2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race

2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Race 36 of 36 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series
Date|  November 5, 2023 (2023-11-05)
Location|  Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona
Course|  Permanent racing facility
1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance|  312 laps, 312 mi (499.2 km)
Average speed|  108.827 miles per hour (175.140 km/h)
Pole position
Driver|

* William Byron

|  Hendrick Motorsports
Time|  27.150
Most laps led
Driver|  Ross Chastain|  Trackhouse Racing
Laps|  157
Winner
No. 1|  Ross Chastain|  Trackhouse Racing
Television in the United States
Network|  NBC
Announcers|  Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Radio in the United States
Radio|  MRN
Booth Announcers|  Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers|  Dave Moody (1 & 2) and Mike Bagley (3 & 4)

Motor car race

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on November 5, 2023, at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 312 laps on the one mile (1.6 km) oval, it was the 36th and final race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. Ross Chastain won the race, with Ryan Blaney finishing second and claiming his first Cup Series championship. This was also the final race for Kevin Harvick before his retirement from the Cup Series.

## Report

[edit]

### Background

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Phoenix Raceway, the track where the race was held.

Phoenix Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.

The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.

Phoenix Raceway is home to two annual NASCAR race weekends, one of 13 facilities on the NASCAR schedule to host more than one race weekend a year. The track is both the first and last stop in the western United States, as well as the fourth and the last track on the schedule.

#### Championship drivers

[edit]

* Kyle Larson was the first of four drivers to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, winning the first race of the Round of 8 at Las Vegas.
* Christopher Bell clinched the second spot in the Championship 4, winning the second race of the Round of 8 at Homestead.
* Ryan Blaney clinched the third spot in the Championship 4, winning the third race of the Round of 8 at Martinsville.
* William Byron clinched the final spot in the Championship 4, based on points.[10]

#### Entry list

[edit]

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
* (CC) denotes championship contender.

No. | Driver  | Team  | Manufacturer

|
|
|

1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford
3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet
4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford
5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford
7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet
8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet
9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford
11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota
12 | Ryan Blaney (CC) | Team Penske | Ford
14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford
15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford
16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet
17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford
19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota
20 | Christopher Bell (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota
21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford
22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford
23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota
24 | William Byron (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet
34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford
42 | Carson Hocevar (i) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet
43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet
45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota
47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet
48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
51 | Ryan Newman (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford
54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota
77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet
78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet
99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
Official entry list

## Practice

[edit]

Kyle Busch was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 27.520 seconds and a speed of 130.814 mph (210.525 km/h).[11]

### Practice results

[edit]

Pos  | No. | Driver  | Team  | Manufacturer  | Time  | Speed

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.520 | 130.814
2  | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 27.549 | 130.676
3  | 12 | Ryan Blaney (CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 27.602 | 130.425
Official practice results

## Qualifying

[edit]

William Byron scored the pole for the race with a time of 27.150 and a speed of 132.597 mph (213.394 km/h).[12]

### Qualifying results

[edit]

Pos  | No. | Driver  | Team  | Manufacturer  | R1 | R2

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | 24 | William Byron (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.074 | 27.150
2  | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.182 | 27.168
3  | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 27.067 | 27.186
4  | 5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.149 | 27.191
5  | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 27.130 | 27.219
6  | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.124 | 27.244
7  | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 27.151 | 27.368
8  | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 27.106 | 27.386
9  | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 27.129 | 27.458
10  | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 27.150 | 27.957
11  | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.181 | —
12  | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 27.182 | —
13  | 20 | Christopher Bell (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.203 | —
14  | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 27.205 | —
15  | 12 | Ryan Blaney (CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 27.218 | —
16  | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 27.232 | —
17  | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 27.241 | —
18  | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.246 | —
19  | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 27.249 | —
20  | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.266 | —
21  | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.275 | —
22  | 42 | Carson Hocevar (i) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 27.280 | —
23  | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.295 | —
24  | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 27.316 | —
25  | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 27.421 | —
26  | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 27.444 | —
27  | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 27.446 | —
28  | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 27.460 | —
29  | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.557 | —
30  | 51 | Ryan Newman (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 27.578 | —
31  | 6 | Cole Custer (i)[a] | RFK Racing | Ford | 27.582 | —
32  | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 27.599 | —
33  | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.606 | —
34  | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 27.662 | —
35  | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 28.003 | —
36  | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.248 | —
Official qualifying results

