Since the Cup circuit added a second trip to the Phoenix desert to the schedule in 2005, the results have been streaky.

Last year, Hendrick’s one-two punch of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson scorched yet another track, winning both events. In 2006, Kevin Harvick led a combined 262 laps on his way to winning in April and November. In ’05, it was Kurt Busch followed by brother Kyle taking the checkered flags.

Back when there was an annual trip to the 1-mile oval at Avondale, Dale Earnhardt Jr. repeated as champ in ’03 and ’04, while Jeff Burton won back-to-back races in 2000 and ’01.

Will the repetitious raceway results continue or are they only a statistical mirage? Time will tell.
One trend did begin in Phoenix last year. The CoT made its debut on a track 1-mile or longer — a superspeedway — in the eighth race of the season. As was the case at several other tracks, Joe Gibbs was the first to figure out the new piece, but Rick Hendrick got the last laugh at the finish line.

Gibbs teammates Tony Stewart (132 laps led) and Denny Hamlin (70) were in control of the race for 202 of 312 total laps but finished second and third, respectively. In the end, however, Gordon (53 laps led) went bumper-to-bumper to knock Stewart out of his way to take the victory and add yet another chapter to arguably the top rivalry in racing today.

FANTASY STALL
Looking at Checkers
Tony Stewart provided the Toyotas are kind to him.
Pretty Solid Pick
Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.
Good Sleeper Pick
If Kevin Harvick can be considered a sleeper, he’s it.
Runs on Seven Cylinders

Dave Blaney, David Gilliland and Kyle Petty.
Insider Tip
Don’t forget about the Roush cars.

KEEP AN EYE ON...
Clint Bowyer The Childress pilots seem to like flat tracks, and Bowyer is no exception. The 07 Chevy has one top-10 run in five races at this venue, while his Nationwide ride has three consecutive top-4 runs, with a win coming in last season’s spring race.

Carl Edwards Although winless in Cup competition at Phoenix, Edwards won the pole and led 87 of the first 125 laps before an engine failure sidelined him last fall. In his five previous runs, Edwards had averaged a 5.6-place finish.

Matt Kenseth Kenseth has three top-5 runs in his last four Phoenix starts. He led for a race-high 93 laps before settling for a third last November.

Martin Truex Jr. Truex’s results continue to improve at PIR. He had a seventh-place run last November in the CoT, when he started second and led 72 laps.