Statistical Advance: Analyzing the FanShield 500

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Phoenix
Kevin Harvick……………………… 110.5
Jimmie Johnson…………………… 105.2
Kyle Busch…………………………. 104.7
Chase Elliott……………………….. 102.5
Denny Hamlin……………………….. 98.9
Kurt Busch…………………………… 95.0
Brad Keselowski……………………. 92.8
Kyle Larson………………………….. 92.5
Ryan Blaney…………………………. 91.9
Joey Logano…………………………. 90.0
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2019 races
(30 total) among active drivers at Phoenix Raceway.

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 NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix on Nov. 6, 1988.
• The first spring race was held on April 23, 2005 and was also the first night race, which was won by Kurt Busch driving for Roush Fenway Racing.
• 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):
  • Widened the frontstretch from 52 to 62 feet and reconfigured pit road with the installation of concrete pit stalls
  • Pushed the dog-leg curve between Turn 2 and Turn 3 out 95 feet and tightened the turn radius of the dog-leg from 800 to 500 feet
  • Implemented banking, including 11-degree banking between Turn 1 and Turn 2; 10-11-degree banking in the apex of the dog-leg; and 9-degree banking in Turns 3 and 4.
• Following the 2017 season, the track was renamed from Phoenix Raceway to ISM Raceway.
• Phoenix Raceway underwent reconstruction following the Spring race of 2018, with many new fan amenities added to the track, as well as the track itself being reconfigured so that the start/finish line is now just before the dog leg.
• Following the 2019 season, the track was renamed from ISM Raceway back to Phoenix Raceway.
• There have been 47 NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.

Starts

• In total 224 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway; 166 have competed in more than one race at Phoenix.
• Ryan Newman leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Phoenix Raceway with 35 starts.
• Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active drivers in the series in starts at Phoenix Raceway with 34 each.
• Chase Elliott (eight starts) leads the series in average starting position at Phoenix with a 5.5.

Poles

• There have been 24 different NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Award winners at Phoenix Raceway; nine are active this weekend.
• Ryan Newman (2002, 2003, 2004, 2008) and Kyle Busch (2006, 2012, 2016, 2019) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in Busch poles at Phoenix Raceway with four each.
• Geoffrey Bodine won the first NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Award at Phoenix Raceway in 1988 at a speed of 123.203 mph (29.220 secs.) in a Chevrolet.
• Youngest Phoenix Raceway pole winner: Kyle Busch (April 22, 2006 – 20 years, 11 months, 20 days).
• Oldest Phoenix Raceway pole winner: Mark Martin (March 3, 2013 – 54 years, 1 month, 22 days).
• Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards are the only drivers to win consecutive poles at Phoenix Raceway. Newman won three-straight (2002-04), Gordon won in the Fall of 2006 and the Spring of 2007. Edwards won in the Fall of 2010 and Spring of 2011.
• Four drivers have won their first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Phoenix Raceway: Casey Atwood (October 2001), Denny Hamlin (November 2005), AJ Allmendinger (April 2010) and Alex Bowman (November 2016).
• Five different manufacturers have won at least one Busch pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway, led by Chevrolet with 17 poles; followed by Ford (15), Toyota (seven), Dodge (four) and Pontiac (four).

Wins

• A total of 24 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Phoenix Raceway; six are active this weekend.
• Kevin Harvick leads the series in wins at Phoenix Raceway with nine victories (2006 sweep, 2012 Playoff race, 2013 Playoff race, 2014 sweep, 2015 Spring race, 2016 Spring race, 2018 Spring race).
• 11 drivers have multiple wins at Phoenix Raceway: Kevin Harvick leads the series in wins with eight followed by Jimmie Johnson (four), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (three), Davey Allison (two), Jeff Burton (two), Jeff Gordon (two) Carl Edwards (two), Mark Martin (two), Matt Kenseth (two), Ryan Newman (two) and Denny Hamlin (two).

• Five drivers have won consecutive races at Phoenix Raceway:
  • Davey Allison (1991,1992)
  • Jeff Burton (2000, 2001)
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003, 2004)
  • Kevin Harvick (swept 2006, 2013 Playoff race, swept 2014 and 2015 spring race)
  • Jimmie Johnson (fall race of 2007, swept 2008)

