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2025 nascar championship weekend
  

Kyle Larson takes Cup title as Ryan Blaney wins shocker in Sonoran Desert

Championship 4 shine in Phoenix Cup Qualifying as Hamlin leads the way

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

AVONDALE, Ariz. — When William Byron hit the Turn 3 wall with bone-jarring impact on Lap 310 of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, the gut punch it delivered to Denny Hamlin was exponentially more painful.

 

The resulting caution and strategic call by crew chief Cliff Daniels allowed Kyle Larson to snatch the Cup Series championship from Hamlin without leading a lap at Phoenix Raceway.

 

Larson finished third behind race winner Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski to claim his second title in NASCAR’s top division and the 15th for team owner Rick Hendrick as the highest finisher among the Championship 4 drivers—Hamlin, Byron and Chase Briscoe.

 

It was the 15th Cup championship for team owner Rick Hendrick, and it came with a major plot twist in the final stage.

 

With the scheduled 312 laps winding down, Hamlin led Byron by nearly three seconds and appeared headed for the first Cup title in his 20 full-time seasons behind the wheel of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

 

In dominating fashion, Hamlin led seven times for 207 laps. Though he battled a balky clutch and rallied from a flat left-rear tire after winning the second stage, he failed to win the championship for the fifth time under the elimination Playoff format.

 

Instead, it was Larson who went to Victory Lane to receive the Bill France Cup, almost in disbelief.

 

“Honestly, I can't believe it,” Larson said. “Like, we didn't lead a lap today. Somehow won the championship. I mean, really, I'm just speechless. I can't believe it. We had an average car at best.”

 

After Byron’s wreck, which sent the race to overtime, Daniels opted for two right-side tires for the second straight pit stop. Hamlin pitted from the lead and took fresh rubber on all four corners.

 

But with Keselowski, Ryan Preece and Alex Bowman staying out on older tires, and Blaney, Larson, Joey Logano, Josh Berry, Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott taking right sides only, Hamlin lined up 10th for the overtime restart—five spots behind Larson—and chose the bottom row for the final run.

 

From the outside lane, Larson charged through the first two corners and maintained a gap between his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and Hamlin’s Camry. On the final lap, Hamlin lost momentum on the bottom in Turns 1 and 2 and couldn’t recover.

 

He finished sixth, as Blaney edged Keselowski by 0.097 seconds for the race win.

 

Larson got the confidence he needed on the first two-tire call under caution on Lap 281. He restarted second beside Briscoe and was able to maintain fifth place before Byron hit the wall. 

 

“We had the right front go down (earlier), lost a lap,” Larson said. “Got saved by the caution. Did the wave-around. Was really bad that run. We took two tires. I was like, “Oh, God, here we go. We're going to go to the back now.’

 

“It had a lot more grip than I anticipated. We got lucky with the final caution. I was really hoping we were going to take two again. I felt like I learned a lot on that restart, bombing (Turns) 1 and 2 really hard. Thought I could do the same thing if we got another one.

 

“Just unbelievable. What a year by this Hendrick Motorsports (team). Cliff Daniels, everybody, his leadership, his complete leadership just showed that whole race. Keeping us all motivated. Always having a plan. All of that. That's just the story of our season.

 

“Again, just unbelievable. I cannot believe it. This is insane.”

 

Doubtless, Hamlin would agree. He and his team brought the fastest car to Phoenix and executed a near-flawless race. The clutch issue and flat left-rear tire were challenges the No.11 team overcame without panicking.

 

But the championship eluded Hamlin once again.

 

“Did the best I could,” Hamlin said. “Everything I really prepared for happened today. I felt like we responded. Even losing track position at one point, just battling back. Did really well on restarts. Hadn't been good on restarts for the bulk of the year.

 

“Yeah, the team brought a great championship car. I felt like I drove it just right up until two laps to go. Yeah, this is the part that stinks…

 

“Golly, in this moment I never want to race a car ever again,” Hamlin said with a wry smile. “I mean, my fun meter is pegged.”

 

Blaney’s win was almost an afterthought, but it also was tantalizingly close to a second championship for the driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford. Blaney finished second to Byron in a must-win situation last Sunday at Martinsville Speedway—one spot away from qualifying for the Championship 4. 

 

“It’s just cool to end it on a good note,” Blaney said. “It’s just cool, and obviously we had a fast car all day. Those other guys (Hamlin and Byron) were just kind of faster getting going, and I could never retain the lead.

 

“Those guys were just really good, and it took my car a while to come in, but it was a really good call for two (tires) there and keeping track position. I got a decent restart, and I was able to kind of roll the bottom in (Turns) 3 and 4 and eke the 6 (Keselowski) out at the line.”

 

Byron, who finished 33rd after leading 52 laps and winning the first stage, expressed sympathy for Hamlin, even though the Lap 310 accident gave his teammate the chance to win the title.

 

“I'm just super bummed that it was a caution, obviously,” Byron said. “I hate that. Hate it for Denny. I hate it for the 11 team.

 

“I'm happy for Kyle, for Mr. Hendrick, they deserve it. Yeah, it stinks, right? I don't know, three laps to go, I'm thinking, ‘Let me get to the end.’

 

“I felt something funny off of two, thought it might be a flat. I thought at the time if it's left rear, you can kind of get back. It just went straight into (Turn) 3. Laid down on the right rear, went straight (into the wall). I hate that.”

 

Briscoe rallied from flat tires twice on Sunday, restarted 15th in overtime and finished 18th.

 

In a race that featured nine cautions for 65 laps, Logano finished fourth, followed by Busch and Hamlin. Berry, Michael McDowell, Preece, Elliott and Christopher Bell completed the top 10.

 

Blaney led 20 laps in securing his fourth win of the season and the 17th of his career. The win was his first at Phoenix after three straight runner-up finishes in the Championship Race. In 2023, however, second place was good enough to earn Blaney his only series title to date.

 

NASCAR Cup Series Race - NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race

Phoenix Raceway

Avondale, Arizona

Sunday, November 2, 2025

 

                1. (5)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, 319.

                2. (19)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 319.

                3. (3)  Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet, 319.

                4. (10)  Joey Logano, Ford, 319.

                5. (11)  Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 319.

                6. (1)  Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 319.

                7. (7)  Josh Berry, Ford, 319.

                8. (37)  Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 319.

                9. (21)  Ryan Preece, Ford, 319.

                10. (17)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 319.

                11. (20)  Christopher Bell, Toyota, 319.

                12. (9)  Chris Buescher, Ford, 319.

                13. (13)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 319.

                14. (29)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 319.

                15. (8)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 319.

                16. (15)  Erik Jones, Toyota, 319.

                17. (16)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 319.

                18. (12)  Chase Briscoe (P), Toyota, 319.

                19. (14)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 319.

                20. (26)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 319.

                21. (25)  Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 319.

                22. (30)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 319.

                23. (32)  Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 319.

                24. (31)  Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 319.

                25. (27)  Cole Custer, Ford, 319.

                26. (24)  Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 319.

                27. (18)  Noah Gragson, Ford, 319.

                28. (6)  Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 319.

                29. (22)  Zane Smith, Ford, 319.

                30. (33)  Cody Ware, Ford, 319.

                31. (28)  John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 319.

                32. (35)  JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 317.

                33. (2)  William Byron (P), Chevrolet, 317.

                34. (4)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 301.

                35. (34)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 296.

                36. (36)  Casey Mears(i), Ford, 284.

                37. (23)  Bubba Wallace, Toyota, Brakes, 165.

                38. (38)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, Accident, 146.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  97.711 mph.

Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 15 Mins, 53 Secs. Margin of Victory:  .097 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  9 for 65 laps.

Lead Changes:  16 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   D. Hamlin (P) 1-52;W. Byron (P) 53-64;D. Hamlin (P) 65;R. Blaney 66-79;D. Hamlin (P) 80-188;R. Blaney 189-193;W. Byron (P) 194-221;D. Hamlin (P) 222;C. Elliott 223-252;W. Byron (P) 253-261;D. Hamlin (P) 262;W. Byron (P) 263-265;D. Hamlin (P) 266-281;C. Briscoe (P) 282-284;D. Hamlin (P) 285-312;B. Keselowski 313-318;R. Blaney 319.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Denny Hamlin (P) 7 times for 208 laps; William Byron (P) 4 times for 52 laps; Chase Elliott 1 time for 30 laps; Ryan Blaney 3 times for 20 laps; Brad Keselowski 1 time for 6 laps; Chase Briscoe (P) 1 time for 3 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 24,12,11,2,5,77,48,22,17,19

Stage #2 Top Ten: 11,12,24,5,20,1,19,22,77,9

 

 

Heartbreak for Hamlin: Dominant Run Ends in Championship Miss at Phoenix

 

November 2, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

AVONDALE, Ariz. – After pulling onto pit road in the moments after the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race checkered flag flew at Phoenix Raceway Sunday, the day’s most dominant driver Denny Hamlin slid his helmet off, handed it to a team member and then sat in his car for nearly five minutes, simply gazing out toward the track.

 

The utter disappointment and competitive pain of leading four times the number of laps (208) as anyone else in the field but missing out on his first championship trophy was palpable to those standing nearby. The veteran driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota finished sixth in the race after a two-lap overtime sprint to the checkered flag – more significantly, second among the four championship-eligible drivers that included Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, who finished third.

 

Larson gambled on a two-tire pit stop leading to an overtime re-start. Hamlin’s crew gave him four tires on a slightly longer stop. Larson re-started fifth and Hamlin, 10th and despite a valiant effort Hamlin was unable to get around his good friend and racing rival Larson.

 

So, Larson hoisted his second NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy, while Hamlin was consoling his pit crew. And vice versa.

 

It was a stunning end to a race where the 44-year-old potential future NASCAR Hall of Famer Hamlin easily and convincingly proved himself the class of the field all day long. He won pole position and led the race seven different times – 208 of the 319 laps. He was leading when the final caution flag flew just as Hamlin’s Toyota pulled within a few hundred yards of the finish line.

 

“We were 40 seconds from a championship,” said the Virginian, who has now finished championship runner-up twice in his 20-year fulltime career in NASCAR’s premier series.

 

“Gosh, you work so hard. This sport can drive you absolutely crazy 'cause sometimes speed, talent, all that stuff, just does not matter.”

 

Hamlin’s crew chief Chris Gayle immediately approached the driver after he climbed out of the car. He leaned in and said something in Hamlin’s ear and the two embraced.

