Shriners Children's 500 - Phoenix Raceway
Avondale, Ariz. - March 9, 2025
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/MONSTER FORD MUSTANG
START: 14TH
STAGE 1: 15TH
STAGE 2: 7TH
FINISH: 19TH
POINTS: 32ND
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric's run at Phoenix Raceway ended with a 19th-place finish in the No. 2 Menards/Monster Energy Ford Mustang after over 300 miles at the one-mile Arizona track. Cindric fired off from the 14th position and shared that he was pretty happy to start when the first caution slowed the field on Lap 4. Another caution followed immediately after the restart, in which Cindric stayed out again. When the flags flew to conclude Stage 1, the No. 2 crossed the line 15th and headed to pit road. With Goodyear's red option tires at play this weekend, crew chief Brian Wilson called for four reds, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to help the Menards/Monster Energy machine gain track position quickly. Cindric lined up 14th for the restart and rapidly cracked the top five before ultimately taking the lead on Lap 89. A few laps later the caution flag waved and the driver reported that he had a lot of grip but ultimately fell off free toward the end of that run. He returned to pit road for four yellow 'prime' tires and restarted third. He remained in the top 10 through the remainder of the segment, finishing Stage 2 seventh. After informing the team that he was still a touch too free, he made his way back to the attention of the pit crew for his second set of the red option tires. The No. 2 Ford eventually switched back the yellow prime tires but lost momentum. The car tightened up significantly firing off and Cindric needed an adjustment to help it turn. He made his final trip to pit road during a late-race caution and ultimately crossed the line 19th when the checkered flag flew.
CINDRIC'S THOUGHTS: "We had some good moments today with our No. 2 Menards/Monster Energy Ford Mustang. Tire strategy kept things interesting, and we were able to make strong gains early with the red option tires. I definitely feel like we had the potential for a better finish, but we'll take what we learned and move forward."
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 WURTH FORD MUSTANG
START: 12TH
STAGE 1: 5TH
STAGE 2: 4TH
FINISH: 28TH
POINTS: 4TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Despite a pair of top-five stage finishes, an engine failure with 24 laps to go relegated Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Wurth Ford Mustang to a 28th-place finish Sunday at Phoenix, ending a streak of seven-straight top-five finishes at the one-mile track. After starting from 12th, Blaney put his long run speed on display in the opening stage to come away with a fifth-place finish in Stage 1. Several teams opted to put on the option tire early on in the second segment as the 12 team stayed with the primary tire, shuffling Blaney outside the top-10. The Wurth Ford worked its way back into contention over the course of the long run as the option tire equalized, resulting in a fourth-place finish in Stage 2. Following a four tire stop for the option tires at the stage break, Blaney charged towards the top-five but reported an issue with straightaway speed on the ensuing run. A debris caution on lap 266 saw Blaney restart from seventh with 36 laps to go, but 12 laps later, the engine issues came to a head as he was forced to retire from the race with 24 laps remaining.
BLANEY'S THOUGHTS: "It just blew up. It started with about 100 [laps] to go and I thought it was going to make it to the end but it didn't. It was a hard-fought day. We could never get going on restarts. Long runs I felt okay but just kind of lacked a little bit and then we were just having trouble with the engine before it completely grenaded. We were going to get a decent finish out of it, but obviously not."
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 HUNT BROTHERS PIZZA FORD MUSTANG
START: 2ND
STAGE 1: 30TH
STAGE 2: 2ND
FINISH: 13TH
POINTS: 9TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano worked his way to a 13th-place finish Sunday at Phoenix in the 22 team's first trip back to the one-mile track since claiming the NASCAR Cup Series championship in November. Logano started from the outside of row one after narrowly winning the pole Saturday afternoon, but a restart violation for crossing the yellow line prior to the start-finish line during the restart following a caution on lap nine resulted in pass-through penalty on lap 20, relegating the Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford to the tail of the field in the middle of the green flag run. Crew chief Paul Wolfe opted to put on red option tires after the caution flew on lap 91, as Logano was one of two drivers on the same strategy for the ensuing run in order to gain back track position. Logano vaulted from 24th to the lead by lap 130 as he gapped the field by over two seconds. Ultimately, the tire strategy equalized as the No. 20 made his way past Logano with eight laps to go in the stage, resulting a second-place finish in Stage 2. The 22 team won the race off pit road following a four tire stop for its last set of option tires to match the leaders for the opening run of the final stage, but a caution on lap 214 forced Logano to hit pit road for four primary tires. Logano held his ground in the top-10 during the ensuing run, but teams on the option tires for the final stretch proved beneficial as he settled for a 13th-place finish.
LOGANO'S THOUGHTS: "Obviously our strategy took a hit with the penalty early on. That took us out of, at least, a pair of top-10 stage finishes. We had top-10 speed all day but had to settle for 13th. We're looking forward to Vegas and building off of our last trip there."
The NASCAR Cup Series rounds out the west coast swing next week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Coverage of Sunday's Pennzoil 400 begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 with in-car camera angles available all race long through MAX Driver Cam.