The NASCAR Cup Series brings 38 cars to Phoenix Raceway for the final race of the 2025 season.
At the end of the race on Sunday afternoon either Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, or Kyle Larson will be crowned the new champion.
The Cup Series drivers will get a full 50 minute practice on Friday afternoon before making a qualifying run on Saturday and race on Sunday.
Several drivers have had tire issues and AJ Allmendinger had a hard hit into the wall that ended in a ride to the infield care center. Allmendinger said the car is dead and will be moving to a backup car.
On the other hand, William Byron reports that he feels really good and his car feels good.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is JJ Yeley who posted a time of 27.720 seconds around the one mile track.
After a hard hit into the wall during practice on Friday, AJ Allmendinger will not make a qualifying run and start the race from the back of the field in a backup car.
Kyle Busch is making race start number 750 this weekend.
Five time race winner New Zealand driver Shane van Gisbergen is the 2025 Rookie of the Year winners. While all of his wins were on road course and street races, van Gisbergen’s five wins in one season is more than 22 drivers in the Cup Series have in their entire careers.
One of the final cars to make a qualifying lap, Denny Hamlin is the first driver to break the 27 second mark with a time of 26.914 seconds.
With a time of 26.914 seconds, Denny Hamlin put his number eleven car on the pole with William Byron alongside on the front row.
The starting lineup for the Cu Series Championship Race:
Denny Hamlin – playoffs
William Byron – playoffs
Kyle Larson – playoffs
Austin Cindric
Ryan Blaney
Carson Hocevar
Josh Berry
Alex Bowman
Chris Buescher
Joey Logano
Kyle Busch
Chase Briscoe – playoffs
Ross Chastain
Daniel Suarez
Erik Jones
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Chase Elliott
Noah Gragson
Brad Keselowski
Christopher Bell
Ryan Preece
Zane Smith
Bubba Wallace
Tyler Reddick
Ty Gibbs
Austin Dillon
Cole Custer
John Hunter Nemechek
Justin Haley
Todd Gilliland
Shane van Gisbergen
Riley Herbst
Cody Ware
Ty Dillon
JJ Yeley
Casey Mears
Michael McDowell
AJ Allmendigner
Stage one is 60 laps, stage two is 125 laps, and stage three is 127 laps for a total of 312 laps around the one mile track.
The campgrounds are packed to capacity and the there is a sellout crowd in the stands for the final race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season and the crowning of a new champion.
On a hot Sunday afternoon, Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with William Byron alongside. Drivers spread out four and five wide with Denny Hamlin taking the lead and William Byron right behind.
Denny Hamlin leads lap one.
The top five are Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, and Carson Hocevar.
Lap four, starting in 12th, Chase Briscoe enters the top 10.
Lap six, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a lead of over half a second on William Byron; Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, and Carson Hocevar round out the top five.
Lap 10, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a one second lead on William Byron.
Lap 19, Denny Hamlin has a near one second lead on William Byron; Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, and Carson Hocevar continue to round out the top five.
Lap 25, there has been very little movement among the drivers so far with all cars on the lead lap. With tire fall off, the drivers are learning to manage their tires.
Lap 29, leader Denny Hamlin is beginning to lap slower traffic.
Lap 37, Denny Hamlin’s lead is down to half a second over William Byron; Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, and Carson Hocevar round out the top five.
Lap 40, William Byron continues to close the gap on leader Denny Hamlin and is now less than half a second back.
Lap 43, William Byron is now just a quarter of a second behind Denny Hamlin. Ryan Blaney has passed Carson Hocevar for fifth.
There are 34 c
ars on the lead lap.
Lap 51, mired in traffic, William Byron is on Denny Hamlin’s bumper and beginning to challenge for the lead. Ryan Blaney has passed Kyle Larson for fourth.
Lap 52, William Byron passes Denny Hamlin for the lead and begins to pull away.
Lap 55, Ryan Blaney passes Austin Cindric for third.
There are just 28 cars on the lead lap.
William Byron wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
William Byron
Ryan Blaney
Denny Hamlin
Austin Cindric
Kyle Larson
Carson Hocevar
Alex Bowman
Joey Logano
Chris Buescher
Chase Briscoe
Drivers come down pit road for service with Ryan Blaney winning the race off of pit road. William Byron comes out in second on four fresh tires.
Denny Hamlin is reporting some possible clutch issues.
Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with William Byron alongside on lap 70. Drivers spread out four and five wide with Ryan Blaney holding on to the lead with William Byron in second; Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Carson Hocevar round out the top five.
Denny Hamlin passes William Byron for second.
Casey Mears is off the track.
The caution flag comes out on lap 73 for John Hunter Nemechek stopped on the track after spinning out and going backwards down the track in a heavy cloud of smoke. Nemechek gets moving again and heads to pit road.
There are some reports of cording on the tires after stage one – the shortest stage of the race.
Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 80 with Denny Hamlin jumping out in front for the lead. Teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron battle for second with Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney rounding out the top five.
