2023 United Rentals Work United 500 Race Preview & Best Bets Features Harvick and Almirola
NASCAR Cup Series: United Rentals Work United 500
Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona
Last Week's Race
Last week, NASCAR's Cup Series staged the Pennzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
William Byron won the race, and he arguably did deserve to win because he led 176 laps.
Despite the number of laps he led, it took late-race heroics to propel him past Kyle Larson.
Larson ended up finishing second, one place ahead of Alex Bowman.
Byron's win positions him in third in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings.
Kyle Busch remains in first place followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
We should specifically exclude Byron from our list of candidates to win this week's race, because it is statistically so unlikely for a driver to win consecutive races.
Race Info
This week's race is the United Rentals Work United 500 at the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.
For this race, drivers must complete a total of 312 laps.
As is almost always the case, this race has been divided into three stages.
Stage 1 requires drivers to complete 60 laps.
Stage 2 consists in the following 125 laps.
Stage 3 finishes upon completion of the 312thlap.
Entry List
The entry list for NASCAR's upcoming race gets published by the middle of the week of the race.
36 teams/drivers are listed for 40 possible spots.
So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we already know which drivers will participate in this race.
We may expect all the usual suspects.
Starting Lineup
As for the starting lineup, that gets determined via qualifying.
Qualifying takes place on Saturday, the day before the race, from 12:15 p.m. ET to 1:30 p.m. ET.
The format for qualifying will be groups A & B, single vehicle, one lap, and two rounds.
A practice session will immediately precede qualifying.
Track Info
Phoenix Raceway is a tri-oval course consisting in an asphalt surface.
It is one mile long, so that, in completing 312 laps, drivers will have accumulated 312 miles.
The banking here is minimal: the start/finish straightaway is banked at three degrees, the dogleg at 10-11 degrees, the straightaway from the dogleg to turn 1 at 10 degrees; moreover, turn 1 is banked at eight degrees, turn 2 at 8-9 degrees, the backstretch at three degrees, and turns 3 and 4 at 10-11 degrees.
Drivers to Avoid
We should try to go against Martin Truex Jr. at this track.
He often finishes terribly here.
In fact, he failed to finish better than 15thin his last two tries in Phoenix.
We should also look to go against Chris Buescher, who has never finished better than 10thin 14 races in Phoenix.
He often finishes outside the top 20 here.
My Guys
One driver worth relying on in Phoenix is Kevin Harvick.
Harvick loves competing here more than any other driver.
In his career, he has nine total wins here, which is at least three times as many as any other driver.
Plus, his success in Phoenix is consistent.
At this track, he has accumulated 19 straight top-10 finishes.
He repeatedly, in the process, finishes in a better position than he starts.
I also like Aric Almirola on Sunday, who since 2017 has gained tremendous comfort on this track.
The frequency with which he has since 2017 finished top-nine here makes him reliable at least against lower-profile drivers.
While Harvick looks primed to win, be sure to sign up with Bovada so that you can take advantage of their matchup betting opportunities right now.
For the above reasons, I recommend investing in Harvick to finish ahead of Truex Jr. and in Almirola to finish ahead of Buescher.
Best Bet: Harvick to finish ahead of Truex Jr. at 115 with Bovada & Almirola to finish ahead of Buescher at -160 with Bovada
NASCAR Cup Series: United Rentals Work United 500
Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona
Last Week's Race
Last week, NASCAR's Cup Series staged the Pennzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
William Byron won the race, and he arguably did deserve to win because he led 176 laps.
Despite the number of laps he led, it took late-race heroics to propel him past Kyle Larson.
Larson ended up finishing second, one place ahead of Alex Bowman.
Byron's win positions him in third in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings.
Kyle Busch remains in first place followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
We should specifically exclude Byron from our list of candidates to win this week's race, because it is statistically so unlikely for a driver to win consecutive races.
Race Info
This week's race is the United Rentals Work United 500 at the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.
For this race, drivers must complete a total of 312 laps.
As is almost always the case, this race has been divided into three stages.
Stage 1 requires drivers to complete 60 laps.
Stage 2 consists in the following 125 laps.
Stage 3 finishes upon completion of the 312thlap.
Entry List
The entry list for NASCAR's upcoming race gets published by the middle of the week of the race.
36 teams/drivers are listed for 40 possible spots.
So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we already know which drivers will participate in this race.
We may expect all the usual suspects.
Starting Lineup
As for the starting lineup, that gets determined via qualifying.
Qualifying takes place on Saturday, the day before the race, from 12:15 p.m. ET to 1:30 p.m. ET.
The format for qualifying will be groups A & B, single vehicle, one lap, and two rounds.
A practice session will immediately precede qualifying.
Track Info
Phoenix Raceway is a tri-oval course consisting in an asphalt surface.
It is one mile long, so that, in completing 312 laps, drivers will have accumulated 312 miles.
The banking here is minimal: the start/finish straightaway is banked at three degrees, the dogleg at 10-11 degrees, the straightaway from the dogleg to turn 1 at 10 degrees; moreover, turn 1 is banked at eight degrees, turn 2 at 8-9 degrees, the backstretch at three degrees, and turns 3 and 4 at 10-11 degrees.
Drivers to Avoid
We should try to go against Martin Truex Jr. at this track.
He often finishes terribly here.
In fact, he failed to finish better than 15thin his last two tries in Phoenix.
We should also look to go against Chris Buescher, who has never finished better than 10thin 14 races in Phoenix.
He often finishes outside the top 20 here.
My Guys
One driver worth relying on in Phoenix is Kevin Harvick.
Harvick loves competing here more than any other driver.
In his career, he has nine total wins here, which is at least three times as many as any other driver.
Plus, his success in Phoenix is consistent.
At this track, he has accumulated 19 straight top-10 finishes.
He repeatedly, in the process, finishes in a better position than he starts.
I also like Aric Almirola on Sunday, who since 2017 has gained tremendous comfort on this track.
The frequency with which he has since 2017 finished top-nine here makes him reliable at least against lower-profile drivers.
While Harvick looks primed to win, be sure to sign up with Bovada so that you can take advantage of their matchup betting opportunities right now.
For the above reasons, I recommend investing in Harvick to finish ahead of Truex Jr. and in Almirola to finish ahead of Buescher.
Best Bet: Harvick to finish ahead of Truex Jr. at 115 with Bovada & Almirola to finish ahead of Buescher at -160 with Bovada
