In a rare event for NASCAR these days, the Cup Series will get a full 50 minute practice session before qualifying on Saturday.  The teams all have three sets of tires for the practice session.

NASCAR has introduced a new short track package that will take effect at Phoenix Raceway with a simplified diffuser and a taller spoiler.

Richard Childress Racing made some major changes to the number eight pit crew this week by replacing several of the over the wall crew.  The new crew members were taken from the RCR Xfinity Series crew.

Daniel Hemric gets loose and into the wall and brings out the caution flag.

A total of 36 teams brought cars to Phoenix for the Shriner’s Children’s 500; all 36 of them will make it in the race.

NASCAR put out the caution flag for debris, causing a short delay.

Kyle Busch took his car to the garage briefly after running laps in the back of the field for several laps.

Drivers are showing very little falloff in lap times over several laps.

Bubba Wallace has made slight contact with the wall, but the track stays green.

With just three minutes left in the session, Tyler Reddick brings out the caution flag with a heavily smoking car.

Very happy with his car, Daniel Suarez calls the 50 minute practice like gold.

Joey Logano tops the leaderboard after the practice session.

After a Friday practice session, the Cup Series drivers take to the track for qualifying. The 36 drivers have been divided into two groups and will each make a qualifying run.  The top five from each group will move on to a second round of qualifying to determine the pole.

The first driver on the track from Group A to make a qualifying run is Zane Smith and posted a time of 27.400 seconds around the one mile track.

Josh Berry gets loose and spins out the car in a cloud of smoke.  He makes some light contact with the wall but mostly saved the car.

Denny Hamlin posted the fastest time ever in the Next Gen car at Phoenix with a time of 27.022 seconds.

Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, William Byron, Carson Hocevar, and Chase Elliott will all move on from Group A to round two of qualifying.

Ryan Preece is the first Group B driver on the track to make a qualifying run and posted a time of 27.390 seconds.

Corey LaJoie gets very loose in the corner but saves the car and keeps it off the wall.

NASCAR has a maximum engine revolutions for each manufacturer; if a driver hits that limit the rev limiter kicks in and cuts every other cylinder.

Group B drivers Michael McDowell, Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, and Noah Gragson will all move on to round two of qualifying.

First up in round two is Chase Elliott whit a time of 27.243 seconds.

With a time of 27.138 seconds Denny Hamlin puts his number eleven car on the pole with teammate Ty Gibbs alongside on the front row.

The starting lineup for the Shriner’s Children’s 500:
Denny Hamlin
Ty Gibbs
Chase Elliott
Erik Jones
William Byron
Tyler Reddick
Noah Gragson
Chase Briscoe
Michael McDowell
Carson Hocevar
Martin Truex Jr
Ross Chastain
Christopher Bell
Chris Buescher
Daniel Suarez
Ryan Blaney
Kyle Larson
Brad Keselowski
John Hunter Nemechek
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Daniel Hemric
Bubba Wallace
Joey Logano
Harrison Burton
Alex Bowman
Derek Kraus
Ryan Preece
Zane Smith
Todd Gilliland
Austin Dillon
Kyle Busch
Kaz Grala
Justin Haley
Austin Cindric
Corey LaJoie
Josh Berry

Stage one is 60 laps, stage two is 125, and stage three is 127 laps for a total of 312 laps around the one mile track for a short 500K race.

The drivers can run nearly 100 laps on a single load of fuel.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag start of the race but it is teammate Ty Gibbs that gets out in front for the lead.

Lap two, Ty Gibbs leads the race with Erik Jones in second; Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott round out the top five.

Lap five, Ty Gibbs is leading his first laps of the season with Erik Jones in second; Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.

The first caution flag comes out on lap seven for a crash involving the Austins – Dillon and Cindric.  Derek Kraus gets turned around and then gets hit by Dillon and Cindric.

Kyle Busch comes down pit road during the caution after dropping to the back of the field after race start.

Ty Gibbs brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 13 and holds on to the lead with Erik Jones in second.

After coming down pit road, Kyle Busch has moved up over 10 spots.

Austin Cindric is out of the race and Austin Dillon is two laps down.

Lap 17, the top five are Ty Gibbs, Erik Jones, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Elliott.

Lap 18, Kyle Busch is up to 22nd place.

