Qualifying first for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway, Championship 4 competitor William Byron is positioned to challenge for his first circuit title.
Byron, who captured his fifth pole this season, turned a hot lap of 132.597 mph, edging regular-season champion Martin Truex Jr. (132.509 mph).
In his final career Cup race, Kevin Harvick (132.421) remains the circuit’s most successful pilot at Phoenix. He has compiled winning streaks of four consecutive starts and seven of nine outings at the 1-mile, low-banked, tri-oval track.
Championship 4 competitor and Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kyle Larson (132.397), will start P4 and Bubba Wallace (132.261) will round out the top five.
The other two title contenders, Christopher Bell (132.338) and Ryan Blaney (132.265) will start 13th and 15th, respectively.
Replacing Brad Keselowski, Cole Custer qualified 31st. Keselowski left Arizona to fly back to North Carolina because his pregnant wife, Paige, was preparing to go into labor.
This one just means a little bit more. @WilliamByron | #BuschLightPole pic.twitter.com/g4fAqXBxPP
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 4, 2023
Could Kevin Harvick Go Out As Race Champion?
Kevin Harvick, a native of Bakersfield, Calif., feels at home at Phoenix Raceway.
Among his 60 career Cup Series wins, nine have come in the desert. A future hall of famer, Harvick, 47, plans to retire following Sunday’s championship race. After qualifying third Saturday, he’s positioned to challenge for another win at Phoenix
Harvick, who drives the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, captured the circuit championship in 2014.
Next season, he will shift gears and join the broadcasting end of NASCAR, serving as a FOX Sports analyst. During his farewell tour, Harvick has carved out time to speak with the media at each stop this season.
“I think for me, all the weeks leading up to this particular one [press conference] were really not too hard,” Harvick said. “This one is a little more difficult just because it is the last week with you guys and everything you do is actually coming to an end. Up until this point, I don’t think anyone thought of it as real. This week it’s pretty real.
“This week has definitely been different than everything leading up to it just because of the fact there isn’t a ‘next week.” There’s been a ‘next week’ up until this week.”
In his 826th and final career start, Kevin Harvick will start 3rd, his best qualifying effort since Phoenix in the Spring of 2020. pic.twitter.com/FtUIDrBHDo
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) November 4, 2023
Starting Lineup for NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Here is a look at the lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway:
Starting Position, Driver, Car No., Team
- 1, William Byron, 24, Hendrick Motorsports
- 2, Martin Truex Jr., 19, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 3, Kevin Harvick, 4, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 4, Kyle Larson, 5, Hendrick Motorsports
- 5, Bubba Wallace, 23, 23XI Racing
- 6, Denny Hamlin, 11, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 7, Erik Jones, 43, Legacy Motor Club
- 8, Ross Chastain, 1, Trackhouse Racing
- 9, Chris Buescher, 17, RFK Racing
- 10, Tyler Reddick, 45, 23XI Racing
- 11, Ty Gibbs, 54, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 12, Ryan Preece, 41, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 13, Christopher Bell, 20, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 14, Todd Gilliland, 38, Front Row Motorsports
- 15, Ryan Blaney, 12, Team Penske
- 16, Daniel Suarez, 99, Trackhouse Racing
- 17, Joey Logano, 22, Team Penske
- 18, Kyle Busch, 8, Richard Childress Racing
- 19, Michael McDowell, 34, Front Row Motorsports
- 20, Chase Elliott, 9, Hendrick Motorsports
- 21, Austin Dillon, 3, Richard Childress Racing
- 22, Carson Hocevar, 42, Legacy Motor Club
- 23, Alex Bowman, 48, Hendrick Motorsports
- 24, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 47, JTG Daugherty Racing
- 25, Harrison Burton, 21, Wood Brothers Racing
- 26, Chase Briscoe, 14, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 27, Austin Cindric, 2, Team Penske
- 28, Aric Almirola, 10, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 29, Corey LaJoie, 7, Spire Motorsports
- 30, Ryan Newman, 51, Rick Ware Racing
- 31, Cole Custer, 6, RFK Racing
- 32, AJ Allmendinger, 16, Kaulig Racing
- 33, Ty Dillon, 77, Spire Motorsports
- 34, JJ Yeley, 15, Rick Ware Racing
- 35, Justin Haley, 31, Kaulig Racing
- 36, BJ McLeod, 78, Live Fast Motorsports
Now, it’s time to race. #Championship4 pic.twitter.com/GGaDkX5XTR
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 4, 2023
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