Chase Elliott is a NASCAR champion at 24 years old.
He won Sunday’s Championship 4 race at Phoenix over Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin. Keselowski came in second place but was far off Elliott’s runaway pace over the final 30 laps, finishing 2.74 seconds behind the breakout 24-year-old prodigy of Hendrick Motorsports.
Elliott was tagged with an inspection penalty that sent him to the back to start the race, but it took him less than a stage to vault into the top 10. He couldn't be caught from there.
Chase Elliot is your NASCAR Cup Series Champion! 🏁pic.twitter.com/dC5tM8U46p
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) November 8, 2020
Sporting News tracked live updates and lap-by-lap highlights from NASCAR's 2020 championship race at Phoenix. Follow below for complete results from the Season Finale 500.
Championship 4 finishing order
Pos. | Driver |
1 | Chase Elliott |
2 | Brad Keselowski |
3 | Joey Logano |
4 | Denny Hamlin |
NASCAR at Phoenix results, highlights from 2020 championship
6:03 p.m.: CHASE ELLIOTT IS THE 2020 NASCAR CHAMPION.
The torch has been passed. Respect.@ChaseElliott | @JimmieJohnson pic.twitter.com/ew1w3dzaA2
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) November 8, 2020
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. Congratulations @chaseelliott. pic.twitter.com/SoDDKWz4Mf
— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) November 8, 2020
The future is now for #NASCAR.
— Davey Segal (@DaveyCenter) November 8, 2020
24-year-old @chaseelliott wins the season finale in Phoenix and claims his first career Cup Series championship, 32 years following his father Bill's 1988 title campaign.
6:01 p.m.: Five laps remaining.
6:01 p.m.: Elliott's lead is 3.4 seconds and growing.
6 p.m.: Johnson is in fifth place in his last race.
5:59 p.m.: Keselowski moves up to second.
5:58 p.m.: 12 to go. Elliott is cruising.
5:56 p.m.: Elliott leads by three seconds. It's his race to lose.
5:54 p.m.: 20 laps remaining. Elliott is still up.
5:50 p.m.: 30 laps to go.
5:49 p.m.: Keselowski to third. He's been swapping with Hamlin for a while.
5:47 p.m.: This is a cool father-son stat. Elliott is the reigning most popular driver.
BIll Elliott (1988) is the last most popular driver to win the Cup Series title in the same season.
— Nick Bromberg (@NickBromberg) November 8, 2020
5:44 p.m.: Elliott passes Logano! 40 laps to go.
5:42 p.m.: Logano takes the lead after pitting.
5:40 p.m.: Keselowski has another horrid pit stop. Lost at least three seconds.
5:38 p.m.: Logano is unhappy with how his car feels and will pit first.
"I'm struggling," --Joey Logano
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) November 8, 2020
5:37 p.m.: With 57 laps left, top cars are considering pitting.
5:29 p.m.: Logano is within one second of Elliott for the lead.
5:24 p.m.: Keselowski scoots past Hamlin for third.
5:18 p.m.: Kevin Harvick had something to prove this afternoon, but so far he hasn't made his point. He's in eighth place after his elimination last weekend.
5:17 p.m.: 100 laps to go. Elliott-Logano-Hamlin-Keselowski at the front.
5:09 p.m.: Keselowski hasn't been helped by his crew today.
Second time today the No. 2 pit crew has lost @keselowski a handful of spots. From the lead to fifth under that caution. Ouch...
— Davey Segal (@DaveyCenter) November 8, 2020
"Long way to go, we'll get that back," he's told. "10-4, head down," Kez responds. 115 laps to go.
5:05 p.m.: Keselowski!
That was wild!
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 8, 2020
Take a look at how @keselowski got around @chaseelliott in the final corner to win the second stage! #Championship4 pic.twitter.com/4D42gb61cq
4:59 p.m.: Elliott is the leader.
.@chaseelliott takes the lead back!
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 8, 2020
The battle for the win and the championship is heating up late in Stage 2! pic.twitter.com/NekFiBJRmd
4:53 p.m.: We're nearing the end of Stage 2.
4:52 p.m.: Keselowski passes Elliott.
Here comes the 2️⃣! @keselowski powers past @chaseelliott to take over the lead! #Championship4 pic.twitter.com/gaixZCcJMh
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 8, 2020
4:50 p.m.: Elliott is back in the lead following the restart.
4:41 p.m.: Caution on Lap 161. First caution for a crash. This one was relatively minor, but still enough to bring out the yellow flag.
4:31 p.m.: In his final race, Johnson takes a momentary lead as others pit. That's cool to see.
4:29 p.m.: Mass green-flag pit stops are just ahead.
4:22 p.m.: Elliott takes the lead.
#di9 pic.twitter.com/IX4EN43LFY
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) November 8, 2020
NEW LEADER: @ChaseElliott!
— #NASCARPlayoffs on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 8, 2020
The @Hendrick9Team driver gets by Joey Logano for the race lead, and championship lead. #NASCAR #Championship
TV: @NBC
STREAM: https://t.co/wKDI0aNMYn pic.twitter.com/7xWku3X8Yv
4:21 p.m.: Elliott passes Hamlin. He's in second place now.
