The 2025 Xfinity Series championship will be decided Saturday over 200 laps at Phoenix Raceway between title contenders Connor Zilisch, Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love and Carson Kvapil.
The best finisher of the four will be crowned champion in a race that likely will take longer than the scheduled distance.
Four consecutive Xfinity races at Phoenix have been stretched into overtime by late caution flags.
Last year, Allgaier won his first title in double overtime with a second-place finish.
At an average age of 25 years, 5 months and 25 days, it’s the second-youngest title field in Xfinity Series history. Allgaier made his Xfinity debut in 2008 before any of his championship rivals were older than 5.
With a rookie record 10 wins this season, Zilisch, 19, leads the series in victories, pole positions, top fives, top 10s and laps led.
Zilisch, who will move to Cup next season with Trackhouse Racing, also is the only Championship 4 driver with a playoff victory and has been the best finisher of the four in 17 of 32 races. But Allgaier had the best finish (fifth) of the contenders in the March 8 race at Phoenix.
Though the driver title will be a battle between drivers from JR Motorsports (Zilisch, Allgaier and Kvapil) and Richard Childress Racing (Love), there will be three teams represented in the car owner championship.
In addition to the JR Motorsports Chevrolets of Allgaier (No. 7) and Zilisch (No. 88), the No. 19 Toyota (driven by Aric Almirola) of Joe Gibbs Racing and No. 21 Chevy (Austin Hill) of Richard Childress Racing also will be championship eligible.
Details for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Phoenix Raceway
(All times Eastern)
START: The green flag is scheduled to wave at 7:40 p.m.
PRERACE: The Xfinity garage will open at 10:30 a.m. ... Qualifying will be at 3:30 p.m. ... Driver introductions will be at 6:45 p.m. ... The national anthem will be performed at 7:24 p.m. by the Queen Creek High School Marching Band. ... The command to start engines will be given at 7:31 p.m. by several past Xfinity Series champions.
DISTANCE: The race is 200 laps (200 miles) on the 1-mile oval in Avondale, Arizona.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 45. Stage 2 ends at Lap 90.
PURSE: $2,151,939
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 38 cars entered at Phoenix Raceway.
TV/RADIO: CW will broadcast the race starting at 6:30 p.m. ... Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage.
FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — Mostly sunny with a high of 89 degrees with light and variable winds and a 0% chance of rain. It’s expected to be 86 degrees with a 0% chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.
LAST TIME: Aric Alimorla nudged Alex Bowman aside on the final lap to win the March 8 race by 0.045 seconds in the Xfinity Series’ fourth consecutive overtime finish at Phoenix.
LAST YEAR: Riley Herbst went from third to first on the second overtime restart of the Nov. 9, 2024 race, taking the win from Justin Allgaier (whose second-place finish still was enough for his first Xfinity championship).
