In modern NASCAR, champions aren’t crowned until the last lap of the last race of the season. Four drivers (from three super teams) arrive at the season finale with one last chance at the title — and the highest finisher wins it all. This weekend, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, and William Byron will battle to see who comes out a champion. And they’ll go to battle at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.

Phoenix is arguably the most important track in NASCAR, if only because it’s where the champion’s been crowned since 2020. The 1.0-mile asphalt oval isn’t without its quirks and specific strategies, either. That’s why I called up the winningest Cup Series driver ever at Phoenix, Kevin Harvick, who racked up nine wins across 21 years.

So, how do you win Phoenix and the NASCAR Cup Series championship, in Harvick’s mind?

“Well, that’s a loaded question,” he said.

Harvick may have recently retired from full-time driving to become a commentator on races for FOX Sports (and host a podcast host with the network “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour“), but the retired champion kindly explained, in champion-level detail, exactly what it takes to leave with the trophy.

A quick Kevin Harvick history lesson on Phoenix Raceway

Phoenix Raceway

Photo by: David Rosenblum / NKP / Motorsport Images

NASCAR hosted its season finale at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway oval in Florida before the grand finale moved to Phoenix in 2020. NASCAR has said it likely won’t stay there forever, but hasn’t shared any concrete plans about what’s next.

Phoenix is a “huge part” of Harvick’s career — from the old days to the modern ones, after the Cup Series introduced its new “NextGen” race car and essentially flipped the track layout.

“I grew up on the West Coast, and Phoenix was kind of our Super Bowl for the touring divisions throughout the years,” Harvick said. “But that Phoenix is not the same Phoenix we see today. [The track] was very uniquely redesigned to have a stadium feel to it.

“The start-finish line used to be on what is now the back straightaway. The front straightaway was redesigned so fans could see it from the infield. You’re really in position to see great finishes, which we have seen. And what is now the front straightaway was banked so you could elevate and see the cars from other places on the racetrack.”

Harvick categorizes Phoenix in three ways: short, flat, and “known for its restarts.” There’s asphalt from the outside wall to pit-road exit, leading cars to fan out six-wide on restarts. Phoenix also isn’t a standard oval. It has four turns and a front-straightaway dogleg that’s not labeled as an official corner, which is where those restarts occur.

Phoenix hasn’t been universally loved as the season finale — especially with barn-burners at Homestead — because short tracks have been a struggle with the NextGen car. But Phoenix has all the glitz of a season finale on the surface, and all the challenges of one underneath.

Those challenges start, in some ways, at the end.

Harvick’s Phoenix Tip #1: Stay loose

Phoenix is a track where getting the last laps right is maybe more crucial than nailing the start.

“You need to qualify good, but I don’t think that’s the end of the world. If your car’s going to win, you need to be good on the long run. You have to have a car that you can adjust on throughout the day. How it starts isn’t how it’s going to need to finish.”

In NASCAR, races have “long runs” and “short runs.” Cup cars can last 95 laps on one tank of fuel, and the race itself lasts 312. A short run at Phoenix maxes out at about 30 laps in the Cup car owing mostly to tire degradation: the rubber breaks down intensely over the first 30 laps before plateauing and wearing much more slowly over the next 70 laps or so.

“Kevin found speed by being fastest during that plateau area,” explained one race engineer I spoke with. “Since lap times degrade very little during that section of the run, it’s all about consistency.”

But the Phoenix finale is about more than consistency. It’s about anticipation.

William Byron and Kevin Harvick lead the charge in 2023 in Phoenix

Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images

The race starts midday and transitions into dusk, so the car has to be set up for the lower temps of a desert sunset. The track’s surface changes with the heat loss and the rubber buildup from tires, meaning teams have to find the right balance between loose (rotates too much, like it’s on ice skates) and tight (doesn’t turn sharply enough).

“We saw it last year,” said Harvick. “We saw the racetrack really change. A lot of the cars that were super loose to start the race wound up being the really good cars at the end, because the track tightens up as the day goes on. I think you just have to run the car as loose as possible, and sometimes a little looser than you like it, in order to keep the turn in the car throughout the whole day.”

