This Week in Auto Racing February 25 - 27
Avondale, AZ (Sports Network) - From the palm trees in Central Florida to the cacti in central Arizona, all three of NASCAR's national touring series head west to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend.
Sprint Cup Series
Subway Fresh Fit 500 - Phoenix International Raceway - Avondale, AZ
After a history-making Daytona 500 this past weekend, Sprint Cup Series teams are traveling nearly 2,200 miles from the 2.5-mile, high-banked Daytona International Speedway to the flat one-mile Phoenix International Raceway.
Twenty-year-old Trevor Bayne shocked the racing world by winning the Daytona 500 last Sunday. Bayne pulled off the greatest upset in the 53-year history of NASCAR's most prestigious race of the season. He also gave NASCAR its biggest Cinderella Story.
Bayne has been traveling throughout the country to fulfill media obligations, with stops in Bristol, CT (ESPN), Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles on his agenda.
He's also received countless calls, including one he didn't expect.
"The high point was when the White House called and said the President wants to talk to me in the next couple days," Bayne said. "I had no idea who it was. Just a private number came up on my [cell] phone."
Slowly but surely, his win is soaking in. It's real, and the Knoxville, TN youngster is enjoying every minute of it.
"It's starting to become a lot of fun," he said. "I'm actually getting to enjoy this win a lot more than I expected in these last few days."
After his time in Southern California, Bayne will the arrive to Phoenix in hopes of...well, pulling off another upset.
Bayne's Daytona 500 came in just his second Sprint Cup start. He made his series debut last November at Texas, where he finished 17th in his No.21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. Bayne has competed in three Nationwide races at Phoenix so far, with finishes of 14th (twice) and 32nd.
Per NASCAR's new rule, Bayne elected to earn championship points in the Nationwide Series only. He did not receive any points for his Daytona 500 win.
Carl Edwards accumulated 42 points for his second-place finish and therefore holds the lead heading into Phoenix.
Prior to the start of the season, NASCAR adopted a simpler points system that awards drivers with fewer points than the old structure.
When Sprint Cup last competed at Phoenix in November, Edwards snapped a 70- race winless streak in NASCAR's top circuit.
"We could not be going to a better track for us right off the bat," Edwards said.
Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA had hosted the second round in the 36-race Sprint Cup schedule from 2005-10. NASCAR made several changes to this year's schedule, with Phoenix taking over the second race date on the calendar.
The series will not run again at Phoenix until November 13, allowing plenty of time for the track to be repaved. Teams have run on the original surface at Phoenix since the series started racing here in 1988. The new asphalt and certain tweaks in the configuration of the track should produce side-by-side racing in the future.
"I'm really looking forward to the second Phoenix race," driver Greg Biffle said. "Phoenix is always fun to go race at, but I can't wait to see what it's going to look like repaved."
Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with four wins at Phoenix. Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin have two victories each here.
Johnson's bid for a sixth consecutive Sprint Cup championship did not begin on the right note after he finished 27th in the Daytona 500. Even though Johnson collected only 17 points for his finish at Daytona, there's no need for him to worry about his title hopes just yet, as 25 races remain before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
"[Phoenix] has been a good track for us over the years, and we look forward to going back," Johnson said. "With the way the new points system works, bad days are going to hurt you a lot more. We hope to roll into Phoenix and get rolling with a good finish."
NASCAR also begins it new qualifying procedure this weekend. The qualifying order will be based on the slowest to fastest practice speeds. If bad weather cancels qualifying, the starting lineup will be determined by practice speeds. The lineup would be set by owner points if weather forces cancellation of practice as well.
Forty-five teams are on the preliminary entry list for Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500.
Nationwide Series
Bashas' Supermarkets 200 - Phoenix International Raceway - Avondale, AZ
Despite winning the Daytona 500, Trevor Bayne plans to remain a title contender in the Nationwide Series.
Bayne, who is driving a full-time Nationwide schedule for Roush Fenway Racing this year, declared NASCAR's second-tier series as his choice for championship points at the start of the season.
His Daytona 500 victory generated some speculation that his championship preference might change to the Sprint Cup Series if Wood Brothers Racing could find enough sponsorship to support the team's efforts for the entire season. Bayne is currently running a limited Sprint Cup schedule for the Wood Brothers. The team plans to run at least 18 races this year, including the first six.
"I think I'm going to stay with Nationwide," Bayne said on Tuesday. "The only thing that changed is we get to be the Daytona 500 champions, which is really incredible. I think we're still going to have an awesome year at Roush Fenway, running for that Nationwide championship."
Bayne celebrated his 20th birthday last Saturday, the same day he finished 10th in the Nationwide season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.
The series now heads to Phoenix International Raceway. Landon Cassill finished third at Daytona and claimed the points lead. Tony Stewart finished first and Clint Bowyer second at Daytona, but both drivers did not receive points since they are Sprint Cup regulars.
But Cassill's top spot in the standings will be very short-lived. He is not entered in the Phoenix race. Cassill does not have a full-time ride Nationwide this year.
Elliott Sadler was selected in a pre-season media poll as the favorite to win this year's Nationwide title. Sadler, who is driving for Kevin Harvick Inc. this season, did not get off to a good start after finishing 38th at Daytona. This is his first full-time season in the series since 1998. He had been a Sprint Cup regular for the past 12 years.