Lap 20, Ty Gibbs has a near half second lead on Erik Jones; Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott continue to round out the top five.

Lap 22, Ty Gibbs now has a half second lead on Erik Jones; Denny Hamlin Tyler Reddick, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.

The teams have eight sets of tires in the pits.

Lap 24, Kyle Busch is now in the top 20.

Lap 31, Ty Gibbs has led every lap so far and has a lead of nearly a second on Erik Jones; Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Elliott continues to round out the top five.

Ty Gibbs reports that it feels like his brakes are getting hotter and hotter.

Austin Cindric has been checked and released from the infield care center.

Austin Dillon is the only driver in the race not on the lead lap; he is three laps down.

Lap 39; the top five continues to be Ty Gibbs, Erik Jones, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott.

Lap 41, Erik Jones has closed the gap on leader Ty Gibbs to under half a second.

Erik Jones has caught leader Ty Gibbs and is battling for the lead.

Lap 45, Ty Gibbs holds off Erik Jones.

Lap 49, Ty Gibbs continues to lead the race but Tyler Reddick is now in second place; Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.

Lap 51, Tyler Reddick challenges Ty Gibbs for the lead.

Lap 54, Tyler Reddick begins to battle Ty Gibbs for the lead. 

Lap 57, Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick are nose to nose in a battle for the lead.

Lap 58, Tyler Reddick takes the lead!

Tyler Reddick wins stage one by over half a second for his first stage win of the season.  It is also his first stage win at Phoenix.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Tyler Reddick
Ty Gibbs
Denny Hamlin
Erik Jones
Chase Elliott
William Byron
Ryan Blaney
Michael McDowell
Chase Briscoe
Martin Truex Jr

Drivers come down pit road for service.  With 34 cars on the lead lap, pit road is very busy.  Coming out of pit stall number one, Deny Hamlin is the first driver off of pit road.

Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson had to make a second trip down pit road; Hocevar had a loose wheel and Larson had a rear tire issue.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Tyler Reddick alongside on lap 70.  Hamlin gets out in front as the drivers spread out four and five wide across the track.

Lap 71, Denny Hamlin leads the race with Tyler Reddick in second; Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.

Lap 76, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain make contact but the track stays green.

Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a lead of over half a second on Tyler Reddick; Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and William Byron round out the top five.

Lap 85, it’s a sell out crowd at Phoenix.

Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a new two second lead on Tyler Reddick; Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and William Byron round out the top five.

Austin Dillon remains the only driver in the race not on the lead lap with Austin Cindric the only driver out of the race.

Lap 90, Kyle Larson has entered the top 20 after having to make two trips down pit road during the stage break.

Lap 92, Ty Gibbs and William Byron continue their battle for fourth; Martin Truex Jr is on their bumper ready to pounce.

Lap 94, now out in front, Denny Hamlin has pulled away from the field and now has a 2.75 second lead on Tyler Reddick.

Lap 102, Denny Hamlin’s lead is now down to under two seconds on Tyler Reddick; Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.  Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr battle for fifth.

Martin Truex Jr passes Ty Gibbs for fifth.

Christopher Bell passes Ty Gibbs for sixth.

After losing six spots on pit road; Erik Jones has fallen three more spots and out of the top 10.

Lap 114, Denny Hamlin’s lead is now down to just over a second on Tyler Reddick; Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.

Lap 116, Ryan Blaney is the first driver to make a green flag pit stop and start the cycle.

Lap 117, more drivers come down pit road including some of the front runners.

Lap 118, leader Denny Hamlin comes down pit road for service and has a bit of trouble getting in his pit stall.  Todd Gilliland is the new leader.

Lap 124, the top four drivers have yet to make a pit stop; Kyle Busch makes his pit stop with three new crew members – both tire changers and the jackman.

Lap 127, Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick get around Ricky Stenhouse Fr and Carson Hocevar for second and third.  Todd Gilliland is in the lead but has yet to make a pit stop.

Ty Gibbs drops to 15th after a slow stop with tire issues.

Lap 133, Tyler Reddick battles Denny Hamlin for what will be the lead once Todd Gilliland makes his pit stop.

Lap 134, Tyler Reddick passes Denny Hamlin and Todd Gilliland to take the lead of the race.

