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On Sunday, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series head to the Arizona desert to cap off the 2025 season in the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Here is what you need to know ahead of the final race of the season: Favorite: Denny Hamlin (+400, per DraftKings) Hamlin has had more time to prepare for the title race than either of his competitors after winning the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas three weeks ago, and is arguably in the best position he has been in to win that elusive Cup Series title. As a two-time winner at Phoenix and the runner-up in the spring to Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell, the speed is there for Hamlin to deliver. If the execution matches, the 44-year-old could become the third-oldest Cup champion all-time, only behind Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Lee Petty, who were both 45. Underdog: Josh Berry (+2500, per DraftKings) Berry could easily disrupt the championship battle on Sunday as someone who has a knack for shorter and lesser-banked tracks. He was 10th at Martinsville one week ago, runner-up at New Hampshire and eighth at Richmond earlier this season. The overall body of work at Phoenix is not great with just a pair of top-10s in four starts, but Berry was fourth in the spring and scored points in both stages, so he is definitely worth keeping an eye on outside the title contenders. It all comes down to this After 35 races and a grueling playoff stretch, the Championship 4 drivers are ready for battle out west. In addition to Hamlin, Chase Briscoe and William Byron won their way to Phoenix with wins at Talladega and Martinsville, respectively, while Kyle Larson pointed his way in over Bell. It has been a six-year title drought for JGR, something the season wins leader Hamlin and top-fives leader Briscoe can change. On the other side is Hendrick Motorsports, an organization that wants this championship really "bad" after its own four-year wait since Larson's 2021 crown. Either way, both organizations are hungry for another title and three of the four drivers, aside from Larson, are looking for their first, which should make for a dramatic culmination to the 2025 season. Non-playoff drivers looking to play spoiler If a Championship 4 driver does not win the race on Sunday, look no further than Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano of Team Penske, who were just eliminated from title contention at Martinsville but have won each of the past three titles in the desert. Elsewhere, Bell has won each of the last two spring races at Phoenix and Ross Chastain won the title race two years ago despite not being among the Championship 4. The main focus is on the title contenders, but don't forget about the rest of the drivers in the field who are looking to end the season on a high note. Championship Race on the move after Sunday After hosting Championship Weekend since the 2020 season, Phoenix Raceway will lose its title races to Homestead-Miami Speedway next season as the 1.5-mile facility returns for the first time since being the host site from 2002-19.
