It was announced in March of 2019 that the NASCAR Cup Series would be moving its Playoffs’ Championship Race from Homestead-Miami Speedway, where it had resided since the inception of the Playoffs in 2004, to Phoenix Raceway for the first time in 2020. Prior to the 2020 season, Homestead-Miami Speedway hosted the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs season finale for 16 seasons (from 2004-2019). Phoenix Raceway is just the second track to host the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race in the Playoffs.
2022 marks just the third year the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race will be held at Phoenix Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona (2020-2021). Since the inception of the Playoffs in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2004, Phoenix Raceway has occupied three different positions on the postseason schedule. In 2004, Phoenix Raceway hosted the eighth race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs – the event was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. Then from 2005 – 2019 (15 seasons), Phoenix Raceway has hosted the penultimate race (ninth) in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
A total of 11 different drivers have won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff races at Phoenix Raceway. Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in Playoff race wins at Phoenix Raceway with four victories (2006, 2012, 2013 and 2014). Since hosting the series’ Championship Race, the winner of the race has also won the NASCAR Cup Series title - Chase Elliott won at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 8, 2020 and Kyle Larson won at Phoenix on Nov. 7, 2021.
NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway Playoff Race Winners | |||
Track | Playoff Race Winners | Date | Race No. |
Phoenix | Dale Earnhardt Jr | Sunday, November 7, 2004 | 34 |
Phoenix | Kyle Busch | Sunday, November 13, 2005 | 35 |
Phoenix | Kevin Harvick | Sunday, November 12, 2006 | 35 |
Phoenix | Jimmie Johnson | Sunday, November 11, 2007 | 35 |
Phoenix | Jimmie Johnson | Sunday, November 9, 2008 | 35 |
Phoenix | Jimmie Johnson | Sunday, November 15, 2009 | 35 |
Phoenix | Carl Edwards | Sunday, November 14, 2010 | 35 |
Phoenix | Kasey Kahne | Sunday, November 13, 2011 | 35 |
Phoenix | Kevin Harvick | Sunday, November 11, 2012 | 35 |
Phoenix | Kevin Harvick | Sunday, November 10, 2013 | 35 |
Phoenix | Kevin Harvick | Sunday, November 9, 2014 | 35 |
Phoenix | Dale Earnhardt Jr | Sunday, November 15, 2015 | 35 |
Phoenix | Joey Logano | Sunday, November 13, 2016 | 35 |
Phoenix | Matt Kenseth | Sunday, November 12, 2017 | 35 |
Phoenix | Kyle Busch | Sunday, November 11, 2018 | 35 |
Phoenix | Denny Hamlin | Sunday, November 10, 2019 | 35 |
Phoenix | Chase Elliott | Sunday, November 8, 2020 | 36 |
Phoenix | Kyle Larson | Sunday, November 7, 2021 | 36 |
Four non-Playoff drivers have won a NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Phoenix Raceway:
- In 2005, Kyle Busch won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Phoenix Raceway, then the ninth race on the postseason schedule, and was ranked 19th in the point standings at the time of the win.
- In 2011, Kasey Kahne won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Phoenix Raceway, then the ninth race on the postseason schedule, and was ranked 14th in the point standings at the time of the win.
- In 2015, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Phoenix Raceway, then the ninth race on the postseason schedule, and was seventh in the point standings at the time of the win. Earnhardt Jr. had made the Playoffs in 2015 but was eliminated in the Round of 12.
- In 2017, Matt Kenseth won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Phoenix Raceway, then the ninth race on the postseason schedule, and was seventh in points at the time of the win. Kenseth had made the Playoffs in 2017 but was eliminated in the Round of 12.
The worst finish in a NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Phoenix Raceway by a driver that went on to win the title that same season was 38th by Jimmie Johnson in 2016. Phoenix occupied the penultimate event of the season in 2016.
In total, Phoenix Raceway has hosted 52 NASCAR Cup Series races producing 26 different pole winners and 28 different race winners. The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway was held on November 6, 1988 and was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Alan Kulwicki.
Ryan Newman (2002, 2003, 2004, 2008) and Kyle Busch (2006, 2012, 2016, 2019) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Phoenix Raceway with four each. Of the 26 NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway pole winners, 10 are active this weekend.
Active Phoenix Pole Winners | Poles | Seasons |
Kyle Busch | 4 | 2006, 2012, 2016, 2019 |
Ryan Blaney | 3 | 2017, 2019, 2022 |
Kevin Harvick | 2 | 2015, 2018 |
Martin Truex Jr | 2 | 2009, 2018 |
Denny Hamlin | 2 | 2005, 2014 |
Kyle Larson | 1 | 2021 |
Chase Elliott | 1 | 2020 |
Joey Logano | 1 | 2017 |
Alex Bowman | 1 | 2016 |
Brad Keselowski | 1 | 2014 |
A total of 28 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Phoenix Raceway, and 13 of the 28 have won multiple times at 1-mile track. Eight of the 28 NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway winners are active this weekend, and two of the eight are Championship 4 contenders – Joey Logano and Chase Elliott. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Phoenix Raceway with nine victories.
