The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into the Phoenix International Raceway for the Good Sam 500 on March 12th at 3:45 E.T. The race will be televised on FOX and once again Darrell Waltrip, Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon will be providing race coverage from the booth. This will be the fourth race of the Sprint Cup Series and the 12th race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Kevin Harvick will look to continue his dominance at Phoenix. The Sprint Cup standout won here last spring and finished runner-up in the fall after leading a race high 143 laps of the 219 turned. The #4 Freaky Fast Chevrolet also drove to victory here in the spring and again in the fall of 2013 and 2014. Obviously Harvick is the clear cut favorite to do it again on Sunday. Harick may have his work cut out out for him as all four of the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates are inside the top six starting spots.
Kyle Busch, NASCAR’s 2015 Sprint Cup Champion, guided his M&M Toyota Camry to the pole position. Busch not only recorded the fastest lap during qualifying, but recorded top ten speeds in all three of the practice sessions over the weekend. Busch has won once here in the fall of 2005 and finished fourth in last year’s Folds of Honor 500 in November. The #18 car will have plenty of friends around him when the race begins. Teammates Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin are starting in the second and third positions and Matt Kenseth is not far behind in sixth.
Carl Edwards once again flexed his muscle at the one mile oval. He will be starting right next to teammate Kyle Busch and recorded impressive times in all three of the practice sessions. Edwards is no stranger to victory lane at Phoenix International Raceway. The seasoned driver triumphed here in the spring of 2013 and in the fall of 2010.
Starting directly behind Kyle Busch will be the 2016 Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin. The FEDEX #11 Toyota Camry owned by Joe Gibbs Racing followed suit and qualified third and resided in the top ten for all three practice sessions. Hamlin drove to glory in Phoenix in the spring of 2012 and finished eighth the last time he was here in 2015.
Kurt Busch, the teammate of the dominating Kevin Harvick, is starting fourth and is sandwiched in between Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth. Busch’s #41 Chevrolet was the fastest car in the first two practice rounds and played second fiddle to teammate Harvick in the last practice round. Busch has won here in the spring of 2005 and finished fifth in last year’s spring race and in seventh the second time around. It’s glaringly apparent he has capitalized on information that was shared from track guru and fellow racing partner, Kevin Harvick.
The #48 Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson will start in fifth for Sunday’s race. Johnson clearly had the quickest car out of the four Hendrick Motorsports machines. The Lowes’ sponsored hot-rod had top ten practice speeds, but a broken steering wheel forced Johnson into the outside wall in turn 4. The collision caused significant damage and he was unable to practice in the final round. If there is any team can recover from the debilitating set back it’s Johnson’s. The six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion has left Phoenix International Raceway victorious on four different occasions.
The #22 Pennzoil Ford Fusion driven by Joey Logano will look to be a factor in Sunday’s race. Logano had top ten practice speeds and will be starting in the ninth spot. The Penske Racing standout finished third here last spring and eighth in the fall. Logano has been one of the few Ford drivers that has challenged Kevin Harvick on the one mile oval. I fully expect the Pennzoil sponsored Logano to race inside the top 10 throughout the afternoon.
