November 3, 2025

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, kept himself in the title fight on Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway, but did not have the fastest car for most of the race. The No. 5 driver started the race from third and generally ran around the top five for most of the day, but typically behind his teammate, William Byron, and Denny Hamlin, who was the most dominant driver of the race. At the end of the first stage, Larson finished fifth, and at the end of the second stage, he placed fourth. In the middle of the final stage, Larson suffered a flat tire with under 100 laps to go, kept the car from crashing, and fell a lap down. He did get his lap back and worked his way back up into the top five before the end of the race, thanks to some pit strategy where he took two tires while other teams took four. The No. 5 team repeated the same strategy on the final caution of the race when Byron got a flat tire and slammed into the wall with two laps to go. Finally, Larson restarted ahead of Hamlin by a few positions, and through the final overtime restart, Larson stayed ahead of Hamlin to finish in third place. The result was enough for Larson to become the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion by finishing two positions ahead of Hamlin. This is Larson's second Cup Series title after winning his first in 2021, and he ended the season with three wins.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

November 3, 2025

Team Penske's Ryan Blaney was one of the top performers in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Blaney began the race from the fifth position, and although he had a slow start by dropping back a few positions early, his car had excellent speed on longer green flag runs. This showed in the first stage as he went from eighth to second by the end of the stage, running just behind William Byron for the stage win. Blaney continued to run inside the top five through most of the rest of the race, finishing second at the end of the second stage to Denny Hamlin. At times, he was the fastest driver on the track in the final stage and was the only one to keep up with Byron and Hamlin, the two most dominant drivers of the race. The No. 12 Ford driver was set to finish in third until Byron hit the wall with two laps to go with a flat tire. On the final pit stop of the race, Blaney took two tires and restarted in fourth. Then, on the final restart of the race, Blaney went on to fight for the win and took it away from Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson. This victory was Blaney's fourth of the season and first of his Cup career at Phoenix, but he did not win the title as he was not one of the four championship drivers. The Penske driver finished sixth in the final driver standings for the 2025 season. --Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

November 3, 2025

William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports was a consistent threat for the title during the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, but had an unfortunate incident that ruined his chance to win it all. Byron started the race from the second position and, throughout most of the day, ran inside the top five. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver won the first stage and finished third at the end of the second stage, competing with fellow title contender Denny Hamlin for the lead through most of the race. Despite leading 52 laps, Byron was unable to catch Hamlin on speed and looked to finish as the runner-up until he ran into the wall with two laps to go with a flat right rear tire. The third appearance of Byron in the championship four ended with a 33rd-place run, and he finished fourth of the four title contenders, even though he was incident-free through most of the race.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

November 3, 2025

Denny Hamlin was the sentimental favorite for the NASCAR Cup Series championship because not only is he the winningest non-champion but his father is also terminally ill. For most of the race, it looked like it was going to happen as Hamlin started on the pole and led 208 out of 319 laps. Although William Byron pipped him to win Stage 1, he retook the leda from eventual winner Ryan Blaney and dominated Stage 2. In a race where all four championship contenders had tire issues, Hamlin had a slow pit stop as the team struggled to jack the car after a flat tire, which dropped him to 11th. Nonetheless, he retook the lead and was leading when Byron popped a tire and crashed with two laps left. However, his team's decision to take four tires on the final restart dropped him to tenth and he could only make it back to fifth, resulting in a second-place championship finish and one of the playoff format's biggest buzzkills.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

November 3, 2025

Chase Briscoe looked a little outmatched in the Championship 4 since his opponents Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and William Byron were all vastly more experienced in championship battles, but Briscoe tried his hardest, and in a race where all four Championship 4 drivers had tire issues, Briscoe certainly had his moments. Although Briscoe qualified 12th, he drove up to fifth before he popped a tire to help trigger the race's third caution. Although he fell to 32nd, he miraculously drove all the way back up to second before he got trapped a lap down after a caution came out on Lap 220 after he blew another tire. Amazingly, he re-entered the top five and even led a few laps after taking two tires, but he got shuffled out on the final caution because the tires he had left were of lower quality than those of the other teams, resulting in an 18th-place finish, but his third-place championship finish is still far better than most people expected.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

November 3, 2025

Brad Keselowski did not run very well in Sunday's season finale at Phoenix, but he sneaked into the lower reaches of the top 10 on Lap 258 before he and the No. 6 team stayed out of the pits to take the lead on the caution for William Byron's blown tire and crash with two laps remaining. While most of the leaders pitted, Keselowski stayed out in an attempt to end both his and RFK Racing's season-long goose egg. However, he ended up being passed by Ryan Blaney (who took two tires) on the last corner, which attracted little attention because the announcers entirely ignored the battle for the win to focus on the championship. Although Keselowski lost the race, his third second-place finish of the season may give him some positive momentum going into 2026.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

November 2, 2025

Team Penske's Austin Cindric will start in fourth place for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Cindric's starting position for this week's race is a new career-best for the No. 2 Ford driver at the site. In seven Cup starts at Phoenix, Cindric has three top-20 finishes with a best finish of 11th, which he acquired earlier in the season. Through 35 races in 2025, Cindric has one win and only five top-10 finishes, with only one of them being at a short track. In practice, Cindric ranked 33rd in overall lap averages and only displayed top-10 speeds in the five-consecutive-lap-average category. With his underwhelming history, high starting position leaving no upside, and limited top-10 results this season, Cindric is a driver who cannot be trusted for DFS lineups on Sunday.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

