motor Speedway and assisting NASCAR Hall of Famer Jerry Cook in Modified races, Auton’s first full-time opportunity arose in NASCAR, traveling as an official for the Goody’s Dash Series.

“And then yeah,” Auton said. “Rest is history, I guess you’d say.”

“WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER”

Over four decades, some lessons stick with a person more than others.

The one with firm roots in Auton’s mind today was planted in 1995. Entering Daytona in February, Auton served as the series director of the Goody’s Dash Series. He left as the series director of the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series. Fast forward to Daytona in July.

This time, it was a contested meeting between “Mr. France” and “Coach” Les Richter, the former NFL’er turned head of operations of NASCAR through a dedicated career in motorsports leadership.

“I thought they were going to get in an argument,” Auton said. “I thought I was in trouble. I says, ‘Man, what have I done?’ They’re arguing over who’s going to ask me to go to the trucks.

“So a lot of few words were set behind the door that were personal from Coach. But then he said, ‘This is the teams, and this is us.’ And he took his hands and held them out. And he said, ‘This is what we got to do.’”

Auton interlocked his fingers, imitating Richter’s gesture made 29 years ago.

“I learned from that very point that we worked at this as a team,” Auton said. “We never, ever — it’s not NASCAR side; it’s not the team side. It’s, we have to work together to make the sport better.”

Auton left that meeting with another different title – this time as series director of the burgeoning NASCAR SuperTruck Series – known today as the Craftsman Truck Series.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Perhaps the most difficult part of building relationships in any capacity is maintaining them.

Auton’s job as series director means enforcing competition rules to produce the most fair racing possible. The results of that job can sometimes cause frustration or disagreements. Auton has found ways to lessen those moments – or at the very least keep them professional, never personal.

“The one thing that we try to make sure that teams know (is) we’re no different than the teams are,” Auton said. “We are the sanctioning body. We are the officiating team. But we have a job to do when we come inside these gates. They have a job to do when we come inside these gates. And when we walk outside those gates, your friends will still want to have a cold beer with you.”

In 16 years overseeing the Truck Series and through the end of this 13-year stint in the Xfinity Series, Auton has plenty of friends that still want to have that post-race beverage. That, of course, is his greatest joy.

“Heck, this is our family,” Auton said. “The job absolutely could go away today. But the people in it’s what’s going to be hard (to leave). And they know that we got a job to do. And if we do our job inside this gate, when we walk outside that gate, they’ll see you, they’ll still speak to you. And don’t make it personal because they have a job to do. We don’t make it personal in the garage against them.

“They’re trying everything they can do to beat the person beside them. They’re not trying to beat us. It’s our job to make sure that every car is checked as good as it can be.”

Wayne Auton smiles and speaks with Parker Retzlaff in the NASCAR Xfinity Series garage at Martinsville.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

Building those connections has worked, as evidenced by anyone who has spent time around him.

“The thing that I love about Wayne is Wayne’s a racer,” Justin Allgaier, a longtime veteran of the Xfinity Series, said. “He understands the teams. He understands the good and the bad challenges that everybody goes through. I think he’s extremely fair when it comes to looking at things through the glass window of what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong.”

Austin Cindric, the 2022 Daytona 500 champion who first won the 2020 Xfinity Series title, credits Auton for his growth as a stock-car racer.

“I really do love Wayne,” Cindric said. “He’s like, one of my favorite people that works at NASCAR. In my time, I feel like I experienced a lot of growth in the Xfinity Series, and Wayne was there from start to finish for me, and wasn’t ever afraid of being honest with me. And I felt like I grew to be the same back, whether if it’s fun conversations or tough conversations, depending on the day.

“It’s hard to find people like him. Wayne’s one of those people you kind of need two or three to replace. So it’s a shame I won’t get to see him every weekend and give him a high five, but it’s definitely somebody I’ll really have appreciated along the journey to get to the Cup Series.”

Christopher Bell has won 19 Xfinity races across the past eight seasons, including two this year. His face lit up when asked about Auton.

