NASCAR Championship Race TV info, schedule, picks for Phoenix – NBC Sports Philadelphia

It all comes down to this.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race will take place this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, with Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, William Byron and Chase Briscoe fighting for the title.

The one-mile oval in the Arizona desert, which has hosted the championship race since 2020, challenges drivers with its unique dogleg front straightaway. While the four title contenders will surely be the favorites on Sunday, there will still be 34 other cars on track looking to take home the checkered flag.

So, what’s in store for Phoenix? What’s the TV schedule for the weekend? And who could contend for the win on Sunday? Here’s everything you need to know for the NASCAR Championship Race.

When is the NASCAR Championship Race this weekend in Phoenix?

Green flag for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race is set for Sunday, Nov. 2, at 3:34 p.m. ET.

Before the race, there will be practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday. The 38 drivers hit the track Friday for a 50-minute free practice session, where drivers can make as many laps as they want to get a feel for their cars and make adjustments. Single-lap qualifying is on Saturday, with all 38 drivers taking the track one at a time to set the starting order.

NASCAR TV schedule this weekend for Phoenix

Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Jeff Burton (analyst) and Steve Letarte (analyst) will be on the call for NBC and Peacock. Marty Snider, Kim Coon, Dave Burns and Parker Kligerman will serve as pit reporters and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett and Hyak Motorsports co-owner Brad Daugherty providing pre- and post-race analysis.

Here’s the full schedule for Phoenix:

Friday, Oct. 31 (truTV and HBO Max)

• Practice: 5:30 p.m. ET, truTV and HBO Max

Saturday, Nov. 1 (truTV and HBO Max)

• Qualifying: 5 p.m. ET, truTV and HBO Max

Sunday, Nov. 2 (NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports app)

• Countdown to Green: 2 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports app
• NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race: 3 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports app

Who is racing at Phoenix? Here’s the entry list

Thirty-eight drivers will race at Phoenix — the 36 full-timers, plus two additional part-time entries.

Casey Mears, making his fifth start of the season for Garage 66, and J.J. Yeley, making his 10th start of the season for NY Racing Team, are the part-timers.

Here’s the full entry list for Phoenix:

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NASCAR Championship Race picks and predictions for Phoenix

Each of the four title contenders have a winning history at Phoenix, which puts them in prime position to dominate Sunday.

A championship-eligible driver has won the title race in four of the five years at this track, with Ross Chastain in 2023 as the lone exception — giving second-place Ryan Blaney the championship that year.

Even though they aren’t eligible for the title, Blaney and Christopher Bell are the most likely outside winners. The Team Penske star had a streak of seven straight Phoenix top-fives snapped in the spring race — a race that Bell won in a photo finish over Hamlin. Bell has led at least 50 laps in three straight Phoenix races with two wins.

Get to know NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney.

So, what about the Championship 4? Any of them could truly pull off the victory Sunday.

The favorite is Hamlin, who owns the record for most career wins (60) by a driver without a championship. He’s a lock for the Hall of Fame, but a title has eluded Hamlin for his entire career. This is his fifth Championship 4 appearance — and, even at age 44, could be his best chance yet.

Briscoe, Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, is the sleeper — at least on paper. He’s the only driver without prior Championship 4 experience, but he leads the field this year with 15 top-five finishes. The Indiana native scored his first career Cup win at Phoenix in 2022, so he’s clearly comfortable at this track.

On the other side of the title fight is the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Larson and Byron. Both are making their third Championship 4 appearance, with Larson seeking a second title and Byron hoping for his first. Larson won this race in 2021 before falling short in 2023. Byron, meanwhile, was third in each of the last two years.

The winning pick for Phoenix is Hamlin. He’s had extra time to prepare for Phoenix thanks to his earlier win at Las Vegas. He’s been through the heartbreak year-after-year. He knows this could be his last chance, and he’ll finally make the most of it to cap off a storybook season.

NASCAR past winners, race history for Phoenix

Nine of the 38 drivers in the field are past winners at Phoenix.

Joey Logano leads the way with four victories, including the championship last year. Kyle Busch is a three-time winner, followed by Hamlin and Bell with two apiece. One-time winners include Chase Elliott (2020 fall), Larson (2021 fall), Briscoe (2022 spring), Byron (2023 spring) and Chastain (2023 fall).