After back-to-back Team Penske wins, NASCAR heads to ISM Raceway’s one-mile horizontal track in Phoenix for the fourth race of the season.
Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are riding streaks of eight top-12 finishes dating back to last season, but both drivers are going to take a backseat to the recent dominating performances of Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch in Phoenix.
Harvick (9/4) and Busch (7/2) have the shortest odds to win Sunday’s TicketGuardian 500 and won at the course last season. This weekend, if Harvick were to triumph, he would join an elite group, becoming only the sixth driver in series history to win 10 or even more Cup Series races at a single track; joining Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Jimmie Johnson, David Pearson and Dale Earnhardt.
MORE: Chances to win 2019 NASCAR Cup Series championship
In three of those previous four Phoenix races, Busch has headed 359 laps, including 117 in his triumph throughout last year’s playoffs — the first under the new arrangement of the track.
Phoenix’s monitor is comparable to Richmond and New Hampshire and it’s no surprise both Harvick and Busch have experienced similar success at these racks. Busch has won the fall race at New Hampshire of 2017 and the last two races in Richmond. Harvick won the most-recent race at New Hampshire and has finished in the top five in five of the previous six races in Richmond.
But unlike in those preceding races, all drivers will be using a new automobile setup implemented by NASCAR, one different from what we watched the last fourteen days in Atlanta and Las Vegas. This season teams will use a spacer — and no ducts that are aero — for the first time. They will use a engine at Phoenix instead of their engine in Vegas. NASCAR expects to see a well-handling car. The package could close the gap Busch and Harvick have experienced on the field.
So far in 2 races with NASCAR’s slightly differing rules bundle, Ford has led 65 percent of their laps and has five period wins. Harvick’s teammate, ford motorist Aric Almirola, will be a sleeper motorist to watch this weekend. He was third at New Hampshire’s similar design last season, fifth at Richmond and fourth last season’s fall race at Phoenix. Almirola is 20/1 to win on Sunday and he is liked by us .
MORE: How to win at betting on NASCAR at 2019
Curious to win 2019 TicketGuardian 500 in Phoenix
Odds Supplied by Westgate LV SuperBook
Kevin HARVICK 9/4
Kyle BUSCH 7/2
Brad KESELOWSKI 7/1
Joey LOGANO 8/1
Martin TRUEX JR 10/1
Chase ELLIOTT 10/1
Denny HAMLIN 15/1
Kyle LARSON 20/1
Aric ALMIROLA 20/1
Clint BOWYER 25/1
Erik JONES 25/1
Kurt BUSCH 30/1
Ryan BLANEY 30/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 50/1
Austin DILLON 50/1
Alex BOWMAN 50/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 50/1
Daniel SUAREZ 60/1
Ryan NEWMAN 100/1
William BYRON 100/1
Daniel HEMRIC 100/1
Paul MENARD 100/1
Ryan PREECE 200/1
Chris BUESCHER 200/1
Matt DIBENEDETTO 200/1
Darrell WALLACE JR 500/1
Ty DILLON 1000/1
Michael McDOWELL 2000/1
David RAGAN 2000/1
FIELD (others) 500/1
Read more: footballdialogue.net