Stage Is Set: NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 Drivers Are Ready For Phoenix

The moment we’ve all been waiting for is here – Championship Weekend. The NASCAR Xfinity Series wrapped up the Round of 8 last weekend at Martinsville Speedway with a win by JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier and will now head to Phoenix Raceway to crown a new Xfinity Series champion. Four drivers – Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier, John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer – will vie for the title on Saturday, November 4 at 7 p.m. ET on the USA Network, the NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Next Race: NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

The Place: Phoenix Raceway

The Date: Saturday, November 4

The Time: 7 p.m. ET

The Purse: $1,707,366

TV: USA, 6:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio                   

Distance: 200 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

Phoenix Raceway has hosted 43 NACAR Xfinity Series races, producing 24 different race winners and 23 different pole winners. Eleven races have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Ty Gibbs in last year’s Xfinity Series Championship.

Cup Series regular Kyle Busch has made a name for himself at the track, holding the record for most wins (11), poles (10), top 10s (21), lead lap finishes (24), laps led (2,237), and is tied with Kevin Harvick for most top fives (17) in the Xfinity Series.

The race at Phoenix Raceway will be sure to keep fans on their toes as there are four drivers in the field that have taken the checkered flag at the one-mile track – Justin Allgaier (the only Champ 4 driver with a Phoenix win under his belt – 2017, 2019), Brandon Jones (2020), Daniel Hemric (2021), and Sammy Smith (2023).

This season marks the fourth time that Phoenix Raceway will play host to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race (2020-2023). From 2016 to 2019, the season finale was held at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Since the inception of the Playoffs in 2016, six of the seven championship races have been won by a Champ 4 driver – Daniel Suárez (2016), Tyler Reddick (2018, 2019), Austin Cindric (2020), Daniel Hemric (2021), and Ty Gibbs (2022).

Xfinity drivers will hit the track for their final practice session of the season on Friday, November 3 at 7:05 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports App. Their qualifying session will be on race day (Saturday, November 4) at 3:30 p.m. ET on the USA Network and on the NBC Sports App.

Meet the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 contenders

It’s been a wild ride for the NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers this season and now it’s time to crown a new champion. The four drivers who will be putting it all on the line this weekend are JR Motorsports teammates Sam Mayer and Justin Allgaier, Joe Gibbs Racing’s John Hunter Nemechek and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer.

Let’s take a look into these drivers’ careers and what brought them all the way to the Championship 4 Round this season.

Sam Mayer (No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet)

The 20-year-old, Sam Mayer, truly found his footing in the Xfinity Series this year and became a force to be reckoned with. He went into the season winless in the series and now heads to the Championship race with four wins (Road America, Watkins Glen, Charlotte Road Course, Homestead), 12 top fives, 18 top 10s and 177 laps led. In addition, he heads into the weekend with a driver rating of 91.2 (fifth-best in the series).

Playoff recap: Mayer didn’t have the strongest start to the 2023 Playoffs, finishing 35th at Bristol and 38th at Texas but he turned it around with a win on the Charlotte Road Course to lock himself into the Round of 8. The win in the final race of the Round of 12 must’ve given him the momentum he needed because he kicked off the Round of 8 at Las Vegas with a fifth-place finish followed by another win at Homestead, which clinched him into the Championship 4. He closed out the round with a 25th-place finish at Martinsville.

The 2023 season marks his second Playoff appearance. His first stint in the Playoffs was last season (2022) where he made it to the Round of 8 and ultimately finished seventh.

Phoenix Raceway stats: The Franklin, Wisconsin native has made four starts at Phoenix Raceway, posting a best finish of 11th.

Crew Chief Corner – Mardy Lindley: The 2023 season marks Lindley’s first full-time season in the Xfinity Series and with Mayer. However, he is no stranger to working with the young driver as they ran three races together in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2019.

Lindley also had stints in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2021 and 2022 with multiple drivers. His longest stint was with Corey Heim last season (16 races). In his three years in the Truck Series, he was crew chief for 48 races, posting six wins, 16 top fives and 23 top 10s.

Justin Allgaier (No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet)

The 37-year-old, Justin Allgaier, is the most seasoned driver in the Championship 4 field and will, without a doubt, leave it all out on the track to snag his first Xfinity Series title. He’s had a successful season, posting four wins (Charlotte, Daytona, Bristol, Martinsville), 14 top fives, 19 top 10s and has led 643 laps. He heads into the weekend with a driver rating of 105.2 (second-best in the series).

Playoff recap: Allgaier hit the ground running in the Playoffs, immediately clinching his spot in the Round of 8 with a win in the first race at Bristol. He went on to post a fifth-place finish at Texas and closed out the Round of 12 with a 37th-place finish at the Charlotte Road Course (incident). He also had a strong start to the Round of 8 with a sixth-place finish at Las Vegas, a 15th-place finish at Homestead, then finished with a bang with a win at Martinsville.

The 2023 season marks the eighth time he has made a Playoff appearance. He is the only driver to compete in all Xfinity Series Playoffs (2016-2023). Additionally, he has appeared in the Championship 4 Round a series-leading six times (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023).

Phoenix Raceway stats: The Spaulding, Illinois native is a veteran on Phoenix’s one-mile track, posing two wins (2017, 2019), nine top fives and 17 top 10s in his 26 starts.