Sadler does have high expectations at Phoenix, since KHI has been very successful at the one-mile track.
"Kevin Harvick has won in about everything there is to win at Phoenix," Sadler said. "I know that the team has a good set of notes across both their Truck and Nationwide Series programs.
"I'm looking forward to Phoenix, because the track is so different at both ends. I enjoy running there both in the day and at night, but at night, the track really opens up. It is a multi-grove track, and I really like being able to work my car in all the lines around the oval."
Forty teams are on the preliminary entry list for Saturday's Bashas' Supermarkets 200.
Camping World Truck Series
Lucas Oil 150 - Phoenix International Raceway - Avondale, AZ
The Camping World Truck Series will kick off NASCAR's triple-header weekend at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday. Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch are those Sprint Cup Series regulars competing in the truck race.
Bowyer won when the trucks last raced here in November. driving an entry for Kevin Harvick Inc.
"I only made one start in the truck series last season, and I went right to victory lane," Bowyer said. "Phoenix is an awesome one-mile race track. I really look forward to heading out there and making it back to victory lane this weekend."
KHI's truck teams are no stranger to victory lane at Phoenix. Bowyer's win gave KHI its third straight win and fifth overall at the one-mile track. Kevin Harvick won here consecutively from 2002-03 and then 2008-09.
Busch has finished first or second in each of the last four truck races at Phoenix. Busch won here in 2007 when he drove for Billy Ballew Motorsports. He is now in his second year as driver and team owner in the series.
It will be a busy weekend for Busch, who plans to run in all three of NASCAR's national touring series races at Phoenix.
"Running all three series this weekend is going to make for a pretty treacherous schedule," Busch said. "In the truck series, we practice, qualify and race all on Friday. I also have Nationwide and Cup practice on Friday, so it will be tricky hopping in and out of all three vehicles and trying to get a feel for each."
Todd Bodine, Ron Hornaday Jr., Mike Skinner and David Starr are those truck series regulars that have won at Phoenix in the past.
Bodine, the defending series champion, his hoping to rebound at Phoenix after his 23rd-place finish at Daytona.
Forty-one teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Lucas Oil 150.
Auto Racing Glance
Subway Fresh Fit 500 - Phoenix International Raceway
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 2:30-4 p.m., 6-7:30 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (Speed, 3:30-5 p.m.); Sunday, race, 3 p.m. (2:30-6:30 p.m.).
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1 mile).
Race distance: 312 miles, 312 laps.
Last year: Ryan Newman snapped a 77-race victory drought, taking the lead after a late caution and holding off Jeff Gordon in a two-lap shootout.
Last week: Trevor Bayne became the youngest Daytona 500 winner, beating Carl Edwards after fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. crashed in the first attempt at a green-white-checkered flag finish. The 20-year-old Bayne, making his second Sprint Cup start, gave the Wood Brothers team its fifth Daytona 500 victory and first since 1976.
Fast facts: The track will be resurfaced after the race. ... Carl Edwards won the November race at the track to end a 70-race losing streak. He also won the Nationwide race. ... Five-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson has a record four victories at the track. ... Under a new procedure, if qualifying is canceled, the starting lineup will be determined by practice speeds.
Next race: Kobalt Tools 400, March 6, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas.
Bashas' Supermarkets 200 - Phoenix International Raceway
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 1-2:30 p.m., 4-5 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (Speed, 2:30 p.m.), race, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN2, 5-8 p.m.).
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1 mile).
Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Kyle Busch raced to the second of his series-record 13 victories in 2010, rallying after losing the lead on a disputed restart and falling 20 seconds back after a drive-through penalty.
Last week: Tony Stewart won the season-opening race at Daytona for the fourth straight year and the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Stewart overcame a late pit stop to fix a flat tire to catch Clint Bowyer at the finish line.
Fast facts: Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne is driving the No. 16 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. He finished 10th in the Daytona Nationwide race. ... Danica Patrick is coming off a career-best 14th-place finish at Daytona. ... Last November, Carl Edwards swept the November and Sprint Cup races at the track. He has a Nationwide-record four victories at the track. ... Busch has 43 victories in 202 career Nationwide starts.
Next race: Sam's Town 300, March 5, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas.
Lucas Oil 150 - Phoenix International Raceway
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.), qualifying (Speed, 5-6 p.m.), race, 8 p.m. (Speed, 7:30-10:30 p.m.).
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1 mile).
Race distance: 150 miles, 150 laps.
Last year: In November, Todd Bodine wrapped up his second Trucks championship with a 12th-place finish. Clint Bowyer won the race.
Last week: Michael Waltrip won the season-opening race at Daytona on the 10th anniversary of his first Daytona 500 victory and car owner Dale Earnhardt's death. Waltrip passed Elliott Sadler in the final hundred yards.
Fast facts: Phoenix International Raceway was the site of the first Truck Series race in February 1995. Mike Skinner won that race. It has been 11 years since the series raced at Phoenix during the winter. ... Kyle Busch led the series last year with eight victories in 13 starts. He has 24 victories in 85 career Trucks starts.
Next race: Too Tough to Tame 200, March 12, Darlington Raceway, Darlington, S.C.