 

It was clear Gayle was equally as disappointed considering the top-shelf day the team had turned in, the amazing season – including a series’ high six victories – they had earned.

 

“He’s a champion either way,” Gayle said. “He put in the work. He dominated the race. He sat on the pole. He did everything he needed to be a champion today. It didn’t work out for him on the last re-start but that’s the truth.”

 

After dutifully doing a television interview leaning against his parked car, Hamlin walked over to a golf cart near pit wall where his two young daughters, 12-year-old Taylor and seven-year-old Molly were waiting for him. He embraced each of them, helped wipe their tears and then held Molly on his lap. Even in his own disappointment, he used the opportunity to reassure and comfort his young family.

 

Asked later what he told them, the series’ winningest active driver (60 wins) said he simply explained the race outcome - this time - was, “something we can't control."

 

“You know, certainly unfortunate circumstances,” Hamlin said of the conversation. “One of those life lessons, years down the road.”

 

It was a gut-wrenching lesson in the present for Hamlin, who has spoken all week about wanting to finally claim the sport’s most prestigious trophy in part, so his ill father Dennis – watching the race from home in North Carolina - could see his son, a three-time Daytona 500 winner, earn and enjoy yet another great career celebration.

 

While Hamlin did not hoist that trophy this weekend, he did accomplish something arguably as significant. He showed his father, his young daughters, his massive fandom, his race team and even his competitors how to handle a difficult let down with class and grace.

 

Hamlin may not have won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship trophy this weekend, but he sure won respect and hearts with the way he so admiringly answered challenge and disappointment.

 

And he will be back.

 

“Kyle Larson has the trophy, but we dominated," Hamlin conceded. “We did our job. We did the best we could.

 

“They're a championship team and a championship driver. They're going to win a hell of a lot more than just these two. But when everyone had to bring their best, I think it was evident who was the best today.”

 

Transcripts: Kyle Larson – Press Conference – 11.02.25

November 03, 2025

NASCAR Media Conference

Press Conference

Sunday, November 2, 2025

An Interview with:

Kyle Larson

 

THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion, and that is Kyle Larson.

We’ll get right to questions for Kyle.

  1. I asked Jeff and Mr. Hendrick this question, but on that last restart, when you saw where you started and you knew where Denny was, was this the moment you said, I got this?

KYLE LARSON: Never did I feel like I had it. I was honestly surprised people stayed out. I thought I was going to line up on the front row with Ryan. This is going to be good, he can choose the bottom. I know what to expect into one with grip. When they said a few of them stayed out, I was like, Oh, no, this is not good.

I was able to line up behind Alex, just run really hard through one and two and get the clean air I needed.

My hope was that Denny was not going to get a great one and two. I thought with four fresh tires, he might get through there well. We might be side by side. I thought that’s how it would net out off of two.

I got a better one and two than I expected. Then yeah, for a bit I thought I was going to win. They were going kind of crazy on the radio, my spotter was, telling me that the 11 was kind of jammed up back there.

I was going to be committed to the outside lane. I felt like that was going to be my best opportunity to find clean air, maintain momentum. Yeah, was just trying not to crash there at the end.

I still wanted to win really bad. It’s been a while. I was trying what I could to win the race. But yeah, we did what we had to do to win the championship. Just insane. Insane circumstances to get us to this point.

  1. You said ‘insane circumstances’. What is it like to win a championship under insane circumstances?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, it’s insane (smiling).

I don’t know. I mean, did anybody in here think that we had a shot? Like, I definitely — like Cliff was saying, we weren’t dead but we were pretty close.

Yeah, the final stage was not going how we needed it to. I didn’t feel great about my car, but I thought my team was doing a good job to keep me in striking distance if we had a caution, we could get a good pit stop and make it work, hopefully have a shot that way.

We had whatever happened on the one pit stop, lined up 18th. From then on, I was, This is going to be near impossible to beat these guys. The 11 was by far the best car. I thought him and the 12 was really good. Out of the four of us, the 11 I thought was the best. I’m much further behind them.

Then that same run, I had the right front go down. Just knew I was going to lose one lap, hoping it was going to time out where I didn’t lose two laps. Thankfully that was the case.

Then, yeah, we got a caution. Thankfully, just one and a half laps on my tires, we were able to do the wave-around. Kind of at a slight disadvantage on tires, so I wasn’t able to make my way forward very well.

Then, yeah, we got a caution with however many to go, 30 something to go. We decided to take rights. I was like, Oh, boy, I wasn’t expecting that. As I turn in the stall, he said, We’re doing right sides.

I was like, Oh, man, we’ll see here.

Yeah, the grip much better than I thought it was going to be on those right sides. Was able to maintain in fifth. We’re back in it here. If we get another late caution, maybe we might take two tires. If we take four, we can have a good stop. I know we can do it, done it before, gaining four spots and winning the championship.

Yeah, when this unfortunate break for William came out, caution, Cliff and I were on the same page about right sides. Yeah, just kind of knew what to expect with the grip from having one go at it already.

  1. With potential change in formats, Homestead being part of the championship race, do you feel things could be more in your wheelhouse for more titles?

KYLE LARSON: You never know. Yeah, I mean, right now I don’t even know the format, so…

But yeah, I mean, I think it would be a little bit more in my favor. I think it would be a little bit more in everybody’s favor, honestly. I think we all would take multiple races rather than just one because a lot can happen in just one, obviously.

Thankfully we were on the right end of it tonight. It could easily have been the other way around, like what happened to Denny.

But yeah, I mean, I think if it’s a single race, sure, I feel better about it at Homestead. If it’s multiple races, I feel better about that. Any track, you can throw any tracks, whatever it might be, 10, four, 36, I would feel better, my chances are better.

We’ll see. I’m just soaking this in right now, still trying to figure out how it all happened.

  1. When I was talking to Joey after the race, asked him what it meant to have you in the multi-time champions club, he said that you guys obviously are a great team, you’re a great driver. Whenever you’re down and out, you still come back and win the championship. What does that mean hearing another champion talk about you like that?

KYLE LARSON: Well, it feels cool because I don’t think there’s anybody, any team, better at it than Joey’s and the 22 team.

This Playoff for us was as Joey Logano as it gets (smiling). Maybe not being the fastest, but our team getting us through it all, ultimately getting us the championship.

It feels amazing to join him as well as the other multi-time champions. I’m really excited. I think one of the most special things, probably the most special thing about being a champion, is getting that book.

I’m grateful to get my hands on it again, get to see what was written in the few years since I have won. Yeah, it’s going to be pretty neat.

He’s a great champion. Hopefully I can carry myself as a great multi-time champion, as well.

  1. Now that you have accomplished this feat, what do you feel like a second championship does for your legacy?

KYLE LARSON: I don’t know. I still don’t know. I don’t think any of us foresaw us getting a second championship in the fashion that we did today. That probably makes it seem even different.

Nonetheless, we’re on the list two times. That’s something to be proud of.

As far as for legacy, I really don’t put a whole lot of thought into that yet. Like I’ve mentioned many times before, I think it’s really hard to think about that sort of thing right now as you’re still competing and plan to compete for quite a while.

We’re still going to try and go out there and win more races. The legacy will kind of take care of itself as we approach that.

  1. You got to drive your kids to Victory Lane. Denny Hamlin was greeted by his daughters in absolute tears. What kind of empathy can you have or do you have for him? Whenever you talk to him, what do you say to him after today?

KYLE LARSON: No, I mean, I definitely have a lot of empathy for him. I said it I think in the interview I did on the stage. It’s great to celebrate and all that, but it does feel a little awkward because he has put so much time and energy, has been so close to winning so many championships. This is as close as he’s ever been.

Sure he’s a competitor, but he is a friend. I was going to be happy for him to win. That’s kind of what I was thinking about. Like, man, I can’t wait to go tell him, Good job. Then the caution came out and the script flipped right there, so…

Yeah, I haven’t seen him. I haven’t seen an interview. I haven’t seen the moments that I’m sure he had with his family, shared that with his daughters.

Yeah, no, I mean, sure I’m happy, but there’s definitely a piece of me that is sad for him, as well. I’m sure all of us in here, even the Denny haters, I’m sure there’s a spot where they’re sad, too.

That’s competition. That’s the format. It’s just weird, you know? But yeah, I still hope someday he can get to feel what it’s like.

  1. Have you been briefed at all or told about what your public champion schedule is going to look like? Trip to New York, et cetera. What does that look like?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, it starts early tomorrow (smiling). That’s scary. Yeah, I think it is early tomorrow. I know that. I don’t know how long tomorrow lasts.

Yeah, banquet Tuesday. I’m not really sure what goes on Monday and Tuesday. I think Wednesday we go Chicago. Am I not supposed to talk about it?

  1. Indy, then New York.

KYLE LARSON: Then to Cabo (smiling). I’m missing Cabo. I was supposed to go to Cabo on Wednesday, but now I guess we’ll get there Thursday night.

  1. Thursday night.

KYLE LARSON: All right. With tequila.

  1. What do you think you’re going to remember most about tonight’s championship run?

KYLE LARSON: I don’t know. It’s still so fresh that it’s honestly hard to believe that I’m sitting right here talking to you guys after what we went through tonight. I think that’s probably what’s going to probably be the thing that I look back on, is just how unbelievable today was, the last 40 minutes of the race for us.

Yeah, just incredible. Just really proud of my team, proud of Cliff. So proud of Cliff and the work that he puts in obviously on the race cars and all that. But the work that he puts in on the team, the leadership, himself personally, is just amazing. I think he is the reason why we are champions again.

  1. Your comments about Denny, you brought that up unprompted in your television interview. You win a championship, but instead you’re thinking about a guy that you beat. What did you feel in that moment to bring him up? Did it feel not like you didn’t deserve it, but were the emotions split there?

KYLE LARSON: No, I mean, it was all so wild and crazy. I had all the elation, obviously, because we had just accomplished something that was not on our radar for a lot of it. I was so happy and thrilled. Celebrated with my team on the backstretch. Went to the frontstretch to do my celebrating, interviews, whatnot.

I got done and I could see his car and team and him doing interviews. It kind of hit me like, Oh, man, I can’t imagine what he’s feeling right now.

We’ve all gone through our own defeats. I really can’t imagine what he’s feeling. It’s got to be something completely different than I ever felt before through any of my defeats.

