By John Schutt
NASCAR Cup Series, Championship Race, Phoenix Raceway, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunday, Nov. 2.
Ryan Blaney won the race, followed by Brad Keselowski, but it was Kyle Larson, in third place, who won the Championship. Following in fourth place was Joe Logano, and Kyle Busch in fifth.
Pole was set by Denny Hamlin. Denny Hamlin led 80% of Stage 1, but William Byron took the win for Stage 1.
Early in Stage 2, John Hunter Nemecheck spun out and blocked the track which brought out a caution. Later Shane Van Gisbergen spun out and Chase Briscoe lost a tire. Ty Dillon hit the wall in the last two laps of the stage. Denny Hamlin won Stage 2.
Stage 3 with 32 laps to go, in pit action Hamlin got four new tires and restarted in eighth place. William Byron had a tire blowout with three laps to go, to allow Ryan Blaney to win Stage 3.
NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity 500, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va., Sunday, Oct. 26.
William Byron won the pole, stage 1 and the overall race. Following in second place Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott in third, Ross Chastain in fourth, and Larson in fifth.
During Stage 2, the Briscoe team couldn’t get a tire off during a pit stop, which cost them one lap.
Cole Custer spun out with 41 laps to go.
Cody Ware lost a wheel and spun out with 17 laps to go in Stage 2.
Is Stage 3, Blaney and Hamlin were in the lead. Josh Barry spun out after contact with Keselowski.
Briscoe’s car went to the garage for his fourth DNF of this season. Hamlin was also out with a DNF due to an engine problem.
With 41 laps to go, Byron passed Ryan Blaney after Blaney had led more than 100 laps.
At the end of Stage 3, Carson Hocevar spun out in a 14-car accident.
Byron crossed the checkered flag for the win.
NASCAR Cup Series, YellaWood 500, Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala., Sunday, Oct. 19.
Pole was won by Michael McDowell ahead of Chris Briscoe. But Briscoe won the race, followed byTodd Gilland in second, Gibbs in third, Bubba Wallace in fourth, Ross Chastain in fifth.
Twenty laps in, Josh Berry was in the lead ahead of Kyle Busch.
Ty Gibbs won Stage 1 ahead of Tyler Reddick.
Stage 2 Van Ginsbergen spun out.
Chase Briscoe won Stage 2 ahead of Kyle Larson.
Stage 3, with 50 laps to go, Logano was in the lead with three other Fords in the front five.
Todd Gilland crashed with four laps to go.
Chase Briscoe won the race.
NASCAR Cup Series, South Point 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nev., Sunday, Oct. 12.
Hamlin won the pole and the race followed by Kyle Larson in second place, Chris Bell in third, Briscoe in fourth, and Tyler Reddick in fifth.
Hamlin won the pole with Briscoe on the outside pole.
William Byron was in the lead with 22 laps to go in Stage 1.
Blaney crashed with nine laps to go, and was out of the race.
Byron had a tire blow out and ran into the wall. Which ended Stage 1.
Stage 2, Elliott lost a tire during a pit stop. Wallace got penalized for speeding on pit road.
Larson was in the lead ahead of Reddick with 25 laps to go in Stage 2.
Larson won Stage 2.
William Byron collided with Ty Dillon when Ty was slowing for the pits. Nemecheck was also knocked into the pits in the same incident.
Ty Gibbs, Allmendinger, and Bell were in a wreck with 25 laps to go. A total of 11 cars were involved.
Hamlin avoided the carnage and won the race.
NASCAR Cup Series, Bank Of America Roval 400, Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Concord, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 5.
Pole position winner, Stage 1 winner, and overall winner was Van Gisbergen. Following in second place was Kyle Larson, Bell in third, Buescher in fourth, and Michael McDowell in firth place.
First Stage Van Gisbergen led 17 laps ahead of Larson.
Allmendinger led the first part of Stage 2, and Larson led some of the stage due to a good pit stop.
Keselowski had to retire his car because of loss of power.
Blaney won Stage 2 ahead of Reddick.
Van Gisbergen crossed the finish line to win the race. Allmendinger and Ross Chastain, each crossed the finish line in reverse, due to colliding.
NASCAR News: Next season the Xfinity Series will be renamed to reflect its new sponsor: O’Reilly Auto Parts.