The traveling circus known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes a stop at Phoenix International Raceway. The Subway Fresh Fit 500 is scheduled for Sunday, March 3 with the green flag set to drop at 1 p.m. (MT)
In 2012 Denny Hamlin won the Subway Fresh Fit 500 and finished second in the AdvoCare 500, the winter NSCS race at PIR. The 2012 AdvoCare 500 also saw Danica Patrick race in one of her 10-NSCS starts last season, on top of running a full NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. Patrick started towards the back of the pack in the AdvoCare 500, she qualified 37th, but got up to 14th place before being getting clipped by Ward Burton and she ultimately finished 17th.
2013 is Patrick's first season running a full NSCS schedule. Patrick, a Scottsdale, Az resident, made NASCAR history last week at Daytona by becoming the first female to start on the pole for any race and had the best finish (8th) for a female driver in NSCS history.
“Obviously, coming off Daytona, we’ve got a lot of confidence,” Patrick said in a release. “Tony Gibson and the Go Daddy crew are excited and I am, too. To have two good weeks in Daytona really helps set the tone for the early the part of the year. We ran well at Phoenix last year until we got taken out at the end, so we want to improve on that. It’s just about getting better every week. “
The Daytona 500 is one of four restrictor plate races on the NSCS schedule and for some drivers the real racing starts after the season opener. The Subway Fresh Fit 500 is the second race of the 2013 NSCS season and its home track, PIR, is a “one-mile, low banked tri-oval”. Racing at PIR is an opportunity for drivers and their crews to get ready for the rest of the season.
“Now the racing really begins,” Clint Bowyer said in a recent release. “In the next couple weeks you are really going to see who the strong teams are that are going to be competing for a championship all season long. Daytona is its own deal - its own type of racing. Now as we move on to Phoenix and Vegas you are going to see who has figured out this new car and who still has some work to do. That’s the beauty of the start of the NASCAR schedule - we visit virtually every type of racetrack in the first six weeks - Superspeedways, short tracks, 1.5 and two-mile tracks - it’s all there. I’m excited to see where we are compared to the other teams. I think we’re in a pretty good spot.”
2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Standings
1. Jimmie Johnson (47 points)
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (42)
3. Mark Martin (41)
4. Brad Keselowski (41)
5. Ryan Newman (40)
6. Greg Biffle (38)
7. Danica Patrick (37)
8. Michael McDowell (35)
9. J.J. Yeley (34)
10. Clint Bowyer (34)
Odds to win the Subway Fresh Fit 500, courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle:
Jimmie Johnson (5-1)
Kyle Busch (8-1)
Denny Hamlin (8-1)
Brad Keselowski (9-1)
Matt Kenseth (10-1)
Jeff Gordon (12-1)
Kasey Kahne (12-1)
Tony Stewart (12-1)
Clint Bowyer (15-1)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (15-1)
Danica Patrick (80-1)
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