Can-Am 500
Phoenix International Raceway
By Richard Tix
What to Watch For?
Can Kevin Harvick go Back-to-Back?
- It was a relatively good thing for a guy like Brad Keselowski that Harvick and not a guy like Hamlin or Elliott won at Texas. Why is that? That's because Harvick is a power at PIR and if Hamlin (for example) would have won Texas it would pit Harvick vs BK at PIR where Harvick is really good. Now, Harvick has a shot to go back to back and if that happens BK is practically a lock for Homestead (as long as BK doesn't completely collapse on Sunday). In the next section we talk about BK, so lest focus on Harvick for a second. It's true, in Harvick's first PIR run in a Ford he didn't seem as dominant as he did with Chevy, in fact Chevy ended up finishing first and second while Kevin finished 6th. But, Harvick is still Harvick and still has Rodney Childers at the helm so a win at PIR is never out of the question. On top of their previous success here they're coming in on a hot streak. If Harvick doesn't win at PIR or Homestead, it would be only the second time he didn't win at least three races in a season since 2010 (2012 he only won one race).
Can Brad Keselowski Close?
- All season the Ford headline have been about struggling while Toytoa dominates and all that time BK was just riding around towards the front still running strong. BK has been outspoken all year about the advantage Toyota, which was basically him trying to politic as much as possible, because Ford and Chevy were getting beat weekly. But, most of BK's poor runs were ended because of bad luck. Most weeks he was putting up quality finishes, but because of Toyota's dominance and his teammate Joey Logano falling off the map statistically, BK's demise was over exaggerated. It's never been more apparent how overlooked his season has been until now, when BK sits in the drivers seat for the fourth and final spot at Homestead because of a run of quality finishes where he added some extra playoff points. I'll be watching to see if he can cap it off with a shot next week, or if another driver will win there way to Miami by driving right by him.
Ford vs Toyota
- As it stands before PIR, the Championship has two Toyota's and one Ford. I maybe jumping the gun here, but in all likely hood the Championship will either come down to three Toyota's and a Ford, or Two and Two with Chevy being left out. That storyline will be much bigger next week depending on the outcome this weekend. Earlier this year Ryan Newman (Chevy) won and Kyle Larson (Chevy) came in second, but Ford took three spots in the top six (17, 2, and 4) and Toytota finished 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 10th (18, 19, 77, and 11). To top that off Joey Logano (Ford) took the pole and Ryan Blaney (Ford) also started on the front row. So, with the Championship at Homestead next week on the line and a bunch of drivers from both manufacturers trying to seal there spot, which one wins?
**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**
The Good
- Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch
- We all know Kevin Harvicks past here, but he hasn't been as good the last few stops at PIR as he once was. Hamlin and Busch both have exactly one win here (Hamlin in 2011 and Busch in 2005).
The Middle
- Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Dale Earnhardt Jr
- Larson was runner up to Ryan Newman earlier this year and also has another finish of 3rd to his name. He seems to be taking over where Harvick left of for Chevy, but still hasn't found the win.
The Bad
- Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Austin Dillon, Paul Menard, and Kasey Kahne
- JJ has lacked consistency here at PIR as of late (two top tens in his last six starts). Same goes for Kenseth who has just two top tens in his last seven PIR starts. Kahne's last top ten came five races ago and has an average finish of 20.25 in the four races since.
About the Track: Phoenix
Track Stats
- Chevy won 10 straight races from 2005-10
- Kevin Harvick has won 6 of the last 10 races
- Alan Kulwicki only started 5 races at PIR, but has 1 win, 3 top 5's, 4 top 10's, and an average finish of 5.2
- Jeff Gordon retired with the most career top 10's of any driver at PIR (24 total)
- Kevin Harvick has the most led laps in PIR Cup history with 1,484 total.
- Ryan Newman still has the most career poles at PIR with 4 total
Track Info
- Surface - Asphalt
- Length - 1 mile
- Banking
- Turns 1/2- 10-11 degrees
- Turn 3- 8 degrees
- Turn 4- 8-9 degrees
- Frontstretch- 3 degrees
- Backstretch- 10 degrees
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