Weekend Primer: Phoenix Championship Weekend

After nine months of (almost) non-stop action, NASCAR’s 2024 season comes to a close under the Arizona sun.

Last weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway saw tempers boil over between competitors, while the Cup Series’ penultimate race of the season didn’t come without considerable controversy.

All three races set the stage for the grand finale of NASCAR’s 76th season, and there are 12 championship hopefuls that are striving to become the three lucky champions by the end of the weekend.

With a combined 89 points-paying races between NASCAR’s top three series to reach this point, the road ends here. Here are the championship hopefuls and everything you need to know about them and the racing this weekend.

Quick Track Facts: Phoenix Raceway

Year of completion: 1964

First Cup race: 1988

Last repaved/reconfigured: 2018

Length: 1.000 miles

Banking: 8-9 degrees (turns 1 and 2), 10-11 degrees (turns 3 and 4), 10-11 degrees (dogleg), 3 degrees (frontstretch and backstretch)

The Cup Series Championship 4

Driver	Championship 4 Appearance	Championships	Phoenix Finish in March
Ryan Blaney	2nd	1	5th
William Byron	2nd	0	18th
Joey Logano	6th	2	34th (crash)
Tyler Reddick	1st	0	10th (68 laps led)

Championship 4 Driver Statistics at Phoenix since 2022

The Playoff Consolation Standings

Rank	Driver	Points	Difference
5	Christopher Bell	2363
6	Kyle Larson	2339	-24
7	Chase Elliott	2304	-59
8	Alex Bowman	2295	-68
9	Denny Hamlin	2293	-70
10	Martin Truex Jr.	2226	-137
11	Austin Cindric	2222	-141
12	Daniel Suarez	2199	-164
13	Brad Keselowski	2186	-177
14	Chase Briscoe	2176	-187
15	Ty Gibbs	2168	-195
16	Harrison Burton	2101	-262

Best of the Rest

Rank	Driver	Points	Difference
17	Chris Buescher	897
18	Bubba Wallace	848	-49
19	Ross Chastain	834	-63
20	Kyle Busch	750	-147

The Xfinity Series Championship 4

Driver	Championship 4 Apperance	Championships	Phoenix Finish in March
Justin Allgaier	7th	0	29th (52 laps led, crash)
AJ Allmendinger	2nd	0	18th
Cole Custer	4th	1	5th (61 laps led)
Austin Hill	1st	0	4th

Championship 4 Xfinity Statistics at Phoenix

The Truck Series Championship 4

Driver	Championship 4 Apperance	Championships	Phoenix Finish Last November
Christian Eckes	1st	0	1st (36 laps led)
Grant Enfinger	3rd	0	6th
Corey Heim	2nd	0	18th (47 laps led)
Ty Majeski	2nd	0	14th (48 laps led)

Championship 4 Truck Statistics at Phoenix

Entry Lists

Cup: 40 entries, 40 spots

Notables: Kaz Grala (RWR No. 15), Derek Kraus (Kaulig No. 16), JJ Yeley (NYR No. 44)*, Jeb Burton (AmeriVet No. 50)*, Chad Finchum (MBM No. 66)*, Jimmie Johnson (Legacy MC No. 84)*

* Unchartered car

Xfinity: 38 entries, 38 spots

Notables: Daniel Dye (Kaulig No. 10), William Sawalich (JGR No. 19), Jeffrey Earnhardt (SHR No. 26), Connor Zilisch (JRM No. 88)

Truck: 35 entries, 36 spots

Notables: William Sawalich (TRICON No. 1), Andres Perez (Roper No. 04), Brett Moffit (Hettinger No. 4), Connor Mosack (Spire No. 7), Frankie Muniz (Reaume No. 27), Conner Jones (ThorSport No. 66), Jack Wood (MHR No. 91)

Where to Watch

Friday, Nov. 8

4:05 p.m. ET — Truck Qualifying (FS2)

5:05 p.m. ET — Xfinity Practice (USA Network)

6:05 p.m. ET — Cup Practice (USA Network)

8 p.m. ET — Truck Series Championship Race (150 laps, 150.0 miles) (FS1)

Saturday, Nov. 9

4 p.m. ET — Xfinity Qualifying (USA Network)

5:05 p.m. ET — Cup Qualifying (USA Network)

7 p.m. ET — Xfinity Series Championship Race (200 laps, 200.0 miles) (the CW)

Sunday, Nov. 10

3 p.m. ET — Cup Series Championship Race (312 laps, 312.0 miles) (NBC)

Recent News

• The Nos. 1, 3 and 23 teams were penalized by NASCAR on Tuesday (Nov. 5) for member conduct violations relating to their actions in the closing laps of last weekend’s Cup race at Martinsville. All three drivers received a $100,000 fine and the loss of 50 drivers’ points, while the teams received a $100,000 fine of their own and were docked 50 owners’ points. Both the crew chiefs and the team executives were suspended for this weekend’s race at Phoenix.
  • Trackhouse Racing’s penalty was upheld on appeal, while 23XI Racing and Richard Childress Racing elected to withdraw their own appeals.
• After 16 seasons, two championships and 70 wins at the Cup level, the final chapter for Stewart-Haas Racing will be written at Phoenix this weekend. Two of the team’s four charters will become the one-car Haas Factory Team (driven by Cole Custer) and a third Trackhouse Racing car (driven by Shane van Gisbergen) in 2025.
• Martin Truex Jr. will run the final race of his full-time Cup career at Phoenix while sporting the paint scheme he ran in his 2005 Cup debut.

Looking Ahead to Next Year

• Matt McCall will not return as Brad Keselowski’s crew chief for the 2025 Cup season. A replacement has not been named, and McCall had served as Keselowski’s crew chief for his entire three-year tenure at RFK Racing, with one win at Darlington Raceway in May.
• Truck Series championship contender Corey Heim will return to TRICON Garage full time in the 2025 season. In his first two seasons at the team, Heim has scored nine wins and two Championship 4 berths.
• Already itching for NASCAR to return after this weekend? The first action of the new year will be the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 2. The 2025 Daytona 500 will take place on Feb. 16, with the Duels, Truck and Xfinity races taking place in the days before.