Las Vegas Odds for the 2016 Phoenix Good Sam 500:
| Driver | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kevin Harvick | 6/1 |
| Kyle Busch | 13/2 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 7/1 |
| Joey Logano | 7/1 |
| Brad Keselowski | 9/1 |
| Matt Kenseth | 10/1 |
| Denny Hamlin | 12/1 |
| Kurt Busch | 14/1 |
| Carl Edwards | 15/1 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 15/1 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 18/1 |
| Kasey Kahne | 20/1 |
| Kyle Larson | 25/1 |
| Ryan Blaney | 30/1 |
| Tony Stewart | 30/1 |
| Chase Elliott | 40/1 |
| Ryan Newman | 40/1 |
| Clint Bowyer | 50/1 |
| Jamie McMurray | 60/1 |
| Field (Any Other Driver) | 80/1 |
| Greg Biffle | 80/1 |
| Austin Dillon | 100/1 |
| Paul Menard | 125/1 |
| Aric Almirola | 150/1 |
| AJ Allmendinger | 200/1 |
| Trevor Bayne | 300/1 |
| Ricky Stenhouse | 400/1 |
| Danica Patrick | 500/1 |
Starting Line-up for the Sprint Cup Good Sam 500:
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch |  |
Skittles | 138.387 | 26.014 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 19 | Carl Edwards | |
Stanley | 137.515 | 26.179 | –0.165 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | |
FedEx Freight | 137.426 | 26.196 | –0.182 |
| 4 | 41 | Kurt Busch |  |
Monster Energy / Haas Automation | 137.394 | 26.202 | –0.188 |
| 5 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | |
LOWE’S PRO SERVICES | 137.174 | 26.244 | –0.230 |
| 6 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | |
Dollar General | 137.174 | 26.244 | –0.230 |
| 7 | 42 | Kyle Larson | |
Target | 137.033 | 26.271 | –0.257 |
| 8 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr | |
Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats | 136.934 | 26.290 | –0.276 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano |  |
Pennzoil | 136.773 | 26.321 | –0.307 |
| 10 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | |
Fastenal Ford Fusion | 136.752 | 26.325 | –0.311 |
| 11 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | |
McDonald’s | 136.555 | 26.363 | –0.349 |
| 12 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | |
Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire + Auto Center | 136.307 | 26.411 | –0.397 |
| 13 | 16 | Greg Biffle | |
Cheez-It Ford Fusion | 137.247 | 26.230 | –0.216 |
| 14 | 43 | Aric Almirola | |
Smithfield | 137.216 | 26.236 | –0.222 |
| 15 | 3 | Austin Dillon | |
Dow | 137.091 | 26.260 | –0.246 |
| 16 | 27 | Paul Menard | |
Richmond/Menards | 137.028 | 26.272 | –0.258 |
| 17 | 24 | Chase Elliott | |
NAPA Auto Parts | 136.971 | 26.283 | –0.269 |
| 18 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | |
Jimmy John’s | 136.893 | 26.298 | –0.284 |
| 19 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | |
Alliance Truck Parts | 136.851 | 26.306 | –0.292 |
| 20 | 31 | Ryan Newman | |
Grainger | 136.576 | 26.359 | –0.345 |
| 21 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | |
Advocare Ford Fusion | 136.503 | 26.373 | –0.359 |
| 22 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger | |
Fry’s / Scott Products | 136.488 | 26.376 | –0.362 |
| 23 | 83 | Matt DiBenedetto | |
Schluter Systems Toyota | 136.395 | 26.394 | –0.380 |
| 24 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | |
Great Clips | 137.190 | 26.241 | –0.227 |
| 25 | 13 | Casey Mears | |
GEICO | 135.537 | 26.561 | –0.547 |
| 26 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | |
Axalta | 135.527 | 26.563 | –0.549 |
| 27 | 38 | Landon Cassill | |
Snap Fitness | 135.394 | 26.589 | –0.575 |
| 28 | 14 | Ty Dillon | |
Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats | 135.369 | 26.594 | –0.580 |
| 29 | 23 | David Ragan | |
Dr. Pepper | 135.206 | 26.626 | –0.612 |
| 30 | 44 | Brian Scott | |
Albertsons Co / White Tail | 134.917 | 26.683 | –0.669 |
| 31 | 7 | Regan Smith | |
APC Chevrolet | 134.514 | 26.763 | –0.749 |
| 32 | 34 | Chris Buescher | |
Dockside Logistics | 134.429 | 26.780 | –0.766 |
| 33 | 95 | Michael McDowell | |
Thrivent Financial | 134.068 | 26.852 | –0.838 |
| 34 | 98 | Cole Whitt | |
TBA | 133.670 | 26.932 | –0.918 |
| 35 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | |
5-Hour Energy | 133.072 | 27.053 | –1.039 |
| 36 | 10 | Danica Patrick | |
Nature’s Bakery | 132.895 | 27.089 | –1.075 |
| 37 | 30 | Josh Wise | |
Curtis Key Plumbing | 132.797 | 27.109 | –1.095 |
| 38 | 46 | Michael Annett | |
Pilot Flying J | 132.768 | 27.115 | –1.101 |
| 39 | 32 | Joey Gase | |
Donate Life America | 132.543 | 27.161 | –1.147 |
Swing into the forum at forum.getmoresports.com to join in on discussions and predictions for the Good Sam 500 and all other sporting events that pique your interest.