Yeah, I had another opportunity to give an interview. I just wanted to let everybody know how I felt. Again, he’s a great competitor. He’s a good friend. In 20 years of trying, getting so close, I just…

There’s definitely a large piece of me that feels really bad and sad. But at the same point, I’m happy. It’s such a weird feeling. When you don’t win the race, you don’t lead a lap, you win the championship, you steal it from a guy who has tried for so long and had it in his fingertips, it’s a really weird feeling.

  1. You said you were hesitant about the two-tire call. Cliff gave credit to some of the guys on your crew that were in his ear. He knew that he had to make that two-tire call, then the second one was kind of a no-brainer. You’d already given him the code. For a guy who already had issues with tires, did you ever have hesitancy? Did you know that was the right call?

KYLE LARSON: The first two-tire call, I didn’t know if it would be the right call. I’ll be honest, I didn’t have as much confidence that time. We just ran a long run, I was struggling. I thought with this softer tire, the lefts maybe were going to be not as strong as what they ended up being.

Then when I went through that first restart, was kind of a ways back from the 19, just throttled up, and I got back alongside of him, ultimately passed him. Sure, yeah, I fell back to fifth. Guys on four tires passed me.

Yeah, I knew if we got another caution, give it any laps, that two tires in my mind is going to be a no-brainer. I hoped that Cliff was thinking the same way.

Yeah, when the caution came out, I named off the code words. I was like, C’mon, say it. What he did. He did. I was like, Cool, we got a shot here.

  1. The question was asked earlier about having empathy for those drivers and families that didn’t win. How special is it that you got to take your kids on that victory lap, especially with Audrey and Owen being able to remember that?

KYLE LARSON: It’s great. Have my family here and my kids. They love to celebrate, too.

Audrey, it’s been a while since I’ve won, and I’ll never forget the first thing she said to me. She was like, Dad, you finally won again.

I was like, Kinda.

Cooper wasn’t even born yet for our last one. I can’t wait to go take all the photos that we get to after this, update my iPad with him sitting in the Cup. Last time it was Audrey sitting in the Cup. We’ll throw him in the Cup.

Yeah, I got a lot of friends here, too, and family. I look forward to getting through all this and getting to hang out with them and celebrating because they’re all a big piece of it, too.

  1. How does this compare to the first championship?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, I think it means every bit as much as the first one. I thought that’s kind of how it would be. I didn’t anticipate obviously winning the championship in the fashion that we did today. So I think that takes it kind of another level up from what I thought it might feel like.

Yeah, the first championship, we dominated the season, led tons of laps, all of the things that a champion should do. Everything kind of came easy back then. The championship race didn’t, but the season was.

Today the season has been a challenge. Today was way more challenging even than that 2021 victory was. Hopefully I am fortunate enough to win other championships along the way. I think each would mean something different. Keep it equally as special.

Yeah, this one was such a team win throughout the whole year, all of that, that I think I’ll never forget it for that, for sure.

  1. If we rewind this movie two, three years ago, we put it today, what is the title of this movie? You already told us what the sentiments, feelings were, but the mindset that you were right there putting in your eyes, what it meant? Tell us.

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I don’t know. I’m not good at coming up with one-liners, obviously titles to movies.

I don’t know. Cliff kept saying, We ain’t dead yet. It was hard to believe him, but we weren’t dead, so…

But no, again, just an unreal feeling that I hope I’ll remember. I hope I’ll get to experience it again along the way. Just shock, proud, all of the emotions, and sad also at the same time.

Yeah, just couldn’t wait to celebrate with my team because it was such a team victory, team championship. Again, just proud of everybody. Look forward to hopefully more opportunities along the way.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. We look forward to celebrating you on Tuesday.

KYLE LARSON: Thank you. Thank you, guys, for all you do for our sport, all the hours you put in promoting us. Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

 

 

jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Jesse Love turned in the ultimate season bookends winning the opening race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series 2025 schedule at Daytona then closing it out with the biggest win of his young career to claim the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Saturday night at Phoenix Raceway.

 

The 20-year-old Californian had to best his best friend, the season’s 10-race winner Connor Zilisch to claim the career-changing victory and title. Love ultimately passed the JR Motorsports driver Zilisch for the lead with 24 laps to go at the desert one-miler and then had to hold off veteran Aric Almirola after the Joe Gibbs Racing driver also got around Zilisch with eight laps remaining.

 

The emotions were unmistakable as Love climbed out of his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, the smoke still rising behind on track from the celebratory donuts he performed in victory. He immediately gave his father Duke a huge, lingering embrace – the sentiment between the two palpable and unmistakable. Love finished the season with two wins, nine top fives, 22 top 10s and four poles.

 

“I just feel so clean, and relieved," said Love, whose margin of victory was .861-second. “It’s been a tough year for me and I’ve put so much work into it and people like my dad and [driver coach] Scott Speed and my whole number two team worked just as hard for my dream as I have for my own.

 

“It really hasn’t set in yet. All these emotions, it doesn’t feel real, doesn’t feel real at all," Love said, adding of the close contest with Zilisch, “He’s my best friend in the whole world but not when we’re racing each other. We race each other hard but fair. … He ran a really great race tonight, but my car was just better tonight."

 

Almirola was almost as emotional in celebrating the Owners Championship for Joe Gibbs Racing. The former fulltime NASCAR Cup Series driver has stayed in the sport racing part-time for the Joe Gibbs Racing team, officially earning a position in the owners’ championship with a victory at Las Vegas in the Playoffs.

 

Almirola's 17 races in the JGR No. 19 Toyota was most among the six drivers who combined to drive it this season. Almirola earned all three wins for the car and scored 11 top-10 finishes.

 

“It is a team effort and I’m just so thankful for Coach [Gibbs] and the Gibbs family," said Almirola, a three-time winner in a 12-year fulltime career in the NASCAR Cup Series that ended in 2023.

 

“This is really, really great. I’ve never won a championship. This is my first championship and it isn’t about me but I was a part of it and so proud of our organization and everyone who supports us."

 

“I am so grateful to be a part of that and deliver that to Joe Gibbs Racing."

 

Zilisch’s third-place finish and the dominating season he turned in this season in the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was enough to earn Rookie of the Year honors, but that was of little consolation in the immediate moments after the checkered flag.

 

“Nothing to hang our heads about," said Zilisch, who became the most successful rookie in series history with a record 18 consecutive top-five finishes, 20 top-10 and 19 top-five finishes as part of his 10-trophy effort. “We gave it our all today and it doesn’t take away from anything we did this year. We had a hell of a year. This is just going to sting a little bit."

 

“I left my heart out on the track."

 

As for his best friend Love, Zilisch was kind even in the heartbreak, “I’m very happy for him, he works hard at it, but I came here to win and it still doesn’t make it any better.”

 

The other two of the four championship eligible drivers, Zilisch’s JR Motorsports teammates Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil finished fifth and 13th respectively. The defending series champion Allgaier, won a stage and led a race best 83 of the 200 laps – one of six leaders on the evening – but was never able to reclaim the lead after losing it during a pit stop with 50 laps remaining.

 

“He did all the right things," Allgaier said. “They rose to the occasion and we didn’t."

 

Pole-winner Brandon Jones, who drives the No. 20 JGR Toyota finished fourth followed by Allgaier. Taylor Gray, who won the race’s first stage, finished seventh in another JGR Toyota, followed by Haas Factory Team driver Sheldon Creed, Love’s RCR teammate Austin Hill and JGR’s Justin Bonsignore.

 

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race - NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

Phoenix Raceway

Avondale, Arizona

Saturday, November 1, 2025

 

                1. (6)  Jesse Love (P), Chevrolet, 200.

                2. (7)  Aric Almirola (P), Toyota, 200.

                3. (4)  Connor Zilisch # (P), Chevrolet, 200.

                4. (1)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, 200.

                5. (5)  Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 200.

                6. (18)  Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 200.

                7. (2)  Taylor Gray #, Toyota, 200.

                8. (3)  Sheldon Creed, Ford, 200.

                9. (16)  Austin Hill (P), Chevrolet, 200.

                10. (13)  Justin Bonsignore, Toyota, 200.

                11. (12)  Harrison Burton, Ford, 200.

                12. (17)  Kyle Sieg, Ford, 200.

                13. (14)  Carson Kvapil # (P), Chevrolet, 200.

                14. (15)  Corey Day, Chevrolet, 200.

                15. (8)  Nick Sanchez #, Chevrolet, 200.

                16. (21)  Christian Eckes #, Chevrolet, 200.

                17. (9)  Dean Thompson #, Toyota, 200.

                18. (24)  Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 200.

                19. (20)  Brenden Queen, Chevrolet, 200.

                20. (28)  Nick Leitz, Ford, 200.

                21. (30)  Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 200.

                22. (22)  Connor Mosack(i), Chevrolet, 200.

                23. (27)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 200.

                24. (25)  Leland Honeyman, Chevrolet, 199.

                25. (23)  Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 199.

                26. (37)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 199.

                27. (19)  Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 199.

                28. (33)  Daniel Dye #, Chevrolet, 199.

                29. (34)  Stefan Parsons(i), Chevrolet, 198.

                30. (36)  Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 198.

                31. (32)  Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 198.

                32. (26)  Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 196.

                33. (29)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 196.

                34. (35)  Glen Reen, Ford, 196.

                35. (31)  Patrick Emerling(i), Chevrolet, 192.

                36. (38)  Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, 191.

                37. (10)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, Accident, 150.

                38. (11)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, Accident, 36.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  98.509 mph.

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 1 Mins, 49 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.861 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  4 for 31 laps.

Lead Changes:  15 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   B. Jones 1-10;T. Gray # 11-49;C. Zilisch # (P) 50;T. Gray # 51-55;C. Zilisch # (P) 56-62;J. Allgaier (P) 63-95;C. Zilisch # (P) 96;J. Love (P) 97-102;J. Allgaier (P) 103-117;J. Love (P) 118;J. Allgaier (P) 119-153;C. Zilisch # (P) 154;L. Honeyman 155;J. Love (P) 156-158;C. Zilisch # (P) 159-175;J. Love (P) 176-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Justin Allgaier (P) 3 times for 83 laps; Taylor Gray # 2 times for 44 laps; Jesse Love (P) 4 times for 35 laps; Connor Zilisch # (P) 5 times for 27 laps; Brandon Jones 1 time for 10 laps; Leland Honeyman 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 54,00,7,88,48,1,39,19,8,20

Stage #2 Top Ten: 7,88,19,00,2,54,48,20,1,41

Rookie Connor Zilisch comes up short at end of remarkable season

 

November 1, 2025

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

AVONDALE, Ariz. — After a phenomenal NASCAR Xfinity Series season that included 10 victories and 20 top fives in 32 starts, rookie Connor Zilisch finally came up empty.

