Posted on by Dustin Albino

There are story lines galore entering the 2024 Xfinity Series Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway. After 5,116 laps making up the opening 32 races, it all comes down to 200 circuits in the Sonoran Desert on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Age and wisdom fill all four spots this year. Three of the four drivers are at least 30 years old, and Cole Custer is the defending series champion. This could be the final hoorah for Custer and AJ Allmendinger in the Xfinity Series as both will return to the Cup Series in 2025.

RELATED: Phoenix schedule | Each Championship 4 field following Martinsville

Justin Allgaier will add to his resume by making his seventh Championship 4 appearance, the most of any driver in series history. Austin Hill is the only driver in the quartet who will be making their first Championship 4 appearance after consecutive years of advancing to the Round of 8 with Richard Childress Racing.

In seven of the eight previous postseasons, the winner of the championship race was also crowned champion moments later. The lone exception was in 2017 when William Byron claimed the championship as a rookie and, ironically, Custer won his first career race. On the final restart of last year’s race, the Championship 4 drivers filled the front two rows.

Let’s preview each championship-contending driver and where they stand heading to Phoenix.

Justin Allgaier
2024 regular-season finish: 2nd
Playoff seed: 1st

Allgaier summed it up perfectly at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last month: It’s surprising that he isn’t approaching double-digit wins with the amount of speed the Jim Pohlman-led team has brought to the track in 2024.

Misfortune has struck Allgaier in more ways than one in 2024. His 16 stage wins are more than double the next closest driver on the list (Chandler Smith with seven). In the regular-season finale, he squandered a 43-point lead on Custer and finished second in the regular-season standings. With a disastrous opening two races in the Round of 12, he squeaked through to the Round of 8, where the No. 7 team returned to its normal form.

Based on prior history at Phoenix, Allgaier should be the favorite. He has a pair of wins and 18 top-10 finishes in 28 Phoenix starts. Had it not been for a punctured tire in the spring race, he would have scored a third victory. Allgaier knows the No. 7 team will be prepared come this weekend.

“If I have one race track on my calendar that’s circled, it’s this fall race,” Allgaier said after clinching a spot at Martinsville Speedway last weekend. “Not only because it’s a good race track for us, but the way that the spring race ended, I left there fully dejected, knowing that we had the dominant car and we walked out of there with a wrecked pile of junk and didn’t get to win the race.

“Knowing what we’re taking back next week, I have no doubt in my mind that we’re going to have a great piece, and we will see what we can do.”

Cole Custer
2024 regular-season finish: 1st
Playoff seed: 2nd

In Custer’s championship defense, he leads the series with 772 laps led and is tied with Sheldon Creed for the most top 10 finishes (22). Of the four championship-eligible drivers, the No. 00 team has the best average finish (10.6).

Custer returns to Phoenix one year later, hoping for a repeat performance from 2023. He led a race-high 96 laps in last year’s championship event, enough to hold off his three competitors in an overtime finish.

In nine Phoenix starts, Custer has four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. His average finish is a stout 7.6.

“We definitely have to go there and find something,” Custer said, who was the final driver to advance to Phoenix on points. “At the end of the day, I feel like we have as good of a shot as anybody. We’ve had fast cars there before and there’s no reason why we can’t go there and compete for a championship.”

Austin Hill
2024 regular-season finish: 4th
Playoff seed: 3rd

No driver started the 2024 campaign stronger than Hill, sweeping the first two races at Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. His third regular season victory didn’t come until September when the series returned to Atlanta.

Winning the second race in the Round of 8 guaranteed Hill a position into the Championship 4 for the first time in his national touring series career. The No. 21 team’s numbers are slightly down from Hill’s first two seasons with Richard Childress Racing as he ranks worse in top 10s (19), laps led (240) and average finish (11.7).

The advantage Hill has is he had an extra week to prepare for Phoenix virtue of winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway. While he has an average finish of 8.8 in five Phoenix starts, just one of those cracked the top five. The good news for RCR is it came earlier this season, and if that race was the championship event, he would have been crowned the champion.

“I’ve always said that I just want a shot,” Hill said at Martinsville. “If you can do that like we’ve done, you have a 25% chance of winning the championship. We’re going to keep our head down this whole week, do a lot of prep work. It’s a stout group that we have to go up against. We have to bring our A game, give it all we got and hope it’s enough.”

