Honestly, the 2023 season finale at Phoenix Raceway was a weird one. For nearly a decade, we all just assumed that if you wanted to hoist the Bill France Cup, you had to win the actual race. That was the unwritten rule of the "winner-take-all" era. Then came Ross Chastain.
The "Melon Man" didn't care about the script. By the time the dust settled on November 5, 2023, we had a champion who finished second and a race winner who wasn't even in the title hunt. It was the first time since this elimination format started in 2014 that the champion didn't also take the checkered flag.
The Day the Streak Ended
Ross Chastain drove like a man possessed. He led 157 laps—basically half the race—and stuck his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet at the front of the field when most drivers would have played it "safe" around the Championship 4.
Chastain eventually beat Ryan Blaney to the line by 1.230 seconds. But while Chastain was busy smashing a watermelon on the start-finish line, the real party was happening in the No. 12 pit stall. Ryan Blaney had just survived a mental and physical grind to become the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
Breaking Down the NASCAR Phoenix Results 2023: The Season Finale
When you look at the box score for that November afternoon, it doesn't tell the whole story of the tension on the track. Blaney didn't have the easiest path. He started 15th, while his main rival William Byron was sitting pretty on the pole.
Here is how the top of the leaderboard shook out in the desert:
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- Ross Chastain (Winner - Non-Championship 4)
- Ryan Blaney (2nd - CHAMPION)
- Kyle Larson (3rd)
- William Byron (4th)
- Chris Buescher (5th)
- Martin Truex Jr. (6th)
- Kevin Harvick (7th)
That seventh-place finish for Kevin Harvick? That was his 826th and final Cup start. It was a "Happy Trails" moment for a legend, and he even led 23 laps early on, giving fans one last glimpse of the "Closer" in his prime.
Christopher Bell’s Heartbreak
You can't talk about the nascar phoenix results 2023 without mentioning the guy who didn't finish. Christopher Bell was arguably the dark horse many expected to steal the title. However, on lap 108, his right-front brake rotor literally exploded.
The impact into the Turn 3 wall was violent. Just like that, the Championship 4 was down to a Championship 3. Bell ended up 36th, a brutal way to end a stellar season.
The Spring Race: When William Byron Ruled
A lot of people forget that NASCAR visits Phoenix twice. Before the high-stakes November showdown, we had the United Rentals Work United 500 on March 12, 2023.
The spring nascar phoenix results 2023 were a masterclass in pit strategy. Kevin Harvick was actually dominating that race—he had a five-second lead with only 10 laps to go. Then, a late caution for Harrison Burton’s spin changed everything.
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- William Byron took two tires.
- Kyle Larson took two tires.
- Harvick took four tires and got buried in traffic.
Byron surged ahead in overtime to grab his second win in a row. It’s funny looking back; Byron won the first race at Phoenix in 2023, and Ryan Blaney won the title in the second, yet neither actually won the season finale.
Why Blaney's Run Was Different
Blaney’s championship wasn’t about dominance; it was about peaking at the exact right moment. He won at Martinsville the week before to even get into the final four. At Phoenix, he had to race against Kyle Larson—a guy who knows how to close deals.
The battle between the No. 12 and the No. 5 in the closing laps was intense. Blaney got past Larson on lap 292 and never looked back. Even though he couldn't catch Chastain, he didn't need to. He just needed to keep that gap over Larson and Byron.
Key Stats from the Championship Race:
- Lead Changes: 18 among 8 different drivers.
- Cautions: Only 4 for 27 laps (unusually clean for a finale).
- Average Speed: 108.827 mph.
- Margin of Victory: 1.230 seconds (Chastain over Blaney).
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you're looking back at these results to understand the current state of NASCAR, there are a few things you should take away.
Watch the "Spoiler" Effect
Chastain’s win proved that the "gentleman's agreement" to let the title contenders race among themselves is dead. If a driver has a fast car, they are going for the trophy, regardless of the playoff points. This has fundamentally changed how drivers approach the finale.
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Track Position is King
In both the spring and fall races at Phoenix in 2023, the winner was determined by short-run speed and pit road execution. If you’re betting or playing fantasy NASCAR in the future, look for teams that prioritize "clean air" strategy over long-run tire wear.
Ford's Dominance in the Desert
Despite Chevrolet winning both individual races (Byron and Chastain), Ford walked away with the big trophy. Team Penske has now figured out a "Phoenix code" that makes them dangerous every time they unload in Arizona.
For anyone digging through the nascar phoenix results 2023, remember that this was the year the "must-win" myth died. It was the year Ryan Blaney finally stepped out of the shadows of his teammates and proved that consistency in the Round of 8 is the true key to a NASCAR title.
To get a better handle on how this affected the following season, you should compare these 2023 lap times with the 2024 spring aero package changes. The data shows a significant shift in how the cars handle the "dogleg" on restarts, which was a direct result of the feedback from the 2023 finale.