2023 Phoenix Raceway Pre-Race Thread

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The entry list for the United Rentals 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway is posted, 36 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
A replacement driver for Chase Elliott has not been announced yet.
Todd Gilliland will be in the #15 for Rick Ware Racing, Zane Smith will be in the #38 for Front Row.

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AndyMarquisLive said:
I'll keep saying it, coverage on Peacock is better than nothing at all.

Bring on NBC.
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Checked Pockrass.....FS2. All good. That is going to be a crucial practice....both for this weekend, and the Championship.
 
Revman said:
Checked Pockrass.....FS2. All good. That is going to be a crucial practice....both for this weekend, and the Championship.
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NASCAR needs to go back to at least allowing a full hour-long practice session before qualifying.

I get that they're trying to "save teams money" or whatever, but this ain't it. We don't need six hours of practice, but there should be some. The pandemic's over.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
NASCAR needs to go back to at least allowing a full hour-long practice session before qualifying.

I get that they're trying to "save teams money" or whatever, but this ain't it. We don't need six hours of practice, but there should be some. The pandemic's over.
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I agree. I think this is mostly about "keep them stupid" so that race day is a crapshoot---or as close to that as possible. Part of what makes this sport great is the ability for a crew chief and driver to figure **** out if they unload like crap. Right now...if your sim sucks, you suck....and there isn't a hell of a lot you can do about it. But that is good because it makes Lajoie relevant? No.
 
Revman said:
I agree. I think this is mostly about "keep them stupid" so that race day is a crapshoot---or as close to that as possible. Part of what makes this sport great is the ability for a crew chief and driver to figure **** out if they unload like crap. Right now...if your sim sucks, you suck....and there isn't a hell of a lot you can do about it. But that is good because it makes Lajoie relevant? No.
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The engineers are already figuring it out.

That Las Vegas race was a horrible bore. The only thing that was accomplished with no practice is Josh Berry not getting any seat time and being able to learn the car before filling in for Chase Elliott.

Which brings me to another problem I have with this. NASCAR should, at the least, have a set practice for rookie drivers each week.
 
Having some nice weather here this week( its overcast/upper 60's today), supposed to be 80 this weekend, perfect weather for racing.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
The engineers are already figuring it out.

That Las Vegas race was a horrible bore. The only thing that was accomplished with no practice is Josh Berry not getting any seat time and being able to learn the car before filling in for Chase Elliott.

Which brings me to another problem I have with this. NASCAR should, at the least, have a set practice for rookie drivers each week.
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Track time validates the sim. Keep them off the track, and you keep them guessing IMO....and some think that makes the racing more compelling. The rookie driver seat time is interesting....would certainly encourage some teams to put the young guys in the seats for extra data points.
 
Revman said:
Track time validates the sim. Keep them off the track, and you keep them guessing IMO....and some think that makes the racing more compelling. The rookie driver seat time is interesting....would certainly encourage some teams to put the young guys in the seats for extra data points.
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I know F1 has some kind of rule where teams have to run a rookie driver in practice so much each year. Maybe NASCAR could do something similar.

They don’t really have enough at track practice right now for that during actual race weekends, but maybe something like allowing so much testing time per organization throughout the season but they have to use a rookie driver.

This would at least allow other times to have the same amount of track time albeit with different drivers and would also probably help guys be more cup ready when they more up in general.
 
Berry was thrown into the 9 without a proper fitted seat. Berry didn't have any sim time for the car OR for the Las Vegas track. He had no time to work with the pit crew rehearsing stops. It will be a different story for Phoenix. Berry will be much better prepared.
 
This is going to be interesting with the new package.
 
My prediction is it will look like every race at Phoenix
 
FONTANA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 26: A general view of Goodyear Racing Eagle tires in the Legacy Motor Club pit box area the NASCAR Cup Series Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway on February 26, 2023 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Goodyear Fast Facts — Phoenix​

MARCH 8, 2023 AT 4:10 PM

NASCAR Cup Series — Race No. 4 – 312 laps / 312 miles
Phoenix Raceway (1.0-mile oval) – Avondale, Ariz.
Fast Facts for March 11-12, 2023

Tire: Goodyear Eagle 18-inch Speedway Radials

Set limits:
Cup: 2 sets for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 9 sets for the race
(8 race sets plus 1 set transferred from qualifying)

Tire Codes: Left-side — D-5124; Right-side — D-5126

Tire Circumference: Left-side — 2,251 mm (88.62 in.); Right-side — 2,276 mm (89.61 in.)

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front — 14 psi; Left Rear — 14 psi;
Right Front — 30 psi; Right Rear — 26 psi

Storyline – Cup teams return to Phoenix on successful tire set-up: When the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Phoenix Raceway, teams will have a tire set-up that has proven successful with this Next Gen car. Not only did Cup teams run this combination of tires twice at this one-mile track, they ran it four other times last season – twice at Richmond Raceway and once each at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway. With some adjustments to the rules package for this weekend, NASCAR has given teams a “full,” 50-minute practice to tune their cars to Phoenix’s unique configuration.

“Our Next Gen short track package has been well-suited to Phoenix,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “With the new, lower downforce package, we expect the cars to slide a bit more in the corners, particularly as we go deeper into fuel runs. That will lead to tire wear, and most likely additional fall off.”
Notes – Seventh race for Cup teams on Phoenix tire set-up: Being on the 18-inch bead diameter tire, NASCAR Cup teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Xfinity Series at Phoenix this week . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires Cup teams ran twice at Phoenix last season . . . they also ran this same tire set-up at Gateway, New Hampshire and Richmond (twice) in 2022 . . . with this 18-inch tire, and its lower profile sidewall, NASCAR Cup cars will not run inner liners in any of their tires in 2023.
 
^Pace is half a second slower compared to last year's practice speeds according to the boys on Fox.
 
The Fords are in the house. I believe Stenhouse is the only one that did a qualifying run
Larson and Bowman are good as is ol Harv. Byron and Berry are lost as are most of the Yotas

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