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Kevin Harvick's long and successful history at Phoenix International Raceway should work in his favor in Saturday night's Nextel Cup race at the desert one-mile oval, writes Johnny Benson of MSNBC.com.

Keep a close watch on Dale Earnhardt Jr., who in the Car of Tomorrow posted finishes of seventh at Bristol and fifth at Martinsvillle. Phoenix is one of Junior's strongest tracks, and his crew chief Tony Eury Jr. has hit on some solid setups at this venue.

Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing crossed the checkers third in this event last year. Kenseth won at Phoenix in 2002. Expect him to have a top car once again, and keep an eye on another Roush racer, Jamie McMurray, who has got things clicking with new crew chief Larry Carter. McMurray qualified second with a time of 132.577.

McMurray will be seeking his fifth straight top-15 finish. In addition to Carter's contributions, McMurray has benefited from a more positive outlook on his racing and a new workout regime.

Also from Roush Racing is Carl Edwards, who had finishes of fourth and fifth at Phoenix last year, and who should have a top-10 car on Saturday night.

Keys to success at Phoenix
This one-mile oval is a two-groove track and a lot of times drivers will run on the top through Turns 1 and 2 and on the bottom through Turns 3 and 4. Those who will have the most success though will be able to run the bottom well at both ends of the track.

Phoenix is banked at 11 degrees in Turns 1 and 2, and nine degrees in Turns 3 and 4. Getting a car to handle well is a challenge with the flat and very slick asphalt surface which is quite worn.

With the COT it is crucial to be able to run well on the bottom of the track through Turns 1 and 2. The COT has been knocked for not turning well and so the teams that hit on a setup that make it handle well in the bottom of Turns 1 and 2 should have strong performances.

Many drivers were concerned over the brakes on the COT after there were a slew of brake problems at Bristol, but then came Martinsville and brakes weren't an issue so the teams have settled down on this front.

Those that do experience brake issues at Phoenix will be those whose cars haven't hit on the right setups. I estimate that only about five percent of the field will be dealing with brake problems on Saturday night.

At Phoenix there's a tight exit out of the pits, and pit road is tight compared to a lot of other tracks so pit crews will need to be at their best in order not to cost their driver positions in the race.

Given the tight situation on pit road, qualifying well and thereby getting a chance to select a pit stall that isn't smack in the middle of pit road can certainly reduce the chances of getting caught up in a wreck at Phoenix.