Posted on by Zack Albert

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Cole Custer had all the makings for a successful defense of his NASCAR Xfinity Series championship from a year ago, leading the title-eligible quartet until Justin Allgaier’s late-race surge. Austin Hill also seemed to have a potential upper hand, out front for the final dash to the checkered flag after a late two-tire pit strategy play that put him in position for his first title.

Neither them nor fellow title contender AJ Allmendinger were able to capitalize in overtime in Saturday’s season finale, but all three were gracious in defeat as Allgaier drove to his long-awaited first Xfinity Series crown at Phoenix Raceway. Custer finished eighth, Allmendinger ninth and Hill completed the top 10 in the year-ending showdown, while Allgaier placed second behind race winner Riley Herbst.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Phoenix

Custer’s bid seemed the strongest for much of the final stage, and he clung to the top spot among the Championship 4 foursome as the laps ticked down. His hold was challenged, however, as Allgaier rallied from a pair of penalties with a fortunate caution flag, then reeled in Custer’s No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford down the stretch. He slipped by for third place on Lap 194 of a scheduled 200 — extended 13 laps by a pair of overtimes — before a late caution shook up the situation.

Custer was jammed up when Hill tried to maintain his edge on older tires, giving Allgaier’s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet the edge for the last restart.

“Yeah, it definitely stings,” Custer said. “There were a lot of points in that race where I felt like we were in a really good spot here. But it just came down to that restart with the 21 (Hill) and him staying out on older tires, which is their right. We were all going for a championship, and I would have done the same thing. He made his car really wide going into Turn 1; so I tried to go high, I tried to go middle, and he ended up blocking us on the top and got us all bottlenecked. And then the 7 was able to slip by. You just get the short end of the stick sometimes, and that was us today.”

The attempt for back-to-back crowns was also a farewell for their Xfinity Series operation under the banner of Stewart-Haas Racing, which went out a winner with Herbst and a championship runner-up with Custer. No. 00 crew chief Jonathan Toney was magnanimous after the final flurry of restarts, tipping his cap to Allgaier after the checkers.

“It’s just coming down to that green-white-checkered here last year, the seas parted for us, and we were able to kind of come through the middle and be able to win the championship,” Toney told NASCAR.com. “Tonight, man, Justin’s come close so many times, and you can’t help but be happy for a guy like that and that team, (crew chief) Jim Pohlman, and that whole 7 bunch. That’s a championship-caliber team, and it’s been fun racing against them all year. You know, we’d love to win the championship for Cole, and we’ve got a lot of guys we’re going to be missing next year with this whole Stewart-Haas Racing going away this year. But we’re proud of this team. We’d love to win that championship, but the 98 (Herbst) winning this race, that was pretty cool, too. It kind of put an exclamation point on this season for our Stewart-Haas program.

“But yeah, you get in those situations. Last year, it went our way. This year, it didn’t. So you can’t be upset, this one corner or one race isn’t going to define our season. We’re proud of what we’ve done all year, and I think we proved ourselves as a championship-caliber team. At the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for.”

Hill led just once for five laps, but those were in overtime after crew chief Andy Street went with two tires — a half-set of seven-lap-old scuffs — on the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, putting Hill up front on Lap 201. The tire disadvantage showed when the race went back green, and Hill’s move to block the top side only worked so long, shorting Custer’s momentum and providing an avenue for Allgaier to move low and clinch.

“It was kind of a Hail Mary shot there at the end,” Street said. “But I had confidence in Austin that if we got track position up there, he could make the car pretty wide. But it was gonna be hard to hold off any kind of stickers (new tires) behind us.”

The result brought an end to Hill’s first Championship 4 appearance and a season where he collected a series-high four wins. He’ll return to RCR’s No. 21 group next year.

“Obviously, you want to win the championship, so we came up short there,” Hill said. “But all in all, I think at the start of February in Daytona, you just want to be one of those final four drivers to have a shot at it. We were able to do that. I think all in all, this year has been a solid year for us. There’s areas that we still need to work on and be better as a race team, some other areas to win some more races. I think that we’re going to be a lot better going into next year. There’s a lot of things going on at RCR with new cars and just some moving parts and pieces. I feel really good about where I’m at with RCR. I think we’re making strides each and every year, and if we keep doing that, we’ll end up a champion one day.”

MORE: Championship Weekend schedule | Live blog: Phoenix

Allmendinger officially finished where he started — in ninth — but his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevy was relegated to the tail of the field for the start because of unapproved pre-race adjustments. He came back up through the field along with Allgaier in the early going, and he was 18th at the end of the first stage, bringing up the Championship 4 caboose. He’d come back to seventh by Stage 2’s end, but never quite forged his way into the field’s top rungs.

“I told my guys before the weekend started that I wouldn’t pick any other guys to go to war with like we did,” Allmendinger said. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs. At times maybe not enough speed. At times, maybe me trying to push too hard. I was happy I could at least get them a win at Vegas. I feel like I’ve let them down a lot of times this year. Yeah, today was disappointing. I’m not sure what else we can do from a preparation and effort standpoint, honestly. We spent three weeks working on the car and countless hours in sim. Just was never there all weekend, honestly. Just fought hard.”

Allmendinger sat on the pit wall for several minutes after parking. He’ll return to the Cup Series full-time next year after achieving his second Championship 4 appearance in the last four seasons.

“We struggled finding a good balance for AJ to make speed with,” No. 16 crew chief Alex Yontz told NASCAR.com. “So having to start in the rear, for sure didn’t help anything, but at the end of the day, I don’t think it changed the outcome of where we finished, how we raced. All we could ask for was that late caution and to get tires there and just have a shot at it. Can’t say enough about all the men and women at Kaulig Racing for working their butts off all year and giving us this opportunity and putting us in position to race for a championship.

“We’ve been here, I think, a total of three times now, four with Kaulig, and I feel like we’ve walked away each time learning something else new. So for us to still be a smaller, newer team, I feel like we’re on the right track. We didn’t come home with the championship, but we’re not going to hang our heads. We’re going to walk out of this garage with our heads held high, just the same way we did when we walked in. No, we didn’t win it, but we give it one hell of a shot.”

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Modern-day NASCAR Cup Series drivers can rarely accomplish something Jimmie Johnson did.

Ryan Blaney has that opportunity Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

The defending Cup Series title winner will fight for his second consecutive championship in the season finale Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Peacock). No one has won back-to-back titles in the Cup Series since Johnson, when he won an unprecedented — and since unseen — five in a row from 2006-10.

MORE: What to Watch: Championship Preview | Phoenix schedule

Blaney is far from ready to compare himself to Johnson, who earned a record-tying seven Cup championships and 83 wins, tied for sixth all-time. But Blaney enters the Arizona oval with an air of confidence that he and his No. 12 Team Penske cohort can pull off the long-unseen feat this week.

“I feel like we’ve been incredibly strong all year, really,” Blaney said during Thursday’s Championship 4 Media Day. “I mean, it doesn’t really show how great we’ve been really as a 12 team. It’s easy for me to see it, how they are operating. I feel like it has been just unbelievable.

“This place has been pretty good to us in the past. I feel like our performance at these types of race tracks this year have been really, really strong. Hopefully, that continues.”

Ryan Blaney drives a NASCAR Cup Series car at Phoenix.
Brittney Wilbur | NASCAR Digital Media

The stats indeed back Blaney. The 30-year-old has finished runner-up in each of the past two season-enders at Phoenix, where his 10.9 average finish is fifth-best of any track Blaney has made two or more starts. And of Blaney’s three wins in 2023, two came on flat short tracks — Iowa Speedway and Martinsville Speedway — with the seven-eighths-mile Iowa comparing more similarly to the 1-mile track at Phoenix.

Becoming a champion at the sport’s highest level has directly impacted Blaney’s mindset on the track in 2024.

“Behind the wheel, it gives you more confidence, right?” he said. “You’re always looking for confidence — at least I am always looking for confidence. I think as an athlete and driver, you’re always trying to find reasons why you deserve to be here, why you deserve to have the job that you have. When you can accomplish things like that, it definitely in your mind solidifies those. It makes you feel good. That confidence just keeps stacking and helps you out.”

That confidence, perhaps, could guide him back atop the championship stage at Phoenix by Sunday night’s end.

Consider some of the names of those who have been fortunate — been exceptional — enough to win consecutive championships: David Pearson. Dale Earnhardt. Cale Yarborough. Richard Petty. Jeff Gordon.

Each of those drivers is enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

With 13 Cup wins to his name and his 2023 title, Blaney may still have work to do before his resume is deemed worthy of Hall entry. But at 30 years old, Blaney appears to have plenty more years ahead for him to accrue those starts. And a consecutive championship Sunday would do wonders toward those efforts.

Posted on by Holly Cain

AVONDALE, Ariz. — In one of the most remarkable comebacks in recent memory, longtime fan favorite Justin Allgaier, at last, claimed the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship trophy Saturday night at Phoenix Raceway — coming from a lap-down mid-race in a back-up car to hoist the shiny hardware.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst’s No. 98 Ford passed Allgaier’s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race win on the last lap of double overtime for his second win of the 2024 season and joined the new series champ Allgaier in twin celebratory burnouts on the front stretch of the mile-track.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Phoenix 

“I said all weekend, I don’t know what the plan is, but HE has a reason for everything and tonight is true of that, this is mind-blowing, it really is,” said Allgaier, his voice already hoarse and strained from screaming in happiness, but the smile unshakable as his young daughters came in for a hug for dad.

