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Home , Alan Kulwicki, Alex Bowman, GMS Racing, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson

NASCAR THIS WEEK 8 - THE DERRICK. / The News-Herald Wednesday, March 4, 2020

SPEED FREAKS QUESTIONS & ATTITUDE A few questions we had to ask ourselves Compelling questions ... and PHOENIX maybe a few actual answers Too soon to consider among the 2020 THREE THINGS TO WATCH Feeling better about Jimmie? championship contenders? GODSPEAK: Whoa! Let’s Let’s go with the always pump the brakes there popular “cautiously optimistic.” mister. One early-season A year ago, win does not a contender finished 15th and 19th the make. two weeks after Daytona, so KEN’S CALL: Right about finishing fifth and seventh now, everyone is a con- is obviously “the right direc- tender. But the early win tion,” as Jimmie said Sunday always sets a tone, so in Fontana. These next few it’s certainly a good early weeks bring diversity in - review for the Showman. ways — Phoenix, Atlanta and Homestead — so if he’s decent- Just three races down, but to-strong at all three, it should any red flags yet? be a good final season. GODSPEAK: If the number of curse words used during Who are the bounty hunters? a race via two-way radio counts, take a look at the For now, it looks like it’ll be No. 19 and Martin and Truex Jr. who get a chance to collect KEN’S CALL: Maybe a pink $100,000 in added “bounty” loot flag, not red. But while three if they can beat in of the Hendrick cars are a Truck Series race. In March, showing speed ... William drove his Zerex Ford to his first NASCAR Cup victory at Phoenix in 1988. No underdogs Elliott will drive a GMS Racing Byron isn’t among them. At have won at Phoenix since his surprising victory. [PHOTO/NASCAR/RACINGONE/GETTY IMAGES] truck at Atlanta while Larson least not in the final results. will drive one at Homestead. He’s overdue. 1. Phoenix favorites 2. Harvick’s haven 3. Performance test In May, Elliott gets another shot at Kansas. It might not Unlike many NASCAR tracks, There was a time not so long For those keeping count, be as exciting as the old Jack GODWIN’S PICKS where an underdog can pull ago that you could almost all three car manufacturers Sprague-Ron Hornaday truck FOR PHOENIX out a win here and there, count on win- have scored a Cup Series win wars, but it should be fun. favors the ning at Phoenix. In one span, this season. has a WINNER: driver elite. The most improb- from 2012-16, he won six big test at Phoenix, accord- Ken Willis, ken.willis REST OF TOP 5: Denny able victory was by Alan times over eight starts. He ing to its latest winner, Alex @news-jrnl.com Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kevin Kulwicki, who scored his first has nine career wins at the Bowman. “At Phoenix I think Harvick, career Cup Series win there flat 1-mile oval. He needs a we finished like 25th there FIRST ONE OUT: in 1988, the year Phoenix was win to get his 2020 program in the fall last year,” he said. CUP STANDINGS DARK HORSE: Matt added to the schedule. Since on track. He’s coming off a “We were absolutely horren- DiBenedetto then the wins have gone to ninth-place finish at Califor- dous, so hopefully we can go 1. Ryan Blaney 122 DON’T BE SURPRISED IF: champions or near champions nia. “I am just having a hard there and run a ton better.” It 2. 111 Blaney could easily be a of NASCAR’s marquee series. time getting the car to be took Chevy 10 races to score 3. Alex Bowman 110 three-time winner this balanced all the way through its first win in 2019. 3. Kevin Harvick 110 season. The luck goes his the corner,” he said. 5. Jimmie Johnson 106 way in the desert. 6. Chase Elliott 105 Godwin Kelly, [email protected] 7. 94 8. Matt DiBenedetto 87 BY THE NUMBERS 9. Kyle Larson 86 10. 84 2 11. 82 Career wins by Alex 11. 82 Bowman 13. Martin Truex Jr. 79 3 FONTANA 14. 76 Chase Elliott’s Cup Series 15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 73 stage wins 16. 70 4 THREE THINGS WE LEARNED 17. 69 Laps led by Martin Truex Jr. 18. 67 11 1. Proving ground 19. Kyle Busch 65 Ryan Blaney’s Cup Series 20. William Byron 60 points lead Alex Bowman is in his third 19 season as Jr.’s Kyle Busch’s points position replacement in the No. 88 W H AT ’ S O N TA P after three races Chevy (All times Eastern) and needs to deliver. He’s on a one-year contract. “Every CUP SERIES: Fan Shield 500 M O T O R M O U T H S year is a contract year,” he SITE: Phoenix Speedway PODCAST said. “Every year of my life (1-mile oval) in the Cup Series has been a SCHEDULE: Friday, practice Three weeks down, 33 to go. contract year.” ( 1, 3:30 p.m. and Let’s keep this rig a-rollin’. 5:30 p.m.). Saturday, qualify- 2. Kyle’s ing (, 2:30 p.m.). Tune in online at Alex Bowman celebrates his Fontana win Sunday in California. Sunday, race (Fox, coverage www.news-journalonline. Kyle Busch was never really [AP/WILL LESTER] begins at 3 p.m., green flag at com/daytonamotormouths a factor in the , 3:30 p.m.) but somehow finished second. 3. Blaney’s luck lead there at the beginning of “We finished the end of last the third stage and kind of got XFINITY: LS Tractor 200 year so strong, I don’t know Ryan Blaney could be sitting swallowed up,” said the Team SITE: Phoenix Speedway what we’re missing here,” he on three wins if things had Penske driver. TV SCHEDULE: Friday, practice said. “Obviously, it’s a little gone his way. The 26-year-old (Fox Sports 1, 2:30 p.m. and bit of something here; maybe driver is leading Cup Series Godwin Kelly, godwin. 5 p.m.). Saturday, qualifying, a little bit of something in a points. He led 54 laps at [email protected] (Fox Sports 1, 1 p.m.), race (Fox few different areas.” California, but … “We lost the Sports 1, 4 p.m.)