Active Phoenix Race Winners | Wins | Seasons |
Kevin Harvick | 9 | 2018, 2016, 2015, 2014 sweep, 2013, 2012, 2007 sweep |
Kyle Busch | 3 | 2019, 2018, 2005 |
Joey Logano | 2 | 2020, 2016 |
Denny Hamlin | 2 | 2019, 2012 |
Chase Briscoe | 1 | 2022 |
Kyle Larson | 1 | 2021 |
Martin Truex Jr | 1 | 2021 |
Chase Elliott | 1 | 2020 |
All the NASCAR Cup Series on-track activity will start with practice on Friday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. ET, and the Busch Light Pole Qualifying will be held on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. ET and both can be viewed on the USA Network.
A deep dive into the NASCAR Cup Series season finale
When it comes time to win or go home, there is no bigger stage in NASCAR than the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Championship Race. Below is a look at the performances in the season finale during the Playoff Era (2004-2021).
A total of 13 different drivers have won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race during the Playoff Era (2004-2021). Greg Biffle leads the NASCAR Cup Series in Championship Race wins with three victories (2004, 2005, 2006 – all at Homestead-Miami Speedway). Denny Hamlin (2009, 2013) and Kyle Busch (2015, 2019) lead all active drivers in NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race wins with two each.
NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race Winners | ||
Track | Playoff Race Winners | Date |
Homestead | Greg Biffle | Sunday, November 21, 2004 |
Homestead | Greg Biffle | Sunday, November 20, 2005 |
Homestead | Greg Biffle | Sunday, November 19, 2006 |
Homestead | Matt Kenseth | Sunday, November 18, 2007 |
Homestead | Carl Edwards | Sunday, November 16, 2008 |
Homestead | Denny Hamlin | Sunday, November 22, 2009 |
Homestead | Carl Edwards | Sunday, November 21, 2010 |
Homestead | Tony Stewart | Sunday, November 20, 2011 |
Homestead | Jeff Gordon | Sunday, November 18, 2012 |
Homestead | Denny Hamlin | Sunday, November 17, 2013 |
Homestead | Kevin Harvick | Sunday, November 16, 2014 |
Homestead | Kyle Busch | Sunday, November 22, 2015 |
Homestead | Jimmie Johnson | Sunday, November 20, 2016 |
Homestead | Martin Truex Jr | Sunday, November 19, 2017 |
Homestead | Joey Logano | Sunday, November 18, 2018 |
Homestead | Kyle Busch | Sunday, November 17, 2019 |
Phoenix | Chase Elliott | Sunday, November 8, 2020 |
Phoenix | Kyle Larson | Sunday, November 7, 2021 |
Since the inception of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2004, the winner of the NASCAR Cup Series season finale race has won the championship nine times, including the last eight consecutive: 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021.
o In 2011, Tony Stewart won from the 15th starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and as a result secured his third-career NASCAR Cup Series championship in the closest points battle in series history – tied with Carl Edwards – Stewart won the title by virtue of the tiebreaker: most wins.
o In 2014, Kevin Harvick won from the fifth starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the first year of the elimination-style format of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, as a result he won his first series title.
o In 2015, Kyle Busch won from the third starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the second year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, as a result he won his first series championship.
o In 2016, Jimmie Johnson won from the 14th starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the third year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he tied NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the series-most championships with seven each.
o In 2017, Martin Truex Jr. won from the second starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the fourth year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he won his first series championship.
o In 2018, Joey Logano won from the fifth starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the fifth year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he won his first series championship.
o In 2019, Kyle Busch won from the fourth starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the sixth year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he became just the second active driver at the time with multiple titles (20115, 2019) joining seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson.
o In 2020, Chase Elliott won from the first starting position at Phoenix Raceway in the seventh year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he won his first series championship. Worth noting, Elliott was served a pre-race penalty and as a result of serving the penalty he actually started the race from back of the field and still won.
o In 2021, Kyle Larson won from the pole position at Phoenix Raceway in the eighth year of the elimination-style format of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, and as a result he won his first series championship.
The worst finish in a championship race by the eventual series champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway was 15th (three times): Tony Stewart in 2005, Jimmie Johnson in 2008 and Brad Keselowski in 2012.
Two non-Playoff drivers have won the Homestead-Miami Speedway season finale Playoff race: Greg Biffle (2004 and 2006) and Denny Hamlin (2013).
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