Navigating the End of the West Coast Swing: Phoenix Race Review and Analysis

 



Navigating the desert, before the sunsets on the West coast swing!  William Byron took home the checkered flag in Phoenix.  With a savvy move, Byron was able to stay consistent and cut away from Kyle Larson, as he rode off to victory.  The 25-year old collects the 6th win of his career, and 2nd of the 2023 season Byron, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Kyle Busch, are the only three drivers locked into the playoffs. 


The biggest storyline of the weekend was Nascar’s debut of the new short track, and road course aero package, at Phoenix Raceway this weekend.  After a 50-minute practice, both drivers, and teams emphasized the difference in handling between the car from the championship race in Phoenix in November.



(William Byron in Victory Lane in Phoenix)


The next-gen car was less stable, and the downforce on each race car was the difference maker in on-track performance this weekend.  That wasn’t the case for Hendrick Motorsports, even with Nascar officials confiscating the new louvers in addition to the car that came with the new aero package. 




On the final pit stop a few teams, including William Byron, took two tires only after Harrison Burton brought out the caution with a spin on the front straight away.  This set up the biggest restart of the race, where Byron prevailed, as he lead 64 laps. 



Today’s results are headlined by William Byron in victory lane for Hendrick Motorsports.  Ryan Blaney put together a strong day for Team Penske in 2nd. Third goes to Tyler Reddick, as the #45 team is building momentum for 23XI Racing.  Fourth is awarded to Kyle Larson, who fell just short led 201 laps for Hendrick Motorsports. 



Rounding out the top-5 in 5th is Kevin Harvick, who had the best long-run car in the field for Stewart-Haas Racing.  Christopher Bell, who was the most consistent out of the Toyota camp, is in 6th.  Seventh goes to Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing.  Finishing 8th is Kyle Busch for Richard Childress Racing.  Alex Bowman receives 9th, as the biggest surprise of the weekend is teammate Josh Berry, in place of Chase Elliott in 10th for Hendrick Motorsports. 




Honorable mentions go to Joey Logano on a bounce-back day for Team Penske.  Following him is Ryan Preece in 12th for Stewart-Haas Racing, along with Michael McDowell in 13th for Front Row Motorsports.  Bubba Wallace rebounded in 14th, after a slow final pit stop for 23XI Racing.  Chris Buescher for RFK Racing in 15th put together a strong day in Phoenix.  


Looking to rebound next weekend heading into Atlanta are Denny Hamlin, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Aric Almirola, Harrison Burton, and the rookies Ty Gibbs, and Noah Gragson. 


Concluding the west coast swing, monument was either built or is looking to be built for teams, as Nascar heads back East.  Taking today's race in Phoenix into consideration, I’d score today’s race a 9.0 out of 10.



Teams to look out for next week on the high banks of Atlanta are 23XI Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing,  Team Penske, Kaulig Racing, Spire Motorsports, and Hendrick Motorsports.  Anyone can win next weekend, as everyone is in play for a victory. 




Hampton, Georgia, is home to the Atlanta Motor Speedway Nascar will visit this weekend, as all three national series will be on track this weekend.  No practice this weekend, as the Truck Series will have qualifying at 3:05pm ET on Friday.  The Fr8 208 will be at 2:00pm ET on FS1 for the Truck Series.  The Xfinity Series’ qualifying 4:35pm ET on Friday.  The RAPTOR 250 gets underway at 5:00pm ET Saturday, on FS1.  The Cup Series will have qualifying at 11:35am ET on Saturday, and the Ambetter 400 as the green flag will wave at 3:00pm ET Sunday, only on FOX. 




( All images credited to https://www.foxsports.com/nascar/cup-series.)


For next week's race information please view the link down below:


Atlanta Motor Speedway Website





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