In mid-June, Denny Hamlin tied a record set by a NASCAR veteran. He attained his fifth pole at Pocono Raceway, posting a lap of 172.599 mph around the 2.5-mile tri-oval. He led the 37-car field at the ‘Tricky Triangle and finished the race in runner-up place. This was only one of the multitude of achievements of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team. And it has been majorly due to a fantastic camaraderie between Hamlin and his new crew chief.
The veteran whose record Hamlin matched could not agree more. After all, Chris Gayle has done a fantastic job across the 2025 Cup Series season. His golden efforts led the championship right to Hamlin’s fingertips – until it slipped away due to a late-race mishap.
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Denny Hamlin’s crew chief took the right call
That is what Ken Schrader believes; he is a four-time Cup race winner who once raced for Rick Hendrick. His old team owner fetched his 15th Cup Series title last Sunday. And while hailing Kyle Larson’s two-tire call, which landed him the title, Schrader did not blame Hamlin’s four-tire call. He said, “Obviously, Kyle and them took the two and it worked out. But you know, I’m not a social media guy, so I haven’t been looking at everything. But from that one little thing I saw, Denny Hamlin was 100% behind his four tires.”
Some fans pointed to Chris Gayle for messing up the pit strategy after William Byron’s caution on lap 309. However, since Denny Hamlin was fully on board with the decision, Ken Schrader did not see any mistake on Gayle’s part. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels, made a gamble that worked out. Schrader continued that Hamlin’s conscious decision was important. “That’s what matters. If it wasn’t crew chief against crew chief, it was team against team. And Kyle’s like, Just give me a little something, and I’ll go.”
When Joe Gibbs recruited Chris Gayle for the No. 11 team position, Denny Hamlin had doubts. Gayle had won only two Cup Series race trophies in nearly 200 starts outside of an Xfinity Series resume. However, Gayle understood his assignment, word for word. He helped Hamlin win 6 trophies this season and crack the Championship 4 for the first time since 2021. That is why the theory that Hamlin lost the championship just due to Gayle’s pit call seems outlandish – and other veterans agree with Ken Schrader.
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What’s more, Denny Hamlin also defended Chris Gayle for the pit call. He said neither Gayle nor he himself suspected the enormous traffic that dropped Hamlin to 10th on the restart. “We had no idea that many people were going to go in there and say, ‘All right, I’ll put myself in the middle of the Championship 4.’ And so I think maybe some of the thought process, too, is that there’s not going to be too many crazy strategies or different strategies here because probably no one wants to be part of the ending story. But it just worked out the way it did.”
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Hence, Chris Gayle put in as much effort as was needed of him for the Championship battle. Yet that is also why Hamlin thought he had it.
Missing by a hair’s breadth
When Carl Edwards resigned from NASCAR racing in 2016, fans speculated about the reason. And the topmost cause was his missing the Cup Series championship. He led for 47 laps at the Homestead-Miami finale and lost the lead due to a late-race caution with 10 laps to go. Doesn’t that sound eerily similar to Denny Hamlin’s situation? Well, Hamlin believed so too, as he said at the NASCAR Awards, “Nothing changed the way I felt about myself at the end of that race, and to use Carl Edwards’ quote, ‘I knew what it was like to be a champion.’”
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Denny Hamlin experienced a clutch problem and tire issues, but the team sailed through these problems expertly. So after handling the race perfectly, having to witness it slip through his fingers hurt Hamlin more. “I felt it. With five [laps] to go, I knew it was over. I don’t have the trophy, but I knew that was probably the first time that I was forced to perform a certain way under this format, and I did it. There’s nothing else I possibly could have done to change the outcome.”
The heartbreaking outcome clearly left an impact not just on Denny Hamlin but also on his renewed fanbase. Let’s wait and see if the JGR veteran can come back with revamped energy next season.

Fans would give anything to own Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Jr’s racing cars. But as with anything rare, valuable, and iconic, there’s always a risk of fakes in the market. Back in March 2019, controversy erupted when several alleged fake NASCAR cars linked to ‘the Intimidator’ and his son were sold at a Mecum auction. The most talked about was a 1994 Chevy Lumina, supposedly the same car Dale Earnhardt used to clinch his seventh championship.
However, Richard Childress Racing, Earnhardt’s longtime team, quickly called foul, revealing the chassis number didn’t match their records. Despite the warning, the car sold for eye-popping prices, sparking outrage among collectors and fans who accused the sellers of deception and of tarnishing NASCAR’s legacy. Fast forward to today, and a similar scheme seems to have resurfaced, and fans aren’t holding back.
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Auction company based in Atlanta claims to sell iconic race cars
Recently, one NASCAR fan spotted an auction listing from a Georgia-based company claiming to sell two stock cars, all allegedly driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon in their final starts. The listings showed Gordon’s car, a 2016 No. 24 Chevy (driven at Martinsville), and Junior’s 2017 No. 88. Both vehicles were being sold by Joey Martin Auctioneers, according to the links provided by the fan.
After retiring from full-time racing in 2015, Jeff Gordon made eight appearances the following year and finished 6th at the 2016 Goody’s Fast Relief 500, his last Cup Series race. According to the listing, the car is from that particular race. The first clear discrepancy in the listing is that the vehicle features the iconic No. 24, a number Gordon used from 1994 to his final full-time season in 2015. However, during the 2016 campaign, he exclusively drove the No. 88 Chevy, including the fixture at ‘The Paperclip’. As you would probably expect, the alarm bells were ringing.
Moreover, in his final full season of racing in 2017, Dale Jr. finished his career behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet in a scheme that honored NASCAR history while keeping his brand front and center. One of his final paint schemes was a red body with black stripes and a black roof, designed by the late Sam Bass and meant to mirror earlier ‘Gary Ghost’ tribute cars. Despite being used selectively during the season, the design represented a respectful nod to both past and present as Earnhardt Jr. closed his Cup career. But here’s the catch!
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After 400 miles at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the checkered flag waved on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR Cup Series career. The NASCAR veteran pulled his car onto pit road, where Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick was waiting to embrace him, marking the end of an era. After a heartfelt exchange, the now 51-year-old driver handed Hendrick his final helmet, fulfilling a promise the two had made before the race.
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With a smile, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, “The deal I had with Rick was if I finished the race with the car in one piece, I’d get the car and he’d get the helmet. So, yeah, I’m going to take this thing back home.” However, he wasn’t the first driver to give Mr. H his final helmet; the touching gesture reminded the team owner of full-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, who had also presented his helmet to him after his final race in 2015.
“That is our deal. That is the same deal he had with Jeff (Gordon) … that Jeff gave him the helmet, and Jeff got the car. And so, I think that is the same deal I’m going to get with Rick,” Junior reiterated. So now, with both cars assumed to be with their rightful owners, the NASCAR fans know when to call it a bluff.
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NASCAR fans sound off on the allegedly fake race cars being auctioned
Fans have been buzzing over reports of alleged final right cars from the duo hitting the auction block, but the reaction has been mixed and often skeptical. One fan pointed out, “I’m pretty sure Jr. has ownership of the car he made his final Cup start in,” while another added, “I believe Jr. has stated on his pod that he has the car from his last start.” For many, the thought of owning a piece of NASCAR history is thrilling, especially given the iconic status of these two drivers. Yet, not everyone is convinced about the authenticity of the listings.
Some pointed to inconsistencies in the car details. “That is def not the final Jr car. Maybe I’m dumb and don’t know something, but Jr’s final race was the Axalt throwback scheme. That Diet dew car is from like 2014,” one fan argued. Another noted the technical discrepancies, saying, “Aren’t these spoilers too tall to be either of their final ride? I know 2015 had a lower downforce aero package, but I can’t remember what 2016 had….”
Despite the skepticism, some fans are still drawn to the idea of owning these machines, even if they might not be the exact final rides. One fan amused, “Despite the fact that these ones might be kinda a scam or at least not fully honestly advertised, I see a lot of old nascars on facebook. Kinda wanna buy one and make it street legal or buy a street legal one, I follow a tiktok page of a guy that has a weird gen 6/7 hybrid and it’s sick. They’re expensive af though.” The mix of fascination coming out and admiration shows just how much these cars and the legends who drove them continue to capture the imagination of NASCAR fans.

