NASCAR Preview: 2025 Championship Weekend at Phoenix
- DIVEBOMB Motorsport
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
Written by Gabriel Tsui, Ashleigh McGregor & Bailey Defoor
It's finally here: 2025 Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway in Arizona. After 35 weeks of competition, four drivers in each series are now level on points for a winner-takes-all finale.
In the Cup Series, the Final 4 is Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, William Byron and Kyle Larson.
In the Xfinity Series, the Final 4 is Connor Zilisch, Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love and Carson Kvapil.
In the Truck Series, the Final 4 is Corey Heim, Ty Majeski, Tyler Ankrum and Kaden Honeycutt.
They will race at Phoenix Raceway, Arizona, a one-mile (1.609-kilometre) D-shaped oval with extended run-off that's able to be cut called the "dog leg." The frontstretch contains banking of nine degrees whilst the back contains three. Turns 1 and 2 are at nine degrees whilst Turns 3 and 4 are 11 degrees.
Below are the start times for each race plus lap count:
Trucks: Friday, 31 October, 16:30 local (23:30 UK) - 150 laps
Xfinity: Saturday, 1 November, 16:30 local, (23:30 UK) - 200 laps
Cup: Sunday, 2 November, 12:00 local (20:00 UK) - 312 laps
Below are the defending winners of each race:
Trucks: No. 98 - Ty Majeski (ThorSport Racing)
Xfinity: No. 98 - Riley Herbst (Stewart-Haas Racing)
Cup: No. 22 - Joey Logano (Team Penske)
Cup Series Championship Race Preview
Written by Gabriel Tsui
35 weeks of hard work leads up to this exact race, where we decide the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Champion in Phoenix, Arizona. Four drivers enter, only one will triumph, but who will it be? Is it the underdog story for Chase Briscoe? Is it finally championship time for Byron? A return to the summit for Larson, or the missing piece of a decorated career for Denny Hamlin?
The drivers will be driving 312 laps around Phoenix, with 60 laps in the first stage, 125 laps in the second stage, then closing off the season with 127 laps to crown a brand new NASCAR champion, totalling a distance run of 312 miles (502 kilometres) around the track.
The weather report indicates there will be sunny skies and balmy temperatures in Phoenix, as temperatures will reach up to 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) during the weekend. The race will commence on the Sunday of November 2nd, at 15:00 Eastern (12:00 Pacific, 20:00 British).
Race Predictions
It is really tough to truly predict who would win the race in Phoenix, even if the Penske duo of Blaney and Logano are decent bets in Phoenix. Early season saw Christopher Bell win the race after leading 105 laps during the race, but the No. 20 team has since dropped off a cliff in terms of performance.
A key to Phoenix, especially during the fall race, is qualifying. During both of Logano’s Phoenix championship runs in 2022 and 2024, he started off Phoenix within the top two, and alongside a top-flight race car, he comfortably ran away with both championships.
Where this is headed, you probably know. Ever since making his switch to Joe Gibbs Racing, Chase Briscoe has been sensational during qualifying sessions. He is the only driver to have an average starting position better than tenth place.
Although his past performances may not justify the pick, the complete performance and consistency throughout the season is enough justification for us to make Briscoe our pick for the win, and the championship.
One storyline to look out for this weekend
GO BIG, OR GO HOME
“Go big, or go home” has been a phrase that was thrown around in sports, but this is the perfect description of what is going on right now.
Three of the four playoff drivers are championship-less, while Larson, the only driver on the lineup with a championship, is trying to prove that he is still a championship-contending driver, four years removed from his dominant 2021 championship.
Fate of the universe, martians have the death beam pointed at earth, this is the moment to be great. Time to go big or go home.
Xfinity Series Championship Race Preview
Written by Ashleigh McGregor
At long last, the final race of the Xfinity season is here. After 33 races across the country, it all comes down to this weekend in Arizona
The Final 4
Connor Zilisch came on the track as a rookie this year and showed total domination. He changed the series and brought new energy into it. Two serious injuries during the season, one sustained in victory lane, could not slow him down.
He has become the face of NASCAR’s future. He took the regular season championship and now looks to win the playoffs and bring home both trophies. Can any other driver take it from him?
Justin Allgaier finally made his dream come true in 2024 by winning the championship. His season started strong and then had some dips but he’s been consistent. He’s been to the Final 4 battle many times, and he knows how to win it. Could he pull off back to back titles?
Carson Kvapil is unarguably the driver on the back foot in the Final 4. He nearly didn’t make it to the Championship 4 after spinning out in Martinsville, but Kvapil kept it together and ultimately clinched the position.
It’s also his rookie season, meaning less experience for him – even more so to the other three drivers as he is the only one to not secure a win this season. The trophy could still be his for the taking and what a legendary first win it would be.
Jesse Love also just crawled his way into the Championship 4. A sloppy race with numerous penalties in Martinsville nearly saw him out of the playoffs.
Love has a slight benefit with this track. Phoenix Raceway is where he had a lot of training and also sat as a spectator himself long ago.
Love has been overshadowed this season by his good friend Zilisch. He’s had an excellent season but week in and out the attention was on the new face of the sport. He has a fair shot at achieving his own dream this weekend if he can beat the past, present and future of the sport.
Only one driver can raise that trophy. It will be the ultimate battle between these four extremely talented drivers.
Weekend Guide
The championship race is on Saturday, November 1st. Kickoff is at 19:30 (23:30 UK).
Drivers are covering 200 miles over 200 laps. Stages one and two are 45 laps. The final stage is 110 laps and then your champion will be crowned.
Truck Series Championship Race Preview
Written by Bailey Defoor
The time has come. It all comes down to this. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series takes centre stage first this weekend, kicking off championship weekend in Phoenix. Four drivers will go head-to-head for the title, but only one driver will be named the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion.
Race Weekend Guide
The Truck Series will race on Friday, October 31. Practice will start at 19:35 EST (23:35 UK) on Thursday, October 30. Qualifying is at 15:35 EST (19:35 UK) on Friday afternoon and the green flag drops at 19:30 EST (23:30 UK).
The drivers will complete 150 laps, or 150 miles (241.4 kilometres), with 45 laps making up Stages 1 and 2, and 60 laps making up Stage 3.
Playoff Picture
Corey Heim has led at least one lap in every race this season. Still, the most important laps await him as Heim looks to convert a dominant, record-breaking season into a championship. Heim finished second in last year’s championship race, so he will be aiming for victory this time.
Reigning Truck Series Champion, Ty Majeski, looks to defend his championship. Although he has not won previously this season, he won in Phoenix last year. Majeski has also started in the top ten in all four of his starts in Phoenix, so expect to see him in the front early.
Heim and Majeski also come into Phoenix as the only two who have appeared in the Championship 4 in a past season.
Kaden Honeycutt can become the first Truck Series Champion to have driven for multiple teams on his title-winning season and could become the second Truck Series Champion without a series win.
Tyler Ankrum broke a 130-race winless streak this season with his victory in Rockingham, and he comes into the championship race as the only other race winner this season besides Heim. Ankrum’s consistency is what kept him in the championship fight, so he’ll be one to watch.
It’s the last race of the season, and it’s all come down to this. Will it be the defending champion, or will we see a new driver claim their first Truck Series Championship? Be sure to tune in for the action.