AJ Allmendinger
2024 regular-season finish: 6th
Playoff seed: 10th

Allmendinger shocked the field in the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leading 102 of 201 laps en route to Kaulig Racing’s first non-road course triumph in 2024. That single race accounts for 39.5% of the laps led for the No. 16 Chevrolet all season.

But that was a 1.5-mile, high-speed track, whereas Phoenix is a flat 1-mile oval that Kaulig hasn’t seen the results come to fruition. Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing, doesn’t sugarcoat the team’s lack of success on tracks similar to Phoenix. By having two additional weeks to prepare for the championship race, all the focus shifted towards Phoenix and honing in on the No. 16 car. The key, Rice believes, is to “look outside the box.”

In five Xfinity starts with Kaulig, Allmendinger has a best finish of fifth and three top-10 finishes. In the spring, he placed 18th, one lap off the pace. The goal is to just be in contention as Allmendinger finished 14th in his previous Championship 4 appearance in 2021.

“I think Chris would admit, we just have to run fast enough so we can win,” Allmendinger said after winning at Las Vegas. “We’ve been terrible at Phoenix.”

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

Every season, Late Model drivers from across the country make their way to Florida during the months of November and December to compete in some of the biggest short-track races in the United States. One of those events is the Florida Governor’s Cup at New Smyrna Speedway.

The Florida Governor’s Cup has been held annually since 1965 at a variety of tracks. Serving as a prelude to the annual running of the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, the Florida Governor’s Cup typically attracts a strong contingent of competitors looking to get some extra laps in advance of the biggest Super Late Model event of the season.

The list of Governor’s Cup winners consists of some of history’s greatest asphalt short-track competitors. Among them are Wayne Reutimann, uncle to NASCAR Cup Series winner David Reutimann, Gary Balough, Ed Howe, Dick Trickle, Mike Eddy, Butch Miller, Bobby Gill, Pete Orr, David Rogers, Erik Jones, Ty Majeski, Augie Grill, Bubba Pollard, Sammy Smith and the most recent winner, Stephen Nasse.

In 2024, several familiar names will invade New Smyrna in pursuit of the trophy. Below is everything you need to know about this year’s Florida Governor’s Cup.

New Smyrna Speedway
A general view during of New Smyrna Speedway during the 2024 season. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

What TV channel is the 2024 Florida Governor’s Cup on?

All the on-track action for the Florida Governor’s Cup at New Smyrna Speedway can be viewed live on FloRacing, the official streaming home for all NASCAR Regional properties.

The event will not be shown on a traditional television network.

Below is the complete schedule for FloRacing’s coverage of the Florida Governor’s Cup

Date Event Start time How to watch
Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 Florida Governor’s Cup 7:15 p.m. ET FloRacing
Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 Florida Governor’s Cup 2 p.m. ET FloRacing

Florida Governor’s Cup schedule

On-track activity for this year’s Florida Governor’s Cup will be split between Saturday, Nov. 9 and Sunday, Nov. 10.

Saturday’s schedule of events is headlined by a 100-lap feature for the Pro Late Model division. Sunday’s action will include the 200-lap Florida Governor’s Cup race for Super Late Models.

Below is the complete schedule (All times ET).

  • Saturday, Nov. 9
Time Event
10 a.m. Pit Gate Opens
10:30 a.m. Late Model Tech (By Appointment)
12:15 p.m. Drivers Meeting
1 – 1:30 p.m. Pro Late Model Practice
1:35 – 1:55 p.m. Modified Practice
2 – 2:45 p.m. Super Late Model Practice
2:50 – 3:10 p.m. Modified Practice
3:15 – 3:45 p.m. Pro Late Model Practice
3:45 p.m. Modified Qualifying Tech
3:50 – 4:25 p.m. Super Late Model Practice
4 p.m. Pro Late Model Tires Released
4:30 – 4:45 p.m. Pro Truck Practice
4:30 p.m. Pro Late Model Qualifying Tech
4:50 – 5:05 p.m. Modified Mini Practice
5 p.m. Super Late Model Tires Released
5:05 – 5:15 p.m. Track Cold
5:15 p.m. Modified Qualifying
5:30 p.m. Super Late Model Qualifying Tech
5:40 – 5:55 p.m. Pro Truck Group Qualifying
6 p.m. Modified Mini Qualifying
6:15 p.m. Pro Late Model Qualifying
6:45 p.m. Opening Ceremonies
7 p.m. Super Late Model Qualifying
7:30 p.m. Pro Late Model Feature (100 Laps)
Followed by… Pro Truck Feature (35 Laps)
Followed by… Modified Feature (75 Laps)
Followed by… Modified Mini Feature (50 Laps)
  • Sunday, Nov. 10
Time Event
9 – 10 a.m. Haulers Removed From Infield
10 a.m. Pit Gates Open
10:15 a.m. Super Late Model Qualifying Tires Released
10:30 a.m. Drivers Meeting
10:45 a.m. Super Late Model Pre-Race Tech
11 a.m. Church Service
11:45 a.m. – 12 p.m. Sportsman Practice
12 – 12:15 p.m. Track Cold
12:15 – 12:30 p.m. Sportsman Group Qualifying
12:30 p.m. Grid Super Late Models
12:45 – 1:15 p.m. Autograph Session
1:15 p.m. Opening Ceremonies
1:20 p.m. Driver Group Photo
1:30 p.m. Governor’s Cup Driver Intros
1:40 p.m. Prayer & National Anthem
2 p.m. 59th Governor’s Cup (200 Laps)
Followed by… Sportsman Feature (35 Laps)

