Welcome to the NASCAR Cup Series’ Championship 4.
Today, in the 2025 season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, William Byron and Chase Briscoe will slug it out for the season championship of NASCAR’s premier series.
Before the green flag waves shortly after 3 p.m. EST, check out these four pressing questions we’ll have the answer to by the time the checkered flag waves.
1. Will Denny Hamlin Finally Get The Championship Monkey Off His Back?
Widely considered the best driver to never win a NASCAR Cup Series title, Denny Hamlin has come painstakingly close to claiming the sport’s biggest prize several times. In fact, Hamlin has been a contender under both the Championship 4 format and the previous playoff format, which didn’t involve four drivers hunting a championship on equal footing in the final race.
But, for one reason or another, the stars have never aligned for Hamlin — a three-time Daytona 500 winner and future NASCAR Hall of Famer.
With Hamlin now in the twilight of his career and planning to hang it up after the 2027 season, time is not on his side. Speed may be, however.
Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag at Phoenix in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota after outpacing all other qualifiers. Unless something goes terribly wrong, Hamlin should have a superb chance of finally closing the deal on a championship.
That would put a fitting cap on a legendary career. And it happening this season would carry special meaning for Hamlin, whose father, Dennis, is terminally ill.
Highly polarizing @dennyhamlin is … shockingly … a serious contender to win the 2025 Award for @NASCAR Most Popular Driver.
Can you believe it???
Learn more and see who the @JoeGibbsRacing driver's chief challengers are.https://t.co/3sS4fRMdLK
— Jared Turner (@jared_turner) November 1, 2025
2. Are The Lights Too Bright For Chase Briscoe?
Now in Year Five as a Cup Series driver, Chase Briscoe is in the Championship 4 for the first time. He’s also the only driver among the four championship finalists who’s never made it this far before.
These realities beg the question of whether Briscoe, who’s enjoyed a career debut season at Joe Gibbs Racing, will flourish or fold under the bright lights of the championship race.
So far this season, he’s been rock-solid in the most pivotal moments. But a one-race, winner-take-all championship scenario is one that Briscoe has never been in.
While Briscoe isn’t lacking in support, especially from the folks back in his hometown of Mitchell, Indiana, he comes into the day as the clear championship dark horse.
Not only is his 12th-place starting spot worst among the title contenders, but Briscoe hasn’t had race-winning speed since he arrived at Phoenix on Friday. He did avoid potential disaster on Friday, however, when a tire failure could have sent his No. 19 Toyota into the wall during practice.
Instead, Briscoe managed to nurse his machine to pit road without suffering any significant damage.
There's a HUGE party going down in tiny Mitchell, Indiana on Sunday to watch hometown hero @chasebriscoe battle for a @NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Apparently, @NASCARonNBC will be there, too.
Will you?https://t.co/u9IvBGtSaf
— Jared Turner (@jared_turner) November 1, 2025
3. Has William Byron Returned To Regular-Season Form?
In the regular season, William Byron was dominant. Sure, the now three-time Championship 4 participant won just two races, which included a second consecutive Daytona 500.
But he finished the regular season with a massive lead in the standings, becoming the regular season champion.
How big of a cushion did Byron have?
Well, he clinched the regular season title one race early.
The question now is whether the Hendrick Motorsports driver is back to that form after struggling in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Byron also struggled in the Round of 8 … until last weekend, when he cruised to a commanding triumph at Martinsville Speedway to punch his Championship 4 ticket.
Although 1-mile Phoenix Raceway is about twice the length of Martinsville, the two tracks both feature relatively flat corners.
If these similarities mean anything today, Byron will be well-positioned to hoist the championship trophy.
Shockingly, @NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 driver and two-time Daytona 500 winner @WilliamByron likes to fly commercial … and the @TeamHendrick driver has a really practical reason for doing so.https://t.co/u9nAHpmChr
— Jared Turner (@jared_turner) November 1, 2025
4. Are We Going To See The Best Version Of Kyle Larson?
No driver has won as many races since 2021 as Kyle Larson. And Larson — driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy — is the only Championship 4 driver at Phoenix with a championship already to his credit.
That may or may not be an advantage for Larson today. But it stands to reason that being the only champion among the four finalists can’t hurt.
What doesn’t bode well for Larson is how he and his No. 5 team have performed the last two-thirds of the season. Since ripping off three wins in the first third of 2025, Larson has been shockingly shut out of Victory Lane.
Given that winning the championship under this playoff format typically requires winning the last race, Larson will have his work cut out for him today in the Valley of the Sun.
That said, Larson boasts the experience and the talent to get it done. So, despite his dearth of recent victories, a Larson championship would not be much of a surprise.
