What to Watch Out for in the NASCAR Cup Series Race at Phoenix

What’s Happening?

Considered by many to be the first “real” race of the 2026 season, for the fourth round of the year, the greatest drivers in the world, the legends of the NASCAR Cup Series, head west to the Valley of the Sun. To conclude a thrilling double header weekend that saw IndyCar and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series take to the track yesterday, it’s now time for the Straight Talk Wireless 500. Here’s what you need to keep an eye on ahead of today’s race:

• There are a lot of eyes on Tyler Reddick heading into today’s race. Last weekend, Reddick achieved something that had never been done before–win the first three races to start the season. Now, with a touch more normalcy added into the schedule, the big question is: Can he keep up this wave of momentum? It has been almost 20 years since the last time someone won four races in a row. The year: 2007. The driver: Jimmie Johnson. The track: Phoenix. Reddick is starting 8th.
• Amid the tense lawsuit between JGR and Chris Gabehart/Spire, the Spire cars qualified really well. Daniel Suarez turned heads, posting the fourth fastest time in time trials. His teammate, Carson Hocevar, will start 7th. Can they make something happen today?
• The usual suspects of Team Penske also qualified well. Joey Logano snatched the pole while his teammates, Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney, are rolling off 3rd and 5th, respectively. Team Penske is notoriously good at the shorter flat ovals. And Blaney came close last week at COTA. Can one of them finally break through? They won the IndyCar race yesterday with Josef Newgarden. They’ll be going for the Phoenix weekend sweep today.
• Missing from the starting lineup is Alex Bowman. The regular driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevy has been indefinitely sidelined due to symptoms of vertigo. Taking his place in the Hendrick Chevy is Anthony Alfredo. He starts 31st.
• The FOX coverage of the IndyCar NASCAR Double Header continues today at 3 PM, EST on FS1.

Starting Lineup

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