Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Corey Heim and Christian Eckes combined to win 10 of the 23 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in 2024. But on the night it mattered most, neither had enough to contend with Ty Majeski.

While Majeski scurried away to dominate the Truck Series’ season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Heim and Eckes were left to settle for second and third, respectively. Fellow Championship 4 contender Grant Enfinger, who won two of the season’s final four races, left the Arizona desert with a fifth-place finish, fourth in the final season rundown.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Phoenix

Heim and his No. 11 Tricon Garage team, six-time winners this year, rallied from Heim’s only penalty of the season — a Lap 99 restart violation that sent Heim to the rear of the field for the following restart. Two quick cautions allowed Heim to charge through the field and back into the top five, but Majeski’s Ford was simply untouchable.

“They were unbelievably lights out all race,” Heim said. “From the get-go, I felt like we fired off pretty free in Stage 1 and we were able to reel him back in. He seemed to struggle in traffic a little bit. Once they adjusted on it and the cautions started cycling to the point where we never really hit a lot of lapped traffic, it was about over for me.”

Heim’s frustration with the penalty was obvious on the radio, but crew chief Scott Zipadelli both understood the penalty and why Heim’s pressure valve popped in the final stage of Friday’s 150-lap showdown.

“He definitely got frustrated,” Zipadelli told NASCAR.com. “You know, there’s a lot on the line when you come here for this race, and there’s a lot of pressure we put on ourselves. You know, you think about it, and you dream about this day, and you don’t want to give it away on a penalty like that. Obviously, he didn’t see the view that we saw.”

WATCH: Multi-truck crash triggers red flag at Phoenix

A runner-up result doesn’t negate what the No. 11 team was able to do in 2024, doubling its three-win total in 2023 to six in 2024 and collecting two more top fives in the process.

“It was a good year,” Zipadelli said. “NASCAR threw a lot of rule changes at us over the winter, and we had a lot of work to do. And I think we achieved our goals. We wanted to win more races than last year, and we doubled our wins. We gave a few away this year, but we’re going to work really hard on our short-track package over the winter time and get that as good as our mile-and-a-half packages. And next year, we hope to achieve more.”

They’ll have the opportunity to build further on that success in 2025 as both Heim and Zipadelli return to the No. 11 team for a third season next year.

“The more you work together, the easier it gets,” Zipadelli said. “The biggest thing is you want to keep all your people. It’s all about people. You don’t want to go through the year changing road guys, mechanics, all that. So yeah, being able to keep our group together for a few years is really going to be something special because you saw what we did the first year and then the second year. Obviously the third year, we’re even more motivated to get that big trophy.”

Christian Eckes looks on after the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Phoenix.
Brittney Wilbur | NASCAR Digital Media

Eckes and his No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing program were victorious four times this season and entered as the defending winners of the season finale. Friday, Eckes qualified fourth — third of the Championship 4 drivers behind Majeski and Heim but directly ahead of Enfinger. Eckes ran approximately third of the group all night long, unable to make headway on either Majeski or Heim.

But a Lap 111 caution allowed Eckes and Enfinger to hit pit road for tires that were 20 laps fresher than either of the other two frontrunners. Eckes charged from 16th back to the top five but still needed one last caution for a real shot at the ultimate prize.

“We kind of felt like we had maximized what we were going to get before that pit stop,” crew chief Charles Denike told NASCAR.com. “And the 98 and 11 were just stronger. I didn’t have much left to work on on balance. We needed to do something different and try to flip it on tires. We still had another set of tires left laying. And if the caution had come out with 10 to go, I feel confident that all of us would have come and put them on, so it at least allowed us to be on the attack.

“It was starting to feel a little vulnerable there running wherever we were — fifth or so — so (fresh) tires were better than not being on tires.”

Championship or not, the No. 19 team’s season was phenomenal, collecting four wins in consecutive seasons and this year earning 22 top-10 finishes — 21 straight, with only a 32nd-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February a blemish on an otherwise perfect year in the top-10 column.

“All you can ask for is to have a shot here, and that’s what we did,” said Denike, who will move to the Cup Series to crew chief Bubba Wallace in 2025. “We just came up a little bit short against those two. But still really proud to go home third in points and with four wins — four wins on both years, so total of eight. Incredible streak of top 10s and a bunch of top fives this year, led laps and almost all the races. So I mean, it’s so much to be proud of, and the whole group has worked extremely hard to be where they’re at right now.”

Enfinger’s season in the No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet was not as dominant as either Heim’s or Eckes’, but a solid showing late in the year culminated in yet another Championship 4 appearance.

“I feel like we’ve proven to not only maybe y’all and our competitors, but to ourselves that we can do this, we can contend for wins and contend for championships,” Enfinger said. “I’m really proud of kind of the growth we’ve had all year, the buying-in from everybody we’ve had all year. We still have a long ways to go from an organization to get it to kind of what me and Jeff (Stankiewicz, crew chief) and (team general manager Michael) Shelton all envisioned and Codie (Rohrbaugh, team owner).”

“Proud of how far we have come. I feel like we earned our spot here.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

AVONDALE, Ariz. — All Ty Majeski needed was a green-flag run to finish off his domination of Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race — a victory that earned him his first series title.