“Wayne is an amazing (series) director,” Bell said. “He’s one of the only ones that have actually given a young driver myself at the time advice, and I remember him telling us that you have to practice getting out the right side of the car.

“That stuff is so valuable and something that I took with me the rest of my career, even whenever I got into the Cup Series — and then with the car change, figuring out how to get out the right side of the Next Gen car. He’s just an awesome person who really looks after the racers and makes sure that they’re doing well.”

Chase Elliott and Wayne Auton stand in the NASCAR Xfinity Series garage in 2015.
Jeff Curry | Getty Images

LEAVING ON A HIGH NOTE

Auton’s decision to leave his post after this 13th Xfinity season didn’t come easily. The emotions of this departure, he said, started to really set in during the October race weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“I knew two years ago that was coming time,” he said. “This sport is so busy today … it wears on you. I definitely knew when I got off the plane from Sonoma at 7:15 a.m. Sunday morning after we had been up all day in Sonoma working the race, I told my wife, I said, I can’t wait till November. But it’s really starting to hit home.”

There is nothing Wayne Auton loves more than racing – except for the people who race. The ones who put the cars on track each week. The drivers who climb behind the wheel and send those machines whipping through corners at 140 mph and tear down the straightaway with engines screaming at 200 mph.

“We don’t do this for accolades,” Auton said. “We do this because we love the sport. To me, it’s the best sport in the world. Got five wheels on it – four on the ground and the steering wheel. Greatest sport ever. And anybody that says that this sport hasn’t afforded them a good life needs to look in a mirror.

“We always hear, I wonder what the people are really doing for a job. We get to put on a show. We get to put on races that people sit at home and watch it on FOX, FS1, NBC, USA, The CW now that they’re coming on board. … They get to sit home and watch it. We get to actually live it. We get to go in and smell the tires burning and the gas, the fumes of the gas, and it’s just a refreshing job that you don’t really feel like you’re working.”

Wayne Auton smiles as a vehicle rolls through the NASCAR Xfinity Series garage at Martinsville.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

On Saturday night, another Xfinity Series champion will be crowned. Allgaier is back for the fifth time in the past six years, still seeking his first title. He’s got a bit of extra motivation this year.

“I told (Wayne), I said, ‘My only goal for this year is to make sure that you have to be front center at the banquet,’ ” Allgaier said. “And I want to be able to call him up on stage and be a champion and call him up there. I almost thought I wasn’t gonna have a shot to go to the top eight to do that, but that’s my goal. I’d love to be able to embarrass him a little bit on the stage after winning the championship because it’d be pretty special.”

Auton isn’t planning to be back in the garage in 2025. He wants to stay out of the way of future leadership without feeling like he’s stepping on any toes. He will be back, however, at Rockingham Speedway on April 18-19 as the Truck Series returns for the first time since 2013 and the Xfinity Series for the first time since 2004.

“God, man, it’s hard to sit here and explain the opportunities that we’ve had, places we’ve got to see, the people we’ve got to meet,” Auton said, reflecting on how good each of these years have been. “And it’s all about the people. I’ll say it again. The job could go away today. I wouldn’t miss one minute of it, but I know when those trucks roll to Daytona …”

Auton’s voice shakes and he pauses to collect his thoughts, the emotion setting in as he speaks in the office of the NASCAR Xfinity Series hauler.

“(Gonna be) the first time in 33 years I didn’t go to Daytona,” Auton said. “Thirty-third champion coming up. That’s pretty cool.”

Posted on by Steve Luvender

NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 concludes at Phoenix Raceway. 

With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players select one car per race, but there’s a simple twist: once they’ve made the pick, they can’t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car will be selected exactly once … a survivor pool, by another name. 

Follow along weekly as our panel of pickers — Dustin Albino from Jayski, along with Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com — embarks on a season-long journey to think like strategists and prove their picking prowess. 

We’ll also feature a fourth “community” 36 for 36 pick each week, as decided by fan vote on the r/NASCAR subreddit. Can the collective vote topple our trio of full-timers?

