NASCAR hands out suspensions to No. 7 Cup team

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Staff Report

NASCAR suspended crew chief Ryan Sparks and crew members Blaine Anderson (front changer) and Allen Hollman (jack) on Tuesday for four championship points events after the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet lost a wheel during Sunday’s Ruoff Mortage 500 at Phoenix Raceway.

Corey LaJoie hit the wall and lost a wheel in Stage 1 and ended up completing just 45 of the scheduled 312 laps for a last-place finish. The violation fell under Sections 10.5.2.6 of the NASCAR Rule Book: Loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle.

NASCAR also fined two Xfinity Series teams after their cars were found with a single lug nut not secured in post-race inspection on Saturday at Phoenix. Those teams were the No. 18 of Trevor Bayne and the No. 19 of Brandon Jones, with the respective crew chiefs Jason Ratliff and Jeff Meendering receiving $5,000 fines.

Posted on March 14, 2022March 15, 2022 by Track Release

HAMPTON, Ga. (March 14, 2022) – The anticipation has been building for months. Torn apart, modified, and rebuilt in 163 days, the next generation Atlanta Motor Speedway will make its grand debut this weekend during the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

Minutes after Kurt Busch took the checkered flag last July, crews began dismantling the track in preparation for its first repave since 1997. Reconfiguration produced 28-degree banking in every corner of the 1.54-mile speedway, making AMS the steepest intermediate track on the NASCAR schedule and writing a new chapter in the history of the iconic superspeedway.

ATLANTA: Weekend schedule | Scenes from track reprofile | Goodyear tire test at Atlanta

“Anticipation has been building for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 since the moment we announced the reconfiguration,” said Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Hutchison. “The excitement and the unknown surrounding the upgraded and enhanced all-new Atlanta Motor Speedway has been unrivaled.”

Atlanta Motor Speedway

From idea conception to announcement to iRacing simulation to construction and testing, Speedway Motorsports has taken feedback and insights from across the industry to create a first-of-its-kind race track.

Since completion of the repave in December, tests held at the all-new AMS have offered a chance to get additional insight from drivers on the new layout. Based on their input, speedway officials fine-tuned several aspects of the track, including the creation of a smoother entry into the frontstretch as drivers exit turn 4. Crews added 320 feet of new outside wall and SAFER barrier to create a flatter curve.

The project also provided an opportunity to widen Atlanta’s frontstretch. Crews removed a large portion of the infield grass and added more asphalt, giving drivers more runoff to save their cars from damage and more room to pass as they challenge for stage wins and the checkered flag.

Safety enhancements to the Speedway also included reinforcing the frontstretch catch fence.

During construction, the track also added an open drainage layer under the asphalt to move groundwater away from the racing surface, reduce weepers and improve track drying time in inclement weather.

“Every step we’ve taken in this project has been to deliver a new, entertaining type of racing for the fans — something they’ve never seen before,” said AMS Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Hutchison. “From start to finish we’ve had great people involved in realizing this vision for the next generation of Atlanta Motor Speedway. We can’t wait to see NASCAR’s best take on this all-new track!”

The March 18-20 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 weekend will feature the first NASCAR races on the all-new Atlanta Motor Speedway, from Saturday’s Fr8 208 and Nalley Cars 250 doubleheader to Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. Drivers in each series will be tasked with taming a challenge unlike any other on the NASCAR circuit.

For more information or to purchase tickets, fans should visit AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com or call 877-9-AMS-TIX.

About the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 weekend:

Since 2015 the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 has been the main event in Atlanta Motor Speedway’s spring NASCAR weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This storied NASCAR Cup Series race brings awareness to Folds of Honor and its mission to help families of military servicemen and women who have fallen or been disabled while on active duty in the United States Armed Forces.

Posted on March 14, 2022March 14, 2022 by Terrin Waack

AVONDALE, Ariz. — The feeling of defeat almost won.

Chase Briscoe packed up his North Carolina life and decided it was time to head home to Indiana. Stock-car racing didn’t seem to be in the cards for the then-20-year-old. He’d made just two ARCA starts, and nothing else was on tap.

“I called my mom, I remember, an hour before,” Briscoe said. “I was bawling. I was over it. I felt like I had been kicked so many times, had no opportunities.

“An hour later, I got that phone call.”

The one that changed everything.

PHOENIX: Race results | Chase Briscoe wins | At-track gallery

Briggs and Beth Cunningham asked if Briscoe wanted to test their ARCA car in 2015. That trial run then turned into a full-time gig come 2016. Briscoe won six of the 20 races that season en route to the championship.