Kevin Harvick rarely holds back when discussing the state of NASCAR, and his recent comments proved no exception. Harvick reflected on a defining moment in recent NASCAR history, Kyle Busch’s 2015 championship season, as a way to shed light on the evolving nature of NASCAR’s championship format.
With the sport in the middle of a debate over playoff rules and legitimacy, Harvick’s perspective bridges two eras, spotlighting how changes in the points system have reshaped what it means to be a champion in NASCAR.
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The formats can’t be compared, says Harvick
During a candid chat with co-hosts Mamba Smith and Kaitlyn Vincie on his Happy Hour podcast, Kevin Harvick opened up about a topic that has long been a point of contention: the modern NASCAR playoff format versus the old, season-long points system. The conversation was sparked by remarks from NASCAR executive Steve O’Donnell, who confirmed that the playoff format is slated for change, setting the stage for a broader reflection on how champions are crowned in today’s Cup Series.
Harvick was quick to drive home the idea that the current playoff era is fundamentally different from the past. “It’s super hard to compare the guys who raced in this system to legends like Dale Earnhardt,” Harvick explained. The old points system, he reminded listeners, was about consistency, endurance, and the brutal grind of an entire season. Every race counted, and every mistake could cost a championship.
“No way Denny Hamlin ever decides to miss Mexico back then,” Harvick added, referencing a recent real-life example where Hamlin skipped a race for personal reasons, something unthinkable in the old format because missing a race was simply too costly. Harvick carefully differentiated between criticizing a driver’s personal choices and pointing out how the system shapes those choices. He understood the human element behind such decisions but stressed how differently drivers operate when “those weeks are on the line.”
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His personal take was crystallized when he looked back at his own career: “I thought my 2015 season was better than my 2014 season. Ultimately, I lost the championship to a guy that missed eleven races.” That guy was Kyle Busch, who, after a major Daytona crash, missed almost a third of that season but managed to come back and win five races. The runner-up clinched the championship mainly due to the structure of the playoff format and the medical waiver system.
Harvick’s point was clear: the playoff format has fundamentally changed what a championship looks like. The days when consistency over 36 races was king have given way to a system that prioritizes clutch wins and high stakes in select races, sometimes at the expense of steady performance throughout the year. “You can’t compare what we’re doing now with what happened before,” he said with a measured tone, acknowledging that the new system has made direct comparisons unfair and complex.
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In recent years, Harvick has doubled down on this critique, calling the current playoff system “embarrassing” when it allows drivers who dominate the season to lose championships due to one unpredictable or off-day finish in a single event. He pointed to the Truck and Xfinity Series’ domination by Corey Heim and Connor Zilisch, warning that if either doesn’t win their respective championships despite massive season-long success, it would cause a “nuclear meltdown” within the sport.
For Harvick, the stakes go beyond individual seasons; they touch the credibility of NASCAR’s entire championship narrative. He has also pointed out the disconnect between NASCAR’s quest for television drama and the traditional sporting merit, highlighting that the “one-race, best-finisher-takes-all” finale may generate drama but simultaneously diminishes the meaning of hard-fought points earned throughout a long schedule.
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Kyle Busch defends his legacy amid the ongoing championship debate
Harvick’s remarks reopened a raw discussion around Kyle Busch’s legacy and the fairness of NASCAR’s playoff system. Busch’s 2015 championship, won despite missing nearly a third of the season, has long been a controversial benchmark. Recently, former NASCAR Truck driver Landon Huffman reignited that debate on social media, tweeting pointedly about Busch’s absences and questioning the legitimacy of crowning a champion under such conditions.
Busch, known for his fiery personality, did not hold back, responding with middle-finger emojis, a sign that the criticism stings deeply. Over the years, Busch has expressed that the key to success isn’t the format itself but knowing the rules and adapting strategically. “If you know what it is going in, exploit it … figure out your best way through the system,” he has said.
The medical waiver rule, which allowed Busch to return to playoff contention after injury, was intended to provide fairness for drivers facing extenuating circumstances. NASCAR’s leadership, including then-CEO Brian France, has defended it, saying they never wanted to punish drivers sidelined by accidents. However, critics, including Harvick, argue that awarding a championship to a driver who misses so many races muddies the definition of what it means to be a champion.
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This debate isn’t isolated to Busch’s situation. Many have voiced frustration with the playoff format’s “win-or-go-home” style, especially when season-long dominance doesn’t guarantee a title. Harvick has highlighted recent examples where dominant drivers like Corey Heim and Connor Zilisch risk losing championships because of the current points structure, calling it “embarrassing” if they don’t win despite overwhelming season-long success.NASCAR’s officials, aware of these criticisms, are planning to revise the playoff system to better balance consistency and drama.
Harvick’s and Busch’s perspectives illustrate the tension between entertainment and sporting fairness that NASCAR is striving to resolve. As Busch works to rebuild and refresh his team for upcoming seasons, the scrutiny over his past championship years and the playoff rules remains a defining narrative. For Harvick and many within the sport, the hope is a system that rewards true season-long excellence while keeping fans engaged until the final lap a championship format that respects legacy and hard work on every track, every week.

Seven-time Nascar Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson isn’t stepping away from the driver’s seat just yet.
The owner of Legacy Motor Club announced he will be returning to the No. 84 Toyota in 2026 for at least one race: his hometown event in San Diego. San Diego is hosting its first-ever Nascar weekend, set to be held at Naval Base Coronado on June 21, 2026. Carvana will sponsor Johnson once again.
“Growing up just miles from San Diego, I dreamed about racing here in a Nascar vehicle someday, but I never thought it would be possible. I just came to the realization that there would be no way Nascar could race in that city – as there would be nowhere to put a track,” Johnson said. “So, it’s just mind-blowing to me that Nascar made this a reality. To come back home, compete in front of my community, the military, my family, and friends, and do it with Carvana and Legacy Motor Club, this is one of those full-circle experiences I will never forget. It’s a lifelong dream.
“When I think about everything this sport has given me and where it all started, being able to race in San Diego at this level feels like my career has come full circle. Starting out on two wheels racing motorcycles throughout the west coast and now being able to race on four in the same region is something I never thought I would see. Additionally, my grandparents were military and are buried in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery nearby the base, so it’s an honor to race there – this is going to be very special.”
Johnson competed in two events this year, including the Daytona 500, where he finished third. It was his first top five since departing from full-time competition and purchasing a stake in what is now known as Legacy Motor Club.
No other races for Johnson have been announced for 2026, and it is unknown if San Diego will be his last attempt behind the wheel of a Cup car.

Jimmie Johnson may have reached 700 career starts during the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, but the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion isn’t calling it quits yet. The 83-time Cup Series race winner will return to the series for the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series Street Race in San Diego at the U.S. Naval Base Coronado.
Related: NASCAR Unveils 16-Turn, 3.4-Mile San Diego Street Course Layout
Johnson made the announcement during an event at BrandWeek in Atlanta on Wednesday. Johnson will slide behind the wheel of the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE for the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team that he co-owns. Carvana will serve as the primary sponsor for Johnson in the event.
For the 50-year-old NASCAR Hall of Famer, the chance to compete in next season’s event in San Diego is a dream come true.
“Growing up just miles from San Diego, I dreamed about racing here in a NASCAR vehicle someday, but I never thought it would be possible. I just came to the realization that there would be no way NASCAR could race in that city – as there would be nowhere to put a track,” said Johnson. “So, it’s just mind-blowing to me that NASCAR made this a reality. To come back home, compete in front of my community, the military, my family, and friends, and do it with Carvana and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, this is one of those full-circle experiences I will never forget. It’s a lifelong dream.”
Johnson, who finished third in the 2025 Daytona 500, is humbled to have a chance to compete in a race, which will take place very near to where his racing journey began behind the handlebars of a motorcycle.
“When I think about everything this sport has given me and where it all started, being able to race in San Diego at this level feels like my career has come full circle,” Johnson added. “Starting out on two wheels racing motorcycles throughout the West Coast and now being able to race on four in the same region is something I never thought I would see. Additionally, my grandparents were military and are buried in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery nearby the base, so it’s an honor to race there – this is going to be very special.”
Carvana, which has come up with special designs for many of Johnson’s starts in the NASCAR Cup Series over the last few seasons, will have yet another special design for the legendary driver for the San Diego event, and the design of the No. 84 car will be revealed at a later date.
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With 83 wins under his belt and a bit of gray in his whiskers, Jimmie Johnson didn’t surprise many fans when he announced his retirement from stock car racing in 2019.
“This sport has been good to me,” Johnson said at the time. “I’m looking forward to next season and celebrating what will be my last year as a full-time NASCAR Cup driver.”
But the legendary driver — the only one in NASCAR history to win five consecutive titles — apparently turned off his engine prematurely. NASCAR recently announced it’ll be holding its first coastal race weekend at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego in June 2026, and today Johnson announced that he’ll be there, too — behind the wheel.
“I’ll be competing in that event,” Johnson told the audience at Brandweek, ADWEEK’s annual meeting of marketing minds, this year held in Atlanta. “It’s a massive opportunity.”
Johnson’s revelation came during an on-stage discussion on the evolution of the NASCAR brand along with the racing organization’s executive vice president and chief brand officer Tim Clark.
The “opportunity” referenced by the wisened racer can be understood several ways.
Since January, Johnson has been majority owner of Legacy Motor Club, having first taken a stake in 2022, so his return to driving will no doubt constitute a nifty bit of marketing for his racing team, which is also financed in part by hedge fund Knighthead Capital Management.
The opportunity for Johnson personally appears obvious: the return to the enjoyment of driving his Toyota Camry XSE (No. 84) at up to 200 mph through a 3.4-mile street course with 16 turns. Legacy Motor Club will be bringing all three of its cars to the event, and Johnson — who was born in nearby El Cajon — was clearly enthused over getting a chance to be part of a homecoming race, and competing alongside rival superstar drivers like Shane van Gisbergen.
“The track really changes during the course of the weekend,” Johnson said, “ and [an] understanding of the grip level, how to adjust the car, how to lead his team, will give them a leg up.”
But the biggest opportunity in the offing may be for the NASCAR brand itself, which has been actively bringing races to different parts of the country in an effort to expand its audience, whose median age is 58, according to Nielsen data.
If NASCAR — which turned 77 this year — is to succeed in luring a younger and more diverse fan base, Clark said, “we have to go to them. We’ve talked about that figuratively for years, if not decades, and just in the past few years we started doing that more literally. We held a race in the LA Coliseum. We held a race in downtown Chicago, around Grant Park.”
NASCAR San Diego Weekend, Clark continued, is “the next iteration of meeting fans, where we are going to them as opposed to always having them come to us.”

The NASCAR lawsuit has been heating up as both parties are definitely burning the midnight oil. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports have requested court approval to question (take depositions from) Rick Hendrick and Roger Penske before the December 1 trial. They argue that both Hendrick and Penske were added to the list of potential trial witnesses only after the discovery phase had officially closed, which isn’t allowed under normal court procedure.
In simpler terms, the two teams are saying NASCAR is trying to add two major team owners as witnesses too late in the process. Meanwhile, when Rick Hendrick was asked about it, he said he hadn’t been informed that he was on any witness list. He mentioned that he’d preferred the lawsuit to be resolved outside of court but wasn’t sure whether that would actually happen.
This news follows just two days after both sides were expected to file their response to a pre-trial motion. On the night of November 4, early submissions had already begun surfacing. One filing reportedly reveals a high-profile list of potential witnesses, featuring major figures like Richard Childers, Steve Newmark, Rob Kauffman, and Heather Gibbs, apart from Rick Hendrick and Roger Penske.
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That same filing states that the two teams have asked the court to prevent speculation about why team owners initially signed the charter agreements, claiming it has no bearing on how the system functions today. With so many of NASCAR’s most influential names now connected to the case, the fight of the sports feature is becoming increasingly difficult to overlook.
This is a developing story! Stay tuned for updates.

