Starting order, pole for 2023 NASCAR championship race after qualifying
Chariots of fire.
For four of NASCAR’s finest, Sunday’s race at Phoenix Motor Speedway could prove life-changing.
LIVE: Updates, highlights from NASCAR championship race at Phoenix
The Cup Series Championship, hosted on the sun-scorched asphalt of “The Desert Oddball”, offers a few gifted racers the opportunity to secure their place in the annals of NASCAR history.
It tends to be an exciting affair, namely because it truly is winner-take-all. Stage points don’t matter. Neither do moral victories. Whichever playoff driver finishes highest takes the Cup Series crown. Every one else? Competing for second-best.
Between Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Kyle Larson, this year’s championship field contains the winners of 15 different races. Sweet No. 16 could prove to be the most valuable one yet. And it all starts on Saturday with qualifying results.
MORE: Watch NASCAR at Phoenix live with Fubo (free trial)
With that, here’s what you need to know about the pole and starting lineup for this year’s season finale, the Cup Series Championship.
William Byron took the pole for Sunday’s race, blazing past the rest of the field with the fastest lap time in qualifying. He outpaced Martin Truex Jr., who will join him in the front row. It’s the 12th career pole and fourth of the season for Byron.
Leading the field for Sunday night’s race are William Byron and Martin Truex Jr. Below is the rest of the starting lineup for the race:
(P) = Playoff driver
