2005 Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix International Raceway

For the second week in a row NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing happens on a track that received a second race date for 2005.

This weekend's race in Phoenix marks a number of firsts for the track. This is the first NEXTEL Cup spring race ever held there. This is the first time that there will be two races there in a year. This is the first night race ever held there. With all of these firsts you can expect a lot of excitement in Phoenix on Saturday night.

Phoenix is a relatively flat one mile oval with a bend in the back stretch. Turns one and two are tight with 11 degrees of banking while turns three and four are long and sweeping with just 9 degrees of banking. Contrast this with last week's race in Texas which has 24 degrees of banking in the corners, more than double. This makes handling a very critical part of the package there.

I should also mention that this race is measured in kilometers so the Subway Fresh 500 is actually 312 laps/miles.

This is race number 8 of the 36 race season.

Keep an eye on tenth place Dale Jarrett. Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick are both within 10 points of passing Jarrett for his all import Chase spot. Getting into the top ten (and staying there) is critical.

The current points top ten are: 1. Jimmie Johnson 1,142. 2. Greg Biffle 1,007. 3. Rusty Wallace 905. 4. Kurt Busch 897. 5. Jeff Gordon 895. 6. Sterling Marlin 883. 7. Mark Martin 882. 8. Elliott Sadler 879. 9. Ryan Newman 873. 10. Dale Jarrett 853.

The media will be buzzing about all of the firsts that will be set this weekend, lights, spring racing, etc. Maybe there will be another first? This is one of the race tracks where Jeff Gordon has never won, can he get his first?

This weekend will also see the spotlight turn to Dale Earnhardt Jr. He won the last two NEXTEL Cup races held at this track but has really been struggling so far in 2005. Can he turn his season around this week? Are there deeper problems at DEI?

TV: Fox Saturday, April 23, 7:30PM Eastern.

Radio: MRN and XM Satellite

Actual Race: 7:55PM Eastern

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won in Phoenix for the second year in a row. However that was the fall race so this, technically, is a brand new race with no precedent. There was no "last year" for this race.

It's anybody's game this weekend but I'm going to bet on the old guys. How about Rusty Wallace as a dark horse winner this weekend. My backup pick is another guy that knows a lot about setting up a race car and adapting to changing track conditions, Jeff Gordon.