NASCAR Cup Series champion and Elk Grove native Kyle Larson will be celebrated with a championship parade in his hometown on Nov. 14, following his second career Cup title win on Sunday.
The parade, hosted by Sonoma Raceway and the City of Elk Grove, will begin at noon at Boulevard Bistro and travel east down Elk Grove Boulevard before making a right at Railroad Street and ending at Old Town Plaza, where a public ceremony will follow. The event is free and open to the public.
Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, clinched his second NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2. His third-place finish was enough to top the Championship 4 field, securing team owner Rick Hendrick’s 15th Cup title overall.
Larson, who grew up attending races at Sonoma Raceway, has enjoyed plenty of success at the Northern California course, Sonoma Raceway said, earning five pole awards and two wins in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in 2021 and 2024. He’s set to return to the track next summer for the 2026 Toyota/Save Mart 350, scheduled for June 28.
Tickets for next year’s NASCAR weekend at Sonoma Raceway — which includes the ARCA Menards Series West race on June 26, the Xfinity Series race on June 27, and the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on June 28 — are now available. Children 12 and under get in free for the Friday and Saturday races and just $10 for Sunday’s main event.
Sonoma Raceway Executive Vice President and General Manager Brian Flynn and Elk Grove city officials are also expected to take part in the celebration.
In recognition of his achievements, Nov. 22 has been declared

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports scored another win in their antitrust case on Wednesday.
Per Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass, the teams will be able to depose NASCAR team owners Rick Hendrick and Roger Penske prior to the Dec. 1 trial for the case, which was levied against NASCAR in October 2024.
Judge Kenneth D Bell granted the motion on Wednesday.
The news comes one day after Judge Bell granted a summary judgment to the teams regarding the definition of premier stock car racing, putting the focus of the trial on whether or not NASCAR used its power in the stock car racing market unlawfully.
Hendrick has been a NASCAR Cup Series team owner since 1984 and just saw driver Kyle Larson win Hendrick Motorsports’ 15th Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2.
Penske has owned a race team since the late 1960s, first fielding IndyCar entries in 1969 before bringing his IndyCar driver, Mark Donohue, to NASCAR for the first time in 1972. Team Penske has won five Cup Series championships, including three in a row from 2022-24.
Both Hendrick and Penske’s organizations signed the 2025 charter agreement that NASCAR presented to teams that ultimately became the catalyst for the lawsuit.
The trial in the case between 23XI/FRM and NASCAR is set for Monday, Dec. 1.

“This is probably his best chance he’s ever had to have a chance at the championship.” Richard Petty said these words last month after a tear-jerker Cup Series race. Denny Hamlin won his 60th career trophy at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a proud moment for his ailing father and a big milestone in his two-decade career. So fans and peers alike, including the legendary 200-time Cup race winner Petty, were rooting for Hamlin with all their hearts at Phoenix Raceway.
However, that final boss seemed impossible to defeat. Despite Denny Hamlin’s clear domination of the NASCAR Cup Series championship race, Lady Luck still got in his way. Some fans pointed to a specific pit road decision as the cause, but Richard Petty does not accept that.
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Richard Petty green-lights last-lap call
For Denny Hamlin, the 2025 Cup Series championship came down to the lap 309 caution in Phoenix. After William Byron crashed out, the tire strategies differed on the restart. Hamlin took four tires, and Richard Petty defended that call: “The Cup people spend that much money to run a race, and then they don’t let them have it for just a few tires? I mean, this guy spent 15 or 20 million dollars to put the car on the racetrack. He’s handicapped because he’s not got enough tires. He made the right decision. Traffic just didn’t allow him to take advantage of the 4 tires.”
Kyle Larson chose to take four tires and eventually ended up speeding up ahead. That is what led fans to believe that Denny Hamlin’s crew chief, Chris Gayle, may have messed up with the four-tire call. But as Richard Petty defended, even Gayle explained why he thought it was the right call. “For a second, I could think, ‘Oh, well, if I took two tires,’ I don’t know if that would have worked. The No. 5 was doing it; this was their only shot. Really, it was gonna dictate on just how many other cars stayed and fit in between you. I think four tires were the right call, it just didn’t get clear on the bottom.”
Kyle Petty, Richard Petty’s son, suggested that Denny Hamlin lost it due to the traffic. Even Kyle Larson may not have benefited from two tires if not for his position. Petty said, “Denny got pinned in on the bottom, and the cars were coming back to Denny as Larson’s lane was moving forward. And that was the separation. That was the race right there for me.”
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Above and beyond the issue of the tires, what the Phoenix Raceway mishap highlights is the format. The current one-race format of the NASCAR Cup Series championship ultimately did not allow Denny Hamlin to win. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran has been very vocal about changing it. But it took him a heartbreak to get an army of fans by his side. Richard Petty had deemed Hamlin the champion long before. And now, highlighted the need for change: “There’s gonna have to be a change to the way they get a championship.”
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However, Hamlin still chose to salute the rival who defeated him.
Shielding the 2025 champion
Remember the 2024 playoffs? Joey Logano set off a storm of controversy after he miraculously got into the Round of 8. Then the Team Penske driver fetched clutch victories in Atlanta and Las Vegas, and put the cherry on top with a Phoenix victory. And Logano fetched the title with the worst average finish of 17.1 – sparking immense backlash from fans. Kyle Larson’s championship in 2025 may also be viewed in a similar light. The Hendrick Motorsports star won three victories, half of Denny Hamlin’s trophies this season.
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However, Denny Hamlin, even while nursing his heartbreak, chose to celebrate his friend’s victory at the NASCAR Awards event. He even shielded Kyle Larson from fans’ criticism. “I hate for him that kind of the attention is shifted a little bit away from his championship… There shouldn’t be one person who questions the deservingness of his championship. He’s a great friend. If it couldn’t be me, I’m glad it’s him.” Hamlin added, “I think we’re all so close. We play the same opposition every week, so we get to know each other personally, and that plays into that factor of feeling empathy for your competitor.”
Denny Hamlin is looking to move forward from the pain of this year without ill will. Nevertheless, he stays determined to come back and try again. And we are all rooting for him, including Richard Petty.

“Bounce back on the NBC races, and I think we’ll have a decent rating here on Sunday.” Those words said by Steve Phelps in defense of the declining TV ratings didn’t age well. If you have been following NASCAR closely, then you’re surely well-versed with this long-standing problem. NASCAR’s ratings slide has fans pointing the blame at the playoff system.
Despite the $7.7 billion media deal with FOX, Amazon, NBC, and Warner Bros. Discovery, the ratings and viewership numbers continue to dip. New Hampshire drew just 1.29M compared to 1.88M last year. Even the 2025 Phoenix finale couldn’t escape the slump. While the NFL dominates Sundays with 25 million viewers, NASCAR hovers near 1-2 million, and fans insist the playoff format is the real problem.
NASCAR insider shares devastating TV numbers amid playoff format debate
As Kyle Larson lifted his second Bill France Cup and Danny Hamlin’s title dreams went up in smoke, NBC’s coverage drew 2.77 million viewers (1.44 rating), a drop from 2.9 million (1.60) the previous year. It might also mark the final run of the polarizing playoff format that has divided fans since 2014.
According to Jeff Gluck, ever since the debut of NASCAR’s one-race championship format in 2014 delivered a jolt of excitement, the TV ratings immediately reflected it. The final three races of the season average around 5 million viewers, a solid jump from the 4.5 million average seen the previous year. But ever since the introduction of the winner-take-all and elimination-style playoff system, NASCAR TV ratings have taken a serious hit, especially this year. In fact, the viewership dip capped off a 14% season-long decline across the Cup Series.
But that was something NASCAR leadership insists was expected. President Steve Phelps explained that the new media deal’s shift is what made the results inevitable. He said, “When the season started, because of the distribution changes to be less [network TV] broadcast-heavy and more cable-heavy and streaming, we knew we were going to have a reset. We had projected that reset and told everyone in our industry that reset would be between 14% and 15% in Cup.”
But it wasn’t all bad news throughout the year. Races on Amazon Prime Video, once seen as a risky bet, actually delivered, with three of the five fixtures breaking 2 million viewers and the Coca-Cola 600 ranking among the top 10 most-watched races of the year. Fans, though, remain frustrated with the playoff system, calling it gimmicky and confusing.
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With ratings sliding and a viewership fatigue settling in, NASCAR is reportedly ironing out a major overhaul for 2026, possibly a shortened playoff, the classic 10-race chase, or even a return to the old full-season points battle. And now, with President Steve Phelps is coming to rescue the fall in TV numbers, fans are hoping for a better 2026 TV season.
However, Phelps couldn’t help acknowledge the hit on NBC Sports. As the maximum incidence of low ratings featured on the USA network, said, “The charter numbers were slightly softer than we thought they would be, slightly, um, but in line with the projections. I would say the cable portion of the NBC package has been a little softer than we had expected.”
Meanwhile, the Xfinity Series has quietly stolen the spotlight. After moving to The CW, its ratings jumped 10%, with 21 out of 33 races topping 1 million viewers, proving that when fans can actually find the races, they will tune in. And as the dust settles on the 2025 season, NASCAR fans can’t help but sharpen their knives as they wait for the new playoff format to come along.
NASCAR fans expose the problem affecting TV ratings
As the championship races across the NASCAR series have closed out, the playoff debate has been taking center stage. A wave of frustration washed over the fan base as the ratings numbers rolled in. One long time you didn’t miss words, saying, “So they have lost almost 1/2 their viewers since 2014? 😂 And NASCAR thinks they are growing the sport? What a joke.” The remark represented the anger many feel that, despite big promises and the current playoff changes, the sport’s core appeal seems to be slipping away.
The playoff system, once hailed as a thrilling evolution, is now under fire. “Hard to stay interested when you can’t watch any of the playoffs but the last 3 or 4 races. Take the TV deal that makes the sport accessible. I watched more Indy this year, and it’s not as good a product. But it’s accessible,” a fan wrote, highlighting how complicated access has diluted engagement with so many media deals made in NASCAR this year. The message was clear: if one can’t easily tune in, the drama the playoff is supposed to deliver doesn’t matter.
And now the numbers are dragged into the argument, too. “Average TV viewers by year for playoffs. 2025 per playoff race was 1,866,000 less than 2014. Or down 57.5%. Playoffs didn’t work, and it took too long for @NASCAR to figure it out,” one viewer posted. Doing their homework, they concluded that the reason behind the dipping TV viewership is the playoff format. One fan didn’t hide the sarcasm masked in their comment, replying with, “Thank God we have that exciting last race to decide the championship!! Barely cracking the season-long race viewership average!”
And the tone only grew sharper, with one saying, “@NASCAR needs to take the hint fans are tired of the games.” The clear takeaway is that when the format alienates viewers and accessibility drops, even the best playoff system in the world won’t save the audience. And now, with the season finally over, all eyes and ears are looking forward to NASCAR dropping the renewed playoff format for the next season