“This team never gave up. [Crew chief] Jim Pohlman and his leadership skills are second to none. He told me all weekend that we were going to have a chance and we tried to give it away every way we could.”

It was an emotional outcome for the 38-year-old Allgaier, who joked that he was just trying to make the race exciting for the fans. He has qualified for the Championship 4 seven times, finishing runner-up twice including last year.

And now he could finally celebrate. Allgaier’s team owners, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelly Earnhardt Miller joined Allgaier’s longtime sponsor Rick Brandt on pit road. They were overjoyed to congratulate their driver who overcame a weekend of obstacles to finally claim this historic moment — and it came on a night when the sport observed a moment of silence to honor another great champion, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison, who passed away earlier Saturday.

The obstacles Allgaier faced happened well before the race’s green flag. His primary car was destroyed in a crash four laps into Friday’s opening practice session after running over oil on the track from another car that ultimately forced four drivers into back-ups for the race. The car swap meant Allgaier started last in the 38-car field Saturday night, but the always upbeat 14-year veteran of the series had moved into the top 10 by lap 26.

WATCH: Allgaier shows his emotions after first Xfinity title

Then, after all that work, Allgaier was called for a restart violation on Lap 101 and sent down pit road for a penalty … only to be called for speeding on the way out and penalized with another trip down pit road — both penalties served during green flag racing. After the penalties, Allgaier dropped to 35th on-track and was a lap down on Lap 107 of the scheduled 200-lapper.

He got a huge break in fortune with a caution period with 45 laps remaining — opting to stay out and get back on the lead lap. He stayed in the top 10 and worked his way forward – moving from sixth place to second on the first overtime restart. He started on the front row of the second overtime restart but was passed on the final lap by Herbst for the race win. Allgaier’s second-place finish was still good enough to land the championship, however.

It marked the third career win for the 25-year-old Las Vegas native Herbst, who crossed the line .247-second ahead of Allgaier and led a dominating 167 of the 213 laps.

“I knew we were going to have a fast race car, these guys have been working on this race car and I knew we were going to be really really fast,” said Herbst, whose SHR team is closing at the conclusion of the season. “It’s been a really tough week at the shop, really emotional time. I’m forever grateful to every man and woman at Stewart-Haas Racing they gave me a really fast car today and I can’t thank everyone enough.”

It was actually fellow championship contender — reigning champ Cole Custer — who mounted the most consistent challenge to Herbst. He ran up front for most of the race, just off the pace of his SHR teammate and ultimately finished eighth in the No. 00 SHR Ford — his effort answered last year’s title with a runner-up in this year’s championship standings.

The other two championship contenders, Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill finished ninth and 10th. And as disappointed as the three title contenders were in not claiming the season championship, each conceded the night had a positive ending with their longtime competitor Allgaier finally getting that trophy after 14 years of competition in the series.

“I’m really happy for Justin, that was a long time coming,” said Custer, who will compete in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time next season. “He’s definitely a deserving champion and they ran a great race, especially there at the end.”

Hill, making his first Championship 4 appearance, agreed with the sentiment.

“Justin Allgaier has been doing this for a really long time and to see him finally get it done, I’m really happy for him and happy for his family,” he said. “He’s a great guy to be around, a great competitor.

“He’s going to be a great champion for the Xfinity Series. I’ve enjoyed racing that 7 team all season long. If I couldn’t have gotten the championship, I’m glad he was the one that got it done.”

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Xfinity Series garage concluded without issue, confirming Herbst as the Phoenix winner and Allgaier as the 2024 Xfinity Series champion. The No. 7 Chevrolet and No. 98 Ford will undergo engine teardown Sunday, Nov. 10.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by John Crane

After 471 races and 14 full-time seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Justin Allgaier can finally call himself champion. 

The 38-year-old Allgaier and No. 7 JR Motorsports driver was first to the start/finish line on Saturday evening in the Xfinity Series finale, prevailing for the title over fellow Championship 4 drivers AJ Allmendinger, Cole Custer and Austin Hill.

RELATED: Race results | Justin Allgaier driver page

“This team right here, Dale [Earnhardt Jr.], Kelly [Earnhardt Miller], LW [Miller], every man and woman that works in this race shop,” Allgaier said. “Jim Pohlman (crew chief), this guy right here, unbelievable. Rick Brandt. I mean, the guys stuck with me through thick and thin. We’ve had a lot of bad years.

“Two years ago, I sat down to dinner, and on Friday night, I told him if we won the championship, I was retiring on the spot. My wife said, you can’t do that. I signed a two-year contract a couple of months ago, and I’ll be honest with you, I thought I’d have different emotions up here, and I thought I’d be ready to be done. It just makes you fired up to come back next year and try to win it again.”

