The last time Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin visited Phoenix International Raceway, he was only two races away from accomplishing what no other driver had been able to achieve since NASCAR brought into play the Car of Tomorrow.
Kyle Busch dominated from the pole to the finish in Saturday’s Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. Busch lead all of the 200 laps run.
No matter who of the four drivers that came roaring off turn four toward the finish line would have won the Daytona 500, the story would have been big.
The past three years at Phoenix International Raceway, Kevin Harvick Incorporated (KHI) has won with Kyle Busch second. Going into this year, Busch said no more as he brought a brand new truck, set to take down KHI.
The two Kyles were the only writers able to pick top-ten finishing drivers at the Daytona 500. Kyle Ocker earned ten points for correctly picking Trevor Bayne as the winner (his dark horse pick) and Kyle Brandt earned six points for his dark horse pick Juan Pablo Montoya finishing sixth.
With enough crashes to cause H.B. Halicki, director of the original ‘Gone In 60 Seconds’, to do barrel rolls in his grave, this last Sunday’s Daytona 500 .
Remember last Sunday when 15.6 million television viewers, and 182,000 spectators, watched the Daytona 500 in awe stuck wonder over a form of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing we had never seen before?
As Trevor Bayne makes his victory tour this week, the question remains. Is he the savior of NASCAR or will the throngs be disappointed as he struggles through the next few races finding his way?
The 24-year-old Riggs from Bahama, North Carolina, rallied from a slow pit service, only to scrub the wall, cut a right-front tire, plummet to 19th in the final running order and face a 37-point deficit following the second Chase event of the 2026 Truck season.
Three-time Funny Car world champion Ron Capps secured his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the 2026 season on Saturday at the inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock during the conclusion of qualifying at Rockingham Dragway.