The emotions are flowing quite heavily in Avondale, Arizona, on this particular Saturday, as the NASCAR Xfinity Series has just wrapped up its season finale and officially crowned a new champion.
There are equal parts elation, devastation, indifference, and maybe a touch more anger within the bounds of this one-mile oval known as Phoenix Raceway, after a packed house watched Jesse Love pilot the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet to the victory, and thus, the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship.
“I just feel so clean, relieved. It’s been a tough year for me. Man, I’ve just put so much work into it. People like my dad [Duke] and Scott Speed, my whole No. 2 team, have worked just as hard for my dream as I have for my own,” Love said post-race.
Love made what many will classify as a career-defining pass with just 25 laps remaining in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race, and did so on one of his best friends, Connor Zilisch, putting himself in the catbird seat to hoist the elusive championship trophy.
“He’s my best friend in the whole world, but not when we’re racing each other,” Love said about his friendship with Zilisch. “We race each other hard, but fair. Yeah, I had to take it through. I knew he was going to put it on my door. I knew I had to throttle up and just get my nose ahead. He was running a really good race, my car was just better tonight and allowed me to roll off the center and get off the corner better.”
The 42-lap green-flag run to the checkered flag of Saturday’s event is the longest in a NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway, and the longest in the series since 2019 (at Homestead-Miami Speedway).
RACE RESULTS: 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix
Connor Zilisch, who slipped to third in the final laps of Saturday’s 200-lap contest, will not only finish second-place to Love in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Driver Standings, but also comes up one spot short of collecting JR Motorsports the NASCAR Xfinity Series Owner’s Championship.
“I came into the weekend, I told my entire team we have to give it our 100% this week. As long as we walk out of this place knowing we did that, I’ll be proud of us,” Zilisch said post-race. “We did that today, and we fought all day long, threw everything we had at it. Unfortunately, our WeatherTech Chevrolet, we just didn’t have what we needed.”
In the final laps of Saturday’s event, Zilisch got passed by Aric Almirola for second-place, putting the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra in the prime position for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Owner’s Championship.
Aric Almirola, Justin Bonsignore, Riley Herbst, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, and Jack Perkins all took turns behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra in 2025.
After winning the pole, Brandon Jones hung around the top five all afternoon for a top-five result, finishing fourth. Justin Allgaier rounded out the top five, finishing third in NASCAR Xfinity Series standings.
Sammy Smith was sixth, with Taylor Gray seventh, Sheldon Creed eighth, Austin Hill ninth, and Justin Bonsignore, subbing for William Sawalich, rounded out the top-10 in 10th.
Carson Kvapil was the lowest finishing of the four Championship 4 contenders, finishing 13th. The NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie was unable to claim either a championship or Rookie of the Year honors, getting beaten out by Connor Zilisch.
With the checkered flag dropping at Phoenix Raceway, the NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign has finished, and Xfinity Mobile will no longer serve as the title sponsor of the second-tier series.
Starting next year, with the February 14, 2026, season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, the series will henceforth be known as the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