Lap 83, Denny Hamlin quickly pulls out to a lone second lead on Kyle Larson; William Byron, Carson Hocevar, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 86, Denny Hamlin now has a near two second lead on Kyle Larson.
Lap 89, Denny Hamlin continues to increase his lead and is now nearly two and a half seconds out in front of Kyle Larson; William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Carson Hocevar round out the top five.
Bubba Wallace is slowed on the track with reports of a throttle issue.
Lap 94, Denny Hamlin now has a three second lead on Kyle Larson.
With a stage of 125 laps, the drivers will have to make a pit stop during the stage.
Casey Mears returns to the track 34 laps down.
Lap 105, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a lead of over three seconds on Kyle Larson.
Shane van Gisbergen brings out the caution flag on lap 107 after spinning out. He reports that he has no grip.
Chase Briscoe is smoking with a flat tire.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Denny Hamlin winning the race off of pit road.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 116 with Kyle Larson alongside. Hamlin gets out in front for the lead as the field spreads out across the track.
Lap 118, Denny Hamlin has a half second lead on Kyle Larson; William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Carson Hocevar rounding out the top five.
Chase Briscoe reports a vibration in his car. He is off the pace.
Lap 121, Denny Hamlin has a one second lead on Kyle Larson. Hamlin reports continual clutch issues.
Lap 128, Denny Hamlin is flying away from the field and is two and a half seconds out in front of Kyle Larson; William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Carson Hocevar round out the top five.
Lap 135, Denny Hamlin has increased his lead to over two and a half seconds over Kyle Larson; Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Carson Hocevar rounding out the top five. Bubba Wallace is off the track with a mechanical issue.
Lap 144, Denny Hamlin holds a two and a half second lead on Kyle Larson with Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Carson Hocevar rounding out the top five.
Kyle Busch makes an unscheduled trip down pit road with a flat tire.
The caution flag comes out on lap 150 for AJ Allmendinger who gets into the wall. He is out of the car and will make the trip to the infield care center.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Denny Hamlin winning the race off of pit road with Ryan Blaney coming out second.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Ryan Blaney alongside on lap 156. Hamlin takes the lead with Ryan Blaney in second; William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell rounding out the top five.
Chase Briscoe has moved up in the field but still reports a bad vibration in the car.
Denny Hamlin is running the fastest laps in the race.
AJ Allmendinger has been checked and released from the infield care center.
Lap 160, Denny Hamlin only has a half second lead on Ryan Blaney; William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell round out the top five. Chase Briscoe is in eighth place.
Lap 166, Denny Hamlin has less than a half second lead on Ryan Blaney with William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell rounding out the top five.
Lap 168, Ryan Blaney has closed the gap on Denny Hamlin to under a quarter of a second.
Lap 172, Ryan Blaney begins to challenge Denny Hamlin for the lead.
Just 10 laps remain in stage two – Denny Hanlin has led 149 laps so far. Hamlin has a lead of a quarter of a second lead on Ryan Blaney; William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chrisotpher Bell round out the top five.
Austin Dill heads for pit road with a flat tire.
The caution flag comes out with just three laps remaining in stage two when Ty Dillon is stopped on the track after hitting the wall with a flat tire.
Stage two ends under caution with Denny Hamlin winning stage two for the stage sweep.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney
William Byron
Kyle Larson
Christopher Bell
Ross Chastain
Chase Briscoe
Joey Logano
Carson Hocevar
Chase Elliott
Drivers come down pit road for service. Hamlin reported that he may have a flat tire on the left side. Ryan Blaney wins the race off of pit road. Denny Hamlin comes out in eleventh.
Kyle Larson had a slow stop due to a lug nut issue.
Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with William Byron alongside on lap 194. Blaney takes the lead with the drivers spread out three and four wide.
William Byrn passes Ryan Blaney for the lead.
The top five are William Byron, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, and Chase Elliott.
Lap 196, Denny Hamlin has entered the top 10.
Lap 201, Den.ny Hamlin is up to seventh and after restarting the race in 18th, Kyle Larson has entered the top 10.
Bubba Wallace has returned to the track 87 laps down.
Lap 205, William Byron has a lead of over half a second on Ross Chastain; Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott round out the top five. Denny Hamlin is in sixth.
Lap 207, Chase Briscoe passes Ross Chastain for second. Ryan Blaney passes Ross Chastain for third.
Lap 209, William Byron has a lead of over a second on Chase Briscoe.
Chase Elliott passes Ross Chastain for fourth.
Kyle Larson is smoking and slowed on the track but makes it to pit road with a flat tire and the track stays green.
Chase Briscoe has to come down pit road with a flat tire.
Lap 218, the top five are William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, and Ross Chastain.
The caution flag comes out on lap 220 for a flat tire on Carson Hocevar’s car.
Chase Briscoe is the “lucky dog”.
Drivers come down pit road for fresh tires with Chase Elliott winning the race off of pit road after taking only two tires.
