NASCAR Cup Series Championship highlights: Ryan Blaney crowned at Phoenix
Ryan Blaney is your new NASCAR Cup Series champion!
The 10-race playoff schedule came to a close Sunday with the highly anticipated NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway in Arizona, and we had you covered with all the action from the final race of the 2023 Cup season.
The four drivers vying for the title were Blaney, Kyle Larson, William Byron and Christopher Bell. The majority of the race excluded Bell, who was eliminated midway through after crashing hard into the wall. Things came down to the wire between Larson and Blaney, who came up big when it mattered most to claim the win in the end.
While Blaney won the 2023 Cup title by beating out the other four drivers, it was Ross Chastain who won the race. In the nine years of the elimination one-race championship format, the winner of the final race had always been one of the four championship-eligible drivers up until Sunday. You can find a full list of this year's winners here.
Recap our live coverage below.
Green!
Title contender Byron claimed the pole Sunday, while his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Larson qualified fourth. Fellow Championship 4 drivers Bell and Blaney started 13th and 15th, respectively.
On the move
Byron took the early lead, building it out to 1.1 seconds over Kevin Harvick and 2.9 seconds over Larson in Stage 1.
Elsewhere, Blaney struggled to find a rhythm right out of the gate.
Stage 1 in the books
Byron captured the opening-stage win with ease, while the rest of the Championship 4 field finished in the top 10.
Battling hard
Things continued to heat up as the second stage got underway …
New leader!
… but it was Harvick who took the all-important lead in Stage 2.
Trouble!
Elsewhere, things went awry for Bell, who was eliminated after a blown rotor caused him to crash into the wall.
No quit
Blaney and Byron continued to battle each other for the lead as the third and final stage approached.
Stage 2: Check!
In the end, it was Chris Buescher who won the second stage in Sunday's championship race.
Just like that, only 127 laps remained.
Eyes on the prize
Blaney moved into the top position with a smooth pass of Byron early in the third and final stage.
Making a statement
Larson continued to build his lead, getting it up to two-plus seconds as the race continued.
Spin!
After a long stretch of green-flag racing, the caution came out after Kyle Busch went for an unexpected spin.
Closing time
Larson led the Championship 4 field with 25 laps to go, while Chastain led all drivers.
Down to the wire
It all came down to a heated battle between Larson and Blaney in the end, as the two drivers pulled out all the stops.
Heading into Sunday's race, the 31-year-old Larson was the only one of the final four drivers with a championship under his belt, while 29-year-old Blaney was making his first appearances in the final round.
Winner!
In the end, Blaney claimed the win after holding off Larson.
PRE-RACE
Setting the stage
Ahead of the action, FOX Sports' Bob Pockrass broke down who and what to keep an eye out for Sunday.
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