There is one spot left open in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Four and five drivers that want it. Who gets it will be decided in a desert duel in the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix Raceway this weekend.
Of course, there will also be 35 other drivers (including the three Round of Eight Chase Grid drivers that have already locked themselves into the next, and final round of the NASCAR playoffs) trying to win the race.
All of the drivers will have a tough task ahead of them to win the race at Phoenix Raceway. The track is a one-mile track that could be called an over-sized “short track.” That is because while the track is a mile in length, it is basically flat with just 10-11 degrees of banking through turns one and two and 8-9 degrees of banking through turns three and four. That makes handling a major challenge for the drivers and making the right adjustments a challenge for the crew chiefs.
Kyle Busch won the Martinsville race to start the Round of Eight and secure his spot in the championship race with a chance to win the title. Kevin Harvick won last weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway to claim his spot in the final four and Martin Truex Jr. has clinched a chance to win the championship through the accumulation of enough points that he cannot be eliminated this week.
Check out where the rest of the Round of Eight drivers rank heading into the elimination race this weekend below.
The race will be a challenge for every driver and team, we have established that. Which active drivers have risen to the challenge of the desert over their NASCAR Cup Series careers? Here is a look…
Top 10 Active Drivers at Phoenix
- Jimmie Johnson – 111.0
- Kevin Harvick – 110.3
- Chase Elliott – 107.9
- Kyle Busch – 99.7
- Kurt Busch – 97.0
- Denny Hamlin – 95.1
- Brad Keselowski – 94.1
- Kyle Larson – 92.7
- Joey Logano – 92.0
- Erik Jones – 91.9
Drivers names in red are current championship contenders.
NOTE: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2017 races (25 total) among active drivers at Phoenix Raceway.
Kevin Harvick doesn’t need to win this weekend for a shot at the championship at Homestead-Miami, but he is a good bet to do it anyway. Building from the momentum of last week’s Texas win, Kevin could score his 9th career win at Phoenix which would also be his 7th trip to victory lane in 11 NASCAR Cup Series races at the track.
Jimmie Johnson could be the fourth driver with a shot at the championship without a win mathematically. However, in reality he will likely need the win to advance to the final four. Jimmie will have to rely on the experience of his four previous wins at Phoenix to get in position for the win this weekend.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t in contention for the championship, but this is going to be his second to last race before he retires. You can bet that he will be racing to make his last Phoenix race a winning venture to add to his list of three career wins at the track.
Ryan Newman is the only other active driver with multiple Phoenix wins on his racing resume in the NASCAR Cup Series. He claimed his second win in the 2017 spring race at the track. Ryan has already been eliminated from championship contention in NASCAR’s playoffs, so sweeping the Phoenix races would likely feel very good to him.
Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin are the other championship contenders who have won previously at Phoenix Raceway. Kyle is locked into the Final Four, but he doesn’t know how to do anything other than race for a win. Denny will need to at least perform very well to advance, but a win would be a lock for him at Homestead-Miami with a chance at the 2017 title.
Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne all have a single win at Phoenix and they have all been eliminated from championship contention. Like Ryan Newman, adding to their tally of wins at the track would feel like a little vindication to these three drivers that can’t win the championship anymore this year.
Joey Logano won a race during the regular season, but it was encumbered following failure of post-race inspection. That kept him from making the playoffs this season. Joey’s only win at Phoenix was in this race during the 2016 NASCAR playoffs. Defending that win would be a huge vindication for Joey’s 2017 season.
No matter if it is contender or a spoiler that eventually emerges as the winner this weekend, you can bet that the action will be exciting for fans to watch on this nearly flat one-mile track in the desert.
Who will advance? Who will come close? Will it be a Chase Grid driver or spoiler winning the race? After the incident at Martinsville a couple of weeks ago, will Chase Elliott play a role in Denny Hamlin’s championship fate? These answers and many more will begin to be answered when the green flag waives to start the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix Raceway Sunday, November 12th starting at 1:30 PM central time (2:30 PM eastern time).
By: Buck Stevens