The NASCAR championship weekend had some wild fallouts. After Corey Heim smoothly fetched his Craftsman Truck Series championship, things got bumpy for the Xfinity and Cup favorites. 10-time Xfinity race winner Connor Zilisch could not finish the job. Jesse Love defeated him due to a fast car. However, the puzzling factor is that neither Denny Hamlin could, even though he also had the fastest Cup Series car.
Fans and experts have speculated about the possible reasons for these results. In Denny Hamlin’s case, the tire strategy on the final caution of the Phoenix race seemed like the turning point. However, Bubba Wallace’s spotter pointed at the NASCAR rule allowing for the mishap instead.
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The system doomed Denny Hamlin again
Denny Hamlin was leading with four laps to go at Phoenix Raceway when William Byron brought out the final caution. That sent the race into overtime, and a green-white-checkered finish. And it’s what Freddie Kraft, Bubba Wallace’s spotter, deemed the problem to be. “We’re doing this stuff because we want to act like stick and ball sports…When have you ever seen a Super Bowl where they got a 30-point lead in the 4th quarter and then the next score wins, and we just go to overtime? Get rid of green white checkers. I’ve said that on here for years. I feel nothing good has come of these except for wrecks on restarts and stupid s— like that.”
NASCAR implemented Green-White Checkered finishes in the Cup Series in 2004. It was originally a two-lap attempt at finishing a race beyond the scheduled distance, which was changed to three attempts in 2010 and expanded to unlimited attempts from 2017 onwards. That means there can be an unlimited number of overtime periods in a race. This rule caused an uproar in Nashville last year, when the Cup Series entered a quintuple overtime race. Although that scenario didn’t repeat itself last weekend, the rule still affected the championship results.
During the Xfinity finale, Justin Allgaier took the green-and-white checkered with Connor Zilisch close behind. But both JR Motorsports drivers faded away as Jesse Love sped up. Then, in the Cup Series, the green-white-checkered finish saw Denny Hamlin drop from the lead to 10th. Freddie Kraft continued, “You can’t be mad that Jesse Love won and mad that Denny lost. Because they’re the same scenario. Neither one of them would have won the full-season format. Jesse was 200 points behind Connor, Denny was like 90 behind whoever was leading…But you can’t be mad that Jesse brought a really fast race car and then be upset that Denny brought a really fast race car and didn’t win.”
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Freddie Kraft pointed at the green-white checkered finish as the culprit for Denny Hamlin’s heartbreak. However, most in the NASCAR garage, including veterans like Kevin Harvick and Richard Petty, have blamed NASCAR’s one-race championship format. Petty quipped about Hamlin’s four-tire call, “The Cup people spend that much money to run a race, and then they don’t let them have it for just a few tires? I mean, this guy spent 15 or 20 million dollars to put the car on the racetrack. He’s handicapped because he’s not got enough tires.”
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And this debate is going to rage for some time, considering Denny Hamlin’s big efforts.
A moment that stung more at the end
A month ago, Denny Hamlin was okay with losing the championship. “I’ve had a season that far exceeded what I thought it would,” he said shortly after winning in Las Vegas. However, his hopes and ambitions became stronger in the next month. The long-elusive title seemed right at the tip of his fingers. So he invested all his time and effort into it, hoping to deliver that championship to his ailing father. “At Phoenix, I changed my driving style and changed my habits… I went to bed with halos in my eyes after looking at screens and data… I feel like there’s so much freed-up time that it was taking up, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said.
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That is why when it did not work out due to an overtime caution, it stung terribly. Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was “40 seconds from a championship.” And Hamlin confessed to struggling to control his emotions. “When I walk into the bus and see my mom, and give her a hug the first time, she’s just essentially the same as I was post-race. She was in shock as well, but was like, ‘it wasn’t meant to be, ’” Hamlin said. “If they have strong emotions one way or another, that funnels into me, but they do a good job of being pretty level…I saw they didn’t let it bother them too much, so I modeled myself after them for my kids.”
Denny Hamlin’s gut-wrenching heartbreak has left a lasting impact on the NASCAR community. Let’s wait and see if this impact reaches the upper echelons of NASCAR as well.

There is no doubt that Joe Gibbs has always been openly devoted to faith. Remember the time Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500 in 2019? Reflecting on it this year after Hamlin’s 60th milestone win, Gibbs connected with the legacy of his son while saying, “And I think God’s hand was on that race. And so Denny’s a big part of that history with JD, too.” And now, the Joe Gibbs Racing team needs God’s guidance more than ever
After a tough weekend at Martinsville, with Christopher Bell getting ousted by Kyle Larson to take up the last spot in the Championship 4 and Denny Hamlin’s and Chase Briscoe’s momentum going for a toss, Gibbs still stands tall on his two cars that made it. With Hamlin and Briscoe burning the midnight oil, the organization is determined to give it their best and leave the rest up to God.
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Joe Gibbs turns to God for guidance as the season finale approaches
Speaking to the JGR team in a video on Instagram, the coach shared some inspiring words. He said, ” So I just want to share one little parable that’s in God’s word that I think emphasizes where we are in pro sports … the fishermen were out fishing that night in the sea, and they came back in and they had caught nothing. Not one fish. They were the best in the world in that part of time at fishing. They had the best stuff, best boats. They knew the most about that lake.”
He added, “And when they came back in, Jesus was standing on the shore, and he told them to go back out and put the nets down on the other side. And when they did that, they tried to pull the nets up. They were so full of fish that in some cases the nets were breaking. The illustration from that is, if God’s not in it, you got a chance to get the zero.”
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Joe Gibbs is rallying behind the metaphor for success and purpose in professional sports. Even the most skilled and experienced people—in this case, drivers with the best tools and knowledge—can still fail if they don’t have God’s guidance or blessing. In the story, the fishermen only succeeded when they followed Jesus’ instruction, symbolizing faith, humility, and alignment with divine purpose.
With such a heavy meaning behind this concept, Joe Gibbs certainly believes that God is on their side and is leaving the championship up to the gods. But make no mistake, the organization is definitely going to pour its heart and soul into the two cars as the battle for the 2025 crown intensifies.
However, luck hasn’t been on their side so far. Last week at Martinsville, Hamlin’s race came to a sudden and frustrating halt when his car’s engine simply shut off while he was running second. There were no warning signs, no odd noises or smoke, and he coasted into Turn 1 before the engine cut out entirely. This was a particularly troubling issue because Hamlin had already suffered multiple mechanical setbacks during the playoffs, including throttle and power steering issues.
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Similarly, Briscoe’s race ended prematurely when, from around 14th place on lap 296, he suddenly slowed down on the frontstretch and drifted off due to engine trouble. Further investigation by the team revealed that the root cause was a defective batch of valve springs, which affected both of the driver’s engines and pointed to a larger quality control issue within the team. Although both drivers had already clinched their Championship 4 spots before the incident, the timing of the failures cast a shadow over the team’s reliability just ahead of the finale.
But with all checks in place, Monday debriefs done right, Joe Gibbs is ready to take on his old friend, Rick Hendrick, with Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe finding themselves in a head-to-head battle with Denny Hamlin, who is fueled by chasing after his elusive title, and Chase Briscoe, who is making his first trip to the playoffs.
Gibbs started his speech by saying, “We just want to say thanks to everybody. That’s because of you guys. We win because of our people. At Phoenix, here’s what’s going to take place. 32 years and we’ve been there with good cars, good everything. They’re hard to win. We’ve won five cup championships. So we’re embarking on something where it’s exciting, and that’s the way I look at it. That’s all you want. It’s an opportunity in pro sports. In pro sports, the absolute best people in the world are racing cars and NASCAR. We’ve got the best cars, best teams, and we get to go against them.”
So far, Denny Hamlin remains the winningest driver without a Cup championship, and he has been in the Championship 4 five times. Making his first appearance in 2014 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he wound up seventh in the finale and third in the standings.
Then, Hamlin went on a three-year streak of Championship 4 appearances through 2019 and 2021. But now, after three straight years of Round of 8 heartbreak, Hamlin is back in the mix, and maybe the sixth time is the charm. Moreover, Chase Briscoe has been quite impressive this year, too. With 7 poles in 2025 for JGR, Briscoe is also set to put his best foot forward. But with all the strategy in place, it is easy for drivers to get into a bad spot with all this pressure, but Denny Hamlin isn’t swinging that way.
Denny Hamlin opens up about his mindset heading into the season finale
The 44-year-old veteran, whose 60 career wins make him the most successful Cup Series driver without a championship, has heard the biggest weekend of his career narrative many times before, only to fall short each time.
True to form, Hamlin plans to approach this weekend with his usual calm and focus. He will arrive as prepared as ever, aiming for one more victory and the long-awaited title, surrounded by friends and family who will be cheering him on.
Speaking to FOX Sports on Tuesday, he said, “I’m going to have fun with it just like I would any week. I probably would have had this [multiple home rentals] had we not even made the Championship 4. But it just makes it more gratifying to me when you know my friends are around and more family. Obviously, I want them to experience the whole week like I am.”
His loved ones haven’t pressed him about whether this will finally be there. To claim his first title at Phoenix Raceway, Hamlin will need to finish ahead of Kyle Larson, Briscoe, and William Byron. With a season-best six victories, he is entering the finale confident and composed.
Hamlin said, “They really don’t talk to me about it. I think we’ve more just been positive. … Positive vibes only. We’re staying positive. I certainly am in a really good headspace to feel like I’m going in there with a lot of confidence. I’m preparing to win, not lose.”
This marks Hamlin’s third championship bid at Phoenix Raceway, though it’s his first with the Next-Gen car, a change that limits how much teams can find setups to suit a driver’s style. Thanks to his win in the Las Vegas semi-final, Hamlin has enjoyed extra time to focus on perfecting his approach for Sunday’s all-or-nothing finale.

