The Championship 4 for the NASCAR Cup Series is decided once more at Phoenix Raceway. (Photo: Nigel Kinrade | Nigel Kinrade Photography)
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Cactus, sun and desert are synonymous with the city of Phoenix. For the past six-consecutive seasons, something else has been in “The Valley of the Sun” — racing that decides the crown among the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4.
NASCAR has hosted its championship series at Phoenix Raceway since 2020. Now, with potential championship format changes ahead, NASCAR has decided to implement the championship to a rotating location for the foreseeable future, starting with Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2026.
“It’s just such a great city and town, and when you can look at the forecast, and there’s not a cloud in the sky for about seven-days, that’s pretty fantastic,” Denny Hamlin said when talking about Phoenix at NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 Media Day. “So, it’s great from that standpoint. I love the area, and there’s tons to do with your family. It’s a great sports town.”
Hamlin, who drives the No. 11 car for Joe Gibbs Racing is one of the four championship drivers this season. Hamlin nabbed the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race. His teammate, Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, also qualified for the final four.
For Briscoe, Phoenix is a particularly special place.
“You never forget your first win, so that’s the thing I think about when I think about Phoenix”, Briscoe said.
Briscoe secured his spot in Phoenix after a win in Talladega. Briscoe knows he still has a lot of work to do if he is going to win another.
“It’s nice that I’ve won here [Phoenix] before, but that was the first year of the next gen car, and nobody even knew what to bring setup wise,” Briscoe said. “Like, at that time, I was running basically the fence in turns one and two, and we don’t really do that anymore.”
William Byron, one of the Championship 4 contenders, hopes to make it a memorable Sunday at Phoenix. (Photo: Michael Donahue | The Podium Finish)
Hendrick Motorsports also has a duo of drivers in the championship hunt. Hamlin and Briscoe will go head-to-head with Kyle Larson and William Byron.
“Getting to come to Arizona in general is exciting,” Larson said.
For Larson, the best part is that there is so much to do in and around the racetrack, that it just takes his mind off racing.
“I enjoy riding my bike in Arizona, and we even did a kind of cool climb up a mountain [on Wednesday],” Larson recalled.
Larson, who drives the No. 5 Chevrolet, is the only driver this season who secured his spot on points alone. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion has had a tremulous relationship with Phoenix Raceway.
“I just enjoy this track, and I’ve been decent here in the past, you know, I’ve won here, but there have been other times where we have almost won. So hopefully this week we can be more competitive than we’ve been,” he offered.
Byron, the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has 16-career victories and is looking to capture his first Cup Championship in his third straight final four appearance.
“Third straight is pretty cool,” Bryon said. “We should take pride in that as a team, honestly, because it’s hard to do, especially with this next-gen car. I think it makes preparation easier, you know because this track hasn’t changed.”
It’s unmistakable that for each of the championship four drivers, Phoenix holds a special place in their minds and their careers. Latasha Causey, president of Phoenix Raceway, praised her staff for making this track the reason why NASCAR has held Championship Weekend here for so long.
“We have the best team here at phoenix raceway, some of our staff members have been here for more than 25-years,” Causey said. “Their hard work really makes this track what it is, for the drivers and the fans.”
Phoenix Raceway will continue to host its two annual NASCAR race weekends, and NASCAR has not ruled out the chance for the Championship Race Weekend to return. For now, one of the most major storylines of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series will reach its conclusion on Sunday afternoon in deciding the 2025 season champion.