## Race

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* Note: Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and William Byron were not eligible for stage points because of their participation in the Championship 4.

### Race results

[edit]

For the first time since 2013, the final race of the season was not won by the eventual Cup Series Champion. Instead, Trackhouse driver Ross Chastain, who was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, wound up dominating the second half of the race to take the win, his second of the season and his fourth overall. As Ryan Blaney, who placed second, had the highest finishing position of the drivers who qualified for the Championship 4, he was declared the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion.

#### Stage results

[edit]

Stage One Laps: 60

Pos  | No | Driver  | Team  | Manufacturer  | Points

|
|
|
|
|

1 | 24 | William Byron (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0
2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9
3 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 8
4 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 7
5 | 5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0
6 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5
7 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 4
8 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 3
9 | 20 | Christopher Bell (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0
10 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 0
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 125

Pos  | No | Driver  | Team  | Manufacturer  | Points

|
|
|
|
|

1 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 10
2 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 9
3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8
4 | 24 | William Byron (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0
5 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6
6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 0
7 | 5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0
8 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 3
9 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 2
10 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 1
Official stage two results

### Final Stage results

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Stage Three Laps: 127

Pos  | Grid  | No | Driver  | Team  | Manufacturer  | Laps  | Points

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | 8 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 57
2 | 15 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 312 | 35
3 | 4 | 5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsprots | Chevrolet | 312 | 34
4 | 1 | 24 | William Byron (CC) | Hendrick Motorsprots | Chevrolet | 312 | 33
5 | 9 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 312 | 47
6 | 2 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 41
7 | 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 47
8 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 29
9 | 19 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 312 | 28
10 | 5 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 312 | 37
11 | 16 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 26
12 | 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 25
13 | 28 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 24
14 | 12 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 23
15 | 31 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 312 | 24
16 | 20 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 21
17 | 23 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 20
18 | 17 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 312 | 19
19 | 22 | 42 | Carson Hocevar (i) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 312 | 0
20 | 7 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 312 | 21
21 | 11 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 16
22 | 10 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 312 | 15
23 | 24 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 14
24 | 26 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 13
25 | 18 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 12
26 | 25 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 311 | 11
27 | 34 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 311 | 0
28 | 33 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 310 | 9
29 | 35 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 310 | 8
30 | 14 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 309 | 7
31 | 29 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 308 | 6
32 | 32 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 308 | 5
33 | 36 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 306 | 0
34 | 30 | 51 | Ryan Newman (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 305 | 0
35 | 27 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 301 | 2
36 | 13 | 20 | Christopher Bell (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 108 | 1
Official race results

### Race statistics

[edit]

* Lead changes: 18 among 8 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 4 for 27 laps
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 1 second
* Average speed: 108.827 miles per hour (175.140 km/h)

## Media

[edit]

### Television

[edit]

NBC covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, two–time Phoenix winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and three-time Phoenix winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Kim Coon, Parker Kligerman and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties from pit lane.

NBC

Booth announcers | Pit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen
Color-commentator: Jeff Burton
Color-commentator: Steve Letarte
Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dave Burns
Kim Coon
Parker Kligerman
Marty Snider

### Radio

[edit]

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace called the action from the broadcast booth when the field races down the front straightaway. Dave Moody called the action from turns 1 & 2 and Mike Bagley called the action from turns 3 & 4\. Steve Post, Jacklyn Drake, Jason Toy, and Chris Wilner covered the action for MRN from pit lane.