In a move that’s sure to excite fans, JR Motorsports has confirmed that Carson Kvapil will race full-time in the 2026 NASCAR Xfinity Series, reversing earlier plans that had him sharing the No. 1 car with Connor Zilisch. The news was revealed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. during his podcast, marking a major milestone for the 22-year-old rising star who’s been turning heads all season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Confirms Kvapil’s Full-Time Promotion
“Hey everybody, it’s Dale Jr. and I’m here with Carson Kvapil, one of our drivers at Junior Motorsports,” Earnhardt Jr. said, teeing up the big reveal. “We were talking earlier today and alluded to the fact that we’ve got a little bit of news to share about your experience next year in the Xfinity Series.”
The announcement comes after weeks of speculation. When JR Motorsports initially said Kvapil and Zilisch would split time in the No. 1 car, fans were quick to question the decision. Earnhardt Jr. acknowledged the concern directly:
“I know a lot of people were curious when we made the announcement that you and Connor were gonna share the car. They were worried, Hey, why is he not running full-time?”
Behind the scenes, Earnhardt Jr. and his team were already working to make Carson Kvapil’s full-time move a reality. “We’ve been working really hard over the last couple of weeks trying to put together all of the pieces of the puzzle to make this announcement,” he said. “You’re actually gonna be full-time.”
Carson Kvapil Shares Excitement for 2026 Season
Kvapil’s reaction said it all, pure excitement. “Yeah, it’s super exciting,” he said. “Obviously, going into the final four here, we’re just trying to focus on winning the championship. But at the same time, looking ahead, I’m super excited to go try to race for a championship next year too.”
The 2025 season has already been a breakout year for Kvapil. With a Championship 4 appearance under his belt, he’s quickly proven that he belongs among NASCAR’s rising elite. Now, with a full-time seat secured for 2026, he’s looking to build on that momentum and chase more wins.
Rodney Childers Joins as Crew Chief for 2026
One of the biggest storylines surrounding Kvapil’s full-time deal is his pairing with Rodney Childers, a championship-winning crew chief with years of Cup Series experience. Earnhardt Jr. called the move a “game-changer” for JR Motorsports.
“Pairing you with Rodney Childers next year, our expectation is to go win races,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We knew winning races meant you’d be playoff eligible, so we had to fill out the rest of that calendar.”
Childers’ experience and strategic mindset are expected to help Kvapil compete at a higher level from day one. “Having Rodney in, I think there’s gonna be a lot of good things coming next year,” Earnhardt Jr. added. “Winning races is the big one.”
Earnhardt Jr. also hinted that more details will be released soon.
“Once we get beyond Phoenix, we’ll have more information about what those remaining races look like. Can’t let all the secrets out right away.”

Kyle Busch has heavily criticised NASCAR’s next-gen cars, arguing that the hardware standardised throughout the teams has removed creativity between outfits while making racing much more difficult due to the aerodynamic features of the cars. He has called for controlled flexibility between teams, which would allow them to create distinct performance advantages while remaining on top of costs.
“That’s one thing I wanna change, go back a little bit to the old-school way of how the cars were made and built by the teams,

Front Row Motorsports has locked in one of the Truck Series’ fastest-rising parings, with the team contracting Layne Riggs to a multi-year deal. The 23-year-old will retain his seat in the No. 34 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Crew chief Dylan Cappello will also remain with the driver.
This is Rigg’s second full-time year with FRM, with him turning his 2025 season into one to remember: three wins, three poles, and 12 top-five finishes has made an impressive year for the driver.
“This year was a huge confidence booster,

NASCAR has suspended Sam Mayer from Saturday’s Xfinity Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. This comes after the Haas Factory Team driver’s contact with Jeb Burton in Martinsville violated the sport’s conduct code.
Officials cited Section 4.4B of the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct after Mayer spun Burton into the outside wall after the chequered flag had already fallen at Martinsville. This piece of driving was scrutinised by fans, especially after both drivers had clashed during the race itself.
Mayer, finishing in seventh and outside of the Championship 4, will not finish the series because of this.
Haas isn’t challenging the suspension, with Ryan Sieg taking over the responsibility of the No. 41 Ford.
“Although we are disappointed with the results, Haas Factory Team will not appeal the penalty NASCAR issued to Sam Mayer and the No. 41 team following last weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway,” the team said on social media.
“We remain focused on finishing the season out strong at Phoenix Raceway and look forward to contending for a race win with Ryan Sieg at the wheel.”
This weekend’s race at Phoenix starts at 7:30pm on The CW. Radio coverage comes from MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
At the same time, Rick Ware Racing has been sanctioned by NASCAR after the right-rear wheel of Cody Ware’s No. 51 Ford came off.
Two over-the-wall team members have been suspended due to this – jackman De’Quan Hampton and rear-tire changer Marquill Osborne – with the pair returning after two races. They will return after February’s Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not only a believer in Carson Kvapil, but is adamant about giving him the chance to succeed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
“We had other opportunities this year to do something else entirely with some pretty cool names and up-and-coming projects that would have been good and brought some money,” Earnhardt Jr. told RACER. “But I kept telling Kelley (Earnhardt Miller) and everybody here, ‘My priority is Carson full-time.’ Yes, this is nice and this is easier financially, but I’m not giving up on this idea of him running full-time, and here we are.”
Kvapil, a rookie in the Xfinity Series driving the No. 1 Chevrolet, will compete for the series championship this weekend at Phoenix Raceway. And he will return next season to again run full-time and chase wins with JR Motorsports.
That was always the plan, even if the organization caught folks off-guard with how they rolled out their announcements. In September, JR Motorsports announced the hiring of Rodney Childers. Childers will be the crew chief for the No. 1 team, with Kvapil and Connor Zilisch sharing the ride.
“We had every intention of Carson being a full-time driver, and we, or me personally, felt like that was what we were going to achieve,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We had Rodney coming in, we had some other announcements coming together with Rajah (Caruth), and so forth. So, we felt like, let’s go ahead and tell everybody we’ve got Rodney and he’s going to do a car with Carson and with Connor. We were literally just announcing the Rodney deal, and most of the replies were, ‘Wait, Carson is not going to be full-time? This is crazy. How is this possible?’
“I was like, wait a minute, we’re going to get him full-time. His family and I, privately, are looking at all the options of every car in the field. What would it cost? What are the races? Our belief is that Carson is going to go drive races with Rodney and win, and if he does that, he needs to be in every other race to be eligible for the playoffs. Rodney and Carson are going to have every race in the playoffs, because Connor can’t drive in the playoffs. So, if we win a race, we need to be ready.
“So, inside this building and in my head, it was automatic that Carson would be full-time. How we made that happen could have happened 100 different ways.”
Earnhardt Jr. is adamant that Kvapil will be in competitive stuff throughout 2026. Once he advanced into the Championship 4 last weekend, it helped solidify the deals that were coming together.
Kvapil is the 22-year-old son of 2003 Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil. The expectations for the younger Kvapil were admittedly “super high,” according to Earnhardt Jr., after he earned four top-10 finishes in his nine starts with the team last season. Among those results were a near victory at Dover Motor Speedway and being in contention for the win at Michigan International Speedway before being collected in a late-race incident.
But the results this season have not been as expected, and the cars have been a struggle for Kvapil and crew chief Andrew Overstreet. The duo is winless with an average finish of 13.8, and is likely the underdog in the championship fight.
“We have all been in the room multiple times and talked individually… trying to figure out what it is,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “No one ever wanted to blow it up. No one wanted to ever say we change a big piece here, or maybe it’s this or that. I believe in Overstreet as a crew chief. He’s worked really hard to be in that position, and I think he’ll be a crew chief on one of our cars next year.
“I called Rodney and I said, ‘I have this opportunity for you if you want to think about it.’ He said, ‘Man, that sounds pretty fun.’ I told Rodney this, ‘I believe in Carson, and I don’t know how many chances I’m going to have to get him to victory lane and get him recognized, and if you can come in here and we can go get this kid what I think he can do, then he’s off to the races.’”
Earnhardt Jr. praised the work Kvapil and Overstreet have put in together, and their maturity in not making things awkward about the plans for next season. He also said spotter T.J. Majors has played a significant role in Kvapil’s development throughout the season, putting together packages of information for the driver to consume.
“Carson has never bitched or complained or said anything where I want, ‘Man, that’s rude,’” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He’s never talked down about his team. He’s never minimized Overstreet. He’s never pointed the finger at anyone. He’s not that kind of guy. And there have been some tough moments this year where they have struggled, and he gets down. He has emotion. But he’s handled it pretty well considering the pressure he’s under.
“I don’t think anybody appreciates how much pressure he’s under. They (his family) have risked everything – financial support and everything they’ve done – to give these kids this opportunity. Their dad and their family, they’ve all sacrificed everything they’ve got to give Caden and Carson a chance.”

