Phoenix Raceway is one of the most interesting racetracks on the NASCAR circuit.
It’s not an oval, it’s not a road course. It’s not a superspeedway, and I don’t know if you can call it a speedway. Its unique shape provides an obstacle like no other experienced on the Cup Series schedule.
For the last three seasons all three NASCAR divisions have had their championships decided at Phoenix. Yet, some yearn for the days of when the championship ended at Homestead-Miami Speedway, arguably a more competitive track than Phoenix.
Others feel Phoenix is just fine. Some may even have a unique idea for the championship race. Amy Henderson, Vito Pugliese and Trenton Worsham all give their opinion in this week’s two … no, three-headed monster.
Phoenix Was on Fire Last Weekend – Why Leave?
2022 was a pivotal year for NASCAR, particularly in the Cup Series. The season launched in Los Angeles at the LA Coliseum, debuting a new car in a new market, and the result was a resounding success. New fans, new eyes, and targeting the key age demographic needed to help sustain the sport in the future, everything came together perfectly.
As the season progressed, new story lines emerged almost weekly: the rise of Ross Chastain and Trackhouse Racing Team, road courses continuing to be the new action tracks, the saga of Kyle Busch, intermediate tracks being fun again. Until the incident between Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, there was hardly anything negative to speak of in the Cup Series.
Enter Phoenix.
The championship race for the Cup Series had its moments for sure: Chastain making contact with Chase Elliott on a restart, sending him spinning. Christopher Bell freaking out thinking his engine was blowing up. Bell’s crewman fastening his thumb to the wheel on a pitstop, there really was something for everyone.
Joey Logano, however, set sail and won all three stages convincingly and uncontested. In the closing laps, Logano was being chased down by his teammate, while Chastain tried desperately to close the distance, with Logano winning by less than half a second over his teammate, Ryan Blaney.
While I thought the race was fine, a quick perusal in the social media realms had a definite pitchforks and torches tone to it.
“Can we just go back to Homestead?” was a common refrain. My initial reaction was, “did you NOT watch the Xfinity and Truck races this weekend?” Moreover, what was so great about Homestead just a…
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