The NASCAR Cup Series season will continue on Sunday afternoon with a 500-kilometer race in Phoenix, which fans can watch with a fuboTV trial. Prior to the green flag waving, three drivers learned that they all lost their starting positions. Kyle Larson, Cody Ware, and William Byron will all move to the rear of the field for tech-related issues.
NASCAR announced on Saturday night that all three Chevrolet Camaros had failed tech twice. Larson was set to start on the front row next to pole-sitter Brad Keselowski. Byron was going to roll off the grid in the 10th position. Ware was set to start in the 31st position. Now they will all head to the rear of the field and have to make up considerable ground to remain competitive.
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NEWS: The Nos. 5, 24, and 51 cars will start at the rear of the field for Sunday’s race at @phoenixraceway after two pre-race inspections failures. pic.twitter.com/IUS6ZCwqFp
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 14, 2021
Larson and Byron are the two most recent Cup Series winners and have both secured their spots in the playoffs. Byron took care of business during the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Larson won the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last Sunday and secured his first win since the 2019 season.
Despite failing tech twice, there is still an expectation that both Byron and Larson will contend for the win during Sunday’s race. Both drivers have yet to win a Cup Series race at the track, but they have had solid runs. Larson has finished in the top six for four consecutive times, while Byron finished top-10 during both trips to Phoenix in 2020.
The last time the Cup Series headed to Phoenix, it was for the final race of the season. Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin were the final drivers in contention for the Bill France Cup. They led the field to the green flag and then competed for the win. Elliott, a teammate of Byron and Larson, turned in an impressive performance and held off Keselowski for his first-ever championship win. Now he and the other three championship hopefuls will attempt to win Sunday’s race and secure a spot in the playoffs.
The Instacart 500 takes place on Sunday, and the green flag will wave at 3:47 p.m. ET. Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon, and Clint Bowyer will call the action from the booth for Fox while Jamie Little and Regan Smith serve as pit reporters. MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide the radio coverage.