Race format

The field for Sunday’s 200-lap Florida Governor’s Cup will be set via qualifying Saturday evening; drivers will line up based on the results of that session.

The race is 200 green flag laps. The last five laps must run under green, but not consecutively. Scoring will freeze in the last five laps if necessary. Teams can not lose a lap under yellow in last five laps. If a yellow flag is waved once the leader has taken the white flag, there will be a green/white/checkered restart. The event is completed after a maximum of three green/white/checkered attempts.

New Smyrna Speedway reserves the right to count cautions in certain situations. A mandatory caution will be thrown after 75 consecutive laps up to Lap 190. One pit stop is mandatory during the event.

The event will utilize controlled pit stops up to Lap 190. All cautions will be controlled unless declared a quickie yellow by race control. Teams can only take tires during controlled pit stops unless to replace a flat tire as approved by track officials.

Controlled pit stops will consist of a two-lap grace period. The pace car will pick up the field. The pits are closed until the lineup is established. Once the lineup is established, race control will announce that pit road is open next time and the pit open flagman will show green. Drivers can enter pit road when they get to the entrance.

The two-lap grace period is only the first two laps that pit road is open after cars have been brought to pit road. When pitting under a controlled pit stop, the cars that pit the first time by will return to the track in the same order they were scored running in the race prior to coming to pit road, relative to the other cars that pitted, and will line up behind the cars that did not pit, as long as they return to the track within the stated two-lap window.

Any car that returns to the track after that two-lap window will not get its position back, will start losing laps and must fall to the tail. Any car that pits and does not return to the track prior to the field receiving the one to go signal must restart at the tail of all cars. There will not be a controlled pit stop in the last 10 laps.

New Smyrna Speedway
A general view of New Smyrna Speedway. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

Entry list

As of Nov. 6, the entry list for the Super Late Model portion of the Governor’s Cup featured 16 cars.

Headlining that group is Stephen Nasse, the defending Florida Governor’s Cup winner. A native of Pinellas Park, Florida, Nasse last year became the first native Floridian to win the Governor’s Cup since Jeff Choquette won the race in 2018.

Several drivers from across the country are among those entered in the Governor’s Cup. They include Kasey Kleyn, who is from Quincy, Washington. Also entered is ARCA Menards Series East regular Gio Ruggiero. He’ll be part of the stout Donnie Wilson Racing stable during Sunday’s event.

Other notable entries include Gavan Boschele, Brad May, Spencer Davis, Conner Sutton, Michael Atwell and Colby Howard.

Below is the entry list for the 2024 Florida Governor’s Cup.

Car No. Driver Hometown
1 Kasey Kleyn Quincy, Washington
9 Anthony Cataldi Umatila, Florida
9 Brad May Oviedo, Florida
10 George Gorham Jr. Winter Haven, Florida
17 Hudson Bulger Perry, Georgia
22 Gio Ruggiero Seekonk, Massachusetts
24 Gavan Boschele Mooresville, North Carolina
27 Bobby Good Lake Mary, Florida
29 Spencer Davis Dawsonville, Georgia
51 Stephen Nasse Pinellas Park, Florida
54 Conner Sutton Pensacola, Florida
55 Michael Atwell Naples, Florida
58 John Coffman Live Oak, Florida
58T Grant Thompson Mobile, Alabama
81 Colby Howard Simpsonville, South Carolina
99 Bobby Gordon Merritt Island, Florida

 

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR penalized the Nos. 1, 3 and 23 Cup Series teams for Member Conduct violations during Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway.

