AVONDALE, Ariz. – Following Thursday’s media day, the Cup Series drivers competing for the NASCAR Championship 4 finally hit the track at Phoenix Raceway for their first practice session on Friday afternoon.
This practice lasted 50 minutes, allowing each team three sets of tires. However, the session faced interruptions due to four red flags, as multiple cars experienced flat tires.
The spotlight was on the four championship contenders, including Hendrick Motorsports’ drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson. In single-lap runs, Byron clocked a time of 27.46, placing him ninth, while Larson followed closely in 11th at 27.489. Encouragingly, Larson secured second place and Byron third in the 10-lap average, with Larson also recording the fastest 15-lap speed.
“It was quite crowded out there and a bit chaotic with the tires,” Byron commented. “I think our first run gave me the best balance, and we experimented with some different setups afterward. Overall, I feel positive about our performance.” Chase Elliott stood out among the organization, achieving the sixth-fastest lap at 27.45 seconds, while Alex Bowman completed the Hendrick Motorsports lineup with a lap of 27.649 seconds.
Before the Cup Series session, practice took place in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where Corey Day returned to the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, recording the fourth-best time of 28.143 seconds right off the truck.
Below are the practice results for both the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series from Friday’s events at Phoenix:
NASCAR Cup Series Practice Results
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54, 27.3
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12, 27.396
- Austin Cindric, No. 2, 27.402
- Ryan Preece, No. 60, 27.407
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11, 27.426
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 27.45
- Ross Chastain, No. 1, 27.452
- Josh Berry, No. 21, 27.459
- William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, 27.46
- Christopher Bell, No. 20, 27.487
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 27.489
- Erik Jones, No. 43, 27.491
- Todd Gilliland, No. 34, 27.501
- Joey Logano, No. 22, 27.515
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77, 27.539
- Chase Briscoe, No. 19, 27.541
- Zane Smith, No. 38, 27.561
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23, 27.564
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42, 27.571
- Michael McDowell, No. 71, 27.577
- Austin Dillon, No. 3, 27.592
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45, 27.608
- Kyle Busch, No. 8, 27.634
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 27.649
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47, 27.659
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99, 27.689
- Chris Buescher, No. 17, 27.699
- Cole Custer, No. 41, 27.707
- Riley Herbst, No. 35, 27.729
- Cody Ware, No. 51, 27.745
- AJ Allmendinger, No. 61, 27.749
- Justin Haley, No. 7, 27.761
- Noah Gragson, No. 4, 27.775
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6, 27.792
- Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88, 27.824
- Ty Dillon, No. 10, 27.863
- Casey Mears, No. 66, 28.195
- JJ Yeley, No. 44, 28.209
NASCAR Xfinity Series Practice Results
- Connor Zilisch, No. 88, 28.045
- Brenden Queen, No. 11, 28.07
- Jesse Love, No. 2, 28.082
- Corey Day, No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 28.143
- Austin Hill, No. 21, 28.183
- Sammy Smith, No. 8, 28.198
- Aric Almirola, No. 19, 28.202
- Brandon Jones, No. 20, 28.233
- Jeb Burton, No. 27, 28.258
- Nick Sanchez, No. 48, 28.273
- Harrison Burton, No. 25, 28.335
- Connor Mosack, No. 99, 28.374
- Dean Thompson, No. 26, 28.399
- Justin Allgaier, No. 7, 28.41
- Carson Kvapil, No. 1, 28.419
- Ryan Sieg, No. 41, 28.421
- Jeremy Clements, No. 51, 28.429
- Taylor Gray, No. 54, 28.46
- Kyle Sieg, No. 39, 28.461
- Christian Eckes, No. 16, 28.467
- Justin Bonsignore, No. 18, 28.469
- Brennan Poole, No. 44, 28.502
- Sheldon Creed, No. 00, 28.524
- Daniel Dye, No. 10, 28.539
- Blaine Perkins, No. 31, 28.602
- Parker Retzlaff, No. 4, 28.607
- Anthony Alfredo, No. 42, 28.66
- Nick Leitz, No. 28, 28.665
- Leland Honeyman, No. 70, 28.821
- Stefan Parsons, No. 35, 28.844
- Ryan Ellis, No. 71, 28.852
- Josh Williams, No. 45, 28.947
- Josh Bilicki, No. 91, 29.082
- Patrick Emerling, No. 07, 29.113
- Garrett Smithley, No. 14, 29.255
- Glen Reen, No. 5, 29.361
- Joey Gase, No. 53, 29.545
- Dawson Cram, No. 74, 29.662
NASCAR Schedule Today on TV
Friday, Oct. 31
- 7:30 – Truck Series Championship Race (FS1)
Saturday, Nov. 1
- 1:30 p.m. ET – ARCA West Race (FloRacing)
- 3:30 – Xfinity Series Qualifying (CW App)
- 5 – Cup Series Qualifying (TruTV)
- 7:30 – Xfinity Series Championship Race (CW)
Sunday, Nov. 2
- 3 p.m. – Cup Series Race (NBC)
RELATED: NASCAR Championship 4 by the numbers
Where is NASCAR Racing This Weekend?
The NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series are competing at Phoenix Raceway for the Championship races.
Where is Phoenix Raceway?
Phoenix Raceway is situated in Avondale, Arizona.
