#SrigleyStats Weekend Recap: Phoenix Raceway
Taking a look back at some #SrigleyStats from Phoenix, and highlighting the #SrigleyStats Spotlight Driver for the weekend, Ryan Truex.
PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Coppley, HHP, Courtesy of Team Chevy
This past weekend at Phoenix Raceway provided the debut of a new low-downforce package for the NASCAR Cup Series, as well as some interesting racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, both races which resulted in the youth movement prevailing.
Let’s take a look back at the #SrigleyStats from Phoenix Raceway, as well as a quick recap of the race’s finishing order, plus the #SrigleyStats Spotlight Driver.
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NASCAR Cup Series: Top-10 (United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix):
#24 William Byron - Hendrick Motorsports
#12 Ryan Blaney - Team Penske
#45 Tyler Reddick - 23XI Racing
#5 Kyle Larson - Hendrick Motorsports
#4 Kevin Harvick - Stewart-Haas Racing
#20 Christopher Bell - Joe Gibbs Racing
#14 Chase Briscoe - Stewart-Haas Racing
#8 Kyle Busch - Richard Childress Racing
#48 Alex Bowman - Hendrick Motorsports
#9 Josh Berry - Hendrick Motorsports
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Top-10 (United Rentals 200 at Phoenix):
#18 Sammy Smith - Joe Gibbs Racing
#19 Ryan Truex - Joe Gibbs Racing
#2 Sheldon Creed - Richard Childress Racing
#98 Riley Herbst - Stewart-Haas Racing
#16 Chandler Smith - Kaulig Racing
#20 John Hunter Nemechek - Joe Gibbs Racing
#21 Austin Hill - Richard Childress Racing
#8 Josh Berry - JR Motorsports
#10 Kyle Busch - Kaulig Racing
#11 Daniel Hemric - Kaulig Racing
#SrigleyStats Spotlight Driver: Ryan Truex
PHOTO CREDIT: David Rosenblum, LAT Images, Courtesy of Toyota Racing
Even though Ryan Truex came up just short of his teammate Sammy Smith for the victory in Saturday’s United Rentals 200 at Phoenix Raceway, the performance for the younger brother of Martin Truex, Jr. was still quite impressive.
The 30-year-old driver was embarking on his first of six starts for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this year, after eight months on the sidelines, not competing in a single NASCAR National Series event since July 2022.
Recording a second-place finish, Truex has now picked up at least a single top-five result in 10 of his 13 seasons competing in NASCAR’s top-three series. The only exceptions are 2010, 2013, and 2014, his one full-time campaign in the NASCAR Cup Series with BK Racing.
Now, the Mayetta, New Jersey native has his sights set on setting a career-best mark in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, by capturing multiple top-five finishes in a single season, something he’s never been able to accomplish.
Truex will return to the seat of the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra at Atlanta Motor Speedway, as he chases his first victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and looks to be the third Joe Gibbs Racing driver to pick up a win in the series’ first five races.
COMPETITION STAYS CLOSE AT PHOENIX:
On Saturday, a total of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers finished on the lead lap in the United Rentals 200 at Phoenix Raceway, the most ever for the series at the one-mile facility, and also the most for any NASCAR Xfinity Series event contested on a track smaller than 2.5 miles.
THOSE YOUNGER FACES ARE GOING PLACES:
On Sunday, William Byron snookered his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson on the final restart of the United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway, taking his second consecutive victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.
By doing so, Byron (25Y/3M/12D) became the fifth-youngest back-to-back winner in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series, behind only Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Richard Petty, and Chase Elliott.