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Carl Edwards is a solid bet to extend his late-season hot streak when the Sprint Cup Series visits Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, writes Johnny Benson of NBCSports.com.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. should have plenty of confidence on race day since he has two wins at Phoenix to go along with four top-fives and six top-10s in 12 starts. In the spring he finished seventh after leading for 87 laps. He'd like nothing more than to bring home an Arizona win since Victory Lane has alluded him in this year's Chase.

Keys to success at Phoenix
This one-mile tri-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 new car it is crucial to be able to run well on the bottom of the track through Turns 1 and 2. The new car has been knocked for not turning all that well but some teams are progressing better on that front better than others so the teams that hit on a setup that makes their car handle well in the bottom of Turns 1 and 2 should have strong performances. With the setup, it's most important to be able to get through solidly and swiftly in Turns 1 and 2 and compromise a bit in Turns 3 and 4 if needed.

Expect there to be some brake issues at Phoenix, but don't expect the cars running in the top 10 to experience them. If a driver is in a car that is running well enough to be up front he won't have to go as hard on the brakes. Those that do experience brake issues at Phoenix will likely be those whose cars haven't hit on the right setups and because of that they are running in the middle of the pack or in the back. If a car isn't handling well in Turns 1 and 2, brakes can become overheated and that could cost positions.

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 an incident that causes damage to a car.