NASCAR at Phoenix: Championship weekend races begin Friday. How to watch the events
It’s championship weekend.
The 2023 NASCAR season comes to an end this weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Kyle Larson comprise the youngest Championship 4 in Cup Series history with an average age of 28 years, 11 months, 25 days.
The headlining race begins at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday and will be televised on NBC. You can stream it on the NBC Sports App, NBCSports.com and Peacock; and listen to it on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR.
There’s a lot more action taking place earlier in the weekend, and The Charlotte Observer will have you covered. Here’s a look at the other events happening at Phoenix Raceway this weekend:
Corey Heim, Carson Hocevar are favorites in Friday’s Craftsman Truck Series Championship
Corey Heim considers himself a first-generation driver.
Growing up in Marietta, Georgia, Heim’s father always raced as a hobby and surprised him with a quarter midget race car for his fifth birthday. Heim raced quarter midgets for nearly a decade before moving up to Legends of Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Heim, 21, is the No. 1 seed in the Craftsman Truck Series championship (10 p.m. ET Friday, FS1). He’ll be competing against Carson Hocevar — who leads the Truck Series with four wins and will move to the Cup Series next season — Ben Rhodes and Grant Enfinger for the title.
“We go with a plan every week, but with this being such a big show, I think the pressure is on to make sure we execute that extra little bit,” Heim told reporters. “We’ve been OK, could have been a little bit better. So, we’ve really gone the extra mile these last couple weeks.”
Odds for the Craftsman 150
Heim and Hocevar are tied for the favorite to win the Truck Series title at +145 odds, according to BetMGM. Enfinger (+500) and Rhodes (+600) follow.
Heim and Hocevar are also tied to win the race at +225, followed by Enfinger (+500) and Christian Eckes (+700). Rhodes is tied for fifth at +900 odds.
How to watch the Truck Series Championship
Race: Craftsman 150
Date: Friday, Nov. 3
Time: 10 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Streaming: Fox Sports App/FoxSports.com
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR
Place: Phoenix Raceway
Up-and-coming drivers vying for Xfinity Series title
When a red flag stopped last Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Martinsville with seven laps left, Justin Allgaier knew that was the best thing that could have happened.
Late in the season’s penultimate race, Allgaier’s team told him he had a “five percent chance, that’s actually probably being a little bit generous” of advancing. Allgaier didn’t have control of either final playoff spot entering the final restart.
But he surged to the front and edged Sheldon Creed in a 0.032-second photo finish to claim his spot in Phoenix (7 p.m. ET Saturday,, USA), where he’ll compete against top-seeded Sam Mayer, John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer.
“To even have an opportunity to go for a championship this year, it’s unbelievable,” Allgaier told reporters. “We’ve got momentum on our side.”
Odds for the Xfinity Series Championship
Nemechek, the son of Joe who boasts a field-best seven victories, is the favorite to win the Xfinity Series title at -110 odds, according to BetMGM. Custer and Allgaier are tied for second-best odds to win the title at +325, followed by Mayer (+600).
Nemechek is also the favorite to win the race at +160 odds, succeeded by Allgaier (+350), Custer (+350) and Sammy Smith (+700).
How to watch the Xfinity Series Championship
Race: NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship
Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: USA Network
Streaming: NBC Sports App/NBCSports.com
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR
Place: Phoenix Raceway
Odds for the Cup Series Championship
2021 champion Larson is the favorite to win his second Cup Series title at +175 odds, according to BetMGM. Blaney is second at +225 odds, followed by Byron (+275) and Bell (+375).
Those are also the four favorites to win Sunday’s race: Larson (+175), Blaney (+275), Byron (+325) and Bell (+450).
How to watch the Cup Series Championship
Race: NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship
Date: Sunday, Nov. 5
Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Streaming: NBC Sports App/NBCSports.com
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR
Place: Phoenix Raceway
