DRIVER-SPECIFIC STATISTICS AT PHOENIX

 

1 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 111.0

2012 Rundown

·         Five wins, 18 top fives, 24 top 10s; four poles

·         Average finish of 9.8

·         Led 25 races for 1,719 laps

Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:

·         Four wins, 12 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 5.3 in 18 races

·         Series-best Average Running Position of 6.4

·         Series-best Driver Rating of 118.4

·         Series-high 506 Fastest Laps Run

·         587 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most

·         Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 124.812 mph

·         Series-high 4,267 Laps in the Top 15 (89.9%)

·         421 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most

 

2 - Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.6

2012 Rundown

·         Five wins, 13 top fives, 22 top 10s

·         Average finish of 10.1

·         Led 20 races for 725 laps

Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:

·         One top five, one top 10

·         Average finish of 22.2 in six races

·         Average Running Position of 20.4, 23rd-best

·         Driver Rating of 72.9, 23rd-best

 

3 - Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.1

2012 Rundown

·         Three wins, nine top fives, 22 top 10s

·         Average finish of 10.7

·         Led 13 races for 388 laps

Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:

·         Two top fives, five top 10s

·         Average finish of 16.9 in 14 races

·         Average Running Position of 17.7, 19th-best

·         Driver Rating of 79.4, 19th-best

 

4 - Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.8

2012 Rundown

·         Two wins, 11 top fives, 18 top 10s; four poles

·         Average finish of 13.2

·         Led 11 races for 275 laps

Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:

·         One win, two top fives, five top 10s

·         Average finish of 20.0 in 16 races

·         Average Running Position of 20.8, 24th-best

·         Driver Rating of 74.2, 21st-best

 

5 - Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Ford EcoBoost Ford)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.4

2012 Rundown

·         Three wins, 13 top fives, 19 top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 10.9

·         Led 22 races for 478 laps

Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:

·         One win, five top fives, eight top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 17.9 in 20 races

·         Average Running Position of 16.8, 17th-best

·         Driver Rating of 85.5, 13th-best

·         159 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

·         612 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 124.124 mph, 12th-fastest

·         311 Quality Passes, 11th-most

 

6 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.7

2012 Rundown

·         One win, 10 top fives, 17 top 10s; two poles

·         Average finish of 14.1

·         Led 22 races for 554 laps

Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:

·         Two wins, 10 top fives, 19 top 10s; three poles

·         Average finish of 10.8 in 27 races

·         Average Running Position of 10.7, fourth-best

·         Driver Rating of 99.5, fourth-best

·         176 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 124.250 mph, 11th-fastest

·         3,766 Laps in the Top 15 (79.3%), third-most

 

7 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.3

2012 Rundown

·         Five wins, 13 top fives, 16 top 10s; three poles

·         Average finish of 12.8

·         Led 23 races for 1,180 laps

Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:

·         One win, six top fives, seven top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 10.9 in 14 races

·         Average Running Position of 11.7, seventh-best

·         Driver Rating of 98.8, sixth-best

·         218 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 124.426 mph, fourth-fastest

·         3,264 Laps in the Top 15 (73.6%), ninth-most

·         344 Quality Passes, sixth-most

 

8 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.9

2012 Rundown

·         Three wins, 12 top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 13.4

·         Led 14 races for 420 laps

Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:

·         One win, eight top fives, 11 top 10s

·         Average finish of 11.8 in 21 races

·         Average Running Position of 10.0, second-best

·         Driver Rating of 100.4, second-best

·         212 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most

·         643 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 124.485 mph, second-fastest

·         3,671 Laps in the Top 15 (77.3%), fourth-most

·         391 Quality Passes, fifth-most

 

9 - Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.8

2012 Rundown

·         Seven top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 11.4

·         Led 11 races for 423 laps

Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:

·         One top five, five top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 15.2 in 13 races

·         Average Running Position of 13.9, 10th-best

·         Driver Rating of 89.1, 11th-best

·         134 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 124.292 mph, ninth-fastest

