During a 50-minute practice session on Friday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR Cup Series drivers tried to fine-tune the short-track competition package they will race for the first time in Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The practice produced a wide range of reactions across the spectrum of competitors.
Joey Logano enjoyed the experience, and not just because he topped the speed chart during the session.
“Our Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang is fast,” Logano said. “That always makes it fun. Definitely a lot of slipping and sliding as the tires fall off. This track has become more and more racey, and it’s widening out.
“The ‘old’ Phoenix from years and years ago is starting to come back. This package seems to be a little bit more in that direction, as there’s less downforce and a little bit more off-throttle time.”
Though Denny Hamlin brought a radically different setup from years past to a track where he has struggled in race trim, he felt the new package—which features a smaller, simplified diffuser, a reduced number of underbody strakes and a taller spoiler—was a step in the right direction.
“It is going to be a very, very small change,” said Hamlin, who was second fastest in the practice session. “But anything that can allow us to run closer together, cross each other’s wake without the air blocking we have seen over the last few weeks, that will be a good thing.
“And I certainly think that this package, (and) this (new Goodyear) tire is heading in the right direction. It’s not all the way there, but it’s certainly heading there.”
Martin Truex Jr. said the car didn’t feel different from the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota he drove last November. Chase Elliott had a similar opinion.
“I forgot they did anything until they started talking about it afterwards,” said the 2020 Cup champion, who was seventh on the speed chart in the fastest Chevrolet. “I don’t see it really changing a whole lot. I could be totally wrong, but I don’t think it’s going to change much.”
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