Current Standings:

1. Steve Luvender: 950

2. r/NASCAR Community: -118

3. Cameron Richardson: -163

4. Dustin Albino: -171

Race 36 of 36: Phoenix

Our pickers had a 50/50 shot between their two remaining picks last week at Martinsville. Dustin Albino chose Bubba Wallace, who earned 19 points. The NASCAR subreddit chose Ryan Preece, good enough for a 31-point day. Denny Hamlin earned 40 points for Steve Luvender, while Cameron Richardson’s selection of Kyle Larson led the day with 46 points after the No. 5 finished third Sunday. 

All season, our pickers carefully chose their drivers, and now we’re down to the final race. That means just one car — no choice, really — remains on each board. Steve Luvender’s 118-point lead can’t be toppled, but the battle for second place is still in play. Which drivers did our panelists save for last? 

Jayski’s Dustin Albino: No. 9, Chase Elliott

Dustin Albino 36 for 36 pick graphic for Phoenix championship race

Dustin’s pick last week: No. 23, Bubba Wallace (19 points)

Total season points: 779 (fourth place, -1 since last week)

Dustin: My second half downward spiral continued at Martinsville with Wallace. The good news for this weekend: the maximum number of points my opponents can score is 40, given they all saved Blaney for the championship race. The potential bad news: eight times in the last two years has a driver scored more points than the champion, so it’s possible but no guarantee. Here’s to Elliott getting me out of the cellar at Phoenix. Hendrick Motorsports struggled at Phoenix in the spring, with its best entry finishing 14th. Elliott has top 10s in half of his 16 starts at the 1-mile track and it’s the site of the biggest moment in his racing career in 2020.

NASCAR.com’s Steve Luvender: No. 12, Ryan Blaney

Steve Luvender 36 for 36 pick graphic for Phoenix championship race

Steve’s pick last week: No. 11, Denny Hamlin (40 points)

Total season points: 950 (first place)

Steve: I saved the best for last, though I was tempted to employ YRB last week at Martinsville. Ryan Blaney’s success at Phoenix is well-documented; he’s finished no worse than fifth in the last six trips there. The only thing I’ll miss out on with my pick is stage points, which Championship 4 contenders don’t earn in the championship race. No matter, though, because none of my competitors can catch me in the standings. For now, I’ll await the glitzy awards ceremony and giant novelty check afforded to the 36 for 36 champion! (Wait, we don’t get our own fantasy-game-players’ banquet?!)

NASCAR.com’s Cameron Richardson: No. 12, Ryan Blaney

Cameron Richardson 36 for 36 pick graphic for Phoenix championship race

Cameron’s pick last week: No. 5, Kyle Larson (46 points)

Total season points: 787 (third place, +1 from last week)

Cameron: It all comes down to this! Well, Steve’s already won the survivor pool, but Blaney was always the plan for the Champ 4 race regardless of if he was going for title No. 2 or not. The defending champ is an absolute machine at the 1-mile desert oval. He has top 10s in the last eight Phoenix outings, including finishes of fifth or better in the last six. Really enjoyed participating in 36 of 36 all year long and hope we can do something similar to this in 2025. Thanks for following along!

r/NASCAR Community: No. 12, Ryan Blaney

Reddit community 36 for 36 pick graphic for Phoenix championship race

r/NASCAR’s pick last week: No. 41, Ryan Preece (31 points)

Total season points: 832 (second place)

Well, there’s not much to be said in this week’s voting thread on the NASCAR subreddit with only one option left: Ryan Blaney. 

u/Extreme-Bite-9123: “Victory is impossible, now all we can do is hold second”

u/Joey_Logano: “Ryan Blaney is the best choice because Ryan Blaney is Ryan Blaney.”

u/iiRyanPreece: “Would Ryan Blaney be Ryan Blaney if Ryan Blaney was Ryan Blaney?”

Thanks to all the Redditors who played along this season! 

