NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: Good Sam 500

The Place: Phoenix International Raceway

The Date: Sunday, March 13

The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

TV: FOX, 3 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 312 miles (312 laps)

 

Breaking Brad: 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 since Auto Club in 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. Forcing Keselowski 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 before NASCAR’s playoffs, he will gain three bonus points for the Round of 16.

Keselowski’s Team Penske teammate Joey Logano placed second, marking the second consecutive weekend two teammates have finished one-two. 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.

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

Since Phoenix debuted its new 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).

Click here for an infographic detailing Harvick’s performance at Phoenix. 

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 started later because of rain. Kevin Harvick, then Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson round out the top-five.

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

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

Better than Britney: 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 before Las Vegas.

In 21 starts at Phoenix – the site of the next Sprint Cup race – Busch has one win, four top-fives, 13 top-tens 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 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-ten for most 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 Sprint Cup 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 Sprint Cup Series.

The 25-year-old Richard Childress Racing driver has opened up his third full-time Sprint Cup 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.”

Also Noteworthy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Ty Dillon Back IN SHR’s No. 14 – Ty Dillon will make the most of his opportunity to drive in the 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 Sprint Cup 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 Sprint Cup 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 last 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.