Chase Elliott brings the field down for the green flag restart with Rya Blaney alongside on lap 227. William Byron makes it a three wide battle and takes second behind Elliott.
Lap 228, the top five are Chase Elliott, William Byron, Josh Berry, Ryan Blanmey, and Denny Hamlin.
Ryan Blaney passes Josh Berry for third, Denny Hamlin passes Josh Berry for fourth.
With 80 laps to go, Chase Elliott has a lead of over half a second on William Byron; Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, and Josh Berry round out the top five.
Still on the lead lap, Kyle Larson is back in 24th.
With 70 laps remaining in the race, Chase Elliott has pulled out to a lead of over a second on William Byron; Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Josh Berry round out the top five.
Alex Bowman makes his way to pit road with a flat tire.
With 67 laps to go, William Byron has closed the gap on leader Chase Elliott to just half a second.
Noah Gragson is slowed on the track but makes it to pit road and the track stays green.
The sun is beginning to set and is causing some visual issues for the drivers.
With 62 laps to go, William Byron is just a tenth of a second behind teammate and leader Chase Elliott.
William Byron passes Chase Elliott for the lead.
With 58 laps remaining in the race, William Byron has a half second lead on Chase Elliott; Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Josh Berry round out the top five.
With 56 laps to go, Denny Hamlin passes Chase Elliott for second – over a second behind leader William Byron.
The caution flag comes out with 54 laps to go for Austin Cindric who backed into the wall hard with a flat tire.
Drivers come down pit road for fresh tires and adjustments with William Byron winning the race off of pit road with Chase Elliott in second and Denny Hamlin in third.
Chase Elliott was caught speeding on pit road.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart with Denny Hamlin alongside with 46 laps to go. Hamlin edges out for the lead as drivers get three and four wide across the track.
William Byron moves up on the inside to battle with Denny Hamlin for the lead that includes a bit of contact. Hamlin holds on to the lead.
With 42 laps to go, Denny Hamlin has a lead of over half a second on William Byron; Ryan Blaney, Josh Berry, and Joey Logano round out the top five.
Just 38 laps to go, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to nearly a second lead on William Byron; Ryan Blaney, Josh Berry, and Joey Logano round out the top five. Chase Briscoe is just outside the top five in sixth.
The caution flag comes out with 34 laps for JJ Yeley who gets into the wall.
Drivers come down pit road for fresh tires with some of the drivers taking only two tires. Chase Briscoe wins the race off of pit road with Kyle Larson in second.
Chase Briscoe brings the field down for the green flag restart with Kyle Larson alongside with just 28 laps remaining in the race. Chase Briscoe takes the lead. Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin makes it a three wide race when William Byron moves up to make it a four way battle with Hamlin taking the lead.
The top five are Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, and Chase Briscoe.
Just 25 laps to go, Denny Hamlin has a half second lead on William Byron.
Just 22 laps to go, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a one second lead on William Byron; Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
With 18 to go, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a lead of over a second and a half on William Byron.
Just 15 laps to go, Denny Hamlin has increased his lead to over two seconds on William Byron; Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Ten to go, Denny Hamlin now has a two and a half second lead on William Byron.
Just eight lap remain, Denny Hamlin continues to increase his lead and has a three second lead on William Byron.
Six laps to go, leader Denny Hamlin has encountered slower traffic.
The caution flag comes out with just three laps remaining in the race and it’s William Byron who has a tire issue.
The race goes into overtime!
Denny Hamlin leads the field of drivers down pit road for tires. Ryan Blaney wins the race off of pit road after taking only two tires.
Zane Smith was caught speeding on pit road.
John Hunter Nemechek was charged with a safety violation.
After staying out on the track Brad Keselowski leads the race. Ryan Preece and Alex Bowman also stayed out on the track.
Brad Keselowski brings the field down for the overtime shootout for the win with Ryan Preece alongside. Brad Keselowski takes the lead with teammate Ryan Preece in second.
Brad Keselowski takes the white flag.
Ryan Blaney comes up at the last second to win the race with third place driver Kyle Larson wins his second championship! That’s Rick Hendrick’s 15th championship win.
The unofficial results of the Cup Series Championship Race:
Ryan Blaney
Brad Keselowski
Kyle Larson
Joey Logano
Kyle Busch
Denny Hamlin
Josh Berry
Michael McDowell
Ryan Preece
Chase Elliott
Christopher Bell
Chris Buescher
Ross Chastain
Justin Haley
Alex Bowman
Erik Jones
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Chase Briscoe
Daneil Suarez
Austin Dillon
Ty Gibbs
Todd Gilliland
Riley Herbst
Shane van Gisbergen
Cole Custer
Tyler Reddick
Noah Gragson
Carson Hocevar
Zane Smith
Cody Ware
John Hunter Nemechek
JJ Yeley
William Byron
Austin Cindric
Ty Dillon
Casey Mears
Bubba Wallace
AJ Allmendinger