Tyler Reddick made history last time out as his win at Circuit of the Americas marked three straight to start the season. Next up, NASCAR heads west to Phoenix for the 2026 Straight Talk Wireless 500.
Will Reddick make it four straight, or will we finally see a new winner? Let’s dive in.
2026 Straight Talk Wireless 500 Entry List
Austin Hill will be behind the wheel of the #33 car for Richard Childress Racing this week as the lone open entry. Hill is an O’Reilly Series regular for RCR.
Drivers will use every inch of race track in the dogleg at @phoenixraceway.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 6, 2026
1,920 inches (or so) to be exact (ish). pic.twitter.com/WtvkoE1P0g
As for the racing at Phoenix, expect this to be a bit of a sluggish race at times. Strategy and tire wear will likely play a role, but it’s difficult to pass at this track in the NextGen Cars. I am interested to see if some of the off-season changes will impact the racing, but I’ll have to see improvement before I believe it.
2026 Straight Talk Wireless 500 Predictions
When it comes to Phoenix, I feel like Penske and Gibbs tend to dominate races here. The Gibbs cars seem to find a lot of success in the spring, while the Penske cars wind up in Victory Lane in the fall.
With that in mind, I’m taking Denny Hamlin for my race winner here at Phoenix. Keep an eye on his teammate, Christopher Bell, as well.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action for the remainder of the weekend.
Saturday 03/07
NASCAR Cup Series Practice – 11:00 a.m. CT on Prime
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 12:10 p.m. CT on Prime
Grand Prix of Phoenix (IndyCar Series) – 2:00 p.m. CT on FOX
GOVX 200 (NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) – 6:30 p.m. CT on the CW
Sunday 03/08
Straight Talk Wireless 500 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 2:30 p.m. CT on FS1 and HBO Max
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