TC Daily Pit Stop: Drivers Unsure About 2024 Short Track Package; Logano Paces Cup Practice; Sawalich Wins ARCA Race; Queen Getting Truck Series Shot
TC Daily Pit Stop: Drivers Unsure About 2024 Short Track Package; Logano Paces Cup Practice; Sawalich Wins ARCA Race; Queen Getting Truck Series Shot
TC Daily Pit Stop: Saturday, March 9th 2024
Friday Practice Leaves Drivers Unsure on 2024 Short Track Aerodynamic Package
Friday’s 50-minute practice session at Phoenix Raceway was an important checkpoint on the journey to solve the shortcomings of short track and road course racing in the NASCAR Cup Series.
As a result of an off-season test, NASCAR landed on a brand-new aero package, which features a simplified rear diffuser with fewer vertical strakes, and a three-inch rear spoiler — all the result of positive feedback from said testing session at Phoenix Raceway over the off-season.
That positivity has been left in the Arizona desert to die, after returning to the one-mile oval in March for an extended NASCAR Cup Series practice on Friday, allowing the entire field to get a handle on this new package… and by doing so, there seemed to be a consensus: It didn’t feel much different than before.
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Joey Logano Paces 50-Minute Practice from Phoenix Raceway
Over the years, Phoenix Raceway has always been a strength for Team Penske in the NASCAR Cup Series, with drivers Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano clinching championships at the one-mile facility in Avondale, Arizona.
Granted, no championship is available this weekend at Phoenix, but Team Penske is still looking strong, with two-time series champion Joey Logano pacing NASCAR Cup Series practice on Friday evening.
Posting a quick time of 27.446 seconds (131.166mph), Logano paced the 50-minute session in his No. 22 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang Dark Horse, as teams tweaked their vehicles with NASCAR’s brand-new aero package for short tracks being debuted this weekend.
Denny Hamlin was second, with Tyler Reddick, John Hunter Nemechek and Austin Cindric rounding out the top-five.
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PRACTICE RESULTS
Sawalich Survives The Desert, Wins The General Tire 150 At Phoenix Raceway
Picking up where he left off last fall at Phoenix Raceway, William Sawalich took home the trophy in the General Tire 150 after officials called the race due to lightning and rain.
Sawalich was a strong contender leading 66 of the 115 laps total ran, only facing challenge from the Venturini Motorsports No. 20 and driver Gio Ruggiero.
“Not the way I wanted to win a race, but I knew we had the best car out there. Our Starkey SoundGear Toyota was really good all night. We kinda fell back in that first stint. The guys made a really good adjustment, and I’m super proud of them for doing that,” the Eden Prairie, MN native said post-race.
Ruggiero was second with Enfinger, Mosack, and Hingorani rounding out the top-five.
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Brenden Queen Getting Truck Series Shot with TRICON at North Wilkesboro
As North Wilkesboro Speedway returns to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule for a second consecutive year, numerous well-known short-track racers are chomping at the bit to earn a victory at the historic facility, which is engrained in the history of NASCAR.
Enter Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, a standout in Super Late Model competitions across the United States and a five-time winner in the CARS Late Model Tour. The 26-year-old driver will attempt to catch lightning in a bottle this May, as he runs double-duty at the historic 0.625-mile North Carolina short track.
In addition to running Wednesday’s CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car event at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Queen will also make his debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, joining race-winning organization TRICON Garage to drive the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in the Wright Brand 250.
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Preston Pardus Making Select Xfinity Starts with Family-Run No. 50
Preston Pardus and his family-owned team Pardus Racing, Inc. will continue to field the No. 50 entry in select NASCAR Xfinity Series events this season, starting later this month at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.
A native of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Pardus has been competing primarily on road courses in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since 2019, most recently with his family-owned team, which was relaunched in 2023 for a four-race campaign.
Pardus tells TobyChristie.com that the organization only has Circuit of The Americas (COTA) confirmed for the time being, but expects the No. 50 to make a similar number of on-track appearances as it did in 2023. Additional announcements regarding the remainder of his schedule for the year, as well as sponsorship partners, will come at a later date.
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Dawson Cram, Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria Continue Partnership for 2024
Dawson Cram, a full-time competitor for JD Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, will further expand upon his partnership with Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, known for its famous deep dish pizza, for the 2024 NASCAR season, starting this weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
With the continuation of this partnership, Cram will be bringing Lou Malnati’s into NASCAR on Saturday, March 9, providing race fans with the opportunity to win some iconic Lou’s Chicago Style Deep Dish pizza, swag, and more.
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