 

Zilisch finished third in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway, behind best friend Jesse Love and Aric Almirola, but in a season of unprecedented triumph for a first-year driver, the disappointment in Zilisch’s voice was almost palpable.

 

“We did everything we could, and I left my heart out on the track, but second in the championship is all we got,” Zilisch said.

 

During the final 42-lap green-flag run, Zilisch’s dream of a championship in his rookie-of-the-year season fell apart. Second to Love off pit road during the final pit stop under caution on Lap 153, Zilisch grabbed the top spot on the subsequent Lap 159 restart.

 

But Love was relentless in his pursuit.

 

“He’s my very best friend in the world,” Love would say later, “but not on the race track.”

 

On Lap 176 of 200, Love got to the bumper of Zilisch’s No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, moved to the inside off Turn 2 and completed the pass that would earn the series championship for the 20-year-old.

 

On Lap 192, Almirola passed Zilisch for second to move into position to win the owners’ title for Joe Gibbs Racing, depriving JR Motorsports of that honor. Zilisch, who turned 19 on July 22, crossed the finish line 1.808 seconds behind the race winner.

 

“We fought all day long and threw everything we had at it,” Zilisch said. “Unfortunately, our WeatherTech Chevrolet, we just didn’t quite have what we needed. But that doesn’t take away from anything we’ve done this year…

 

“But I guess the lights were too bright… You work all year long, and you bust your ass for 33 weeks, and I feel like we’ve done the best job we could all year long, and we just didn’t have it today. I’m so proud of this team. We have nothing to hang our heads about, but, yeah, this one’s going to sting.”

 

What looked to be a banner evening for JRM turned sour in the closing laps. The Dale Earnhardt Jr. co-owned team had three drivers vying for the drivers’ championship—Zilisch, defending champion Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil—with Zilisch and Allgaier also eligible for the owners’ crown.

 

Allgaier won the second stage handily but faded after a slower-than-usual pit stop on Lap 153. He finished fifth behind pole winner Brandon Jones in fourth.

 

The race was Allgaier’s last with crew chief Jim Pohlman, who will fill the same role next year in the NASCAR Cup Series for Kyle Busch and Richard Childress Racing.

 

“I wanted to send Jim Pohlman off with another championship,” Allgaier said. “He's been an amazing part of this journey, got me my championship last year. Just felt like we did all the right things tonight, and we still came out of here really short.”

 

Kvapil was never a factor for the win and came home 13th, fourth in the championship battle.

 

That left Zilisch to carry the torch for JRM over the closing laps, and Zilisch didn’t have the car to complete the mission.

 

Asked whether seeing his best friend win the title was any consolation, Zilisch demurred.

 

“No, it doesn't make it feel any better,” Zilisch said. “No. Good for Jesse, I'm really happy for him. Yeah, no.”

 

NASCAR Championship Weekend at Phoenix Notebook

 

Notebook Items:

  • Kyle Larson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels embraces the intensity of Cup finale
  • Used engines are the rule for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race
  • Joey Logano highly motivated despite ouster from NASCAR Cup Playoff
  • Is pit stall No. 1 at Phoenix Raceway all it’s cracked up to be?
  • Kyle Busch reacts to NASCAR’s expanded eligibility rules for lower series

 

November 1, 2025

 

By Holly Cain and Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Kyle Larson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels embraces the intensity of Cup finale

 

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson was 11th fastest on the practice chart—third best among the four NASCAR Cup Series championship-eligible drivers in Friday’s opening practice—even after a slight brush with the Phoenix Raceway wall.

 

Larson is the only driver among the title contenders—a group includes teammate William Byron and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe—with a championship trophy at home already.

 

Much is expected of Larson, who qualified third behind Hamlin and Byron for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race. His crew chief, Cliff Daniels, told the media Saturday morning the team is in good shape to try and make him only the third multi-time champion currently driving full-time in the series.

 

Daniels was encouraged with the pace of Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet in practice and optimistic about race day. Even though the team hasn’t won since May at 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway, Larson’s 21 top-10s are most among the championship contenders, and his 1,106 laps led this year are second only to Byron’s 1,278.

 

Larson is a former Phoenix winner, claiming his 2021 season championship with a win from pole position at the one-mile track.

 

“Now that we're here, I do think we're closer than what we've been in the past,” Daniels said. “So, the flow of the weekend of just having less, let's just call it identity question marks of ‘Are we this package, that package?’ We're kind of zeroed in on where we want to be.

 

“Also, just the execution side of the weekend from the team perspective, we've been building on our notes every year of just how to be smarter, a little cleaner, a little more efficient when we come here.

 

“So, it's actually nice to see that play out where the team and how we execute is a lot more streamlined, I would say, and a lot more buttoned-up than what we've been.”

 

Used engines are the rule for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race

 

Kyle Larson shocked his fellow competitors when he recited the origin of the engine in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the championship race.

 

Under NASCAR’s sealed engine rule, teams must run a used engine in the season finale. Typically, not one to pore over setup details, Larson nevertheless was well aware of the source of his power plant.

 

“I think mine came out of Chase (Elliott’s) Martinsville car last week,” Larson said during a press conference featuring all four Championship 4 drivers on Saturday afternoon. “So, yeah, (crew chief) Cliff (Daniels) and everybody had a long night Sunday night getting it out and getting it ready.”

 

Pole winner Denny Hamlin was astounded.

 

“I can’t believe he knows,” Hamlin said.

 

“I wouldn’t normally know,” replied Larson, “but Cliff called me Sunday night.”

 

Neither Hamlin nor Briscoe knew the respective sources of their engines, but Briscoe brought down the house with his final response.

 

“I know Denny and I do not have our last week’s engines,” Briscoe quipped.

 

Good thing. Both engines failed at Martinsville.

 

Joey Logano highly motivated despite ouster from NASCAR Cup Playoff

 

Three-time and reigning series champion Joey Logano will not be racing for a second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series title this weekend, but the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford remains very much motivated to hoist a trophy here again.

 

“I told [crew chief] Paul [Wolfe] that [a victory] would be the most bittersweet win of all time. … But wins matter,” Logano said, adding with a smile. “They count, and obviously it would be good for everybody’s Christmas bonus.”

 

With a win at Texas and two pole positions this season, Logano is ranked eighth in the standings heading into the Phoenix finale—80 points behind Christopher Bell in fifth place, but only seven points behind Tyler Reddick in seventh and 24 back of Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney in sixth.

 

Having hoisted two of his three championship trophies at Phoenix Raceway and feeling obviously sentimental toward the one-mile desert oval, Logano said he understood and supported NASCAR’s decision to begin rotating the championship race locations.

 

Next year, the race returns to Homestead-Miami Speedway, which played host to the season finale from 1999 through 2019. The 1.5-mile oval was the site of Logano’s first championship win in 2018.

 

“I think it’s fine, wherever we go, we’ll just have to figure out how to win,” Logano said of the plan to change venues for the championship. “Obviously, this [Phoenix] has been a great race track for us. I’m not sure that when they first moved the championship race we were super excited about it being here, because we were pretty good at Homestead.

 

“This wasn’t always our best race track, but the timing of it worked out well as we got good here, and hopefully the next place will be the same way.”

 

Is pit stall No. 1 at Phoenix Raceway all it’s cracked up to be?

 

Conventional wisdom at the vast majority of race tracks says that pitting in stall No.1—the box closest to the exit from pit road—is a huge advantage.

 

After all, it offers both unimpeded egress and proximity to the final timing line, allowing quick acceleration back to the racing surface.

 

There were mitigating factors, however, in Friday night’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship event at Phoenix Raceway. At the first stage break, Ty Majeski beat eventual winner Corey Heim off pit road, even though Heim was pitting in stall No. 1.

 

On Lap 150, on the stop that proved decisive, Layne Riggs left pit road ahead of Heim when both drivers made four-tire stops. Only a breathtaking seven-wide charge into Turn 1 made Heim a winner in overtime.

 

Scott Zipadelli, Heim’s crew chief, said rubber build-up in the first bit box prevented a smooth exit.

 

“It's supposed to be a benefit, but it really wasn't,” Zipadelli said. “There was a lot of rubber, residual rubber, from past races there. Our guys prepped the box.

 

“What happens is you're just prepping the rubber that's already down. When he was spinning his wheels, it was just spinning on top of the rubber that was there. It got worse…

 

“You're going to see the same thing (Saturday night) and on Sunday, if they don't scrape the boxes, put new traction compound on top of them.”

 

Doubtless, crew chiefs in the NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series were paying close attention to Heim’s difficulty. Cliff Daniels, crew chief for Championship 4 Cup driver Kyle Larson certainly was.

 

“Most likely (we) would pick that stall,” Daniels said. “What you just described is certainly a consideration for the grip level in the stall. That's always a big thing out here.

 

“We have a couple other stalls in mind. Hopefully, we're in that position where I have to make that decision. Pit stall No. 1 offers a lot of good things, so it's hard to overlook that.”

 

Indeed. When Larson and Daniels won the series championship in 2021, it was a lightning-fast stop in stall No. 1 that vaulted Larson from fourth to first among the title contenders and propelled him to the race win and the championship.

 

Kyle Busch reacts to NASCAR’s expanded eligibility rules for lower series

 

Kyle Busch’s reaction was predictable.

 

“Gee, what do you know? Kyle Busch isn’t winning—let’s open it back up, OK?” was Busch’s tongue-in-cheek response when asked about the expanded eligibility rules next year for what will be the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

 

“I’m not spiteful at all.”

 

Busch is the career wins leader in both series, with 102 victories in the current Xfinity Series and 67 in Trucks. His prolific trips to Victory Lane were in part responsible for NASCAR curtailing the number of races a veteran NASCAR Cup Series driver could run to five in each series.

 

The expanded rules, announced Saturday, will allow a Cup driver with 3-plus years’ experience in NASCAR’s top division to run 10 O’Reilly Auto Parts events and eight Truck Series races, starting in 2026. 

