NASCAR Cup Series Post Race Notes: Instacart 500 at Phoenix Raceway March 14th, 2021

Top 10:

1. Martin Truex Jr. #19 Joe Gibbs Racing

2. Joey Logano #22 Penske Racing

3. Denny Hamlin #11 Joe Gibbs Racing

4. Brad Keselowski #2 Penske Racing

5. Chase Elliott #9 Hendrick Motorsports

6. Kevin Harvick #4 Stewart-Haas Racing

7. Kyle Larson #5 Hendrick Motorsports

8. William Byron #24 Hendrick Motorsports

9. Christopher Bell #20 Joe Gibbs Racing

10. Ryan Blaney #12 Penske Racing

- Hendrick Motorsports drivers have trouble with pit road: Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson struggled with pit road penalties today with Elliott and Larson getting caught speeding on pit road. Larson would get caught twice speeding and having to go to the rear of the field, so avenging a 7th place finish is not so bad for Larson. The same goes for Elliott, who failed inspection and had to start at the rear of the field at the beginning of the race.

- Much needed win for Truex: Martin Truex Jr. in the 19 car needed this win today. During Pre-race on our Twitter page I guessed that he would have a solid day with at least finishing in the top 10, so I was correct there. Make sure to go follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more NASCAR breaking news and pre-race analysis. Anyhow, with Ty Gibbs dominating in ARCA and in the Xfinity series, Truex needed this win to prove that he deserves a ride with coach Joe Gibbs. I'm not saying that Ty Gibbs will rocket through each division to get to cup, but he definitely has had a lot of success that almost everyone has their eyes on. Truex definitely proved a lot of fans wrong today. FOX ended up not showing Truex's burnout, which are some of the best in the sport. I don't know why, but hey, it's TV.

- Logano Domination: Joey Logano dominated today by winning stage 2 and leading a majority of the 3rd stage before running into trouble with his power steering and surrendering the lead to Martin Truex Jr. The 22 car of Logano was setting sail and dominating before the mechanical trouble.

- Battle of the new teams: Trackhouse racing and 23XI Racing seem to be in a battle of who can have a better first season. Currently, 23XI Racing is having the better season with driver Bubba Wallace, who might of had a great finish in the top 10 if they did not mess up their strategy. New fans are aggravated with the team, but strategy is one of the major aspects of the sport, so these new fans will learn that in due time. New fans need to realize that this team is new just like they are, and that new teams make mistakes, so there is no need to armchair quarterback 23XI's strategy in today's race. Just remember, there is always next Sunday, unless you are in the year 2020.

- The Inside Line's shocker moments of the race: Honestly, there was not anything that shocked me during the race. If I had to choose something, it would be that I thought that Ryan Blaney would have had a better finish than what he did. Granted, sneaking into the top 10 (by finishing 10th) is not bad, but this team definitely needs to see some more improvement moving forward.

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NEXT RACE: Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. TV time will be announced later this week on our Facebook and Twitter page, so keep your eyes peeled!