Former WWE star Nikki Bella to appear as guest emcee in NASCAR Cup Series championship race in Phoenix

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship concludes this Sunday, November 5, at Phoenix Raceway. Former WWE Star Nikki Bella will introduce the four championship contenders ahead of the all-important race this weekend.

NASCAR and Phoenix Raceway announced on Monday, October 30 that WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Garcia will be the 'guest emcee' for the Cup Series championship race.

Latasha Causey, the Phoenix Raceway president, is excited to have the WWE star as the emcee for the marquee event of the Cup Series season.

"We're thrilled to have the dazzling Nikki Garcia introduce each of the Championship 4 drivers," Causey said in a press release. "Her infectious energy will surely fire up our fans and set the stage for an electrifying end to the 2023 season."

Nikki Garcia, popularly known as Nikki Bella, is one of the most recognizable figures in WWE. The sport's longest reigning Divas champion was inducted into the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame. She is currently the host of the hit celebrity game show Barmageddon on USA Network.

The NASCAR championship weekend (November 3-5) at the Phoenix Raceway begins with the double-header, including the ARCA Menards Series West championship race and the Truck Series championship race on Friday, November 3.

The Xfinity Series will conclude on Saturday, November 4, and the highly anticipated season finale for the Cup Series is scheduled at 3 pm ET this Sunday, November 5.

Prior to the championship race, guest emcee Nikki Bella will introduce the four title contenders - Kyle Larson, William Byron, Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney.

Nikki Bella's presence at Phoenix Raceway will bring attention to the Cup Series finale while adding excitement to the race.

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Hendrick Motorsports boss reckons NASCAR achieved its goals with the next-gen car

NASCAR Hall of Famer Rick Hendrick believes that NASCAR is visualizing its dream of equalizing the field with the next-gen car. The Hendrick Motorsports owner commented on how the playing field has been leveled out, as he said (as quoted by motorsport.com):

“I think this is what kind of shows you – I won’t say anybody – but there’s probably 10 or 15 guys out there in the right position that could be in this playoff, be one of the guys in the final four.”

“You look at the talent of the people out there, the way these cars equalize the field. On any given day you see organizations that rise to the top. … I think it opens the sport up. I think it’s what Jim France wanted and what NASCAR wanted, and the fans wanted, to equalize the field and see multiple people have shots to win races,” he added.

Hendrick said that with the introduction of single-source suppliers, teams are virtually running the same cars. He also admitted that there is a negligible difference in the power output of the three manufacturers.