The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship has been distilled down to a final, thrilling four-driver field, setting the stage for a dramatic title race this Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. The battle for the Bill France Cup pits the two most dominant organizations in the playoffs — Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing — against each other, with each camp fielding two contenders.
The stakes at Phoenix Raceway are measured in both eternal glory and significant financial rewards, as the four Championship contenders will be competing for a massive purse — the largest for a Championship Weekend in NASCAR history.
Here's more on the prize breakdown for the championship in Phoenix.
MORE: Meet the final four racing for 2025 Cup Series title
NASCAR championship purse 2025
Per Forbes, the NASCAR championship purse is a total of $12,394,135.
The Phoenix Cup race purse this year is $12,394,135.
— Jayski (@jayski) October 28, 2025
Last year it was $11,700,064
This is the largest championship purse in the history of NASCAR.
MORE: NASCAR schedule 2026
NASCAR championship payout breakdown 2025
NASCAR distributes purse money to teams based on race performance, but those numbers are not made public.
Though, according to Forbes, the approximate payout for the winner is $639,516.
Cup Series champions
| Year | Car | Winner | Owner | Model |
| 1948 | 22 | Red Byron | Raymond Parks | Oldsmobile |
| 1950 | 8, 29, 59, 60, 62, 80 | Bill Rexford | Julian Buesnik | Oldsmobile |
| 1951 | 92, 6, 99, 2 | Herb Thomas | Herb Thomas, Marshall Teague, Leonard Tippett, Hubert Westmoreland. | Plymouth, Hudson, Oldsmobile |
| 1952 | 91 | Tim Flock | Ted Chester | Hudson |
| 1953 | 92 | Herb Thomas (2) | Herb Thomas | Hudson |
| 1954 | 42, 100 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises, Gary Drake | Chrysler, Dodge, Oldsmobile |
| 1955 | 300, 301, 2 | Tim Flock (2) | Carl Kiekhaefer, Hubert Westmoreland | Chrysler, Dodge |
| 1956 | 00, 87, 300, 300C, 301, 500B, 502 | Buck Baker | Carl Kiekhaefer | Chrysler, Dodge |
| 1957 | 87 | Buck Baker (2) | Buck Baker/Hugh Babb | Chevrolet |
| 1958 | 42 | Lee Petty (2) | Petty Enterprises | Oldsmobile |
| 1959 | 42, 43 | Lee Petty (3) | Petty Enterprises | Oldsmobile, Plymouth |
| 1960 | 4, 74, 15, 41 | Rex White | Rex White, L.D. Austin, Beau Morgan, Scotty Cain | Ford |
| 1961 | 11 | Ned Jarrett | Ned Jarrett, B.G. Holloway | Ford, Chevrolet |
| 1962 | 8, 17 | Joe Weatherly | Bud Moore, Fred Harb | Pontiac, Ford |
| 1963 | 8, 17, 57, 2, 05, 83, 88, 41, 36, 361 | Joe Weatherly (2) | Bud Moore, Floyd Powell, Cliff Stewart, Possum Jones, Worth McMillion, Major Melton, Petty Enterprises, Wade Younts | Pontiac, Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge |
| 1964 | 41, 42, 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth |
| 1965 | 11, 25 | Ned Jarrett (2) | Bondy Long, Jabe Thomas | Ford |
| 1966 | 6 | David Pearson | Cotton Owens | Dodge |
| 1967 | 43 | Richard Petty (2) | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth |
| 1968 | 17, 84 | David Pearson (2) | Holman-Moody, Roy Trantham | Ford |
| 1969 | 17 | David Pearson (3) | Holman-Moody | Ford |
| 1970 | 71 | Bobby Isaac | Nord Krauskopf | Dodge |
| 1971 | 43 | Richard Petty (3) | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth |
| 1972 | 43 | Richard Petty (4) | Petty Enterprises | Dodge/Plymouth |
| 1973 | 72 | Benny Parsons | L.G. DeWitt | Chevrolet/Mercury |
| 1974 | 43 | Richard Petty (5) | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 1975 | 43 | Richard Petty (6) | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 1976 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet |
| 1977 | 11 | Cale Yarborough (2) | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet |
| 1978 | 11 | Cale Yarborough (3) | Junior Johnson & Associates | Oldsmobile |
| 1979 | 43 | Richard Petty (7) | Petty Enterprises | Chevrolet/Oldsmobile |
| 1980 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | Osterlund Racing | Chevrolet/Oldsmobile |
| 1981 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet/Buick |
| 1982 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip (2) | Junior Johnson & Associates | Buick |
| 1983 | 22 | Bobby Allison | DiGard Motorsports | Chevrolet/Buick |
| 1984 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1985 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip (3) | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet |
| 1986 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt (2) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1987 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt (3) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1988 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford |
| 1989 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac |
| 1990 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt (4) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1991 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt (5) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1992 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford |
| 1993 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt (6) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1994 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt (7) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1995 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (1) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 1996 | 5 | Terry Labonte (2) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 1997 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (2) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 1998 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (3) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 1999 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 2000 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac |
| 2001 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (4) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2002 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac |
| 2003 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 2004 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 2005 | 20 | Tony Stewart (2) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2006 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2007 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (2) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2008 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (3) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2009 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (4) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2010 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (5) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2011 | 14 | Tony Stewart (3) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2012 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge |
| 2013 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (6) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2014 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2015 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 2016 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (7) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2017 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota |
| 2018 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 2019 | 18 | Kyle Busch (2) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 2020 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2021 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2022 | 22 | Joey Logano (2) | Team Penske | Ford |
| 2023 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 2024 | 22 | Joey Logano (3) | Team Penske | Ford |
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