Freeway Insurance 500<\/p>\n
Location: Avondale, Ariz.
Course: Phoenix Raceway
Format: 1.0-mile oval
Laps: 312<\/p>\n
NASCAR Cup Series Race Preview<\/p>\n
Chase Briscoe<\/a> scored his second straight win last week at Charlotte, tightening the championship fight even further at the top of the standings. However, he still has significant ground to make up on Kyle Larson<\/a>, who extended his championship lead over Denny Hamlin<\/a> to 49 points. This week, the series heads back west to Phoenix Raceway, the former site of the season finale. Ryan Blaney<\/a> has stayed within reach of the championship lead and enters this race having won the last two events at Phoenix. Only four races remain to decide the NASCAR Cup Series champion, and Phoenix is a track where drivers can make their mark. With a superspeedway and a short track following this week’s contest, the championship contenders will aim to gain as many points as possible and stay in contention through the season finale at Homestead.<\/p>\n Key Stats at Phoenix RacewayNumber of races: 60Winners from pole: 8Winners from top-5 starters: 25Winners from top-10 starters: 36Winners from 21st or lower starters: 4Fastest race: 118.132 mphPrevious 10 Phoenix Winners<\/p>\n 2026 spring – Ryan Blaney<\/a> Phoenix Raceway is a unique 1.0-mile oblong oval with minimal banking and distinct corners that place a premium on mechanical grip and a driver’s ability to adapt. Track position often determines who comes out on top, leading teams to gamble on two-tire stops to gain spots, especially when unexpected cautions strike. Success at Phoenix this week could go a long way toward determining which drivers will continue to have a realistic shot at winning this season’s championship. Perhaps more so than usual, qualifying will be especially important, as every winner at Phoenix since 2017 has started inside the top 15, and no driver in the current generation of car has won from deeper than 13th. Getting to the front early is not just an advantage, it could be the key to victory on Sunday.<\/p>\n RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools<\/p>\n NASCAR Lineup Optimizer<\/a><\/p>\n NASCAR Projections<\/a><\/p>\n DraftKings Value Picks for the Freeway Insurance 500<\/p>\n Based on Standard $50k Salary Cap<\/p>\n DraftKings Tier 1 Values \u00a0<\/p>\n Ryan Blaney<\/a> – $11,500 DraftKings Tier 2 Values \u00a0<\/p>\n Chase Briscoe<\/a> – $9,900 DraftKings Tier 3 Values<\/p>\n Austin Cindric<\/a> – $8,700 DraftKings Long-Shot Values<\/p>\n Josh Berry<\/a> – $7,700 Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the Freeway Insurance 500<\/p>\n Christopher Bell<\/a> – $11,200 Though Ryan Blaney<\/a> has won the last two races at Phoenix, Christopher Bell<\/a> (DK $11,200, FD $13,500) has been hot on his heels. The Toyota driver earned his second Phoenix victory last spring and has finished in the top five in four of his last five visits, leading a combined 474 laps during that span. He also finished second this past spring. Bell has been competitive in several races since his win at Darlington but has yet to add another victory. He came awfully close last week, finishing second to Chase Briscoe<\/a> in the closest finish of the season. Bell is due for another win, and Phoenix appears to be one of the most likely places for him to get it.<\/p>\n Bad luck bit William Byron<\/a> (DK $9,000, FD $10,500) again last week when he was caught up in a crash ahead that he couldn’t avoid. He had been running well up until the incident, which is why fantasy players shouldn’t pass on him this week. Prior to last week’s crash, Byron had built a four race streak of top-10 finishes. Phoenix is a track he could make a quick recovery at, too. He has started in the top 10 in every Phoenix start since 2021 and his average finish from 33 career starts is 11.9. Byron finished seventh in the spring race at the track earlier this year and is poised to make a quick return to top-10 finishes this week.<\/p>\n Austin Cindric<\/a> (DK $8,700, FD $9,500) has been on a roll. Last week, he scored his best-ever series result at Charlotte. While it was only a 17th-place finish, it is still representative of Cindric’s step up in performance at the end of the season. Since Richmond, he hadn’t finished lower than 13th until last week. He is also eighth in the championship standings right now behind Tyler Reddick<\/a>. Given Reddick’s blistering start to the season, it shows how good Cindric and his No. 2 team have been in The Chase. Phoenix is also a track where Ford should be on a more level playing field with Toyota and Chevrolet, which gives Cindric another chance to impress.