The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) heads to Phoenix Raceway this weekend for the Freeway Insurance 500 on October 18 at 3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
In 2025, Denny Hamlin captured the pole with a lap of 133.759 mph (26.914 secs.), and Ryan Blaney capitalized on a two-tire pit strategy to win in overtime on November 2, 2025.
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Point Standings after Charlotte Motor Speedway
| Rank | Driver | No | Points | Behind | Next | Race Wins | Stage WIns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson (C) | 5 | 2367 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin (C) | 11 | 2318 | -49 | 49 | 4 | 5 |
| 3 | Christopher Bell (C) | 20 | 2316 | -51 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | Chase Briscoe (C) | 19 | 2302 | -65 | 14 | 3 | 2 |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney (C) | 12 | 2282 | -85 | 20 | 3 | 9 |
| 6 | Joey Logano (C) | 22 | 2275 | -92 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | Tyler Reddick (C) | 45 | 2253 | -114 | 22 | 5 | 2 |
| 8 | Austin Cindric (C) | 2 | 2222 | -145 | 31 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Ty Gibbs (C) | 54 | 2211 | -156 | 11 | 2 | 5 |
| 10 | Carson Hocevar (C) | 77 | 2187 | -180 | 24 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | Bubba Wallace (C) | 23 | 2182 | -185 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Chase Elliott (C) | 9 | 2182 | -185 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 13 | William Byron (C) | 24 | 2159 | -208 | 23 | 0 | 3 |
| 14 | Daniel Suarez (C) | 7 | 2152 | -215 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Chris Buescher (C) | 17 | 2151 | -216 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Ryan Preece (C) | 60 | 2140 | -227 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
Track & Race Information for the Freeway Insurance 500
Season Race #: 33 of 36 (October 18, 2026)
Chase Race #: 7 of 10
Track Size/Type: 1 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Purse: $11,233,037
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 9 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 11 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 3 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees
Race Schedule, Length, and Stages for the Freeway Insurance 500
Race Length: 312 laps / 500 Kilometers / 312 Miles
Stage 1 Length: 60 laps
Stage 2 Length: 125 laps (Ends on Lap 185)
Final Stage Length: 127 laps (Ends on Lap 312)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16
3:30 PM – 4:20 PM: NCTS PRACTICE
4:35 PM – 5:30 PM: NCTS QUALIFYING
7:10 PM: NCTS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
7:30 PM: NCTS ZERO CARBON BIOETHANOL 150 POWERED BY POET RACE (STAGES 45/90/150 LAPS = 150 MILES) ON FS2
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17
1:00 PM – 1:50 PM: NOAPS PRACTICE
3:05 PM – 4:00 PM: NOAPS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
4:30 PM – 5:20 PM: NCS PRACTICE (IMPOUND) (ALL ENTRIES)
5:35 PM – 6:30 PM: NCS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
7:10 PM: NOAPS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
7:30 PM: NOAPS TIMBERLAND PRO 200 RACE (STAGES 45/90/200 LAPS = 200 MILES) ON THE CW NETWORK
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18
2:15 PM: NCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS (STAGING IN CRESCENT)
3:00 PM: NCS FREEWAY INSURANCE 500 RACE (STAGES 60/185/312 LAPS = 312 MILES) ON THE USA NETWORK
*All times are Eastern. NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS), NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), ARCA Series (AMS)
Who and what should you look out for at Phoenix Raceway?
Joey Logano leads all active drivers this weekend with four wins (2016, 2020, 2022, 2024), nine of the 32 NCS race winners are active, and four active Chase drivers have won postseason races at Phoenix: Joey Logano with three, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Blaney with one each.
| Active Phoenix Race Winners | Wins | Seasons |
| Joey Logano | 4 | 2024, 2022, 2020, 2016 |
| Ryan Blaney | 2 | 2026, 2025 |
| Christopher Bell | 2 | 2025, 2024 |
| Denny Hamlin | 2 | 2019, 2012 |
| Ross Chastain | 1 | 2023 |
| William Byron | 1 | 2023 |
| Chase Briscoe | 1 | 2022 |
| Kyle Larson | 1 | 2021 |
| Chase Elliott | 1 | 2020 |
The first and third starting positions are tied for the most successful in the field. Both produced more winners than any other starting position, with eight each, and the most recent was William Byron’s 2023 win from the third starting position.
| Stats | Winning % | Wins | |||
| Winning from the Pole: | 13.33% | 8 | |||
| Winning from the Front Row: | 20.00% | 12 | |||
| Winning from a Top-Five Starting Position: | 41.67% | 25 | |||
| Winning from a Top-10 Starting Position: | 60.00% | 36 | |||
| Winning After Starting Outside the Top 20: | 6.67% | 4 | |||
The Driver Picks for the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway!
- Christopher Bell has two wins, four top-fives, eight top-10s, and an average finish of 12.077.
- William Byron has two poles, one win, three top-fives, ten top-10s, and an average finish of 11.882.
- Chase Briscoe has one win, two top-fives, four top-10s, and an average finish of 20.091.
- Denny Hamlin has four poles, two wins, 18 top-fives, 25 top-10s, and an average finish of 10.357.
- Kyle Larson has two poles, one win, 12 top-fives, 16 top-10s, and a series-best average finish of 10.042.
