What’s Happening?

The most crucial regular-season race is here, as the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series head to Phoenix Raceway. This race serves as a preview for the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series Championship races this fall, but the introduction of a new tire brings a new factor into this already crucial race.

• Phoenix Raceway is the host track for NASCAR’s Championship race in November. However, the track also hosts a spring race date. This race is important for teams to make plans and master setups for that final race day this fall.
• The NASCAR Cup Series first raced at Phoenix Raceway in 1988. The Xfinity Series, however, did not race at the track until 1999. However, it scored a double date with the Cup Series in 2005.
• This weekend, Goodyear is debuting its option tire at Richmond for the first time. Hopefully, this tire will produce more falls and introduce a crucial strategy to the race.

NASCAR’s Option Tires Could Determine the 2025 Champion

NASCAR’s Option Tires Could Determine the 2025 Champion

What’s Happening? This week, NASCAR announced that Goodyear’s “Option” tire will return in 2025. The tire’s first race will be a…

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Weekend TV Schedule (All Times ET)

Saturday, March 8: Xfinity Practice and Qualifying – Cup Practice and Qualifying – XFINITY SERIES RACE

• 11:35 AM — 12:30 PM — Xfinity Series Practice on the CW App
• 1:30 PM — 2:00 PM — Xfinity Series Qualifying on the CW App
• 2:05 PM — 2:50 PM — Cup Series Practice on Amazon Prime Video
• 3:10 PM — 4:00 PM — Cup Series Qualifying on Amazon Prime Video
• 5:00 PM — Xfinity Series GOVX 200 on the CW [TV] & MRN [Radio]

Sunday, March 9: CUP SERIES RACE

• 2:30 PM – SHRINERS CHILDREN’S 500 on FS1 [TV] & MRN [Radio]

2025 Guide to Watching the NASCAR Xfinity Series on the CW: Practice, Qualifying, Races, and In-Car Cameras

2025 Guide to Watching the NASCAR Xfinity Series on the CW: Practice, Qualifying, Races, and In-Car Cameras

What’s Happening? The NASCAR Xfinity Series will be exclusively on the CW in 2025. This deal brings the Xfinity Series to…

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Race Facts

Track Facts: Phoenix Raceway

• Year Opened: 1964
• Length: 1 mile
• Banking: Turns 1 & 2: 8-9 Degrees – Turns 3 & 4: 11 Degrees
• Surface: Asphalt
• Rain Tires: Yes
• Lights: Yes

GOVX 200 on the CW:

• Race Length: 200 Laps (200 Miles)
• Stages: 45 Lap Stage 1, 45 Lap Stage 2, 110 Lap Final Stage
• Most-Recent Race Winner: Chandler Smith

Shriners Children’s 500 on FS1:

• Race Length: 312 Laps (312 Miles)
• Stages: 60 Lap Stage 1, 125 Lap Stage 2, 127 Lap Final Stage

2024 Shriners Children’s 500 Results:

• First: Christopher Bell – No. 20
• Second: Chris Buescher – No. 17
• Third: Ty Gibbs – No. 54
• Fourth: Brad Keselowski – No. 6
• Fifth: Ryan Blaney – No. 12

Top Storylines of the Weekend

• This weekend will be the first “real race” of the season, a slang term used by some fans to describe races that do not involve superspeedway or road course aces. That being said, Christopher Bell has a chance to go three for four to start the season, something that has not been done since Kyle Larson did so in 2021. Bell won last spring’s race at Phoenix; perhaps a repeat is in store.
• This race also serves as a testing ground for teams to find out what works best at Phoenix for the championship race. However, since the championship race moved from Miami to Phoenix in 2020, no driver has won both races. Furthermore, the last two spring race winners, Bell and William Byron, have both made deep playoff runs in those seasons.
• But, in an attempt to shake things up even more, NASCAR is bringing an option tire to Phoenix this weekend. These soft tires are similar to those used at Richmond last season. Teams will have six “primary” tire sets to use during the race alongside two sets of “option” tires. Most expect this to be a test for NASCAR to introduce the tire as the only tire for the championship race this fall.

Entry Lists

Cup Series

Notable Entries:

• No. 78 – Katherine Legge

Xfinity Series

Notable Entries:

• No. 17 – Alex Bowman
• No. 19 – Aric Almirola
• No. 45 – Brad Perez
• No. 70 – Thomas Annunziata

Note: This article will be updated as more information about the weekend comes out.