2 0 2 0 C U P S E R I E S April 5: Bristol June 21: Chicagoland Sept. 6: Darlington SCHEDULE AND WINNERS April 19: Richmond June 27: Pocono Sept. 12: Richmond Feb. 9: Clash at Daytona (Erik Jones) April 26: Talladega June 28: Pocono Sept. 19: Bristol Feb. 16: (Denny Hamlin) May 3: Dover July 5: Sept. 27: Feb. 23: Las Vegas (Joey Logano) May 9: Martinsville July 11: Kentucky Oct. 4: Talladega March 1: Fontana (Alex Bowman) May 16: All-Star Race at Charlotte July 19: New Hampshire Oct. 11: Charlotte March 8: Phoenix May 24: Charlotte Aug. 9: Michigan Oct. 18: Kansas March 15: Atlanta May 31: Kansas Aug. 16: Watkins Glen Oct. 25: Texas March 22: Homestead-Miami June 7: Michigan Aug. 23: Dover Nov. 1: Martinsville March 29: Texas June 14: Sonoma Aug. 29: Daytona Nov. 8: Phoenix

KEN WILLIS’ TOP 10 NASCAR DRIVER RANKINGS

RYAN JOEY ALEX JIMMIE KYLE KYLE BUSCH DENNY KEVIN CHASE MATT BLANEY LOGANO BOWMAN JOHNSON LARSON Here’s HAMLIN HARVICK ELLIOTT DIBENEDETTO No clear No clear #2, Or #3, so 0-for-98, but Might win at Larson’s Settling in “Where’d Finally Will win a #1, but he’s either why not the gaining on it Phoenix big Phoenix for the long I hide my grabbed race this led laps Showman? stumbling haul desert another gear spring everywhere block mojo?” at Fontana 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10