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Mash The Gas – Phoenix

The Daytona 500 and all its pomp and circumstance is behind us as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into the Phoenix International Raceway for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 this Sunday afternoon. Unlike Daytona, Phoenix is a relatively flat circuit and with the added downforce and horsepower, the new Gen 6 cars are predicted to provide exciting side by side racing. It takes a certain skill set to excel at NASCAR’s flat tracks and some drivers seem to stand out in their performance on this type of circuit.

Here are some drivers to watch on Sunday

Denny Hamlin
Dan Margetta: When it comes to flat tracks, Denny Hamlin seems to stand above the rest as most of his victories in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have come on circuits with minimum banking. Hamlin won this race at Phoenix a year ago and he finished a strong second in November’s event. Hamlin is expected to turn in another strong performance on Sunday and should top many people’s list of favorites for this race.

John Wiedemann: Denny Hamlin as well as his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates should do well at Phoenix. But, lurking in the back of their minds is the loss of two engines in the Daytona 500. Hamlin was the only survivor and finished 14th. In fifteen Phoenix events, Hamlin has won once and seven times finished in the top five. Expect him to be in the top five again this weekend.

Kevin Harvick
DM: Kevin Harvick has posted similar numbers to Hamlin at Phoenix, ironically finishing second in this race a year ago and then beating Hamlin out for the win in November. Harvick and crew chief Gil Martin opened up Speedweeks in Daytona with two quick wins before being swept up in a crash not of their own making left them with a disappointing 41st place finish in the 500. Phoenix should be a welcome site to get back track and Harvick should be a strong contender on Sunday.

JW: Kevin Harvick looked like a world beater at all the events in Daytona and then the success came to a crashing halt when he got caught up in the big wreck with only 47 laps completed. Harvick needs this Phoenix race like a cold Budweiser and this race should help him dig out of last place in the standings.

Jimmie Johnson
DM: The Daytona 500 champion boasts the best average finish (6.7) at Phoenix and the momentum from the ‘500’ win should carry with the #48 team as the series rolls West. The new Gen 6 car brings many unknowns with it and those smart enough to find minute advantages are the most successful. Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus is one of if not the smartest people in the garage and Johnson is plenty capable of adding to his four Phoenix wins on Sunday.

JW: What a way to start the season, looking for a 6 pack of championships, with his second Daytona 500 victory. Johnson, Knaus and the #48 team are on top of their game early as they surprised some with the season opening victory, some have even said they snuck up on the win. In nineteen starts, Johnson has won four times at Phoenix. Look for him to win again this week and completely reverse last year’s start to the season.

Kyle Busch
DM: Kyle Busch finished sixth and third respectively in the Phoenix races a year ago and the new Gen 6 car is lighter and carries more horsepower and downforce which should result in record speeds. Going fast and staying on the gas is right up Kyle Busch’s alley and besides, this week’s race is 500km and not 500 miles so the Toyota TRD powerplant should last.

JW: Kyle Busch is always fast. Add the fact that he has previously won at Phoenix along with two top tens last year, and he is thrown into the mix of contenders this weekend. A rough start to the season should be wiped away as long as the Toyota engine issues do not pop up and continue to derail th e speedster.

Kasey Kahne
DM: Kasey Kahne also had a disappointing Daytona 500 as an early crash left the #5 team with a poor finish. Kahne runs well at Phoenix, having scored top ten finishes in three of the last four races, including a victory in 2011. The one finish outside of the top ten was due to an unfortunate wreck while having the dominant car in this event a year ago, so Kahne is a solid pick this week.

JW: Kasey Kahne has to hope the misery that was the start of the 2012 season is not repeating itself again in 2013. He was able to climb out of the hole last year to make the Chase, but it would be a lot easier not to have to climb. Kahne will be good this weekend. It took him seven races to score his first top 10 in 2012, he’ll get his first top 10 for 2013 this weekend.

Ryan Newman
DM: Ryan Newman is one driver often overlooked by many despite boasting a solid flat track record. He has had five top five finishes in the last six races at Phoenix and his lone 2012 victory came at Martinsville, another flat track. If past performance is any indication, we should all look forward to enjoying another free Outback Bloomin’ Onion courtesy of a top ten finish at Phoenix on Sunday.

Tony Stewart
JW: Ryan Newman’s teammate Tony Stewart is currently at the bottom of the standings due to getting caught up in the early crash at Daytona. Stewart has one win at Phoenix, he captured that the first time he raced a Cup race at the track. Along with the win he has seven other top five finishes. Great results haven’t been the case for Stewart lately at Phoenix, but that is just the time when he pops up and gets a win. Don’t count out Stewart this weekend.

Kurt Busch
DM: Kurt Busch is a good dark horse pick this weekend as he has a solid average finish of 12.4 at Phoenix and he finished a strong eighth in the November event, his first with the #78 Furniture Row team. Kurt Busch is another driver whose style suits the characteristics of the Gen 6 car and the #78 team has shown they can run with the big dogs.

Martin Truex Jr
JW: Martin Truex Jr left Daytona 23rd in the point standings. As one of the drivers that will probably be fighting to get into the Chase, Truex knows that he needs to be in the mix and not fall too far behind. Last year at this race he led and finished a strong seventh place. Duplicating that result would move him up well in the standings.

Mark Martin
DM: Coming off a strong third place finish at Daytona, Mark Martin should have another good run at Phoenix this weekend. With an average Phoenix finish of 10.1, Martin turned in solid top ten performances at Phoenix last season, finishing ninth and tenth in each event respectively. His late race charge at Daytona showed Martin still has plenty of fight in him and the higher speeds of the new car shouldn’t be an issue with the 54 year old veteran.

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