2025 NASCAR Cup Championship 4 Playoff Grid Revealed

NASCAR’s Championship 4 is set for Phoenix after Martinsville decided the field. Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, and Kyle Larson will contest the 2025 Cup title.

Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing split the lineup two-two. Under the current format, the highest finisher at Phoenix claims the championship, regardless of season points.

Hamlin and Briscoe secured berths with wins at Las Vegas and Talladega. Byron’s Martinsville victory proved decisive, while Larson advanced on points as Christopher Bell fell seven short.

Team Penske’s run of three straight titles ends. Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano miss the cut, and Chase Elliott’s third place at Martinsville wasn’t enough without the win.

Hamlin enters a sixth Championship 4, still chasing a first Cup crown. The No. 11 Toyota driver owns six wins this season and two previous Phoenix victories.

Experience and execution often decide Phoenix. Hamlin’s race management, pit discipline, and restart craft keep him a persistent benchmark on pressure weekends.

Briscoe reaches his first Championship 4 in his debut JGR season. He leads the series with seven poles, owns three wins, and triumphed at Phoenix in 2022.

Although least experienced in this quartet, Briscoe couples qualifying speed with stable long-run pace. Clean track position could convert into sustained control if cautions cooperate.

Byron secures a third consecutive Championship 4 for Hendrick’s No. 24. He has two wins, strong top-10 volume, and an average finish of 14.4 this season.

Martinsville underlined his composure. Byron led 304 of 500 laps, shutting the door on Bell and setting Hendrick’s two-pronged Phoenix challenge alongside Larson.

Larson, the 2021 champion, rounds out the contenders for Hendrick’s No. 5. He holds three wins and 20 top-tens, despite a winless run stretching back to May.

He won at Phoenix to clinch the 2021 title. That history, plus consistent execution, sustains his threat even without recent victories.

Strategically, Phoenix rewards track position, mistake-free stops, and restart sharpness. With two Hendrick and two JGR cars, team depth and pit crews may tilt marginal gains.

The format often produces a race-winning champion. Expect an aggressive, caution-sensitive finale, where adaptability across run lengths decides NASCAR’s 2025 Cup crown.

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John Martinez

John Martinez delivers real-time NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series news, from live race updates to pit-lane strategy analysis. A graduate of the University of Northwestern Ohio’s Motorsports Technology program, he breaks down rule changes, driver tactics, and championship points with crystal-clear reporting.