Check back next week to see how our pickers fared as the season-long 36 for 36 journey wraps up. 

And, if you’ve got a competitive itch beyond meticulously managing your Fantasy Live lineup each week, feel free to save or print your own 36 for 36 sheet and see if you can beat our pickers and the Reddit community!

Posted on by Staff Report

Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway

(⏰ Sunday, 3 p.m. ET | NBC | Peacock | MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season comes to an end Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

It’s the fifth year of the final showdown taking place in the Arizona desert, and three familiar faces will be duking it out for the Bill France Cup alongside a first-time challenger for the Cup championship.

After his thrilling victory to clinch his second consecutive bid to the Championship 4, Ryan Blaney will get the chance to defend his championship and be the first to go back-to-back since Jimmie Johnson in 2010.

Two-time series champion Joey Logano is back to his usual even-year achievements after clutch wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway this postseason cemented his place in the title race. He’ll look to become just the 10th driver in Cup history to win three or more championships.

After initially not knowing if he made the Championship 4 or not when the checkered flag waved at Martinsville Speedway last weekend, William Byron seeks his first championship after falling short of his maiden title in 2023. Byron is the only driver from the Hendrick Motorsports camp to make the Championship 4 after three of the four cars in the organization made the Round of 8.

Then, there’s regular-season champion Tyler Reddick getting his first shot at a title. The regular season paid more than enough to the No. 45 driver, who struggled throughout the first nine races of the playoffs and even found himself upside down at Las Vegas in the Round of 8. In a must-win situation at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Reddick surged by Blaney in the final corner of the final lap to deliver 23XI Racing’s first chance at a championship.

RELATED: Championship Weekend schedule

As the weekend is set to get underway, NASCAR.com has you covered from all angles for Championship Weekend. Read our full coverage below to get ready for the Cup Series title race.

MOST COMPETITIVE TITLE RACE EVER?

the four cup series championship drivers speak to fans
James Gilbert | Getty Images

— Most even Championship 4?: The numbers say no one has the clear edge Sunday as Logano, Blaney, Reddick and Byron are all skilled at Phoenix. | Read more

— Making the case: Why each Championship 4 driver can win the Cup Series title … | Read more

— Exclusive club: … but why Ryan Blaney’s win would be historic in more ways than one. | Read more

— The Action Network: NASCAR odds, championship pick for Phoenix | Read more

— Extra prep, less pressure: Look out, competition. The ‘batteries are recharged’ for Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick. | Read more

— No. 24 in ’24?: William Byron is back in the Championship 4 for the second consecutive year, and his confidence is soaring. | Read more

— Motivation and momentum: Recap Championship 4 Media Day at Phoenix and hear from drivers heading into Sunday. | Read more

— Rise to the occasion: Racing Insights says a non-Champ 4 driver wins Sunday, but who will finish highest of those going for the title? | Read more

— By the numbers: Crew chiefs Luke Lambert and Drew Blickensderfer dive into the Championship 4 drivers’ previous performances at Phoenix Raceway. | Watch video

— Final tally: See the betting odds for Phoenix and who owns the bragging rights as the favorite for the final race of the year. | Read more

— The making of Martin: Journey through Martin Truex Jr.’s early career before his days as a Cup Series champion. | Read more

— Last rodeo: Paint schemes for Championship Weekend, including Truex’s final livery that throws back to his very first Cup start. | Photo gallery

— Gone fishin’: Truex reflects on 19-year Cup Series career and what’s next. | Watch video

— @nascarcasm: The many eras of Truex’s lengthy NASCAR national series career. | Photo gallery

— Fantasy: Stage points still in play as final fantasy lineups are set this weekend. | Photo gallery

— Fantasy Update: Remain Championship 4-heavy for 2024 finale | Read more

Posted on by Seth Sharp

Throughout the 2024 NASCAR season, Ken Martin, director of historical content for the sanctioning body, will offer his suggestions on which historical races fans should watch from the NASCAR Classics library in preparation for each upcoming race weekend.

