Two races remain in the NASCAR season, for all three of their national touring series. And this weekend in the valley of the sun, all of them will share the Phoenix International Raceway in a battle for wins, and championships.
Here are your four key storylines to follow for NASCAR at Phoenix:
Close Points Battles
All three series enter the penultimate race at Phoenix with very tight battles for the championship. In the Cup Series, up to three drivers could move on to the Championship Four. Meanwhile, both the Xfinity Series and Truck Series have point leaders with two drivers hard on their tails. Phoenix could go a long way to deciding who has the advantage in the title hunt heading into Homestead.
Short Track Speedway?
Phoenix is a very unique track at one mile in length, but two very different driving styles. The speed at Phoenix may make it feel like a speedway, with speeds topping 160 miles per hour down the front stretch. However, with the banking and grip that the track still holds, it drives very much like a short track. The question becomes, who will be able to tame the beast of a track this weekend?
Revenge Best Served Hot
While Matt Kenseth may have already gotten his revenge on Joey Logano at Martinsville, Phoenix itself has a history of paybacks over the years. The most memorable of these moments may have been when Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer clashed on the track and in the garage, leading to a massive brawl among pit crews. Are any more fistfights in the cards now?
Freaky Fast Favorites
In our picks for this weekend, keep your eyes on Erik Jones in all three races this weekend, as he has two Trucks wins at the track. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick is the likely favorite on Sunday, having dominated most of the Phoenix races in recent memory.
It’s a jam-packed weekend of racing at Phoenix International Raceway this weekend. Tune in for the Camping World Truck Series race on Friday night on FS1, followed by the Xfinity Series race on Saturday on NBCSN. Finally, the main attraction – the Sprint Cup Series from Phoenix – can be seen Sunday on your local NBC station.
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