NASCAR Xfintiy Series News & Notes Phoenix Raceway Championship Weekend

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NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship
The Place: Phoenix Raceway
Track Type: 1 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, November 9
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,772,722
TV: CW, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

Xfinity Championship 4 contenders are locked-in, time to decide a champion

The moment we‘ve all been waiting for is here — Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series wrapped up the Round of 8 last weekend at Martinsville Speedway and will now head to Phoenix Raceway to crown a new NASCAR Xfinity Series champion. Four drivers — Austin Hill, A.J. Allmendinger, Cole Custer and Justin Allgaier — will vie for the title on Saturday, November 9 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at 7:30 p.m. ET on The CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Phoenix Raceway has hosted 45 NACAR Xfinity Series races, producing 26 different race winners and 24 different pole winners. Eleven races have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Ty Gibbs in the 2022 Xfinity Series Championship Race.

NASCAR Cup Series regular Kyle Busch has made a name for himself at Phoenix Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, holding the record for most wins (11), poles (10), top 10s (21), lead lap finishes (24), laps led (2,237), and is tied with Kevin Harvick for most top fives (17).

The race at Phoenix Raceway will be sure to keep fans on their toes as there are two Champ 4 contenders who have taken the checkered flag at Phoenix Raceway previously — Justin Allgaier (2017, 2019), and Cole Custer (2023). Non-playoff contenders Brandon Jones (2020), Sammy Smith (2023), and Chandler Smith (2024) have also found Victory Lane at the one-mile Phoenix track.\

This season marks the fifth time that Phoenix Raceway plays host to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race (2020-2024). From 2016 to 2019, the season finale was held at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Since the inception of the Playoffs in 2016, seven of the eight championship races have been won by a Championship 4 Round driver — Daniel Suárez (2016), Tyler Reddick (2018, 2019), Austin Cindric (2020), Daniel Hemric (2021), Ty Gibbs (2022) and Cole Custer (2023). The lone exception is the 2017 Homestead-Miami Championship Race, Stewart-Haas Racing‘s Cole Custer won the event, and was a non-Playoff driver. Cole had made the Playoffs that season but was eliminated in the Round of 8.

Drivers will hit the track for their final practice session of the season on Friday, November 8 at 5:05 p.m. ET. You can catch the broadcast on the USA Network and the NBC Sports App. Their qualifying session will be on race day (Saturday, November 9) at 4 p.m. ET also on the USA Network and on the NBC Sports App.

Meet the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 contenders

It‘s been a wild ride for the NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers this season and now it‘s time to crown a new champion. The four drivers who will be putting it all on the line this weekend are Richard Childress Racing‘s Austin Hill, Kaulig Racing‘s A.J. Allmendinger, Stewart-Haas Racing‘s Cole Custer and JR Motorsports‘ Justin Allgaier.

Let‘s take a look into these drivers‘ careers and what brought them all the way to the Championship 4 Round this season.

Austin Hill (No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)

The 33-year-old Austin Hill had had a strong season, posting four wins (Daytona, Atlanta 1, Atlanta 2, Homestead), 11 top fives, 19 top 10s, and led 240 laps

Playoff recap: Hill kicked off the 2024 Playoffs with a seventh-place finish at Kansas, a 23^rd-place finish at Talladega and a fourth-place finish at the Charlotte Roval, enough to boost him into the Round of 8. He kicked off the second round with a 10^th-place finish at Las Vegas, won at Homestead, and finished P14 at Martinsville.

The 2024 season marks his third Playoff appearance and his first in the Championship 4 Round. In 2022 and 2023, he made it to the Round of 8 before being eliminated.

Phoenix Raceway stats: The Winston, Georgia native has had some strong finishes at Phoenix Raceway, posting one top five and four top 10s in five starts.

Crew Chief Corner — Andy Street: The 2024 season marks Street‘s third full-time season with Hill. He also had a fulltime Xfinity Series season with Myatt Snider in 2021 and had various starts with multiple Xfinity Series drivers in 2019 and 2020.

Championship Outlook: Richard Childress Racing has won five NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championships (2019, ’13, ’08, ’06, ’01) — tied with RFK Racing for the most all-time. RCR has also won five NASCAR Xfinity Series owner championships (2019, ’07, ’06, ’03, ’01) – second-most all-time. Austin Hill and Andy Street are looking to win their first NASCAR Xfinity Series championships this weekend.

A.J. Allmendinger (No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet)

The 42-year-old A.J. Allmendinger posted one win (Las Vegas 2), seven top fives, 17 top 10s and led 258 laps to secure his spot in the 2024 Championship Race.

Playoff recap: Allmendinger didn‘t have the strongest start to the 2024 Playoffs, posting a 17th-place finish Kansas and an 11th-place finish at Talladega before posting a near-win at the Charlotte Roval (runner-up). He hit the Round of 8 with a bang, posting his first win of the season at Las Vegas and a 10th-place at Homestead before crashing at Martinsville, leaving him with a 38th-place finish.