After an investigation of the on-track data and team scanners from the final laps of Sunday’s Round of 8 elimination race, NASCAR determined the actions of those involved violated sections 4.4.B&D: NASCAR Member Conduct of the Rule Book, which include race manipulation and actions detrimental to stock car racing.

Drivers Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing), Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing), and Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing) were each hit with a loss of 50 driver points and a $100,000 fine. In addition, NASCAR also fined the owners of each team $100,000 and deducted 50 owner points each.

Crew chiefs Phil Surgen, Justin Alexander and Bootie Barker, along with their respective spotters Brandon McReynolds, Brandon Benesch and Freddie Kraft, were all suspended for the 2024 season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Additionally, team executives Tony Lunders, Keith Rodden and Dave Rogers were also suspended for the 2024 finale at Phoenix.

Richard Childress Racing, 23XI Racing and Trackhouse Racing all announced that they would appeal the ruling.

“We took and looked at the most recent penalty that we had written for an infraction, very similar, which was the 41 car a couple of years ago at the Roval,” NASCAR Senior VP of Competition Elton Sawyer said. “We felt like we wanted to ramp this one up and we did, we did that in a way that we included team leadership. And this one, something that we feel like that, you know, we want to get our point across that it’s a responsibility of all of us, the team owners, the team leadership as well as ourselves here at NASCAR to uphold the integrity of our sport.”

In the late stages of last weekend’s 500-lap race, William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet began to fade from the front of the field, which led to a series of on-track events that eventually resulted in Tuesday’s penalties.

Every spot lost dropped Byron closer to the elimination line, and he settled into sixth place on the track, just one point ahead of Christopher Bell in the provisional playoff standings and in position to advance to the Championship 4. Bell was running in 19th place at the time, the first car one lap down.

As Ryan Blaney pulled away for his Championship 4-clinching win, the Chevrolets of Chastain and Dillon effectively created a blockade behind Byron, both running side-by-side and not passing the No. 24 car over the final 10 laps. Completed passes by those cars may have dropped Byron out of the Championship 4.

Elsewhere on track, Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota slowed significantly over the final five laps, eventually getting lapped by Blaney. On the final lap, Bell surged past the slowing Wallace entering Turn 3, slid through the rubber marbles on the track and rode his car along the outside retaining wall coming to the checkered flag in 18th place.

While initially it appeared that Bell would advance to the Championship 4 via a tiebreaker, NASCAR reviewed the video in the minutes after the checkered flag and determined Bell’s move was a safety violation. The result of that call moved Bell to the final car one lap down for a 22nd-place finish, giving Byron enough points to advance. …

In other penalty news, Richard Childress Racing crew members Josh Sobecki (jack) and Michael Russell (front changer) were suspended two races (through the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium) for a safety violation when the No. 8 Cup car lost a wheel at Martinsville. …

Xfinity Series driver Chandler Smith of Joe Gibbs Racing was fined $10,000 for violating section 4.4.D: NASCAR Member Conduct of the rule book, which includes member-to-member confrontations, after an altercation with Cole Custer in Saturday’s race at Martinsville. …

Craftsman Truck Series Championship 4 driver Ty Majeski for ThorSport Racing was fined $12,500 for failing to perform a media obligation.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

With Ryan Blaney’s 11th-hour victory last Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, Team Penske has a decided edge among NASCAR Cup Series powerhouses entering Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

RELATED: Phoenix championship weekend schedule

With both 2022 series champion Joey Logano and 2023 champion Blaney in the Championship 4, Team Penske is seeking its third consecutive title, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since Jimmie Johnson won five straight for Hendrick Motorsports from 2006 through 2010.

“Since Joey won that race at Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago, locking him in, the excitement level and preparation level has really amped up at our shop in Mooresville (North Carolina), that’s for sure,” Team Penske vice chairman Walt Czarnecki said Monday in a Zoom conference with reporters.

“Of course, Ryan’s win (Sunday) has compounded it. Everybody was back at the shop (Monday) morning, hard at work. … We will be prepared, I promise you.”

Blaney also has a chance to do something no other driver has done since Johnson’s five-year streak — win two titles in a row.

“It is so hard to win at this level, even one race,” Czarnecki said. “So, to put yourself in a position and have a team that’s in a position to be back-to-back champion — and in our case, three championships in a row — is quite extraordinary.