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

The next year, Briscoe made his NASCAR debut in the Camping World Truck Series – Feb. 24, 2017 at Daytona International Speedway. He finished third, driving full time for Brad Keselowski Racing. In the season finale, on Nov. 17, 2017 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Briscoe won his first NASCAR race.

Last Sunday – seven years removed from that call – Briscoe broke through to Victory Lane at Phoenix Raceway in the Cup Series, becoming the 200th driver to win at NASCAR’s top level.

“I never thought I’d win a Truck race, let alone win in all three series now,” Briscoe said. “It’s super special. Can’t believe it. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. I don’t know if it will for a while.”

Briscoe has now won a Cup, two Truck and 11 Xfinity Series races, making the 27-year-old one of 38 NASCAR drivers to win in all three divisions.

PHOENIX: Race comes to down winless trio who all ‘had a shot’

Sunday’s victory came in Briscoe’s 40th career Cup Series start, all with Stewart-Haas Racing. He’d only even finished in the top five one other time – earlier this season at Daytona, where he came in third. His best rookie result in 2021 was sixth (twice) at Road America and Circuit of The Americas.

“I think from a confidence standpoint, I feel like I belong this year,” Briscoe said. “Last year, you’re very eyes wide open. You’re racing against guys you’ve watched on TV for years, you’ve looked up to. Now, I don’t look at the 18 car and go, ‘That’s Kyle Busch.’ It’s just the 18 car, another guy out there.”

The next time NASCAR returns to Phoenix’s 1-mile track: the championship, Nov. 6. And Briscoe is already guaranteed a playoff berth by virtue of his victory. He’s the fourth driver to lock in, joining Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman, who won the opening three events.

There are 22 races left in the regular season – starting Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – before the four-round, 10-race postseason begins.

“This isn’t a guarantee,” Briscoe said. “This could be my only win. I hope not.

“It shows I’m capable of being at this level, but you still have to keep working.”

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

Posted on March 13, 2022March 14, 2022 by Terrin Waack

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Three drivers. Three laps. One goal.

Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick and Ross Chastain were each vying for their first career Cup Series win Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, and all of them had a rather equal shot on Lap 309 of 312 as they held the front spots for the final restart.

“It’s like when someone cuts you off on the freeway,” Reddick said. “You’re mad, you want to honk at them. It’s very tempting to hit the horn, right?”

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

PHOENIX: Race results | Chase Briscoe wins | At-track gallery

Before what would be the last green flag, Briscoe, as the leader, chose the inside lane. Reddick lined up alongside him on the outside. Chastain then fell in behind Briscoe, and Kevin Harvick – a nine-time Phoenix winner – was next door in fourth.

As soon as the field fired off, Briscoe dove down into the apron to maintain position, kind of like a legal shortcut. Reddick and Chastain followed but not as far. Harvick stayed higher.

“On that last restart, or two restarts, I felt like that was probably the worst-case scenario for me,” Briscoe said. “Ross and Tyler are probably two of the most aggressive guys on restarts and obviously were going for their first win, too. And then fourth, you have Kevin, who obviously it’s been a year, year and a half since he’s won, so you know he’s hungry, too. I just knew that as long as I drove in there deeper than everybody else, I felt like I was probably going to be OK.”

More than OK. Briscoe was able to pull ahead so much that he completed two more go-arounds with no issue and won the Ruoff Mortgage 500. He took the checkered flag with a 0.771-second margin of victory.

The battle for runner-up, though, was much tighter – and until the very end. Reddick and Chastain practically crossed the finish line side by side. Only 0.016 seconds separated Chastain in second and Reddick in third.

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

“We were waving to each other when it got done,” Chastain said. “Like it’s so much fun to race with friends like that. I can’t call many of these guys friends, and I can call Reddick a friend. To get to race with him there at the end, a lot trust on each of our parts to come home clean.”

VIDEO: Ross Chastain reacts to final laps | Tyler Reddick reflects on finish

Said Reddick: “We’ve all had a lot of fun racing each other in the Xfinity Series and when our paths have crossed in our past. We’re all very, very aggressive. But none of us want to be the guy to put someone in the wall wrong or anything like that. Right up to that point, but we never like to cross it.”

Harvick faded to sixth, as polesitter Ryan Blaney snuck into fourth instead.

The victory gives Briscoe two top-five finishes in 40 career starts. Second matched Chastain’s personal best, and he now has five top fives in 119 races. Reddick stands at seven top fives in 78 attempts; he has three P2s already on his record.