Majeski led 132 of 150 laps at one-mile Phoenix Raceway, and when the race-ending 27-lap green-flag run finally came, Majeski pulled away to a 3.945-second victory over Corey Heim, who recovered from a restart violation to finish second.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Phoenix

“I can’t believe it,” said Majeski, who won for the first time at Phoenix, the third time this season at the sixth time in his career. “Huge thank you to (ThorSport Racing team owners) Duke and Rhonda Thorson, (crew chief) Joe Shear Jr. — he’s one bad dude.

“This is so much fun racing with this group. I’m so proud to have the opportunity to drive these great race trucks. There’s a lot of times in my career when this looked like a far dream. Duke and Rhonda really gave me my third opportunity after I had two opportunities that failed—man, I can’t thank them enough.”

The championship was the second for Shear, who guided Johnny Sauter to the title with GMS Racing in 2016. For ThorSport, it was a series-record sixth championship, adding to three with Matt Crafton and two with 2023 champion Ben Rhodes.

ThorSport has won three of the last four Truck Series titles.

Heim restarted 19th on Lap 108 after his penalty and quickly moved forward, but the driver of the No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota couldn’t overcome the speed in Majeski’s No. 98 Ford.

“I’m really disappointed to come up short like that,” said Heim, who will return for a third season with Tricon next year. “It’s hard to even be upset. I did almost everything right except for that restart violation (changing lanes before the start/finish line).

“But we were able to get our track position back pretty quick and make the most of it. I just had nothing for the 98. All day, he was so fast … We’ll move forward with our heads up high, a six-win season — career highs for myself, my team, organization, everybody — just one spot short of the championship.”

Championship 4 drivers Christian Eckes and Grant Enfinger finished third and fifth, respectively, after pitting for fresh tires on Lap 113. Though they were able to move through the field, they had nothing for the race winner.

Before the final green-flag run, three quick cautions — including a six-minute, nine-second red flag for a nine-truck wreck on the backstretch — interrupted the action at the start of the final stage, bringing the total for yellows to six for 43 laps. After Majeski got away in clean air from a restart on Lap 124, however, the race was over.

Starting from the pole position, Majeski streaked to a lead of more than two seconds, but Heim tracked him down in traffic and passed the No. 98 Ford for the top spot on Lap 39.

Three laps later, the Ford of Frankie Muniz spun after contact with William Sawalich’s Toyota, ending the first 45-lap stage under caution.

WATCH: Majeski discusses championship victory

But Majeski reclaimed the lead, with Eckes advancing to second, after Heim slid past the marks in his pit stall under the caution for the stage break and came out third.

Heim complained on the team radio channel that the concrete pit stall was one of the slickest he had ever experienced.

Majeski flipped the script in Stage 2, passing Heim for the top spot on Lap 71, six circuits after a restart that followed Jack Wood’s hard crash into the Turn 2 wall.

By the end of the stage at Lap 90, Majeski had expanded his advantage to 3.597 seconds. But stage wins were inconsequential to the Championship 4 contenders, who would settle possession of the title in the frenetic final segment of the race.

Nick Sanchez finished fourth as the only non-Championship 4 driver to crack the top five. Taylor Gray was sixth, followed by Kaden Honeycutt, Connor Mosack, Rhodes and Layne Riggs.

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Truck Series garage concluded without issue, confirming Majeski as the Phoenix race winner and 2024 Truck Series champion. The No. 98 ThorSport Ford will undergo engine teardown Saturday, Nov. 9.

Posted on by Chris Murdock

Ty Majeski held off Grant Enfinger, Corey Heim and Christian Eckes to win his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Friday night at Phoenix Raceway. 

The championship run comes in Majeski’s second appearance in the Championship 4 in just his third full-time national series campaign. It also marks ThorSport Racing’s sixth Truck Series title, the most of any organization in the series.

RELATED: Race results | Ty Majeski driver page

“This is so much fun racing with this group,” Majeski said. “So proud to have the opportunity to drive these great race trucks. There’s a lot of times in my career where this looks like a far dream, and [team owners] Duke and Rhonda [Thorson] really gave me my third opportunity after I had two opportunities that failed. I can’t thank them enough.” 

Majeski came on the scene late as a 2024 championship contender, winning back-to-back races at Indianapolis Raceway Park and Richmond Raceway to close out the regular season.

The driver from Seymour, Wisconsin, went winless through the Truck Series postseason, pointing his way through the rounds leading up to the Phoenix finale, propelled by runner-up finishes at Milwaukee and Homestead.

Majeski made his Truck Series debut in 2019, driving for Niece Motorsports at Phoenix for one start before joining the team for 15 starts the following season.

In 2021, he moved to a part-time role with ThorSport Racing, scattering a pair of top 10s across four races. He would get the full-time call for the 2022 season, driving the No. 98 for ThorSport and riding a two-win campaign to his first Championship 4 appearance.

“It’s been a long road here,” Majeski said. “These people behind me, everybody at Ford, really gave me another opportunity when my career looked like it could have ended, and they brought me on as an engineer in 2021 with a few races and turned into a full-time deal. We made our first Championship 4 in ’22, and now we’re sitting here as champions.”

ThorSport Racing also became the first team in Truck Series history to have multiple back-to-back driver championships after Ben Rhodes won last year and Matt Crafton went back-to-back in 2013-14.

Majeski adds to the lore for the team owned by Duke and Rhonda Thorson that was established in 1996 and is run out of Sandusky, Ohio.

All five of Majeski’s career Truck wins entering Friday’s championship race have come with ThorSport, along with 44 top-10 finishes in 72 races.

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!