·         2,773 Laps in the Top 15 (67.3%), 13th-most

·         310 Quality Passes, 12th-most

 

10 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 Filtrete Ford)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.6

2012 Rundown

·         Two wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s; three poles

·         Average finish of 10.4

·         Led 16 races for 721 laps

Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:

·         Five top fives, six top 10s

·         Average finish of 14.1 in 17 races

·         Average Running Position of 14.5, 11th-best

·         Driver Rating of 93.3, 10th-best

·         275 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

·         620 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 124.271 mph, 10th-fastest

·         2,845 Laps in the Top 15 (59.9%), 12th-most

 

11 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.6

2012 Rundown

·         Four top fives, 12 top 10s

·         Average finish of 12.5

·         Led 8 races for 241 laps

Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:

·         Two wins, five top fives, nine top 10s

·         Average finish of 13.5 in 19 races

·         Average Running Position of 11.5, fifth-best

·         Driver Rating of 97.5, eighth-best

·         219 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

·         608 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 124.372 mph, fifth-fastest

·         3,460 Laps in the Top 15 (72.9%), fifth-most

 

12 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.4

2012 Rundown

·         One win, 10 top fives, 19 top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 10.6

·         Led 13 races for 358 laps

Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:

·         Two wins, four top fives, eight top 10s

·         Average finish of 18.1 in 20 races

·         Average Running Position of 17.3, 18th-best

·         Driver Rating of 82.2, 16th-best

·         114 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most

·         637 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most

 

 

Chase Contenders

 

The Top 12

 

Following Race 34 of 36

 

                                                                                Rank        Season

                                                                                Last          Driver

Driver                             Points   Wins      Poles        Week        Rating

1. Jimmie Johnson    2,339       5           4              1           111.0

2. Brad Keselowski     2,332       5           0              2             98.6

3. Clint Bowyer           2,303       3           0              3             96.1

4. Kasey Kahne           2,281       2           4               4             95.8

5. Matt Kenseth           2,267       3           1               8           100.4

6. Jeff Gordon            2,267       1           2               6             97.7

7. Denny Hamlin         2,266       5           3               5           101.3

8. Tony Stewart           2,259       3           1            10             86.9

9. Martin Truex Jr.      2,259       0           1               7             96.8

10. Greg Biffle               2,256       2           3               9           100.6

11. Kevin Harvick         2,238       0           0             11             90.6

12. Dale Earnhardt Jr.  2,188       1           1             12             97.4

    ___________________________________________________________

 

ADDITIONAL DRIVERS

13. Kyle Busch                     1,048      36. David Stremme          220

14. Ryan Newman                969         37. Michael McDowell      178

15. Carl Edwards                  965         38. J.J. Yeley                  157

16. Paul Menard                   938         39. Ken Schrader             139

17. Joey Logano                   918         40. Josh Wise                 136

18. Marcos Ambrose             892         41. Scott Speed               124

19. Jeff Burton                     827         42. Stephen Leicht           117

20. Jamie McMurray             823         43. Michael Waltrip            94

21. Aric Almirola                   803         44. Terry Labonte             94

22. Juan Pablo Montoya        762         45. Tony Raines               71

23. Bobby Labonte                724         46. Scott Riggs                54

24. Regan Smith                   713         47. Brendan Gaughan         50

25. Kurt Busch                     664         48. Boris Said                   34

26. Mark Martin                    638         49. Bill Elliott                     14

27. David Ragan                   598         50. Hermie Sadler III          13

28. Travis Kvapil                   595         51. Mike Olsen                  11

29. David Gilliland                 586         52. Robby Gordon             11

30. Casey Mears                  575         53. Mike Skinner               10

31. Landon Cassill                562         54. Kelly Bires                    9

32. AJ Allmendinger              453         55. Tomy Drissi                  6

33. Dave Blaney                   387         56. Stacy Compton             5

34. David Reutimann             359         57. David Mayhew              4

35. Brian Vickers                  250         58. Patrick Long                  2

Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season. After race No. 26, the top 10 earn a berth in the Chase. Spots 11 and 12 – the Wild Cards – will go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20.

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2012 Top 12 at Phoenix International Raceway

	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Jimmie Johnson	18	1	4	12	15	0	5.3	118.4
2	Brad Keselowski	6	0	0	1	1	1	22.2	72.9
3	Clint Bowyer	14	0	0	2	5	1	16.9	79.4
4	Kasey Kahne	16	0	1	2	5	1	20.0	74.2
5	Matt Kenseth	20	1	1	5	8	3	17.9	85.5
6	Jeff Gordon	27	3	2	10	19	2	10.8	99.5
7	Denny Hamlin	14	1	1	6	7	0	10.9	98.8
8	Tony Stewart	21	0	1	8	11	0	11.8	100.4
9	Martin Truex Jr.	13	1	0	1	5	1	15.2	89.1
10	Greg Biffle	17	0	0	5	6	1	14.1	93.3
11	Kevin Harvick	19	0	2	5	9	0	13.5	97.5
12	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	20	0	2	4	8	3	18.1	82.2

* – Based on last 15 races at Phoenix International Raceway.

 

At 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 and also the first night race, which was won by Kurt Busch.

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

·         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

Notebook

·         There have been 32 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix International Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.

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

·         There have been 19 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman with four.

·         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 spring of 2007, and Edwards won the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011.

·         There have been 23 different race winners, led by Jimmie Johnson, with four – (’07 fall, ’08 sweep, ’09 fall).

·         The race has been won from the pole four times: Jeff Gordon (spring 2007), Jimmie Johnson (fall 2008), Mark Martin (spring 2009) and Carl Edwards (fall 2010).

·         The race has been won from a top-10 starting position in 17 of 32 events.

·         Denny Hamlin (November, 2005) won his first career pole at Phoenix International Raceway.

·         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.

·         Mark Martin has 20 top-10 finishes, more than any other driver. Martin (9.0 average finish) is one of two active drivers who average a top-10 finish. Jimmie Johnson (5.2) is the other.

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

·         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 six.

·         Of the seven 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).

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Texas Motor Speedway winner: 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).

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Phoenix International Raceway pole winner: Kyle Busch (4/22/2006 – 20 years, 11 months, 20 days). Oldest NSCS Phoenix International Raceway pole winner: Mark Martin (4/18/2009 – 53 years, 1 months, 24 days).

 

Phoenix International Raceway Data

Chase Race #: 9 of 10

Season Race #: 35 of 36 (11-11-12)

Track Size: 1-mile

Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 10 - 11 degrees

Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 8 - 9 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 3 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees

Frontstretch Length:  1,179 feet

Backstretch Length:  1,551 feet

Race Length: 312 laps / 500 Kilometers

 

Top 12 Driver Rating at Phoenix

Jimmie Johnson........................ 118.4

Tony Stewart............................. 100.4

Carl Edwards.............................. 99.7

Jeff Gordon................................ 99.5

Kurt Busch.................................. 98.9

Denny Hamlin............................. 98.8

Mark Martin................................. 98.4

Kevin Harvick.............................. 97.5

Kyle Busch................................. 96.9

Greg Biffle.................................. 93.3

Martin Truex Jr............................ 89.1

Ryan Newman............................. 88.6

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (15 total) among active drivers at Phoenix International Raceway

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2011 pole winner:

Matt Kenseth, Ford, 137.101 mph, 26.258 sec., 11-11-11

 

2011 race winner:

Kasey Kahne, Toyota, 112.918 mph, (2:45:47), 11-13-11

 

Track qualifying record:

Carl Edwards, Ford, 137.279 mph, 26.244 sec., 2-26-11

 

Track race record:

Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 118.132 mph, (2:38:28), 11-7-99

NASCAR in Arizona

·         There have been 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Arizona.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Phoenix International Raceway	Phoenix	32
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.