With the championship leader crashing into the wall, his closest pursuer suffering a tire failure, and some of the biggest point scorers of the day sitting 5th-7th in the standings, the title fight only got tighter at Phoenix Raceway.
Tyler Reddick's first NASCAR Cup win in six months put him just 56pts out of the championship lead, even though he is still seventh in the standings. Entering Phoenix, there were 49 points between first and second alone.
This race ended up being pivotal in the direction of the championship, and there were plenty of winners but also losers at Phoenix:
WINNER: Tyler Reddick as he finally returns to Victory Lane
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing
Photo by: Chris Graythen / Getty Images
Reddick gained a stunning 58 points on the championship leader in Sunday's NASCAR Cup race, earning his sixth win of the year but his first in six months at Phoenix. He pulled it off with a two-tire call during the final caution, and then a daring four-wide pass up the middle on the restart. He passed Chase Briscoe soon after, who had no answer as he was on older tires. Reddick was just about as excited as ever after the race, even climbing the fence as 23XI punches their way back up into title contention.
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Tyler Reddick wins Phoenix NASCAR Cup thriller as Kyle Larson crashesLOSER: Kyle Larson after a rough weekend
Phoenix was never going to be a good day for the championship leader. Larson struggled in practice, qualified 22nd, and made little progress at the start of the race. Even with adjustments, it seemed like the best they could hope for was 15th-20th with no stage points. It was a massive drop after six consecutive Chase races with finishes of sixth or better, but late in the race, a tire failure made things exponentially worse. Larson slammed the wall and fell out of the race with a DNF, scoring just three points. He still has the points lead, but barely. And now NASCAR heads to a superspeedway where Larson has never won before.
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Kyle Larson reacts as points lead completely vanishes in costly Phoenix wreck
NASCAR is getting the championship finish it has pursued since 1992WINNER: Team Penske re-enters the title fight
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Joey Logano, Team Penske
Photo by: Chris Graythen - Getty Images
Entering Phoenix, all eyes were on Team Penske to see if they could continue their dominance of the Arizona track and rejoin the fray at the top of the standings. They didn't win, but they certainly made a lot of headway. Ryan Blaney finished second and teammate Joey Logano finished sixth while also sweeping both stages. That effort helped Blaney to gain 45 points on the lead to be -40 behind, and Logano gained 48 points to be -44 behind. They are certainly back in contention, and there are more strong tracks to come for the team that has won three of the last four Cup Series titles.
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Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Phoenix IILOSER: Denny Hamlin and another race of what could have been
The good news for Hamlin is that he gained 18 points on Larson. The bad news is that he dropped two positions in the standings, and once again left a lot of points on the table. He was running inside the top five when a tire went down on the No. 11 and he was forced to pit under green, compounding his problems by speeding. That unforced error trapped him a lap down for the rest of the race and he finished 28th. It's been the story of Hamlin's Chase, with potential for great days only to walk away disappointed again and again.
WINNER: Corey Heim drives from 36th to 5th
Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota
Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
What more can be said about this driver? As a part-timer, he already won two races in San Diego and Indianapolis, but he just continues to impress. Seeing Phoenix for the very first time, he started 36th and was absent for most of the race. And yet, he worked his way through the field to finish inside the top five, placing fifth on Sunday. I'm sure the competition isn't excited to have Heim full-time on the grid in 2027.
LOSER: Bubba Wallace as another win slips away
Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Another missed opportunity for the No. 23 team. Daytona, Atlanta, Loudon, Las Vegas, and now Phoenix are just some of races they could have won this year. Instead, he faces a winless streak that dates back to the summer of 2025. At Phoenix, Wallace held the lead for the final round of pit stops under caution, but fell back to ninth as he took four fresh tires. Race winner and teammate Tyler Reddick opted for two, but that decision isn't what ended Wallace's hopes for a win. He actually sped in the pits, sending him to the rear of the field for the final 19-lap run. He was clearly dejected afterwards, and while 23XI has eight wins this year, Wallace is still without a 2026 trip to Victory Lane.
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Bubba Wallace laments mistake after heartbreaking Phoenix loss WINNER: Front Row Motorsports for a triple top 15
While there were some post-race shenanigans between Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, this was still a great day for FRM. Noah Gragson finished 13th, Todd Gilliland 14th, and Smith 15th. It is the organization's second-ever triple top 15! The only other race team to achieve that at Phoenix was Joe Gibbs Racing, so that's some pretty good company for a little team looking to end the year on a high note.
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Official race results: 2026 NASCAR Cup Phoenix IILOSER: Riley Herbst and Michael McDowell for awkward clash
This was unfortunate. Early in the race, McDowell and Herbst ran into each other on the backstretch. Moments later, Herbst ran into the back of McDowell in what appeared to be payback. McDowell spun into the wall, but Herbst broke the No. 1 rule of stock car racing -- don't wreck yourself when wrecking others. He was collected in the mess, and ruined his own day as well.
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Zane Smith furious as he slams into Carson Hocevar after NASCAR Cup raceWINNER: Chase Elliott hangs on for P3 despite tire disadvantage
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing
Photo by: Chris Graythen - Getty Images
Three drivers stayed out at the end of Sunday's Cup race, but only one managed to stand their ground. Elliott impressively held on for a third-place finish, and it was pretty much the only thing Hendrick had to smile about at Phoenix. William Byron finished 21st, Alex Bowman 29th, and Larson wrecked. Shockingly, this is Elliott's best finish since winning Texas at the beginning of May! It also helped Elliott to jump two positions in the standings up to tenth.
LOSER: Chase Briscoe as late-race gamble doesn't work out
Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing
Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
On the other end of the decision to stay out was Briscoe. He was running fifth at the time of the final caution after running long during the previous green-flag cycle, but inherited the lead when they chose to stay out. However, his hopes of three consecutive wins faded fast as he was shuffled back through the pack. He barely held onto a top ten with cars all around him at the checkered flag, finishing eighth. Looking back, he was running second to Wallace when they decided to push the green-flag run long, and they never got to enjoy the benefits of that strategy either with a caution soon after. It was still a net positive day though, as he leaves Phoenix third in the standings, 24 points out of the lead.
BONUS WINNER: Toyota clinches manufacturer title
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing
Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
With 18 wins in 33 races, and four drivers still in title contention, it's no surprise that Toyota wrapped up the manufacturer's championship with three races to spare. This is Toyota's fourth manufacturer's title and first since the 2019 season. They also haven't won a driver's title since 2019, but maybe that will change in three short weeks...
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