MRN Radio

Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley | Steve Post
Jacklyn Drake
Jason Toy
Chris Wilner

## Standings after the race

[edit]

Drivers' Championship standings
|  | Pos  | Driver  | Points

|
|
|

| 1  | Ryan Blaney | 5,035
1  | 2  | Kyle Larson | 5,034 (–1)
1  | 3  | William Byron | 5,033 (–2)
2  | 4  | Christopher Bell | 5,001 (–34)
| 5  | Denny Hamlin | 2,383 (–2,652)
| 6  | Tyler Reddick | 2,344 (–2,691)
1  | 7  | Chris Buescher | 2,310 (–2,725)
1  | 8  | Brad Keselowski | 2,302 (–2,733)
| 9  | Ross Chastain | 2,299 (–2,736)
| 10  | Bubba Wallace | 2,279 (–2,756)
1  | 11  | Martin Truex Jr. | 2,269 (–2,766)
1  | 12  | Joey Logano | 2,258 (–2,777)
1  | 13  | Kevin Harvick | 2,241 (–2,794)
1  | 14  | Kyle Busch | 2,232 (–2,803)
| 15  | Michael McDowell | 2,185 (–2,850)
| 16  | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 2,168 (–2,867)
Official driver's standings

Manufacturers' Championship standings
|  | Pos  | Manufacturer  | Points

|
|
|

| 1  | Chevrolet | 1,329
| 2  | Toyota | 1,249 (–80)
| 3  | Ford | 1,240 (–89)

* Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Cole Custer filled in for Brad Keselowski for Qualifying as Keselowski and his wife, Paige welcomed their third child.[13]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "2023 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
2. ^ "Phoenix Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
3. ^ Taranto, Steven (September 14, 2022). "NASCAR releases 2023 Cup Series schedule highlighted by new Chicago, All-Star race stops". CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
4. ^ "NASCAR unveils 2023 schedule for its national series". National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC. September 14, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
5. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 30, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
6. ^ "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
7. ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
8. ^ "NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
9. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
10. ^ "BUILT for the Playoffs: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 set for Phoenix". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
11. ^ Utter, Jim (November 3, 2023). "Busch tops Cup practice before incident; Blaney leads title contenders". Motorsport.com. Avondale, Arizona: Motorsport Network. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
12. ^ Utter, Jim (November 4, 2023). "William Byron earns pole position for NASCAR Cup title-decider". Motorsport.com. Avondale, Arizona: Motorsport Network. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
13. ^ "Brad Keselowski to skip Phoenix qualifying to attend birth of so". ESPN.com. ESPN. November 4, 2023.

Previous race:
2023 Xfinity 500 | NASCAR Cup Series
2023 season | Next race:
2024 Daytona 500

|
|

* v
* t
* e

2023 NASCAR Cup Series

Points races|

* Daytona 500 (2023 Bluegreen Vacations Duels)
* Pala Casino 400
* Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube
* United Rentals Work United 500
* Ambetter Health 400
* EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
* Toyota Owners 400
* Food City Dirt Race
* NOCO 400
* GEICO 500
* Würth 400
* AdventHealth 400
* Goodyear 400
* Coca-Cola 600
* Enjoy Illinois 300
* Toyota/Save Mart 350
* Ally 400
* Grant Park 220
* Quaker State 400
* Crayon 301
* HighPoint.com 400
* Cook Out 400
* FireKeepers Casino 400
* Verizon 200 at the Brickyard
* Go Bowling at The Glen
* Coke Zero Sugar 400

Playoffs|

* Cook Out Southern 500
* Hollywood Casino 400
* Bass Pro Shops Night Race
* Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400
* YellaWood 500
* Bank of America Roval 400
* South Point 400
* 4EVER 400
* Xfinity 500
* NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race

Exhibition races|

* Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum
* NASCAR All-Star Race

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