NASCAR Xfinity Series at Phoenix 2015: Full Schedule, Standings and Preview
Chris Buescher is just two races away from winning the first NASCAR Xfinity Series points title of his career, but he must first focus on turning in a strong finish at Saturday's DAV 200 from Phoenix International Raceway.
Although Buescher isn't in imminent danger of surrendering the lead, he can't afford to get complacent with the trio of defending champion Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon and Regan Smith attempting to take a run at the title in their own right.
Phoenix hasn't traditionally been one of Buescher's best tracks, which means the door is open for some measurable gains to be made.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Here is everything you need to know about the NASCAR Xfinity Series DAV 200, including a closer look at the drivers who are most likely to celebrate at Phoenix International Raceway.
Where: Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona
When: Saturday, Nov. 14, at 4 p.m. ET
Watch: NBCSN
DAV 200 Schedule
| Friday, Nov. 13 | 3:30 p.m. | Practice | NBCSN |
| Friday, Nov. 13 | 5 p.m. | Final Practice | NBCSN |
| Saturday, Nov. 14 | 12:45 p.m. | Qualifying | NBCSN |
| Saturday, Nov. 14 | 4 p.m. | DAV 200 | NBCSN |
NASCAR Xfinity Series Standings
| 1 | Chris Buescher | 60 | Leader | 2 |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 9 | -24 | 1 |
| 3 | Ty Dillon | 3 | -30 | 0 |
| 4 | Regan Smith | 7 | -31 | 2 |
| 5 | Elliott Sadler | 1 | -118 | 0 |
| 6 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | 6 | -125 | 0 |
| 7 | Daniel Suarez | 18 | -126 | 0 |
| 8 | Brian Scott | 2 | -167 | 0 |
| 9 | Brendan Gaughan | 62 | -167 | 0 |
| 10 | Ryan Reed | 16 | -272 | 1 |
Drivers to Watch
Kyle Busch is the most dominant driver in the history of NASCAR's Xfinity Series, and he is a threat to win whenever he takes the track. That is especially true at Phoenix International Raceway, as the 30-year-old superstar has enjoyed no shortage of success in the desert.
Busch has seven Xfinity Series wins to his credit at Phoenix to go along with 11 top-five finishes and 14 top-10 results in 18 starts. He won three consecutive Xfinity races at Phoenix from 2013 through 2014, and while he fell just short in his most recent attempt, he is the odds-on favorite this time around.
According to KyleBusch.com, Rowdy has a great deal of confidence in his chances on the heels of a second-place finish at Phoenix last year:
"Phoenix is a track I feel good about, going into these last few races with the No. 54 team. Last year in this race, I had the dominant car, led most of the laps, I think, and a late caution just didn't fall our way. I look forward to putting the Monster Energy machine back into contention and finishing it off this year with a trip to the winner's circle.
"
Busch has five Xfinity Series wins this season in 13 starts, and he certainly had a car capable of entering Victory Lane last week at Texas; however, a broken shifter put him behind the eight ball.
Assuming a similar issue doesn't arise Saturday, there is every reason to believe that Busch will pick up the eighth win of his Xfinity Series career at Phoenix.
Brad Keselowski
After winning last week's Xfinity Series race at Texas and finishing second in the Sprint Cup event, Brad Keselowski enters Saturday's DAV 200 in perhaps the best form he has displayed all season long.
Keselowski was the beneficiary of some breaks last week with Busch experiencing shifter problems and Kyle Larson having a tire go down, but he took advantage of his opportunities and certainly earned his second Xfinity Series win of the year.
That victory clinched the 2015 Xfinity Series owner's title for Team Penske, so Saturday's race will be about personal accomplishment more than anything else for Keselowski.
He is currently sixth in the Sprint Cup standings and 19 points out of the fourth and final spot in the Championship Round. That means Keselowski may very well need to win Sunday in order to keep his title hopes alive.
After winning the Xfinity Series race at Texas, Keselowski acknowledged the importance of having success in NASCAR's No. 2 series, per FoxSports.com: "Winning never hurts to build confidence and a large part of this sport is confidence."
Keselowski almost parlayed last week's win into a weekend sweep, so he has plenty of incentive to win his second consecutive Xfinity Series race.
He won this event last year at Phoenix International Raceway, and he's a safe bet to be in the mix once again along with Busch.
Ty Dillon
While much of the focus will be on Sprint Cup regulars in the Xfinity race, a championship battle is ongoing, and Ty Dillon remains a factor.
He is currently third and sits 30 points behind Buescher. There is no question that he faces an uphill climb in terms of making up the deficit, but a win at Phoenix coupled with a pedestrian finish by Buescher could make things interesting.
Dillon has yet to take the checkered flag this year, and he has never won an Xfinity Series race at Phoenix, but his average career finish of 6.7 in the desert is the best among Xfinity regulars.
He has also enjoyed some success at mile-long tracks and believes he has both the car and team needed to be a contender Saturday, according to PaddockTalk.com:
"We've had a lot of success at tracks one mile and shorter this season; several top-10 finishes and a few top-five finishes. We were strong at PIR earlier this season and we'll look to improve on that sixth-place finish. Overall, short-track racing is fun for me. It's what I grew up doing and it's a great show for the fans. I'd love to get a win this weekend in Phoenix and really prove how good RCR's short-track program has become.
"
Dillon was the highest finisher among Xfinity Series regulars in last week's race at Texas, so he should have plenty of momentum on his side, and he certainly has no shortage of incentive to win.
The younger Dillon brother has a chance to fly under the radar due to the amount of star power in Saturday's DAV 200, but don't be surprised if he manages to outdo a top-notch field en route to victory.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