“But again, it’s a testimony to the people. It would mean a lot to us personally, and it would mean a lot to the sport.”

Hendrick Motorsports features one representative in the Championship 4 — but just barely. Daytona 500 winner William Byron qualified for the title race by four points after Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell was demoted four positions for riding the wall on the last lap in last Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville.

But for the penalty, Bell would have qualified for the Championship race on a tiebreaker. Instead, Byron will carry the banner in Hendrick’s 40th-anniversary season.

“It’s going to be a tough battle,” said Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon, a four-time Cup champion in his own right. “You’ve got three other teams and drivers that are rock-solid. They all have their strengths, and they all can run good at Phoenix, so we’re going to have to step up, no doubt.”

Byron won the pole and the first stage of last year’s season finale at Phoenix but faded to fourth as the track changed later in the day. Blaney won the title with a runner-up finish to race winner Ross Chastain.

A Hendrick championship this year would be the capstone on a milestone season.

“It would be huge,” Gordon said, “but (team owner) Rick (Hendrick) and I talked about this last week before Martinsville about how excited we are of what we have accomplished this year — I mean 11 wins, all four cars in the playoffs, all four cars have won.

“We’ve won big races, the Brickyard, Daytona. So, it’s been a great year, and it’s going to be a year that we celebrate because of what we’ve accomplished over 40 years but especially what we’re doing in this 40th year. Of course, to take it to the next level and make it a year we’ll never forget, a championship, yeah, would certainly be the icing on the cake.”

Standing in the way of that accomplishment are not only the two Team Penske drivers but also NASCAR Cup Championship 4 newcomer Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing, who qualified for the title race by winning on Oct. 27 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Reddick, in his second season with 23XI, has dealt with Championship 4 pressure in the Xfinity Series, winning consecutive titles for two different teams in 2018 and 2019 when the season finale was contested at Homestead.

“(Team co-owner) Denny (Hamlin) was the one who was zeroed in on going after and hiring Tyler Reddick,” said 23XI president Steve Lauletta. “He saw his talent, raced against him, knew that he is going to be a race-winning driver and champion driver at this level in the Cup Series like he was in Xfinity.

“We were focused on making sure we were able to get him. His work ethic is something special. His ability to get the most out of people on his team, his relationship with (teammate) Bubba (Wallace) is fantastic. He’s just fit in as good as we’d hoped for in the quick two years that he’s been here.

“To give him the chance, and for him to work with us to be able to go to Phoenix and have a chance to race for 23XI’s first championship is just all a testament to it being the right place for him to be and to take the next step in his career.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR has taken a significant stride toward at-track inclusivity with the introduction of the NASCAR Mobility Pit Box. Developed in collaboration with Toyota, this innovative pit box offers a fully functional experience tailored for individuals with mobility challenges.

The NASCAR Mobility Pit Box was designed to ensure that all fans, regardless of physical abilities, can enjoy the excitement of race-day action up close. Over 21 race weekends in 2024, the NASCAR Mobility Pit Box hosted over 140 individuals with mobility challenges.

The inspiration for the pit box came from former BMX racing cyclist and NASCAR fan Sam Willoughby. Willoughby suffered a career-ending injury in 2016, four weeks after the Rio Olympics. The injury left him with tetraplegia — a paralysis that can affect the arms and legs.

Willoughby attended the 2020 Daytona 500 with Toyota and was asked what could be done to improve his experience at the race track. “About the only thing I didn’t get to do was go in a pit box,” Willoughby said. From there, NASCAR and Toyota went to work.

LEARN MORE: NASCAR Salutes | NASCAR Impact

A pivotal component of the pit box is its integrated ramp and lift system, facilitating smooth and safe entry for guests using wheelchairs or other mobility aids. The pit box offers ample room for maneuverability, ensuring guests can comfortably navigate and enjoy the race from a prime viewing location.

Designed to accommodate three guests in mobility devices along with their companions, the pit box incorporates state-of-the-art features aimed at enhancing comfort and accessibility, including climate assist.

“This setup is absolutely unbelievable,” said JD Holland, who experienced the pit box at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600 weekend. “I hate to be in the condition to have to use it, but the effort everyone has put in to provide this opportunity for an ADA (American with Disabilities Act) recipient, this is absolutely great.”

JD’s father, Melvin, was honored at this year’s Coca-Cola 600 and featured on Pace Car 1 for his sacrifice while serving in the United States Air Force.

