The Monster Energy Cup series went to battle in the desert yesterday at ISM Raceway in Phoenix. ISM Raceway always hosts great action as drivers tend to be aggressive while racing on the one-mile track. With the fourth race of the season, drivers are looking to secure an early spot in the playoffs.
The race kicked off with Chase Elliott coming out to an early lead. However, he was caught by a jumpstart on Ryan Blaney and had to pass through pit road after the penalty. Ryan Blaney reclaimed the lead he rightfully deserved.
On lap 36, Erik Jones brought out the caution after one of his tires blew out. Denny Hamlin won the race off pit road after everyone came down for servicing. Kyle Busch quickly took the lead over from Denny Hamlin. With twelve laps left in stage one, Brad Keselowski blew a tire and brought out the caution. Some drivers played on strategy and pit under the late caution. Ryan Blaney retook the lead after the caution and finished out the first stage with the win.
Kyle Busch did not pit during the stage break and started the second stage with the lead. Kyle Busch dominated but Alex Bowman brought out the caution with two laps left in the stage. Kyle Busch held onto the lead under caution and won the second stage of the race.
Kyle Busch restarted the race in the lead with 155 laps remaining. After a few early cautions in the final stage, Jimmie Johnson took the lead on the restart. Kyle Busch stayed even with Johnson and was able to pass and continue with his lead. After three more cautions in the final stage which involved Chase Elliott spinning and another for Ryan Preece. Ryan Blaney took over the race lead, but Kyle Busch chased down Blaney during a long green flag run. Busch made a pass with sixteen laps left in the race. His pass over Ryan Blaney was enough to close the case. Kyle Busch never looked back as he claimed the Ticket Guardian 500 win.
Kyle Busch’s win on Sunday seals the weekend sweep as he also won Saturday’s Xfinity S
It seems as if drivers are struggling in the dirty air when they are closing in for passes. This new package has been providing epic restarts as fans witness drivers barrel down in the corners four-wide sometimes after the green flag is dropped.
Tire wear was another factor yesterday. During long green flag runs, multiple drivers had tires go flat or blow out. The tight corners of ISM Raceway puts a lot of pressure on the tires and brakes which makes drivers worry during those long runs.
Next week’s race will be at Auto Club Speedway for the Auto Club 400. This race will be unpredictable because of the two-mile layout with big sweeping corners. The abrasive surface will also play another huge factor like at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It will be exciting to see how this aero-package performs at a unique track like Auto Club Speedway. This is will be the last race of the ‘West Coast Swing’ before the series comes back east for some short-track racing.