It all comes down to one final race when the NASCAR Cup Series closes out the 2020 racing season with the Season Finale 500 from Phoenix Raceway.
After winning the race in Martinsville to earn his spot in the final four and the pole for the start of the final race of the season, Chase Elliott and his number nine Hemdrick Motorsports car find themselves starting the race from the back of the field after failing the pre-race inspection process twice.
Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer are starting their final NASCAR Cup Series races as Johnson moves to IndyCar and Bowyer into the broadcast booth
The starting lineup for the Season Finale 500 (km):
Chase Elliott – moved to the back of the field for failing inspection
Joey Logano
Brad Keselowski
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney
Alex Bowman
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Clint Bowyer
Aric Almirola
Kevin Harvick
Matt DiBenedetto
Martin Truex Jr
Erik Jones
Cole Custer
Matt Kenseth
Christopher Bell
Austin Dillon
Ryan Newman
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Tyler Reddick
Ty Dillon
Bubba Wallace
Ryan Preece
William Byron
Jimmie Johnson
John Hunter Nemechek
Corey LaJoie
Michael McDowell
Daniel Suarez
Chris Buescher
JJ Yeley
Timmy Hill
Quin Houff
Brennan Poole
James Davison
Joey Gase
Josh Bilicki
Garrett Smithley
Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag start of the race and jumps out in front for the lead.
Lap four, Joey Logano leads the race with Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin battling for second.
Lap six, Joey Logano has a lead of nearly a second on second place driver Brad Keselowski with Denny Hmlin in third. Chase Elliott has moved up to 25th place.
Lap nine, Joey Logano leads the race with Brad Keselowski in second and Denny Hamlin in third and challenging for second.
Lap eleven the top five are Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Kurt Busch. Chase Elliott has moved up to 20th place.
Lap 19, Joey Logano has pulledo ut to a two second lead on Brad Keselowski with Denny Hamlin in third; Ryan Blaney and Kurt Busch round out the top five. Chase Elliott is now in 13th place. There are 33 cars on the lead lap.
NASCAR has called for a competition caution on lap 30.
Lap 23, Joey Logano holds on to his two second lead on Brad Keselowski with Denny Hamlin in third. After Starting the race from the back of the field, Chase Elliott has moved up to 12th place.
Lap 26, Joey Logano has a second and a hlaf lead on Brad Keselowski; Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Kurt Busch round out the top five. Chase Elliott has now entered the top 10.
At the end of lap 30, NASCAR displays the yellow flag for the competition caution. Joey Logano has led every lap so far.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Joey Logano winning the race off of pit road. After a messy pit stop, Brad Keselowski lost six spots on the track.
Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 37 and takes the lead as drivers get four and ifve wide across the track.
Lap 39, Joey Logano leads the race with Denny Hamlin in second; Alex Bowman, Clint Bowyer, and Kyle Busch round out the top five. Chase Elliot is now in sixth place.
Lapa 42, Chase Elliott is now in fourth place after starting the race from the back of the field. While he came off of pit road in 10th place, he restarted the race in 12th place.
Lap 44, the top five are Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, and Brad Keselowski.
Chase Elliott gets around Alex Bowman to take third place.
Lap 54, Joey Logano continues to lead the race; Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, and Alex Bowman round out the top five with 30 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 59, Joey Logano has a lead of over half a second on Denny Hamlin with Chase Elliott in third over three seconds back and Brad Keselowski over five seconds back.
Lap 62, the top five are Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney.
Lap 69, Joey Logano has a lead of less than half a second on Denny Hamlin; Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five with 29 cars on the lead lap.
The final race of the season, stage points are not awarded for this race.
Joey Logano wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Joey Logano
Denny Hamlin
Chase Elliott
Brad Keselowski
Ryan Blanehy
Kyle Busch
Alex Bowman
Clint Bowyer
Kurt Busch
Matt DiBenedetto
Drivers come down pit road for service with Joey Logano winning the race off of pit road; Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Brad Keselowski followed.
Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 84 and jumps out in front for the lead as drivers get four and five wide across the track. Driving below the yellow line is not out of bounds for the drivers.
Lap 85, Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin battle for second place. Hamlin holds him off…for now.
Lap 87, Denny Hamlin challenges Joey logano for the lead, but Logano holds on to the lead.
Lap 91, Joey Logano holds on to the lead with Denny Hamlin in second; Chase Elliott Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.