Heading into the finale at Phoenix Raceway, Denny Hamlin holds one of the best shots of his career at capturing the elusive NASCAR Cup Series championship. After securing his place in the Championship 4 with a key win at Las Vegas, Hamlin arrives in Phoenix as a serious contender and a favorite, not just another hopeful.
But his story hasn’t been simple. Multiple times he’s made the final round, yet each year something out of his control, a mechanical failure, a poor pit stop, an unlucky break, has kept him from lifting the trophy. With the kind of mechanical issues he’s been facing in the past two races at Talladega and Martinsville, could this year still keep him away from the title?
Going by his words, by locking himself into the finale early, he says he’s “smarter” and “better prepared” for Phoenix. The pressure is real, the field is stacked, and the storylines are rich. Win or lose, whatever happens, the moment under the lights in Phoenix will definitely redefine his legacy.
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Phoenix’s weekend schedule
The 2025 NASCAR season wraps with a bang at Phoenix Raceway, all three national series and the ARCA Menards West crowning kings in a jam-packed weekend. Action kicks off Thursday with Truck practice at 7:35 p.m. ET, easing into the excitement.
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Friday revs up. ARCA Menards West grabs practice and qualifying at 2 p.m. ET, Truck qualifying hits FS2 at 3:35 p.m., Xfinity practice runs at 4:35 p.m. on The CW App, and Cup practice follows at 5:35 p.m. on TruTV. Night caps with the Truck Championship Race at 7:30 p.m. on FS1, 45-45-60 laps, five tire sets.
Saturday’s Xfinity day. ARCA Menards West finale starts at 1:30 p.m. on FloRacing, Xfinity qualifying rolls at 3:30 p.m. on The CW App, Cup qualifying follows at 5 p.m. on TruTV. Xfinity prerace kicks at 6:30 p.m. on The CW, race green at 7:30 p.m., 45-45-110 laps, five tires.
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Sunday’s the big show. Cup prerace airs at 2 p.m. on NBC, green flag at 3 p.m. ET, 60-125-127 laps, eight tire sets for the 2025 Cup crown. The schedule builds like a playoff push, each day stacking stakes. Trucks test nerves Thursday night, Xfinity flips the script Saturday, and Cup seals Sunday. Phoenix’s oval shines under lights, where history hangs by a thread.
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Hamlin’s Phoenix odds
As the NASCAR Cup Series heads into its championship finale at Phoenix Raceway, all eyes are on Denny Hamlin, who enters as the odds-on favorite to win, according to Caesar’s Sportsbook as of Monday, October 27. After years of close calls, Hamlin’s name sits atop the board at +375, signaling strong confidence from oddsmakers that this could finally be his breakthrough moment.
Right behind him are fellow title contenders William Byron (+400) and Kyle Larson (+450), both seeking their second career championships. Chase Briscoe (+600) and Ryan Blaney (+650) round out the next tier of favorites, while Christopher Bell (+850) and Joey Logano (+1200) remain solid dark-horse options. Chase Elliott (+1400) and Tyler Reddick (+2500) are also seen as potential spoilers if they can find late-season speed, even though out of contention.
Further down the board, mid-pack contenders like Ross Chastain (+3000), Bubba Wallace (+3500), and the group of Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, and Austin Cindric (all +4000) could deliver surprise performances.

As the Cup Series climax at Phoenix arrives on November 2, one of Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, or William Byron will lift that trophy. Fans have loved this flat track for high-stakes drama under Arizona lights since 1964. But this race will mark its last race as the final hosting track, as Homestead is taking over once again from next year, making this weekend even more unforgettable.
From hauler parades to post-race fireworks, events like these turn ordinary trips into lifelong memories. As the championship weekend begins on October 31, knowing the details turns good times into great ones.
Tailgating and camping
Phoenix Raceway‘s campgrounds buzz with NASCAR spirit, offering 25 by 50 foot spaces for RVs, complete with electric and water supply, but with no sewer though. Each site includes one RV pass, a tow vehicle pass, and four wristband admissions for the full weekend, letting you dive into Thursday’s Truck Series practice through Sunday’s big showdown.
Shuttles run from 3:30 p.m. Thursday to an hour post-race Sunday, easing you to the action without any hassle. Pre-register for perks like the 1-3 p.m. Camper Volunteer Event on Thursday, where you can organize donations at The Barn Brewed by Busch Light. It’s all about community, with the Huss Brewing Co. Alehouse open to BUY RV tickets from 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Tailgating flows naturally from these setups, but stick to rules like no obstructing views with flags or gear. Arrive early, with lots opening at 3:30 p.m. Thursday for El Mirage and Ada to claim prime pavement for grills and games. “Comply with all parking, camping, and RV published rules,” ensuring smooth vibes for everyone. That setup lets you get refreshed between Q&As, like the 10:45 a.m. Truck Series chat on Thursday.
With your base locked in, the real fun starts through off-track shows.
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Events
Championship Weekend kicks off Friday with the Hauler Parade at 7:30 a.m., rolling the team past the cheering crowds before ARCA Menards West practice at 11 a.m. Halloween even adds extra flair to it with a 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Trick-or-Treat Pit Stop. There will also be a kids’ costume contest at 3:30 p.m.
The Craftsman Truck Series Championship races are at 4:30 p.m., followed by a Country Night bash at The Barn till 11 p.m. Saturday’s Xfinity Qualifying at 12:30 p.m. leads to their 4:30 p.m. title fight and Q&A sessions, with Justin Allgaier‘s 10:30 a.m. session.
Sunday peaks with the 1 p.m. Cup Championship, but before that, there is a pre-race concert by multi-platinum artist Jordan Davis at 11:40 a.m. “Jordan Davis is set to get the party started,” the track shares, singing country hits to fire up the strong crowd. Fans can join the Championship 4 Q&A session at 10:45 a.m., then the O’Reilly Auto Party from 9:45 a.m. Post-race, celebrations erupt with driver intros at 12:35 p.m.
These moments fuel the fire, but smart packing keeps your day hassle-free amid the Arizona heat.
Cooler policy
Soft-sided coolers are allowed in grandstands, with one per guest, max 12x12x12 inches, to pass the security check smoothly, but no glass bottles or alcohol to stay compliant. This policy balances convenience with flow, letting you focus on the race without carrying extra weight. Items left at gates may not be handled with care, so pack light.
Pro tip: Chill everything pre-arrival; the Ice Truck runs 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday for refills. It will keep fans hydrated throughout those intense laps. With coolers getting sorted out, let’s nail fans’ parking spots.
Parking & prohibitions
Phoenix Finale is providing free general parking to ticket holders with no pass needed; just head towards the signage directions from Friday to Sunday. Upgrade to El Mirage or the premium category for closer drops, included in some packages like the Grandstand + Infield Bundle. El Mirage Parking is closest to the ticket gates, and Premium Parking is closest to Gates 4 and 5. Trams shuttle from 8:30 a.m. or ask a staff member for directions to avoid backups, especially with 67,000 fans converging.
Prohibitions keep things safe: no weapons, hard/foam coolers, or obstructing flags of any kind, and no drugs or alcohol. Halloween costumes also got some instructions, like no masks or weapon props, or risk entry denial. “All persons entering the Raceway are subject to search,” per policy, so travel light. These ground rules ensure everyone’s safety without any second thought in the back of their minds. Check the prohibited items list below.
Extra tips for a smooth experience
Beat crowds by arriving early. Pre-download the NASCAR Tracks App for offline maps, ticket scans, and real-time leaderboards; cell service got weak inside, so backing it up with Wi-Fi backups saves stress. The same goes for mobile batteries; bring your power banks.
Toss your hat in the 50/50 Raffle online; last year’s $162,695 pot split $81,345 to the winner, drawn on November 3 at 10 a.m. It adds that fun gamble without the gamble.
Stay responsible: Hydrate heavily in Arizona heat, and mask up if leaving your site per track nods. Arm yourself with these, and you’ll own the weekend.

