This years heavy hitters will be featured in a 200 lap battle to decide the NASCAR Xfinity Championship, three out of the four drivers are starting in the top 10. While Justin Allgaier found the wall in Phoenix during practice which put him to start 37th today. He will have lots of ground to make up but with 10 top 5’s in 28 races at Phoenix, Allgaier fans shouldn’t be too worried here.

Today will be another quick read on a breakdown on all your Championship 4 drivers, their stats at Phoenix, and my pick for who i believe will win the championship.

21 – Austin Hill – Starts P5

Hill’s Phoenix Stats through 5 races

8.8 average finish, 0 wins, 1 top 5

Austin Hill 2024 stats

11.6 average finish, 4 wins, 11 top 5’s, 3 DNF’s

Austin Hill has the least experience here at Phoenix out of all of the 4 championship drivers so he said that he went back and watched all the in-car cameras of the championship 4 in last year’s race. He also watched a fair amount of Allgaier’s on boards since how good he is here.

Hill also said that when he watched Custer’s on board from his championship drive last year, he did a bit of shifting towards the end of the race. The made the 21 team change the transmission ratios, to allow Hill to run competitively in both the third and fourth gear. He noted that the team will take a long look at changing conditions today and see what he (Hill) needs to do in order to bring a championship home.

He hasn’t had the fastest car all season, but Hill isn’t afraid to bend a fender or two to win a race, he could potentially be a sneaky one to watch if a late caution we’re to transpire.

00 – Cole Custer – Starts P7

Custer’s Phoenix stats through 9 races

7.6 average finish, 1 win, 4 top 5’s

Cole Custer 2024 stats

10.5 average finish, 2 wins, 14 top 5’s, 4 DNF’s

Not only does Cole Custer come into Phoenix with a chance to defend his title, he has a chance to bring one last championship to Stewart-Haas, before the team officially close down their shops and not run 4 car teams anymore. Now their is probably a little bit more riding on this year’s chance but Custer is not one to turn down from adversity. He was demoted from the Cup team and then went on to win a Xfinity Championship, Custer has always ran extremely well here in Phoenix and will look to bring some of that 2023 magic into 2024.

Custer feels confident in his chances, stating that Phoenix has always been a good place for him to run, all he needs to do is just go out on track and execute his performance. Custer starts P7 here today, with a very strong chance to make it two in a row

16 – AJ Allmendinger – Starts P9

Allmendinger’s Phoenix stats through 7 races

10.6 average finish, 0 wins, 2 top 5’s

AJ Allmendinger’s 2024 stats

13.5 average finish, 1 win, 7 top 5’s, 3 DNF’s

AJ Allmendinger doesn’t have as much riding on this championship as the other three drivers as Allmendinger is getting a seat into Cup but he would absolutely love to bring a trophy to Kaulig Racing. Allmendinger said “If i win the championship on Saturday, it doesn’t really change my life”. But he said the joy of it comes from bringing trophies to Kaulig since they have done so much together.

Allmendinger doesn’t have the best track record here at Phoenix, as he does have some bad luck here in Phoenix. Which didn’t help the team in the setup process he said. But starting P9 today, i think Allmendinger has the potential to surprise a lot of fans today and contend for the championship today, and with absolutely nothing to lose. The question emerges on if he will be aggressive and willing to move someone to gain a position. Time will only tell.

7 Justin Allgaier – Starts P37

Allgaier’s Phoenix stats through 28 races

10.0 average finish, 2 wins, 10 top 5’s

Justin Allgaier’s 2024 stats

13.9 average finish, 2 wins, 9 top 5’s, 6 DNF’s

The bad luck of 2024 Phoenix continued here in practice for Justin Allgaier, following a on-track issue that laid oil out on the track. Allgaier caught that oil and wound up in the wall. This is following a left-rear tire that went down in the spring race which threw his chances for the win out the window. Allgaier will have his work cut out for him as he will be starting this race at the back of the field.

But he does have the most experience there at this track, and with a average finish of 10th in 28 races, and 10 top 5’s. Allgaier has the potential to have a huge comeback and win this championship as in this format, you don’t have to win the race but rather finish ahead of the other three championship drivers.

With Allgaier’s experience in the Xfinity Series, at Phoenix, his potential to end all the talks from everyone that have emerged this season. Justin Allgaier is Bear Sports News pick for the 2024 Xfinity Championship this season. Now he will need to put the pedal to the floor so he doesn’t go down a lap early, as the truck guys we’re able to catch up to lapped traffic, pretty quick last night. Allgaier will finally break his championship curse today.