nascar

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- For three days in mid-May, hundreds of race cars will take to the high banks of Thunder Valley.

1. Kyle Larson: Larson took the runner-up spot at Phoenix, finishing second for the third consecutive time this season.

When Darrell Wallace Jr. signed with Roush-Fenway Racing for his rookie campaign in the XFINITY Series in 2015, many felt he'd carry his winning ways over to the No. 6 Mustang that Trevor Bayne was vacating.

Ryan Newman ended his winless drought at Phoenix International Raceway. Newman stayed out while most of the front runners pitted for two tires after Joey Logano blew a right front tire that brought out the final caution flag of the day with six laps remaining. Newman held off Kyle Larson on the two-lap overtime restart to win his first race since 2013 on Sunday in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Camping World 500.

NASCAR, stop fooling yourself into thinking stock cars at Indianapolis can work.

NASCAR will be utilizing restrictor plates at Indianapolis for the XFINITY race on July 22. This comes after a test last year with the plates, where NASCAR was reportedly pleased with the results.

Kyle Larson finished second place at Phoenix Raceway but emerged as the new points leader, proving that consistency is key in the Chase for the Championship.

Since joining RCR in 2014, Newman has made the playoffs a couple of times (2014, '15), with his '14 effort culminating in a narrow championship miss, finishing second to Kevin Harvick in the standings.

Drivers Ryan Newman, Kyle Larson, and Rickey Stenhouse Jr. stayed out on old tires during the final caution flag at Phoenix International Raceway. Newman's crew chief Luke Lambert rolled the dice giving Newman the lead when the field went back green with two laps to go.

The three drivers who combined to lead the most laps in the Valley of the Sun finished across the board on Sunday.