As Team Penske celebrated its third consecutive championship last year, Hendrick Motorsports, the sport’s most successful Cup team in terms of wins and titles, left Phoenix focused on a different outcome this year.
“This is a top priority … go to Phoenix and have a shot at the championship,” Jeff Gordon, vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, said this week.
The three-year championship drought for Hendrick Motorsports is tied for the team’s longest since 2006. Only once since Hendrick claimed its first Cup crown in 1995 has the organization gone four seasons between titles.
Hendrick Motorsports will go for a record-extending 15th Cup title Sunday (3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock) with Kyle Larson and William Byron, the regular season champion, racing for a crown. They’ll go against Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe for the championship.
Sunday will mark the third consecutive year Byron has reached the title race. He earned a spot after his win last weekend at Martinsville.
Last year, Byron, the lone Hendrick driver racing for a title at Phoenix, finished third in the race, behind Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. In 2024, Byron and Larson represented Hendrick in the championship race. Larson was third to Blaney and Byron was fourth.
Gordon sees signs of a different outcome for Hendrick this time.
“If you had asked me two months ago were we ready, I would say we’re gaining on it, maybe not there,” Gordon said of Hendrick’s chances in a title race at Phoenix. “If you asked me today, I’d say we’re ready and excited about the opportunity that’s only come from a tremendous amount of work and effort by our group and the season they put together.”
In most years, a driver has had to win the season finale at Phoenix to claim the championship. If that is the case this year and Hendrick claims its 321st Cup win and a title, some credit can go to Team Penske.
“Every year we continue to have to up the bar because, credit to the guys at Penske, they’ve set such a standard at Phoenix for how they compete and win,” Cliff Daniels, crew chief for Larson, said. “Every year we thought we’re bringing more to the table on the setup development side, on the car side and yet every year we continue to get beat. In a way that’s been a great challenge to push us in areas we didn’t expect.”
Phoenix Raceway, a 1-mile oval, is among a group of tracks that had not been the strongest for Hendrick Motorsports. Those tracks included Richmond, New Hampshire and World Wide Technology Raceway.
“We’ve been getting beat at those tracks recently,” Gordon said. “We feel like that was a top priority. I would say throughout this year, we’ve been gaining on that because of the amount of effort that’s being put in by our engineering group, our crew chiefs, and the feedback from the drivers, the communication with everybody, our teammates at Chevy, as well as Chevy and their engineering group, as well.”
Daniels said things changed this summer for Hendrick Motorsports at some of those tracks. He points to a test with Larson at World Wide Technology Raceway in late June when the team discovered some ways to make the car better that carried over to other tracks.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has confirmed that Carson Kvapil will race full-time in 2026 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
JR Motorsports plans to place Kvapil alongside veteran crew chief Rodney Childers. They’re looking to park up on Victory Lane.
“Having Rodney, and I think there’s going to be a lot of good things coming next year,” Kvapil added. “And just me having the experience of running this full-time season this year is going to really going to help us next year, but winning races is the main goal.”
The North Carolina driver is readying himself for Phoenix and the Championship 4 before he attacks 2026 preparations.
“Yeah, it’s super exciting,” he continued. “Obviously, going into the final four here, we’re just trying to focus on winning the championship. But at the same time, looking ahead, super excited to go try to race for a championship next year, too.”
Earnhardt Jr. is looking forward to revealing more later in the year.
“Once we’re beyond Phoenix, we’ll have more information about what those remaining races look like,” he said. “So we’ll be sharing all that once we get through Phoenix.”
The 22-year old has reached the Championship 4 without a win, instead finishing second three separate times while also logging four top-five finishes. After an 18th place finish at Martinsville, he achieved his berth on points.
“That was probably the most nerve-wracking racing I’ve done in my career,” Kvapil said via NASCAR.com. “Obviously, we were sitting in a pretty good spot before we got turned around there.
“I think the sky’s the limit for these guys. Our season hasn’t been the flashiest … but you never know. It all comes down to one race and we’ve got a 25-percent chance of winning.”
This comes after Earnhardt voiced his concern over JGR’s decision to field Aric Almirola.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin admits he’s “sentimental” in making his pick to win the NASCAR Cup championship this Sunday in Phoenix.
While Martin exclusively told EssentiallySports.com that the other three finalists – William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chase Briscoe – are all worthy contenders, Denny Hamlin has Martin’s vote to win what would be Hamlin’s first Cup crown.
“I’d love to see Denny win it, so that’s who I’m going to go with for sentimental reasons,” Martin said of the veteran Joe Gibbs Racing driver. “But who knows who’s going to win. One little glitch on a pit stop or one misstep on a restart can change everything. It’s hard to say, but sentimentally, I’d love to see Denny win it.”
The way Hamlin’s last two races have been, with mechanical issues at Talladega and a smoked engine at Martinsville, he’s scaring his fans who want him to lift that trophy more than him.
“He’s due a championship. He’s had a great year with a new crew chief, which I didn’t really expect him to have, and with his age, it gets harder to do what he’s doing at his age (Hamlin turns 45 on Nov. 18). I know, I’ve been there.”
“Honestly, he’s defying the odds and is showing to me the best Denny Hamlin I’ve ever seen. This is his time to capitalize because it could taper off at any time and start getting more difficult.”
There’s no question Hamlin has had an outstanding season in 2025. He’s led the Cup Series with six wins and reached the record 60-win milestone that had long been his goal. With 720 Cup starts under his belt, this will be the fifth Championship Four that Hamlin has been part of – and the seventh overall season where he’s finished in the top four.
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Martin’s own Cup career is strikingly similar to Hamlin’s in that he finished runner-up five times but never captured a Cup championship. Still, the Batesville, Arkansas native was one of the most successful and respected drivers in the sport, winning 40 races and finishing in the top 10 in more than half of his 882 career Cup starts, ultimately earning him induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017.
As strong as he feels about Hamlin, Martin – who is putting the finishing touches on his upcoming autobiography “Never Lift” (due out next summer) – isn’t discounting the other three Championship Four contenders.
“It’s just a matter of hitting the setup just right,” Martin said. “That’s what’s going to separate it. They’re all capable of winning it.”
“So hitting the setup right so that they have the upper hand with the car is key. If it comes down to a late-race restart, those things are crazy, and if they’re in the mix near the end, any of the four have a chance.”
The setup game needs to be the best, which, as per the current situation, applies more to Joe Gibbs Racing than to team Hendrick. Because, as Martin says, whether it’s the late-race restarts or whether they’re leading out front, those scenarios give all of them an equal winning shot.
Martin enjoyed Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway. It was a fairly clean race with lots of good passing, respectful competition, and the drivers who advanced to the Championship Four in Phoenix deserved their achievements.
“I thought it was a great race,” Martin said. “It felt very much like a classic Martinsville race. It was good to see it end up without a green-white-checker or a crash fest, which is what I think most people expected.”
“I thought it was a refreshing race. It was a lot of great racing, and there was plenty of action and a little bit of conversing and everything that you would expect to get from Martinsville.”
Indeed, the race was a complete entertainment package, and among other things, it saw the elimination of Team Penske for the first time in the Next Gen era. And how William Byron won the race after starting from the pole and then led a career-high 304 laps impressed Martin.
“What I didn’t expect was for the dominance that they showed,” Martin said of Byron and the No. 24 team. “It’s one thing to be in a must-win situation and be in the mix, which is usually about the best that you can muster in today’s era.”
“But the dominance they showed is very uncommon. I celebrate the dominance that they showed and the performance they showed because that’s really, really hard to do, especially in today’s racing environment.”
“I didn’t see that coming, but it was an awesome performance, for sure.”
Very true. Today, when all cars have identical setups and the parity is higher than ever, it’s a very underrated skill to lead when there’s no other option. Byron and the No. 24 team showed that skill at Martinsville, as he led all stages and 304 laps, his own career best in a single race.
Martin also gave a lot of credit to race runner-up Ryan Blaney, who needed a win to advance to the final round in Phoenix, but came up one position short of that goal.
The irony is that Blaney won the last two playoff races at Martinsville, which punched his ticket to the Championship Four in 2023 and 2024, where he won the crown in 2023 and was second to Team Penske teammate and three-time Cup champion Joey Logano in 2024.
“If you watch those guys really close, the 12 car has been historically strong on the long green flag runs,” Martin said of Blaney. “He doesn’t show anything spectacular early in the race.
“But once you get deeper into the race and start having some long runs, they really come alive. I’ve seen that for the last couple of years, and it’s been really apparent this year.”
“So for him to come from 31st to first or second was no shocker. The biggest surprise that I saw was the 24. I didn’t see that kind of performance coming, but kind of expected it from Blaney. So there were plenty of surprises and plenty of good racing all over the racetrack.”
Martin laments that Phoenix Raceway will host its sixth consecutive and last Championship Weekend. NASCAR brings the season-ending finale for Cup, Xfinity (soon to be O’Reilly Auto Parts), and Trucks back to Homestead-Miami Speedway next year.
However, NASCAR is considering having a rotating schedule for Championship Weekend that could see a number of tracks play host, including Phoenix once again, perhaps a few years from now.
“You can’t beat Phoenix for turnout, enthusiasm, for ticket sales and drawing a massive crowd, they support that racetrack unbelievably, so you can’t beat that,” Martin said. “I like the higher banks (of Homestead). I like Homestead, it feels very traditional.”
“It doesn’t mean it (Championship Four) needs to be there forever, either. I like the idea of rotating it around. I appreciate the pluses and everything that Phoenix has brought to the championship race.”
“But I look forward to it being at Homestead. And then after that, I’m sure NASCAR will surprise us with something else.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t just a supporter of Carson Kvapil; he is determined to give the young driver every opportunity to shine in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts series next season. The North-Carolina native made his Xfinity debut with JR Motorsports last year, finishing fourth at Martinsville in the No. 88 car.
However, as of October 2024, JRM announced that he would drive full-time in 2025 in the No. 1 Chevy. With that, it was immediately marred with reports that he might share the car part-time in 2026 with Connor Zilisch, who will prepare for his full-time Series debut. But now, Dale Jr. has other plans for the 22-year-old.
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Dale Jr. reveals the hard work that went into deciding Kvapil’s fate
Dale Earnhardt Jr. cleared up any doubt left about Carson Kvapil’s future. Taking to X, the NASCAR Hall of Famer said, “And we were talking on the podcast earlier today and alluded to the fact that got a little bit of news to share about your experience next year in the, in the Xfinity series, you’ll be running full-time.”
He added, “I know a lot of people were curious when we made the announcement that you and Connor were going to share a car. They were worried. ‘Hey, why is he not running full-time?’ We’ve been working really hard over the last couple of weeks, trying to put together all the pieces of the puzzle to make this announcement that you’re actually going to be full-time.”
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Kvapil, a rookie in the Xfinity Series behind the wheel of the No.1 Chevy, will compete for the championship this weekend at Phoenix Raceway. He will also return full-time with JR Motorsports next year, chasing victories and continuing his development under Junior’s guidance. Both Kvapil and Zilisch are expected to share the car, though Dale Jr. made it clear that Kvapil will remain in top-tier equipment throughout 2026. His advancement into the Championship 4 last weekend only helped solidify the plans that were already in motion.
That was the plan all along, even if the team’s series of announcements caught many by surprise. Back in September, JR Motorsports revealed the hiring of veteran crew chief Rodney Childers, who will oversee the No. 1 team. And Kvapil couldn’t have wished for a better pairing. He said, “Having Rodney and I think there’s gonna be a lot of good things coming next year, and just me having the experience of running this full-time season this year is going to really help us into next year, but winning races is the main goal.”
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Kvapil, the 22-year-old son of 2003 Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil, came into the year with sky-high expectations. “The expectations were super high,” Dale Jr. admitted, recalling Carson’s impressive stretch last season, with four top 10s in just nine starts, including a year win at Dover and a strong run at Michigan before getting caught in a late-race crash.
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Reflecting on this promotion, Carson said, “Yeah, it’s super exciting. Obviously, going into the final four here, we’re just trying to focus on winning the championship, but at the same time, looking ahead, super excited to go try to race for a championship next year too.”
This season, however, hasn’t gone entirely to plan. Kvapil and crew chief Andrew Overstreet have struggled to find consistency, remaining winless with an average finish of 13.8. Despite that, Kvapil has defied the odds to reach the Championship 4, making him a dark horse in the 2025 title fight.
NASCAR Hall of Famer and JR Motorsports co-owner may have also hinted at more announcements coming soon. He teased, “Once we get beyond Phoenix, we’ll have more information about what those remaining races look like. So we’ll be sharing all that once we get through Phoenix. Can’t let all the secrets out right away.”
Even without a win this year, the 22-year-old’s first full-time season has become one to remember. He has notched three runner-up finishes and four additional top fives, proving that his consistency and composure have earned him a rightful place in the championship spotlight. Despite Kvapil being disappointed with his Martinsville race, he remains in the Championship 4 mix, and things at the JR Motorsport camp are bound to heat up.
JR Motorsports’ championship battle heats up at the Phoenix finale
The powerhouse organization has been the class of the field in the Xfinity Series. For the second time in four years, the camp has managed to claim three of the four Championship 4 spots. Leading the charge is Connor Zilisch, who has turned heads all season with 10 victories and now enters the finale at Phoenix Raceway as the man to beat.
However, the championship showdown features an intriguing mix of rising stars in seasoned veterans. Zilisch will go wheel to wheel with his JR Motorsports teammates, defending champion Justin Allgaier and rookie Carson Kvapil, while his best friend Jesse Love completes the all-Chevrolet lineup in the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing entry.
If either Zilisch or Kvapil manages to capture the title, they will join an elite group as only the fourth rookie champions in Xfinity Series history. Reflecting on that rare moment, Zilisch said, “It’s really cool to be in the Championship 4 with my teammates Justin and Carson. Before the season started, my crew chief, Mardy Lindley, had me fill out a points and win prediction. I had us winning four races, so to sit here today with 10 wins and winning the Regular Season Championship plus locking into the Championship 4 early, this No. 88 team has certainly outdone my expectations.”
But the stakes have never been higher, and while the drivers chase their individual titles, the tension and the competition within the camp have definitely risen as each driver focuses on their penultimate 2025 race.

As the December 1 trial date draws closer, tensions between the France family and several race teams have reached a boiling point. What began as a standoff over charter rights and revenue sharing has now spiraled into a full-blown legal battle that could reshape the sport’s business model.
NASCAR recently fired back, accusing teams of demanding “hundreds of millions of dollars in damages” they were never promised, insisting that every deal had been honored when the contracts ended. Yet with the December 1 trial looming, the high-stakes dispute over money, power, and control is speeding toward a verdict. Still, in true NASCAR fashion, there’s always room for one dramatic twist. And the NASCAR rumor is, a settlement might just be on the horizon.
NASCAR rumors: A settlement could be on its way
It has seemed inevitable for months! NASCAR and two of its most defiant teams, Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, along with Front Row Motorsports, were barreling toward a December 1 courtroom clash that could reshape the sport’s future. But last week, that trajectory almost changed.
NASCAR rumors hint that during a two-day settlement conference in Charlotte, both sides came closer than ever to striking a deal. This would have ended the year-long legal war over NASCAR’s charter system right then and there. The discussions, initiated at NASCAR’s own request, carried a very different tone than the court-mandated arbitration back in August.
Encouraged by early progress, the sides extended talks into a second day as the framework for a new “evergreen” charter system began to take shape. Now, according to this charter system, teams would be given permanent ownership rights and long-term security similar to traditional sports franchises.
NASCAR even agreed to return six charters to 23XI and Front Row, worth an estimated $300 million, marking a major concession. This was based on the last charter sale, which was for $45 million, involving Rick Ware Racing and Legacy Motor Club. But by Wednesday afternoon, momentum unraveled. The talks collapsed over one question: who would pay the massive legal fees, reportedly nearing $100 million combined?
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23XI and Front Row also demanded compensation for racing without charters after losing their injunction in September. And NASCAR refused it. “It was OK the first day, not great the second day, and I don’t know, it didn’t end in any resolution unfortunately,” Hamlin admitted. “Both sides probably feel strong about their case.”
Now, with the Phoenix championship race looming, NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps is making last-ditch calls to salvage a deal. Even Judge Kenneth Bell, who’s presiding over the case, warned of what’s at stake if this goes to trial, telling both sides, “I’m trying to figure out how big the fire hose should be.” According to NASCAR rumors, one thing’s clear. If this legal fire ignites, it could burn far deeper than anyone in the garage expects.
NASCAR teams question 23XI’s motives
When news broke that NASCAR had finally agreed to more team-friendly charter terms (including long-term security and “evergreen” ownership rights), most thought the storm was finally clearing. But as the dust settled, confusion spread through the Cup Series garage.
If 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports had achieved what they’d publicly fought for, why were they still pressing forward with the lawsuit? That’s the question many rival team executives are now asking. Several NASCAR rumors described growing frustration toward both 23XI and Front Row, whose decision to continue litigation after scoring major concessions has puzzled peers.
“This should be over now,” one team executive said bluntly. “(23XI and Front Row) say they’re fighting for all of us (teams), well, they got permanent charters, and this lawsuit hasn’t gone away. All they’re doing is making it harder on the rest of us to do business and actually try to grow this thing.”
For the 13 teams that already signed the new charter agreement back in September, the ongoing dispute has created an awkward divide in the garage. Many acknowledge that while the lawsuit may have pressured NASCAR into granting more stable terms, the continued legal fight is now seen as a distraction. According to them, it’s drawing energy and focus away from the sport’s future.
At the same time, not all of the blame is being thrown at 23XI and Front Row. Some owners say NASCAR itself could’ve prevented the entire ordeal by acting sooner. “NASCAR could’ve ended this a long time ago if they wanted to; they refused,” one team owner admitted, reflecting a sentiment shared by many.

20 years! That’s how long Denny Hamlin has been racing without his elusive title. Now, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has the chance to seal his fate at Phoenix. However, ever since the veteran has been riding high on his 60th career win, he has been marred by bad luck in the last two races.
Denny Hamlin’s Martinsville victory never came, as he lost an engine and had starter issues. The 44-year-old had throttle cable issues at Talladega as well. With all the mechanical woes that have plagued the No. 11 team, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jr. sounds confused about Hamlin’s chances of winning his first title.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes that Denny Hamlin is on thin ice
Speaking on the Dale Jr. Download, the NASCAR Hall of Famer said, “I don’t know. He might have a little; he might feel like he’s on a little, you know, delicate ice. I don’t know.” It is no secret that Denny Hamlin’s luck, right when it comes to the penultimate race, has always been skewed by some issue or the other.
Junior’s bid stems from the incident at Martinsville Speedway. Denny Hamlin’s confidence took a hit when his car suffered a sudden engine failure during the playoff race, forcing him out when he was running second and effectively knocking the wind out of his championship momentum. He had already been dealing with mechanical issues, such as starter problems and power steering failure, which made the breakdown at Martinsville especially frustrating and underscored the mechanical vulnerabilities right when execution mattered most.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. added, “Denny’s already told us in the past. He’s been here a million times. He’s like, ‘Getting here is the hardest part. The hard part’s over. I’m in whatever happens today is what’s going to happen.’ Yep. Whoever’s going to win this race or be the best of this four, that’s what’s happening. And it’s not. It’s kind of like out of my hands to an extent, right? He’s going to drive the car. He’s going to do his best job today. And if he gets outrun that day by that guy and he does win a championship, well, that’s it. But the hardest part was getting there.”
If history is anything to go by, Hamlin has had anything but luck when fighting for the championship. Back in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2014, the No. 11 crew made a strategic gamble late in the race where they stayed out on older tires while others pitted, and Hamlin was overtaken by Kevin Harvick in the final laps, ultimately costing him the title.
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Five years later, Hamlin entered the Championship 4 but faced overheating issues after his team applied an expensive piece of tape on his grille during a pit stop at Homestead. That unsettled stop dropped him out of contention and derailed his title bid. And this time around, Hamlin cannot have any of these issues.
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In fact, Hamlin himself admitted, “My concern is that over half the playoff races I’ve had mechanical failures. Like five of the nine, I’ve had major mechanical failures. The ones we haven’t, we won. That’s the good news.” But as Hamlin reveals his strategy for Phoenix, he is getting a lot of support from fans and other drivers.
Denny Hamlin comes up on top as the championship favorite
As the NASCAR Cup Series prepared for its decisive showdown at Phoenix Raceway, Denny Hamlin’s championship prospects are at the forefront of discussion. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran enters the weekend as FanDuel Sportsbook’s leading pick at +200, reflecting strong confidence in his chances.
Hamlin has a proven track record at Phoenix with victories in 2012 and 2019, and he leans on both his own experience and his team’s established success as he continuously chases a long-awaited 1st cup title.