Freeway Insurance 500

Another long drive for the haulers this week, as they roll back out to the desert for the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, AZ. The haulers went from Kansas City to Las Vegas to Charlotte and now to Phoenix, so a lot of miles have been put on those drivers and those tires.

The Cup Championship Race was held here in Phoenix from 2020-25, but now it goes back to Homestead-Miami Speedway. Instead, this is the seventh race of 10 in the Cup Series Chase and the second stop of the season. Ryan Blaney won the race earlier this year.

How to Watch The Freeway Insurance 500

When: Saturday, October 18, 2026

Where: Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, AZ

Time: 3:00 p.m. ET

Channel: USA

2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Schedule

  • Cook Out Southern 500 (Darlington) – September 6
  • Enjoy Illinois 300 (World Wide Technology Raceway) – September 13
  • Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Bristol) – September 19
  • Hollywood Casino 400 (Kansas) – September 27
  • South Point 400 (Las Vegas) – October 4
  • Bank of America 400 (Charlotte) – October 11
  • Freeway Insurance 500 (Phoenix) – October 18
  • Yellawood 500 (Talladega) – October 25
  • Xfinity 500 (Martinsville) – November 1
  • Straight Talk Wireless 400 (Homestead-Miami) – November 8

2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Standings

All 16 drivers who qualified for the Cup Series Chase will be in the running to win the championship for the duration of the postseason. The point totals were reset based on a new format, ranging from 2,100 to 2,000 to start the Chase. 

  • Kyle Larson – 2367
  • Denny Hamlin – 2318
  • Christopher Bell – 2316
  • Chase Briscoe – 2302
  • Ryan Blaney – 2282
  • Joey Logano – 2275
  • Tyler Reddick – 2253
  • Austin Cindric – 2222
  • Ty Gibbs – 2211
  • Carson Hocevar – 2187
  • Bubba Wallace – 2182
  • Chase Elliott – 2182
  • William Byron – 2159
  • Daniel Suarez – 2152
  • Chris Buescher – 2151
  • Ryan Preece – 2140

Another week, another win for Briscoe, who has flown up the standings based on his last two victories. Two races ago, he also won Stage 1 and Stage 2. His second straight victory moved him a lot closer to Larson and Hamlin, who have been first or second in the Chase for a while. Through five playoff races, the winners are Bell, Larson (2), Logano, and Briscoe (2).

The race winners from the regular season were Reddick (5), Hamlin (4), Blaney (3), Chase Elliott (2), Shane van Gisbergen (2), Corey Heim (2), Gibbs (2), Logano (2), Suarez, Carson Hocevar, Briscoe, and Preece.

While Briscoe had the biggest week, Bell finally had another strong week, as he won Stage 2 and finished second overall. After winning the first playoff race at Darlington, Bell only had one other top-five playoff finish prior to last week. Even though he didn’t win, Larson led the most laps and had the fastest lap en route to finishing sixth.

Freeway Insurance 500 Winners

Seven different drivers have won over the last 10 starts at Phoenix. There are three drivers with two wins over the last 10, as Blaney picked up his second earlier this year. Bell and Logano are the other two. Blaney has actually been a monster here overall, finishing in the top five nine times over those 10 starts. Larson has seven top-five finishes over his last 10 starts and a win.

Blaney’s average finish in those 10 is 5.1, with Larson’s average finish second at 7.8. Hamlin is the only other driver averaging a single-digit finish in that span at 9.0. It seems like it could be a chalky race this week at Phoenix.

Freeway Insurance 500 Predictions

For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s simulation results and more stats on the drivers.

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