PHOENIX CHAMPIONSHIP
Friday, November 8 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 8 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, November 9 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 7:30 p.m. ET (CW)
Sunday, November 10 — NASCAR Cup Series, 3 p.m. ET (NBC)
A year ago, Ford made history by sweeping all three major NASCAR championships for the first time, with Ben Rhodes (Truck), Cole Custer (Xfinity), and Ryan Blaney (Cup) each taking home their respective titles. This marked the first time a manufacturer had completed the sweep since 2001 and only the sixth time overall. This season, Ford’s past two Cup champions, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, are competing for the 2024 crown, while Ty Majeski (Truck) and Cole Custer (Xfinity) look to repeat for ThorSport and Stewart-Haas Racing, respectively.
LOGANO IN SIXTH CHAMPIONSHIP 4
Joey Logano is making his sixth appearance in the Championship 4 since the format was introduced in 2014—all coming in even years (2014, ‘16, ‘18, ‘20, ‘22, and ‘24). The two-time Cup Series champion aims to become the 10th driver to win at least three titles, joining legends like Tony Stewart, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson, and Lee Petty; four-time champion Jeff Gordon; and seven-time titleholders Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, and Richard Petty. Logano secured his spot in the Championship 4 by winning the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and has three points victories this year (Nashville, Atlanta-2, and Las Vegas-2), plus a triumph in the All-Star Race.
BLANEY LOOKING TO GO BACK-TO-BACK
Ryan Blaney was a man on a mission last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, and as a result, he’ll defend his 2023 championship on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway after winning the Xfinity 500 in Martinsville for a second straight year. This will be Blaney’s second time in the Championship 4 and he’s trying to become the first driver since Jimmie Johnson to win back-to-back Cup titles (2006-10). Another title would also make him the 18th driver in NASCAR history to win two or more.
LOGANO AT PHOENIX RACEWAY
Joey Logano has made 31 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, finishing in the top 10 in over half of them. He has three wins (2016-2, 2020-1, 2022-2), along with eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. Those three victories tie Phoenix with Michigan, Talladega, and Kansas for second on Logano’s personal-best list, following his fourth career win at Las Vegas a few weeks ago.
BLANEY AT PHOENIX RACEWAY
This will be Ryan Blaney’s 18th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Phoenix Raceway, and while he’s still looking for his first win, there has been consistent success. It starts with the fact that he has three poles, which is a personal best for any track on the circuit. He also comes into the race with a streak of six straight finishes of fifth or betting, including three consecutive runner-up finishes during the 2022-23 seasons. Blaney finished second a year ago in earning his first series title and was fifth earlier this year when Phoenix hosted for the first time in March.
FORD’S CUP SERIES CHAMPIONS
Ford has won the NASCAR Cup Series championship 11 times by nine different drivers, including the last two seasons by Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. Logano’s championships in 2018 and 2022 make him only the second multiple Ford champion along with David Pearson, who won titles back-to-back in 1968 and 1969 driving for Holman-Moody. Ford’s other champions include: Ned Jarrett (1965), Bill Elliott (1988), Alan Kulwicki (1992), Dale Jarrett (1999), Matt Kenseth (2003), and Kurt Busch (2004).
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK NUGGETS
Ford is coming off a 2023 season that saw it win all three NASCAR championships for the first time in its history.
That marked the first time since 2001 that a manufacturer swept all three titles in the same season.
NASCAR CUP SERIES
Ford has a chance to win three straight NASCAR Cup Series titles for the first time in its history.
Ford has won the championship 11 times by nine different drivers.
Joey Logano can become the first Ford driver to win three NASCAR Cup Series championships.
Logano will look to become the 10th driver to win at least three titles and join the likes of three-time winners Tony Stewart, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson, and Lee Petty; four-time champion Jeff Gordon; and seven-time titleholders Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.
Ryan Blaney can be the first driver to win back-to-back Cup championships since Jimmie Johnson (2006-10).
Blaney can also become the 18th driver in NASCAR history to win multiple series championships.
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Cole Custer can become the ninth driver to win multiple NASCAR Xfinity Series championships and the second Ford driver (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.). Others include: Sam Ard, Jack Ingram, Larry Pearson, Randy LaJoie, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., and Tyler Reddick.
Since joining the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time in 2011, Mustang has won a driver’s or owner’s championship in 10 of 13 seasons.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
Ford has won the last two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championships (Zane Smith, 2022 and Ben Rhodes, 2023).
