Monday, November 4, 2013

Phoenix Track facts: 2013 Advocare 500

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Top 13 at Phoenix International Raceway

RankDriverRacesPolesWinsTop FivesTop 10sDNFsAverage FinishDriver Rating
1Jimmie Johnson2014131606.5116.4
2Matt Kenseth221159317.287.0
3Kevin Harvick2103610012.999.0
4Kyle Busch1721310113.997.5
5Dale Earnhardt Jr.220259317.682.6
6Jeff Gordon29321020311.498.8
7Clint Bowyer160026216.981.3
8Greg Biffle190057113.992.0
9Joey Logano90013218.076.6
10Kurt Busch2101411013.997.7
11Carl Edwards1832711111.8100.6
12Ryan Newman224188419.086.8
13Kasey Kahne180136119.177.5
* – Based on last 17 races at Phoenix International Raceway (2005 – 2013).
 
 
Carl Edwards won at Phoenix for the second time in the spring race
Phoenix International Raceway:
History
·        Construction was completed in January 1964. The facility consisted of a one-mile oval and a 2.5-mile road course.
·        Alan Kulwicki won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix on Nov. 6, 1988.
·        The first spring race was held on April 23, 2005 (it was also the first night race), won by Kurt Busch.
·        The track underwent its first repave in 2011. Construction began in March and ended in September of that year.
·        The following changes were made during the construction period (March – September 2011):
o   Widened the frontstretch from 52 to 62 feet
o   Reconfigured pit road with the installation of concrete pit stalls
o   Pushed the dog-leg curve between Turn 2 and Turn 3 out 95 feet
o   Tightened the turn radius of the dog-leg from 800 to 500 feet
o   Implemented variable banking to ensure the immediate use of two racing grooves, including 10-11 degree banking between Turn 1 and Turn 2; 10-11 degree banking in the apex of the dog-leg; and 8-9 degree banking in Turn 4
Phoenix International Raceway Data
Season Race #: 35 of 36 (11-10-13)
Chase Race #: 9
Track Size: 1-mile
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 10-11 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 8-9 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 3 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 8-9 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 1,179 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,551 feet
Race Length: 312 laps / 312 miles
 
Top 13 Driver Rating at Phoenix
Jimmie Johnson....................... 116.4
Carl Edwards........................... 100.6
Denny Hamlin.......................... 100.3
Tony Stewart............................. 99.2
Kevin Harvick............................. 99.0
Jeff Gordon................................ 98.8
Kurt Busch................................ 97.7
Kyle Busch............................... 97.5
Mark Martin.............................. 97.5
Greg Biffle................................. 92.0
Matt Kenseth............................. 87.0
Ryan Newman........................... 86.8
Jeff Burton................................. 85.0
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (17 total) among active drivers at Phoenix International Raceway.
 