Briscoe marks the Cup Series’ 200th all-time different victor. He is the second first-time winner in 2022. Chastain and Reddick’s next chance to join those lists is March 20 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Right on the restarts, he had the control,” Chastain said. “So, although we kept taking shots at him – or I did – I never had the full upper hand. But that’s fine. I don’t need the upper hand. I just need a shot, and we had a shot.”

Posted on March 13, 2022March 14, 2022 by Chase Wilhelm

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ryan Blaney wasn’t able to close the deal on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, but a top-five finish put his 2022 season back on track.

On Saturday, Blaney put the No. 12 Team Penske Ford on the pole for the first time this year. After leading the first 25 circuits leading up to the competition caution, a pit-road speeding penalty sent him to the back of the field. From there, he was able to work his way back up to the front for the Stage 2 victory. He also led a race-high 143 laps en route to a fourth-place result.

It was the ninth time in his career where he led more than 100 laps in a race but was unable to break into Victory Lane. Despite the disappointment of coming up short, Blaney was still satisfied after recent finishes of 17th and 36th at Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, respectively.

“Overall, very fast day with a solid car,” Blaney said. “A shame we didn’t get the win, but days like this you can’t complain too much about.”

RELATED: Official results

While the car showcased race-winning capable speed throughout the 312-lap race, Blaney fought a steering-wheel issue for the majority of it, chiming in on the radio multiple times to voice his concern about how substantially it was shaking.

“I can’t wait to get back to the race shop to tear it apart,” Blaney said. “About 25 laps into the second stage, I had massive … it felt like caster wobble, but in the corner at speed. You usually get caster wobble about 10 miles per hour or at pit-road speed. This was at speed, so I don’t know what was wrong. It was pretty bad to deal with. It was pretty significant and I think that hurt us a little bit.

“The second-to-last restart, I went to the apron and I don’t know if it bent, broke … it stopped vibrating like crazy and was just pulling to the right whenever I lifted. So I don’t know what happened to it, something in the steering system. I would love to look at it because my wheel was all bent out of shape and it was a mess. Luckily we didn’t go many more laps because I was just kind of hanging on.”

Including Sunday’s finish, Blaney now has four top fives and eight top 10s at the 1-mile Arizona oval, including four straight finishes of 10th or better. A favorite to compete for the title, the trend favors him when the series heads back to Phoenix for the Championship 4 race in November.

“I thought we had a shot today, but it just didn’t play out,” Blaney said. “We seem to qualify great here, we always qualify really good. Seem to race pretty decent, but just never seem to put a whole one together to try to win the race. Hopefully one of these days it would be nice.”

Posted on March 13, 2022March 14, 2022 by Holly Cain

There was no shortage of motivation as three drivers all vying for their first-career victory in the marquee NASCAR Cup Series decided the dramatic outcome at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday afternoon.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe had to hold off the field on not one, but two late-race restarts on the one-mile desert oval, including the final restart with three laps remaining to earn his first career NASCAR Cup Series win in the Ruoff Mortgage 500.

RELATED: Official Phoenix race results

The 27-year-old Briscoe is the 200th different winner in NASCAR’s premier series and last year’s Rookie of the Year earned the victory- by .771-seconds over Ross Chastain – in only his 40th start.

“It’s unbelievable,’’ said Briscoe, who drives the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

“I was crying the whole last lap. This is definitely a team win, but I’ve got to thank everybody that’s got me to this point. Just seven years ago I was sleeping on couches, volunteering at race shops and was literally driving home to give up.

“Unbelievable,’’ he continued, smiling. “So blessed to be here driving for this organization this team and this car that was my hero’s (NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart) growing up.

“To everybody that’s believed in me, it’s unbelievable.’’

Fast pit stops for Briscoe’s John Klausmeier-led crew helped all day. His 101 laps out front were second only to pole-winner Ryan Blaney’s 144 laps led. But Briscoe certainly had to earn this win on track holding off the field on those late-race restarts with cars sometimes fanning out seven-wide in the frenetic shuffle to the front.

Chevrolet drivers Chastain and Tyler Reddick took Briscoe three-wide on the final restart – all fueled by the motivation of that first win, but Briscoe’s Ford was able to drive away leaving them to settle runner-up between themselves.

Chastain’s runner-up finish is his second consecutive top-three finish for the Trackhouse Racing organization. Richard Childress Racing’s Reddick placed third followed by pole-sitter, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney and 23XI Racing’s Kurt Busch.

“That was so much fun to get to race like that at this level,’’ Chastain said, adding of the last lap competition, “That’s so cool to race with Tyler and Chase. That’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Briscoe’s veteran teammate Kevin Harvick finished sixth and that top-10 was good enough to tie a huge mark of success shared only by two NASCAR Hall of Famers. Harvick’s 18th consecutive top-10 at Phoenix matches an all-time NASCAR Cup Series record set by both Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.

Another former series champion, Kyle Busch finished seventh leading the Joe Gibbs Racing charge. Penske’s Joey Logano, Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez and Roush Fenway Keselowski driver Chris Buescher rounded out the top-10 respectively.

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, who ran up front for much of the race, suffered a DNF – pitting with 74 laps remaining with what his crew diagnosed as a broken valve spring in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Larson was officially scored 34th – the second sub-30th place finish of the season, including a crash at the Daytona 500 (32nd-place finish).

Larson already scored a victory at Auto Club Speedway this season, however, and is still ranked fourth in the championship, 10 points behind new leader Logano.

Both Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron and Penske’s Blaney earned their first Stage wins of the season. There were 14 lead changes among six drivers.

The NASCAR Cup Series next races at the newly-renovated Atlanta Motor Speedway in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Blaney is the defending race winner on the 1.5-mile high-banks which will now feature new pavement and progressive banking.

Note: Inspection in the Cup Series garage is complete with no issues, confirming Briscoe as the race winner. The Nos. 9, 8, 12 , 4 and 18 will be transported back to the R&D Center.

Posted on March 13, 2022March 18, 2022 by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App | Watch on USA Network | Get the NBC Sports App | Watch on Peacock | FloRacing

Monday, March 14
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series Ruoff Mortgage 500 (re-air), FS1
11 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 200 (re-air), FS2
1 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Ruoff Mortgage 500 (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Presents Beyond the Wheel (re-air), FS1

Tuesday, March 15
Midnight, NASCAR Cup Series Ruoff Mortgage 500 (re-air), FS1
3 a.m. NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Phoenix (re-air), FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., Refuse to Lose: Jeff Gordon and the 1997 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1

Wednesday, March 16
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., The Day, Atlanta 1992 (re-air), FS1

Thursday, March 17
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Atlanta, FS1
11 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Atlanta (re-air), FS2

Friday, March 18
3 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS1 CANCELED
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, FS1 CANCELED
5 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1 CANCELED
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics, 2005 Golden Corral 500 (re-air), FS1
10 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice (re-air), FS1

Saturday, March 19
4 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Atlanta (re-air), FS1
5 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics, 2005 Golden Corral 500 (re-air), FS1
8:30 a.m., The Day, Atlanta 1992 (re-air), FS2
9:30 a.m. NASCAR Cup Series practice (re-air), FS2
10:40 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS2 (moves to FS1 at 11 a.m.)
11 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS1
11:40 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, FS1
12:40 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NCWTS: Atlanta, FS1
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fr8 208, FS1
3:30 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing: 12 Hours of Sebring, USA
4:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity: Atlanta, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Nalley Cars 250, FS1 (Canada: TSN3)
7 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fr8 208 (re-air), FS1
9 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Nalley Cars 250 (re-air), FS1
11 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fr8 208 (re-air), FS2

On MRN
2 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fr8 208

On PRN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Nalley Cars 250

Sunday, March 20
1 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series qualifying (re-air), FS1
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Atlanta (re-air), FS1
3 a.m., The Day, Atlanta 1992 (re-air), FS1
4 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fr8 208 (re-air), FS1
6 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Nalley Cars 250 (re-air), FS1
8 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Nalley Cars 250 (re-air), FS2
1 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Atlanta (re-air), FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Atlanta, FS1
2:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Atlanta, FOX
3 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, FOX

On PRN
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

Posted on March 13, 2022March 13, 2022 by Track Release

PHOENIX — If the Phoenix Raceway grandstands look full today during the Ruoff Mortgage 500, there’s a good reason.

Phoenix Raceway announced Sunday that the grandstands are sold out for today’s NASCAR Cup Series showcase. This comes on the heels of last year’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race sellout and proof positive that the one-mile, doglegged oval is the place to be this weekend.

The green flag will fly for today’s Ruoff Mortgage 500 shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET and be shown live on FOX.

“There’s a palpable excitement in the air that is being generated by the tremendous start of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season,” said Phoenix Raceway President Julie Giese. “It’s also confirmation that our fans view Phoenix Raceway as a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment destination. From our campers who began arriving at 7 a.m. on Monday to the fans who visited us at the box office this morning, we’ve seen an amazing show of support and we’re grateful for the opportunity to provide them an unforgettable experience.”

