Getty Ryan Blaney (front) has favorable odds for Phoenix Raceway.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Phoenix Raceway on March 10-12 for the final race of the West Coast swing. The initial odds are out, and they call for a Ford Performance win.
According to BetMGM, there are two drivers that have the best odds to reach Victory Lane. Team Penske drivers Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano are in a tie at +800 entering the weekend. They are just ahead of Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson, who is at +900.
Logano is no stranger to success at Phoenix. He has celebrated three wins in 28 starts at the Arizona track, a run that includes the 2022 season finale. He also has top-10 finishes in 57.1 percent of his starts.
Blaney, for comparison, does not have a win at Phoenix Raceway in his 14 starts. Though he has nine top-10s and five top-fives. The driver of the No. 12 has not finished outside of the top 10 in the past five races at Phoenix.
6 Drivers Have the Fourth-Best Odds
GettyRyan Blaney makes a pit stop at Phoenix Raceway.
Logano, Blaney, and Larson all have strong odds to win at Phoenix Raceway. Meanwhile, there are six other drivers in a tie just behind them at +1,000 entering the weekend.
This list includes Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr., and Kevin Harvick. William Byron is all alone with the fifth-best odds at +1,200.
The members of this group have success at Phoenix Raceway. Hamlin has two wins, Truex has one, and Busch has three trips to Victory Lane. Chastain, Bell, and Byron all have yet to win at Phoenix Raceway, but they have combined for 10 top-10 finishes and two top-fives.
Harvick stands alone in terms of consistency at Phoenix Raceway. The 2014 Cup Series champion has nine wins at the one-mile track, which includes four straight in 2013-2015.
Harvick also made NASCAR history in 2022 by posting his 19th consecutive top-10 finish at a single track, which broke his tie with Richard Petty (18 at North Wilkesboro Speedway) and Dale Earnhardt (18 at North Wilkesboro Speedway). Now, he will have an opportunity to make it an even 20.
A New Package Shakes Up the Weekend
The Ford drivers were fast during the first two races of the Next Gen era at Phoenix. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe won the spring race while Logano won the season finale.
The 2023 spring race will now create question marks about whether this streak will continue. The new package featuring a two-inch spoiler and the removal of three diffuser strakes and engine panel strakes means that the cars should be harder to drive.
We’re going short-track racing this weekend!
@SteveLetarte and @ToddBGordon break down the new rules package debuting this weekend for short ovals and road courses.
Phoenix will be a mystery until the drivers are able to head out onto the track for practice. Fortunately for them, they will have an extended, 50-minute session on March 10 instead of the standard 20 minutes. This will give them ample opportunity to gain experience while also making some changes before qualifying.
“The good thing is we do have that practice and probably more important than just the practice is the ability to work on it after practice,” Michael McDowell told media members ahead of the trip to Phoenix.
“What I mean by that is on a typical weekend the cars are impounded – your springs, shocks, geometry, settings are pretty much set — but on Friday night after practice we’ll be able to change springs and suspension things to really maximize everything we can for Saturday.”