Hendrick, RCR, Roush Fenway drivers have high hopes for Phoenix
By SceneDaily Staff
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Drivers cautiously eye the tricky little 1-mile oval, pointing out various aspects that make this oval feel different from any other.
Some say it’s more like a short track, others say there is simply nothing to compare it to. So as they prepare for Saturday night’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the competitors are a bit wary of what to expect at Phoenix International Raceway.
Hendrick Motorsports is pleased to be returning to the place where Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson each won a race last season. Roush Fenway Racing’s driver stable is optimistic as well. After all, Phoenix is the place where the team first landed solid performances across the board with NASCAR’s new car last season. Richard Childress Racing hasn’t been bad there either, with Kevin Harvick carrying wins in all three series at the track.
What will this weekend hold? First, a break that many need from trying to figure out NASCAR’s new model, formerly known as the car of tomorrow, at 1.5-mile tracks. Second, a chance to return to a track again in the car and, hopefully, gain even more ground.
Cup teams tested for two days at the track in March. The impact of that has yet to be seen, but one thing is certain: This weekend, a lot of teams are heading to Phoenix expecting to contend for the win.
Including the winless Hendrick group, looking for a boost to their season.
After a slow start, Johnson has improved in recent weeks and is coming off a second-place finish that has him seventh in the point standings. He says that he really enjoys coming to Phoenix and racing there.
“The flat tracks are real tough for our cars,” Johnson said. “[Turns] 1 and 2 have enough banking, where we sometimes get an outside
lane. [Turns] 3 and 4 have had some creative lines develop lately, but we need more banking than what PIR offers to put on great, great racing. I think we’ve put on a good show. I think it’s a little more single file than what the drivers would like.
“But the history of the track and shape of the track - it’s PIR. It is what it is. I’m not suggesting any big changes, but I think the days of
progressive banked tracks and the shows that we’ve been able to put on on those tracks is the direction that this new car is going to require us to go.”
Gordon, meanwhile, is enduring a less rewarding change in fortune. Last week at Texas, he suffered through one of the most dismal
races of his career. The car was so far off that Gordon said he couldn’t manage it and, after a spin, parked it until the team had made it more drivable. He’s looking to rally from that 43rd-place effort – and Phoenix offers a good chance for that. He earned his first career win at the track last season, but he has five consecutive top-10 finishes at Phoenix.
“This track is tricky, and it really challenges everyone,” Gordon said. “Turns 1and 2 are banked, while [turns] 3 and 4 are flat. And
the groove really widens out during the race.”
He hopes to take advantage of that, as does Kevin Harvick, who swept the Cup races there in 2006. This season, he’s off to his strongest career start, sitting second to RCR teammate Jeff Burton in the series standings.
He most certainly expects to face tough competition from the Roush Fenway Racing group, though.
After all, this is the track where the organization broke through last season.
Can they improve on that performance this time? Last fall, Greg Biffle finished second, Matt Kenseth third and Carl Edwards led 87 laps before suffering an engine failure.
They plan to repeat that performance, if not better it, this weekend.
“I’ve always enjoyed racing at Phoenix and we’ve had some success there in the past,” Kenseth said. “We weren’t too bad there last year and I think we should be able to compete this weekend."
At a glance
Race No: 8 of 36 (April 12, 2008)
Event: Subway Fresh Fit 500
Location: Avondale, Ariz.
Track Size: 1 mile
Number of Laps: 312
Length of Event: 312 miles (500 kilometers)
TV: 8 p.m. EDT, Fox
Defending champion: Jeff Gordon
Active winners: Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick 2; Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart 1