Today marks the second NASCAR Cup Series sellout this season. The DAYTONA 500 sold out in February, while races at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway featured strong crowds as well.

Fans can still upgrade their tickets today to include the FanShield Infield Experience, and a limited number of Hillside tickets remain and can be purchased on site. They should also act now to secure their seats for NASCAR Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway, Nov. 4-6.

Posted on March 13, 2022March 13, 2022 by PJ Walsh

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

The NASCAR Cup Series season rolls on with Sunday’s Ruoff Mortgage 500 at Phoenix Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Following pack racing at Daytona, high-tire wear at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway and a trip to the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway, today’s race will be the first for the Next Gen car on a 1-mile flat track like Phoenix.

Because the Next Gen car is still very new, I’m leaning heavily on Saturday’s practice to pinpoint my favorite NASCAR bet for the Ruoff Mortgage 500.

NASCAR Pick & Prediction for Phoenix

*Odds as of Sunday morning

Tyler Reddick (+300) to Win Group C

This number is simply an overreaction to qualifying results for the race. Christopher Bell is the favorite in this group at +185, which I have no problem with, but Alex Bowman at +225 and especially Brad Keselowski at +300 are a bit head-scratching to me.

Among these drivers, Tyler Reddick had the best 10- and 15-lap averages in practice and it wasn’t close. Reddick ranked sixth and fourth in those, respectively, compared to 20th and 14th for Bell and 18th and 13th for Keselowski.

Bowman never made a run of at least 10 laps, but he was just 17th fastest in five-lap average, while Reddick ranked fourth.

When it comes to practice speed, Reddick was by far the fastest driver of the group, yet he’s priced with Keselowski, who was clearly slower in race trim and will start six spots behind the No. 8 Chevy car.

Again, I don’t have a problem with Bell being the favorite of the group, but Reddick should be much closer to Bell’s +185 than Keselowski’s +300 odds.

I have a feeling this price will shorten between now and this afternoon’s green flag, so go ahead and lock in the +300 available at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Posted on March 13, 2022 by RJ Kraft

Race No. 4 of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is here and it’s time to set those Fantasy Live lineups for Sunday’s Ruoff Mortgage 500 at Phoenix Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). What six drivers should comprise your lineup?

RJ Kraft’s race-day lineup for Phoenix:
1-Ryan Blaney (used once)
2-Denny Hamlin
3-William Byron (used twice)
4-Aric Almirola
5-Kevin Harvick
Garage: Kyle Larson (used once)

Next in line: Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott

Analysis: I’ve added Blaney, Hamlin and Byron into my lineup. Blaney is on the pole, had the most points here last year and was second in 10-, 15-, 20- and 30-lap averages (h/t@P2Inc). Hamlin has a strong history at Phoenix and is bound to nab his first top 10 at one of his best tracks. Byron was atop the 10-lap average board and was in the top three for 15- and 20-lap averages (h/t@P2Inc).

Almirola has not finished outside the top six in the last five races dating back to last year and this has become a solid track for him. He also seems to have a car built for the long run based on practice times, yet he qualified really well. Harvick also has a car built for the long run with the fourth-best 20-lap average (h/t@P2Inc) and his record here is unmatched.

I debated bailing on Larson with the news from Hendrick Motorsports that he will be dropping to the rear but he started from the rear at Auto Club and won (and I bailed on him there). So I will not be doing that again.

Elliott and Truex didn’t qualify well and Elliott’s 10-lap times weren’t too impressive so I am electing to save the uses there. Logano and Cindric were solid considerations for me based on lap averages, but I like what I have now too much to make a switch.

Featured Matchup bonus picks
Denny Hamlin vs. Martin Truex Jr.: Both drivers have solid Phoenix records of late but I’m going to take Hamlin because I simply don’t think he will continue to be this snake-bitten this year at one of his best tracks. The pick: Hamlin

Kevin Harvick vs. Brad Keselowski: Harvick’s Phoenix track record is extremely hard to go against with nine wins and he’s never finished outside of the top nine here with Stewart-Haas Racing. Keselowski has nice desert numbers but I’m not picking against the “Cactus King.” The pick: Harvick.

Alex Bowman vs. Christopher Bell: Bell notched top 10s in both races here in 2021, while Bowman has one top 10 here from 2016 and no finish better than 13th since then at this track. The pick: Bell

Aric Almirola vs. Ross Chastain: Almirola has steadily worked his way through the field for top-six finishes in all three races to start the season and he has five top-six finishes in a row dating back to last season. Chastain had a really nice third-place run last week at Las Vegas but I just think Almirola is the more consistent driver. The pick: Almirola