United Rentals Work United 500: Defending Winner Chase Briscoe Needs a Turnaround at Phoenix Raceway

• Defending winner Chase Briscoe needs a turnaround at Phoenix Raceway
• Stay away from Ryan Blaney until he proves he can finish a race
• Ford driver Joey Logano is going for his second straight Phoenix victory

United Rentals Work United 500 Betting Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook.

Our Picks for the United Rentals Work United 500

Joey Logano to win the race at +800

Daniel Suarez to finish in the top three at +900 and top five at +400

Joey Logano to beat Ryan Blaney head-to-head at -110

United Rentals Work United 500 Predictions

Defending Winner Chase Briscoe Needs a Turnaround at Phoenix

In his sophomore season in the NASCAR Cup Series last year, Chase Briscoe was the surprise winner of the spring race at Phoenix.

Other than that, the highlight reel for the driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford was disappointingly sparse, though Briscoe did manage a fourth-place run in the season finale at the one-mile track in the Sonoran Desert.

After a woeful start to the 2023 season—three results of 20th or worse—Briscoe looks to rebound in this Sunday’s United Rentals Work United 500 (and, no, that race name is not a typo).

Though the 28-year-old from Mitchell, Ind., likes the feel of NASCAR’s Next-Gen car on the short tracks, it’s difficult to predict how the new competition package on short tracks and road courses—with 30-percent less downforce—will affect the performance of the cars.

And though we expect Briscoe to turn in his best performance of the year to date, we don’t expect him to win on Sunday.

Accordingly, it’s our advice to stay away from Briscoe, even at the tempting odds of +2000 from DraftKings Sportsbook.

Steer Clear of Ryan Blaney Until He Proves He Can Finish a Race

Frankly, we don’t understand why Ryan Blaney is listed as the co-favorite to win Sunday’s race at Phoenix.

DraftKings lists Blaney at +800, the same odds posted for Penske teammate Joey Logano, who won at Phoenix in November to secure his second NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Blaney, on the other hand, is in the throes of a 49-race drought, dating to the August race at Daytona in 2021.

Last year, Blaney showed excellent speed in the first and second stages of the Cup races, but when it came to winning time, he was firing blanks.

Blaney has finished fourth, fourth, and second in his last three Phoenix starts, but he’s winless in 12 races there. We don’t think that streak ends on Sunday.

Look for Joey Logano to Go Back-to-Back at This Quirky Track

Chevrolet drivers have win the first three races of the 2023 season, but that shouldn’t govern what happens at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday.

Yes, there’s a new lower-downforce competition package in place for the Cup race, but Ford drivers have dominated the proceedings at Phoenix since the introduction of the Next Gen race car last season, and we expect more of the same.

Joey Logano won last November’s title race, and Ford drivers claimed four of the top finishing positions in that event.

Logano has a knack for running well and oddly configured tracks like Phoenix or World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis (where he also won last year).

We expect him to win on Sunday at +800 via DraftKings, and we’re also picking him to beat teammate Ryan Blaney head-to-head at -110.

As to the Chevrolet drivers, we expect Daniel Suarez to keep his three-race top-10 streak intact and recommend betting on the Trackhouse Racing driver to finish top-three (+900) and top-five (+400), both odds via DraftKings.

How to Watch the United Rentals Work United 500

• What: United Rentals Work United NASCAR Cup Series Race
• Where: Phoenix Raceway
• When: Sunday, Mar. 12, 3:30 p.m. ET
• How to Watch: FOX