Joey Logano has some debris on his grille.
Lap 99, Joey Logano continues to lead the race with Denny Hamlin in second; Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five. There are 30 cars on the lead lap.
Joey Logano uses some lapped traffic to get the debris off of his front grille.
Lap 105, after starting the race in 26th place, Jimmie Johnson has entered the top 10 in seventh place in his final Cup Series race.
Lap 108, the final four are running 1,2,3,4 with Joey Logano in the lead; Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Brad Keselowski follow.
Joey Logano is reporting a vibration in the car. He plans to hold on until they reach their pit window to come down pit road. The drivers cannot complete the stage on a single load of fuel.
Chase Elliot gets around Denny Hamlin for second and now challenging Joey Logano for the lead on lap 117.
Lap 119, Chase Elliott is on Joey Logano’s bumper and is challenging for the lead.
Lap 120, Chase Elliott passes Joey Logano for the lead. There are 27 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 122, the top five are Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Denny hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney.
Denny Hamlin passes Joey Logano for second.
Brad Keselowski brings his car down pit road to begin the cycle of green flag pit stops.
Lap 131,, Chase Elliott leads the race with Denny Hamlin in second and Joey Logano in third. Brad Keselowski is now a lpa down…until the cycle of pit stops cycle through.
Lap 137, more drivers come down pit road for fuel and fresh tires.
Lap 139, leader Chase Elliott makes his green flag pit stop and hand the lead over to Jimmie Johnson.
Lap 143, leader Jimmie Johnson comes down pit road for his pit stop and hands the lead over to Matt DiBenedetto.
Lap 145, Aric Almirola is the new leader.
Lap 148, the top five are Aric Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin.
Lap 151, Chase Elliott passes Aric Almirola for the lead .
The Final Four are 1,2, 3, 4 with Chase Elliott leading the way; Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano. Ryan Blaney is in fifth place.
Lap 161, the caution flag comes out for an incident involving Josh Bilicki and James Davison.
Even though they were on pit road less than 30 laps ago, the drivers come down pit road for fresh tires. Taking only two tires, Kurt Busch wins the race off of pit road with Chase Elliott in second. Austin Dillon comes out in third place after taking only two tires.
Kurt Busch brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 168 wind edges out in front for the lead before Chase Elliott retakes the lead.
Drivers are getting three wide in a battle for position.
Lap 170, Chase Elliott leads the way with a lead of nearly half a second on Brad Keselowski; Joey Logano is in third and Denny Hamlin in fifth.
Lap 175, Brad Keselowski gets around Chase Elliott for the lead; Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five with 28 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 162, Chase Elliott is on Brad Keselowski’s bumper and is challenging for the lead. On lap 183, Elliott passes Keselowski for the lead.
The final four are Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin; Ryan Blaney round out to top five.
With four laps remaining in stage two, Brad Keselowski challenges Chase Elliott for the lead as they encounter lapped traffic.
Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski battle for the lead with Keselowski wins stage two.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Brad Keselowski
Chase Elliott
Joey Logano
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney
Jimmie Johnson
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
William Byron
Matt DiBenedetto
Ryan Preece loses power in his car and needs a push to get to the garage.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Chase Elliott winning the race off of pit road by a nose over Joey Logano.
Chase Elliott brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap k
Chase Elliott brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 201 and gets out in front for the lead with Joey Logano in second, Denny Hamlin in third, and Brad Keselowski in fourth.
Lap 203, the top five are Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney.
Lap 207, Quin Houff is the only driver out of the race with 28 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 211, Chase Elliott has a half second lead on Joey Logano; Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 214, Joey Logano has closed the gap on leader Chase Elliott to under a quarter of a second.
Lap 222, Chase Elliott continues to lead the race with Joey Logano in second; Denny Hamlin is in third, and Brad Keselowski in fourth, and Ryan Blaney rounding out the top five.
Lap 225, Brad Keselowski passes Denny Hamlin for third.
Lap 228, Chase Elliott has a lead of over half a second on Joey Logano; Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 233, Chase Elliott continues to lead the race by over a half a second on Joey Logano; Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 248, Chase Elliott continues to lead the race with a lead of over half a second on Joey Logano; Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five
Denny Hamlin is reporting a tight issue in his car and some possible brake issues.