 

Cup drivers remain ineligible for cut-off, Playoff and championship races.

 

After reaching 100 Xfinity wins, Busch cut back his presence in that series. He ran four events for Kaulig Racing in 2023 and one last year for Richard Childress Racing. His last victory in the series came at Atlanta in 2021, when he won all five of his starts.

 

Though Busch expects to run Truck Series races for Spire Motorsports next year (he won his 67th race in a Spire Chevrolet this season), his opportunities in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will be limited. Kaulig is abandoning its program in that series in favor of a five-truck effort with new manufacturer Ram.

 

“It would be nice,” Busch said of potential rides in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. “I don’t have any free funds behind me that I could just go in and buy myself a ride. I’ve got to rely on somebody calling me to put me in with something they’ve got already.

 

“So that’s kind of where I’m at, I guess.”

Championship 4 shine in Phoenix Cup Qualifying as Hamlin leads the way

 

 

sean Gardner/Getty Images

November 1, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin issued a strong statement for his 2025 championship intentions Saturday afternoon claiming pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race.

 

Three of the four championship-eligible drivers – also including Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson – claimed the top three positions in the qualifying session. The fourth, Hamlin’s JGR teammate Chase Briscoe will roll off the grid from 12th position in Sunday’s Championship Race (3 p.m. ET on NBC & Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota turned in a lap of 133.759 mph around the one-mile Phoenix oval – a slight .042-second faster than Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

 

It marks the sixth pole position for Hamlin on the season – 48th of his career – and perhaps stands to be one of the most impactful.

 

“We’ve really been working hard and hope it will pay off tomorrow,” said the 44-year-old Virginian Hamlin, a 60-race winner, whose six trophies this season are double that of any championship competitor.

 

“We’re obviously going to be in a great starting spot there but then obviously we’ve got to make sure we’re doing all the right things the entire day and largely that’s going to rest on my shoulders. And I’m going to do the best that I can.”

 

Hamlin said winning the pole was certainly a positive but that it did not necessarily provide a huge advantage on the field as close as his competitors typically are to him. But he conceded, the strong qualifying showing among the championship contenders was indicative of the intensity necessary in this high-stakes one-race way that NASCAR decides the title.

 

Among the four championship eligible drivers, only the 2021 series champion Larson has hoisted the sport’s most acclaimed trophy previously winning from pole position here at Phoenix. His teammate Byron, this year’s Daytona 500 winner comes into the race as the Regular Season Champion and is making his third consecutive appearance in the championship race. Hamlin’s teammate, the 30-year-old Briscoe, is the only one among the four competing in his very first championship bid.

 

“Certainly, it’s always an advantage to qualify on the pole, there’s never a disadvantage to starting first and having the number one pit stall," Hamlin said. “So, I don’t know if it directly correlates, but it’s always an advantage.

 

“Just try to do everything you can to execute," Hamlin added, . … I just truly believe that tomorrow that the best cars, whoever it is and it could be somebody who qualified 20th - could make their way to the front with the tire and track surface we have right now.

 

“I think it’s going to be a battle amongst us four with a few others sprinkled in there. It’s going to be fun to watch."

 

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying - NASCAR Cup Series Championship

Phoenix Raceway

Avondale, Arizona

Saturday, November 1, 2025

 

                1. (11) Denny Hamlin (P) @, Toyota, 133.759 mph.

                2. (24) William Byron (P) @, Chevrolet, 133.551 mph.

                3. (5) Kyle Larson (P) @, Chevrolet, 133.437 mph.

                4. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 133.249 mph.

                5. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 133.190 mph.

                6. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 133.141 mph.

                7. (21) Josh Berry, Ford, 132.876 mph.

                8. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 132.871 mph.

                9. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 132.787 mph.

                10. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 132.748 mph.

                11. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 132.699 mph.

                12. (19) Chase Briscoe (P) @, Toyota, 132.680 mph.

                13. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 132.660 mph.

                14. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 132.631 mph.

                15. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 132.577 mph.

                16. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 132.489 mph.

                17. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 132.470 mph.

                18. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 132.431 mph.

                19. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 132.406 mph.

                20. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 132.372 mph.

                21. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 132.368 mph.

                22. (38) Zane Smith, Ford, 132.265 mph.

                23. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 132.261 mph.

                24. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 132.256 mph.

                25. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 132.168 mph.

                26. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 132.144 mph.

                27. (41) Cole Custer, Ford, 132.139 mph.

                28. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 132.105 mph.

                29. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 131.868 mph.

                30. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 131.839 mph.

                31. (88) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 131.791 mph.

                32. (35) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 131.584 mph.

                33. (51) Cody Ware, Ford, 131.171 mph.

                34. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 130.804 mph.

                35. (44) JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 129.870 mph.

                36. (66) Casey Mears(i), Ford, 129.660 mph.

                37. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 128.760 mph.

                38. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

 
 

 Corey Heim shakes off pressure to win NASCAR Truck Series championship

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

October 31, 2025

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

AVONDALE, Ariz. — The best man won on Friday night, but it was far from a foregone conclusion.

 

The statistics might suggest otherwise. In winning the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway, Corey Heim swept the first and second stages, led a race-high 100 of 161 laps and took the checkered flag 0.993 ahead of defending series champion Ty Majeski in a second overtime.

 

On the restart for the first attempt at overtime, however, Heim was buried in 10th place on the inside lane, but with four fresh tires from a pit stop under caution on Lap 150, he steered his No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota to the bottom of the track and ran wide-open through the dogleg as the field spread out seven-wide into Turn 1.

 

Charging to the inside of Grant Enfinger’s Chevrolet, Heim emerged from Turn 2 in second place, on the bumper of Majeski’s Ford. Joe Shear Jr., Majeski’s crew chief, had opted for two tires on the Lap 150 pit stop—a move Majeski agreed was his only chance to retain the championship.

 

Instead, Heim claimed the title that had eluded him for the previous two seasons, and the weight of the world fell from his shoulders.

 

“I just am so grateful to be where I'm at,” Heim said. “So thankful for the TRICON Garage, Toyota taking a chance on me years ago, (sponsors) Safelite, Mobil 1, Yahoo, Celsius, for every bit of their support.

 

“I was so stressed out ever since we went to the (Charlotte) Roval (where Heim won from the pole Oct. 3 to advance to the Championship 4). I've been, like, so terrible to talk to as a person, so stressed out.

 

“This is just such a relief, to say the least. So thankful for everybody.”

 

Clearly, the pressure had gotten to Heim as he approached a championship he was supposed to win. Coming to Phoenix, the 23-year-old from Marietta, Georgia, had posted 11 victories in 24 races. On Friday, he added a 12th, extending his series record.

 

When Heim took the lead from Chandler Smith on Lap 22, he completed a perfect record of leading laps in all 25 Truck Series races, a unique accomplishment. Heim finished the season with a record 1,625 laps led, eclipsing the mark of 1,533 set by Mike Skinner in 1996.

 

“I don't care if I was on hundred-lap tires, nobody was going to beat me tonight,” asserted Heim, who won for the first time at Phoenix and the 23rd time in his career. “It wasn't going to happen. We struggled all weekend in practice a little bit. In qualifying we missed it a little bit. You can always trust (crew chief) Scott (Zipadelli) up on the box to do everything he can to put me in position to win the race. That's what he did.

 

“Drove it in deep until I couldn't anymore. Drove away with it.”

 

Heim, however, wasn’t in position to win the race until Connor Mosack hit the Turn 4 wall with just over two laps left in regulation to cause the sixth caution and send the race to overtime.

 

At that point, Scott Riggs was leading Heim by less than one second. Eliminated from the drivers’ Playoff on a tiebreaker last weekend at Martinsville, Riggs remained eligible for the owners’ title, and had the race gone to conclusion in regulation, he and Heim likely would have split the two championships.

 

The caution changed everything. Heim already was challenging Majeski for the lead in the first overtime when a four-car wreck in Turn 4 that included Playoff driver Tyler Ankrum necessitated a second try at an extra period.

 

After the restart on Lap 160, Heim cleared Majeski quickly and pulled away to win the race.

 

“Honestly just a little bit short,” Majeski said. “Yeah, very close. Tonight, at portions of the run to the 11, I thought at times we were actually better than him. Overall, he was just too strong.

 

“I couldn't get a good enough restart to take advantage of where in the run my truck was better.”

 

Playoff driver Kaden Honeycutt ran third, overcoming a first-lap penalty for changing lanes before the stripe at the start of the race.

 

Riggs came home fourth, followed by Rajah Caruth, Jake Garcia, Corey LaJoie, Smith, Tyler Reif (in his Truck Series debut) and Jack Wood.

 

Matt Crafton, retiring from full-time NASCAR racing after this season, was 13th in his last ride in the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford.

 

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race - NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race

Phoenix Raceway

Avondale, Arizona

Friday, October 31, 2025

 

                1. (6)  Corey Heim (P), Toyota, 161.

                2. (8)  Ty Majeski (P), Ford, 161.

                3. (5)  Kaden Honeycutt (P), Toyota, 161.

                4. (1)  Layne Riggs (P), Ford, 161.

                5. (7)  Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 161.

                6. (14)  Jake Garcia, Ford, 161.

                7. (12)  Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 161.

                8. (2)  Chandler Smith, Ford, 161.

                9. (13)  Tyler Reif, Chevrolet, 161.

                10. (15)  Jack Wood, Chevrolet, 161.

                11. (33)  Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 161.

                12. (11)  Stefan Parsons, Chevrolet, 161.

                13. (25)  Matt Crafton, Ford, 161.

                14. (21)  Tyler Ankrum (P), Chevrolet, 161.

                15. (29)  Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, 161.

                16. (24)  Luke Baldwin, Ford, 160.

                17. (27)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 159.

                18. (31)  Greg Van Alst, Toyota, 159.

                19. (28)  Frankie Muniz #, Ford, 159.

                20. (30)  Clayton Green, Ford, 158.

                21. (4)  Tanner Gray, Toyota, 157.

                22. (34)  Caleb Costner, Chevrolet, 157.

                23. (18)  Cole Butcher, Toyota, Accident, 154.

                24. (23)  Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, Accident, 154.

                25. (26)  Toni Breidinger #, Toyota, 153.

                26. (20)  Connor Mosack #, Chevrolet, Accident, 147.

