No. 5 Kyle Larson (Chevrolet, Hendricks Motorsports) won the 2025 Cup Series championship in a thriller of a final race.
Date & Time: Sunday, November 2 at 3 p.m. ET
Racetrack: Phoenix Raceway
Location: Avondale, Arizona
Laps/Distance: 312 laps, 312 miles
How to Watch: NBC
The final race of the 2025 NASCAR season, the Cup Series Championship Race, is revving its engines: the remaining four Cup Series drivers will put the pedal to the metal on Sunday, November 2 at 3 p.m. ET at Phoenix Raceway to see who will be named the NASCAR champion this year. Here’s our guide to catching every heart-pounding moment of the action.
Can’t make it to the NASCAR championship race in person? No problem. With DIRECTV’s top-notch NASCAR coverage, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of the action.
Get a first place NASCAR experience with DIRECTV.
How to Watch the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race
You can watch all the excitement of the NASCAR Championship Weekend live across a number of channels, with the final Championship Cup Series race airing live on NBC, Peacock and HBO Max.
And for fans looking to watch the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series races, we’ve got the information you need for that too!
Which Drivers Made it to the Championship 4?
The final four racers duking it out for the championship title are:
- No. 19 Chase Briscoe (Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing)
- No. 11 Denny Hamlin (Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing)
- No. 24 William Byron (Chevrolet, Hendricks Motorsports)
- No. 5 Kyle Larson (Chevrolet, Hendricks Motorsports)
Who is Predicted to Win the 2025 NASCAR Championship?
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable finales of the NASCAR playoff era. With two contenders each from Hendrick Motorsports (Kyle Larson and William Byron) and Joe Gibbs Racing (Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe), the battle for the Bill France Cup is a true clash of experience, momentum and adaptability.
Among the four, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin stand out as the consensus frontrunners.
Kyle Larson and his crew chief captured the 2021 title together and nearly repeated the feat in 2023. Larson’s blend of speed and precision makes him a constant threat, and his recent record at Phoenix — two straight third-place finishes — highlights his consistency on the oval.
Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, enters with six wins this season, two career victories at Phoenix and a long list of top five finishes at the desert track. This marks his fifth Championship 4 appearance, and though he’s yet to seal the deal, he has everything it takes to finally do so.
William Byron carries strong momentum from his clutch Martinsville win but still faces questions about consistency. He’s finished third among the finalists in each of the last two seasons, and while this may be his best opportunity yet, he and his team will need flawless execution to convert it.
Chase Briscoe, on the other hand, is the true wildcard. The only first-time finalist, he’s shown poise under pressure and has a previous win at Phoenix — though his speed compared to the championship four veterans remains uncertain.
Taken together, the prevailing sentiment is that Hamlin and Larson are poised for a head-to-head showdown for the championship. But as NASCAR fans know all too well, anything can happen once the green flag drops.
2025 NASCAR Championship Weekend Schedule
Let’s take a look at this weekend’s NASCAR schedule. Below you’ll find the full weekend TV schedules for each of the three NASCAR series so you can make sure you don’t miss a single lap on the iconic Phoenix Raceway.
NASCAR Cup Series Championship Weekend TV Schedule
Friday, October 31
- Practice Round @ 5:35 p.m. ET on truTV
Saturday, November 1
- Qualifying Round @ 5 p.m. ET on truTV
Sunday, November 2
- NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race @ 3 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, HBO Max
NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Weekend TV Schedule
Friday, October 31
-
Practice Round @ 4:35 p.m. ET on CW App
Saturday, November 1
- Qualifying Round @ 3:30 p.m. ET on CW App
- NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship @ 7:30 p.m. ET on CW Network
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Weekend TV Schedule
Friday, October 31
- Qualifying Round @ 3:35 p.m. ET on FS2
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship @ 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1
Phoenix Raceway Racetrack Specs
Phoenix Raceway is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval raceway located in Avondale, Arizona, in the Greater Phoenix area. The racing surface is asphalt, featuring a distinctive “dogleg” on the backstretch that gives the track its signature D-shape. This layout allows for dramatic passes and side-by-side racing, making Phoenix one of the most technically demanding tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
The track’s banking varies from roughly 9° in Turns 1 and 2, 11° in Turns 3 and 4, and around 3° on the backstretch, forcing drivers to carefully manage grip and braking.
Phoenix Raceway hosts two NASCAR Cup Series races each year, but its second event, held every November, is the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, where the Championship 4 drivers compete for the Bill France Cup. The track’s difficulty makes it an ideal setting for the season’s grand finale.
History of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race
The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race as we know it today was born from the playoff era, introduced in 2014 to bring a more dramatic conclusion to the season. This championship format replaced the traditional points-based system with a ten-race playoff that gradually eliminates contenders until only four drivers — known as the Championship 4 — remain to compete head-to-head for the title in the final race.
From 2014 to 2019, the championship race was held at Homestead-Miami Speedway, however, in 2020, NASCAR moved the finale to Phoenix Raceway, marking a new era for the sport. The change brought a tighter, more technical venue into the spotlight, emphasizing precision and control over outright speed.
The driver who finishes highest among the Championship 4 in this final race wins the NASCAR Cup Series Championship – regardless of points or laps led. That “winner-takes-all” setup is what makes the race one of the most intense events in motorsports. The victor is awarded the Bill France Cup, named in honor of NASCAR’s founder, symbolizing both the sport’s history and its evolution under the modern playoff system.
Who was the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Champion?
Joey Logano, driving the #22 Ford for Team Penske, won the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race.
Watch the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race on DIRECTV
With your DIRECTV subscription, you won’t miss a single heart-pounded lap of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race.
Don’t have DIRECTV yet?
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Cup Series Championship Race?
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race takes place Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 3:00pm ET.
Where is the last NASCAR race of the season?
The final race of the Cup Series season takes place at Phoenix Raceway, on the one-mile superspeedway.
How can I watch the NASCAR Championship?
Tune into NBC on DIRECTV to watch the final race of the season. You can also stream the race on Peacock and HBO Max.
DIRECTV Insider brings you our views on what’s happening in streaming, t.v., movies and sports. Companies and persons mentioned are not necessarily associated with and do not necessarily endorse DIRECTV. We will disclose sponsored content on our site when we show it to you, and some of the links on the site may be ads or affiliate links which means DIRECTV may earn compensation from your purchases.
