The Chase continues today with the running of the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Phoenix Raceway is a flat, one-mile dogleg oval located in Avondale, Arizona. First opened in 1964, Phoenix has gone through several reconfigurations, adding the dogleg in 2011 and then moving the start/finish line to right before the dogleg to make restarts crazier in 2018. Kyle Larson comes into today with a 49-point lead in The Chase, but starts the race from 22nd. The drivers ranked 2-7 in points all qualified in the top 6. Will they be able to take advantage of Larson’s poor start and cut into his lead by the end of the day?
Driver to Fade:
To say Chris Buescher has had a rough Chase would be an understatement. With his lone top 10 finish in The Chase coming last weekend at Charlotte, where he finished 10th, Buescher sits 15th in points, only ahead of his teammate, Ryan Preece. He starts 17th today and was near the bottom of the field in practice speeds. We predict Buescher will have another tough showing today and finish outside the top 15.
Dark Horse:
Austin Cindric has been the biggest surprise in The Chase so far, finishing in the top 5 in two of the last three races and sitting 8th in points. Being in a Penske car at Phoenix will help that trend continue. Starting 15th today, we predict that Cindric will move up throughout the race and finish in the top 10.
Top 10:
Christopher Bell has been one of the best on the short flat tracks over the last few years, including here at Phoenix, winning two of the last five and finishing in the top 5 in four of the last five. Bell also finished 2nd here in the spring after leading 176 laps. We predict Bell’s strong Phoenix runs will continue with a top 10 finish today.
Winner:
Ryan Blaney has been fantastic at Phoenix as of late, coming in winning the last two races here. Blaney also secured his first championship here in 2023. Coming into today 85 points behind Kyle Larson, he needs to start cutting into the lead if he wants to win another championship. Starting from the Pole today, we predict Ryan Blaney will dominate the race and cut into Kyle Larson’s championship lead by winning in Phoenix.
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