The journey has been a long and winding one for the Spaulding, Illinois native, who began his NASCAR career in 2005 and jumped into the full-time Xfinity pool in 2009. And, aside from a two-year stint as full-time Cup Series driver from 2014-15, Xfinity has remained Allgaier’s bread and butter.

Allgaier’s office since 2016 has been with JR Motorsports, and his tenure as driver of the No. 7 Chevy has been an exceptional one. Heading into Saturday night’s race, Allgaier has 22 Xfinity Series wins in that number and never finished lower than seventh in the final championship standings. 

A championship had evaded Allgaier in his quest to seize Xfinity title No. 1. That is, until now.

“He’s (Allgaier) made his home with us, and he’s given us so much and never said no, never rolled his eyes, never shrugged his shoulders, not once,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “And man, we need a lot. We ask a lot from him and our partners, drivers. He does everything with a smile, and so I wanted this really, really badly for him.”

Although Allgaier clinched his Xfinity Series Playoffs berth relatively early — via a Darlington Raceway win in the 11th contest of the season — inconsistent results were an on-and-off nuisance, as shown by nine finishes of 25th or worse. 

Nevertheless, experience and talent still played in Allgaier’s favor, including an eight-race stretch from June 22 (New Hampshire) to Aug. 31 (Darlington) that resulted in one win, three top fives and eight top-10 finishes.

Four straight top-10 finishes from the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in the Round of 12 finale through the entirety of the Round of 8 led Allgaier to Phoenix, which acted as an avenue to seize a title and squash past heartbreak. After all, it was at Phoenix where an overtime restart in the 2023 Xfinity Series Championship resulted in a deflating title defeat. Add in the fact the veteran had to go to a backup car for the 2024 title race after a wreck in practice, and the same story looked to be written once again. 

This time, however, was different. This time, it was Allgaier who, after years of Xfinity Series racing, summited the mountaintop to become a NASCAR champion.

“I’m at a loss for words, and we’re going to celebrate this one, for sure,” Allgaier said. “It’s unbelievable, but I just cannot say thank you enough to everybody that’s ever helped me in my career to get to this point. Seven times in the Championship 4, and we finally got it done.”

And who knows – with Allgaier returning to the JR Motorsports fold next season, perhaps a title defense is in order for a driver who finally overcame the championship hurdle. 

Posted on by Dustin Albino

Championship Weekend is beginning to feel like the last two seasons. In 2022, Joey Logano dominated at Phoenix Raceway from the pole position. Last year, Ryan Blaney overcame a mid-field starting position to hoist the Bill France Cup. Those story lines are appearing again, with Logano qualifying second and Blaney starting 17th. Throw in William Byron qualifying eighth and Tyler Reddick in 10th, and it’s a challenge to handicap to the Championship 4. Unlike previous seasons, stage points will be tallied for Championship 4 drivers, and it would be beneficial to have some of those drivers available for the race. Byron won’t be appearing in my lineup because I’ve run out of usage for the No. 24 car.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineups | Weekend schedule

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:

Starter 1: Joey Logano

Starter 2: Ryan Blaney

Starter 3: Tyler Reddick

Starter 4: Kyle Larson

Starter 5: Christopher Bell

Garage pick: Martin Truex Jr.

NEXT IN LINE: William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott

RISING: It’s a rarity for Cup Series superstars to have the chance of winning their final race. Jeff Gordon made it to the Championship 4, and Kevin Harvick led 23 laps last year. And while Truex plans on making sporadic Cup starts moving forward, the full-time chapter of his racing career ends Sunday. The No. 19 team prepared Truex a Toyota that could contend for the victory, turning the second fastest speed in practice and then winning the pole. The biggest question mark is whether the team can execute, something it’s struggled with all season long. If so, it could very well be a storybook ending.

It’s been a brutal first postseason run for Gibbs. In the opening nine races of the playoffs, the No. 54 team has finished one better than 13th (fifth at Kansas Speedway) only once. Gibbs hasn’t cracked the top 30 in the last month. However, JGR tends to excel at tracks that are similar to Phoenix — and Gibbs finished third in the spring after leading 57 laps. Wouldn’t advise putting the No. 54 car in your lineup, but he’s jumped up the pecking order.

FALLING: In Fastlane this week, Chris Buescher was listed as a sleeper. I’m abandoning that pick because the No. 17 Ford was average at best in practice and qualified 24th. Buescher’s streak of padding consecutive top fives at Phoenix is in jeopardy.

Because RFK Racing put both cars inside the top five in the spring Phoenix race, we might as well throw Brad Keselowski in the mix of drivers to stay away from this weekend. Keselowski has had a tough postseason himself, with only a pair of top 10s. Keselowski was 27th on long-run speed in practice and backed that up in qualifying by qualifying 27th.

