Ryan Blaney’s runner-up finish in the Cup Series finale gave Ford a NASCAR championship weekend sweep as he claimed his first career series title on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.
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FORD PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS: Ford Sweeps NASCAR Championship Weekend
Nov 06, 2023
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Ryan Blaney gave Ford a championship sweep, claiming his first career NASCAR Cup Series title on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.
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|Ryan Blaney gave Ford a championship sweep, claiming his first career NASCAR Cup Series title on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.
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|His runner-up finish bested the other three Championship 4 contenders to give Ford its second consecutive Cup Series title. -
|It’s the second consecutive season Ford and Team Penske took home NASCAR’s top prize, with Blaney following Joey Logano’s 2022 title. -
|It also gave Ford a sweep of championships following titles won by Cole Custer and Ben Rhodes earlier in the weekend, marking the first time since 2001 that a single manufacturer claimed all three series championships. -
|Sunday also marked the final race in the illustrious career of driver Kevin Harvick, who added his 21st consecutive top-10 finish at Phoenix Raceway, coming home seventh. -
|Harvick, who led 23 laps early, was one of four Mustangs in the top 10 along with Blaney, Chris Buescher, the Stage 2 winner (seventh), and Michael McDowell (ninth). -
|After an overtime restart, Cole Custer deftly negotiated a tightly bunched pack of cars to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship race and the series title on Saturday at Phoenix Raceway. -
|He drove his No. 00 Mustang to the inside of Justin Allgaier’s Chevrolet as the three championship hopefuls raced side-by-side down the backstretch before Custer emerged with the lead. -
|A lap later, Custer completed the final circuit without incident and won by .601 seconds, his first win at Phoenix and the 13th victory of his career. -
|Custer, who finished second in Stage 1 and won Stage 2, led four times for a race-high 96 laps. -
|Riley Herbst ended his season on a strong note with a fourth-place run, marking his fifth straight finish of fourth or better. -
|The Xfinity series championship is Ford’s seventh all-time and second in the last four years. -
|Over the final 25 laps, Ben Rhodes made a pair of aggressive moves that proved to be the difference as he won Ford’s second straight NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship on Friday. -
|Rhodes gained five spots, going from ninth to fourth, on a restart with 25 laps to go, and then passed Grant Enfinger for the championship lead on the first overtime restart and never gave it up. -
|Rhodes survived four overtime restarts in all and finished fifth in the race, best among the title contenders. -
|Zane Smith was in position to win the race but missed a shift while leading on the second overtime restart and ended up getting spun by Rhodes from behind. He finished 25th. -
|Ty Majeski led a race-high 48 laps and won Stage 1, but got turned from behind in the third overtime restart and finished 14th. -
|Smith led 35 laps, giving Ford a combined total of 83 laps led in the 179-lap event. -
|The series championship is Ford’s third in the last five years and fourth all-time. -
|Donny Schatz earned his 44th top-10 finish during the season-ending World of Outlaws World Finals. -
|He won the Last Chance Showdown to advance to Thursday’s opening night of racing, improving 11 positions from 21st. -
|Zeb Wise somersaulted early on in Thursday’s first heat race, and he did not return for the remainder of the event after being evaluated and discharged from a nearby hospital. -
|Schatz earned the KSE Racing Hard Charger award with a 25th-to-13th-place drive during Friday Night’s race. -
|Schatz held steady in 13th for Saturday’s season finale, ultimately completing the 2023 season ranked sixth.
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