2021 Phoenix Raceway, Instacart 500

With four weeks in the season complete we head to a different type of track for the first time this year. That means all new cars and a different strategy where the speed isn’t as important as the handling and pit selections are huge. Let’s see who we think will run well this week.

INSTACART 500

The series stays out west as the drivers and teams head to the Phoenix Raceway for the running of the Instacart 500. This 1-mile flat track will demand that the cars are handling great into and coming out of the turns. The straightaways aren’t all that long, so speed isn’t the major factor here. If you falter early you will find yourself at least one lap down if not several and it’s hard to get those laps back on a shorter track because so many will get lapped on the track without having to pit for an issue.

Kevin Harvick: I have to stick with Kevin even though he isn’t as dominant here now as he has been in the past when he was virtually unbeatable for a few years. Still, he is the only active driver to finish in the top ten here in each of the last six races run. In fact, he has finished in the top ten here in nineteen of his last twenty-one starts and that includes seven wins and three runner-up finishes.

Kyle Busch: Kyle is no slouch here either. He has finished in the top five in nine of his last eleven starts with two wins in that stretch. He has also lead way more laps than any other driver in his last six starts. Even when he’s having a bad year like last year, this is the track where he will always run well. The biggest question will be where he gets to pit.

Denny Hamlin: Denny won the fall race here two years ago and has finished in the top five in four of his last six starts. Denny has always been very good on the flatter tracks and this is one of those. My concern with Denny is all of the speeding on pit road penalties he gets. That is something you can’t do at a track like Phoenix where if you start at the back you’re already in danger of going a lap down.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin has five top ten finishes in his last seven Phoenix starts. That’s pretty good, but there are better drivers to choose from this week and there are better places to use Martin at. I think he is someone we want to use on the mile and a half and longer tracks and possibly on the road courses where he has shown much more consistency.

Chase Elliott: Chase won this race last fall to win the season championship and has finished in the top three three times in his short ten race career at this track. The way he runs on the road courses and flat tracks tells you he should have a fast car once again this year. Plus the fact that he won here last year will give this team a lot of confidence heading into this weekend.

Joey Logano: Joey has won here twice in his career. The last coming in this race last year. The only driver to lead more laps here over the past six races is Kyle Busch which tell me that when Joey’s car is handling well he is going to run up front. The thing is, when he doesn’t have a good handling car early in the race they never seem to get it to handle well and then he suffers with poor finishing positions.

Kyle Larson: It’s still early in the season for this new team, but Kyle has run very well at Phoenix in his career. He has finished sixth or better in six of his last eight races at this track, but is still looking for his first win. They have impressed me with now well they have been running already this season and I only see them getting better at the year progresses. He might be worth taking a shot on this week.

Brad Keselowski: Brad has finished runner-up in two of his last five starts at this track as he looks for his first win. The problem here is the same problem his teammate, Joey Logano, has. If he doesn’t have a good handling car right away they don’t seem to be able to get it much better during the race. Hard to tell where they’ll be come race day without any practice sessions.

Aric Almirola: A bit of a surprise to me was that Aric has finished in the top ten in five of his last seven Phoenix starts. I guess I shouldn’t really be that surprised as he has run much better at these flatter tracks the past few seasons from what he did earlier in his career. It probably has a lot to do with him being with Stewart-Haas Racing now and being able to learn from Kevin Harvick.

William Byron: William has done pretty well in his short six race career at this track. He has an average finishing position of 13.5 with three top ten finish overall. With this team already qualified for the playoffs they might use this race as a test session to see what they can do to get the car to handle at its best so they have a leg up if they make the championship race this year.

Kurt Busch: Kurt has finished in the top twelve in each of his four starts here since joining Chip Ganassi Racing a couple of seasons ago. His career average finish is 13th in thirty-six starts at this track. He is someone you might want to take a chance on this week also.

DRIVER GROUP GAME FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR PHOENIX RACEWAY

Driver Group Game Group A

• Kevin Harvick

Driver Group Game Group B

• Kyle Busch
• Kyle Larson

Driver Group Game Group C

• Bubba Wallace

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT PHOENIX RACEWAY

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Kyle Busch
3. Chase Elliott
4. Martin Truex Jr.
5. Denny Hamlin

Dark Horse: Christopher Bell

Stay Away From: Alex Bowman

Big 18: Kyle Busch