As we spring forward with Spring approaching, we find ourselves at Phoenix, the place where the season will end this Fall. A Win is not completely necessary to capture the Championship (Ross Chastain won last year but was NOT eligible to win the title, Ryan Blaney was the best of the four who were), but it definitely doesn’t hurt. Will our winner today be in the running come November?
Here’s what to look for:
–Denny Hamlin has the most Poles of any active driver, and he’ll have the best view when they roll off today. He carries an 8.8 average finish here over the last ten races, most recently visiting Victory Lane in the Fall of 2019.
–William Byron was our winner last Spring (and also scored more points than any driver across both 2023 Phoenix races), but had some struggles with speed in Practice. He qualified much better than his performance on Friday, and will roll off 5th in the #24 Raptor Chevrolet.
-The aforementioned Ross Chastain was our most recent winner here, and he had some issues in Practice and Qualifying as well. The new short track package has been tough for many drivers; he’ll start 12th today.
-Hometown driver Michael McDowell has been off to a great start this season, and he comes to a place where he ranked 11th in Total Phoenix Points in 2023. Today he’ll launch from 9th and could find himself in the Top 5 before long. Can McDowell’s success early in the season continue?
–Ryan Blaney now has the most points earned across the last ten Phoenix races after Kevin Harvick’s retirement (who also holds the record for 21 straight Top 10s at a single track — right here!). He’s got nine Top 10s and seven Top 5s, but still hasn’t found the Winner’s Circle. Blaney starts 16th today.
Coverage of the race starts on FOX at 3:30pm, green flag scheduled for 3:47pm.
(Miss ya, Ivan. Catch ya down the road.)
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