AVONDALE, Ariz. — The NASCAR Cup Series comes to an end today with the crowning of a champion.
Kyle Larson goes for a second Cup title, while Denny Hamlin, William Byron and Chase Briscoe seek their first series championship.
NBC and Peacock will have coverage of the race, beginning with an expanded Countdown to Green show at 2 p.m. ET.
Here’s what to watch for in today’s race:
Who will win the championship?
Denny Hamlin won the opening event in the Round of 8, giving his team two additional weeks to prepare for this race over other teams. Three of the last four champions were drivers who won the Round of 8 opener and gave their team that extra preparation time. Also, Hamlin starts on the pole.
Chase Briscoe, who starts 12th, has two wins, five top fives and seven top 10s in the playoffs. His victory at Talladega in the middle race of the Round of 8 gave his team an extra week to prepare for this race.
The championship contenders took the top three spots in the starting lineup with Denny Hamlin, William Byron and Kyle Larson.
Kyle Larson, who starts third, won three of the first 12 races of the season, had a dip in results in the summer and has picked up his performance again. While he’s winless in the last 23 races — his longest streak since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021 —Larson has three top-five finishes in the last four races.
William Byron, the regular season champion, will start next to Hamlin on the front row. He had to win at Martinsville to reach the Championship 4 and came through. The two-time Daytona 500 winner has the chance open the season with a win in that race and end it with a victory today.
Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, William Byron and Kyle Larson will battle for the title on the 1-mile oval in Avondale, Arizona.
Who can avoid the mistakes?
A slow pit stop. A mistake with the setup. A wrong decision on track. Any one of those can lead to someone losing a championship
Pit road often plays a key role in this race with track position at a premium. Restarts will be key, especially with how cars can go five wide in the dogleg — the Trucks went seven wide on a late restart this weekend — before they need to get in line for Turn 1.
“Everyone is trying to predict where each other is going to go,” Hamlin said of restarts at Phoenix. “Sometimes you see us merging into lanes together.”
Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, William Byron and Chase Briscoe had some fun in their joint media session Saturday at Phoenix.
Will the champion win the race?
Only once since this one-race championship race format debuted in 2014 has the champion not also won the season finale.
Could that happen again today?
William Byron, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe have had their ups and downs this season, but one will claim the Cup title Sunday on NBC and Peacock.
Team Penske doesn’t have a car in the championship race but has been strong on tracks similar to Phoenix. Had a Penske driver reached the Championship 4, they likely would have been viewed as the favorite.
Ross Chastain is the only driver not racing for a championship to win the season finale since this current playoff format debuted in 2014. He won the 2023 Phoenix race. Ryan Blaney won the championship, placing second in that race.
Tyler Reddick provided an update Saturday at Phoenix on son Rookie.
“It is possible to go beat those guys and win the race,” said Joey Logano, who was eliminated from title contention last weekend at Martinsville. “It’d be bittersweet, I can tell you that much.
“I think it would be the most frustrating victory of all time.”