NASCAR Cup Series Championship Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. — In the midst of facing the unknown while having a career year, Tyler Reddick has kept himself cool, calm, and collective leading up to his first Championship 4 appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series. The two-time former Xfinity Series champion collected three wins and career highs 12 top-fives and 20 top-10s that helped Reddick win the regular season championship over Kyle Larson. Following an unforgettable last lap victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway two weeks ago, the opportunity of bringing home a championship for himself,Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – Chalk one up for the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion. In Friday’s lone practice session of the Cup championship race, Ryan Blaney and his No. 12 Team Penske ended the 50-minute warm-up at the top of the board with a lap of 27.174 seconds, 132.480 mph. In addition to posting the fastest single lap speed, Blaney was also the fastest in the five and 10 lap average speed, giving his team some good mojo as they start their title defense. “I felt prettyRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – No driver in the NASCAR Cup Series has won back-to-back championships since Jimmie Johnson in 2009-2010 at the end of his run of five straight championships. Ryan Blaney will be looking to buck that trend when the green flag flies on Sunday’s Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway where he enters as the defending series champion. In a title run eerily similar to his run a year ago, the driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford comes into the season finale havingRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – Ryan Blaney earned this one. When his NASCAR Cup Series championship contenders advanced past his No. 12 Team Penske Ford on the final pit stop, it could have been game over, but Blaney would not be deterred, taking the bull by the horns and chasing them back down to secure his first Cup title. While Blaney may have started the worst among the four drivers in the championship fight, he was on go from the drop of the green flag until the checkered,Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. — 35 races down, one to go. Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR Cup Series will hit the track at Phoenix Raceway for the 2023 season finale, bringing this season to a close and crowning a champion. Heading into this year’s championship race, it will be a battle between a former champion in Kyle Larson and three other drivers making their first appearance in the Championship 4 to see who will be hoisting the Bill France Cup when the checkered flag falls. Joining Larson in theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. — For the second straight year, Christopher Bell will have a chance of winning the NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway. In fact, Bell is the only driver who has made the Championship 4 a year ago and return to the big dance. Similar to last year, coming in clutch was the name of the game for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. Only this time, he didn’t need to win the cutoff race as he punched his ticket to Arizona by winning atRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – The field is now set for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway, with title contender William Byron on pole for Sunday’s season finale. The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and most recent winner on the one-mile oval in the Arizona desert jumped to the top of the board with a lap of 27.150 seconds, 132.597 mph mid-way through the final round and held off the remaining drivers to bank a crucial championship pole. “We were right thereRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – Ryan Blaney has struck the first blow of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway by timing in the fastest of the four title contenders in the lone practice session of the weekend. The driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford put up a lap of 27.602 seconds, 130.425 mph early in the 50-minute session, putting him third on the overall leaderboard and he would not be moved for the remainder of evening. Christopher Bell followed Blaney in practice at fourth-fastestRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – In NASCAR, as in any sport, momentum is huge and Ryan Blaney has the momentum firmly on his side heading into the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. After making it to the Round of 8, but ultimately missing out on the Championship 4 for one reason or another over the last two seasons, the driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford arrives in Phoenix with a chance at racing for a championship for the first time in his CupRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – After a season of career-firsts – a maiden victory and a dramatic lap to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race – Ross Chastain insisted he felt more hopeful than disappointed after coming up short of hoisting his first major racing trophy on Sunday. Chastain’s No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet finished third in the Phoenix Raceway season finale – 1.2-seconds behind the winner, and newly-crowed 2022 series champion Joey Logano. After moving forward from a 25th-place starting spot on theRead More