Cup Series Recap: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship (Phoenix Raceway)
Ross Chastain clinched victory with a strong performance, leading most of the final laps. Ryan Blaney showed significant improvement, finishing second, while Kyle Larson secured third. William Byron ended fourth despite starting on pole.
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What follows is an AI-generated commentary based on the race results and statistics. I find it useful to glance at. You can view more statistics at the Lap Raptor race page for this race. For more data, head over there.
Ross Chastain scored a first-place finish after starting eighth, having a strong average running position (ARP) of 2.44. His net gain rating (GR-LR) was notable at 4.44. Chastain led the most laps, maintaining the lead from Lap 117 predominantly until the end, securing a wild finish. Ryan Blaney showed a significant improvement from 15th to second place, with a 2.16 ARP and an impressive net gain rating of 5.41. Kyle Larson, who started fourth, finished third with an ARP of 4.94 and a net gain rating of 1.72.
William Byron could only manage to finish fourth despite starting from the pole. He led the race for a total of 138 laps but his ARP of 3.38 and net gain rating of 1.42 weren’t enough for a podium finish. Kevin Harvick, who initially held the third spot, ended seventh with a strong ARP of 4.13, indicating a consistent performance. There was a bonanza of changes in the lead position, especially during the second half when Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, and others briefly took control.
Christopher Bell’s race was spoiled by a late-race incident, resulting in a 36th place finish despite a notably high ARP of 9.03. Several drivers beat expectations under the damaged vehicle policy, including Michael McDowell who finished ninth improving from his 19th start, with an ARP of 17.04. Erik Jones, despite starting seventh and showing promise, ended 20th with an ARP of 10.73, a result likely hampered by a late caution affecting his race outcome.