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The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on November 5, 2023, at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 312 laps on the one mile (1.6 km) oval, it was the 36th and final race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. Ross Chastain won the race, with Ryan Blaney finishing second and claiming his first Cup Series championship. This was also the final race for Kevin Harvick before his retirement from the Cup Series.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 36 of 36 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
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| Date | November 5, 2023 | ||
| Location | Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1 mi (1.6 km) | ||
| Distance | 312 laps, 312 mi (499.2 km) | ||
| Average speed | 108.827 miles per hour (175.140 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 27.150 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | |
| Laps | 157 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2) and Mike Bagley (3 & 4) | ||
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Background
Phoenix Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.
Phoenix Raceway is home to two annual NASCAR race weekends, one of 13 facilities on the NASCAR schedule to host more than one race weekend a year. The track is both the first and last stop in the western United States, as well as the fourth and the last track on the schedule.
Championship drivers
- Kyle Larson was the first of four drivers to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, winning the first race of the Round of 8 at Las Vegas.
- Christopher Bell clinched the second spot in the Championship 4, winning the second race of the Round of 8 at Homestead.
- Ryan Blaney clinched the third spot in the Championship 4, winning the third race of the Round of 8 at Martinsville.
- William Byron clinched the final spot in the Championship 4, based on points.[10]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
- (CC) denotes championship contender.
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Kyle Busch was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 27.520 seconds and a speed of 130.814 mph (210.525 km/h).[11]
Practice results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.520 | 130.814 |
| 2 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 27.549 | 130.676 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 27.602 | 130.425 |
| Official practice results | ||||||
William Byron scored the pole for the race with a time of 27.150 and a speed of 132.597 mph (213.394 km/h).[12]
Qualifying results
- Note: Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and William Byron were not eligible for stage points because of their participation in the Championship 4.
Race results
For the first time since 2013, the final race of the season was not won by the eventual Cup Series Champion. Instead, Trackhouse driver Ross Chastain, who was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, wound up dominating the second half of the race to take the win, his second of the season and his fourth overall. As Ryan Blaney, who placed second, had the highest finishing position of the drivers who qualified for the Championship 4, he was declared the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
Stage results
Stage One Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | William Byron (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 20 | Christopher Bell (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 10 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 125
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 24 | William Byron (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 5 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 7 | 5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 8 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage results
Stage Three Laps: 127
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 57 |
| 2 | 15 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 312 | 35 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsprots | Chevrolet | 312 | 34 |
| 4 | 1 | 24 | William Byron (CC) | Hendrick Motorsprots | Chevrolet | 312 | 33 |
| 5 | 9 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 312 | 47 |
| 6 | 2 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 41 |
| 7 | 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 47 |
| 8 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 29 |
| 9 | 19 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 312 | 28 |
| 10 | 5 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 312 | 37 |
| 11 | 16 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 26 |
| 12 | 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 25 |
| 13 | 28 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 24 |
| 14 | 12 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 23 |
| 15 | 31 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 312 | 24 |
| 16 | 20 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 21 |
| 17 | 23 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 20 |
| 18 | 17 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 312 | 19 |
| 19 | 22 | 42 | Carson Hocevar (i) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 312 | 0 |
| 20 | 7 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 312 | 21 |
| 21 | 11 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 16 |
| 22 | 10 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 312 | 15 |
| 23 | 24 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 14 |
| 24 | 26 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 13 |
| 25 | 18 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 12 |
| 26 | 25 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 311 | 11 |
| 27 | 34 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 311 | 0 |
| 28 | 33 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 310 | 9 |
| 29 | 35 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 310 | 8 |
| 30 | 14 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 309 | 7 |
| 31 | 29 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 308 | 6 |
| 32 | 32 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 308 | 5 |
| 33 | 36 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 306 | 0 |
| 34 | 30 | 51 | Ryan Newman (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 305 | 0 |
| 35 | 27 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 301 | 2 |
| 36 | 13 | 20 | Christopher Bell (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 108 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 18 among 8 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 4 for 27 laps
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 1 second
- Average speed: 108.827 miles per hour (175.140 km/h)
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Television
NBC covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, two–time Phoenix winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and three-time Phoenix winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Kim Coon, Parker Kligerman and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties from pit lane.
| NBC | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dave Burns Kim Coon Parker Kligerman Marty Snider |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace called the action from the broadcast booth when the field races down the front straightaway. Dave Moody called the action from turns 1 & 2 and Mike Bagley called the action from turns 3 & 4. Steve Post, Jacklyn Drake, Jason Toy, and Chris Wilner covered the action for MRN from pit lane.
| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley | Steve Post Jacklyn Drake Jason Toy Chris Wilner |
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- Cole Custer filled in for Brad Keselowski for Qualifying as Keselowski and his wife, Paige welcomed their third child.[13]
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