“It’s Noticeable” NASCAR Veteran Shoots Down Doubts About 2026 Horsepower Increase
What’s Happening? NASCAR Cup Series veteran Erik Jones gave race fans a favorable review of NASCAR’s 2026 horsepower increase during a…
NASCAR’s top two National Series head to the deserts of Arizona for the first short track race of the season at Phoenix Raceway. Here are the major storylines you need to keep in mind ahead of this weekend.
What’s Happening? NASCAR Cup Series veteran Erik Jones gave race fans a favorable review of NASCAR’s 2026 horsepower increase during a…
This weekend, NASCAR’s new Next Gen short track package makes its points-paying race debut at Phoenix.
Now, this package was first used in a race in the preseason clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, and last week at Circuit of the Americas (as it is used at all road courses this season). But this race will make its first use on a short track during the regular season.
With the increase in horsepower from 670 to 750, teams would like to get a handle on any potential changes that could come their way, as Phoenix is not only similar to tracks like Richmond, but is one of a handful of tracks that will make a regular season and Chase appearance.
The NTT IndyCar Series kicked off its 2026 season last weekend, in a joint event with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix in Florida.
While the Trucks have the weekend off, the NTT IndyCar Series takes on Phoenix Raceway for their first race at the iconic venue since 2018, and their first joint weekend with the Cup Series since July 2020 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Even though this is not the first time the Cup Series and IndyCar have shared a weekend, it is the first weekend the top two divisions of oval racing in the United States will share a track during a weekend, as, in 2020, IndyCar and the NASCAR Xfinity Series raced on the IMS Road Course, while the Cup Series raced on the oval.
We are three races into the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, and as of right now, no team has looked particularly dominant.
While Austin Hill has a commanding lead after solid outings at Daytona, EchoPark, and COTA, Phoenix kicks off a stretch of races in which the series heads to more and more tracks that better reflect the bulk of the 2026 calendar.
This stretch could supply fans with a better look at who might be a real title contender, and who was propelling themselves on drafting tracks and road courses to kick off the season.
Joining the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this weekend is one of the best drivers at Phoenix Raceway in all of NASCAR’s three National Series.
Front Row Motorsports driver and current Craftsman Truck Series points leader, Chandler Smith, will drive Hettinger Racing’s No. 5 Mustang this weekend, in his first OAP Series start since the 2024 season finale at Phoenix.
That season, with Joe Gibbs Racing, Smith pieced together a career season, with two wins, 17 top fives, and 22 top tens, but fell short of making the Championship Four. Though he didn’t win the title, an early-season win at Phoenix propelled Smith into this great season.
In his combined nine starts at Phoenix across the Truck and OAP Series, Smith has two wins, seven top-fives, and nine top-tens. Expect Smith to be some form of threat this weekend at the 1-mile oval.
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