“I hope that everybody that gets the opportunity to be up here enjoys it as much as we did,” Holland added. “The assistance everybody has provided with getting us around, wheelchairs, ADA golf carts, elevators instead of stairs, just that whole hospitality from Day 1 when we got here. It’s absolutely wonderful.”

The NASCAR Mobility Pit Box represents a shift in the accessibility landscape within motorsports. Combining cutting-edge technology with a commitment to inclusivity sets a precedent for future innovations aimed at enhancing the fan experience for individuals of all abilities.

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 drivers Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and William Byron will all be together for a panel hosted and moderated by Kim Coon, streaming live on NASCAR.com, NASCAR’s YouTube channel and NASCAR social media on Tuesday, Nov. 5 starting at 2 p.m. ET.

RELATED: Watch Championship 4 live stream | Phoenix weekend schedule

The stream will last until 2:20 p.m. ET at NASCAR’s production facility in Concord, North Carolina, kicking off Championship media coverage.

The Tuesday afternoon event marks the first appearance of all four contenders for the Bill France Cup, leading up to Sunday’s season finale race at Phoenix Raceway, where the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion will be crowned on Sunday, Nov. 10 (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials will look further into the on-track actions of multiple competitors Sunday night in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.

The No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet piloted by Ross Chastain, the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driven by Austin Dillon and the No. 23 Toyota of 23XI Racing wheeled by Bubba Wallace all fall under scrutiny for how they raced in the closing laps of Sunday’s Xfinity 500.

NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer said Sunday the officials’ immediate focus in the moment centered around Christopher Bell’s wall ride in the final corner, but said he anticipated a deeper examination lied ahead once clear of Sunday’s event.

“We’ll look at everything,” Sawyer said. “As I said earlier, we want to go back, as we would have done anyway. We’ll get back, we’ll take all the data, video. We’ll listen to in-car audio. We’ll do all that, as we would any event.”

RELATED: Race recap | Final Laps

In the late stages of the 500-lap race, William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet faded quickly from the front of the field after leading 51 circuits. Every spot lost dropped Byron closer to the elimination line until he settled in sixth place on the track, just one point ahead of Christopher Bell in the provisional playoff standings and in position to advance to the Championship 4. Bell was running in 19th place, the first car one lap down.

Behind Byron, the Chevrolets of Chastain and Dillon effectively created a blockade, both running side-by-side and not passing Byron over the final 10 laps. Those passes would have dropped Byron out of the Championship 4.

Elsewhere on track, Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota slowed significantly over the final five laps, eventually getting lapped by race leader Ryan Blaney. On the final lap, Bell surged past the slowing Wallace entering Turn 3, slid through the rubber marbles on the track and rode his car along the outside retaining wall coming to the checkered flag.

Bell crossed the finish line 18th, tying Byron for the final Champ 4 position and provisionally advancing on a tiebreaker. But after a review, officials penalized Bell for the wall ride, deeming it a safety violation and moving Bell to the final car one lap down, resulting in a 22nd-place finish for Bell and allowing Byron advancement instead.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action in its Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Peacock).

Posted on by Nate Ryan

The last four Cup Series champions have a dubious distinction in common: They all failed to reach the Championship 4 the previous year.

So while the 2024 championship campaigns ended with the Round of 8 at Martinsville Speedway for Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson, there’s hope for next year — especially considering it’s a quartet that already has a combined 11 appearances in the title race.

But there also was something missing in the 2024 playoffs.

MORE: Blaney surges to Champ 4 spot | 2024 Championship 4 locked in

Here’s what went wrong in this year’s stretch run and what needs to improve next season for the four stars who came up just short of a Cup championship:

CHRISTOPHER BELL

Round of 8 results: Two top fives but missed advancing by four points because of an ill-timed caution at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and an illegal wall ride at Martinsville Speedway.

Playoffs performance:  Just as in its Championship 4 berths in 2022-23, the No. 20 Toyota again rose to another level with two pole positions, five top fives and 281 laps led. But while he was always in the fight, Bell and his pit crew faltered at meeting the moment with unforced errors at Martinsville Speedway.

For a 2025 title, less of this: Checkers or wreckers. Bell had six finishes of 30th or worse because of crashes, though all came before the playoffs.

… and more of this: Second-half victories — all three of his wins were before the season’s midpoint.

