Will Strife Overshadow Championship Weekend?

Published: Fri, 10/31/25

Updated: Fri, 10/31/25

Frontstretch Newsletter: Oct. 31, 2025
Volume XIX, Edition CXCV

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What to Watch: Oct. 31-Nov. 2

For information on the NASCAR Cup Series Season Finale 500k, see the Frontstretch Folio below.

- NASCAR Xfinity Series teams will have a 50-minute practice session Friday starting at 4:30 p.m. ET. The session will be streamed live on The CW App and on The CW’s website. Some affiliates may choose to air the session on their linear station, but check your local listings to see if they’re doing that.

Qualifying is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon with coverage on The CW App and website.

Coverage of the Xfinity 200 will begin with NASCAR Countdown Live at 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday on The CW. Race coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET with the green flag around 7:40 p.m. ET.

- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams have already completed practice for tonight's 150-lap season finale (see below). Qualifying is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET this afternoon with live coverage on FOX Sports 2.

Coverage of the Craftsman 150 will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday night on FOX Sports 1. The green flag will fall around 7:45 p.m. ET.

- ARCA Menards Series West will decide its champion this weekend as well. Teams are scheduled to practice for 45 minutes at 2 p.m. ET Friday with qualifying immediately afterwards. Neither session will be televised.

Coverage of the Desert Diamond West Valley Casino 100 will begin at 1:15 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon on FLORacing. The green flag will fall around 1:30 p.m. ET.

FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND AT THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUES:

Bryan Nolen (@TheBryanNolen)

Stephen Stumpf (@stephen_stumpf)

Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates on Phoenix!

TV Schedule: Here

Today's Top News:

2 Historic Seasons & 1 Driver’s Future Plans Hang in the Balance at Phoenix

Corey Heim and Connor Zilisch both have double-digit victories this season. Without the Championship 4, they would simply receive their coronations this weekend. Now, it's all still up in the air.

Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.

Have news for Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com with a promising lead or tip.

Around the World in Motorsports: Oct. 30

- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams had their final practice session of 2025 on Friday. Ty Majeski was fastest overall with a lap at 133.764 mph. His lap was one-hundredth of a second faster than Layne Riggs. Brent Crews was third, then Rajah Caruth and Gio Ruggiero.

Among the other Championship 4 contenders, Tyler Ankrum was seventh fastest, while Kaden Honeycutt was 12th.

Corey Heim ended up 15th after being one of the fastest drivers early on. He did not make a mock qualifying run due to a flat tire, so his position on the charts is not really indicative of his single-lap pace.

Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.

Frontstretch Videos:

Denny Hamlin on Feeling Pressure for 1st Title: "The Pressure Is Probably Most on Me"

Chase Briscoe Not Concerned About Engine Failure Risk for Title Race: "It Happened 1/35 Races"

Justin Allgaier Determined to Win NASCAR Xfinity Series Title for Departing Crew Chief Jim Pohlman

Connor Zilisch At Peace if He Wins Xfinity Title or Not: "Everybody... Knows What I've Done"

Newsletter Exclusives:

(Photo: NASCAR Media via James Gilbert of Getty Images)

Frontstretch Folio: Season Finale 500k
by Phil Allaway

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Arizona to determine the champion. Coverage of the Season Finale 500k begins with Countdown to Green at 2 p.m. ET on NBC. The green flag should fly around 3:15 p.m. ET. Radio coverage will be provided by local MRN Radio affiliates and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

Last year's Season Finale 500k saw Christopher Bell lead a race-high 143 laps, mostly early on. However, the key moment of the race came with 60 laps to go when Zane Smith spun to bring out the race's only caution for cause outside of the opening laps.

Everyone pitted for the critical final stops. Kyle Larson led the field onto pit road, but had a slow stop and lost a couple of spots. William Byron ended up with the lead.