                27. (17)  Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, Accident, 118.

                28. (3)  Brent Crews, Toyota, Axle, 117.

                29. (10)  Ben Rhodes, Ford, Accident, 117.

                30. (16)  Andres Perez De Lara #, Chevrolet, Accident, 117.

                31. (9)  Giovanni Ruggiero #, Toyota, Accident, 117.

                32. (32)  Mason Maggio, Ford, Engine, 107.

                33. (19)  Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, Accident, 2.

                34. (22)  Dawson Sutton #, Chevrolet, Accident, 0.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  87.434 mph.

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 50 Mins, 29 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.993 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  7 for 42 laps.

Lead Changes:  10 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   C. Smith 1-21;C. Heim (P) 22-50;R. Caruth 51-53;C. Heim (P) 54-95;T. Majeski (P) 96-99;C. Heim (P) 100-126;L. Riggs (P) 127-150;S. Parsons 151-154;T. Majeski (P) 155-159;C. Heim (P) 160-161.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Corey Heim (P) 4 times for 100 laps; Layne Riggs (P) 1 time for 24 laps; Chandler Smith 1 time for 21 laps; Ty Majeski (P) 2 times for 9 laps; Stefan Parsons 1 time for 4 laps; Rajah Caruth 1 time for 3 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 11,1,98,71,15,77,52,7,13,17

Stage #2 Top Ten: 11,98,1,52,71,15,34,13,7,17

Ty Majeski Holds His Head High After Gritty Runner-Up Championship Effort

 

October 31, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Ty Majeski climbed out of his race runner-up No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford F-150 on Phoenix Raceway pit road Friday night with the smoke from Corey Heim’s championship burnout nearby still lingering overhead.

 

Less than a second separated the popular 31-year-old 2024 series champion Majeski from the race winner Heim in his bid to become only the second driver in NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series history to claim back-to-back season titles  – matching his ThorSport teammate Matt Crafton.

 

And it certainly was a valiant try. As happens in big-time auto racing, a couple breaks this way or that and Majeski might have hoisted the trophy. He certainly forced Heim to earn it and walks away from Phoenix with his head held high.

 

Majeski, who ran on Heim’s bumper for much of the 161-lap race, bolted out front to the race lead on the first of two overtime restarts in Friday’s Truck Series Championship Race, his two-tire stop to Heim’s four-tire change looked initially to be the winning move.

 

On the ensuing restart, however, Heim’s four fresh tires helped him move forward immediately and he pulled off an amazing seven-wide overtake into Turn 1 that put him directly on Majeski’s bumper. But a second yellow flag flew.

 

This time the front row pitted the two trucks side-by-side and Heim was able to get the edge and pull away to his first NASCAR championship by .993-seconds.

 

It marked the third time in four years Majeski raced for the series title and on this night, Majeski and his team gave it their all, but the season’s most dominant driver, the 23-year-old Heim - a 12-race winner - was just too good.

 

“Really proud of the whole season this group put together," Majeski said. “We had a pretty rough stretch in the April, May, June months. We had a pretty strong meeting with ourselves, looked in the mirror and said, ‘Hey, we're champions, we can turn this thing around.’

 

“We did. We put on a streak of 12 races in a row in the top 10, nine of them top fives. I thought we were poised to do something very special tonight.

 

“Honestly just a little bit short. Very close.”

 

As with his driver, Majeski’s car chief Brad Means said the team could only be proud of the effort despite the near-miss.

 

“Obviously, we had high hopes coming back here from last year’s success we had here as the dominant truck," Means said. “We thought maybe yesterday in practice we were going to have the same trend. But we didn’t qualify as well as we wanted to, I think the daytime temperatures kind of threw us for a loop earlier and we just never quite hit on it like we did last year when we dominated the race.

 

“But honestly the 11 [Heim] has been the class of the field all year. We’ve struggled this year and as a team had the worst luck. We had really good trucks a lot of the time but never really capitalized on it with the finishes we needed.

 

“We had great pit stops tonight, our guys were phenomenal job and have been all year, but we just didn’t get it done. I thought the two tires was going to be the call to win the race  had a caution not come out. We were like literally 200 yards away from winning the race."

 

Although disappointed to come so close to a second championship, Majeski closed out the season proud of the effort – 18 top-10 finishes and nine top-fives in 25 races including three runner-up finishes.

 

“Proud of [crew chief] Joe [Shear] for making that gutsy call," Majeski said. “Hard to make that in that moment. You always want to be on offense at the end of these races. I think two tires gave us the best opportunity to win tonight.”

 

“I think it was the right call, gave ourselves a shot at a championship. If that restart goes a little bit differently, I get a little bit of a gap, we're probably sitting here as two-time champion.

 

 

Crafton’s Final Lap: A Champion, a Father, and a Fierce Competitor Bids Farewell

 

October 30, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

AVONDALE, Ariz. - Matt Crafton’s most cherished photograph from an extraordinary decades-long NASCAR career captures two of his great treasures – his daughter Elladee and the first of his three NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship trophies.

 

The grin on Crafton’s face as he gazes adoringly at his seven-month old daughter positioned inside the nearly three-foot tall 2013 trophy is unmistakable, the pride palpable.

 

“It was the best," said Crafton, who is relinquishing his fulltime seat in the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford at the end of the season after 25 years of competition in the series.

 

The “best” is saying a lot for the 49-year-old potential future NASCAR Hall of Famer.

 

What started as invaluable bonding time with his father Danny, a hard-nosed racer in the sport’s early California heydays developed into a celebrated career for Crafton, who has skillfully navigated and mastered the series for more than two decades - era after era after era.

 

Crafton is the only driver in series’ history to claim back-to-back titles (2013-14) and he answered that historic showing with a third trophy in 2019 proving himself tops in multiple championship formats. Not bad for a no-excuses competitor who after growing up working on cars in his father’s shop in the 1980s, essentially started his career filling in behind the wheel for his dad – a talented racer in his own rite - in NASCAR’s Southwest Series.

 

The time spent working on and racing cars with his dad Danny shaped much of Crafton’s approach to the sport and nearly 30 years after his first NASCAR Regional Series start, he leaves fulltime competition following Friday night’s 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) - highly accomplished and highly respected.

 

The work ethic Crafton learned from his father – both on the track and off it is what he says made all the motivational difference.

 

“I haven’t had it handed to me, I had to work for it," Crafton said of his success.

 

“I don’t know how many times I’ve been brought into the NASCAR trailer and told to calm down and not cuss on the radio and not rant and rave. I always told them, the day I don’t do that is the day I need to quit.

 

“If you go back and look at Kevin Harvick or Kurt and Kyle Busch or Tony Stewart or Dale Earnhardt, everybody who has had to work for it from the grassroots, to fight and claw, you’re naturally going to carry more emotion.

 

“If it’s handed to you, your dad, mom, uncle whoever writing a check for you and you tear up your equipment this week and you know they’re going to write a check next week or next year. …it just doesn’t mean as much.”

 

That intensity has always been evident in Crafton’s career – especially noted by those he raced door-to-door with and appreciated by the “next generation” of competitors who are quick to emphasize what Crafton has meant to the sport and to the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, in particular.

 

“I’m just grateful that Matt invested so much of his life into the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and its veterans like him that make the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series credible," said current NASCAR Cup Series driver, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, who raced against Crafton in the trucks and had to beat the veteran to claim his 2017 title.

 

“He helped hold young drivers accountable, myself included," Bell continued. “He’s a veteran and you need people like that in those series and I have a ton of respect for him and what he’s done. He raced everybody hard that's for sure, but it’s that level of accountability that made you better.”

 

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney also credits Crafton with teaching him valuable lessons when they raced trucks against one another. He finished runner-up to Crafton in 2014 as a 20-year-old.

 

“Both years I was in the series he won the championship and waxed our butts," Blaney said with a smile. “We ran second to him in 2014. It was cool to run around Matt. And now having the Menards [sponsorship] connection is pretty neat.

 

“It will be different not seeing him on TV when I watch those races [next year] but it was a pleasure to race with Matt. We always raced well together. He was one of those guys I felt open to talking to when I was a rookie or second year in trucks because he was a veteran and had a big part in the Truck Series.

 

“He’s a great competitor and it was cool getting to know him. The only unfortunate part was he kicked my butt the two years I was in the trucks.”

 

It’s the kind of old school philosophy and head-down work ethic that has served Crafton well during his 25 years fulltime in the series. His 591 starts – 590 of them - consecutively is a series record unlikely to ever be broken.

 

He has 15 victories and his 333 top-10 finishes means that he finished among the top-10 in more than half his starts. He earned 135 top-five finishes - 23 percent of the races he ran. And Crafton has 16 pole positions for good measure.

 

It is however, his ability to rise to the top against different talent, title formats and truck configurations that will always make Crafton a series icon.

 

It’s heralded by fans and deeply appreciated by the multi-championship ThorSport organization where he competed for all but one of his fulltime seasons. His legacy for the team is not just the titles he earned but the lessons in competition he shared with teammates that helped them to titles too.

 

“Everybody needs to know that Matt Crafton has always been a really, really fierce competitor and he’s wise in the truck too," said Crafton’s two-time champion ThorSport teammate Ben Rhodes. “He never pushes the envelope too far to wreck. He’s so wise with that. There’s a lot to learn from him with his risk management style with his ability to try to out-smart the competition. Early on when I was a young guy and wrecking everything, I really looked to his ability to manage risks as a veteran and a lot of people could learn from that.

 

“You have to finish the race first to win it and I don’t think a lot of people give him that. I’d say people don’t give him enough credit on that. But he’s a fierce competitor and always has been.

 

“'Race smarter not harder', he always said that to me," Rhodes said smiling. “And he was right.”

 

Longtime ThorSport employee Edgar Riley remembers receiving a call from Crafton in 2002 asking if Riley would like to come back to work at ThorSport as a tire specialist with the team – a chance Riley couldn’t pass up. And he remains forever grateful to Crafton for opening that important career door.

 

“Matt gave me that opportunity," said Riley who worked as Crafton’s front tire carrier from 2002-2011. “We shared so many great memories together, including two wins, one being his very first. I’ll always be grateful for what Matt has done for me and for this organization throughout his fulltime career.

 

Jeriod Prince, who served in many roles leading Crafton’s team was equally as appreciative.

