NASCAR Phoenix Preview

Hamlin won the Spring race

Lucas Oil would cordially like to invite all racing fans to their NASCAR tail gate party to be held Friday, November 9th, at the Phoenix International Raceway. The Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is guaranteed to provide all of the tail gate excitement expected from NASCAR's truck brigade.

The race will also present some serious championship implications between two young NASCAR superstars of the future. All of this will transpire on a one mile, basically flat, oval with a new pavement and configuration that the series has never raced on before. How could the Lucas Oil 150 not be a major tail gate party?

THE STORY BREAKDOWN

The big story line, associated with the Lucas Oil 150, is the status of the series championship and the young lion drivers who are on top of these standings. With only two races left in the season, James Buescher, representing Turner Motorsports, tops the championship numbers with a 15 points advantage over Ty Dillon, representing Richard Childress Racing. In a racing environment where literally anything can happen, and often does, 15 points is not exactly a championship security blanket. Mathematically speaking, Buescher can clinch the series' championship if he leaves Phoenix 48 points ahead of second place. That's scenario is not exactly an impossible goal to reach, but it's not exactly likely to happen either.

While Buescher will certainly be focused on getting the maximum points from Friday night's Lucas Oil 150, in the back of his mind he may be thinking that the Phoenix International Raceway owes him one from last year. During the series' 2011 event, Buescher's truck was mysteriously off the pace to the point he missed earning a starting berth by a mere two-one hundredths of a second during qualifying. The team would rebound, turn in some impressive numbers during the 2011 season and finish third in the final championship standings 29 points out of first. Many series observers at the time felt Buescher would have won his first series championship last year had it not been for what happened at Phoenix.

The two championship contenders will have plenty of competition from some other eager young lions entered in the Lucas Oil 150. David Mayhew, from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, will receive another shot at competing in a NASCAR's national series in Brad Keselowski Racing's #19 Dodge Ram. Ryan Blaney, an up and comer that many believes has a very bright NASCAR future, will be driving BKR's second Dodge Truck.

Other young lions in the field includes Kyle Larson, the newly crowned NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion, who will be driving a Turner Motorsports Chevy Truck in the race. Ryan Truex will be trying to make his presence felt behind the wheel of Michael Hillman's Toyota. Kyle Busch Motorsports will have NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Brian Scott behind the wheel of their famed #18 Toyota. KBM will also field a second Toyota for German Quiroga, the three time champion from the NASCAR Toyota Mexico Series.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' last appearance at the Phoenix International Raceway was in February of last year. Since that time the raceway underwent a massive reconfiguration complete with brand new asphalt. That will present a brand new challenge to the truck drivers and could add another level of potential excitement during the Lucas Oil 150.

THE RACE BREAKDOWN

The Lucas Oil 150 is 150laps/150miles around the Phoenix International Raceway's 1 mile oval.

The race has 38 posted entries vying for the 36 starting berths. 13 of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning they are not guaranteed a starting berth in the Lucas Oil 150 because they are currently outside of the series' top 25 in owner's points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speeds to make the race.

There will be no repeat champion for this year's Lucas Oil 150. Defending race champion Kyle Busch is not entered in this year's race.

The challenging Phoenix International Raceway is basically a flat track with only 11 degrees of banking in turns one and two and nine degrees in turns three and four. The frontstretch, measuring 1,179 feet, is only banked three degrees while the backstretch, 1,551 feet long, has nine degrees of banking.

The Lucas Oil 150 will be broadcast live by the SPEED Channel Friday night beginning at 730 pm eastern time. A replay is scheduled for Saturday morning at 130 am eastern.