RYAN NEWMAN WINS CAMPING WORLD 500 AT PHOENIX RACEWAY

Richard Childress and Ryan Newman, post race. (Photo by: Dicken Wear)

PHOENIX – Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 31 Grainger Chevrolet, snapped a 127-race winless streak on Sunday by taking the checkered flag at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Camping World 500 at Phoenix Raceway.  Although Newman led just six laps of the 314-lap race, a late-race pit strategy by crew chief Luke Lambert led to Newman’s overtime victory, and his second Cup win at Phoenix Raceway.

"I lost track of how long it's been (since the last win)," said Newman, who averaged 104.271 mph." But man, (it was) just a gutsy call by Luke. I called for two tires and he called for none. I've won more races with no tires than I ever have before, so I'm just proud of these guys. We had a good car all day, kept it out of trouble, and collected in the end."

Prior to today, Newman’s last Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win occurred on July 28, 2013 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His previous win at Phoenix Raceway came in the Subway Fresh Fit 600 on April 10, 2010.

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Skittles Toyota, appeared poised to head to Gatorade Victory Lane, as he held a commanding lead with eight laps remaining in the race. But a caution came on lap 306 when Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, blew a right front tire and made a hard hit on the outside wall. Busch came off pit road second behind Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet. But three drivers stayed out, including Newman. Busch ended the race with a third-place finish.

Larson put up a fight, but struggled to get into second with barely a lap to try to pass Newman and finished second, just 0.312 of a second (about two car lengths) behind. Rounding out the top five were No. 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who also stayed out, and No. 2 Brad Keselowski.

"Once we got out front, thanks to my pit crew, that car really liked clean air," said Busch, who led a race-high 114 laps. "So, we just fought a little bit in traffic early on in the race, but we were mindful of that. We just kind of bided our time and got up to the front when we did and then had a little miscue there on pit road with Kurt (Busch). From there, it was just too many cars that stayed out. If it was only two that stayed out, maybe, but we definitely needed the outside like (Kyle) Larson had. Overall, we should be proud of our run today and we move on."

Logano started on the pole and led all but one lap in Stage 1 of the new NASCAR stage race format. There was one caution for Corey LaJoie, driver of the No. 83 BK Racing Graphics Toyota, hitting the wall on the backstretch on lap 27. The top five at the end of Stage 1 were Logano, Larson, Keselowski, No. 24 Chase Elliott and No. 1 Jamie McMurray.

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 24 Napa Auto Parts Chevrolet, took home Stage 2 after a bold move on a lap 83 restart. Elliott went three-wide on the outside of Logano and Larson, passing both drivers. There was one caution for LaJoie again, and Logano and Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 43 Smithfield Ford, were caught for speeding on pit road. The top five at the end of Stage 2 were Elliott, Larson, Busch, No. 48 Jimmie Johnson and Keselowski.

(Story Courtesy: Aimee Dulebohn of PIR).

Justin Allgaier wins the DC Solar 200 at PIR

PHOENIX – Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet, may have run the race of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday's DC Solar 200. Not only did he take home the victory at Phoenix Raceway in dominant fashion by leading 85 of the 200 laps, but he also won $100,000 in the first NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash race of the 2017 season.

"Last year was tough," said Allgaier, 30, who averaged 91.013 mph. "We had really good runs all year and were never able to get to Victory Lane, but these guys fought hard, like the same group of guys that we had last year.  These guys didn't give up, the pit crew did awesome; they gave me great pit stops. I knew it was going to come down to a short run at the end and I knew we had the car. We just needed a restart at the end, and we got that."

This was Allgaier's 18th start at Phoenix Raceway and first win. His previous best finish in the Valley of the Sun was second place in 2012. He had four top-5s and eight top 10s going into Saturday's race.

The race featured fresh faces at the front of the field, as Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regulars with five or more years of experience are ineligible for Dash 4 Cash races, which were designed to showcase the talents of XFINITY series regulars and make them more familiar to race fans. This meant powerhouses like Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano could not run. But there were five younger Cup drivers in the race, including Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford, who finished second, and Erik Jones, driver of the No. 20 Reser's Main St Bistro Toyota, who was third.

"I thought the Discount Tire Ford Mustang was really good on long runs," said Blaney, 23, who finished second by just 0.741 of a second. "Unfortunately, we didn’t get any of those at the end. The No. 7 was spectacular on short runs, so it just kind of played into his hands. We had a shot at it, just not quite enough. This team is getting really close (to victory)."

