Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona going into The Profit on CNBC 500 on March 2. FOX’s coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET and the race is scheduled for 3 p.m.

PHOENIX-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

 

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)

·        Five top fives, seven top 10s

·        Average finish of 13.9

·        Average Running Position of 14.8, ninth-best

·        Driver Rating of 91.6, ninth-best

·        286 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

·        793 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 125.243 mph, 10th-fastest

·        3,242 Laps in the Top 15 (56.9%), 11th-most

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

 

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)

·        One win, five top fives, 12 top 10s

·        Average finish of 13.5

·        Average Running Position of 10.6, fourth-best

·        Driver Rating of 98.0, seventh-best

·        287 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 125.351 mph, seventh-fastest

·        3,953 Laps in the Top 15 (73.4%), sixth-most

·        386 Quality Passes, 10th-most

 

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Skittles Toyota)

·        One win, three top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles

·        Average finish of 13.5

·        Average Running Position of 12.0, seventh-best

·        Driver Rating of 97.4, eighth-best

·        248 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

·        794 Green Flag Passes, third-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 125.364 mph, sixth-fastest

·        4,505 Laps in the Top 15 (79.1%), third-most

·        Series-high 527 Quality Passes

 

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Subway Ford)

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

·        Average finish of 12.3

·        Average Running Position of 12.7, eighth-best

·        Driver Rating of 100.0, third-best

·        354 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 125.439 mph, fourth-fastest

·        3,865 Laps in the Top 15 (67.9%), eighth-most

·        399 Quality Passes, eighth-most

 

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 PEPSI MAX Chevrolet)

·        Two wins, 10 top fives, 20 top 10s; three poles

·        Average finish of 11.5

·        Average Running Position of 10.5, third-best

·        Driver Rating of 99.4, fourth-best

·        222 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 125.337 mph, eighth-fastest

·        4,563 Laps in the Top 15 (80.1%), second-most

·        410 Quality Passes, sixth-most

 

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota)

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

·        Average finish of 10.9

·        Average Running Position of 11.7, sixth-best

·        Driver Rating of 98.2, sixth-best

·        237 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 125.400 mph, fifth-fastest

·        3,894 Laps in the Top 15 (72.4%), seventh-most

·        382 Quality Passes, 11th-most

 

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet)

·        Four wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s

·        Average finish of 12.3

·        Average Running Position of 10.7, fifth-best

·        Driver Rating of 101.3, second-best

·        308 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

·        743 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 125.482 mph, third-fastest

·        4,334 Laps in the Top 15 (76.1%), fourth-most

·        418 Quality Passes, fifth-most

 

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)

·        Four wins, 14 top fives, 17 top 10s; two poles

·        Average finish of 6.3

·        Series-best Average Running Position of 6.9

·        Series-best Driver Rating of 116.7

·        Series-high 574 Fastest Laps Run

·        722 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most

·        Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 125.835 mph

·        Series-high 5,009 Laps in the Top 15 (88.0%)

·        498 Quality Passes, second-most

 

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota)

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

·        Average finish of 17.4

·        Average Running Position of 16.1, 12th-best

·        Driver Rating of 86.1, 11th-best

·        172 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

·        789 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 125.166 mph, 11th-fastest

·        3,344 Laps in the Top 15 (58.7%), 10th-most

·        409 Quality Passes, seventh-most

 

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford)

·        Two top fives, three top 10s

·        Average finish of 17.1

·        Driver Rating of 85.9, 12th-best

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 125.280 mph, ninth-fastest

 

Ryan Newman (No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet)

·        One win, eight top fives, nine top 10s; four poles

·        Average finish of 18.7

·        Average Running Position of 15.3, 10th-best

·        Driver Rating of 87.1, 10th-best

·        768 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

·        3,723 Laps in the Top 15 (65.4%), ninth-most

·        487 Quality Passes, third-most

 

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

·        One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s

·        Average finish of 12.0

·        Average Running Position of 10.2, second-best

·        Driver Rating of 99.2, fifth-best

·        220 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

·        716 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 125.493 mph, second-fastest

·        4,146 Laps in the Top 15 (77.0%), fifth-most

·        440 Quality Passes, fourth-most

 

Chase Contenders

The Top 16

Following Race 1 of 36

                                                                                Rank          Season

                                                                                                    Last            Driver

Driver                                    Points    Wins       Poles         Week         Rating

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.         48       1           0              0           133.1

2. Denny Hamlin                43       0           0               0           113.8

3. Brad Keselowski           42       0           0              0           117.1

4. Jeff Gordon                  40       0           0               0           102.7

5. Jimmie Johnson            40       0           0               0           101.2

6. Matt Kenseth                 38       0           0               0            98.2

7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.      37       0           0               0             72.0

8. Greg Biffle                    37       0           0              0             94.1

9. Austin Dillon                 36       0           1               0             83.4

10. Casey Mears                 34       0           0              0             80.8

11. Joey Logano                 34       0           0              0           104.1

12. Kevin Harvick                31       0           0              0             85.1

13. Jamie McMurray            30       0           0              0             73.8

14. Bobby Labonte             29       0           0              0             46.2

15. Reed Sorenson             28       0           0              0             69.3

16. Carl Edwards                 28       0           0              0             87.0

   ___________________________________________________________

 

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Winners List:

 

Winner                                                     Track_________ ________________     

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.                    Daytona International Speedway

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2014 Top 10 at Phoenix International Raceway

Rank	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	23	0	2	6	10	3	17	84
2	Denny Hamlin	17	1	1	8	9	0	10.9	98.2
3	Brad Keselowski	9	0	0	2	3	1	17.1	85.9
4	Jeff Gordon	30	3	2	10	20	3	11.5	99.4
5	Jimmie Johnson	21	2	4	14	17	0	6.3	116.7
6	Matt Kenseth	23	1	1	5	9	3	17.4	86.1
7	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	2	0	0	0	0	0	14	72.9
8	Greg Biffle	20	0	0	5	7	1	13.9	91.6
9	Austin Dillon	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-
10	Casey Mears	19	0	0	0	0	4	26.2	61.1

* – Based on last 18 races at Phoenix International Raceway (2005 – 2013).

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 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

Notebook

·        There have been 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix International Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.

·        186 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix; 138 in more than one.

·        Mark Martin leads series in starts at Phoenix with 34; followed by Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte with 30 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 (03/03/13 – 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 Series race winners at Phoenix, eight have won more than once, led by Jimmie 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 and Kevin Harvick lead the series in wins (four each), Davey Allison (two), Jeff Burton (two), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Jeff Gordon(two) Carl Edwards (two) and Mark 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 35 (11.4%) 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 35 (20%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Phoenix have been won from the front row: four from the pole and three from second-place.

·        17 of the 35 (48.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Phoenix have been won from a starting position inside the top 10.

·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in average finishes at Phoenix with a 6.3; he is the only active driver with an average finish 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.

·        18 of the 35 (51.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Phoenix have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.

·        3 of the 35 (8.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Phoenix have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·        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 of 2005 and Kevin Harvick in November of 2006.

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

·        Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 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.

·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-five finishes at Phoenix with 14.

·        Alan Kulwicki (11/6/1988) and Bobby Hamilton (10/27/1996) are the only two drivers to post their first NASCAR Sprint Cup career win 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 Series starts at Phoenix without visiting Victory Lane with 30.

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Phoenix was the April 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 Series 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
Danica Patrick	32	33	11/10/2013

·        Car numbers that have produced three or more Phoenix wins:

Car Number – 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, 2012 and 2013)

o   No. 5 -  Mark Martin (2009), Kyle Busch (2005) and Terry Labonte (1994)

 

Phoenix International Raceway Data

Season Race #: 2 of 36 (3-2-14)

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

 

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Phoenix

Jimmie Johnson....................... 116.7

Kevin Harvick........................... 101.3

Carl Edwards............................ 100.0

Jeff Gordon................................ 99.4

Tony Stewart.............................. 99.2

Denny Hamlin............................. 98.2

Kurt Busch................................. 98.0

Kyle Busch................................. 97.4

Greg Biffle................................. 91.6

Ryan Newman............................ 87.1

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (18 total) among active drivers at Phoenix International Raceway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2013 pole winner: Mark Martin, Toyota, 138.074 mph, 26.073 secs. 3-1-13

2013 race winner: Carl Edwards, Ford, 105.187 mph, (03:00:15), 3-3-13

Track qualifying record: Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 139.222 mph, 25.858 secs. 11-8-13

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

 

NASCAR in Arizona

·        There have been 40 NASCAR Sprint Cup races among three tracks in Arizona.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Phoenix International Raceway	Avondale	35
Arizona State Fairgrounds	Phoenix	4
Tucson Rodeo Grounds	Tucson	1

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

·        None of the drivers from Arizona have won a race in NASCAR’s three national series.