NASCAR championship live updates, results, highlights from 2023 Cup Series title race at Phoenix
The Valley of the Sun takes no prisoners. Particularly when the Cup Series rolls through its sun-bleached course.
There’s a good reason for that. NASCAR’s premier competition takes place under the baking sun, offering a quartet of the sport’s most gifted drivers with the opportunity to scrawl their names across the surface of the sport’s greatest trophy.
It’s been a grueling campaign for some drivers. But for Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Kyle Larson, the opposite very well could be true. The foursome have combined for 15 wins so far this campaign, asserting themselves as the true cream of the crop, even amid the fervent speeds present on tracks across the country.
They’ll look to put their chariots of fire to the test on Sunday. The objective is simple: finish better than your fellow Championship drivers. If you do that, your name will ring along the hallowed walls of Phoenix Motor Speedway for millennia.
MORE: Watch the Cup Series Championship live with Fubo (free trial)
Just two drivers — Bell and Larson — have been in this situation before. Blaney and Byron’s excellency is much more of a recent phenomenon. But as two of the sport’s highest-profile youngsters, they certainly have a level of exuberance that could take them a long way.
So, just who wins out? Only time will tell. But Phoenix doesn’t suffer fools. And you best believe when the dirty air starts to swirl across the one-mile apparatus, those hoping to hoist that sterling silver Cup Series hardware will put it all on the line.
The Sporting News is tracking live updates from this year’s Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Motor Speedway. Follow below for highlights, results and analysis as the Cup Series season comes to a close under the beaming Phoenix sun.
NASCAR championship live updates, results, highlights from 2023 race
(All times Eastern)
2:35 p.m.: Precious moment alert: all drivers posing for a picture with Happy. Look at how delighted everyone (except Ryan Newman) appears to be.
Drivers take a group photo with Kevin Harvick for his last race. pic.twitter.com/hvSGmbQimh
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 5, 2023
2:30 p.m.: This is the youngest collection of championship contenders in Cup Series history. NASCAR’s future is bright as can be.
2:00 p.m.: Everyone loves Chase Elliott. No surprises there.
Celeb sighting. @diplo is back, talking with @chaseelliott.
Diplo was in Daytona to start the season pic.twitter.com/ZW4dLgYQha
— Alan Cavanna (@AlanCavanna) November 5, 2023
1:25 p.m.: Stewart-Haas Racing will have craters to fill in their No. 4 and No. 10 cars next year. Harvick and Aric Almirola are stepping away from the track, giving the opportunity to the next collection of racers to sport the iconic strips.
Grateful that it happened. Not sad that it’s over. It’s been an incredible final weekend with the 10 team and @StewartHaasRcng. pic.twitter.com/V1pMcLvq0q
— Aric Almirola (@Aric_Almirola) November 5, 2023
1:10 p.m.: There’s obviously some major implications to today’s race in Phoenix. But one thing that must be noted. This is the No. 826 (and final) start in the Cup Series for Kevin Harvick. What a career for Happy.
Ready for start 826. #HotPass pic.twitter.com/5zR3CeDpfE
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 5, 2023
What channel is NASCAR on today?
- TV channel: NBC (U.S.) | TSN1/5 (Canada)
- Live stream: Peacock, Fubo
- Radio: MRN
Sunday’s race will be broadcast on NBC in the United States. Canadian viewers can find the action on TSN1 and TSN5.
Veteran announcer Rick Allen will lead the race’s lap-by-lap commentator. He’ll be joined by former Cup Series stars Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr., as well as former Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte.
Cord-cutters can follow the action on Peacock, as well as with Fubo, which offers a free trial.
MORE: Meet the final four racing for 2023 NASCAR Cup Series title
NASCAR start time today
- Date: Sunday, November 5
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
The Cup Series Championship has a listed start time of 3 p.m. ET., but pre-race festivities are expected to push the waving of the green flag closer to 3:32 p.m. ET.
NASCAR at Phoenix starting lineup 2023
Leading the field for Sunday night’s race are William Byron and Martin Truex Jr. Below is the rest of the starting lineup for the race:
| Starting pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Byron (P) | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 2 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 3 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 4 | Kyle Larson (P) | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 5 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| 6 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | 23XI Racing |
| 7 | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 8 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 9 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing |
| 10 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing |
| 11 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 12 | Ryan Preece | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 13 | Christopher Bell (P) | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 14 | Todd Gilliland | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 15 | Ryan Blaney (P) | 12 | Team Penske |
| 16 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 17 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 19 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 20 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 21 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 22 | Carson Hocevar | 42 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 23 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 24 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 25 | Harrison Burton | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 26 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 27 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske |
| 28 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 29 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| 30 | Ryan Newman | 51 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 31 | A.J. Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing |
| 32 | Ty Dillon | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 33 | J.J. Yeley | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 34 | Justin Haley | 31 | Kaulig Racing |
| 35 | B.J. McLeod | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
| 36 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing |
(P) = Playoff driver
