NASCAR Cup

The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race returns to Homestead-Miami next year, but this year’s championship will be decided at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. The remaining four contenders will battle it out for supremacy and the highest finisher will be declared the winner. 

Phoenix has held the title race since 2020, but NASCAR decided six years was enough and it heads back to the Sunshine State. We are guaranteed to have a new champion this year, as Joey Logano was eliminated during the Round of 8. Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, and Kyle Larson are the contenders.

 

Hamlin and Briscoe finished 35th and 37th, respectively, at Martinsville last week, but they were already in following wins at Las Vegas and Talladega. Byron was 36th and 25th in those two races, but swept everything in the Xfinity 500 to punch his ticket to this race.

How to Watch The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race

When: Sunday, November 2, 2025

Where: Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, AZ

Time: 3:00 p.m. ET

Channel: NBC

2025 NASCAR Cup Series Standings

The race winners so far are William Byron (2), Kyle Larson (3), Christopher Bell (4), Denny Hamlin (6), Shane van Gisbergen (5), Ryan The race winners so far are Byron (3), Larson (3), Christopher Bell (4), Hamlin (6), Shane van Gisbergen (5), Ryan Blaney (3), Ross Chastain, Logano, Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Briscoe (3), Chase Elliott (2), Bubba Wallace, and Austin Dillon. Byron’s third win of the season was just his second top-five finish in the nine playoff races. Larson is the only driver eligible for the title who hasn’t won a playoff race.

All four drivers had their points reset to 5,000 for this “round”.

2025 NASCAR Cup Championship Playoffs Schedule

Round of 16

Cook Out Southern 500 (Darlington) – August 31, 6 p.m. ET

Enjoy Illinois 300 (World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison) – September 7, 3 p.m. ET

Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Bristol) – September 13, 7:30 p.m. ET

Round of 12

Mobil 1 301 (New Hampshire) – September 21, 2 p.m. ET

Hollywood Casino 400 (Kansas) – September 28, 3 p.m. ET

Bank of America Roval 400 (Charlotte) – October 5, 3 p.m. ET

Round of 8

South Point 400 (Las Vegas) – October 12, 5:30 p.m. ET

YellaWood 500 (Talladega) – October 19, 2 p.m. ET

Xfinity 500 (Martinsville) – October 26, 2 p.m. ET

Championship Race

NASCAR Cup Championship Race (Phoenix) – November 2, 3 p.m. ET

NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race Winners

The five winners at Phoenix in this race are Elliott, Larson, Logano, Chastain, and Logano. Bell won the Phoenix race way back in March. It was his third straight win at the time and he only had one additional win after that.

Over the last 10 races at Phoenix, Blaney has the highest average finish at 6.5, with seven top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes. But, he hasn’t won in that span. Hamlin, who also hasn’t won in that span, is second with an average finish of 8.6, with four top-five finishes and six top-10 finishes. Larson (8.8) and Byron (9.0) are next. Briscoe’s average finish is 17.4, but he does have a win in his last nine starts here. In other words, this should be a very competitive championship race.

Steve Makinen’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race Predictions

For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s final simulation results and more stats on the drivers.

We’ve reached the final week of the NASCAR season with the Cup Series Championship Race on tap for Sunday. There will be 38 cars on the track vying for a checkered flag, but four of those drivers will have their sights set on a bigger prize, the 2025 series title. None of those four is our projected winner however in the initial simulation, as that honor goes to Christopher Bell, who has far and away the best track rating of any driver at PIR. The four title contending drivers and their projected simulation finishes are as follows: Denny Hamlin (2nd), William Byron (3rd), Kyle Larson (8th), and Chase Briscoe (9th).

Of the four drivers in focus, only Larson has won a title before, doing it in 2021. The others are seeking a first. Larson and Briscoe are down on the simulation a bit from the other two but primarily because their history of qualifying and practice speeds at Phoenix haven’t been as strong. They can easily move up on the final simulation with a strong showing at P & Q on Saturday.

Overall, it is a very tight grouping in positions 1 thru 9 at the outset of the week.