In addition to Allgaier, the four Dash 4 Cash finalists today included William Byron, driver of the No. 9 Axalta/Ameristar Chevrolet, Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 1 OneMain Financial Chevrolet and Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 42 Broken Bow Records Chevrolet. The four finalists were determined as they were the top qualifiers following the first two stages of the race.

Three of the four full-time JR Motorsport drivers finished in the top five. Allgaier was accompanied by William Byron, driver of the No. 9 Axalta/Ameristar Chevrolet, who won the pole and finished fourth and Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 1 OneMain Financial Chevrolet, who finished fifth. The other JR Motorsports entry, Michael Annett, driver of the No. 5 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, finished ninth.

  

Allgaier had to endure many late restarts before claiming victory, including an incident involving No. 2 Austin Dillon, No. 00 Cole Custer and No. 39 Ryan Sieg. Contact between Custer and Dillon triggered the wreck, and Dillon retaliated under caution. He was subsequently parked by NASCAR.

There were nine total cautions, including two for the end of the first two stages. 

Tomorrow's feature event -- the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Camping World 500 -- gets the green flag at 12:30 p.m., local time.

About Phoenix Raceway

Since 1964, Phoenix Raceway has been the premier motorsports venue in the Southwest. Founded as an open-wheel racing mecca, Phoenix Raceway is proud to once again host the Phoenix Grand Prix Verizon IndyCar Series race under the lights on April 29. Phoenix is the only track in the West to feature two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekends a year, beginning with the Camping World 500 race weekend in March 17-19. The schedule is anchored by the upcoming Can-Am 500 race weekend on Nov. 10-12, the semifinal race in NASCAR’s Playoffs after which the field is reduced to the final four championship contenders. For more information, visitwww.PhoenixRaceway.com.

Story Courtesy: Aimee Dulebohn of PIR.

Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix Debrief

Bill Patterson paints a victory portrait of Scott Dixon in Victory Lane following his win in the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway, Image Credit: Richard Dowdy - VICS

Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix Debrief

NOTES:

Qualifications - Smashing and setting a record - Previous record of 183.599 at PIR held by Arie Luyendyk (March 23, 1996).

Helio Castroneves, the 40-year-old Brazilian shattered the track record - set 20 years ago by Arie Luyendyk (183.599 mph) - by touring the historic one-mile oval in a stunning two-lap average of 192.324 mph to win the pole in his REV Group Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet.

Helio becomes the first driver to officially lap any one-mile oval faster than 190 mph - this would actually be a World Record mark as in a Guinness Book type of World Record.
[Reference Here]

Chevy vs Honda results post Quals. (revisited later as a post race review) -  Chevy had all top 10 positions on the grid.

At Race tire failures - First, Helio Castroneves, after leading out strongly, has a tire go down – Lap 40 - and it is diagnosed as a cut tire (outside front right - inside breach).

Second, also from the lead with as many laps on the tires as Helio, Juan Pablo Montoya's tire goes down – Lap 96 - it is the same tire position (outside front right - inside breach). The report on this one, however similar, is insisted to be from a different cause. Little explanation beyond this was given but the announcers speculated that since both cars were from Team Penske, that the camber may have been a bit over adjusted causing this tire failure to happen.

Chopping while driving - Charlie Kimball, and Tony Kanaan seemed bent on "protecting" their line with semi-aggressive squeeze downs to the line ... some without any on-track penalty. Kimball pays with a spin on Lap 134 but Newgarden suffers.

Restarts and Honda (RHR and Rahal):
• Outstanding start, re-starts highlight Hunter-Reay’s run - A likely top-three finish for Hunter-Reay was stymied by caution flags that twice waved just after he had completed scheduled pit stops, dropping him well back in the field each time as his competitors took advantage of the yellows to make their own stops. The poorly-timed cautions negated an aggressive race start for Hunter-Reay that saw the Andretti Autosport driver gain five positions in the opening lap. Hunter-Reay continued to fight back throughout the 250-lap contest, making multiple passes for position on each succeeding re-start and surviving a late-race brush with the wall to finish 10th.

• Rahal makes largest gain of the night to finish fifth - Rahal also had a strong race start and climbed through the field during the first half of the race, moving from 19th on the starting grid to sixth by the race’s Lap 125 mid-point. Rahal was able to both conserve fuel and maintain position through the remainder of the contest to net a fifth-place finish.

