The official name of the track is the Phoenix International Raceway, but the site for this Sunday’s NASCAR race may as well be called the “Harvick” International Raceway.
The facts support my previous comment, especially in recent years. Kevin Harvick is not only the driver with the most wins at the track in NASCAR history with eight trips to Victory Lane, six of those wins have come in the past nine races held in Phoenix.
What will it take for another driver to beat Kevin in the Camping World 500? It can be done as has been proven three times in the last nine contests at the track.
The one mile track features turns with minimal banking (10-11 degrees in turns 1 & 2 and 8-9 degrees in turns 3 & 4) that will require a car to be handling well. The engines will need to produce enough power and speed to advance past others on the stretches or going into and coming out of the turns.
The drivers will need to be focused so that they don’t make a mistake that could cause them to crash and be ready to react to other driver’s that lose focus to avoid being collected in another drivers laps in focus.
The crews will need to be fast and mistake free on pit road to get their driver in and out without issue during pit stops. The drivers will also need to avoid mistakes that can cost them time on the track during pit stops including not getting any pit road penalties like speeding.
With this year’s advent of segment racing the drivers will also need to race aggressively to claim the bonus points without getting too aggressive resulting in one of the above-mentioned mistakes.
What drivers have done the best in their careers in Phoenix?
Top 10 Active Driver Ratings at Phoenix
- Jimmie Johnson – 111.2
- Kevin Harvick – 110.7
- Chase Elliot – 103.9
- Kyle Busch – 98.4
- Kurt Busch – 98.3
- Denny Hamlin – 95.6
- Brad Keselowski – 92.4
- Joey Logano – 92.4
- Matt Kenseth – 89.0
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 88.7
NOTE: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2016 (24 total) among active drivers at Phoenix Raceway.
Two weeks ago Kevin Harvick dominated the race in Atlanta, but he got a pit road speeding penalty late in the race that prevented him from winning. Last week in Las Vegas he had a bad week due to a blown tire. There is no doubt that Kevin will be looking for redemption this weekend by defending his 2016 win in this race by winning it again.
Jimmie Johnson has the best driver rating and has backed that up with four wins of his own at the track.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has not had the best start to the 2017 NASCAR season and could take a huge step toward improving that if he could add to his three career wins in Phoenix.
Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin and the 2016 fall Phoenix winner Joey Logano all have s single win at Phoenix International Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series. Any one of them would love to become the fourth active drive with multiple wins at the track. We will have to keep an eye on Kyle and Joey to see if last week’s indecent in Las Vegas between the two drivers carries over to this week’s race.
The NASCAR desert race should be an exciting one with the two 75 lap segments and third segment of 162 laps. We will find out what storylines develop and who ultimately wins after 312 laps (500 kilometers) of racing in the Camping World 500 at Phoenix International Raceway Sunday afternoon, March 19th starting at 2:30 PM central time (3:30 PM eastern time).
By: Buck Stevens
