“Where the Championship Will Be Decided”: Why Upcoming Phoenix Weekend Is Huge for NASCAR Drivers and Teams

Barely a month after Ryan Blaney took home the 2023 Cup Series trophy, NASCAR returned to Phoenix to test the Next Gen car’s short track package in a bid to improve it. The sanctioning body ran trials for modifications related to aerodynamics, tires, mufflers, and the gearbox for two days to deliver the upgraded equipment. Inside the 2024 season now, the grid heads to the first of its two short-track races at Phoenix this weekend.

Days before the race, former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte expressed his belief that the upcoming race is crucial since Phoenix will be where the championship is decided come November. He said on Motorsports on NBC, “You said it in the question, ‘This is where the championship will be decided.”

He continued, “Think about it in another sport, say it’s golf. If you have got a practice round at Augusta leading into the Masters, you absolutely would take it to prepare for that upcoming major. Well, this is it for the NASCAR world.” Detailing the expectations from teams he added that they didn’t have to be the best car this weekend as long as they learned from it.

He added, ” What you don’t want to do is have mechanical [issues] early. Fall out of the race. Don’t log every lap. Don’t learn as much as you can learn. That really I think is the key. Not only be good and be fast but run all day long and continue to fill that notebook.”

The goal for the upgraded short-track package at Phoenix this weekend

After the December test, NASCAR’s VP of vehicle performance ruled that they noticed that the new package helped improve traffic. He ruled that with it, the drivers could slide around the short tracks more easily and worry less about lacking power. Steve Letarte too has the same expectations going into the race at Phoenix.

He said to NBC, “Maybe this will allow drivers to be a little bit more aggressive. Slide their car, change lanes, and move around. What we’re really looking for here is maneuverability.” He added that there was no magical answer to improving the experience at short tracks and that it just needed to be more entertaining for fans at the end of the day. The 312-lap race will begin in Arizona at 3:30 p.m. ET.