FEATURED MATCHUPS:  

Ryan Blaney vs. Joey Logano: The Team Penske duo looks to have the best cars among the Championship 4 drivers. Blaney led the way in single, five-, 10, and 15-lap averages during an extended practice session Friday afternoon. The No. 22 ranked second in 10-lap averages and put his Ford on the front row. I’ll give the nod to Blaney, but would it really surprise anyone if Logano continued his postseason magic?

William Byron vs. Tyler Reddick: Hendrick Motorsports looks better overall at Phoenix compared to eight months ago in the spring. The No. 24 ranked in the top five in one-lap and 10-lap averages. Meanwhile, Reddick slotted in 21st on single lap and improved to 10th over a 10-lap run. Going to flip to Byron here, who also bettered Reddick by two positions in qualifying.

Denny Hamlin vs. Kyle Larson: Hamlin was the best non-Penske driver on the 10-lap average and paced the field over a 20-lap run. He also led 68 laps in the spring, tied with Reddick for the race high. Hamlin will have a 10-position buffer to overcome at the start of the race, and the No. 5 team wasn’t much behind Hamlin’s pace. I’m taking Larson.

Ross Chastain vs. Chase Elliott: This is a tough one because Chastain lacked raw speed in practice but said his car felt similar in practice to how it did last year when he ended up dominating the race. He found speed in qualifying and will take the green flag from third position. To further complicate matters, Elliott has four straight finishes outside the top 10 at Phoenix but appeared to have a car capable of breaking that streak and will start fifth. I’ll stay the course and give Chastain the nod.

Posted on by Staff Report

AVONDALE, Ariz. — The Team Penske No. 22 Ford for championship contender Joey Logano failed NASCAR Cup Series pre-qualifying inspection twice Saturday at Phoenix Raceway.

NASCAR officials penalized the No. 22 team with the ejection of car chief Tommy Ellis and the loss of pit-stall selection for Sunday’s season finale (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Peacock) at the 1-mile track.

RELATED: Championship Weekend schedule | Blaney tops practice

Logano is among four drivers who will vie for the Cup Series title Sunday. Teammate Ryan Blaney, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick are the other contenders in the Championship 4 field, and their cars passed inspection on their first try.

Logano earned the second starting spot for the season-ending race in Saturday’s Busch Light Pole Qualifying. Travis Geisler, Team Penske’s NASCAR competition director, said that the first two failures were “kind of the normal process, unfortunately,” and that forfeiting pit selection may not be such a disadvantage at Phoenix.

“I think it can be a challenge or it cannot be,” Geisler said. “It just depends on how all that works out, as far as who ends up around you. I think that, typically, when you get down to it, guys work together pretty well on pit road. We have really long stalls here, so it’s one of the easier places to have to get in and out. Somewhere like Martinsville, it’s a lot tougher issue. But I think here we can make do with wherever we end up.”

MORE: Sunday’s starting lineup

Logano said there were no extra nerves watching his car make multiple inspection attempts, while the other title-contending teams each sailed through on try one.

“Yeah, business as usual,” said Logano, a two-time Cup Series champ. “I mean, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ve got to focus on my job. That’s out of my hands, what goes on with that stuff. So obviously, when it comes down to this, everyone’s pushing and trying to get as much as they can. We thought we fixed it enough for the first time, and we didn’t, so we had to fix it even more so to really make sure you make it through. So just pushing the edge and just didn’t quite get by with what we thought was OK, but obviously it was too far.”

Additionally, the No. 50 Chevrolet, driven by Jeb Burton, failed pre-race inspection four times. Car chief Greg Kibler was ejected, the team lost pit-stall selection and Burton will have to serve a stop-and-go penalty after taking the green flag.

Posted on by Kenny Bruce

Bobby Allison, founding member of NASCAR’s legendary “Alabama Gang,” the 1983 premier-series champion and winner of 85 races, died Saturday. He was 86 years old.

Allison gained fame and fortune during a racing career that lasted nearly three decades and earned the Florida native practically every racing accolade imaginable. But it was a career that also included more than its share of tragedy –- Allison lost two sons in tragic incidents, and his own career ended after a nearly fatal on-track accident in 1988.

A member of NASCAR’s second Hall of Fame class in 2011, Allison currently holds fourth place on NASCAR’s all-time win list for its premier series. He was recognized for an 85th victory on Oct. 23, 2024, with NASCAR officials deeming him the winner of a disputed race in 1971 at Bowman Gray Stadium.

His 718 career starts are 14th in series history and his 336 top-five finishes are second only to fellow Hall of Famer Richard Petty.

Allison also earned 446 top-10 finishes and 59 poles during a career that began in 1961 and lasted until midway through the 1988 season. He was honored as one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.

Along the way, the affable Allison won some of the sport’s biggest events on multiple occasions. He captured the prestigious Daytona 500 three times (1978, ’82, ’88), the legendary Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway four times (’71, ’72, ’75, ’83) and he was a three-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (’71, ’81, ’84).