Martin has worked exclusively for NASCAR since 2008 but has been involved with the sport since 1982, overseeing various projects. He has worked in the broadcast booth for hundreds of races, assisting the broadcast team with different tasks. This includes calculating the “points as they run” for the historic 1992 finale, the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The following suggestions are Ken’s picks to watch before this Sunday’s Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Peacock).

Dale Earnhardt drives at Phoenix.
NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

1994 Slick 50 500:

The NASCAR Cup Series arrived at Phoenix Raceway in October 1994 with a new seven-time champion.

Dale Earnhardt’s victory in the previous race at Rockingham clinched the title for Earnhardt with two races remaining on the 1994 slate.

Earnhardt and car owner Richard Childress spent the week celebrating their success with a hunting trip that saw Childress escape serious injury after a fall.

When it came time to qualify, the field was quick to notice that Goodyear had the superior tire. Ward Burton, who had found success earlier in the season qualifying, claimed the highest qualifying spot for a Hoosier-powered driver with a 27th-place start.

Sterling Marlin, who was capping off his first season in the No. 4 car for Morgan-McClure Motorsports, put the car on the pole for the event. He narrowly beat out Rusty Wallace for the top spot. Wallace was just one week removed from officially being eliminated from having a chance at the title, despite another strong season from the No. 2 car.

Two other drivers who were in the first year of new partnerships, Ricky Rudd and Terry Labonte, looked to be two of the fastest cars out west.

Rudd led 99 laps in his own No. 10 car before slowly fading throughout the day. He eventually brought his car home with a respectable seventh-place finish.

Labonte, who replaced Rudd in the No. 5 car for Hendrick Motorsports, continued his hot stretch by leading a race-high 112 laps en route to Victory Lane.

Mark Martin, Marlin, Jeff Gordon and Ted Musgrave rounded out the remainder of the top five.

Earnhardt came home 40th after engine issues ended his day early. He still left with a 379-point advantage over Wallace with one week remaining. He sat 75 points ahead of Martin for the runner-up spot in the standings.

Bobby Hamilton drives at Phoenix.
NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

1996 Dura Lube 500:

Phoenix Raceway was always a track synonymous with the success of Bobby Hamilton and the end of the 1996 season seemed fitting that another chapter of his story would take place at the track.

Hamilton made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the track in 1989, driving one of the “Days of Thunder” movie cars for Rick Hendrick.

The car was stripped of its camera equipment for the event, following an eye-popping fifth-place qualifying effort from Hamilton, which allowed him to go out and compete for a victory at the track.

He subsequently led five laps but engine issues left him with a 32nd-place finish. His flashes of success in the car led to Hamilton landing a ride in the No. 68 car for Mark Smith in 1990. Hamilton made the most of his time in the car, capturing the Rookie of the Year honors in 1991.

Hamilton showed signs of success over the next few seasons while driving for Smith, Dick Moroso, Aikins-Sutton Motorsports and Felix Sabates before the No. 40 team was purchased by Dick Brooks.

Much of his speed was shown at Phoenix, as he backed up his debut race with a 13th-place finish in 1991 after leading a lap. He returned to the track in 1992 with the Mark Smith-led team and finished eighth.

Hamilton did not race at the track in 1993 but returned in 1994 with an 11th-place finish.

All of his signs of promise led to him landing a dream ride in 1995, taking over the No. 43 car owned by Richard Petty, who retired from driving following the 1992 season finale.

The chance Petty took on Hamilton proved to be a correct choice, as he finished a career-best 14th in the season standings while battling for a handful of victories throughout the season.

Everything was looking up for the team in 1996, as they looked to build on the immediate success of their first full campaign together.

Adding to the excitement of the season was that it marked the 25th anniversary of the partnership between Petty and his longtime sponsor STP. The team rolled out a handful of throwback paint schemes for Hamilton to race throughout the season, honoring the success between Petty and the sponsor through the years.

The team didn’t find as much improvement as they had hoped for the 1996 season but the race at Phoenix turned out to be one to remember for everyone involved.

