Lisa and Jason Morris take a selfie in front of the NASCAR Experience at Phoenix Raceway on Oct. 18 in Avondale. The Queen Creek couple was among the Valley residents who were at the Freeway Insurance 500 — one of the two large pro auto racing events held in Arizona each year.
Rick Scuteri/The Associated Press
Tyler Reddick celebrates after winning the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway on Oct. 18 in Avondale. Valley residents were among the attendees at the — one of the two large pro auto racing events held in Arizona each year.
Independent Newsmedia/Jason W. Brooks
This folklorico dance group from Tucson provided some of the pre-race entertainment at Phoenix Raceway on Oct. 18 in Avondale.
Independent Newsmedia/Jason W. Brooks
Fans await a restart during the Freeway Insurance 500 in Avondale on Oct. 18. The race weekend is one of the two large pro auto racing events held in Arizona each year.
Independent Newsmedia/Jason W. Brooks
This promotional vehicle was on display at the NASCAR Experience at Phoenix Raceway on Oct. 18 in Avondale. Valley residents were among the attendees at the Freeway Insurance 500 — one of the two large pro auto racing events held in Arizona each year.
AVONDALE — When Jason Morris found out he and his wife, Lisa, had tickets for the Freeway Insurance 500, it was the latest in a series of Valley entertainment events the couple attended.
Jason Morris, a U.S. Army veteran, and his family have attended several sporting and other entertainment events courtesy of Vet Tix, a Tempe-based nonprofit that purchases or helps find donated tickets to sports and other entertainment around the U.S.
Morris even wore a Vet Tix shirt to the 500, as the Queen Creek couple were attending the second of two large NASCAR race weekends held each year at Phoenix Raceway.
“It’s so great,” Morris said of the Vet Tix program. “We’ve been able to see some amazing things.”
One of those things was a close race Oct. 18, as Tyler Reddick narrowly held off Ryan Blaney after a late restart to win the 500, a NASCAR playoff race.
Reddick thanked his fans and team for their support after his sixth win of the year, and six months after his eighth-place finish at Avondale in the March 8 race.
“We wanted to be a lot better when we came back here,” Reddick told the crowd after his post-race burnout in his No. 45 Toyota. “I think we checked that box. This group never lost the motivation; never lost the drive to keep searching and keep finding ways to make ourselves better.”
Many race fans wore shirts, hats or other gear that featured the name and/or car number of their favorite driver. Fans of Mexican driver Daniel Suarez wore sombreros to honor him, or ball caps representing Suarez’ “Numero siete” car.
Some fans, like the Morris family, checked out the NASCAR experience before the race. That’s a separate area where live interviews with experts, promotional an interactive experiences and trophies were on display.
Kyle Larson, a longtime NASCAR fan favorite and this year’s points leader coming into Oct. 18, had a vehicle that was one Phoenix Raceway casualty.
Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet struggled much of the day and smacked the wall late in the race after his right front tire ran flat going into a turn, and he couldn’t finish the race, finishing 34th.
Larson bounced back the following week to win at Talladega and re-establish a 73-point lead over Denny Hamlin in the championship chase, with only two races remaining. Reddick is in seventh place, 126 points behind Larson.
The Oct. 18 Freeway Insurance 500 drew thousands of fans, though the rainy weekend and lack of season championship led to some empty seats. No exact attendance number was available.
Some fans at a Saturday, Oct. 17 weekend event at the Raceway needed help after an upper-deck pipe burst and began spilling untreated sewage onto them.
Maricopa County Public Health issued a statement about the plumbing emergency, which didn’t interrupt race events.
“The Phoenix International Raceway staff notified Maricopa County about a burst sewer pipe,” the department wrote.
“Maricopa County Environmental Services provided input on the efforts the raceway Hazmat team had already taken to rectify the situation. The burst pipe was repaired, and the affected patrons were promptly transported to a medical facility. The areas affected by the burst pipe were cordoned off and sanitized, as verified by Maricopa County staff on Sunday morning.”
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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