When you add in Matt Crafton’s title in 2019, Ford has won three of the last five.
LOGANO WINS 2022 TITLE IN PHOENIX
Joey Logano claimed his second NASCAR Cup Series championship after winning the season finale race in 2022 and giving Mustang its first championship at NASCAR’s highest level. The Connecticut native dominated the weekend as he won the pole and then led the first 87 laps of the 312-lap event. He took the lead for good after passing fellow Ford driver Chase Briscoe with 29 laps to go and never looked back. The championship was the second for Logano, who claimed the 2018 title after winning the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
BLANEY WINS 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP
Ryan Blaney drove Mustang to its second straight NASCAR Cup Series title last year at Phoenix Raceway by finishing second and beating fellow Championship 4 drivers Kyle Larson and William Byron, who ended up right behind in third and fourth, respectively. The race came down to a 31-lap dash to the finish. Blaney restarted sixth while Larson was third and Byron fifth, but the Team Penske driver passed Byron three laps later and then battled Larson for the next eight circuits before finally getting past him on lap 292 of the 312-lap event. From that point on, he was able to maintain his advantage and finish runner-up to race-winner Ross Chastain.
CUSTER GOING FOR CONSECUTIVE TITLES
Cole Custer is making his fourth career NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 appearance after finishing fourth at Martinsville last weekend. In his previous three title appearances, Custer has a pair of runner-up finishes (2018-19) and a championship he won last season after a thrilling overtime restart. Custer emerged victorious for the first time at Phoenix and comes into Saturday’s race with an average finish of 7.6 in nine career series starts. In addition to his win a year ago, he has four top-five and seven top-10 performances.
FORD’S NXS CHAMPIONS
Ford has won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship seven times and Cole Custer has an opportunity to join Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as being the only multiple title winners for Ford if he can do it again on Saturday. That would also match Stenhouse’s achievement of winning back-to-back titles in 2011-12. Greg Biffle claimed Ford’s first series championship in 2002 for car owner Jack Roush and Carl Edwards did the same in 2007. Chris Buescher gave Roush his fifth title in 2015 before Austin Cindric came through in an overtime restart to win the championship in 2020.
MAJESKI COMPETING IN SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP 4
Ty Majeski qualified for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship 4 for the second time in his career after an 11th-place finish last weekend at Martinsville Speedway sewed up his spot. Majeski, who has a pair of wins this year (Indianapolis and Richmond), will be seeking his first career title while Ford is going for its third straight after Zane Smith (2022) and Ben Rhodes (2023) won the last two years.
FORD’S NCTS CHAMPIONS
Ford has produced four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champions, including three of the last five overall after Ben Rhodes won the crown a year ago. Greg Biffle was the first to lift the trophy in 2000 while driving for Jack Roush. He was followed by Matt Crafton in 2019, which marked his third overall title, and then Zane Smith in 2022 as Front Row Motorsports celebrated its first championship in one of NASCAR’s major series.
FORD’S PHOENIX CUP SERIES WINNERS
1988 – Alan Kulwicki
1989 – Bill Elliott
1991 – Davey Allison
1992 – Davey Allison
1993 – Mark Martin
1995 – Ricky Rudd
1997 – Dale Jarrett
1998 – Rusty Wallace
2000 – Jeff Burton
2001 – Jeff Burton
2002 – Matt Kenseth
2005 – Kurt Busch (1)
2010 – Carl Edwards (2)
2013 – Carl Edwards (1)
2016 – Joey Logano (2)
2018 – Kevin Harvick (1)
2020 – Joey Logano (1)
2022 – Chase Briscoe (1) and Joey Logano (2)
FORD’S PHOENIX XFINITY SERIES WINNERS
2000 – Jeff Burton
2001 – Greg Biffle
2003 – Bobby Hamilton Jr.
2005 – Greg Biffle (1) and Carl Edwards (2)
2006 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2008 – Carl Edwards (2)
2009 – Greg Biffle (1) and Carl Edwards (2)
2010 – Carl Edwards (2)
2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Joey Logano (1)
2018 – Brad Keselowski (1)
2020 – Austin Cindric (2)
2021 – Austin Cindric (1)
2023 – Cole Custer (2)
FORD’S PHOENIX CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES WINNERS
1997 – Joe Ruttman
1998 – Mike Bliss
2001 – Greg Biffle
2022 – Zane Smith