Harvick’s Phoenix Tip #2: Master the restarts

A patented Phoenix restart in 2019

Photo by: Russell LaBounty / NKP / Motorsport Images

Phoenix restarts are one-of-a-kind. NASCAR’s rolling-start restarts bring cars two-wide toward the green flag. But in Phoenix, cars immediately dive left to drive the shortest distance possible through the dogleg, fanning out five- and six-wide.

There’s just one problem: the yellow line marking the “bottom” of the track, where it transitions from banked corner to flat apron, means not everyone gets to where they want to go.

“The hardest part about the restart is not mistiming it, because you can’t go below the yellow line until you get to the start-finish line,” Harvick said. “The first thing everybody wants to do is go left, so from a driver’s standpoint, you just have to be aware of where that start-finish line is in order to not get a penalty.

“But you can’t be conservative. You have to go as low as you can go, because if you don’t, somebody’s going to go lower. We don’t see a ton of wrecks, but the ones that do happen are usually from somebody being slow to react or not going all the way to the bottom. Somebody shoves their nose inside of them, and next thing you know, somebody hits the inside wall.”

A driver’s position in the field can also make or break their restart in Phoenix. NASCAR restarts typically have about 40 cars in two lines of 20, and the lead car accelerates in a “restart zone” before the green flag. But with the Phoenix reconfiguration, a lot of the field is still in the final corner when the leader accelerates.

“Being able to accelerate in the corner is not easy,” Harvick said.

Then, there’s the physical toll those left-hooks take. Drivers slam onto the flatter apron from the banked racing surface, and they don’t have cushy suspension to protect them.

“When I drove the NextGen car, the last thing I wanted to do was go on the apron,” Harvick said. “It’s the most uncomfortable ride you could possibly imagine, because the car bottoms out. It’s a jarring blow every time.”

Harvick’s Phoenix Tip #3: Brake hard, drive harder

Restart or not, drivers have to settle into a rhythm around Phoenix. That means carrying as much speed into and out of the corners as possible.

“The first thing that I always try to tell people is: You have to get the braking,” said Harvick. “I think being able to still get a nice shape into the corner, but drive the car into the corner as hard as you can, is where we always made up a lot of time.”

Harvick also said drivers “can’t be locked into one line.”

“If everybody’s on the bottom of the racetrack, you’re never going to pass them,” Harvick said. “That was one thing that always made us good with this style of racetrack: the fact that you had to go searching around for what you needed to be doing.”

Harvick was also good at Phoenix because “you trail off the brake and go right back to the throttle, and there was not a lot of out-of-the-throttle roll time.” It suited his driving style, and if he nailed the transition from brake to throttle, he knew it was a good lap.

“The first cue, for me, was when I would let off the brake: what the front tires would do, and how long it took for those front tires to grab and go the other direction,” Harvick said. “The second cue was: How hard could I put the throttle down on the exit of the corner?”

Because Phoenix is a different shape on each end of the track, the technique is different in Turns 1 and 2 than it is in Turns 3 and 4. (And often, Harvick said, if you do well in Turns 1 and 2, you’ll overdrive 3 and 4. It’s hard to get a perfect lap in.)

“I always found that Phoenix was a place where, in Turn 1, you could turn the steering wheel a lot harder than most places,” Harvick said. “That second tug on the wheel was something I felt like was an advantage for us, being able to still have your car turn through the middle of one and two — and as soon as it did turn, being able to go back to the throttle and drive up off the corner.”

In Turns 3 and 4, Harvick had his eyes on one thing: the yellow line.

“For me, Turn 3 was a corner that I wanted to be able to drive the car in straight,” Harvick said. “I wanted to have my eyes towards the inside wall to pick up that yellow line, because I felt like it was kind of like a trough. The left-front tire loves that little line in the trough.

“If you could hit it right with your left-front, then you could lift off the brake and start to apply some partial throttle. Then [you could] have your eyes up and drive straight [toward] the start-finish line. I think you’re going to win the race on the bottom in 3 and 4.”

FORMER boxing champion Israel Vazquez is fighting a heartbreaking cancer diagnosis.

Vazquez was a three-time super-bantamweight champ and had an iconic four-fight series with Mexican rival Rafael Marquez.

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He lost the opening bout, before twice beating Marquez but losing their fourth and final fight in 2010.

Vazquez retired afterwards but has been confronted with a cancer battle.

The WBC, whose belt he twice won, launched a GoFundMe page for the boxer.

A statement read: “Our beloved champion has received a devastating cancer diagnosis.

“The WBC is at his side, attempting to bring in his family from Mexico and making sure he gets the care he deserves.

“But he needs your love and support, too. Show this humble and courageous warrior what he means to you.

“With a dollar, a prayer and a note to his family. One of the most compelling and compassionate boxers of all times needs your help.

“There’s no time to waste. Stand in his corner, now!”

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman posted online: “We are extremely grateful for those who have given a donation to support Israel Vazquez.

“His wife and kids are in tears to see the incredible reaction from the boxing community Thank you!”

Marcus Almeida isn’t happy with how things currently stand with ONE Championship.

Almeida, a jiu-jitsu legend who turned to MMA in 2021, is frustrated with the lack of fights he’s been presented by the organization since his last appearance – a showdown with Oumar Kane in August 2023. “Buchecha” makes his return Friday night at ONE Championship 169 in Bangkok. He takes on Amir Aliakbari in a heavyweight bout.

Almeida is not sure why it’s taken him 15 months to return to fighting, and he’s not content about it.

“No, I’ve been ready since the last fight,” Almeida told MMA Junkie when asked about why he’s been inactive. “Unfortunately that’s not up to me. That’s because of the organization, because I want to keep active, and I want to keep fighting, but I don’t know the reason to it. That’s why I was out. It wasn’t up to me.”

Almeida did have an active start to his MMA career. He competed four times in 11 months under ONE Championship. He was hoping the promotion would keep a slightly similar pace for him, as he’d like to fight at least three times a year, but that hasn’t been the case.

“In jiu-jitsu, I used to compete a lot, so to be sitting out for 15 months, for me, it was horrible,” Almeida explained. “It’s a bad experience for my career, and I’m not getting any younger, but it is what it is.”

Almeida told MMA Fighting’s Guillerme Cruz in Portuguese that Friday’s bout will be the last on his current contract. It’s unknown if he’ll re-sign with the promotion.

As of now, Almeida has one thing to focus on, and that’s his bout against Aliakbari, which he’s taking very seriously.

“We have like a similar record in ONE Championship,” Almeida said regarding Aliakbari. “Of course, he has a career before ONE, but he has four victories, I have four victories, and he has two loses, and I have one. So it’s pretty much similar to what we did in ONE Championship. Like I said, he fought Rizin and other events before that, so of course he has a lot of experience with me in MMA. He’s a tough opponent and has fought a lot of tough guys. It’s going to be a good fight, grappler vs. grappler, so it’s going to be really interesting for the audience.”

Gatland confirmed Anscombe will have the goal kicking duties this weekend.

The Wales coach accepts Anscombe, who has played 37 internationals in nine years, has adapted his game after also suffering a serious knee injury which ruled him out for two years between 2019 and 2021.

“He won’t like me saying this but he has lost a yard or two of pace from where he was, whereas in the past he was able to cover that full-back position,” said Gatland.

“But having that experience coming back into the side has been good over the last few weeks.

“He brings a lot of confidence and self-belief into the squad. He does communicate well with the players, which is important from a leadership perspective.”

Anscombe’s inclusion will allow Ben Thomas to switch from fly-half, a position he filled on two occasions during Wales’ summer tour of Australia, to his more familiar inside centre role where he will form a new-look midfield partnership with Max Llewellyn.

“I think he [Thomas] has been playing well,” said Gatland.

“He’s got a good balance to his game. He’s not afraid to carry the ball to the line and the pleasing thing is he looks like he’s a player who has time on the ball, that helps his decisions.

“We know there’s not a huge amount of space in international rugby and he has the ability to shift the ball.”

Gatland has only named two replacement backs on the bench against Fiji, which includes Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow.

“Hopefully Gareth goes out and gives a good performance but Sam has been training exceptionally well and starting to develop a good understanding of the game,” said Gatland.

“We feel confident Gareth can get through the game but also we’ve got someone who can come on and hopefully add something to the performance.

“Sam has looked sharp, so we are pleased with those two at the moment.”

Following an unexpected 18-month layoff, former ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes is finally ready to make his return to action with a fight booked against Danny Kingad on Friday at ONE 169.

The long absence followed a trilogy of fights against Demetrious Johnson where Moraes became the first person in history to finish the former UFC champion before falling in their next two encounters. Johnson actually sat on his final win over Moraes for over a year before finally announcing his retirement from the sport in September.

While they may have been professional rivals in the cage, Moraes had nothing but praise for Johnson when addressing his former foe after he called it a career.

“I was happy for him,” Moraes told MMA Fighting. “I think he achieved a lot of things in his career. I think for him it was great to stop at the top of the division, at the top of his career. I think for him, he did everything he could to be one of the greatest of all time and he had a really great career. I think he wanted to stop on top of his career.

“He was the guy who opened the division for all of us flyweight fighters in this division. I remember I was a big fan of him for sure, I followed his career from the beginning. So for me to have this trilogy against him was amazing. To be part of his legacy and him to be part of my legacy. For me, it was one of the best things to ever happen. To be the first man to finish him for me, for my legacy, it’s really great.”

As much as Moraes wishes Johnson well in whatever he does next, the Brazilian isn’t totally convinced that “Mighty Mouse” won’t get that itch to compete again.

In a sport where it seems like nobody ever stays retired, Moraes can’t help but wonder if perhaps Johnson might eventually decide to come back for another fight.

“For me, it doesn’t matter [if we fight again],” Moraes said. “I just have to focus on my way but something tells me he’s going to come back. If I capture the belt again, maybe he can come back and we will have our fourth dance.”

When asked about Moraes’ comments, Johnson actually burst out laughing but not because he was mocking his former opponent.

Instead, Johnson made it clear that he’s resolved in his decision to stay retired and waiting for over a year after his last fight before making that announcement gave him time to see if he got the desire to compete again. By the time he declared that he was hanging up his gloves for good, Johnson knew definitively that he was done and there was no chance he was coming back.

“That was the whole point [about waiting],” Johnson told MMA Fighting. “Obviously everybody has so many different things going on in their life. I know Donald Cerrone … he’s done movies, he’s got his ranch, he’s got his children, he does scuba diving, he does so [many] things in his life that keep him busy. So maybe he wants to come back to get that 50 fights in the UFC.

“For me, mixed martial arts, competing, I get enjoyment out of doing it in jiu-jitsu and going into IBJJF and doing that stuff. So for me, I just don’t see a point to coming back.”

For now it doesn’t really matter if Johnson ever fights again because he’s not active and he already relinquished the ONE flyweight title on his way out the door.

In a perfect world, Moraes would be fighting for that belt on Friday but unfortunately that just wasn’t in the plans for ONE Championship just yet.

“I don’t know [why this fight isn’t for the title] but it’s not depending on me,” Moraes said. “It’s depending on the boss of the house.

“As an athlete, I have to train and prepare and fight everything they call me. I already defended my belt years ago against Danny Kingad. I think the belt should be on the line for sure but let’s see [what happens].”

Nick Cushing – one of the candidates for Arsenal women’s managerial vacancy – has seemingly ruled himself out of a return to the Women’s Super League.

The former Manchester City women’s boss emerged as an early candidate to replace Jonas Eidevall, but told a pre-match news conference he expects to still be with the Major League Soccer (MLS) side next season.

“The whole story is news to me,” Cushing said.

“There has been no contact from anybody outside this organisation with myself. I can confirm I will be here next year.”

The Gunners are still considering their options and have not yet conducted any interviews.

Last week Arsenal confirmed interim manager Renee Slegers will remain in charge until at least December.

Cushing, 39, is currently overseeing the best-of-three MLS Cup play-offs against Cincinnati.

Having won one game each, the winner of Saturday’s decider will progress to the semi-finals, with the MLS Cup taking place on 7 December.