The biggest surprise heading into the Freeway Insurance 500 isn’t who is leading the points. It is the track itself. Phoenix Raceway is a flat, one-mile oval that breaks the rules of modern racing. Most fans expect high-speed banking to decide a winner. This desert track has corners that tilt only nine to 11 degrees. The straights are completely flat too. This setup creates a unique test that favors specific driving styles over raw horsepower.
Mark Taylor from RotoWire notes that this unusual layout makes Chase Elliott a dark horse pick for fantasy owners. The No. 9 driver has a history of thriving where others fail. Per reports, the championship fight is still wide open after the chaos in Charlotte. A bad day here could knock a driver out of the title hunt. The stakes are high as the field races toward the final three events. Drivers will drive over each other just to grab a single win. Pressure mounts as the season draws to a close in Avondale.
The Flat Track Trap
Many drivers prefer the banked turns found at other major ovals. They struggle to find grip when the pavement is level. Josh Berry knows this well. His team faced brake issues during their last visit in March. The No. 21 Mustang Dark Horse got collected in an accident that day. Yet the Wood Brothers Racing team remains confident. They recorded fourth and seventh-place finishes at this same track last year. Berry sees a clear path to success based on past data and recent speed.
Berry spoke on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier this week. He admitted the spring race was tough but sees a different picture now. “It was a bit of a struggle for us in the spring compared to last year,” Berry said. He points to two strong races there last year as proof of potential. The team has been super strong at short tracks this season. They earned a fourth-place finish at Iowa and a third at New Hampshire. These results show the car can handle the flat corners well.
The strategy for Sunday relies on learning from those past notes. Berry believes the team can apply what they learned elsewhere. “We can look back on those notes and take what we’ve learned at those tracks and apply it to Phoenix. It should be a great race for us,” Berry said. Consistency is the key to winning here. The team wants to keep putting themselves in the top spots. “Hopefully we can keep knocking out those top-fives and top-10s, and when you consistently put yourselves in those positions, you get the opportunity to go for a win,” he said.
Championship Math at the Desert Jewel
The nickname “The Valley of the Sun” fits this venue perfectly. It is where the championship often gets decided. The track is an irregular “D” shape that tests tire management. Drivers must balance speed with saving rubber for the long haul. Restarts will be critical on Sunday. One small mistake can end a season. The 312-mile race covers 312 miles over the flat surface. Stage breaks are set for Laps 60 and 185. These stops will reset the field and change the flow of the race.
Chase Elliott is not the only one with a plan. The Truck Series will also race here on Friday night. Layne Riggs enters with momentum after a dramatic win in Charlotte. He passed Kaden Honeycutt late in the Ecosave 200. Honeycutt still has speed and led the most laps before the pass. The Truck Series race is 150 laps long. It is scheduled for Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS2. Daniel Hemric arrives fifth in the standings with a hot streak. He has four top-10 results in his last five races. He hopes to score a top-10 finish at his first NCTS start here.
Who Wins Sunday?
The data suggests that experience on flat tracks wins here. Drivers who have struggled at Phoenix in the past will look to turn it around. Josh Berry is one of them. His team has a proven track record at this venue. They are in a position to fight for the win. “We are in a position where we can certainly go do that,” Berry said. This chance offers the Wood Brothers a prospect to seize. They have a strong car and a clear plan.
Fans can watch the action on USA Sports. Practice starts Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on truTV. Qualifying follows at 5:35 p.m. ET. The green flag drops shortly after 3 p.m. ET on Sunday. This race will separate the contenders from the rest. The flat banking creates a unique challenge that only the best can master. Those who adapt will stay alive in the Chase.