• Ill-timed caution flags cost Hunter-Reay, Andretti and Rossi - Two other Andretti Autosport drivers, Marco Andretti and rookie Alexander Rossi, also had likely top-10 finishes taken away by the same caution flags that hindered Hunter-Reay. Andretti dropped off the lead lap as a result of the second caution on Lap 120, to finish 13th, while Rossi was forced to make a stop for a cut tire while the pits were closed during a Lap 197 caution, resulting in a drive-through penalty and 14th-place finish.
[Reference Here]

Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan enter Turn 3 during the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway. Image Credit: Chris Owens - VICS

At end - Debris and Yellow Flags ... not! Ryan Hunter-Reay brushes the wall and leaves carbon-fiber on the front stretch on Lap 240 ... 10 laps from the end-of-race. Yellow Flag finally flown on Lap 248 as Alexander Rossi brushes the wall - Race ends on a Yellow White / Yellow Checkered Flag.

Bravo to Scott Dixon for his 39 Win and first-time win at Phoenix International Raceway. His win ties him for 4th on the all-time American Open Wheel win list with Al Unser. Next target on the list is Michael Andretti at 42 wins. When Dixon was at 38 wins, he had 19 Oval and 19 Street/Road course ... going into Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach ... he is going to have to win to balance this all up again!

Chevy vs Honda results post Race - Graham Rahal wasn’t able to reach the podium but did break into the top 5 with a P5. No Honda engine cars led any laps and only two drivers were able to break into the top 10 at race end - Rahal P5 and RHR P10. Only 4 Honda cars were able to finish the race on the lead lap. In 2016 and 2 races, Honda cars have been in front of the field for 18 of the 360 laps competed.

Attendance: 
Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan Sperber said he was on "cloud 9" after Saturday night's intense 250-lap Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix that attracted a crowd estimated just shy of 20,000.

It was successful enough to all-but ensure the series will be back at the Avondale oval in 2017, but likely will drop to late April, possibly Saturday night, April 29. That's because the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four will be at University of Phoenix Stadium early in the month, and Easter next year is April 16.
[Reference Here]

The podium of Scott Dixon, Simon Pagenaud, and Will Power following the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway. Image Credit: Chris Owens - VICS

DESERT DIAMOND WEST VALLEY PHOENIX GRAND PRIX POST-RACE NOTES:

• Dixon has won an Indy car race in 12 consecutive seasons. It is a Indy car record.
• This is the 101st Indy car victory for cars owned by Chip Ganassi. It is the first-ever win for Chip Ganassi Racing at Phoenix International Raceway across all series that race here.
• Simon Pagenaud finished second. It is his 14th career podium finish and second-consecutive second-place finish. Pagenaud leads the Verizon IndyCar Series point standings for the first time in his career.
• Will Power finished third in his first start of the season.
• Tony Kanaan finished fourth, his fourth top-five finish in as many starts at PIR.
• Graham Rahal finished fifth, his season-best finish.

DESERT DIAMOND WEST VALLEY PHOENIX GRAND PRIX POST-RACE QUICK QUOTE:
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “The biggest thing was just maintaining and trying to keep pace with whoever was in front and behind us and trying to figure out what we needed to make the car better. We tried to put ourselves in position to be there in the end. I can’t give enough credit to Team Target. They did amazing job. The pit stops were flawless and the strategy let us stretch out the fuel when we needed to and we were able to put some good cars a lap down early on. It was a good race and a good start for a return to Phoenix.”
About tying Al Unser for fourth on the all-time wins list: “It’s mind-boggling. I love doing what I do. I just feel privileged and lucky to one be driving in INDYCAR and two for a team like Chip Ganassi Racing. It’s amazing to be part of this team.”

UNOFFICIAL VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1. Simon Pagenaud         83
2. Scott Dixon                 79
3. Juan Pablo Montoya    74
4. Ryan Hunter-Reay       56
5. Tony Kanaan              54
6. Helio Castroneves        53
7. Graham Rahal             44
8. Mikhail Aleshin           43
9. Takuma Sato              42
10. Max Chilton (R)          39

UNOFFICIAL SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR POINT STANDINGS
1. Max Chilton                39
2. Alexander Rossi           34
3. Conor Daly                  32
4. Spencer Pigot               16

NEXT UP: The majority of the series will participate in a test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, April 6.

Round 3 of the Verizon IndyCar Series season will be the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 15-17.
(ht: VICS)

... notes from The EDJE


TAGS: Verizon IndyCar Series, Phoenix International Raceway, Scott Dixon, Target, Chip Ganassi Racing, TCGR, Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske, Helio Castroneves, Will Power, The EDJE, Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix