The Phoenix Zoo had a ceremony earlier this week ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship and a unique animal has chosen the winner of the highly-anticipated race this weekend.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Raja, a male Sumatran tiger, picked William Byron to take home the championship over the likes of Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano and defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney. Whoever crosses the finish line first out of these four drivers on Sunday will be crowned the winner of the prestigious Bill France Cup.
Having four models of cars standing in front of him, Raja went after Byron’s No. 24 car to signal his prediction. Raja approximately weighs 300 pounds and currently resides in the Isle of the Tiger at Phoenix Zoo.
This year, Byron (No. 24 Chevrolet) won the Daytona 500, EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix and the Cook Out 400. The last time NASCAR was in Phoenix was when Christopher Bell won the Shriners Children’s 500 on March 10 this year.
Bryon, Reddick (No. 45 Toyota), Logano (No. 22 Ford) and Blaney (No. 12 Ford) all reached 5,000 points to qualify for the championship. Kyle Larson won the most races (six) this season but was sixth in points with 2,339.
Friday officially begins NASCAR Championship Weekend with the ARCA Menards Series West’s Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race. The NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race and NASCAR Cup Series qualifying are on Saturday before the NASCAR Cup Series Championship on Sunday to wrap up the 2024 season.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