Only 60 laps remain in the race, Chase Elliott leads the race with Joey Logano in second; Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Jimmie Johnson round out the top five with just 18 cars on the lead lap as green flag pit stops have begun.
Lap 258, Joey Logano has closed the gap on leader Chase Elliott to under half a second.
Joey Logano is the furst of the final four to come down pit road. Denny Hamlin also comes down pit road for service.
Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski make their green flag pit stops and gives the lead over to Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
With 51 laps to go, leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr makes his pit stop and gives the lead to Joey Logano with Chase Elliott a second and a half back.
After another slow pit stop, Brad Keselowski returns to the track in fourth place.
Just 45 laps to go, Chase Elliott has closed the gap on leader Joey Logano and is challenging for the lead among lapped traffic.
Chase Elliott battles Joey Logano for the lead and passes Logano on the inside to retake the lead.
With just 18 cars on the lead lap, Chase Elliott has pulled out to a half second lead on Joey Logano; Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Thirty seven to go, Chase Elliott has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Joey Logano with 17 cars on the lead lap.
Garrett Smithley and Corey LaJoie are off the track.
Thirty four to go, Chase Elliott holds on to his one second lead on Joey Logano with just 16 cars on the lead lap. Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin battle for third.
With 32 to go, Chase Elliott is slowly increasing his lead on Joey Logano; Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Thirty to go, Chase Elliott has a lead of nearly a second and a half on Joey Logano.
Denny Hamlin reports a tight condition.
Twenty five to go, Chase Elliott now has a two second lead on Joey Logano with just 14 cars on the lead lap.
With 23 laps to go, Chase Elliott has pulled out to a lead of over two and a half seconds on Joey Logano; Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five. There are 14 cars on the lead lap.
Garrett Smithley is out of the race.
Nineteen to go, Chase Elliott has pulled out to a three second lead on Joey Logano; Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Jimmie Johnson round out the top five.
Thirteen to go, Chase Elliott holds on to his three second lead on Joey Logano with 14 cars on the lead lap.
The top five are Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Jimmie Johnson.
Two of the final four playoff drivers have previously won a championship; while Denny Hamlin has yet to win the title but has been a part of the final four before. Chase Elliott is competing in his final four playoff.
Nine to go, Chase Elliott has a lead of over three seconds on Joey Logano.
Only six laps remain in the 2020 NASCAR season, Chase Elliott has pulled out to a lead of nearly three and a half seconds on Brad Keselowski with just 12 cars on the lead lap.
Four to go, Chase Elliott has a lead of over three seconds on Brad Keselowski.
Chase Elliott takes the white flag with a lead of over three seconds on Brad Keselowski.
Chase Elliott wins the race…and the 2020 NASCAR Cup Championship!!!
With his first championship, Chase Elliott joins his father Bill as the champion and the sport’s most popular driver. The last time that feat was accomplished was 1988 with Bill Elliott. The Elliotts become just the third father/son champions in NASCAR; joining the Petty’s – Richard and Lee – and the Jarretts – Ned and Dale.
Seven time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson goes side by side with Chase Elliott arund the track.
All of the drivers have stopped on the track to wait for Chase to driver by.
Jimmie Johnson makes one final lap around Phoenix Raceway with the driver’s side facing the crowd.
Chase Elliott takes the championship flag and burns it down with plenty of smoke.
Chase Elliott exits the car to rousing cheers from the crowd and lots of hugs from his crew.
Twenty days shy of his 25th birthday, Chase Elliott gave himself an early birthday present with the win…and the championship.
All he could say in the post race interview is, “we did it!;” adding “this is unreal”.
The unofficial results of the Seasn Finale 500:
Chase Elliott
Brad Keselowski
Joey Logano
Denny Hamlin
Jimmie Johnson
Ryan Blaney
Kevin Harvick
Matt DiBenedetto
William Byron
Martin Truex Jr
Kyle Busch
Kurt Busch
Aric Almirola
Clint Bowyer
Bubba Wallace
Alex Bowman
Christopher Bell
Austin Dillon
Tyler Reddick
Chris Buescher
Ty Dillon
Erik Jones
Michael McDowell
Ryan Newman
Matt Kenseth
John Hunter Nemechek
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Cole Custer
Brennan Poole
JJ Yeley
Daniel Suarez
Joey Gase
James Davison
Ryan Preece
Josh Bilicki
Timmy Hill
Garrett Smithley
Corey LaJoie
Quin Houff