AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) – In the end, it was a win for NASCAR. Was it “The Best Season Ever,” as promised by broadcast partner Fox? No. But NASCAR should pop the champagne – everyone else did.
Its newest Cup Series champion put together one of the best seasons in NASCAR history and capped it with a proper party at Phoenix Raceway, which finally got to fully showcase its $178 million renovation.
The pandemic limited attendance to just over 8,000 at Phoenix a year ago, when the track hosted its first championship weekend. On Sunday, the sold-out track in the desert had 10 times that number spread through the stands, the infield and the tents lining Rattlesnake Hill.
Kyle Larson capped his comeback from a seven-month NASCAR suspension for using a racial slur with a title-clinching win – his 10th this season, the most since Jimmie Johnson in 2007.
The crowd egged on his wife, Katelyn, as she shot-gunned beers on the championship stage. Larson snagged a Captain Morgan cocktail at “The Barn,” the at-track party-space dreamed up by Jeff Gordon as a spot where winners can share a post-race toast with fans.