Right or wrong, a rip-ROAR-ing weekend awaits racing fans at Phoenix Raceway, Friday through Sunday.
PHOENIX (Oct. 28, 2025) – Raja, a 7-year-old Sumatran tiger, is wild about William Byron’s NASCAR Cup Series championship chances.
During a ceremony on Tuesday at the Phoenix Zoo, the beloved beast predicted that the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet will win the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.
Byron is competing against Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series title during Sunday’s championship race. The first of those four drivers to cross the finish line Sunday will be crowned the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Champion and hoist aloft the highly-coveted Bill France Cup.
Let the record reflect that Raja is far from purr-fect. He also predicted William Byron would win the championship in 2024, but Byron finished third behind champion Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney.
Regardless of his accuracy, Raja is one of the Phoenix Zoo’s most adorable animals. He weighs approximately 300 lbs. Fewer than 600 Sumatran tigers are estimated to remain in the wild. These magnificent, elusive creatures are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to poaching, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.
We’re certain the staff at Phoenix Zoo will provide Raja with NASCAR updates from Phoenix Raceway this weekend, along with some more succulent chunks of meat. Action begins Friday with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race and builds on Saturday with the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race and the ARCA Menards Series West’s Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100.
And then on Sunday, Nov. 2, it’s the grand finale to the 2025 NASCAR season – the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race. Country superstar Jordan Davis will fire up the crowd with a high-energy pre-race concert before the green flag drops on what promises to be a NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race for the ages.
With star-studded performances, non-stop racing action, and championship glory on the line, it’s no surprise only a scant number of tickets remain for NASCAR’s season finale. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets now before it’s too late at www.phoenixraceway.com.
About Phoenix Raceway
Home to NASCAR Championship Weekend since 2020, Phoenix Raceway has been the premier motorsports venue in the Southwest since 1964 and hosts two NASCAR race weekends each year. In 2025, the spring event weekend, March 7-9, kicks off the race season at Phoenix Raceway and features the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and ARCA Menards Series. Phoenix Raceway will once again host NASCAR Championship Weekend, Oct. 31-Nov. 2. During the action-packed, three-day event, champions will be crowned in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series West. Phoenix Raceway also hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including concerts, corporate meetings and conferences, charity events, weddings, holiday events, sport and endurance competitions, and driving schools. For more information, visit www.PhoenixRaceway.com and download the new NASCAR Tracks App at www.phoenixraceway.com/nascar-tracks-app/.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.
For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X and Facebook.