On the restart, Joey Logano was able to dispatch Byron for the lead. From there, Logano had to battle with his own teammate Ryan Blaney over the closing laps. Ultimately, Logano held on to take the win and the championship.

Logano's winning margin was .330 seconds over Blaney. Byron ended up third, then Larson and Bell.

Harvick is the winningest driver at Phoenix International Raceway all-time with nine victories on the tricky tri-oval. Logano and Jimmie Johnson have four victories, while Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. each have three.

Nine drivers have two victories in Phoenix. Denny Hamlin is the only active driver in the group. The others are Davey Allison, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin and Ryan Newman.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1 mile tri-oval, 312 laps (312 miles, 502.32 kilometers)
Banking: 10-11 degrees in the backstretch dogleg, 8-9 degrees in Turns 1-2, 10-11 degrees in Turns 3-4

Frontstretch: 1,551 ft., banked 9-11 degrees

Backstretch: 1,179 ft., banked 3 degrees

Grandstand Seating: 45,000

Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 50 mph
Opened: 1964 (first Cup race in 1988)

Website: http://www.phoenixraceway.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhoenixRaceway

Twitter: http://twitter.com/phoenixraceway

Pre-Race Schedule:

Practice: Friday, Oct. 31, 5:30 - 6:25 p.m. ET on TruTV/HBO Max

Qualifying: Saturday, Nov. 1, 4:35 p.m. on TruTV/HBO Max

Say What!

"I wouldn't say it's much different than a normal week. I think we on the No. 5 team, I can't speak for them, but for us, I feel like we prepare really good every week. We prepare like every race is the finale.

"I think it doesn't change when we come to Phoenix. Obviously there's more on the line, but I don't think you want to skew too far from what you're used to." - Kyle Larson

"A lot of that depends on how good y

our car is. Typically, we always run pretty well at Phoenix and Phil [Surgen] does a great job in giving me a car that’s really drivable there. We also get a little extra practice which is different from most weekends. And when you’re not running for the championship and are solely focused on winning, you can use different strategy in comparison to the Championship 4 guys. Winning in the championship race is just as important as it is any other weekend. There is nothing better than going to victory lane at the last race of the season like we did in 2023." - Ross Chastain

"It’s not so much the track as it is the weekend. It’s the championship weekend. It’s high intensity and high excitement. But for me, it’s the last race of the season and you want to go out with good momentum. I know it sounds silly, but we always talk about, you’re only as good as your last race, and you don’t want to carry your last race into the offseason if it is not a good one. So, finishing off strong is super important for everybody at the shop, the crew, and morale. It’s a grueling season. You get to the end and you don’t want the last couple of races to be that gut shot where you just feel like you’ve lost steam. So, I think finishing strong across the last few weeks is really important as we build momentum going into the 2026 season." - Michael McDowell

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of NASCAR Media via James Gilbert of Getty Images.

Today at Frontstretch:

Dropping the Hammer: Lawsuit Looms Over NASCAR Championship Weekend

by Daniel McFadin

Friday Faceoff: Was Sam Mayer’s Penalty Too Much, Not Enough or Just Right?

by the Frontstretch Staff

4 Burning Questions: Was the ‘NASCAR 25’ Creator Experiment a Smart Move?

by Tanner Marlar

Fire on Fridays: So, Where’s All of NASCAR’s Money Going?

by Michael Massie

NASCAR 101: Who Didn’t Return to NASCAR in 2025?

by Kevin Rutherford

NASCAR Championship Weekend TV Schedule: Phoenix, Oct. 31-Nov. 2

by Phil Allaway

Bringing the Heat: Live From Phoenix

with Trey Lyle and Bryan Nolen

Bringing the Heat: Who Has the Best Championship Chance?

with Caleb Barnes and Trey Lyle

Short Track Weekly: The CARS Tour Nailed Its 2026 Schedule

by Chase Folsom

Tomorrow at Frontstretch.com:

We'll have recaps and breakdowns of all the action from Phoenix.

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