The final four drivers in the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series came to Phoenix, ready to put it all on the line. Looking at them, smiling and waving at the crowd, just 30 minutes before the most important race of their lives, it is easy to wonder… what is going on inside their head?

Well, that is what we wondered during the pre-race announcements and decided to put together this piece.

First up, we had Connor Zilisch, the 19YO rookie, who’s been dominating Xfinity with 10 wins. Despite a couple of rough finishes in the last two races, Zilisch had all the reasons to stay cool and confident. “I think momentum is a thing in sports, but not when you’re going to Talladega and a Martinsville cutoff race,” Zilisch said. “I’m not going to let those finishes change the way I think or feel about how consistent we’ve been. I feel like no matter what, we’ll be a contender this weekend and we’ll have a chance at it.” That mindset just tells you that he was surely the one to beat.

Then there was Justin Allgaier, the most experienced in the mix at 39. With already an Xfinity Cup in his trophy case, he was pretty relaxed about his chance. “I’m excited for this weekend,” Allgaier said. “The only advantage that I probably have over these three is that I’ve at least been in this scenario and I’ve dealt with the stresses and all the things that go with it.” With his experience and confidence, Allgaier was always a dark horse in the championship chase.

Then we come to the underdog of the group. Carson Kvapil. But don’t tell him we said that. “Some people might say if they didn’t win the championship that it would be a failure,” Kvapil said. “We don’t have a lot of expectation or anything to go finish second or win the championship, and if not, then it’s a failure, we’re happy to be here… we’re going to do everything we can to win this championship.” The guy had a point. Being the underdog was a powerful advantage. And with his family legacy on the line, he had extra motivation to bring home the win.

Last but not least, we had Jesse Love, the Richard Childress Racing prodigy who’s been tearing up the tracks. Love was quite confident. Maybe a bit too confident.“Maybe a little bit underrated,” Love said, talking about how he’s been feeling about his reception.

“In everybody’s mind, I’m probably the third-ranked guy throughout the season. I don’t know, I don’t really give a s— if people overrate me or underrate me. It doesn’t change anything for me a whole lot. What’s really important is how I feel about myself, and I feel really confident.” Well, that is the kind of confidence that, if used right, can win you a title. But if not, it can also wreck you in the first lap.

Well, Love certainly didn’t allow any distractions to get to him during the race. He kept his head down, charged down on the reigning champion Justin Allgaier to take the lead late in the championship race. The job, though, was incomplete, as a late yellow forced everyone into the pit cycle, and the RCR driver found himself chasing his best buddy, Connor Zilisch.

And once again, Love got back on his grind and made the race-winning pass on the #88 car with 25 laps to go. From here on there was nothing that could stop him. Zilisch was mired back in traffic, meanwhile, Allgaier just couldn’t recover from the pit stop fumble. The finale in Phoenix served as a perfect example of a driver staying true to his words and pulling off a big upset even when nobody saw it coming.