His 1988 Daytona victory was especially memorable — the then-50-year-old held off a strong late-race bid by his son, Davey, to collect the win.

“I was having a ball out there,” an elated Bobby Allison told reporters post-race. “Coming down to the finish, it was really good to be in first and to look in my rearview mirror and see someone I really feel is the best driver coming up — and knowing he’s mine. It really is a special feeling.”

Bobby Allison
Getty Images

Nearly a decade earlier, also at Daytona, Allison had found himself in the headlines — this time with his younger brother, Donnie, and fellow racer Cale Yarborough.

“And there’s a fight!” CBS announcer Ken Squier excitedly told a national television audience, “between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison, the tempers overflowing. …”

“And Bobby Allison has stopped by his brother to help,” analyst David Hobbs added.

The post-race scuffle between the Allison brothers and Yarborough captured the attention of a nation — particularly those on the East Coast and Midwest where a severe winter storm had kept most folks housebound.

Richard Petty won the race, his sixth Daytona 500 title, but it’s the fight afterward that has remained etched in NASCAR lore.

“I think I questioned (Yarborough’s) ancestry,” Bobby Allison recalled, recounting the event while appearing on the FOX Sports program “Race Hub.”

“He lunged at me and hit me in the face with his helmet,” Allison said of Yarborough. “Cut my nose, my lip, blood is dripping in my lap and I thought, ‘I’ve got to get out of the car and handle this right now or run from him the rest of my life.’ So I got out of the car and the guy got to beating on my fists with his nose.”

Besides his ’83 championship, Allison finished runner-up in the title battle five times — to Bobby Isaac (’70), Petty (’72), Yarborough (’78) and Waltrip (’81-’82).

Allison was named NASCAR’s most popular driver six times. In addition to his success in the premier series, he was a two-time winner in what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series and won the International Race of Champions (IROC) title in 1980.

Allison also tried his hand at open-wheel competition — he made two starts in the Indianapolis 500 for team owner Roger Penske (1973, ’75) with a best finish of 25th in his final start. He also ran Ontario (twice), Pocono and Michigan Champ Car races for Penske.

“Bobby Allison personified the term ‘racer.’ Though he is best known as one of the winningest drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history, his impact on the sport extends far beyond the record books,” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France said in a statement. “As a driver, he won races and championships across several NASCAR divisions. But as the leader of the famous “Alabama Gang,” Bobby connected with fans in a profound manner. In the most significant ways, he gave his all to our sport. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I offer my deepest condolences to Bobby’s family, friends and fans on the loss of a NASCAR giant.”

Born Robert Arthur Allison on Dec. 12, 1937 in Miami, Florida, he had won back-to-back NASCAR Modified titles in 1964-65 before embarking on a full-time premier-series career in ’66. By then he and younger brother Donnie, along with veteran modified racer Red Farmer, had relocated from Miami to the Hueytown, Alabama, area where they dominated the short-track scene, earning the “Alabama Gang” moniker.

“We go to Alabama and find this little track, cute little quarter‑mile track,” Allison recalled after his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction. “(I finished) fifth, fifth, fifth. I go to the pay window (and) they gave me $135. I said, ‘Donnie, look at all that money. We have died and gone to heaven.’ …

“The people were good and friendly to us. The country was very beautiful in my eyes, lakes and rivers, mountains, lower into the Appalachian Mountains there. Really nice race tracks.

“I wanted to run pavement because I thought pavement was going to lead to NASCAR. The big tracks were going to have to be paved. Dirt style was different. … I felt like I had a really good touch for pavement. I could go to a place I’d never seen before, maybe win the race. You know, I felt good about that, so … that’s kind of how my attitude was.”

In 1966, Allison competed in 33 of the 49 scheduled races, driving for several team owners. His first win came July 12 at Oxford (Maine) Plains Speedway, driving the No. 2 Chevrolet for owner Donald Brackins. Allison started on the pole and led 238 of the 300 laps on the .333-mile paved track.

He won twice more in ’66, at Islip, New York, and Beltsville, Maryland, to end the season with three wins and a 10th-place points finish.

It was the first in a streak of 10 consecutive seasons that saw Allison win multiple times on the premier circuit, including back-to-back 10-win seasons in 1971 and ’72.

Allison was 45 when he ended his time as a bridesmaid in the championship battle, finally capturing the NASCAR crown in 1983. After finishing second to Waltrip the two previous years, he piloted the DiGard Racing No. 22 entry to six wins, including three in a row during the final months of the season, to beat Waltrip by 47 points.

A ninth-place finish in the season-ending race at Riverside International Raceway sealed the title.

He won five more times after his championship season, including the emotional Daytona 500 1-2 finish with son Davey in ’88, and finished in the top 10 in points three more times.

