This Weekend in NASCAR – Phoenix Storylines

NASCAR’s top two national series are at Phoenix International Raceway this weekend with the Xfinity Series on Saturday and the Sprint Cup Series on Sunday. The Camping World Truck Series is off until April 2 when the season resumes at Martinsville Speedway. This weekend’s storylines follow…

Keselowski, Crew Chief Wolfe Cook Up Victory At Las Vegas

Fans at Las Vegas Motor Speedway got to see episodes of “Breaking Brad” and “Better Call Paul” all packed into one on Sunday.

Brad Keselowski darted past Kyle Busch with five laps remaining to win the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – his first victory in 33 races (Auto Club 2015).

Without a daring late-race call by crew chief Paul Wolfe, the No. 2 Ford driver wouldn’t have taken home the checkered flag. Keselowski was forced to the back of the field, following a pit road speeding penalty on lap 180. Wolfe made the call to stay out on Lap 216 with 51 laps remaining, gambling on fuel, but gaining the track position needed to win the race.

The win was the 18th of Keselowski’s career. Entering 2016, he led the series in wins in two of the last four seasons (2012 and 2014).

Keselowski is now virtually guaranteed a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with his win. For every victory he accumulates prior to NASCAR’s playoffs, he will gain three bonus points for the Round of 16.

Keselowski’s Team Penske shopmate Joey Logano placed second, marking the second consecutive weekend two teammates have finished 1-2. In the previous race at Atlanta, Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. came in first and second.

Sun Devil: Harvick An Unstoppable Force At Phoenix

No driver is as automatic at a track as Kevin Harvick is at Phoenix International Raceway.

The No. 4 Chevrolet driver has won five of the last seven races, including four of the last five at the one-mile track. Overall, he boasts a record seven victories at the Arizona oval and will go for number eight in Sunday’s Good Sam 500 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX).

Harvick’s 1,345 career laps led and his 264 laps led in a single race (Nov. 2014) are both track records.

Since PIR debuted its repaved surface in Fall of 2011, Harvick leads all drivers with five wins, a 4.6 average finish, 1,028 laps led and a 130.1 driver rating.

Harvick has started the season off strong, logging finishes of fourth (Daytona), sixth (Atlanta) and seventh (Las Vegas).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – A Hit At The Water Cooler And In The Desert

Water Cooler Dale – the Dale Earnhardt Jr. office alter ego created by Nationwide – trades in his business wear for a firesuit to travel to the arid desert as he tries to stay hydrated, and more importantly, earn his second consecutive win at Phoenix International Raceway.

Earnhardt led 22 laps in last fall’s Phoenix race, including the last one when the event was called due to rain. He was followed by Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson.

In 27 starts at PIR, the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet driver owns three wins, eight top fives and 13 top 10s. He has been strong in his last six Phoenix starts, producing four top fives and five top 10s.

Earnhardt finished eighth at Las Vegas on Sunday after placing runner-up at Atlanta.

Kyle Busch Puts On Show At Las Vegas

Kyle Busch’s move in Sunday’s Kobalt 400 was better than any show on The Strip.

On Lap 224 of 267, Busch rocketed from sixth on the restart to the point, diving under leaders Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano in the process.

Busch held the lead, pacing the field for 38 laps until a vibration slowed his car, allowing Keselowski to pass for the win with five laps remaining.

Busch finished fourth.

The defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion leads the series points standings by six over Jimmie Johnson. He finished third in both of the races prior to Las Vegas.

In 21 starts at Phoenix – the site of the next NSCS race – Busch has one win, four top fives, 13 top 10s and two poles. He boasts the fourth-best average running position (11.6) and fifth-best driver rating (97.3) among active competitors.

Dating back to last season, Busch has logged a top-five finish in his last seven starts.

“Keep top-fiving it — and the wins will come,” Busch said after the Kobalt 400.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year Race Off To Exciting Start

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year race has been as good as advertised.

First-year full-time drivers have strutted their stuff, providing entertaining racing and strong finishes.

In the latest chapter on Sunday at Las Vegas, Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney ran in the top 10 for the majority of the race. Elliott got tangled up in a wreck on lap 225 that ruined his day, but Blaney strolled to a sixth-place showing – his career-high finish at an open-motor track.

Blaney leads Elliott in the NSCS Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by seven points. Brian Scott and Chris Buescher trail tied for third (-10), while Jeffrey Earnhardt ranks fifth (-22).

Dillon Primed For Breakout Year, First Career Win

After impressing with four wins running a partial NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule last season, Austin Dillon is on the verge of visiting Victory Lane for the first time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

The 25-year-old Richard Childress Racing driver has opened up his third full-time NSCS season with finishes of ninth (Daytona), 11th (Atlanta) and fifth (Las Vegas). His strong showings have boosted him to 10th in the NSCS points standings.

“At one point in time we were way faster than the leader,” Dillon said. “We just put ourselves behind. But, we had a shot there at the end and if we were good enough to win, we would have done it. We have a little more work to do. I think a win is in the future though.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ETC.

Ty Dillon Back IN SHR’s No. 14 – Ty Dillon will make the most of his opportunity to drive in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing as he will fill in for the injured Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Chevrolet. This will be his third NSCS start this season but just his second for SHR. In his one previous start in the No. 14 at Atlanta, he started 18th and finished 17th. Last season, Dillon made one NSCS start at Phoenix, placing 27th.

