PHOENIX — It's Championship Weekend in Phoenix! Four drivers will be vying for the 2023 Nascar Cup Championship Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.
There will be plenty of other events and races this weekend as well, not just Sunday's race!
There will be driver Q&As scheduled through the weekend, autograph opportunities, an array of performances, and other fan experiences. For a full schedule of events, click here.
MUSIC
The Crown Kings, Harry Luge, and the Mark Miller Band will all be performing music in the evenings over the weekend at The Barn Brewed by Busch Light. It's an entertainment space with TVs, games, DJs, and live music events.
Diplo will also be performing as his new country persona Thomas Wesley prior to Sunday's championship race. Diplo has released two country albums as Thomas Wesley. The concert is free to anyone with tickets to Sunday's race.
TICKETS
Tickets for Sunday's race are sold out but available on resale markets for around $125 as of Friday. Tickets for the Xfinity and truck races are still available online here.
THE RACES
NASCAR CUP SERIES
NASCAR CUP Championship Race
Schedule: Friday, practice, 6:05 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 2:35 p.m.; Sunday, race, 1 p.m.
Race distance: 312 laps, 312 miles.
Last year: Joey Logano won from the pole position.
Last race: Ryan Blaney led 145 laps at Martinsville and won for the third time this season, and second time in the playoffs, to clinch a Championship 4 berth.
Fast facts: Blaney joined 2021 series champion Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell as drivers who won their way into the Championship 4 while William Byron, the series leader with six victories this season, got in on points. The highest finisher among those four will be the champion. ... Regular season champion Martin Truex Jr. and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick were eliminated from title contention. ... Chevrolet clinched its 42nd manufacturer championship when the race began at Martinsville, giving Chevy its fifth sweep of the manufacturer title in the Cup, Xfinity and truck series.
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship
Site: Avondale, Arizona.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 5:05 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 1:30 p.m., and race, 5 p.m.
Race distance: 200 laps, 200 miles.
Last year: Ty Gibbs won from the pole position.
Last race: Justin Allgaier beat Sheldon Creed in a door-to-door overtime battle at Martinsville to earn his sixth attempt at an Xfinity Series championship.
Fast facts: Allgaier joins Sam Mayer, who won his way in, and John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer in the Championship 4. The top finisher at Phoenix among those four will be a first-time champion. ... Creed needed a victory to advance but finished second by 0.032 seconds. He was eliminated along with Austin Hill, Sammy Smith, who led 147 of the 256 laps, and Chandler Smith.
NASCAR TRUCK SERIES
Craftsman 150
Schedule: Thursday, practice, 6 p.m.; Friday, qualifying, 4:05 p.m., and race, 8 p.m.
Track: Phoenix Raceway.
Race distance: 150 laps, 150 miles.
Last year: Zane Smith won from the pole position.
Last race: Carson Hocevar earned his fourth career victory — all this season — and first NASCAR Truck Series Championship appearance with a victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Fast facts: Hocevar joins regular-season champion Corey Heim, Grant Enfinger and 2021 series champion Ben Rhodes in the Championship 4. ... Defending series champion Zane Smith was disqualified after finishing second at Homestead-Miami for using an unapproved windshield support. ... Hocevar leads all drivers with four victories this season. Heim, Enfinger and Christian Eckes all won three times.
