Truex Triumphant in Phoenix

The last time the NASCAR Cup Series was at Phoenix International Raceway was the final race of last season when Chase Elliott was crowned champion. This time, however, the track played host to the 5th race of the 2021 season. The 500-mile race, while relatively uneventful, saw another new driver score the victory and claim a playoff spot; meaning just 11 spots remain with 21 races to go in the regular season. 

LAP 1: Shortly before the green flag flew, 3 out of 4 Hendrick Motorsports drivers (Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Kyle Larson) were sent to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments. Brad Keselowski started in pole position and led the field to green. However, within the first 2 laps, Keselowski lost the top spot to Denny Hamlin. 

CAUTION – LAP 30: The first yellow flag of the day came out for the competition caution so teams could check tire wear and make adjustments since there was no practice or qualifying before the race. After battling from the back to 14th place, Kyle Larson received a penalty for speeding on pit road and had to restart from the rear of the field once again. Keselowski won the race off pit road while Hamlin fell to 4th.  

CAUTION – LAP 47: Ross Chastain in the #42 braked hard in Turn 2 and caused a chain-reaction pileup with the #48 of Alex Bowman and the #3 of Austin Dillon. Bowman was spun around by Dillon and all three cars sustained moderate damage but were able to continue racing. Most of the field pitted during the caution which allowed the #12 of Ryan Blaney to pick up the lead and pull away on the restart. 

STAGE 1 END – LAP 75: Ryan Blaney took the stage victory and the additional playoff point. His teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, as well as Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott, rounded out the top 5 at the end of the stage. Logano picked up the lead on pit road and began setting impressive lap times after the race restarted. 

CAUTION – LAP 90: The only caution flag in the second stage came when the #51 of Cody Ware overshot Turn 2 and slid up the track, collecting the #38 of Anthony Alfredo. Both drivers made heavy contact with the wall and Alfredo was out of the race. 

STAGE 2 END – LAP 190: Joey Logano easily won the stage and collected his first playoff point of the season. Behind him, Martin Truex Jr, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney completed the top 5. Logano retained the lead on pit road and continued to hold onto the top spot following the restart. 

LAP 223: As Logano’s tires started to fade, Martin Truex Jr was able to catch up and pass him for the lead. 

CAUTION – LAP 263: The yellow flag waved when the #8 of Tyer Reddick blew the right-front tire and hit the wall in Turn 2. Reddick slowed and dropped debris as he tried to get to pit road. The majority of the field pitted and Truex retained the lead. 

CAUTION – LAP 282: With just 30 laps to go, #18 of Kyle Busch and the #42 of Ross Chastain made contact that ended with Busch in the wall on the front stretch. Joey Logano had a fast stop and exited the pits in 1st, but he was quickly overtaken by the #19 of Truex when the race restarted. 

CHECKERED FLAG – LAP 312: Martin Truex crossed the finish line almost 2-seconds ahead of Joey Logano to claim his first victory of 2021. This was also his first win at Phoenix Raceway. 

RESULTS:

1. Martin Truex Jr
2. Joey Logano
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Brad Keselowski
5. Chase Elliott
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Kyle Larson
8. William Byron
9. Christopher Bell
10. Ryan Blaney
11. Aric Almirola
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
13. Alex Bowman
14. Matt DiBenedetto
15. Kurt Busch
16. Bubba Wallace
17. Austin Dillon
18. Chris Buescher 
19. Ross Chastain
20. Erik Jones
21. Daniel Suarez
22. Chase Briscoe
23. Michael McDowell
24. Justin Haley
25. Kyle Busch
26. Ryan Preece
27. Corey Lajoie 
28. Ryan Newman
29. Tyler Reddick
30. BJ McLeod
31. Cole Custer
32. Quin Houff
33. James Davison 
34. Garrett Smithley 
35. Josh Bilicki
36. Cody Ware
37. Anthony Alfredo
38. Timmy Hill