 

“Crafton is a true racer," Prince said. “He’s always at a track, regardless if it’s NASCAR. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Matt both in the Truck Series and in his other racing endeavors. He’s always been like a big brother and helped me shape my career.

 

“Whenever I needed anything, he’s always been there to help, especially when I was doing my own racing. It’s been a pleasure working with him throughout his full-time career at ThorSport."

 

That appreciation – from competitor to teammate - is widespread in the garage. And reciprocated.

 

Crafton, who intends to make some one-off starts down the road and refuses to call this a “retirement” doesn’t give his impending Hall of Fame consideration much thought. Yet. But he smiles thinking about joining so many of his racing heroes there one day – those like Ron Hornaday Jr., who he considers the “toughest” competitor of his career.

 

Reflecting on his career, Crafton concedes it has been quite a drive – from humble beginnings to championship form. He’s respected by his competitors and admired by his fans - the ultimate career ride for this champion.

 

“Let the cards fall and we’ll see what happens," Crafton said of the Hall of Fame mentions. “Just happy to do what I get to do and happy to do what I’ve done."

 

“Not many people can say they got to do what they love to do," he acknowledges. “I’ve been blessed to do what I get to do."

 
 

NASCAR Championship 4 Media Day Notebook

 

Notebook Items:

  • Kyle Larson sees parity among NASCAR Cup Championship 4 contenders
  • Chase Briscoe eyes title in first year with Joe Gibbs Racing
  • William Byron hopes third straight Champ 4 appearance is the charm
  • Denny Hamlin ready to seize the opportunity in fifth Champ 4 try
  • Xfinity contenders aren’t ready to concede title to Connor Zilisch
  • Kaden Honeycutt playing with house money in Championship Race

 

October 30, 2025

 

By Holly Cain and Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Kyle Larson sees parity among NASCAR Cup Championship 4 contenders

 

AVONDALE, Ariz.— Kyle Larson smiled at the question but quickly clarified that, just because he is the only driver in the Championship Four field to have won a NASCAR Cup Series Championship previously, he does not necessarily consider himself a ‘favorite” this weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

 

There is no edge with this group of competitors, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion contends.

 

“Sure, we could all probably think up a reason of why there could be an edge that I would have,” said Larson, who drives the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “We’re all just so good and the teams are so good, I just don’t buy into anything like that.

 

“But we’ll see. I think having won before, I am a champion, so if I win another one, great. if I don’t, I’m still on the list. There’s that. But I don’t think that gives you any sort of competitive advantage.”

 

The 33-year-old Californian has three victories and topped 1,000 laps led in a season for the fifth time in his career. His 21 top-10 finishes are most among the four title contenders, and only Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe (15) has more top fives than Larson (14).

 

Although he hasn’t won a race since May 11 at Kansas, Larson is confident his team is in good shape, perhaps even peaking at the right time. He’s got 14 top-10 finishes in 22 Phoenix starts—a win to land him the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series championship and top-five finishes in four of the last five races at the desert one-miler.

 

“Just really excited to get on track and see if it’s what I expect it to be. But all four of us are going to be really good,” Larson said.

 

“We all have experience winning here," he said pausing and smiling, “But I’d really like to win this fall.”

 

Chase Briscoe eyes title in first year with Joe Gibbs Racing

 

Last year at Phoenix Raceway, Chase Briscoe was reluctant to leave the race track.

 

He had just run his last race with his No. 14 team at Stewart-Haas Racing, not as part of the Championship 4 but as a driver for a team that was shutting its doors at season’s end.

 

It was the end of a dream for Briscoe and the beginning of another fraught with uncertainty.

 

“It is crazy, what a difference a year can make,” Briscoe said on Thursday during Championship 4 Media Day at the Phoenix one-mile track. “You go from being sad and down in the dumps… I don’t know, it’s just weird.

 

“We were the last people to leave last year, because we didn’t want it to end. We knew when we walked out of the tunnel that that group would never be together again. They literally kicked us out. They forced us to leave. We were here longer than the champions.

 

“But hopefully this year, I’m the one that’s here the longest again.”

 

In 2024, Briscoe won the Southern 500, the regular-season cutoff race. That earned him an unexpected berth in the Playoffs, but he was out in the Round of 12.

 

After moving to Joe Gibbs Racing this year, Briscoe has three victories, the most recent of which, at Talladega, propelled him into the Championship Race.

 

Briscoe’s Stewart-Haas group, however, hasn’t abandoned him.

 

“This week, all the 14 guys—we still have a group chat—they all were sending me motivational videos and trying to pump me up. (Former crew chief Richard) Boswell sent me a text this morning and sent me a video of all his kids wishing me good luck.”

 

Briscoe is the only one of the Championship 4 drivers who hasn’t raced for a NASCAR Cup title in the season finale. Even before he drove a JGR car for the first time, Briscoe knew expectations were high.

 

“I’ve raced against Joe Gibbs Racing, so I knew that, if everything went well, there was a very good likelihood that you’d be racing for a championship,” he said. “Year one—I’m not going to say it’s surprising, but it also I would say exceeded expectations for year one, for sure.

 

“It would mean a lot to do it in year one, just with everything, with Coach (Joe Gibbs) obviously taking a chance on me. Just to start our tenure off together winning a championship would be pretty cool, but it would certainly make the expectations going forward way harder.”

 

William Byron hopes third straight Champ 4 appearance is the charm

 

After a dramatic victory in the Round of 8 elimination race last Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, William Byron maintained a deliberately low profile on his trip to Phoenix Raceway for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race (3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

Byron elected to fly commercial to the title race.

 

“I live 15 minutes from the commercial airport in Charlotte,” Byron explained. “I go TSA Precheck, keep my head down—it’s great. I love it. I love to get treated like a normal person, which I am.”

 

Normal people, however, don’t drive stock cars at breakneck speeds in hopes of securing a series title. That’s what Byron will do on Sunday, when he chases the Bill France Cup for the third year in a row.

 

In 2023, Byron won the pole for the Championship Race and dominated the early portions of the event. He won the first stage and led 95 laps but faded to fourth as the track cooled in the late afternoon.

 

As it turned out, that experience was also emblematic of the current season, where inauspicious circumstances often kept Byron from finishing as well as he ran during most of a particular event.

 

“We’ve learned the hard way this year that it’s never over,” Byron said. “I think that’s what sticks with me. I mean, honestly, until that guy throws the checkered flag, the race is not over.

 

“I’ve learned that the hard way this year, and that’s kind of fueled the way I prepared.”

 

In the first race of the Round of 8, Byron was running up front when Ty Dillon slowed in front of him, planning to enter pit road. Unable to avoid Dillon’s car, Byron slammed into it with a vicious impact that knocked him out of the race.

 

A week later at Talladega, Byron was running comfortably in the top 10 when he spun in the tri-oval a quarter-mile short of the finish line.

 

Those two incidents set up a must-win situation for Byron at Martinsville, a circumstance that allowed him to race without attention to points. That’s similar to the situation he’ll face Sunday at Phoenix, where the driver who finishes highest among the Championship 4 will claim the title. 

 

“I did look at the board during the race, and I’m like, ‘It’s so nice not to be worried about this BS,’” Byron said of the Martinsville run. “It’s not necessarily winner-take-all per se (at Phoenix), but it definitely is a third stage (is) what matters.

 

“You have to race the race, but the end is all that really matters.”

 

Denny Hamlin ready to seize the opportunity in fifth Champ 4 try

 

Denny Hamlin looked relaxed and said he was relaxed, but the veteran and winningest driver of the 2025 season conceded this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Championship Race represents a significant milestone for him even as he’s already turned in a celebrated career.

 

The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota earned an emotional 60th victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway three weeks ago to claim one of the weekend’s four title bids, and at the age of 44 sees no better time than the present to add a NASCAR Cup Series championship to a legacy that ranks him 10th on the all-time wins list in a career highlighted with three Daytona 500 trophies.

 

“It feels a little bit different,” said Hamlin, whose best championship finish was runner-up to Jimmie Johnson in 2010. “Less rushed, I guess you could say, and simply because we did so much of our (preparation) for Phoenix before this week, so less rushed is the biggest difference I feel over previous (Championship Four bids).”

 

This marks Hamlin’s fifth time in the Championship race under this format—the first since 2021—and he arrives at Phoenix with twice as many wins (six) than anyone else in the championship field this season.

 

“I definitely feel optimistic about it,” he allowed, adding, “Just generally in a good headspace.”

 

Yes, Hamlin conceded, he probably has the most pressure on him as the oldest championship eligible driver. But he is ready.

 

“Is this my last opportunity or not?” Hamlin asked rhetorically. “Any format change coming that will be a bigger sample size should be better for me in general, but you just never know. You have to seize the moment that’s right there in front of you.

 

“So, I would certainly confirm the pressure is probably most on me because these guys know they’ve still got a long way to go (in their careers).”

 

Xfinity contenders aren’t ready to concede title to Connor Zilisch

 

While the season statistics show NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie Connor Zilisch with a 10-win trophy haul—more than twice as many as any other championship-eligible competitors—when it comes to this weekend’s title-deciding Phoenix one-mile oval, the competition couldn’t be tighter.

 

Zilisch’s JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier is the only driver among the Xfinity Series Championship 4 with a previous win at Phoenix Raceway. He boasts two career Phoenix victories and won the title last year with a runner-up effort in a back-up car.

 

Another title contender, Richard Childress Racing driver Jesse Love, has never finished outside the top-10 in three series starts at Phoenix and boasts the best overall average result among the four drivers (also including JR Motorsports rookie Carson Kvapil) competing for the title Saturday.

 

“I know statistically as far as wins go, it looks very lopsided (in Zilisch’s favor), but we’re actually tied in amount of laps led, we (Allgaier’s team) have the most stage (wins) and we’ve really done all the right things this year,” Allgaier said.

 

Love, a native-Californian, finished runner-up in his first Xfinity Series race at Phoenix in 2023 and has never finished worse than ninth for a Championship 4 best 5.7 average finish at the track.

 

Although he has only a single win in 2025, he also likes his chances of hoisting the championship trophy this weekend. He was in contention to win last year’s race, too.

 

“I keep hearing about and know Justin is really good here, but I don’t think Justin’s any better than I am at this race track," said Love, noting his chance at the Phoenix trophy ended last year after contact with Allgaier and race winner Riley Herbst on an overtime restart.