CHASE ELLIOTT

Round of 8 results: Ended with two top-five finishes but a 33rd in the opener left him 44 points shy of advancing to his fourth title race.

Playoffs performance: The No. 9 Chevrolet had four top fives but also was consistently inconsistent with one blemish in every round. A poor pit stop was the culprit in a 19th at Watkins Glen International, and it was wrong place, wrong time in crashes at Talladega Superspeedway (29th) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (33rd).

For a 2025 title, less of this: Untimely hiccups by driver and team. Both factored into blunting Elliott’s momentum at Martinsville with a 20-second pit stop and then a bizarre collision with Chris Buescher.

… and more of this: Victories. It’s been two years since his last multiple-win season (and a career-best five victories in 2022).

Brittney Wilbur | NASCAR Digital Media

DENNY HAMLIN

Round of 8 results: Despite three top-10 finishes (and a huge “what if?” in narrowly missing a victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway), he finished at a 24-point deficit of advancing to his fifth Championship 4.

Playoffs performance: After opening with his two worst results (24th at Atlanta, 23rd at Watkins Glen), the No. 11 Toyota team never really found its stride afterward. Equal blame to share between the crew chief (faulty strategy at Atlanta), pit crew (abysmal at Las Vegas) and driver (blew it on the last restart at Homestead).

For a 2025 title, less of this: Inconsistency. Until he closed the Round of 8 with a third and fifth-place finish, Hamlin hadn’t scored consecutive top fives since posting five in a row from April 28-June 2.

… and more of this: Clean races. That starts with more performance from the pit crew, but Hamlin and crew chief Chris Gabehart simply lacked trademark execution during their sixth season together.

KYLE LARSON

Round of 8 results: Unable to recover from consecutive finishes outside the top 10 at Las Vegas and Homestead, he was seven points short of making his third title race.

Playoffs performance: Mostly feast or famine. The No. 5 Chevrolet was a world-beater with no equal in winning at Bristol Motor Speedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Though strong at tracks where he has struggled (Talladega, Martinsville), he had weak results at his 1.5-mile benchmarks (Kansas, Homestead).

For a 2025 title, less of this: Indy 500 distractions. At least it’s been guaranteed that Larson won’t lose the Regular Season Championship by missing the Coca-Cola 600 again.

… and more of this: Walking that tightrope between overstepping the limit and driving at a maximum few others can reach. Though he occasionally still crossed the limit (Homestead), Larson was as good as ever at harnessing his team’s blinding speed in 2024.

Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA TODAY and for the past 10 years at NBC Sports Digital. He is the host of the NASCAR on NBC Podcast and also has covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.

Posted on by Staff Report

During the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, fans have the opportunity to compete in The NASCAR Playoffs Grid Challenge Presented by Goodyear on their own or as part of a created league.

And now picks for the Championship 4 are open, so fans can visit The Playoffs Grid Challenge page and make their picks before Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Register for a free NASCAR.com account and begin making your picks.

RELATED: How the NASCAR Playoffs work

Why do I need an account?

Registering for an account allows you to score points and track your progress throughout the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Additionally, a NASCAR.com account allows you to track the latest news, customize updates and learn inside information throughout the playoffs and beyond. If you already have a registered NASCAR.com account, simply logging in with the same credentials will allow you to compete without additional steps or the creation of a new account.

Can I create multiple entries?

All entrants are eligible to create up to three entries per person.

Does The Playoffs Grid Challenge work on mobile?

Participants are able to access the challenge and fill out brackets on mobile web and desktop applications.

Can I set up a league?

In addition to joining the overall leaderboard, participants can create their own leagues to compete with friends and others throughout the community. Leagues can be public and available for anyone to join or private and password-protected. To join or create a league, follow the instructions on the Leagues tab. There, you can see participants, standings and point totals for each of your league entries. Creating or joining a league does not impact eligibility to win prizes.

When do I make my picks?

The Playoffs Grid Challenge is conducted in a round-by-round format, mirroring the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs elimination rounds. Beginning with the first opportunity to register on Aug. 12, each round has a window for participants to make their picks. When choosing drivers, list them in the correct order you think they will finish in.

Selections for the playoff-opening Round of 16 (drivers you believe will advance to the Round of 12) can be submitted before 3 p.m. ET on Sept. 8. Not long after the elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway, points are awarded and the Round of 12 selections (drivers you believe will advance to the Round of 8) will open until 3 p.m. ET on Sept. 29. After the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, Round of 8 selections (drivers you believe will make it to the Championship 4) will be available until 2:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 20. The Championship 4 and final round opens after the race at Martinsville Speedway (picking the driver you believe will win the title) and must be submitted before 3 p.m. ET on Nov. 10.