Qualifying/Race Data
2012 pole winner: Kyle Busch, Toyota, 138.766 mph, 25.943 secs. 11-9-12
2012 race winner: Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 111.182 mph, (02:52:09), 11-11-12
Track qualifying record: Kyle Busch, Toyota, 138.766 mph, 25.943 secs. 11-9-12
Track race record: Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 118.132 mph, (2:38:28), 11-7-99
Notebook
·        There have been 34 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix International Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.
·        185 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix; 135 in more than one.
·        Mark Martin leads series in starts at Phoenix with 33; followed by Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte with 29 each.
·        Geoffrey Bodine won the first pole in 1988 at a speed of 123.203 mph (29.220 sec.)
·        There have been 19 different Coors Light pole winners, led by Ryan Newman with four.
·        Youngest Phoenix pole winner: Kyle Busch (4/22/06 – 20 years, 11 months, 20 days).
·        Oldest Phoenix pole winner: Mark Martin (03/3/13 – 54 years, 1 month, 22 days).
·        Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards are the only drivers to win consecutive poles. Newman won three straight (2002-04), while Gordon won the fall of 2006 and the spring of 2007. Edwards won the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011.
·        Denny Hamlin (November 2005) and AJ Allmendinger (April 2010) won their first career Coors Light poles at Phoenix International Raceway.
·        There have been 23 different NASCAR Sprint Cup race winners at Phoenix, eight have won more than once, led byJimmie Johnson, with four – (’07 Chase race, ’08 spring race and Chase race, ’09 Chase race).
·        The eight drivers who have won more than once at Phoenix: Jimmie Johnson (four), Kevin Harvick (three),Davey Allison (two), Jeff Burton (two), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Jeff Gordon (two) Carl Edwards (two) andMark Martin (two).
·        Of the eight drivers with multiple wins at Phoenix International Raceway, Mark Martin is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Ford (1993) and Chevrolet (2009).
·        Four of the 34 (11.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix have been won from the Coors Light pole:Jeff Gordon (spring 2007), Jimmie Johnson (fall 2008), Mark Martin (spring 2009) and Carl Edwards (fall 2010).
·        Seven of the 34 (20.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Phoenix have been won from the front row: four from the pole and three from second place.
·        16 of the 34 (47%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Phoenix have been won from a starting position inside the top 10.
·        Ricky Rudd won the 1995 race from the 29th-place starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.
·        Matt Kenseth won the 2002 race from the 28th-place starting position, the furthest back an active race winner has started.
·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in average finish at Phoenix with a 6.4; the only other driver with an average finish inside the top 10 is Mark Martin with a 9.4.
·        Five drivers have won consecutive races at Phoenix: Davey Allison (1991,1992); Jeff Burton (2000, 2001); Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003, 2004); Kevin Harvick (swept 2006); Jimmie Johnson is the only one of the five to win three consecutive races (fall 2007, swept 2008).
·        Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Phoenix with nine, followed by Roush Fenway Racing with seven.
·        Two perfect Driver Ratings of 150.0 have been recorded at Phoenix, Kurt Busch in April 2005 and Kevin Harvickin November 2006.
·        Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Phoenix International Raceway winner: Kyle Busch (11/13/2005 – 20 years, 6 months, 11 days).
·        Oldest NSCS Phoenix International Raceway winner: Mark Martin (4/18/2009 – 50 years, 3 months, 9 days).
·        Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Phoenix with five; followed by Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart with three each.
·        Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson lead the series in top-five finishes at Phoenix with 12 each.
·        Alan Kulwicki (11/6/1988) and Bobby Hamilton (10/27/1996) are the only two drivers to post their first NASCAR Sprint Cup career wins at Phoenix International Raceway.
·        21 of the 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who have won at Phoenix participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Alan Kulwicki (11/6/1988) and Tony Stewart (11/7/1999) are the only two drivers to win at Phoenix in their first appearance.
·        Jeff Gordon competed at Phoenix International Raceway 16 times before winning (4/21/2007); the longest span of any the 23 winners.
·        Six drivers have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Phoenix: Jeff Gordon (16), Ryan Newman(15), Kasey Kahne (14), Denny Hamlin (13), Carl Edwards (12) and Rusty Wallace (11).
·        Bobby Labonte leads the series (active drivers) with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Phoenix without visiting Victory Lane with 29.
·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Phoenix was the (4/10/2010) race won by Ryan Newman with a MOV of 0.13 seconds.
·        Two drivers have won at Phoenix and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the same season: Jimmie Johnson (2007, 2008 sweep and 2009); Dale Earnhardt (1990).
·        Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has made a NASCAR Sprint Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway.
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Date
Danica Patrick
37
17
11/11/2012
Danica Patrick
40
39
3/3/2013
·        Car numbers that have produced three or more Phoenix wins:
Car No. – Drivers – (Years)
o   No. 48 – Jimmie Johnson (2007, 2008 sweep and 2009)
o   No. 99 – Carl Edwards (2010 and 2013) and Jeff Burton (2000, 2001)  
o   No. 29 – Kevin Harvick (2006 sweep and 2012)
o   No. 5 – Mark Martin (2009), Kyle Busch (2005) and Terry Labonte (1994)
NASCAR in Arizona
·        There have been 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup races among three tracks in Arizona.
Track Name
City
NSCS
Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale
34
Arizona State Fairgrounds
Phoenix
4
Tucson Rodeo Grounds
Tucson
1
·        31 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Arizona.
·        There have been no race winners from Arizona in NASCAR’s three national series.
Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup
·        Phoenix International Raceway has been a part of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup since the playoff’s inception in 2004. This weekend the track will host its 10th Chase event.
·        The winner of the Chase race at Phoenix International Raceway has gone on to win the championship three times:Jimmie Johnson (2007-2009).
·        Jimmie Johnson leadsthe series in Chase race wins at Phoenix with three (2007-2009); followed by Kevin Harvick with two (2006, 2012).
·        The worst finish in a Chase race by the eventual series champion at Phoenix International Raceway is 10th, byKurt Busch in 2004. Busch was in the Chase standings lead following the 2004 Phoenix Chase race.
·        Chase Contenders have won seven of the nine previous Chase races at Phoenix International Raceway. The only non-Chase contenders to win a Phoenix Chase race were Kyle Busch (2005) and Kasey Kahne (2011).
·        Six of the 2013 Chase Contenders are former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase race winners at Phoenix:Jimmie Johnson (three), Kevin Harvick (two), Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch (one each).
·        The average Chase race finish by the eventual series champion at Phoenix International Raceway is 3.7.
·        Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in Chase race wins at Phoenix with four: Kyle Busch (2005), Jimmie Johnson (2007-2009).
·        Chevrolet leads the series in Chase wins at Phoenix with seven; followed by Ford and Toyota with one each.
·        The most dominant performance by a Chase race winner at Phoenix International Raceway is Kevin Harvick’svictory in 2006. He posted a Perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 and led 252 of the 312 laps (80.7% of his laps completed) – most by a Chase race winner at Phoenix.
·        The Phoenix Chase race has been won from the Coors Light pole twice: Jimmie Johnson (2008) and Carl Edwards (2010).
Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup
·        Since the inception of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in 2004, the eventual champion has not held the No. 1 point standings position twice following the Chase race at Phoenix:
o   2010 – Jimmie Johnson was 15 points behind Denny Hamlin heading into Homestead-Miami.
o   2011 – Tony Stewart was three points behind Carl Edwards heading into Homestead-Miami.
·        There have been four Chase race Perfect Driver Rating performances since the inception of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in 2004: Kevin Harvick (Phoenix, 2006), Clint Bowyer (New Hampshire, 2007), Carl Edwards (Homestead, 2010) and Jimmie Johnson (Texas, 2013).
Eventual champion’s points position and point deficit to the standings leader following the eighth Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race:
Season
Champion
Points Behind Leader
Points Position Following 8th Chase Race
2004
Kurt Busch
0
1st
2005
Tony Stewart
0
1st
2006
Jimmie Johnson
0
1st
2007
Jimmie Johnson
0
1st
2008
Jimmie Johnson
0
1st
2009
Jimmie Johnson
0
1st
2010
Jimmie Johnson
-33
2nd
2011
Tony Stewart
-3
2nd
2012
Brad Keselowski
-7
2nd
Note: 2011 and 2012 are under the current points per finish system.

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