Harvick’s Fighter Tate Wins UFC Title – Miesha “Cupcake” Tate, a UFC fighter managed by Kevin Harvick’s KHI Management, submitted Holly Holm in the fifth and final round of their UFC 196 bout to capture the UFC Women’s bantamweight title. Following the fight, UFC President Dana White said that Tate will get to defend her title against Ronda Rousey later this year. Other notable KHI management clients include country music artist Jake Owen, NBC NASCAR analyst Jeff Burton, ESPN reporter Shannon Spake and UFC fighter Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone among others.

Suárez Takes Over Points Lead, Hits Major Milestone

On the strength of three consecutive top 10s to start the season, Daniel Suárez took the points lead for the first time in his young – and impressive – career.

It was also the first time in NASCAR history that a driver born outside the United States has led the standings in any NASCAR national series. The Mexico-born driver also matched his best finish of second last weekend at Las Vegas.

Suárez is currently three points ahead of second-place Elliott Sadler and seven points ahead of third-place Ty Dillon and fourth-place Brandon Jones.

Suárez has made two starts at Phoenix, posting one top five and an average finish of 7.5.

NASCAR’s Loop Data points to Suárez running strong in Phoenix. He is ranked in the top 10 in three major statistical categories: seventh in pre-race driver rating (101.1), fifth in average running position (7.4), and first in percentage of laps run in the top 15 (100.0%).

In three starts this season Suárez has posted one top five, three top 10s and an average finish of 5.7.

Top Four In The Standings Are Separated By Seven Points

Three races into the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series season, the top four drivers in the standings are separated by just seven points. Daniel Suárez holds the lead – three points ahead of second-place Elliott Sadler, and seven points ahead of third-place Ty Dillon and fourth-place Brandon Jones.

Competition has been tight this season. JR Motorsports’ veteran Elliott Sadler dropped to second in the points this week following his third top-10 finish of the year. Sadler has posted an average finish of 7.0 this season, yet he couldn’t stop Suárez.

Sadler rolls into Phoenix looking to make his 15th series start there. In his previous 14 starts, he has posted one win (2012), four top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 12.4.

Nipping at Sadler’s heels is Richard Childress Racing’s Ty Dillon, whose 2016 season has seen one top five and two top 10s. Dillon runs well at Phoenix. In four starts at the one-mile oval, he has posted two top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 6.2.

Brandon Jones is the highest ranked Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate in the series driver standings. This season, he has posted two top-10 finishes and an average finish of 8.0. He will be making his series track debut at Phoenix this weekend.

Rookies On The Move: Erik Jones, Poole Are Climbing The Series Standings

Two of the biggest movers in the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship points this past weekend were Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates Erik Jones (+4 point positions) and Brennan Poole (+4 point positions).

Jones has been on a tear the past two weeks. Following Atlanta, Jones vaulted 11 spots in the points from 22nd to 11th. This past weekend, he jumped another four up to seventh; which shouldn’t be surprising because he has rallied off two third-place finishes in his last two starts.

Expect Jones’ ascension in the standings to continue this weekend at Phoenix. In three starts at the one-mile track, he has posted two top fives and an average finish of 4.7.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Brennan Poole has been playing catch-up these past few weekends due to his 27th-place finish in the season opener at Daytona that buried him in the standings (18th). The resilient Poole finished 14th at Atlanta, jumping three spots in the points and finished 11th last week, moving him up an additional four spots to 11th.

Poole has made one start at Phoenix, finishing 26th after starting 21st.

Erik Jones leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by six points over second-place Brandon Jones following Las Vegas.

Double Duty: Busch, Elliott, Dillon and Keselowski Will Compete Saturday

Four popular NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will be competing this weekend in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Phoenix International Raceway: Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, and Brad Keselowski. All four are former series champions who are returning to the series where they made their names.

NASCAR In Arizona

NASCAR has been competing in the state of Arizona all the way back to the 1950s. NASCAR has held 100 national series races in the state of Arizona at four different tracks – Phoenix International Raceway (92), Arizona State Fairgrounds (four), Tucson Raceway Park (three) and Tucson Rodeo Grounds (one).

The very first NASCAR race held in Arizona was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Arizona State Fairgrounds in 1951; won by Marshall Teague (Hudson, 60.153 mph, 2:21:16).

The NASCAR XFINITY Series has put on 28 races in the state of Arizona, all at Phoenix International Raceway. The first NXS race at PIR was in 1999 and was won by Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet, 115.053 mph, 1:44:18).

Thirty-one drivers who have competed in at least one NASCAR national series race have their home state recorded as Arizona, but none have visited Victory Lane.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.

Yeley Returns Home – Phoenix native J.J. Yeley, returns home to show off his racing skills in front of the hometown crowd at Phoenix International Raceway. Yeley will be making his 13th series start at PIR where he has posted three top 10s and an average finish of 19.4. He will pilot the No. 14 Tri-Star Motorsports Toyota this weekend.

GMS Racing joins the NXS – For the first time this season GMS Racing will field the No. 21 Chevrolet with driver Spencer Gallagher behind the wheel. Gallagher, a Las Vegas native, will be making his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut this weekend as well. He is currently a full-time championship competitor in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.