4:11 p.m.: Logano manages to shed the debris.
.@JoeyLogano gives you a lesson in aerodynamics and turbulence.
— #NASCARPlayoffs on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 8, 2020
Watch as he drives right behind a car to get debris off his grille. #NASCAR #Championship4 pic.twitter.com/1MSiNZqlTp
4:10 p.m.: Logano has some debris stuck to the front of his car. He still leads.
.@dennyhamlin is doing all he can, but @joeylogano continues to lead the race and the #Championship4 in Stage 2.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 8, 2020
📺: NBC | 🖥: https://t.co/BHXvTwJmNc pic.twitter.com/JQutjrY6Iw
4:02 p.m.: Update: Logano technically led every lap but one in Stage 1. He was momentarily behind during pit stops because of his stall position.
3:55 p.m.: Joey Logano holds the lead through Stage 1. He's led every lap.
.@JoeyLogano is seeking his second @NASCAR championship.
— #NASCARPlayoffs on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 8, 2020
He starts the title race with a Stage 1 win. #NASCAR #Championship4 pic.twitter.com/6Gz3iXMKUp
Stage 1 complete
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) November 8, 2020
1. Logano
2. Hamlin
3. Elliott
4. Keselowski
3:48 p.m.: 15 laps left in Stage 1. Remember, stage points don't matter in the championship.
3:40 p.m.: Elliott to fourth.
Now Elliott to P4. It's Logano-Hamlin-Bowman-Elliott-Keselowski on Lap 42.
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) November 8, 2020
3:39 p.m.: Elliott passes Keselowski to move into fifth place.
3:35 p.m.: Keselowski is slow off pit road following the first competition caution.
Race off pit road: Logano, Hamlin, Bowman, Rowdy, Bowyer, / Blaney, DiBenedetto, Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Elliott.
— Jacob Seelman (@JacobSeelman77) November 8, 2020
Kez lost six there.#NASCAR | #SeasonFinale500
3:30 p.m.: It's Logano-Keselowski-Hamlin at the front.
3:29 p.m.: No time wasted.
After starting at the rear of the field, @chaseelliott is already up to P11 during the opening stage.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 8, 2020
📺: NBC | 🖥: https://t.co/BHXvTwrLoC pic.twitter.com/NaZ9x6wY1D
3:23 p.m.: Now Elliott is inside the top 15. He's zooming after the pre-race penalty.
3:22 p.m.: Elliott is already up to 18th place after 12 laps.
3:20 p.m.: Logano has the early lead.
3:16 p.m.: Green flag! The Cup Series championship is underway.
3:06 p.m.: Engines are fired.
3:04 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson got some nice acknowledgment before his last NASCAR race. Read more about that here.
3:01 p.m.: Pre-race ceremonies are underway.
NASCAR race start time today
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 8
- Start time: 3 p.m. ET
- TV channel: NBC
- Live stream: NBC Sports Go | fuboTV (7-day free trial)
The NASCAR Cup Series championship race begins at Phoenix at 3 p.m. ET. That means it will be on at 1 p.m. local time. Despite the region's reputation for always being unbearably hot, the temperature should be in the 60s.
Most of NASCAR's recent playoff races have taken place around the same time, but several have been delayed or postponed because of inclement weather. There is not expected to be any rain for the title race.
The race is 312 laps spread over three stages. The distance of the race is 312 miles.
NASCAR starting lineup for championship race
Here is the complete starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race at Phoenix:
Pos. | Driver | Car | Team |
1 | Chase Elliott (P)*** | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
2 | Joey Logano (P) | 22 | Team Penske |
3 | Brad Keselowski (P) | 2 | Team Penske |
4 | Denny Hamlin (P) | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
5 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
6 | Alex Bowman | 88 | Hendrick Motorsports |
7 | Kurt Busch | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
8 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
9 | Clint Bowyer | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
10 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
11 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
12 | Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | Woods Brothers Racing |
13 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
14 | Erik Jones | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
15 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
16 | Matt Kenseth | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
17 | Christopher Bell | 95 | Leavine Family Racing |
18 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
19 | Ryan Newman | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
20 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
21 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
22 | Ty Dillon | 13 | Germain Racing |
23 | Bubba Wallace | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
24 | Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
25 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
26 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
27 | John Hunter Nemechek | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
28 | Corey LaJoie | 32 | Go Fas Racing |
29 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
30 | Daniel Suarez | 96 | Gaunt Brothers Racing |
31 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Racing |
32 | JJ Yeley | 27 | Rick Ware Racing |
33 | Timmy Hill | 66 | Motorsports Business Management |
34 | Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
35 | Brennan Poole | 15 | Premium Motorsports |
36 | James Davison | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
37 | Joey Gase | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
38 | Josh Bilicki | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
39 | Garrett Smithley | 7 | Tommy Baldwin Racing |
(P) Playoff driver.
***Elliott sent to the back for failed inspection.