CONCORD, N.C. - For the first time in 2025, the NASCAR Cup Series will head to Phoenix Raceway.
All four Hendrick Motorsports teams hope that they're still championship eligible the next time around.
The 1-mile, dog-legged oval serves as the venue for the Cup Series finale on Nov. 2 where a champion will be crowned. This weekend gives teams a tune-up of sorts, allowing crew chiefs and drivers to gage where they are on a track that will ultimately decide who emerges on top in 2025.
"And we’re all aware of that," Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 team said. "I feel like we have some good direction and I’m excited. Anytime you have some direction it’s exciting to have that path. I feel like we have some good direction and have had a good three or four days of preparation for it, so I’m excited to go let it rip."
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Gustafson won a championship with his driver, Chase Elliott at Phoenix in 2020. Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, also has a win and a championship at Phoenix as well, coming the following year in 2021.
William Byron also has a win at Phoenix while Alex Bowman, who will pilot a brand-new Ally Best Friends paint scheme on his No. 48 Chevrolet this weekend, considers this a home race as a Tucson, Arizona, native.
Byron too will run a scheme for this first time in 2025, sporting his Z by HP livery. Here's a look at how all four Hendrick Motorsports cars will look in the desert:
See Larson's No. 5 HendrickCars.com paint scheme
Check out Elliott's No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
Look at Byron's No. 24 Z by HP Chevrolet colors
Bowman's 2025 No. 48 Ally Best Friends livery
