With two races remaining this season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, two drivers go into Phoenix with a shot to win this year’s title. Those drivers to watch in the next two races are Sam Hornish, Jr. and Austin Dillon.
Both drivers currently separate each other by six total points in the standings. Sam Hornish, Jr. has one win this season to benefit him if they happen to tie next week. Austin Dillon continues to look for his first win this season.
Austin Dillon will make his fifth start on Saturday afternoon at the one mile Phoenix Raceway. In four starts, he has captured three top-10 finishes. In his first ever start there, he started in the 35th position and went on to a 34th place finish in 2009. Austin will run the same chassis he ran at Phoenix, Richmond, and New Hampshire earlier this season that drove him to a sixth-place finish back here in March.
“I like flat tracks. New Hampshire Motor Speedway is an example of a flat track where I feel like I have been successful in the past, and I feel like Phoenix International Raceway has some similar characteristics so I am looking forward to this weekend. I think the repave has changed the dynamics of the racing a little bit, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s a handling race track where it’s very important to work on your car and make sure it’s right for the race. Phoenix International Raceway is a place where getting off of each corner is very big. Entry is important. You need to be stable but you need to be the first one to the gas.”
Sam Hornish, Jr. goes into one of his best tracks this weekend. It is the site where he captured his first career NASCAR and also his first career INDYCAR win at. After making six Nationwide Series starts, he has earned three top-10s and only one top-five finish.
Even though Phoenix could be considered his best track, he still has a hurdle to go over this weekend with his past finishes all over the place. This race last season he finished in the 14th spot and in seventh in March.
Both drivers will make Saturday’s ServiceMaster 200 very interesting this weekend as they battle it out for a championship. With both drivers being successful at Phoenix, it will be hard to predict on what will happen between the two.
About Me: Brett has been following the sport of NASCAR since the beginning of the 2006 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Since Brett was 13, he has had a passion of chasing a job in sports that not many get the opportunity of doing. He has been in the NASCAR media since the middle of the 2010 season. Since then, he has been a part of many racing podcast shows to improve his talents. He has written for racingonfuel.com and theracingwheel.com. Currently, Brett writes for motorsportsnat.com and TracksideChatter.com. You can find him on twitter @NASCAR_Brett.
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