RELATED: Cup Series schedule

Is there a points system?

Yes. During each round, participants will earn points based on their selections. Participants will receive 10 points for each driver correctly selected to advance to the next round of the playoffs, except for the Championship Round™. For the final round, all coming down to the finale at Phoenix Raceway, the correct driver chosen to win the 2024 Cup Series championship earns participants 40 points.

Five bonus points (per correct pick) are also awarded for arranging playoff drivers in the correct finishing order and one point for finishes one spot before or after. Points carry from round to round, and the eligible participant with the most points at the end of the Championship Round will be declared the winner.

Scoring factors in official finishing order after post-race inspection.

What are the prizes I can win for competing?

Cash prizes for The Playoffs Grid Challenge are awarded to the top three eligible entrants in the overall standings. One first-place winner will receive $10,000, one second-place winner will receive $5,000 and one third-place winner will receive $2,500. Participants can track their place in the standings with the live leaderboard throughout each round of the playoffs. Accounts listed in the top three positions — or any other position — may not necessarily be the top participants eligible to win prizes.

See the official rules for additional information on rules, eligibility, prizes, tiebreak procedures and more.

Who are the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers?

The 16-driver field was officially cemented on Sept. 1 following the conclusion of the regular-season finale at Darlington Raceway.

Four drivers are eliminated after each round, ending with the Championship 4 battling for the Bill France Trophy at Phoenix Raceway.

To keep track of who’s still in the playoffs, visit our standings page and click on the playoffs tab.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Justin Allgaier and Cole Custer both clinched return trips to the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Championship 4 field on the basis of points last weekend, with Allgaier’s ride at Martinsville Speedway playing out a little less dramatically than Custer’s in the emotionally charged Round of 8 finale.

For Custer, it’s the opportunity to claim back-to-back titles and give Stewart-Haas Racing a winning send-off. For Allgaier, it’s the chance to finish one rung better than Custer in a championship-race redux and to fulfill a dream he’s spent 14 Xfinity Series seasons chasing.

Allgaier and Custer will match wits with Round of 8 race winners AJ Allmendinger and Austin Hill in Saturday’s championship race (7 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Phoenix Raceway. Allgaier landed in the Championship 4 field for the fifth time in the last six seasons, and now that he’s there, the 38-year-old veteran has an expectation that he’ll be in contention.

RELATED: Xfinity Series schedule

Part of that confidence stems from his most recent performances at Phoenix, a track where he’s won twice (2017, 2019). Last season, Allgaier wound up third after a two-lap overtime shuffle to decide the finale. This spring, the JR Motorsports driver led 52 laps and built a three-second lead before a left-rear tire failure sidelined his No. 7 Chevrolet with just five laps to go.

“I mean, if I have one race track on my calendar that’s circled, it’s this fall race — not only because it’s a good race track for us, but the way that the spring race ended,” Allgaier said post-race at Martinsville, where a fifth-place finish allowed him to advance by 35 points. “I mean, I left there fully dejected, knowing that we had the dominant car, and we walked out of there with a wrecked pile of junk and didn’t get to win the race. So to be able to leave here with a shot at it, knowing what we’re taking back next week, I have no doubt in my mind we’re going to have a great piece, and we’ll see what we can do.”

The journey to Phoenix was far from a smooth one. Allgaier won twice during the regular season to ascend to the top of the Xfinity Series standings, but a late slump that included a rough 30th-place result at Bristol Motor Speedway left him three points short of the regular-season title, which was snapped up by Custer.

Allgaier’s sour luck continued in the postseason’s opening round, with finishes of 36th at Kansas and 25th at Talladega. A seventh-place finish plus a bounty of stage points in the Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval helped him overcome an 18-point deficit and advance by just four points. His Round of 8 was far more comfortable — third at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, eighth at Homestead-Miami Speedway and ultimately fifth at Martinsville.

“I mean, you look at the way the first two races in the first round started, to be honest with you, I thought we were going to be sitting on the couch, not even be here to Martinsville,” Allgaier said. “To turn all of that around, to put ourselves in contention for not only a top four in the points but a championship, I mean, that’s what you eat, sleep and breathe for … these 10 months that we do this on the race track. So I’m proud of the effort.”