<\/p>\n With his 12th-place finish last week at Charlotte, Chase Elliott<\/a> (DK $8,500, FD $9,000) enters this race with three finishes of 12th or better from the last three races. That streak should improve again this week at a track Elliott has found success. Elliott won this race in 2020 from pole and had three consecutive top-10 finishes before being involved in an early incident in the spring race. Elliott may be out of the championship picture, but taking top finishes away from other contenders is still very much a goal for him.<\/p>\n Fantasy players should not overlook Shane van Gisbergen<\/a> (DK $6,500, FD $6,000) this week. Not only is he entering the weekend with back-to-back top-10 finishes at Las Vegas and Charlotte, but he was also 11th at Phoenix in the spring race. It isn’t a huge surprise to see SVG having success at the desert oval. The track’s unique layout and flat configuration make it drive more like a road course, which is right up Van Gisbergen’s alley. The No. 97 team stands a good chance of continuing to extend their points advantage over Brad Keselowski<\/a> atop the non-Chase field this week.<\/p>\n A longshot option fantasy players should keep in mind this week is Michael McDowell<\/a> (DK $6,100, FD $5,200). Phoenix has been a venue where he frequently outperforms his typical results. McDowell has four top-10 finishes from his last six Phoenix races. What makes that number even more impressive is that he scored two of those in a Ford, and he scored the other two with Chevrolet after joining Spire Motorsports. Regardless of brand, McDowell can race with the best at Phoenix.<\/p>\n NASCAR Best Bets for the Freeway Insurance 500<\/p>\n Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a> as of 10:30 AM ET Friday<\/p>\n Race Winner – Christopher Bell<\/a> +450 After coming off on the losing side of a photo finish, Christopher Bell<\/a> seeks to make his mark on The Chase with another victory. His first win of the season at Darlington looked set to be a turning point in the season, setting off a slew of race wins, but it never materialized. Now, Bell is fighting to take over second place in the standings and close the gap to Kyle Larson<\/a>. He stands a good chance of making progress on those tasks this week. Bell is a two-time Phoenix winner who has led more than 100 laps in three of the last four races at the track. He will have strong competition for the checkered flag this week, but Bell could be poised to land his second race win of the season on Sunday.<\/p>\n Since joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025, Chase Briscoe<\/a>‘s Phoenix results have taken a turn for the worse. Prior to switching teams, Briscoe had a victory and three other top-10s in eight starts at the track. Since then, his best finish is 18th. However, with back-to-back wins in the last two races, and three top-fives in a row, Briscoe has a fire lit beneath him as he fights to stay in contention for the championship. Briscoe’s current momentum should be enough to lift him to his best Phoenix finish since making the jump to JGR.<\/p>\n
2025 fall – Ryan Blaney<\/a>
2025 spring – Christopher Bell<\/a>
2024 fall – Joey Logano<\/a>
2024 spring – Christopher Bell<\/a>
2023 fall – Ross Chastain<\/a>
2023 spring – William Byron<\/a>
2022 fall – Joey Logano<\/a>
2022 spring – Chase Briscoe<\/a>
2021 fall – Kyle Larson<\/a><\/p>\n
Christopher Bell<\/a> – $11,200
Kyle Larson<\/a> – $11,000
Joey Logano<\/a> – $10,200<\/p>\n
Tyler Reddick<\/a> – $9,500
Ty Gibbs<\/a> – $9,200
William Byron<\/a> – $9,000<\/p>\n
Chase Elliott<\/a> – $8,500
Bubba Wallace<\/a> – $8,200
Carson Hocevar<\/a> – $7,900<\/p>\n
Chris Buescher<\/a> – $7,500
Shane van Gisbergen<\/a> – $6,500
Michael McDowell<\/a> – $6,100<\/p>\n
William Byron<\/a> – $9,000
Austin Cindric<\/a> – $8,700
Chase Elliott<\/a> – $8,500
Shane van Gisbergen<\/a> – $6,500
Michael McDowell<\/a> – $6,100<\/p>\n
Top-Five Finish – Chase Briscoe<\/a> +110
Top-10 Finish – Michael McDowell<\/a> +600<\/p>\n