AVONDALE, Ariz.
Phoenix Raceway is used to deciding championships. This weekend, the one-mile oval tucked against the Estrella Mountains in Avondale does something it has not done in the fall since 2019: it hosts NASCAR's Chase without being the last stop on the calendar. Four races remain after Sunday, and that small shift in the schedule changes the feel of the whole weekend — still urgent, still loud, but with room for the title fight to breathe a little before a champion is crowned.
The Arizona Republic, in its fan guide to the weekend, framed the change as no downgrade at all. Track president Latasha Causey told the Arizona Republic the community response has stayed strong even without the finale attached, saying fans have been just as receptive as they were before and that the timing opens up more opportunities. NASCAR's own weekend preview struck the same note, billing the stop as the Chase presented by Mobil 1 returning to the desert with championship pressure continuing to build across three national series.
Four Series, Three Days
The weekend runs Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18, and it is stacked. Four series take laps: the NASCAR Cup Series, the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, the Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series West. The Arizona Republic's published schedule, in local time, starts Friday with Truck Series practice and qualifying from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., the Truck race at 4:30 p.m., and ARCA practice and qualifying from 7:30 to 8:50 p.m. under the lights.
Saturday belongs to qualifying and two races. The O'Reilly Series practices and qualifies from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Cup cars follow from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., the O'Reilly race goes at 4:30 p.m., and the ARCA race closes the night at 8 p.m. Sunday is the main event: the Cup Series race at noon local time — 3 p.m. Eastern, per NASCAR's weekend schedule — run over 312 laps with stage breaks ending at laps 60, 185 and 312, televised on USA Network. NASCAR lists Sunday's race as the Freeway Insurance 500, Saturday's O'Reilly race as the Timberland PRO 200, Friday's Truck race as the Zero Carbon Bioethanol 150 Powered by POET, and Saturday night's ARCA race as the Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100.
Full Fields, No One Going Home Early
NASCAR reported the entry lists on Wednesday: 37 cars entered in the Cup Series, 38 in the O'Reilly Series and 36 in the Truck Series. Because none of those fields exceeds the starting limit, NASCAR noted, no entries will fail to qualify — every team that hauls to Avondale races. Single-car qualifying order still matters at a track where track position is precious: NASCAR's schedule has Truck qualifying Friday afternoon, and on Saturday the O'Reilly Series qualifying session in the early afternoon followed by Cup qualifying later in the day, all setting the grids for the weekend's races.
The Chase Picture
What makes Phoenix different this year is the math. In recent falls, this track ended the season and crowned the champion on the spot. This time, per the Arizona Republic, four races remain after this weekend before a champion is crowned, which turns Phoenix into a pressure point rather than a finish line: a win here does not end the argument, but a bad day here can end a title run with a month still to go. The Cup field arrives with the championship hunt narrowed to a handful of drivers still realistically in it, and Phoenix has a recent habit of rewarding one of them — Ryan Blaney won both the spring race at this track and last fall's Phoenix race, making him the driver the rest of the garage will be measuring itself against when the haulers unload.
Getting There, Parking and the Midway
The Arizona Republic's guide lays out the drive plainly. From Interstate 10 — whether you are coming west, east, or connecting from Interstate 17 south — take Exit 131 at Avondale Boulevard and head straight south to the track, where Avondale Boulevard becomes Jimmie Johnson Drive and the grandstands rise against the Estrellas. The alternative is Loop 202 West: take Exit 73 at Broadway Road, go west about six and a half miles, then turn south on Avondale Boulevard. General parking is free, per the Republic, with lots opening at 9:30 a.m. Friday, 8 a.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday, gates opening two hours after the lots, and trams running from the farther lots to just outside Gate 3, including for an hour after the race. Sunday is tracking toward another packed house, the Republic reported, so early arrival is the standing advice.
Once inside, the fan midway is the weekend's second venue: interactive displays, driver appearances and the merchandise haulers by Gates 4 and 5 that the Republic calls a rite of passage. Fans can rent scanner headsets from Racing Electronics in the midway — listed at $53 to $88 depending on the setup — to listen in on team radios over the roar. The Infield Experience wristband, priced by the Republic at $159 for adults for the weekend, puts fans within arm's reach of the garage, the driver red carpet and victory lane, and Rattlesnake Hill, the natural hillside between Turns 1 and 2, offers hillside viewing at $63, or $23 for fans 17 and younger, chairs and blankets welcome. New this year, per the Republic, Huss Brewing Co. joins the food lineup alongside Rudy's BBQ, while The Barn returns with live music, billiards and cornhole.
For Valley fans, the weekend is also a home game on Previously's sports hub, where the Diamondbacks' Gold Glove finalists and the Suns' preseason are sharing the week with the Chase. If you are heading out, the formula is simple: pick your series, arrive before the lots fill, and let the desert do the rest. The full newsroom is at Previously News.