Ryan Blaney won the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship on Sunday being the highest finisher of the championship four at Phoenix Raceway. Ross Chastain earned his fourth career win in the race.
The final lap moment Ryan @Blaney became a #NASCAR Cup CHAMPION! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/GwEtLZnnzs
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 5, 2023
William Byron scored the pole and led the field to green and would go onto win the first stage finishing ahead of Kevin Harvick in his last race as the cars made their way to pit road.
On lap 93 Harvick would get around Byron for the lead and moments later Blaney would get around him. The championship hopes of Bell ended on lap 109 when he hit the wall after a brake failure. Byron would become the highest running championship driver after pit stops as Ross Chastain and then Chris Buescher would lead the race.
Buescher would win the second stage with Byron in fourth the highest of the championship hopefuls. On lap 211 Blaney would get around Byron for second behind race leader Chastain.
With 38 laps to go Kyle Busch would spin to bring out a caution. During pitstops Larson would get ahead of Blaney and Byron behind only two cars who took just two tires. As racing resumed Chastain got back in front with Larson, Blaney and Byron behind him.
Blaney would get ahead of Larson and remain there until the end of the race. Chastain crossed the line first to earn his fourth career win but Blaney who finished second earned the championship.
Phoenix Raceway Cup Series Results
November 5, 2023
|
POSITION
|
START
|
LED
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
R. Chastain#1
|
8
|
157
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
R. Blaney#12
|
15
|
2
|
1.230
|
|
3 |
K. Larson#5
|
4
|
0
|
3.273
|
|
4 |
W. Byron#24
|
1
|
96
|
5.349
|
|
5 |
C. Buescher#17
|
9
|
18
|
5.784
|
|
6 |
M. Truex Jr#19
|
2
|
1
|
5.864
|
|
7 |
K. Harvick#4
|
3
|
23
|
6.336
|
|
8 |
D. Hamlin#11
|
6
|
14
|
8.928
|
|
9 |
M. McDowell#34
|
19
|
0
|
10.238
|
|
10 |
B. Wallace#23
|
5
|
0
|
12.237
|
|
11 |
D. Suárez#99
|
16
|
0
|
12.486
|
|
12 |
A. Dillon#3
|
21
|
0
|
13.028
|
|
13 |
A. Almirola#10
|
28
|
0
|
13.649
|
|
14 |
R. Preece#41
|
12
|
0
|
14.097
|
|
15 |
B. Keselowski#6
|
31
|
0
|
15.443
|
|
16 |
C. Elliott#9
|
20
|
0
|
15.687
|
|
17 |
A. Bowman#48
|
23
|
0
|
16.544
|
|
18 |
J. Logano#22
|
17
|
0
|
16.921
|
|
19 |
C. Hocevar#42
|
22
|
0
|
18.293
|
|
20 |
E. Jones#43
|
7
|
0
|
19.063
|
|
21 |
T. Gibbs#54
|
11
|
0
|
19.381
|
|
22 |
T. Reddick#45
|
10
|
0
|
20.573
|
|
23 |
R. Stenhouse Jr#47
|
24
|
0
|
22.719
|
|
24 |
C. Briscoe#14
|
26
|
2
|
22.777
|
|
25 |
K. Busch#8
|
18
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
26 |
H. Burton#21
|
25
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
27 |
J. Yeley#15
|
34
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
28 |
T. Dillon#77
|
33
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
29 |
J. Haley#31
|
35
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
30 |
T. Gilliland#38
|
14
|
0
|
3 Laps
|
|
31 |
C. LaJoie#7
|
29
|
0
|
4 Laps
|
|
32 |
A. Allmendinger#16
|
32
|
0
|
4 Laps
|
|
33 |
B. McLeod#78
|
36
|
0
|
6 Laps
|
|
34 |
R. Newman#51
|
30
|
0
|
7 Laps
|
|
35 |
A. Cindric#2
|
27
|
0
|
11 Laps
|
|
36 |
C. Bell#20
|
13
|
0
|
–
|
