Written by Gabriel Tsui & Ashleigh McGregor
After starting the season off with two superspeedways and a road course, the Cup and Xfinity Series tackle their first mile-and-a-half of the season in Phoenix, Arizona.
Phoenix is a mile-and-a-half oval with a twist: the start-finish is immediately after a corner. Coupled with a dogleg on the frontstretch and no “out-of-bounds” areas below the line, restarts here typically brew chaos.
The uniquely shaped D-oval first hosted the Cup Series in 1988, which saw Alan Kulwicki take his first career victory. The Xfinity Series soon followed in 2005, which saw Greg Biffle notch off a win.
Below are the start times for each race plus lap count:
Xfinity: Saturday, 8 March, 14:00 local (22:00 UK) – 200 laps
Cup: Sunday, 9 March, 12:30 local (20:30 UK) – 312 laps
Below are the defending winners of each race:
Xfinity: No. 81 - Chandler Smith (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Cup: No. 20 - Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Cup Series: Shriners Childrens 500 Preview
Written by Gabriel Tsui
Following an exciting end-of-race battle that saw Christopher Bell overtake Kyle Busch for the lead, taking his second win in a row, we head west to Phoenix Raceway for the fourth race of the season. Can Bell continue his hot streak to start the season, or will someone break it off and get their first of the season?
In their first visit of the season at Avondale, the drivers will be driving around the race track for 312 laps, with 60 laps in the first stage, 125 laps in the second stage, and closing it off with 127 laps in the final stage, totalling a distance run of 312 miles (502.115 kilometres).
The weather report indicates there will be rain at the beginning of the weekend, but the skies will be clear come race day, with temperatures around 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit). The race will commence on the Sunday of March 9th, at 15:30 ET (12:30 PT, 21:30 CET).
Race Predictions
Phoenix has been a place of struggle, with all three manufacturers winning once in the past three years. In 2023, William Byron dominated the race, winning stage one and the race, taking close to maximum points and a playoff berth. In 2024, Christopher Bell started the race in 13th place, but rose to the lead to win stage two, and led the rest of the way to take his first win of the season.
Fast forward to present day, the two aforementioned drivers are the only two drivers to take a win so far in the 2025 NASCAR Cup season. They haven’t been a dominating force, but they have come up clutch when the moment comes calling.
Phoenix, however, isn’t a place for one to ‘clutch up’ and perform last lap overtakes. It is a long grind track that rewards consistency and domination. That is why, the pick to win the race is Joey Logano. Three races into the season, he has already led 126 laps of racing, but has encountered poor luck towards the end of the races, including a DNF in Daytona.
The three-time, however, is the three-time for a reason. Logano dominated the track in 2022 and 2024 to take his second and third championship, with two more wins at Phoenix in 2016 and 2020. He has finished within the top-ten in Phoenix more times than he has otherwise. If there is a person I would bet money on to win the race, that person would be Logano.
Three things to look out for
Ford’s continued early season struggle
It’s the same story for the Fords, as most of the Ford drivers seem to be in an early season slump. With Austin Cindric being bumped down the standings due to a points deduction from an incident at COTA with Ty Dillon, the Fords currently have only Ryan Blaney within the top-ten in the standings, and only three other drivers within the top-twenty.
However, with the return to intermediate tracks in the next three races, it provides an opportunity for the Fords to bounce back.
Kyle Busch’s return to form
After missing the playoffs for the first time in the elimination-style-playoff era, and finishing the season with nine straight finishes outside of the top-ten, the 39-year-old entered the 2025 season with a few great drives in Atlanta and COTA, though expressed his frustration for being unable to hold onto the lead in COTA.
Busch is currently on a 60-race-long winless streak, but with the form he is on currently, he could soon be in victory lane celebrating his return to the playoffs.
Katherine Legge to make Cup debut
Katherine Legge, a 44-year-old female racer from Surrey, UK, will make her debut in Phoenix with Live Fast Motorsports in the No.78 car. She has previously competed in INDYCAR, DTM, and most prominently in IMSA, where she achieved four wins and came close to a championship in the GTD class.
Her appearance in the Cup Series marks the first female driver to appear in the Cup since Danica Patrick made her final entry in the 2018 Daytona 500.
Xfinity Series: GOVX 200 Preview
Written by Ashleigh McGregor
The Circuit of the Americas saw Connor Zilisch prove his undeniable talent for road courses. This week we move to the first race of two in Avondale, Arizona. The Xfinity series will return to the Phoenix Raceway in November for the series finale. The Phoenix Raceway hosts an oval track where the driver starting on pole has historically taken the win.
Race Weekend Guide
Practice and qualifying are all happening on race day. On Saturday March 8th practice will start at 11:30 EST (16:30 UK) running until 12:25 EST (17:25 UK). Followed by a ten minute intermission and then right into qualifying at 12:35 EST(17:35 UK). With 11 of the last 12 races at Phoenix raceway being won by a driver starting in the top eight, qualifying will set the tone for the race.
The race starts at 17:00 EST (22:00 UK) and will cover 200 miles over 200 laps. Stage 1 and 2 will each have 45 laps. Leaving the remaining 110 laps to make up the final stage.
Phoenix Raceway Top Contenders
Justin Allgaier is a two time race winner at this track and he will be making his 475th race start for the Xfinity Series in Arizona. He is the favorite for this weekend so definitely keep an eye on him.
Both Sammy Smith and Brandon Jones also hold a win at the Phoenix raceway, seeing where they end up this year will be interesting.
Sam Mayer who has previously done fairly well at Phoenix raceway is another driver to watch. He finished fifth at the championship race in both 2023 and 2024. With seven wins under his belt in Xfinity he will be looking to move his finishing position up this weekend.
Teammates Austin Hill and Jesse Love are currently leading the championship standings and can not be counted out of the mix. If either of them take the win this weekend it will be the 100th victory for Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series.
38 drivers take the track but only one can claim the trophy. Who is your pick for the winner of the GOVX 200?
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