Three races in, it's clear the revamped Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has a hit on its hands as it turns eyes toward Sunday's Camping World 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.A stage-based format and further tweaking of the rules has some incredible things happening in the sport. Old faces are winning races, but the next generation continues to post plenty of points and hang close on the leaderboard.Even betterthough NASCAR officials might disagreethe drama produced a fistfightbetween Kyle Busch and Joey Loganoat the Kobalt 400inLasVegas, leaving the former bloodied.High tensions, playoff points at stake at every turn and a tug of war between the old and new generations makes Sunday's event one to watch, even if the same veteran has won it three times in a row and counting.Viewing DetailsWhere: Phoenix International RacewayWhen: Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ETWatch: FoxLive Stream: Fox Sports GoTickets: ScoreBig.comCamping World 500 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup StandingsDrivers to WatchKyle Larson and Chase ElliottSay hello to the next generation.Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott sit second and third in the standings respectively, capitalizing on the new format to have better positions than names such as Logano, Kevin Harvick and more.For Elliott, this wasn't hard to see coming. The new No. 24 won the pole at the Daytona 500 and has now posted back-to-back top-five finishes. He seems set to steal a checkered flag soon, something he seemed to hint at via Twitter after claiming third in Las Vegas:It's the same story for Larson, though some argue his is even better. He doesn't have a pole to his name, but it's clear he likes the new format after finishing second in each of the past two events.He spoke with NASCAR.com's Holly Cain about the format and how his team has adapted:Way better than where I have ever started a season, so I'm really happy about that, proud of our team. I had fun. The stages were really exciting or the ends of them, because of the way the cautions fell and different pit strategies and stuff, people staying out made it exciting taking off. Really liking the format change and all that. Hopefully we can keep these top five's rolling and maybe get a win or two here shortly.Even if the two don't take a win soon, fresh blood riding the wave of the new format is a great thing for the sport.As the search for new superstars continues, the fact two of the brightest rising talents are feasting on the stage format makes each race feel fresh and complicates the championship picture in the best possible way.Martin Truex Jr.Martin Truex Jr. is a fan favorite while he rides for Furniture Row Racing, so it's good to see him adjust to the new format and claim a checkered flag so early in the season.Truex improved in each of the first three races, going from 13th in Daytona to eighth in Atlanta and outright first in Las Vegas. Brad Keselowski suffered a mechanical issue while leading late, with Truex more than happy to swoop in and lead the pack after positioning himself well for most of the race.Though he won, Truex has been quick to point out he's a fan of the new stage racing because a bad finish for various reasons doesn't throw out a strong body of work during a race overall, as captured by Fox Sports'Tim Durr:I think stage racing has been really fun so far. I was a proponent of it before the season started, but we all didnt really know how it was going to play out. The coolest part about stage racing is if you run really well, you get rewarded even if you have a bad finish due to a wreck or a parts failure. Stage racing really would have helped us last year.The trick for Truex is to keep the momentum swinging in the right direction. This time last year, he was stuck in a rut, going for 14th in Phoenix at this event before recording 32nd- and 18th-place finishes.Off to a hot start and clearly benefiting from the new format, Truex has himself in a position to have a strong season and make a serious push at a title.Kevin HarvickHarvick would be the guy on the hunt for a fourth consecutive win at this event.Fans know the veteran could sure use it, seeing as he only sits eighth in the standings going into the weekend.Harvick only slotted 22nd at Daytona, went for ninth in Atlanta and then made contact with the wall in Las Vegas, ending his day 38th. Perhaps most frustrating of all was the middle stage of the journey, though, when he led 292 laps in Atlanta but came up short.Phoenix is the place for Harvick to get his mind right and reclaim a spot near the top of the leaderboard. He hails from California and the track is a favorite of his, which explains the past dominance.USA Today's Brant James shed a light on some of his success there: "In winning six of the past nine races at Phoenix, finishing second twice and leading 38 percent of the laps in the last 10, Harvick has accumulated more points there than any driver over each subsequent season."Impressive, though one could argue Harvick needs a strong performance at the track this time around more than he has at any point over the past three years.Sunday looks like a tipping point for Harvick. A strong performance slingshots him back to where he wants to be. Anything else keeps him in this unfamiliar purgatory while still trying to digest a new format.Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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