All three national NASCAR series seasons will come to an end on November 5-7 with a packed championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway. The Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and Cup Series drivers will fight for their respective trophies, and they will do so after taking part in practice and qualifying once again.
According to the Phoenix Raceway weekend schedule, there will be practice and qualifying sessions for all three series as the drivers prepare for their championship races. This weekend will mark the first time since the August 14-15 races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Truck Series drivers will practice on Friday, November 5, starting at 8:05 a.m. The Cup Series drivers will then head to the track at 1:05 p.m. for practice, followed by Truck Series qualifying at 2:05 p.m. The Xfinity Series drivers will then practice at 3:05 p.m. The Truck Series championship race will cap off the day at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
The Xfinity & Cup Series Drivers Will Qualify on November 6
The weekend you wish would never end, NASCAR Championship Weekend 🏆🌵
The NASCAR weekend will continue with the Xfinity Series and Cup Series drivers heading to the one-mile track for qualifying and their respective races. Such names as Austin Cindric and AJ Allmendinger will head to the track at 2:35 p.m. local time for qualifying, following the conclusion of the ARCA Menards Series West championship race.
The Cup Series drivers will then climb into their respective stock cars for qualifying at 4 p.m. local time. Kyle Larson and the other three championship contenders will draw the most attention as they fight for the best starting position in the championship race.
The Xfinity Series championship hopefuls will face off in one final race on November 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET. NBC Sports Network will provide coverage as they cover 200 laps. The Cup Series championship race will take place on Sunday, November 7, at 3 p.m. ET. NBC will broadcast the final, 312-lap race of the Cup Series season.
Only 1 Driver Has Secured a Spot in the Championship 4
There are only two races remaining in the Xfinity and Cup Series elimination rounds while the Truck Series drivers only have one more opportunity to secure a spot in the championship race. However, only Kyle Larson has locked up a spot in the final four, which he did on October 17 by winning at Texas Motor Speedway.
The only driver to win an Xfinity Series in the Round of Eight is John Hunter Nemechek. He is not eligible for the Xfinity playoffs due to competing full-time in the Camping World Truck Series, so his victory at Texas Motor Speedway on October 16 only locked the No. 54 car into the owners’ championship. There are still four spots remaining in the drivers’ championship with only two races remaining before the trip to Phoenix.
The Truck Series, for comparison, has only one race remaining in the Round of Eight but all four spots are available in the championship race. The reason is that drivers ineligible for the playoffs won the first two races. Part-time ThorSport driver Christian Eckes took the checkered flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and then Tate Fogleman won his first career race for Young’s Motorsports at Talladega Superspeedway.
There is only one race remaining in the Round of Eight for the Truck Series drivers — the elimination event at Martinsville Speedway on October 30. Nemechek, Ben Rhodes, Sheldon Creed, and Matt Crafton are currently above the cutline, but they will have to turn in strong performances to reach the championship race.
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Practice & Qualifying Return for 1 Final 2021 Race