Getty Joey Logano poses at Phoenix Raceway.
NASCAR has provided an important piece of information about the 2024 season. Championship weekend will return to Phoenix Raceway with four races.
Phoenix Raceway announced the news with a press release on May 31. According to the information provided, the weekend will begin with the ARCA Menards Series West and Craftsman Truck Series championship races on Friday, November 1, 2024.
The weekend will continue on Saturday, November 2, with the Xfinity Series championship. The Cup Series championship race will cap off the weekend on Sunday, November 3.
Tap the trophy for a surprise 🙂
“This honor is a testament to our fans whose overwhelming support makes this a true championship-caliber venue,” said Phoenix Raceway President Latasha Causey. “They pack the grandstands, fill the hillside, and create the best camping experience in all of NASCAR inside our breathtaking GEICO Gecko Campground.
“Now the onus is on us to exceed the already high standards we’ve set to continue building on this momentum and keep them coming back.”
The Track Remains on Pace for Another Big Weekend
GettyThe Bill France Cup sits at Phoenix Raceway.
2020 marked the first year that the championship weekend headed to Phoenix Raceway instead of Homestead-Miami Speedway. Chase Elliott won for the first time in front of a limited-capacity crowd.
The 2021 and 2022 seasons did not have any attendance limitations. The result is that the fans flocked to the one-mile track outside of Phoenix. The track was a complete sell-out in both seasons.
The 2023 race weekend remains on pace to match this mark. There are a limited number of tickets remaining for NASCAR’s championship weekend midway through the regular season. In all likelihood, the track will sell out once again.
Was Phoenix a good race? 28% of you said Yes.
— Lowest championship race in the poll (previous low: Homestead 2019, 30%).
— No. 13 of 14 Phoenix races (low: 2019 fall race, 19.7%).
— 2022 was on pace to have the highest avg %, but Phx knocked it below 2021 (70.1 vs. 71.2).
The track will most likely have packed grandstands and sold-out campgrounds. At that point, it will be up to NASCAR to deliver an exciting event. The Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway have struggled to generate reviews in the Next Gen era, per Jeff Gluck’s Good Race Poll, despite the festive atmosphere, but there will be more opportunities in both 2023 and 2024.
This Location Bodes Well for Ford Performance
GettyJoey Logano (front) drives at Phoenix Raceway.
There are certain tracks that are better suited for the specific OEMs in NASCAR, especially in the Next Gen era. The Toyota and Chevrolet entries have performed the best on intermediate tracks while the Fords have struggled.
On tracks one mile or shorter in length and on superspeedways, the Fords have regularly been in contention. Joey Logano won his second championship at Phoenix Raceway in 2022, and he won the 2023 spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Logano is not the only one that has been in contention, especially at Phoenix Raceway. Ryan Blaney has three consecutive top-five finishes at Phoenix Raceway, which includes back-t0-back runner-ups.
Kevin Harvick hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 at Phoenix since the 2013 spring race while driving for multiple teams across multiple generations of cars. Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Chase Briscoe also has one win and two other top-10 finishes in the three Next Gen races at Phoenix Raceway.
If a Ford Performance driver makes the championship four, they will enter the race weekend with extra confidence because their car will be in contention alongside the Toyota and Chevrolet entries instead of sitting at a disadvantage.