All of the focus at Phoenix was on the championship battle between Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte, as well as Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing.

Labonte entered the weekend up 32 points on Gordon and 76 on Jarrett, as there were just the races at Phoenix and Atlanta remaining on the schedule.

Unfortunately, Labonte didn’t seem to have the luck on his side, as he broke his left hand during a practice crash at the track on Friday. The break put a damper on the important weekend for Labonte and his team but they did manage to catch one good break.

Heavy winds sent sand blowing through the air, postponing qualifying until the following day.

When the teams were able to qualify on Saturday, it was Labonte’s younger brother Bobby who put his car on the pole for the race. Gordon and the elder Labonte both struggled during qualifying, as they started 19th and 30th respectively.

Jarrett on the other hand, took advantage of the Hendrick Motorsports struggles and put his No. 88 car fifth on the board. Hamilton qualified a quiet 17th.

The race on Sunday proved to be another instance of championship-level grit, as Labonte made his way up through the entire field with his injured hand to lead 61 laps.

It looked like Labonte had the car to beat late, as he led two long stretches late before giving up the lead to Geoff Bodine for fresh tires with just about 50 laps remaining.

The ensuing restart saw Hamilton eventually take advantage and put the No. 43 Petty Enterprises car back in Victory Lane for the first time in 13 years.

It was Hamilton’s first career Cup Series victory, coming in his 167th start, ironically at the same track he made his series debut at just a handful of years earlier.

The points battle saw Labonte shrug off his pain and finish third, a few spots ahead of Gordon and Jarrett, who both finished inside the top-10.

This set up the season finale for the championship, with Labonte entering the weekend 47 points up on Gordon and 99 on Jarrett, as he chased his first Cup Series championship since he won it in 1984.

Jimmie Johnson congratulates Chase Elliott for winning the championship at Phoenix.
Chris Graythen | Getty Images

2020 Season Finale 500:

The end of the unique 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season saw Joey Logano and Chase Elliott racing for a title following their victories at Kansas and Martinsville respectively. Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin rounded out the Championship 4 after racing their way into the battle with enough points through the Round of 8.

The weekend was also bittersweet, as it marked the final start as full-time Cup Series drivers for seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, 2003 series champion Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer.

It looked like the weekend couldn’t have got off to a better start for Elliott and his Hendrick Motorsports team, as they won the pole for the race, narrowly beating out the rest of his championship rivals in qualifying.

Elliott’s supreme start to the weekend went sour quickly, as he failed pre-race inspection twice and had to start at the rear of the field.

He took the early adversity and swept it to the side, as he worked his way through the field before taking command of the race in dominating fashion. He already made his way to third by the end of the first stage.

Elliott led 153 laps after starting from the rear, the first championship-deciding race that was held at the track, en route to the first Cup Series championship of his career.

His championship, teamed with his father Bill’s in 1988, helped them become the third father and son duo to win Cup Series titles. They joined Lee and Richard Petty and Ned and Dale Jarrett.

All of the championship contenders showed up strong, as Keselowski, Logano and Hamlin finished second, third and fourth in the race.

Johnson, who was competing in his last race in the No. 48 car for Hendrick Motorsports, finished fifth.

Posted on by Zack Albert

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick all share a common incentive for Sunday’s Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway, but for each one, hoisting the Bill France Cup would hold its own special distinction.

The possibilities came into focus Thursday as the four title hopefuls met the press for Media Day rounds at the 1-mile Arizona oval, which will host Sunday’s season finale (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Peacock). Blaney has the rare opportunity to become the first driver to win consecutive Cup Series crowns since Jimmie Johnson’s five-title run ended in 2010, and Team Penske teammate Logano has the chance to join the rarefied ranks of NASCAR’s three-time Cup champions. Hendrick Motorsports’ Byron and 23XI Racing’s Reddick will bid for their first Cup crowns, which would also carry special significance for their famed team owners.