 

“He (Allgaier) has more experience than me, but I feel as confident as he does or probably more. This place is technical and it’s interesting and I’ve had a lot of races here, probably coming up on 10 (in assorted series) and between truck and Xfinity, I’ve never run outside the top-10 here, so there’s some confidence in that.

 

“I had to think about it all offseason, all year that I was a couple hundred feet from closing out last year with a win here before the caution came out and obviously, Justin put us in the fence after that. I know I can put myself in same position this year, and obviously the stakes are even higher, so there’s some good to come out of that.”

 

Kaden Honeycutt playing with house money in Championship Race

 

The 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season has been a rollercoaster for Kaden Honeycutt—literally and emotionally.

 

Honeycutt was sixth in the series standings when Niece Motorsports released him after 16 races, citing information that Honeycutt had signed with a new team and manufacturer for 2026, though the specifics of the move were not released.

 

Preserving his eligibility for the Playoffs, Honeycutt found a fill-in ride with Youngs Motorsports for the 17th race of the season at Watkins Glen International.

 

Three days earlier, Halmar Friesen Racing had announced that Honeycutt would replace Stewart Friesen in the No. 52 Toyota for the rest of the season, starting Aug. 15 at Richmond Raceway. Friesen sustained season-ending injuries while driving a dirt modified race car in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, in late July.

 

Honeycutt made it through two Playoffs rounds, advancing on a tiebreaker at Martinsville to Friday’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

“Honestly, man, we’re playing with house money this weekend,” said Honeycutt, whose second-place finish at Martinsville was a career-best. “We’ve accomplished the goal of being here. That was the whole deal whenever me and (crew chief) Jimmy (Villeneuve) talked at Richmond.

 

“They just wanted to make it and have a fighting chance. The fact that we get to come here and mix it up, I feel like we’ve had speed all the Playoffs. We just get to have fun this weekend, treat it like a normal race and go out and try to win it.”

 

Honeycutt believes fate had a hand in his opportunity to race for the title. Admittedly, it’s an uphill battle against heavy favorite Corey Heim, an 11-time winner in a record-setting season.

 

“Everything happens for a reason,” he said. “I think the reason when Stewart got hurt was for me to fill in and do the job right for ‘em and show off how good this team is in this Playoff that he wasn’t able to do because of his injuries.

 

“I think that’s the reason why we’re here for that.”

NASCAR Weekend Preview: Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway

The Showdown in the Sun: Phoenix Set to Decide NASCAR’s 2025 Champion

AVONDALE, Ariz. – And so it has come down to this – 312 laps in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway to crown the 2025 champion. Four drivers representing two of the sport’s powerhouse teams – Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports - will settle the title.

 

And for three of the four eligible drivers – veteran Denny Hamlin (No. 11 JGR Toyota) and his new Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe (No. 19 Toyota) along with Hendrick Motorsports’ two-time defending Daytona 500 champion William Byron (No. 24 Chevrolet) are hoping to hoist the sport’s most cherished trophy for the first time.

 

Byron’s Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson (No. 5 Chevrolet) is racing for his second title and would become one of only three multi-time champions (Joey Logano and Kyle Buch) currently competing fulltime in the sport.

 

This is Hamlin’s record 19th Playoff appearance and fifth time in the Championship Four. His best finish is runner-up in 2010 to NASCAR Hall of Famer and seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson.

 

After 35 compelling races this season including nine weeks of intense Playoff competition, the title simply comes down to the best finisher Sunday among those four drivers – Hamlin, Briscoe, Byron and Larson - at the one-mile Phoenix oval. Hamlin’s six wins – the most recent at Las Vegas in the penultimate Playoff round – is double that of each of his competitors.

 

All four of the title contenders have previous wins at Phoenix. Byron (2023) and Briscoe (2022) have Spring race victories. Larson was the 2021 Fall race winner and the veteran Hamlin (Spring, 2012 and Fall, 2019) is the only one among the four championship drivers with multiple wins in the desert.

 

Interestingly, Larson is the only championship contender still without a victory in this year’s Playoff stretch. However, the encouraging news for the No. 5 Hendrick Chevrolet team is that his 10 top-five finishes at Phoenix are the most for him at any track on the schedule.

 

“Hopefully this will be good for the fans and everybody and the excitement," team owner Joe Gibbs said. “Probably won't be good for me. I'll be so nervous and uptight about it (smiling).

 

“To get to the Final Four is a thrill, and we're thrilled to be in it. It's great for our sponsors and our entire organization. You got to give Rick [Hendrick] and them just all the credit in the world.”

 

Even the manufacturers represented in this title round have a strong recent Phoenix resume with both Toyota and Chevrolet winning twice in the last five races there.

 

Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet started from pole position and led 107 of the 312 laps in his 2021 title-season victory. He led a dominating 201 laps only to finish fourth in Byron’s win in the No. 24 Hendrick Chevy two years later.

 

Briscoe, a three-race winner this season, led 101 laps in his 2022 victory in the desert driving a Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. Hamlin’s No. 11 JGR Toyota led a race best 143 laps of the 312 laps in his 2019 Fall win prior to the track’s hosting the championship finale - and he led 61 laps in his 2012 Spring victory.

 

Defending race winner and reigning series champion Logano and his Team Penske group may well have a lot to say about Sunday’s race trophy however. Neither he nor 2023 championship teammate Ryan Blaney advanced to have a shot at the title this year but like the other non-championship contenders in the field remain fully committed to a victory to close out the season.

 

Logano has four Phoenix wins including this race last year that earned him his third series title. JGR’s Christopher Bell has won two of the last three Phoenix races including this Spring. Richard Childress Racing’s Busch would love to return to Victory Lane for the first time in two seasons at Phoenix, where he’s won three races.

 

In preparation for the season finale, all three national series will run a full practice session Friday (5:35 p.m. ET, TruTV, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) ahead of Busch Light Pole Qualifying  on Saturday (5 p.m. ET, TruTV, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Martin Truex Jr. started from pole position last year, his final fulltime race.

 

Title on the Line: JR Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing Collide in Phoenix Finale

 

As has been the case for so much of the season, the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series title may simply just come down to who can better JR Motorsports’ rookie sensation Connor Zilisch who has already claimed 10 victories this year.

 

The 19-year-old driver of the No. 88 JRM Chevrolet will be contending with a formidable threesome, however, in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship race (7:30 p.m. ET on CW Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) that includes his teammate and the reigning series champion Justin Allgaier (No. 7 JRM Chevrolet), their JRM teammate, rookie Carson Kvapil (No. 1 JRM Chevrolet) and Zilisch’s best friend, Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love (No. 2 RCR Chevrolet) in an all-Chevrolet battle for the big trophy.

 

Should Zilisch or Kvapil win the title, they would become only the fourth rookie to do so.

 

“It’s really cool to be in the Championship 4 with my teammates Justin and Carson," Zilisch said. “It’s going to be a crazy busy weekend in Phoenix but I’m glad to be doing it alongside them.

 

“We just need to execute the day and make the most of it on Saturday. We’ve made sure that everything we do is calculated and are accounting for any and all situations to be prepared for anything.

 

“Before the season started my crew chief Mardy Lindley had me fill out a points and win prediction. I had us winning four races so to sit here today with 10 wins and winning the Regular Season Championship plus locking into the Championship 4 early, this No. 88 team has certainly outdone my expectations.”

 

Of the four championship contenders, only the veteran Allgaier owns a Phoenix trophy, winning at the track in Fall, 2019 and Spring, 2017. He finished runner-up to non-Playoff driver Riley Herbst last November to claim his first career title.

 

Allgaier (fifth) and Love (ninth) are the only ones among the championship-eligible foursome to score top-10 finishes in the most recent race at Phoenix in March. And Allgaier led a race best 130 of the 208 laps.

 

Phoenix has proven to be a strong venue for Love as well, who is a perfect three-for-three in top-10 showings at the track including a runner-up finish in his series debut there in Spring, 2023.

 

There are four other former Phoenix winners in the field, including Aric Almirola, who won this Spring, Front Row Motorsports Chandler Smith, who won in Spring, 2024, JR Motorsports Sammy Smith (2023) and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones (2020).

 

The last two Phoenix races have featured last-lap passes for the win.

 

Not only is there the highly-contested driver’s title to be decided Saturday, but there is a slightly different look for the owner’s championship too. It will include Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota – driven by Almirola – and RCR’s No. 21 Chevrolet driven by Austin Hill in addition to the JR Motorsports cars driven by Zilisch and Kvapil.

 

This race also marks a significant time in series history as longtime sponsor Xfinity ends an 11-year tenure.

 

Practice is set for 4:35 p.m. ET (CW App) on Friday, followed by Kennametal Pole Qualifying is Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET (CW App). Joe Gibbs Racing’s William Sawalich is the defending race pole-winner.

 

Corey Heim’s Historic Season Faces Its Final Test in Phoenix

 

As with the NASCAR Xfinity Series, one driver has dominated the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season and comes to Phoenix racing for his first major NASCAR Championship. TRICON Garage’s Corey Heim has turned in a season for the record books and hopes to top it off Friday in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

Heim will be competing for his maiden title against reigning series champion and defending race winner, ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski (No. 98 Ford), along with Halmar-Friesen Racing’s Kaden Honeycutt (No. 52 Toyota) and McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Tyler Ankrum (No. 18 Chevrolet).

 

The season statistics mightily favor Heim, but as record-breaking a season as he his having, he has never won at Phoenix. Heim comes into the title race with a record 11 wins including six in the last eight races alone and is the only driver in series history to have a streak of 10 straight top-three finishes. Only one other driver in the Championship Four, Ankrum (one) has a win this year.

 

The 23-year-old Georgia native and driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota has led more than 40 percent of all laps this season– an all-time record. Heim’s streak of leading laps in 25 consecutive races is not only a record, but should he lead a lap Friday he would become the first driver to lead every single race in a season. He is six laps shy of breaking former champion Mike Skinner’s single season record of 1,533 laps led (1996).

 

Heim scored his best finish at Phoenix last year, finishing runner-up to Majeski by almost four-seconds.

 

Front Row Motorsports’ Chandler Smith is the only other fulltime driver with a victory at Phoenix (2021).

 

Practice for the race is Thursday night at 7:35 p.m. ET with Kennametal Pole Qualifying on Friday at 3:35 p.m. ET (FS2). Majeski won pole position for last year’s race en route to the series championship.

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