• Alan Kulwicki (11/6/1988) and Bobby Hamilton (10/27/1996) are the only two drivers to post their first NASCAR Cup Series career win at Phoenix Raceway.
• 22 of the 24 NASCAR Cup Series drivers who have won at Phoenix Raceway 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 Raceway: Jeff Gordon (16), Joey Logano (16), Ryan Newman (15), Kasey Kahne (14), Denny Hamlin (13), Carl Edwards (12) and Rusty Wallace (11).
• Clint Bowyer leads the series (active drivers) with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix Raceway without visiting Victory Lane in 29 starts; followed by Martin Truex Jr. with 28 starts.
• Youngest NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway winner: Kyle Busch (November 13, 2005 – 20 years, 6 months, 11 days).
• Oldest NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway winner: Mark Martin (April 18, 2009 – 50 years, 3 months, 9 days).
• Kevin Harvick became the ninth different driver to have won nine or more times at a single track when he won in 2018 at Phoenix Raceway. Now he can attempt to become just the sixth driver to win 10 or more races at a single track with a win this weekend:

Drivers with 10 or More NASCAR Cup Series Wins at a Single Track

• Five of the 47 (10.6%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway have been won from the pole: Jeff Gordon (Spring race of 2007), Jimmie Johnson (Playoff race of 2008), Mark Martin (Spring race of 2009), Carl Edwards (Playoff race of 2010) and Kevin Harvick (Spring race of 2015).
• Eight of the 47 (17.0%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway have been won from the front row: five from the pole and three from the second starting position.

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Phoenix Raceway

• Ricky Rudd won the 1995 Phoenix Raceway race from the 29th-place starting position, the furthest back a NASCAR Cup Series race winner has started at the 1-mile raceway.
• Kevin Harvick won the 2012 Phoenix Raceway race from the 19th-place starting position, the furthest back an active NASCAR Cup Series race winner has started at the Phoenix.
• Four different manufacturers have won at least one race in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix, led by Chevrolet with 23 victories; followed by Ford (16), Toyota (six) and Pontiac (two).
• Of the 11 drivers with multiple wins at Phoenix Raceway, Mark Martin is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Ford (1993) and Chevrolet (2009).
• A total of 13 different organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway; led by Hendrick Motorsports with 10 victories.

Additional Finishing Positions

Runner-Up Finishes

• A total of 29 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished runner-up at Phoenix Raceway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Phoenix Raceway with five second-place finishes.
• Kyle Busch leads all active series drivers with four second-place finishes.

Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Phoenix (All-Time & Active)

Top-Five Finishes

• A total of 51 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-five at Phoenix Raceway.
• Kevin Harvick leads the series in top-five finishes at Phoenix Raceway with 17 top fives.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Phoenix (All-Time & Active)

Top-10 Finishes

• A total of 83 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-10 at Phoenix Raceway.
• Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at Phoenix Raceway with 24.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active series drivers in top-10 finishes at Phoenix Raceway with 23.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Phoenix (All-Time & Active)

Average Finishing Position

• Alan Kulwicki (five starts) leads the series in average finishing position at Phoenix Raceway with a 5.200.
• Kevin Harvick (34 starts) leads all active drivers in average finishing position at Phoenix Raceway with a 9.176.

Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Phoenix (All-Time & Active)

Lap Leader Stats

• A total of 89 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway; 19 are active this weekend.
• Kevin Harvick (34 starts) leads the series in laps led at Phoenix Raceway with 1,595.
• The most laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway was 264 of the scheduled 312 laps (84.6%) by Kevin Harvick in November of 2014. He started third and won the event.
• The most laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway by a driver that did not win was 237 of the scheduled 319 laps (74.3%) by Kyle Busch in November of 2012. He started first and finished third in the event.
• The fewest laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway by the race winning driver was four laps of the scheduled 378 laps (1.05%) by Ryan Newman in April of 2010. He started 14th and won the event.

Track / Event Specific Stats

Finishes

• Since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway was the Spring race of 2016 (03/13/16) when Kevin Harvick beat Carl Edwards to the line by 0.010 seconds.

• Seven of the 47 races at Phoenix Raceway have ended with NASCAR Overtime:

Weather/Postponements

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

• Only two of the 47 NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix have been shortened due to weather:

Cautions

• The 47 NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway have produced an average of 7.2 cautions per race and an average of 40.3 laps of caution per race.
• The most cautions in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix was 12 on Nov. 9, 2014.
• The fewest cautions in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix was two – (twice) on Nov. 7, 1999 and Nov. 15, 2015.
• Six of the last 10 NASCAR Cup Series Spring races at Phoenix Raceway have had a caution come out within the last 15 laps of regulation (see chart below):

Female Competitors

• Danica Patrick is the only female driver in the NASCAR Cup Series to compete at Phoenix Raceway. She made 11 starts at Phoenix Raceway in her career.

NASCAR in Arizona

• There have been 120 NASCAR national series races among four tracks in the state of Arizona.

Arizona in NASCAR

• A total of 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:

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