What to look for in the NASCAR Cup Championship race at Phoenix Raceway

AVONDALE, Ariz. – The NASCAR Cup season comes to a close Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

There will be plenty to watch during the 312 laps of racing around the 1-mile track (coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock).

Here are a few things to look out for in the race:

A champion is crowned, but will he win the race?

Last year was the first time in the last 10 years that the champion did not win the season finale. Ross Chastain won the race and Ryan Blaney won the championship by finishing second.

Could this happen again?

Martin Truex Jr. starts on the pole. He enters the final race of his final full-time season with a 51-race win streak. If he’s in the lead, the chance for another win could make it difficult for Truex to get past him in the final laps.

“I hope we can celebrate (Sunday) after the race,” Truex said. “That would make everything really, really cool.”

Others to keep an eye on include Chastain, who starts third, and Kyle Larson, the winningest driver this season with six wins. Larson starts fourth.

Christopher Bell, who won in Phoenix in March, also qualified seventh. He’s bitter about what happened at Martinsville last weekend that kept him out of the Championship 4 race, and is especially motivated today.

Among title contenders, Blaney was quick in practice but qualified 17th. Joey Logano starts second, best among the title contenders. William Byron qualified eighth. Tyler Reddick will start tenth.

A late warning?

In two of the last five races in Phoenix, a caution occurred less than five laps before the scheduled end. However, neither was the final of the championship. They came in the spring race.

The final 31 laps of last year’s title race went without caution. The final 32 laps of the 2022 race were driven without caution.

The pattern suggests that whoever wins the championship must be strong over a similar distance.

Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Tyler Reddick will compete for the 2024 title.

“I think we have to take everything into account, but you also shouldn’t focus too much on one thing because when you think about what you’re expecting, it’s something different,” said Billy Scott, crew chief for Tyler Reddick.

“Similar to Homestead, you have to look at where we are and be realistic about what our expectations are for winning as you get into the final stint or phase and strategize accordingly.”

Know your competitors

This not only affects the drivers, but also the crew chiefs. Paul Wolfe’s pit stop helped Joey Logano win the Round of 8 opener in Las Vegas and secure his way into this title race.

“I think we’re trying to learn from the other team’s tendencies and maybe some pit stops and some strategies and what not,” Wolfe said. “Otherwise there isn’t much.

“It really comes down to knowing what kind of cars they’re going to have, so what kind of teams are really good at short tracks or are really good at making progress on that track.” Those are probably the little things that matter Be prepared and know what to expect.”

Joey Logano will start second in Sunday’s championship race, while the other three title contenders will start in the top 15.

But it’s also the teams and the pit crews. The track position can be critical on this route.

William Byron competes with the best pit crew among the four title contenders. But that only works until the race starts. Then every team has to excel, because a mistake at the wrong time could cost them the championship.

Watch these reboots

NASCAR officials made it clear this weekend that they will closely monitor the restarts.

Officials penalized four drivers in Friday’s truck race, including a title contender, for slipping out of line on the restart before reaching the start/finish line.

Officials penalized Justin Allgaier for the same violation in Saturday’s Xfinity race.

Justin Allgaier captured his first NASCAR Xfinity Series title in his seventh appearance in the title race.

Five such penalties in the two races before the Cup race are a rarity on one weekend.

“This is the hardest place to do it,” Blaney said. “It’s the most inviting thing to go down there, and you’re always a little nervous when you get to the apron.”