November 2, 2025

Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman will start in the eighth position for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway. Bowman qualified inside the top 10 for the first time at Phoenix since March 2022 this week. In 20 races in his Cup career at the site, Bowman has three top-10 finishes and an average finish of 21.2. The No. 48 Chevrolet driver also placed in the top 20 in each of his last five Phoenix appearances. After 35 races this season, Bowman has 16 top-10 finishes with an average finishing position of 17.5. In practice, Bowman ranked 15th in overall lap averages and 15 consecutive lap averages, while displaying top-10 speeds in the 20 and 25 consecutive lap average categories. Phoenix has not been Bowman's best track statistically and holds low upside from his starting position. With solid practice speeds, however, the No. 48 Chevrolet driver can be considered a playable tournament play for this week's race.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

November 2, 2025

Noah Gragson of Front Row Motorsports is starting 18th in this week's NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway after qualifying for the event. This will be just the second time in his Cup career that Gragson will start a Phoenix race inside the top 20. In four races at the Arizona track, Gragson has two top-15 finishes, but also collected positive Place Differential three times. In 35 races this year, Gragson has nine top-20 finishes and an average finish of 25.1. In practice for Sunday's race, Gragson ranked 30th in overall lap averages, 20th in 10 and 20 consecutive lap averages, and 16th in 15 consecutive lap averages. With his practice speeds being indicative of a top-20 finish, Gragson is a DFS option to consider for tournaments this week, especially as his starting position does not provide high upside.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

November 2, 2025

Legacy Motor Club's Erik Jones will start in the 15th position after qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway. Jones will start inside the top 20 for the sixth consecutive race in a row at Phoenix. In 18 races at the site, Jones has 10 top-20 finishes with four inside the top 10. Through 35 races this season, Jones has 19 top-20 finishes with an average finish of 20.3. In practice for Sunday's race at Phoenix, Jones ranked 17th in overall lap averages, eighth in 10 consecutive lap averages, and seventh in 15 consecutive lap averages. Compared to most other drivers around his salary range of $6,400, Jones does not have as much upside due to his starting position. Based on his recent Phoenix results with only three top-20s in the past six races at the site, Jones is a bit of a risk to consider for DFS. However, he is worth considering for tournament lineups as his practice speeds are greater than most around his salary.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

November 2, 2025

Michael McDowell qualified 37th for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway after a slow qualifying lap where he missed the first two turns. This will mark McDowell's lowest starting position in a Phoenix Cup race in his career since 2013. In 29 starts at the Arizona track, McDowell has five top-20 finishes, including three finishes of 13th or better in the last five Cup events. After 35 races completed this season, McDowell has 22 top-20 finishes with an average finish of 18.5. In practice, McDowell ranked second in overall lap averages and ranked 11th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Considering his equipment and recent results at Phoenix, McDowell is a driver who can be utilized in all DFS formats as a value option this week.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

November 2, 2025

Despite being the dominant qualifier this year, Championship 4 driver Chase Briscoe qualified 12th for Sunday's championship race at Phoenix. Perhaps this shouldn't have been as much of a surprise as it was, as despite seven poles, 22 top-10 starts this year, and only four starts outside the top 10 in the season's second half, he also qualified poorly at Richmond and Loudon and had his worst start of the season (a 30th-place finish) in the spring race at Phoenix. In that race, he crashed out, but he has been strong at Phoenix in the past, winning the first race in 2022 and earning four top-10 finishes in his starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. However, despite the positive momentum he's shown in the playoffs, it's extremely difficult to pass at Phoenix, so it's hard to see him beating all three of his championship rivals when they swept the top three positions in qualifying.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

November 2, 2025

Although Joey Logano was eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs last weekend at Martinsville, he starts 10th and could play a spoiler role in Sunday's race at Phoenix. Once the championship race was moved there in 2020, Team Penske, in particular, and Logano's No. 22 team have gone all-in on Phoenix and gotten great results with three wins, including championship-winning drives in the 2022 and 2024 finales. Seven hundred and seven of Logano's 1,096 laps led here have come since NASCAR moved Phoenix to the finale, and he even led 81 laps in the March race before being shuffled back to 12th. Since the three favorites for the championship -- Denny Hamlin, William Byron, and Kyle Larson -- swept the top three qualifying positions, you can likely expect one of them to win, but the Penske cars all qualified well enough that you shouldn't be surprised if one of them spoils the party.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

November 2, 2025

Tyler Reddick has kind of gone through the motions and had a rather disappointing season, no doubt in part due to the stress of 23XI Racing's lawsuit against NASCAR, rumors that he might leave if the team remains unchartered, and the health issues facing his son, Rookie. However, Rookie has now improved and is home from the hospital, and Reddick will likely be intensely motivated to avoid suffering his first winless season since 2021. The issues are that he starts 24th, Phoenix typically isn't one of his best tracks, and it is hard to see anyone beating all the remaining playoff contenders when three of them qualified in the top three, not to mention the fact that Reddick might not want to interfere in his boss Denny Hamlin's last chance for a championship. Since Reddick has only earned four top-10 finishes here and led two races, he'll probably go winless this year, but expect him to regress to the mean next year.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

November 2, 2025

Bubba Wallace currently sits 10th in points, 12 points ahead of Ross Chastain in seeking his second top-10 points finish at Phoenix on Sunday. Despite his points advantage, Chastain might actually be favored since he qualified 13th at a track where he is great, while Wallace qualified 23rd at a track where he is mediocre. Although Wallace typically runs well at short tracks, Phoenix isn't one of them, and he has only earned two top-10 finishes and led four laps here, although both of his top-10s came in the last two season finales. Chastain, meanwhile, has pretty consistently run well here and dominated in 2023 to become the only non-champion to win the finale under this playoff format. Since Wallace almost certainly won't win, his only priorities will be to support his boss Denny Hamlin's championship bid as much as possible and protect his top-10 points finish. Both of those could essentially come down to coin flips.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference