Phoenix Betting Preview: 2018 Can-Am 500

NASCAR racing in the desert is awesome!

We've got some exciting new drama to add to Sunday's Can-Am 500 storyline at Phoenix. This is the cutoff race of the third round of NASCAR's Playoffs and when it's over we'll know who the Championship 4 drivers will be for next week's season finale at Homestead. But layered over the top of it all is alleged cheating and the severe penalties that come with it.

Kevin Harvick looked to have earned an automatic Championship 4 berth by winning Sunday at Texas, but his spoiler was proven to be too high in a post-race inspection and he had 40 driver points stripped along with the automatic berth for winning. Also, crew chief Rodney Childers was suspended for the final two races and fined $75,000. Wow!

No wonder those guys were so fast over the weekend. But I really do love the creative engineering effort. It's old school among so many new school things in the sport. So the deal here is Harvick's No. 4 passed the pre-race inspection, but failed post-race, as if someone changed the spoiler after the pre-race inspection? Bizzare, but perhaps a bit too harsh.

As a team, you have to find that edge somewhere, but now Harvick is fourth in points, only three points above fifth-place Kurt Busch. Only Joey Logano is locked in, so three Championship 4 spots are waiting to be claimed Sunday at Phoenix.

Among the seven drivers looking to advance, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. have an edge in points with each being at least 25-points ahead of fifth-place Kurt Busch. To give an example of how small a 25-point lead is, consider Harvick gained 53-points for his March 11 win at Phoenix in NASCAR's first visit this season during its West Coast swing. Rookie William Byron gained 25-points for his 12-place finish. So Kyle Busch and Truex appear to have a comfortable lead, but they really don't. And if Kurt Busch, Chase Elliott, Aric Almirola or Clint Bowyer win Sunday, they'll automatically qualify and either Kyle, Truex, or Harvick will be chopped.

“I’d like to think our odds are pretty good," Kyle Busch said of advancing. "Obviously, anything can happen. Things didn’t go our way at Texas last weekend and we felt we had a good car, but things just didn’t fall our way after having the loose wheel. You still have to have some luck on your side and have everything kind of go your way. It’s tough to rebound, sometimes, after a difficult start to a day or, even if you have trouble later in the day, it’s really difficult to rebound and get a good finish like you need. We’d love to be able to win and automatically lock ourselves through but, if that’s not the case, then you just have to be smart and mindful of a good points day and try not to hurt yourself – just try and keep what happens to you under your own control if you can.”

While the Playoff standings have some impact in handicapping this race, the main criteria should still begin with handicapping the type of track. In the case of Phoenix's flat 1-mile layout, we can group its results in the same category with the two races at Richmond's flat 3/4-mile layout and New Hampshire's flat 1-mile layout. All three configurations are drastically different, but between the distance and lack of banking, the results have been almost identical in all four races on them this season. If a driver does well on one of these tracks, they do just as good on the other.

This isn't new. It's been happening ever since Cup racing began at Phoenix in 1988. Car chiefs get that winning balance set-up and stick with it, and sometimes use the exact same chassis for all three tracks during a season. Chances are pretty good that Harvick will be using the same chassis he won with in March.

So let's review the four races on these tracks with more emphasis given to the Spet. 22 Richmond race just because it's most recent. Three drivers finished in the top-five of all four races and one driver finished in the top-five of three of the four races and another driver finished in the top-five in the last two races on them.

Check it out, Harvick won at Phoenix and New Hampshire, finished fifth at Richmond in April and was runner-up there seven weeks ago and he led laps in all of them. Kyle Busch took the checkers at both Richmond races, was runner-up at Phoenix while also leading the most laps and was also runner-up at New Hampshire. That's an insane 1.5 average finish for Busch between the four races.

The other driver with all top-fives is Chase Elliott, and he's perhaps the most interesting look to get in the Championship 4 Race. He was third at Phoenix, runner-up at Richmond, fifth at New Hampshire and fourth in the last Richmond race. His 6.8 average finish between five Phoenix starts in the best among all active drivers. Kyle Busch and Harvick have proven to be better on these tracks this season, but Elliott is certainly knocking on the door and he knows he needs to win to advance.

“The No. 9 team and I are looking forward to heading to Phoenix this weekend," said Elliott. "We have to win this week so we are going to go to work and try to get it done. I feel good about Phoenix – we’ve run pretty good there in the past. I think it has actually been one of my more consistent tracks.”

