March 9, 2026

Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin finished fifth in the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. The No. 11 Toyota driver began the race from the 11th position and quietly made moves for position in the first stage. Hamlin made it up to fifth by the end of the first stage without issue and scored six stage points. The second stage, much like the first, saw Hamlin gaining positions quietly on track, but he became more of a factor for the lead by the late parts of the stage. Hamlin made it up to the top three during the second stage's final restart on lap 168, and he took advantage of restarting against slower cars to briefly hold the lead for a few laps until his teammate, Christopher Bell, passed him on lap 173. At the end of the second stage, Hamlin placed second and earned nine more stage points. In the final stage, Hamlin ran in the top 10 for most of the stage and avoided several crashes. Despite having one of the fastest cars in the field, Hamlin could only finish in fifth place at the end of the race as he did not have the speed to catch the top four. Hamlin's finish of fifth marked his first top-5 finish of the year, and he now sits 12th in the regular season standings after four races.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

March 9, 2026

Joey Logano of Team Penske had a disappointing result of 31st, despite being one of the top-performing drivers in Sunday's Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Beginning the race from the pole position, Logano dominated the early portion of the first stage until his teammate Ryan Blaney passed him on lap 47. Before the end of the stage, Christopher Bell also passed Logano, leaving Logano to finish the first stage in third and score eight stage points. In the second stage, Logano continued to run inside the top three through the early part of the stage, and after some cautions, Logano took back the lead on lap 110 until Bell passed him for the lead on lap 125. Pit strategies late in the second stage after another caution moved Logano further back into the top 10, but on the final restart of the second stage, Logano rallied back to third to obtain eight more stage points. In the final stage, Logano was having an up-and-down performance as he did regain the lead at one point, but then found himself in the middle of the pack after pit stops shuffled the field. On lap 254, however, Logano's race would come to an end as he made contact with A.J. Allmendinger and was involved in a multicar wreck that ended his day. Logano would be credited with a DNF and a finish of 31st, his worst Phoenix finish since March 2024. After four races, Logano is now seventh in the regular season standings as the Cup Series now heads to Las Vegas.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

March 8, 2026

Team Penske's Ryan Blaney will start fifth for this week's Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Blaney will start in the top five for the second consecutive race at Phoenix and matches his starting position from last Fall's race at the site. In 20 Cup starts at Phoenix, Blaney has one win, 14 top-10 finishes, including 10 inside the top five. Eight of the last nine Phoenix Races ended with a top-5 result for Blaney, and he is the track's most recent Cup winner. In practice, Blaney ranked eighth in overall lap averages, seventh in 10 consecutive lap averages, fifth in 15 consecutive lap averages, and second in 20 consecutive lap averages. Although he does not provide much upside from his starting position, Blaney has been one of the top overall drivers at Phoenix in the past couple of years. The No. 12 Ford driver's practice speeds also indicate that he is likely to be fast enough to compete for the win this week.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 8, 2026

Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing will start 11th for the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. The No. 11 Toyota driver will now start in the top 15 for the fifth consecutive Cup race at the Arizona track. In 40 previous races at Phoenix, Hamlin has 24 top-10 finishes, 1,147 laps led (second-most of active drivers), and an average finish of 10.5, which ranks second among all active drivers. Hamlin also placed 11th or better in each of the last five Cup events at Phoenix. In practice for this week's race, Hamlin ranked 32nd in overall lap averages and as high as 17th in 20 consecutive lap averages. Despite the underwhelming practice speeds, Hamlin's track history is too great to ignore at Phoenix, especially when he was the most dominant driver in the track's last race. Fantasy players should highly consider Hamlin as a top option for DFS, with some minor upside offered by his starting position this week.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 8, 2026

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell is starting in 12th place at Phoenix Raceway for the Straight Talk Wireless 500 after qualifying. This will be the third consecutive Phoenix Cup race where Bell will start outside of the top 10. In 12 Cup races at the Arizona track, Bell has two wins, seven top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.9. The No. 20 Toyota driver has won the last two March Phoenix races and finished in the top five in three of the last four Cup events at the site. In practice, Bell ranked 20th in overall lap averages and was among the top 10 fastest in 10-20 consecutive lap averages. Phoenix is one of Bell's better tracks statistically, and with favorable upside, he is worth rostering in all formats as he is likely to place in the top 10, as indicated by practice speeds.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 8, 2026

Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing will start in the 20th position for this week's Cup race at Phoenix Raceway, the Straight Talk Wireless 500. It will be the sixth time in his Cup Series career that Briscoe will start 20th or worse in a Cup race at Phoenix. In 10 prior races at the site, Briscoe has one win and five top-20 finishes, which were all scored within his last eight appearances. Briscoe also led three laps and placed in the top 10 at the end of the first two stages in last Fall's Phoenix race. In practice for this week's race, Briscoe ranked 18th in overall lap averages but displayed top-10 speeds in all other categories, including fourth in five consecutive lap averages and third in 10, 25, and 30 consecutive lap averages. Briscoe has highly favorable upside with a car easily capable of placing inside the top 10. As a result, Briscoe is highly recommended to start in all DFS formats as he is likely to move up through the field.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 8, 2026

Joey Logano of Team Penske will start in the pole position after qualifying first for the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. This will be the third time in his Cup career that Logano will start a race at Phoenix from the pole, with his last one coming in November 2022. In 34 races at the Arizona track, Logano has four wins (most of active drivers), 18 top-10 finishes, and 1,093 laps led, which is the third-most of active drivers. The No. 22 Ford driver has two top-5 finishes in the last three Cup events at Phoenix. In practice for this week's race, Logano ranked 12th in overall lap averages, 10th in 15 consecutive lap averages, and eighth in 20 consecutive lap averages. With strong track history at Phoenix and solid practice speeds, Logano is a potential dominator who can compete for the win this week.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 8, 2026

Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports is starting 26th after qualifying for the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet qualified in the lowest starting position of his Cup career in a race at the Arizona track. In 19 races at Phoenix, Elliott has one win, 11 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.1, which ranks fifth-best of all drivers in the field this week. Elliott has finished in the top 10 in each of his last three Phoenix races as well. In practice for this week's race, Elliott ranked 27th in overall lap averages, 20th in 15 consecutive lap averages, and 18th in 20 consecutive lap averages. Historically, Elliott has been great at Phoenix, but his practice speeds indicated only a top-20-capable car. Despite that, Elliott does have a high DFS ceiling and should be worth consideration for all formats as a result.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 8, 2026

RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher will start in 17th for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Phoenix Raceway. Despite having a flat tire and some small damage, Buescher will start in the top 20 for the third consecutive race in a row at the Arizona track. In 20 races at Phoenix, Buescher has 13 top-20 finishes, including six consecutive top-15 finishes at the site going into this week's race. In practice for this week's race, Buescher ranked first in overall lap averages and sixth in both 10 and 15 consecutive lap averages. Buescher's practice speeds indicate that he has one of the fastest cars in the field and is highly capable of a top-10 finish. Fantasy players should not underestimate Buescher, especially considering his solid finish consistency at Phoenix.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 8, 2026

In the early days of the Next Gen car, Ross Chastain was one of the best at Phoenix Raceway. He posted a pair of podium finishes here in 2022, and then went on to win the Championship race here in 2023. Since then, though, Ross has taken a step back on speed, as his driver rating hasn't been better than 93.1 over the last four races. This weekend, though, it looks like Chastain could be well on his way to getting back on track at Phoenix. In addition to qualifying sixth for Sunday's Straight Talk Wireless 500, Chastain also looked phenomenal in practice, ranking third or better in 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, and 30-lap average. At his $8.8K salary on DraftKings, Chastain makes for a very attractive tournament option / leverage pick in DFS on Sunday. --Jordan McAbee
Source: ifantasyrace

March 8, 2026

Josh Berry is an ace at racing short, flat tracks, and that should be on display this weekend at Phoenix Raceway. In the two races here last season, Berry walked away with fourth- and seventh-place finishes, and when you look over at New Hampshire (a very comparable race track), he has a pair of podium finishes over the last two years there. The Team Penske affiliation also helps Josh Berry have speed with his Ford Mustang Dark Horse, particularly on the long runs. With a qualifying effort of 10th-place for this weekend's Straight Talk Wireless 500, there's no doubt that Berry should be able to contend for another top-10 finish at Phoenix on Sunday. Could we be talking a potential race win, though? It's not likely, but it wouldn't be surprising. Berry ranked seventh-best at short, flat tracks last season.--Jordan McAbee
Source: ifantasyrace

March 8, 2026

Brad Keselowski of RFK Racing will start in the 37th and final position after he failed to post a lap in qualifying. The No. 6 Ford driver skipped qualifying after his car was damaged in a crash during practice and will need to go to a backup car for the first time in his career at a Phoenix race. In 33 total starts at the site, Keselowski has 15 top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish in his last appearance there, and an average finish of 13.9. In practice, Keselowski ranked 35th in overall lap averages and as high as 20th in 20 consecutive lap averages. Considering that Keselowski will be in a backup car and starting from the rear, no driver has more upside than Keselowski, making him an excellent option to consider for all DFS formats, especially in cash games.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 8, 2026

Tyler Reddick spun his No. 45 Toyota in practice at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday afternoon, although it's important to note that the 23XI Racing driver didn't hit anything when doing so. Reddick was able to qualifying his race car later that day and will start from eighth-place for Sunday's Straight Talk Wireless 500. All eyes will be on Reddick as he looks to become the first-ever NASCAR driver to win the first four races of the season. Can it be done? Anything is possible, but Reddick has never truly been a standout performer at Phoenix Raceway. Still, he has three top-10 finishes in the last six races here and should be able to contend for another one this weekend. Before his spin in practice, Reddick ranked 12th-fastest in terms of 20-lap average.--Jordan McAbee
Source: NASCAR

March 8, 2026

Don't be surprised if William Byron is a contender in Sunday afternoon's Straight Talk Wireless 500, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver has been a constant threat at Phoenix Raceway in the Next Gen era. Looking at the last six races on this one-mile track, Willy B has one victory, four finishes of sixth or better, and has led 52 or more laps in four of those six races. This weekend, Byron will roll off the starting grid from ninth-place, which gives him some Place Differential upside in DFS contests as well as his race-winning potential. Byron wasn't a standout in practice this weekend, but his track history has to count for something here. Make sure you don't overlook William Byron ($10.7K on DraftKings) this weekend.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Driver Averages

March 8, 2026

Don't overlook Kyle Larson in this weekend's Straight Talk Wireless 500. The Hendrick Motorsports driver qualified on the outside pole for Sunday's race, and has finished fourth or better in five of the last six races at Phoenix Raceway. Now, Larson only has one win here: a victory back in the 2021 Championship race, but the No. 5 Chevrolet has been one of the strongest at this track on an annual basis. As far as DraftKings playability goes for this race, Larson is a very interesting tournament/leverage option, as he's likely to be overlooked by DFS players. However, with his strong track record and solid starting position, there's a good chance that Larson could dominate a portion of this race this weekend--and contend for the win. Make sure you have some Yung Money exposure this weekend.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Jayski