The 2024 season marks Allmendinger‘s third Playoff appearance and his second in the Championship 4 Round (2021 and 2024). His other Playoff appearance was in 2022, where he was eliminated in the Round of 8.

Phoenix Raceway stats: The Los Gatos, California native has made seven starts at Phoenix‘s one-mile track, posting two top fives and three top 10s.

Crew Chief Corner — Alex Yontz: The 2024 season marks Yontz‘s first full-time season with Allmendinger. He started in the Xfinity Series in 2019 running select races with multiple drivers. In 2020 and 2021, he ran fulltime seasons with Justin Haley.

Championship Outlook: Kaulig Racing is looking to win the organization‘s first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship this weekend. AJ Allmendinger and Andy Yontz are looking to win their first NASCAR Xfinity Series championships this weekend as well.

Cole Custer (No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)

Back to defend his 2023 title, 26-year-old, Cole Custer had a strong season racking up two wins (Pocono, Bristol), 14 top fives, 22 top 10s, and led 772 laps.

Playoff recap: Custer had a strong start in the Round of 12, posting a runner-up finish in Kansas, followed by a 26th-place finish in Talladega and a 13th-place finish on the Charlotte Road Course. He then went on to the Round of 8, finishing eighth in Las Vegas, second at Homestead, and fourth at Martinsville.

The 2024 season marks his fifth Playoff appearance. His first was in 2017 where he made it the Round of 8 and ultimately finished the season fifth in the final standings. He is no stranger to competing in the Championship 4, making it to the final round consecutive years (2018, 2019) where he finished runner-up in both and then again last season (2023) where he finally managed to take home the title.

Phoenix Raceway stats: The Ladera Ranch, California native has been strong at Phoenix Raceway, posting one win (2023), four top fives and seven top 10s in his 10 starts.

Crew Chief Corner — Jonathan Toney: Toney is two-for-two as Custer‘s crew chief. He started in the series last season, taking Custer and the No. 00 team all the way to the championship and did it again this season.

Championship Outlook: Stewart-Haas Racing has won one NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championship (2023) and two owner championships (2023, ’18). If Cole Custer wins the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship this weekend, he will become the 10th different driver to win multiple titles in the series. If Jonathan Toney wins the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship this weekend, he will become the 11th different crew chief to win multiple titles in the series.

Justin Allgaier (No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet)

The 38-year-old Justin Allgaier is the most seasoned driver in the Champ 4 field and will, without a doubt, leave it all out on the track to snag his first Xfinity Series title. He‘s had a successful season, posting two wins (Darlington 1, Michigan), nine top fives, 19 top 10s and has led 705 laps.

Playoff recap: Allgaier didn‘t have the strongest start to the 2024 Playoffs, finishing 36th at Kansas (crash). He went on to post a 25th-place finish at Talladega and a seventh-place finish at the Charlotte Roval. He had a good start to the Round of 8 with a third-place finish at Las Vegas, an eighth-place finish at Homestead then finished with a fifth-place finish at Martinsville.

The 2024 season marks his ninth Playoff appearance. He is the only driver to compete in all Xfinity Series Playoffs (2016-2024). Additionally, he has appeared in the Championship 4 Round a series-leading seven times (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024).

Phoenix Raceway stats: The Spaulding, Illinois is a veteran on Phoenix‘s one-mile track, posing two wins (2017, 2019), 10 top fives and 18 top 10s in his 28 starts.

Crew Chief Corner — James Pohlman: The 2024 season marks Pohlman‘s second full-time season with Allgaier. He had his first stint in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2011 with Juan Pablo Montoya where they managed to post two top 10s in their 17 races together. He also ran one-off races with Ross Chastain in 2020 and with Austin Dillon and Austin Hill in 2022. He dipped his toe in the Xfinity Series in 2022 with Sheldon Creed (four races — one top 10).

Championship Outlook: JR Motorsports has won three NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championships (2018, ’17, ’14) — tied with BACE Motorsports for fourth on the all-time driver championship wins list. Justin Allgaier and James Pohlman are looking to win their first NASCAR Xfinity Series championships this weekend.

NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.

NASCAR Xfinity Series manufacturer standings — With the season coming to a close this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, Chevrolet has clinched the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Manufacturers Championship with 18 wins and 1,193 points.

Xfinity Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings — After a fun 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season that saw two of the four rookies find Victory Lane this season, it‘s Richard Childress Racing‘s Jesse Love who heads into the final race of the season atop the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. Love has mathematically clinched the 2024 Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors but will not be officially awarded until he finishes the season in good standing, per the program guidelines and eligibility.

— NASCAR —