Lap 136, Carson Hocevar finally makes his green flag pit stop.

Lap 142, Tyler Reddick has a one second lead on Denny Hamlin; Todd Gilliland Christopher Bell, and William Byron round out the top five.  There are 25 cars on the lead lap.

Christopher Bell passes Todd Gilliland for third.

Mired back in 23rd, this is the first race this season that Joey Logano is not starting on the front row.

William Byron has passed Todd Gilliland for fourth; Gilliland has yet to make his green flag pit stop.

Lap 151, Tyler Reddick has a near one second lead on Denny Hamlin; Christopher Bell, William Byron, and Todd Gilliland round out the top five.

Lap 159, Tyler Reddick holds on to the lead over Denny Hamlin; Christopher Bell, William Byron, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.  Now in sixth place, Todd Gilliland is slowly falling through the field.

Lap 163, boss man Denny Hamlin continues to chase down his 23XI driver Tyler Reddick.

Lap 164, Todd Gilliland finally makes his green flag pit stop.

Lap 166, Tyler Reddick has a one second lead on the boss Denny Hamlin; Christopher Bell, William Byron, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.

Lap 169, Christopher Bell passes Denny Hamlin for second.  But the battle isn’t over as Hamlin moves up to try and take the spot back.

Lap 173, Tyler Reddick’s lead is down to under half a second on Christopher Bell; Denny Hamlin, William Byron, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.

Joey Logano is in a battle to stay on the lead lap.

In 21st place, Joey Logano goes one lap down.

Lap 181, Christopher Bell passes Tyler Reddick for the lead with just 19 cars on the lead lap.

With two laps remaining in stage two, Christopher Bell has a lead of over half a second on Tyler Reddick.

Christopher Bell wins stage two for his first stage win of the season.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Christopher Bell
Tyler Reddick
Deny Hamlin
William Byron
Martin Truex Jr
Ryan  Blaney
Chase Elliot
Noah Gragson
Brad Keselowski
Chris Buescher

Drivers come down pit road for service with Denny Hamlin winning the race off of pit road once again due to a very short distance from his number one pit stall to the line.

Christopher Bell has a slow stop and drops to 10th place.

Last season there were 15 speeding penalties off of pit road at Phoenix; so far this year through two stages there have been no penalties.

And the first speeding penalty of the day when Harrison Burton gets caught speeding.

William Byron’s team made a 9.9 second pit stop.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 185 and immediately spread out across the track with Denny Hamlin leading the race.

The top five are Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Chase Elliott, and Ryan Blaney.

Kyle Busch brings out the caution flag when he gets loose and spins out and is stopped on the track.  This in only the fourth caution flag of the day including stage breaks.

A few of the drivers come down pit road to top off during the caution.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 203 with Tyler Reddick alongside.  There are 24 cars on the lead lap.  Hamlin edges out in front but Reddick comes up and takes the lead.  Drivers are four wide across the track. 

Ross Chastain gets into the wall but the track stays green.

The top five are Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Martin Truex Jr.

Joey Logano spins out after contact from John Hunter Nemechek on lap 206 and brings out the caution flag.  Logano gets into Derek Kraus and Corey LaJoie.  Zane Smith and Josh Berry were also involved.

While the leaders stay out on the track; several of the drivers back in the field come down pit road.

Joey Logano was in the “lucky dog” position; but since he was involved in the incident that brought out the caution, there is no “lucky dog”.

Tyler Reddick had passed Denny Hamlin for the lead before the caution flag came out and will bring the field to green.

Tyler Reddick brings the field down for the green flag restart with 100 laps remaining in the race.  Reddick has the lead but Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr are in a battle with Reddick.

Lap 215, Denny Hamlin spins out in a solo event to bring out the caution flag.  He was in a battle with Tyler Reddick for the lead at the time of his spin.

Kyle Busch is the “lucky dog”!

Most of the field comes down pit road for service.  With 95 laps remaining in the race the drivers are within their pit window to make it to the end of the race.  Ty Gibbs wins the race off of pit road.

After staying out on the track, Martin Truex Jr is the new leader and brings the field down for the green flag restart with 93 laps remaining in the race.  Truex holds on to the lead with Ryan Preece in second; Todd Gilliland, Ross Chastain, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.

