Larson carries 49-point Chase lead into Phoenix as NASCAR title race tightens

With Formula 1 idle until the United States Grand Prix on Oct. 23-25, the spotlight in motorsport turns to the desert, where NASCAR's Cup Series runs the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday afternoon.

The green flag is set for 3:05 p.m. Eastern, according to Jayski. The race is the seventh of 10 in the Chase, NASCAR's championship format for the top 16 drivers in points.

Larson out front

Kyle Larson leads the standings by 49 points over Denny Hamlin, with Christopher Bell two points further back, according to NASCAR's weekly Chase report. Larson stretched his advantage by nine points last weekend at Charlotte.

The hottest driver is Chase Briscoe. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won at Charlotte by 0.029 seconds over Bell, NASCAR reported, his second victory in a row, and climbed to fourth, 65 points behind Larson.

Chase standings

Standings after Charlotte, per NASCAR.

After Phoenix, the Chase moves to Talladega and Martinsville before the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. As Jayski noted this week, the surest way for drivers behind Larson to make up ground is to win, since victories carry a significant points haul.