Allison was sixth in points in ’88 entering that season’s Miller High Life 500 at Pocono Raceway. On the first lap of the race, his No. 12 Buick blew a tire and slammed into the outside wall. The Stavola Brothers entry was struck in the driver’s side door when it slid back across the track into oncoming traffic.

Allison suffered broken bones in his left leg, broken ribs and a concussion.

The head injury left Allison with gaps in his memory — including winning the ’88 Daytona 500 that had occurred only months earlier — and he never returned to competition as a driver.

He fielded a premier-series team from 1990 through ’96 with various drivers with no wins and only marginal success.

Son Clifford Allison was attempting to make his 23rd career start in August of 1992 at Michigan International Speedway when he died of injuries sustained in a crash during practice. He was 27.

Davey Allison, 32, was a rising NASCAR star, winner of 19 races and one of the series most popular figures when he crashed his helicopter while attempting to land at Talladega Superspeedway. He died the next morning on July 13, 1993, less than a year after his younger brother’s passing.

Four members of the “Alabama Gang” have been elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, headlined by Bobby Allison’s 2011 induction. Davey Allison was selected for the Class of 2019, followed by Farmer (2021) and Donnie Allison (2024). Neil Bonnett, a fifth “Alabama Gang” member, was among the most recent list of Hall nominees.

The elder Allison’s win total had been a matter of dispute until the fall of 2024, when NASCAR officials opted to credit him as the official winner of a 1971 race at Bowman Gray Stadium. The event was staged as a combination race between Grand National (now Cup Series) cars and the Grand American division’s lighter pony-car models, with the move meant to bolster the field sizes of both series.

Grand National drivers expressed their displeasure after Allison prevailed in a peppy Grand American Ford Mustang, and officials vacated the victory from the all-time win list. NASCAR executives Jim France and Mike Helton restored the win on Oct. 23, paying a personal visit to Allison to inform him of the ruling.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Holly Cain

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Retiring veteran Martin Truex Jr. claimed the Busch Light Pole Award for his last race as a full-time competitor, besting the field in qualifying for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Peacock).

The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will start on the front row alongside Team Penske’s Joey Logano, the top qualifying championship contender. Logano’s No. 22 Ford was a slight .010 seconds slower than Truex’s Camry in Saturday’s qualifying session around the desert one-miler.

“It’s very cool, honestly, you always want to be a guy known for going fast at any track, any situation,” said Truex, who claimed the pole with a lap of 134.741 mph and is racing for his first victory of the season. “It feels good, very cool. The big prize is tomorrow, though, and hopefully, we can get that one.”

Logano, who is racing for his third series title, was equally as happy with his effort and the championship implications.

“We’ve got them where we want ‘em right now, just got to keep them there,” Logano said smiling.

Three of the four championship-eligible drivers advanced to the final round of qualifying for the season finale. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron will start his No. 24 Chevrolet from eighth position and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick will start his No. 45 Toyota 10th.

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | At-track photos: Phoenix

Reigning series champion Ryan Blaney was the only driver among the four title contenders not to advance out of the opening round, his No. 12 Team Penske Ford got loose between Turns 1 and 2 on his hot lap and he will start 17th in the 40-car field.

Because Logano’s car had to go through inspection two extra times before passing, he lost the benefit of getting to select his pit stall and his car chief was ejected for the race. He did not appear to be overly concerned, however.

“We feel confident,” Logano said. “I feel like our car is strong.

“We feel strong about our team and these type of pressure situations, we feel very solid as far as our team and these moments. We’re just executing our plan.”

His Penske teammate Blaney also remained confident despite the qualifying setback.

“Our lap obviously didn’t go well, I just got kind of free going into [turn] one and ruined it all and couldn’t really make it back up,” Blaney said. “I’m surprised honestly it ran as well as it did for as loose as I got. I think our car is pretty good and still nice to have a decent pit stall.

“We’ll just kind of take it how we can get it tomorrow, just work through the first handful of laps and kinda start marching forward. Pretty similar to last year, hopefully, it ends the same. If we can charge through the field, I think our race car is good enough we can make that happen.”

Byron was pleased to get that first pit stall pick with his qualifying effort but had hoped to turn a faster lap. He was quickest in the opening round.

“Sucks didn’t just quite get the lap I wanted in the second lap but feel really good about our race car and get first pit pick and that’s huge. Really excited about those things and just want to put together a good start to the race. It’s such a long race, it’s really about getting to the finish and having what you need there.”

Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson will start third and fourth. Hendrick’s Chase Elliott and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs make up the third row.

Christopher Bell and Byron will line up alongside one another on the fourth row, with Wood Brothers Racing’s Harrison Burton and Reddick completing row five.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

AVONDALE, Ariz. — A hectic week for the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team culminates Sunday in a repeat appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4.

The Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway one week ago left the 26-year-old leaning on his Chevrolet in agonizing anticipation, awaiting a review of the legality of Christopher Bell’s last-lap wall ride to determine which of the two would advance to the title bout. Bell was penalized, leading Byron back to the title quartet.

MORE: Phoenix schedule | At-track photos: Championship Weekend

Days removed from the anxious wait on pit road, Byron still shivers thinking back to those Martinsville moments.

“It was excruciating,” Byron said in Thursday’s Championship Media Day availabilities. “I felt like it was so long. I was honestly numb to whatever was going to happen. I was honestly just preparing for not being in, then thinking about I felt like we did all we could do. It is what it is at this point.

“It was a lot of waiting. I felt like the longer I waited in some ways that it wasn’t going to work out. But yeah, it did.”

With his advancement comes attempt No. 2 to win Cup title No. 1. Byron won three of the year’s first eight races and none since. But Byron’s unsteady summer has been rectified by an outstanding postseason performance, in which the No. 24 Chevy has compiled six consecutive top-six finishes.

The unity within the walls of Hendrick Motorsports — a company celebrating its 40th anniversary — has brought the group surrounding the No. 24 car closer.

“I haven’t ever felt as bonded to my team as I am now,” Byron said. “We had a meeting on Sunday night about it. I feel like we’ve turned the page really, really quickly. 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 as I can.

“I think past experiences have probably helped fuel that where I’ve been through enough BS in my Cup career where I know what to focus on and what to block out.”

William Byron tugs on his helmet while behind the wheel of his NASCAR Cup Series car at Phoenix.
Patrick Vallely | For NASCAR Digital Media

Proving himself is nothing new to Byron, whose entire racing career started via the computer simulation on iRacing. His resume since then has done plenty to state he deserves to be here: Rookie of the Year honors after a record season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2016; an Xfinity Series title as a rookie; Cup Series Rookie of the Year one year later. Since 2020, Byron is a 13-time winner at the sport’s top level. Unsteady no longer, Byron now seems unflappable.

“That’s how my career started, was always having to prove something,” Byron said. “No one ever felt like I was supposed to be in a race car, so… from day one, it’s always been that motivation for me. Then this year’s no different because of the nature of, yeah, not winning yet in the playoffs.

“We’re still waiting to peak. That’s a good feeling.”

RELATED: Why William Byron will win the championship

In a year so special to team owner Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports, the NASCAR Cup Series’ winningest organization, Byron has already furthered his name in the legendary team’s history books. He opened the year returning the storied No. 24 Chevrolet to Victory Lane in the “Great American Race” with a Daytona 500 triumph then scored a sentimental win just seven races later at Martinsville Speedway, where Hendrick donned its cars in ruby red and had hundreds in attendance to celebrate its 40-year milestone.

“I feel like our team has just been through a lot of big moments,” Byron said. “Like, no bigger than the 500 this year, lining up on the front row with a shot to win that race. I feel like those moments really prepare you for moments like this weekend. And moments like Martinsville, just kind of putting yourself in those pressure situations.

“There was no more pressure than the 40th-anniversary race at Martinsville in the spring. Just feel like those moments definitely prepare us.”

William Byron drives through the NASCAR Cup Series garage at Phoenix.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

Byron, the first Daytona 500 champion to reach the Championship 4 since Denny Hamlin in 2020, can bookend the season with victories and stands as the only Hendrick driver in the Championship 4 — with all hands on deck from the four-car organization to help prepare his Chevrolet for Phoenix.

“We have worked super closely on the setup this week with all the other teammates we have at HMS,” Byron said. “That’s one thing, just the hands on the car. We don’t have the dilemma of what Penske has where we’re trying to prepare two cars. It’s all focused on the 24. I feel like there were a lot of hands on deck this week at the shop, which is really cool to see. Then we’ll have simulation going on back at the shop all the way up till the green flag. I think that’s what’s different, is just the fact that we don’t have really any other focus but this race.

“Yeah, it’s cool (to have all focus on the 24). I didn’t expect that. Yeah, it shows the teamwork at HMS, kind of what Mr. H and everyone there has built for that to be the case. We all race hard. I feel like at the end of the day, we always want the best for one another.”

In Friday’s 50-minute practice session at Phoenix, Byron posted the fourth-quickest lap at 132.004 mph, his 27.272-second lap time just 0.098 seconds shy of fellow Champ 4 contender Ryan Blaney’s fastest lap. Blaney was quickest across 15-lap averages ahead of Hamlin and Byron, with Blaney’s Team Penske teammate Joey Logano just behind Byron. Tyler Reddick, who won at Homestead-Miami Speedway to advance to his Championship 4 debut, was 11th of the 24 drivers who posted a run of 15 consecutive laps and ran the 21st-fastest lap in Friday’s session.