Eliott's crew chief Alan Gustafson elaborated further on the need to win this week.

“We are trying to win. Our outlook hasn’t changed," said Gustafson. "Phoenix is a great place that we have had some success at and it’s a fun place to race. I feel like we will stack up a little better to the competition there than last week. We had a strong run in the spring, obviously, that doesn’t mean anything going back, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. We are going to do everything we can, I can promise you that.”

Yes, I love the team objective. Win! All-in! And man, NASCAR sure would love to have NASCAR royalty in its Championship 4 Race. Not that NASCAR can do anything special but wish for Elliott to win, but I'm on board with wishing as well. I'm also in on a wager for him to win.

READ MORE HERE....TOP-5 FINISH PREDICTION ON VEGASINSIDER.COM

Odds to win 2018 Can-Am 500 at Phoenix

Kevin Harvick snatched his ninth Phoenix win in March.

WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERBOOK

ODDS TO WIN 2018 CAN-AM 500

ISM RACEWAY (PHOENIX)

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2018 - 2:45 PM ET

Kevin HARVICK 8/5
Kyle BUSCH 4/1
Martin TRUEX JR 7/1
Chase ELLIOTT 7/1
Kyle LARSON 12/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 15/1
Clint BOWYER 15/1
Denny HAMLIN 15/1
Erik JONES 20/1
Kurt BUSCH 20/1
Joey LOGANO 20/1
Aric ALMIROLA 20/1
Ryan BLANEY 25/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 60/1
Alex BOWMAN 60/1
Austin DILLON 100/1
Daniel SUAREZ 80/1
Ryan NEWMAN 300/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 300/1
Paul MENARD 300/1
William BYRON 300/1
Jamie McMURRAY 300/1
Matt KENSETH 300/1
Chris BUESCHER 1000/1
AJ ALLMENDINGER 1000/1
Michael McDOWELL 2000/1
Darrell WALLACE JR 2000/1
Regan SMITH 5000/1
TY DILLON 2000/1
FIELD (all others) 1000/1

Phoenix Betting Preview: 2017 Can-Am 500

Ryan Newman won the spring race at Phoenix in March.

There's only one spot remaining for next weeks championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway and we'll find out Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway who that driver is as we close out the Round of 8 and eliminate four drivers.

Think of NASCAR's Playoffs this week like a conference championship game, or a Game 7, in other sports where half the contenders say bye-bye. Three drivers, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex, Jr. have already qualified to advance to next weeks Championship 4. Brad Keselowski is sitting in fourth-place and has a 19-point lead over Denny Hamlin, a 22-point lead over Ryan Blaney and a 49-point lead over Chase Elliott.

“You want to try to win the race," said Elliott who has a 9.7 average finish in three Phoenix starts. "The guy who wins that race is probably going to go on, we saw that last year. We weren’t really in the hunt there last year to win the race. We weren’t in the playoffs anymore at that point, so all those guys, you try to respect them as much as you can when you are not involved in it, but at the same time you want to win. Fine line you have to walk there, but just try to get the victory if you can to punch your ticket.”

Hamlin doesn't have to win to get in like Elliott does, but he's going to need some help with someone like Keselowski having trouble or he just has to win to get the automatic berth.

"We just need to keep digging to give ourselves a shot at a win this weekend," said Hamlin who won at Phoenix in 2012. "That’s the way we’re going to pull this thing off. We’ve been up front to contend for a win at the end of these past two races, and that’s our plan again at Phoenix.”

Read More Here..............Top-5 Finish Prediction

Odds to win 2017 Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway

Kevin harvick has eight wins at Phoenix but all were in a Chevy. He drives a Ford now.

WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERBOOK
ODDS TO WIN 2017 CAN-AM 500
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2017 - 2:37 PM ET

Kyle BUSCH 2/1
Kevin HARVICK 3/1
Martin TRUEX JR 5/1
Kyle LARSON 8/1
Denny HAMLIN 8/1
Chase ELLIOTT 15/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 15/1
Erik JONES 20/1
Matt KENSETH 25/1
Joey LOGANO 25/1
Ryan BLANEY 25/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 25/1
Clint BOWYER 50/1
Kurt BUSCH 50/1
Jamie McMURRAY 100/1
Daniel SUAREZ 100/1
Ryan NEWMAN 100/1
Dale EARNHARDT JR 80/1
Kasey KAHNE 100/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 300/1
Austin DILLON 500/1
Trevor BAYNE 500/1
Paul MENARD 500/1
Aric ALMIROLA 500/1
Ty DILLON 1000/1
AJ ALLMENDINGER 1000/1
Chris BUESCHER 1000/1
Danica PATRICK 1000/1
Michael McDOWELL 5000/1
FIELD (all others) 1000/1

Phoenix International Raceway Track Facts: 2017 Can-Am 500

The flat Phoenix layout always produces great racing.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Fast Facts: Phoenix Raceway

·  Since the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff inception in 2004, Phoenix Raceway has occupied two different positions on the Playoff schedule: In 2004, the Phoenix Playoff race was the eighth race in the Playoffs. Then from 2005 – present (last 12 seasons), the Phoenix Playoff race has been the ninth event on the Playoff schedule.     

Phoenix Playoff Race Winners Drivers Playoff Wins Kevin Harvick 4 Jimmie Johnson 3 Dale Earnhardt Jr 2 Carl Edwards 1 Joey Logano 1 Kasey Kahne 1 Kyle Busch 1

·        Eight tracks have hosted Playoff races all 13 previous years – New Hampshire, Dover, Charlotte, Kansas, Talladega, Martinsville, Phoenix and Homestead-Miami.

·        Seven different drivers have won the Phoenix Playoff races, led by Kevin Harvick with four Playoff wins (2006, 2012, 2013 and 2014).  

·        Four times the winner of the Phoenix Raceway Playoff race has gone on to win the title: 

o   In 2007, Jimmie Johnson won from the sixth starting position at Phoenix, and went on to win his second consecutive MENCS championship.

o   In 2008, Jimmie Johnson won from the pole at Phoenix, and went on to win his third consecutive MENCS championship.

o   In 2009, Jimmie Johnson won from the third starting position at Phoenix, and went on to win his fourth consecutive MENCS championship.

o   In 2014, Kevin Harvick won from the third starting position at Phoenix, and went on to win his first MENCS championship.

·        The worst finish in a Playoff race at Phoenix by a driver that went on to win the title the same season was 38th by Jimmie Johnson in 2016.

·        Three non-Playoff drivers have won the Playoff race at Phoenix Raceway:

o   Kyle Busch (2005) was ranked 19th in the points at the time of the win.

o   Kasey Kahne (2011) was ranked 14th in the points at the time of the win.

o   Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2015) was seventh in points at the time of the win. Earnhardt Jr. had made the Playoffs in 2015, but was eliminated in the Round of 12.

·        Nine drivers have won the pole for the Playoff races at Phoenix, led by Jimmie Johnson with three; followed by Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin (two each), Alex Bowman, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman (with one each).

·        Three manufacturers have won Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff races at Phoenix Raceway – Chevrolet (10 wins) Ford (two) and Toyota (one).

·        Four manufacturers have won the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race Coors Light pole at Phoenix Raceway – Chevrolet (seven poles), Ford (three), Toyota (two) and Dodge (one).

·        Top five MENCS Playoff race (2004-Present) lap leaders at Phoenix: Kevin Harvick (744), Jimmie Johnson (596), Kyle Busch (307), Denny Hamlin (305) and Carl Edwards (243).    

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2017 Top 8 at Phoenix Raceway

Rank	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating*
1	Martin Truex Jr	23	1	0	1	7	3	17.6	84.4
2	Kyle Busch	24	3	1	7	16	1	12.5	99.7
3	Kevin Harvick	29	1	8	13	18	0	9.9	110.3
4	Brad Keselowski	16	1	0	5	8	1	14.0	94.1
5	Denny Hamlin	24	2	1	10	14	0	10.8	95.1
6	Ryan Blaney	3	0	0	0	2	0	13.7	83.0
7	Chase Elliott	3	0	0	0	2	0	9.7	107.9
8	Jimmie Johnson	28	3	4	15	20	1	9.0	111.0

* – Driver Rating based on last 25 races at Phoenix Raceway (2005 – 2017).

2017 Playoff Stage Winners / Drivers with Playoff Points

Track	Stage 1 Winner	Stage 2 Winner	Race Winner		Following Round of 12
Round of 16					Drivers	Pts
Chicago	Kyle Busch	Chase Elliott	Martin Truex Jr.		Martin Truex Jr.	69
New Hampshire	Martin Truex Jr	Kyle Busch	Kyle Busch		Kyle Busch	42
Dover	Brad Keselowski	Kyle Larson	Kyle Busch		Brad Keselowski	26
Round of 12					Kevin Harvick	17
Charlotte	Kevin Harvick	Kevin Harvick	Martin Truex Jr.		Jimmie Johnson	17
Talladega	Brad Keselowski	Ryan Blaney	Brad Keselowski		Denny Hamlin	14
Kansas	Kyle Busch	Denny Hamlin	Martin Truex Jr.		Ryan Blaney	9
Round of 8					Chase Elliott	6
Martinsville	Brad Keselowski	Brad Keselowski	Kyle Busch
Texas	Kevin Harvick	Kyle Larson	Kevin Harvick
Phoenix
Championship 4
Homestead-Miami

Phoenix Raceway Data Season Race #: 35 of 36 (11-12-17) 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 / 500 Kilometers Stage 1 & 2 Length: 75 laps (each) Final Stage Length: 162 laps Top 10 Active Driver Ratings at Phoenix Jimmie Johnson........................ 111.0 Kevin Harvick........................... 110.3 Chase Elliott............................. 107.9 Kyle Busch................................. 99.7 Kurt Busch................................. 97.0 Denny Hamlin............................. 95.1 Brad Keselowski......................... 94.1 Kyle Larson................................ 92.7 Joey Logano............................... 92.0 Erik Jones.................................. 91.9 Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2017 races (25 total) among active drivers at Phoenix Raceway. Qualifying/Race Data 2016 pole winner: Alex Bowman, Chevrolet 140.521 mph, 25.619 secs. 11-11-16 2016 race winner: Joey Logano, Ford 102.866 mph, (03:08:59), 11-13-16 Track qualifying record: Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 143.158 mph, 25.147 secs. 11-13-15 Track race record: Tony Stewart, Pontiac 118.132 mph, (2:38:28), 11-07-99

Phoenix 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 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix on Nov. 6, 1988.

·        The first spring race was held on April 23, 2005 and also the first night race, which was won by Kurt Busch.

·        The track underwent its first repave in 2011. The construction began in March and concluded in September of that year.

·        The following changes were made during the construction period (March – Sept., 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.

·        There have been 42 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.

 Starts

·        211 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix; 156 in more than one.

·        Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon lead the Monster Enerdy NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Phoenix with 34 each.

·        Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the MENCS with 29 starts at Phoenix.

·        Kyle Larson (seven starts) leads the series in average starting position with a 6.714 at Phoenix.

Poles

·        There have been 23 different MENCS Coors Light pole winners, led by Ryan Newman with four.

·        Geoffrey Bodine won the first MENCS pole at Phoenix in 1988 at a speed of 123.203 mph (29.220 sec.) in a Chevrolet.

·        Youngest Phoenix pole winner: Kyle Busch (4/22/06 – 20 years, 11 months, 20 days).

·        Oldest Phoenix pole winner: Mark Martin (03/03/13 – 54 years, 1 month, 22 days).

·        Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards are the only drivers to win consecutive poles at Phoenix. Newman won three straight (2002-04), Gordon won the fall of 2006 and the spring of 2007. Edwards won the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011.

·        Four drivers have won their first career MENCS pole at Phoenix Raceway: Casey Atwood (October 2001), Denny Hamlin (November, 2005), AJ Allmendinger (April, 2010) and Alex Bowman (November, 2016).

Wins

·        24 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Phoenix Raceway.  

·        Kevin Harvick leads the series in wins at Phoenix with eight victories (’06 spring race and Playoff race, ’12 Playoff race, ‘13 Playoff race, ’14 spring race and Playoff race, ’15 spring race and ’16 spring race).

·        This weekend at Phoenix Raceway, Kevin Harvick can become the ninth driver to have won nine or more times at a single track.

Drivers with Nine or More Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins at a single track

Driver	Tracks (Wins)
Richard Petty	Martinsville (15), North Wilkesboro (15), Richmond (13), Rockingham (11), Daytona (10) and Nashville Fairgrounds (9)
Dale Earnhardt	Talladega (10), Atlanta (9), Bristol (9) and Darlington (9)
Darrell Waltrip	Bristol (12), Martinsville (11), North Wilkesboro (10)
Cale Yarborough	Bristol (9), Daytona (9)
David Pearson	Darlington (10), Michigan (9)
Jimmie Johnson	Dover (11), Martinsville (9)
Jeff Gordon	Martinsville (9)
Rusty Wallace	Bristol (9)

·        Nine drivers have multiple wins at Phoenix: Kevin Harvick leads the series in wins with eight followed by Jimmie Johnson (four), Davey Allison (two), Jeff Burton (two), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Jeff Gordon (two) Carl Edwards (two), Mark Martin (two) and Ryan Newman (two).

·        Of the nine drivers with multiple wins at Phoenix Raceway, Mark Martin is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Ford (1993) and Chevrolet (2009).

·        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) and (2013 playoff race, swept 2014 and ’15 spring race); Jimmie Johnson (fall 2007, swept 2008).

·        Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Phoenix with 10, followed by Roush Fenway Racing with seven.

·        Five of the 42 (11.9%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix have been won from the Coors Light pole: Jeff Gordon (spring 2007), Jimmie Johnson (Playoff 2008), Mark Martin (spring 2009), Carl Edwards (Playoff 2010) and Kevin Harvick (spring 2015).

·        Eight of the 42 (19%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix have been won from the front row: five from the pole and three from second-place.

·        21 of the 42 (50%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix have been won from a starting position inside the top 10.

·        21 of the 42 (50%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.

·        4 of the 42 (7.3%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix have been won from a starting position outside the top 20 – most recent: earlier this season, Ryan Newman started 22nd.

·        Ricky Rudd won the 1995 Phoenix 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.

·        Alan Kulwicki (11/6/1988) and Bobby Hamilton (10/27/1996) are the only two drivers to post their first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career win at Phoenix Raceway.

·        22 of the 24 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 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 and Joey Logano competed at Phoenix Raceway 16 times before winning; the longest span of any the 24 winners.

·        Six drivers have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Phoenix: Jeff Gordon (16), Joey Logano(16), Ryan Newman (15), Kasey Kahne (14), Denny Hamlin (13), Carl Edwards (12) and Rusty Wallace (11).

·        Jamie McMurray leads the series (active drivers) with the most Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix without visiting Victory Lane with 28.

·        Youngest Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway winner: Kyle Busch (11/13/2005 – 20 years, 6 months, 11 days).

·        Oldest Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway winner: Mark Martin (04/18/2009 – 50 years, 3 months, 9 days).

Additional Finishing Positions

·        Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Phoenix with five; followed by Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart with three each.

·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-five finishes at Phoenix with 15; followed by Kevin Harvick (13), Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon with 12 each.

·        Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at Phoenix with 24, followed by Mark Martin with 21. Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with 20; followed by Kevin Harvick with 18.

·        Alan Kulwicki (five starts) leads the series in average finishing position at Phoenix with a 5.200.

·        Jimmie Johnson (28 starts) leads all active drivers in average finishing position at Phoenix with a 8.964.

·        Jimmie Johnson (8.964), Chase Elliott (9.667) and Kevin Harvick (9.879) are the only three active drivers with average finishes inside the top 10.

Track / Event Specific Stats

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring (1993), the closest margin of victory in the MENCS at Phoenix was early last season (03/13/16) when Kevin Harvick beat Carl Edwards to the line by 0.010 seconds.

·        Three drivers have won at Phoenix and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship in the same season: Jimmie Johnson (2007, 2008 sweep and 2009); Dale Earnhardt (1990); Kevin Harvick (2014).

·        Four perfect Driver Ratings of 150.0 have been recorded at Phoenix, Kurt Busch in April of 2005 and Kevin Harvick in November of 2006, November 2014 and March 2015.  

·        Qualifying has never been cancelled due to weather at Phoenix International Raceway.