Crew Chief Corner – James Pohlman: The 2023 season marks Pohlman’s first full-time season in a NASCAR national series and his first with Allgaier. He had his first stint in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2011 with Juan Pablo Montoya where they managed to post two top 10s in their 17 races together. He also ran one-off races with Ross Chastain in 2020 and with Austin Dillon and Austin Hill in 2022. He dipped his toe in the Xfinity Series last season with Sheldon Creed (four races – one top 10).

John Hunter Nemechek (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

The 26-year-old, John Hunter Nemechek has had a stand-out season, posting seven wins (Auto Club, Martinsville, Atlanta, New Hampshire, Michigan, Kansas, Texas), 17 top fives, 24 top 10s and las led 1,017 laps. He heads into the weekend with a driver rating of 111.1 (series-best).

Playoff recap: Nemechek has stayed consistent throughout the entire post-season, kicking off the Round of 12 with a third-place finish at Bristol, a win at Texas, and closing out the round with an eighth-place finish at the Charlotte Road Course. He came in strong at Las Vegas with a runner-up finish, followed by a third-place finish at Homestead and an 18th-place finish at Martinsville.

The 2023 season marks his second Playoff appearance and his first time in the Championship 4 Round. His first appearance was in 2019 where he made it to the Round of 8 and ultimately finished seventh.

Phoenix Raceway stats: The Mooresville, North Carolina native is quite the pro on Phoenix’s one-mile track. He’s posted a top-10 finish in each of his six starts, with his best-finish of fourth in 2019.

Crew Chief Corner – Ben Beshore: The 2023 season marks Beshore’s first-full time season with Nemechek. He ran one other full-time season in the Xfinity Series – in 2020 with Harrison Burton where they were able to rack up four wins, 15 top fives, and 22 top 10s. The year prior (2019), he ran a few races with multiple drivers in the Xfinity Series, seven of which were with Kyle Busch (posted four wins). He also ran full-time seasons with Busch in the Cup Series in 2021 and 2022.

Cole Custer (No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)

The 25-year-old, Cole Custer, had a memorable year highlighted by the fact that he won the inaugural Chicago Street Race. He racked up two wins (Portland, Chicago), 13 top fives, 20 top 10s, and 490 laps led. He heads into the weekend with a driver rating of 103.7 (third best in the series).

Playoff recap: Custer had a strong start in the Round of 12, posting a fourth-place finish in Bristol, a sixth-place finish in Texas and a runner-up finish on the Charlotte Road Course. These top-10 finishes were enough to clinch him into the Round of 8 where he posted a third-place finish in Las Vegas, a 13th-place finish at Homestead and a 19th-place at Martinsville.

The 2023 season marks his fourth Playoff appearance. His first was in 2017 where he made it the Round of 8 and ultimately finished the season fifth in the final standings. He is no stranger to competing in the Championship 4, making it to the final round consecutive years (2018, 2019) where he finished runner-up in both.

Phoenix Raceway stats: The Ladera Ranch, California native has made seven starts at Phoenix Raceway, posting two top fives and five top 10s.

Crew Chief Corner – Jonathan Toney: Toney is new to the NASCAR world. He’s in his first season competing in a NASCAR national series and his first with Custer.

A Family Affair: Nemecheks could add name to prestigious list of champions

NASCAR fans have seen multiple families come through the ranks over the years – from brothers to father-son duos. But the most notable are the ones that manage to have enough success to take home championships. This weekend, if John Hunter Nemechek wins the NASCAR Xfinity Series title, the Nemecheks (Joe, Father and John Hunter, Son) would become the first Father-Son duo to win championships in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the sixth Father-Son pair to accomplish the feat in the three NASCAR national series; joining the Pettys, Jarretts, Elliotts, Earnhardts and Pearsons.

Joe Nemechek won the Xfinity Series title in 1992 and now his son John Hunter will be competing for the 2023 championship. If John Hunter Nemechek wins the Xfinity Series title this weekend, it would be his first NASCAR national series championship.

NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year class wraps up their season – Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders are finally at the finish line of their inaugural season in the Xfinity Series. Let’s take a look at how their seasons panned out:

Sammy Smith found success in his first season in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, and currently holds the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings lead by 39 points over second place. Smith has posted one win (Phoenix), six top fives and 14 top 10s on the year. Smith also earned a spot in the Playoffs this season but was eliminated in the Round of 8.

Chandler Smith also had strong season in his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet this year and is currently second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. Smith posted one win (Richmond), eight top fives, 12 top 10s and also made it to the Round of 8 in the Playoffs.

Parker Retzlaff posted some solid finishes in his No. 31 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet this season. He had a strong start in the Daytona season opener, finishing fourth, and went on to post seven top-10 finishes.

Blaine Perkins made 29 starts this season with a best-finish of 13th at Martinsville-1.

Chevrolet clinches Xfinity Series manufacturer championship – With a win by Chevrolet driver Sam Mayer two weeks ago at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Chevrolet has clinched the manufacturer championship in the Xfinity Series for 2023.

Chevrolet solidified the championship by posting another win – last weekend at Martinsville by Justin Allgaier. Chevrolet has won 17 of the 32 Xfinity Series races this season thus far. It is the 25th time that Chevrolet has won the OEM championship in the series, and the seventh in a row.

“It is a tremendous honor earning, the Bill France Performance Cup in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the seventh consecutive year,” said Jim Campbell, General Motors U.S. Vice president of Performance and Motorsports.