RELATED: Complete schedule for Phoenix
Here are the hot topics, trending news and key story lines to get you ready for this weekend's races at Phoenix International Raceway.
WEATHER
The National Weather Service predicts an ideal weekend for racing (and, really, an ideal weekend, in general). Friday should be sunny with a high of 81, while Saturday and Sunday have identical forecasts of sunny with a high of 82.
Sprint Cup Series: The first practice will be Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App), with another pair of practices coming Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App) and 6 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App). Coors Light Pole Qualifying is at 6:45 p.m. ET Friday (NBCSN/NBC Sports App). Sunday's main event, which is the final race in the three-race Round of 8, begins at 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC/NBC Sports App)
XFINITY Series: The first practice is Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBCSN Sports App) with final practice later that day at 4:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App). Saturday is a busy day for the field with Coors Light Pole Qualifying beginning at 4:15 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App) ahead of the 200-mile race (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App), which is the third in the Round of 8 of the XFINITY Series Chase.
Camping World Truck Series: Friday is the only day of action, kicked off by two practices, at 11:30 a.m. ET (FS2) and 3 p.m. ET (FS2). The third race of the Round of 6 of the Camping World Truck Series Chase is Friday at 10 p.m. ET on FS1 with Keystone Light Pole Qualifying just before at 8:30 p.m. ET (FS2).
CATCH DRIVERS LIVE
We'll stream every driver press conference in the Phoenix media center at NASCAR.com/presspass. Drivers who will be among the scheduled sessions Friday include Chasers Joey Logano at noon, Kurt Busch at 12:15 p.m., Matt Kenseth at 12:30 p.m., Denny Hamlin at 3:30 p.m. and Kyle Busch at 3:45 p.m. Click here for a full schedule.
LAST TIME
Dale Earnhardt Jr. encountered the perfect storm at this race a year ago -- just as a storm was brewing -- to wrest the win away from Kevin Harvick. The race was delayed from afternoon to evening because of rain, and ended with just 219 of 312 laps completed before the rain returned. Earnhardt came to pit road for fuel and tires one lap before Joey Gase and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. crashed in Turn 3 to bring out the second caution of the race on Lap 196. While on pit road, Earnhardt crossed the scoring line at the flag stand before Harvick, who had dominated with 143 laps led.
And when other lead-lap cars came to pit road under the yellow, Earnhardt inherited the top spot, with Harvick second and Joey Logano third. Before track workers could complete clean-up from the accident, rain began to fall, and NASCAR called the race after the light precipitation became a deluge.
At the time, it was the first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race under the current format to be called early because of rain (last week's race at Texas has since joined that list).
It was Earnhardt Jr.'s third win of the season, but he already had been eliminated from the Chase. Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Logano all were eliminated from the Round of 8 in Phoenix. Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. joined Martinsville winner Jeff Gordon in advancing to the Championship 4.
YOU SHOULD KNOW
• Kevin Harvick has been the most dominant driver at any track of late with six victories at Phoenix International Raceway since the track was reconfigured in 2011 (and he's won there eight times overall). He's led 1,079 laps since the November 2012 race that kicked off his streak of dominance -- 51.3 percent of all laps run in 10 races.
• This is the final race in the Round of 8, before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field is cut to the Championship 4 for the Homestead-Miami Speedway finale. Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards have clinched spots in the Championship 4 by virtue of their victories at Martinsville and Texas, respectively, and two spots remain up for grabs.
• Of the six drivers still vying for a spot in the Championship 4 -- Harvick, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano -- only Logano has never won at Phoenix International Raceway.
THE FAVORITE
Kevin Harvick. El Toro isn't also known as "The Cactus King" for nothing. Harvick has won eight times at Phoenix, including six since the fall 2012 race. He's won five of the last six races at Phoenix, with a lousy runner-up finish mixed in last fall -- and that probably was only because it was shortened by rain.
Others to consider: Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch
THE SLEEPER
Chase Elliott. It's a very small sample size, but Elliott did finish eighth in the March race at Phoenix. A greater factor is that he has performed well on intermediate tracks all season, with 10 top 10s and five top fives on 1-to-2-mile tracks.
Others to consider: Ryan Blaney, Kurt Busch
STAFF PICKS
Kevin Harvick: 6
Kyle Busch: 1
Joey Logano: 1