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Blaney aims to follow the same blueprint that launched him to his first Cup Series title last season, where an emotion-filled victory at Martinsville Speedway one week earlier provided his No. 12 Ford team a surge that carried into Phoenix weekend. This year’s Martinsville triumph may have been more spirited, one that sapped away the setback of falling one spot short the week before at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It also provided Blaney a title berth that was available only by winning.

“I talked about momentum last year and confidence coming into this race, and we were able to utilize that, and I think it’s the same way,” said Blaney, who is making his second-ever Championship 4 appearance. “I feel like it’s even more momentum than last year because winning that must-win last week at Martinsville. I think that Martinsville win last week was even bigger than ’23 because we didn’t have to win that race last year at Martinsville. We just had to have a good day, but we still ended up winning, which was great momentum for us. But I think just the lows of me losing the race at Miami, us rebounding at Martinsville, a must-win, doing it coming from where we did in the pack to get the lead there at the end and carrying it into this week, and then having the chance to do what we can do this week in going back-to-back, I think riding high for sure. But we’re fully focused on what it takes.

“Heck, we were talking about it on stage at Martinsville. Everyone was ready, like, ‘What’s next week? What are we going to do next week? How can we be better next week?’ and that’s a cool group to be around.”

Logano, his teammate, is making his sixth Championship 4 appearance and shares the opportunity to give team owner Roger Penske his third straight Cup title. His credentials are already established as a future NASCAR Hall of Famer, but a triumph on Sunday would make him the only active driver with three championships.

Reaching three would lift him into the ether, joining Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip and Tony Stewart as legendary drivers who have achieved that mark.

“I think as you do this longer, you start to think about the people that help you get here. You become a little less selfish, I believe, when it comes to what a championship means,” said Logano, who hoisted the title in 2018 and 2022. “I think it matters so much to everybody else that’s working on the team, too. Having three would be great, but seeing everyone else celebrate is even better to me, like seeing everybody just as excited for their families as well. Like that, to me, matters more than stacking up the stats, so just want to see them do that. Now, the stats come along with it, so they’re hand in hand, but definitely would like to see everybody celebrate together.”

Byron’s path to Phoenix is another return Championship 4 trip, but one that he had to wait for. When fellow title contender Christopher Bell was penalized for his last-lap Martinsville wall ride after nearly a half-hour of deliberations among NASCAR officials, the final berth in the four-driver field was his. Allegations of race manipulation on both sides of the playoff bubble were met this week by a collection of major penalties, adding another layer of controversy to the outcome.

MORE: Projected results for Phoenix finale | Turning Point

Byron has maintained that he’s staying above the fray, calling the wait “excruciating,” but that his focus remains forward. He has a chance to give the No. 24 its first championship since 2001, capping off Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary season in the best possible way.

Martinsville hangover? Byron doesn’t think so.

“I haven’t ever felt as bonded to my team as I am now,” said Byron, who’s also in his second Champ 4 field. “I feel like we had a meeting on Sunday night about it, and I feel like we’ve turned the page really, really quickly. So for me personally, I’ve blocked out a ton of the noise. I haven’t looked at social media. I don’t really care. I’m just focused on trying to get the 24 car as fast I can, and I think past experiences probably have helped fuel that, where it’s like I’ve been through enough BS in my cup career, where I kind of know what to focus on and what to block out.”

Reddick is the only one of the four making his debut on the championship stage, and the 28-year-old driver has multiple firsts he’s striving for. His first Cup Series title would also be the first for his 23XI Racing group and team co-owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, who formed the team a little more than four years ago.

Depending on the perspective, the magnitude of what a Cup Series title would mean could provide either motivation or pressure.

“I think it could be both, honestly,” Reddick said. “As a competitor, these are the moments you live for, being able to be in this situation and this position to go fight for a championship, but certainly when I when I think of Michael, Denny, the rest of the owners, I think of everyone back at Airspeed, those that travel on the road and dedicate their lives to this goal. Certainly it’s good pressure, but you say incentive, yes, there’s a lot of that as well to get the job done.”