After a great duel between Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR rolls onto Phoenix. The 2024 Shriners Children’s 500 ought to provide a real test as it represents the first shortish track of the year. With perennial powerhouse at this track, Kevin Harvick, now in the booth will someone new step up to claim his crown as the King of Phoenix?
2024 Shriners Children’s 500 Entry List
The entry list for Sunday’s race features no driver changes from last week. However, the #44 entry will not be at Phoenix this week meaning one less car in the field.
As mentioned above, Phoenix represents a shift in the style of racing with it being a much shorter track. We’ll see a bit more of the braking, beating, and banging that we sometimes associate with the roots of the sport – though not as much as a true short track such as Bristol or Martinsville.
We're ready for more burnouts next weekend 💨#ShrinersChildrens500 pic.twitter.com/ChxaoVt6lI
— Phoenix Raceway (@phoenixraceway) March 1, 2024
Expect lap traffic to be more of an issue on Sunday than it has been all season for the leaders. NASCAR made a real effort to improve the racing at this track over the off-season. We’ll see if it pays off with passing outside of restarts.
Race Odds and Predictions
The combination of his momentous victory last week and Hendrick Motorsports relative success at Phoenix Raceway means it should come as no surprise that Kyle Larson is the favorite (+550) once again. His teammate and winner of last year’s spring race at Phoenix, William Byron, finds himself among the favorites at +700.
The reigning champion of the NASCAR Cup Series – Ryan Blaney, comes in just ahead of Byron at +650. Blaney clinched his championship by being the highest finisher of the Championship Four in Phoenix last fall. Meanwhile, Ross Chastain found himself in Victory Lane after that race. By claiming the win, Chastain became the first non-championship contending driver to win the final race in this modern NASCAR postseason format. The driver of the #1 Chevrolet also ranks highly on the odds to win at +900.
Adding to the history books. ⁰⁰@Blaney wins the 2023 @NASCAR Cup Series Championship! pic.twitter.com/v5UTTxX2It
— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) November 5, 2023
For my official race prediction though, I’m riding with Christopher Bell at +900. The driver of the #20 suffered an early setback at Phoenix in the championship race and it feels like he’ll have something to prove here in 2024. Look for Bell to claim the checkered flag in Sunday’s race.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action from Phoenix!
Friday 03/08
General Tire 150 (ARCA Menards Series) – 7:00 p.m. CT on FS1
Saturday 03/09
NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying – 12:00 p.m. CT on FS2
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 1:10 p.m. CT on FS1
Call 811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200 (NASCAR Xfinity Series) – 3:30 p.m. CT on FS1
Sunday 03/10
Shriners Children’s 500 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 2:30 p.m. CT on FOX
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