The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series zooms from Califonia to Las Vegas, with the 2022 Ruoff Mortgage 500 coming up next on Sunday. Check out our preview below of the favorites, sleepers, and a long shot for this upcoming race in Sin City.
Larson being a favorite in basically any race this season is a no-brainer. He’s already won a race this early in the season, topping the field in the Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway late last February then finished second in Sin City during last Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 15 career starts at the Phoenix Raceway, Larson has a win and six top 5s. That win also happened in his most recent appearance there, which was in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship last November.
Hamlin isn’t having a nice start to the season. He has yet to make it inside the top 10 of any race this year. But his time will come, considering how good of a driver he is. And that time could come this weekend at the Phoenix Raceway, where he’s got a couple of wins and 16 top 5s in 33 total starts. His 10.55 career average finish there is second overall among active drivers.
With 104 points, Logano will look to score his first win of the season this coming Sunday. The Team Penske driver is coming off a 14th-place performance in Las Vegas. Prior to that, he finished fifth in the Wise Power 400. Logano has always been a strong performer in Avondale. In fact, he has a pair of wins and seven top 5a in 26 career starts at Phoenix Raceway. He has finished inside the top 5 in three of his last four starts there as well.
After finishing third in the Wise Power 400, Jones put up a forgettable showing in the next race, placing just 31st in the Pennzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But anyone who’s been familiar with Jones knows that that’s the kind of sharp up and downs expected of the 23XI Racing driver. Nevertheless, Jones has four top 10s in 11 starts at Phoenix Raceway.
Bell turned heads last Sunday when he finished 10th in the Pennzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Prior to that race, Bell placed just 34th at Daytona and then 36th in the Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Bell has finished ninth in both of his past two starts at Phoenix Raceway.