·        Of the 42 races at Phoenix seven have ended with NASCAR Overtime:

Date	Scheduled No. of Laps	Actual No. of Laps	NASCAR Overtime	Winner	Runner-Up
3/19/2017	312	314	2	Ryan Newman	Kyle Larson
11/13/2016	312	324	12	Joey Logano	Kyle Busch
3/13/2016	312	313	1	Kevin Harvick	Carl Edwards
3/3/2013	312	316	4	Carl Edwards	Jimmie Johnson
11/11/2012	312	319	7	Kevin Harvick	Denny Hamlin
4/10/2010	375	378	3	Ryan Newman	Jeff Gordon
11/9/2008	312	313	1	Jimmie Johnson	Kurt Busch
11/7/2004	312	315	3	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Ryan Newman

·        Only two of the 42 MENCS races at Phoenix have been shortened due to weather:

Date	Scheduled No. of Laps	Actual No. of Laps	No. of Fewer Laps	Winner	Runner-Up
11/15/2015	312	219	-93	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Kevin Harvick
10/25/1998	312	257	-55	Rusty Wallace	Mark Martin

Female Competitors

·        Danica Patrick is the only female driver who has made a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Phoenix Raceway.

Date	Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Driver Rating
3/13/2017	Danica Patrick	26	22	52.8
11/13/2016	Danica Patrick	16	29	48.9
3/13/2016	Danica Patrick	36	19	60.3
11/15/2015	Danica Patrick	21	16	66.4
3/15/2015	Danica Patrick	23	26	59.6
11/9/2014	Danica Patrick	32	22	60.5
3/2/2014	Danica Patrick	33	36	51.7
11/10/2013	Danica Patrick	32	33	33.2
3/3/2013	Danica Patrick	40	39	44.2
11/11/2012	Danica Patrick	37	17	58.0
AVERAGES		29.6	25.9	53.6

NASCAR in Arizona

·        There have been 107 NASCAR national series races among four tracks in Arizona.

Track Name	City	Monster Energy	XFINITY	Camping World	Total Races
Phoenix Raceway	Avondale	42	31	26	99
Arizona State Fairgrounds	Phoenix	4	0	0	4
Tucson Raceway Park	Tucson	0	0	3	3
Tucson Rodeo Grounds	Tucson	1	0	0	1
Totals		47	31	29	107

·        33 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Arizona.

·        Of the 33 Arizona drivers, only two have won a NASCAR national series race - Michael McDowell (Phoenix) won the NXS race at Road America in 2016 and Alex Bowman (Tucson) won the NXS race at Charlotte Motor Speedway earlier this season.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Milestones
Drivers	Has	Needs	Milestones
STARTS
Matt Kenseth	648	2	To become the 22nd driver in series history to start 650 or more races
WINS
Jimmie Johnson	83	1	Tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84) for fourth on MENCS wins list
Kyle Busch	43	1	Tie Bill Elliott (44) for 16th on all-time MENCS wins list
Matt Kenseth	38	1	Tie Tim Flock (39) for 18th on all-time MENCS wins list
Kevin Harvick	37	1	Tie Matt Kenseth (38) for 20th on MENCS all-time wins list
Denny Hamlin	31	1	Tie Dale Jarrett (32) for 24th on all-time MENCS wins list
Kurt Busch	29	1	Tie Denny Hamlin (30) for 25th on all-time MENCS wins list
Dale Earnhardt Jr	26	2	Tie Rex White (28) for 28th on all-time MENCS wins list
Brad Keselowski	24	1	Tie Joe Weatherly, Jim Paschal (25) for 31st on all-time MENCS wins list
POLES
Ryan Newman	51	3	Tie Bill Elliott for eighth on the all-time MENCS poles list
Jimmie Johnson	35	1	Tie Rusty Wallace and Rex White for 17th on all-time MENCS poles list
Kasey Kahne	27	2	Tie Ricky Rudd (29) for 24th on the all-time MENCS poles list
Kyle Busch	27	2	Tie Ricky Rudd (29) for 24th on the all-time MENCS poles list
ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS
Jimmie Johnson	46	2	Tie Lee Petty for 11th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Dale Earnhardt Jr	149	1	To become the 24th driver to post 150 or more MENCS top-five finishes
LAPS LED
Jimmie Johnson	18,663	337	To become the ninth driver in series history to lead 19,000 or more laps
Matt Kenseth	11,689	311	To become the 15th MENCS driver all-time to lead 12,000 or more laps
Kurt Busch	8,877	126	To become 20th MENCS driver all-time to lead 9,000 or more laps
Denny Hamlin	8,650	350	To become 20th MENCS driver all-time to lead 9,000 or more laps