Erik Jones gets into the wall after contact from Bubba Wallace but the track stays green.

With 89 laps to go the top five are Martin Truex Jr, Ryan Preece, Ty Gibbs, Ross Chastain, and Mchael McDowell.

With 84 laps to go, Martin Truex Jr has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Ryan Preece; Ty Gibbs Ross Chastain, and Michael McDowell round out the top five.

With 79lapstogo, Martin Truex Jr has a lead of nearly two seconds on Ryan Preece; Ty Gibbs, Ross Chastain, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.

There are 75 laps to go and Martin Truex Jr has a two second lead on Ryan Preece.

Just 69 laps remain in the race, Martin Truex Jr has pulled out to a three second lead on Ryan Preece who is in a battle for second with Ty Gibbs; Ross Chastain and Chris Buescher round out the top five.

Sixty-six to go, Ty Gibbs finally gets around Ryan Preece for second place.

With 60 laps remaining in the race, the top five are Martin Truex Jr, Ty Gibbs, Ryan Preece, Ross Chastain, and Christopher Bell.

Ross Chastain and Christopher Bell pass Ryan Preece; putting Preece in fifth.

Christoher Bell passes Ross Chastain for third.

Martin Truex Jr’s lead is now nearly five seconds in front of Ty Gibbs.  Truex is iffy on fuel but his crew chief reports that they will need tires before fuel.

With 54 laps to go, Christopher Bell approaches teammate Ty Gibbs to battle for second.  Fellow teammate Martin Truex Jr is out in front with a five second lead.

Fifty to go!  Martin Truex Jr has a five plus second lead on Ty Gibbs with Christopher Bell in third; Ross Chastain and Chris Buescher round out the top five.

Christopher Bell passes Ty Gibbs for second and is slowly cutting into the gap on the leader Martin Truex Jr.

With 44 laps to go, Martin Truex Jr’s crew has tires sitting atop the wall.

Christopher Bell has closed the gap on leader Martin Truex Jr to four seconds.

With 41 laps remaining in the race, Martin Truex Jr comes down pit road for fuel and fresh tires.  Christopher Bell is the new leader and has a two second lead on Ty Gibbs.

Thirty-eight to go; the top five are Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, and Brad Keselowski.

With 36 laps to go, Christopher Bell now has a three second lead on Ty Gibbs.

With 31 laps to go, Christopher Bell continues to increase his lead on Ty Gibbs and is now over four seconds out in front.

Just 25 laps to go, Christopher Bell has a lead of over four seconds on Ty Gibbs; Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.

Twenty to go! Christopher Bell has a near five second lead on Ty Gibbs.

Fifteen to go and Christopher Bell continues to increase his lead on Ty Gibbs; he is now over five seconds out in front.

Brad Keselowski passes Ross Chastain for fourth with 12 to go.

Chris Buescher battles with Ty Gibbs for second with Christopher Bell six seconds out in front.

Ten to go!  Christopher Bell is “driving it like he stole it” with a lead of nearly seven seconds in front of Chris Buescher; Ty Gibbs, Brad Keselowski, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.

Chevrolet has won the first three races of the season; this week Ross Chastain is the only Chevrolet in the top 10.

Toyota earned no stage points or race wins in the first three races; today they have dominated the race.

Four to go, Christopher Bell holds a lead of over six seconds on Chris Buescher.

Christopher Bell takes the white flag.

Christopher Bell wins the race to become the first non-Chevrolet winner this season.  It is his fourth year in a row with a race win.

The unofficial results of the Shriner’s Children’s 500:
Christopher Bell
Chris Buescher
Ty Gibbs
Brad Keselowski
Ryan Blaney
Ross Chastain
Martin Truex Jr
Michael McDowell
Chase Briscoe
Tyler Reddick
Denny Hamlin
Noah Gragson
Daniel Suarez
Kyle Larson
Carson Hocevar
Bubba Wallace
Todd Gilliland
William Byron
Chase Elliott
Alex Bowman
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Kyle Busch
Ryan Preece
Justin Haley
John Hunter Nemechek
Josh Berry
Harrison Burton
Daniel Hemric
Zane Smith
Kaz Grala
Erik Jones
Austin Dillon
Corey LaJoie
Joey Logano
Derek Kraus
Austin Cindric