Two big names are hoping to shake off a disappointing Daytona 500 and gain some positive momentum this weekend at Phoenix.
Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick were pegged as contenders to win “The Great American Race” before they both got caught in a nine-car crash on Lap 34 last Sunday at Daytona. Now, they must dig their way out of the hole on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway.
Fortunately for Stewart, he’s been in this situation before and it worked out pretty well for him back then.
“We’ve left [Daytona] 43rd (in points) and won a championship in ’02,” said Stewart, who qualified sixth for the Subway Fresh Fit 500k. “So, you just put it behind you and it’s no different than if you get in a wreck on any other week. You can’t change it. So, you’ve got to focus on what you can change and that’s the week ahead.”
As for Harvick, his triumph in the Sprint Cup Series’ most recent visit to Phoenix has him hoping for more good things this time around. But with the introduction of the Generation-6 cars, he and his Richard Childress Racing team know that they’re in for a real test.
“This year we have a new car and a lot of new things to deal with, you to have an open mind on how to approach the weekend,” said Harvick, who is racing in today’s Nationwide Series event at PIR and will go off from seventh on the grid Sunday.
“Obviously, running the NASCAR Nationwide Series race will help by providing a little extra track time, but Phoenix was a good track for us last year. We finished first and second in the two races last season, so we’re going back expecting that we’ll run just as well.”
Stewart has one Sprint Cup win at PIR, but comes off finishes of 22nd and 19th at the one-mile oval last season. Harvick, on the other hand, has collected three top-5 results in his last four Phoenix outings, including the aforementioned victory last fall.
