# 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on November 7, 2021 at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 312 laps on the one mile (1.6 km) oval, it was the 36th and final race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, and was also the last race for the Generation 6 car body, as it was replaced in 2022 by the Next Gen Car. Kyle Larson won the race and claimed his first NASCAR Cup Series Championship.

## Report
### Background

Phoenix Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.
Phoenix Raceway is home to two annual NASCAR race weekends, one of 13 facilities on the NASCAR schedule to host more than one race weekend a year. The track is both the first and last stop in the western United States, as well as the fourth and the last track on the schedule.

#### Championship drivers

Kyle Larson was the first of the four drivers to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, winning the first race of the Round of 8 at Texas. Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., and Denny Hamlin clinched the remaining three spots based on points.

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
* (CC) denotes championship contender.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 13 | David Starr (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 52 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 53 | Joey Gase (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice

Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 26.591 with an average speed of 135.384 mph (217.879 km/h).

### Practice results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 26.591 | 135.384 |
| 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.609 | 135.293 |
| 3 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 26.645 | 135.110 |
| Official practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Kyle Larson scored the pole for the race with a time of 26.116 and a speed of 137.847 mph (221.843 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.116 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.289 |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.307 |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 26.315 |
| 5 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.327 |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.361 |
| 7 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.432 |
| 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.433 |
| 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.434 |
| 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 26.436 |
| 11 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 26.469 |
| 12 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.494 |
| 13 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.502 |
| 14 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.544 |
| 15 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 26.544 |
| 16 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.544 |
| 17 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 26.558 |
| 18 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.568 |
| 19 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 26.576 |
| 20 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.592 |
| 21 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 26.594 |
| 22 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.623 |
| 23 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.649 |
| 24 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.652 |
| 25 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 26.665 |
| 26 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 26.683 |
| 27 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.722 |
| 28 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 26.811 |
| 29 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.812 |
| 30 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 26.906 |
| 31 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 26.921 |
| 32 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 27.181 |
| 33 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 27.560 |
| 34 | 53 | Joey Gase (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 27.716 |
| 35 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 27.861 |
| 36 | 13 | David Starr (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 27.874 |
| 37 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 27.887 |
| 38 | 15 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 28.243 |
| 39 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 0.000 |
| Official qualifying results ||||||

## Race
### Stage Results

Source:
Stage One Laps: 75
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 115
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 4 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 5 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 122
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 40 |
| 2 | 12 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 35 |
| 3 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 34 |
| 4 | 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 312 | 42 |
| 5 | 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 32 |
| 6 | 18 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 31 |
| 7 | 13 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 33 |
| 8 | 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 43 |
| 9 | 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 28 |
| 10 | 11 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 312 | 31 |
| 11 | 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 312 | 28 |
| 12 | 15 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 312 | 26 |
| 13 | 7 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 28 |
| 14 | 16 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 23 |
| 15 | 23 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 22 |
| 16 | 5 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 23 |
| 17 | 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 26 |
| 18 | 14 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 19 |
| 19 | 20 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 18 |
| 20 | 31 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 17 |
| 21 | 17 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 312 | 16 |
| 22 | 27 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motrsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 15 |
| 23 | 19 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 312 | 14 |
| 24 | 28 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 312 | 13 |
| 25 | 26 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 311 | 12 |
| 26 | 29 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 |
| 27 | 32 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 309 | 0 |
| 28 | 33 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 306 | 0 |
| 29 | 34 | 53 | Joey Gase (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 303 | 0 |
| 30 | 37 | 52 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 303 | 0 |
| 31 | 38 | 15 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 301 | 0 |
| 32 | 24 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 281 | 5 |
| 33 | 36 | 13 | David Starr (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 273 | 0 |
| 34 | 30 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 242 | 3 |
| 35 | 22 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 153 | 2 |
| 36 | 21 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 140 | 1 |
| 37 | 35 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 122 | 1 |
| 38 | 39 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 57 | 0 |
| 39 | 25 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 5 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 18 among 7 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 9 for 51
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 3 hours, 6 minutes and 33 seconds
* Average speed: 100.348 miles per hour (161.494 km/h)

## Media
### Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, two–time Phoenix winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and three-time Phoenix winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast handled the pit road duties from pit lane. Rutledge Wood handled the features from the track.
NBC :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | Features reporter |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dave Burns Parker Kligerman Marty Snider Kelli Stavast | Rutledge Wood |

### Radio

MRN covered the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace called the action from the broadcast booth when the field raced down the front straightaway. Dave Moody called the action from turns 1 & 2 and Mike Bagley called the action from turns 3 & 4. Steve Post and Kim Coon covered the action for MRN from pit lane.
MRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley | Steve Post Kim Coon |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Kyle Larson | 5,040 |
| 1 | 2 | Martin Truex Jr. | 5,035 (–5) |
| 1 | 3 | Denny Hamlin | 5,034 (–6) |
| 2 | 4 | Chase Elliott | 5,032 (–8) |
| 1 | 5 | Kevin Harvick | 2,361 (–2,679) |
| 1 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | 2,354 (–2,686) |
| | 7 | Ryan Blaney | 2,350 (–2,690) |
| | 8 | Joey Logano | 2,336 (–2,704) |
| | 9 | Kyle Busch | 2,318 (–2,722) |
| | 10 | William Byron | 2,306 (–2,734) |
| | 11 | Kurt Busch | 2,297 (–2,743) |
| | 12 | Christopher Bell | 2,279 (–2,761) |
| | 13 | Tyler Reddick | 2,250 (–2,790) |
| | 14 | Alex Bowman | 2,240 (–2,800) |
| | 15 | Aric Almirola | 2,215 (–2,825) |
| | 16 | Michael McDowell | 2,152 (–2,888) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 1,336 |
| 2 | Toyota | 1,239 (–97) |
| 3 | Ford | 1,236 (–100) |