Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Season Finale 500

NASCAR Cup Series Season Finale Playoff Fast Facts: Phoenix

• The 2020 season marks the first year the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race will be held at Phoenix Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona.

• Since the inception of the Playoffs in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2004, Phoenix Raceway has occupied three different positions on the postseason schedule:
  • In 2004, the Phoenix Raceway hosted the eighth race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs – the event was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  • From 2005 – 2019 (last 15 seasons), Phoenix Raceway has hosted the penultimate (ninth) race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

• Seven different drivers have won the Playoff races at Phoenix Raceway, led by Kevin Harvick with four Playoff wins (2006, 2012, 2013 and 2014).
• Four non-Playoff drivers have won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Phoenix Raceway:
  • In 2005, Kyle Busch won the Phoenix Playoff race and was ranked 19th in the points at the time of the win.
  • In 2011, Kasey Kahne won the Phoenix Playoff race and was ranked 14th in the points at the time of the win.
  • In 2015, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Phoenix Playoff race and 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.
  • In 2017, Matt Kenseth won the Phoenix Playoff race and was seventh in points at the time of the win. Kenseth had made the Playoffs in 2017 but was eliminated in the Round of 12.

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

• Prior to the 2020 season, Homestead-Miami Speedway hosted the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff’s season finale from 2004-2019 (last 16 seasons).
• A total of 11 different drivers have won the season finale race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, led by Greg Biffle with three victories (2004 – 2006).
• Seven times the winner of the season finale race at Homestead-Miami Speedway has won the championship during the Playoff Era (2004-Present):
  • In 2011, Tony Stewart won from the 15th starting position at Homestead, and as a result secured his third-career NASCAR Cup Series championship in the closest points battle in series history – tied with Carl Edwards – Stewart won the title by virtue of the tiebreaker: most wins.
  • In 2014, Kevin Harvick won from the fifth starting position at Homestead in the first year of the elimination-style format of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, as a result he won his first series title.
  • In 2015, Kyle Busch won from the third starting position at Homestead in the second year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, as a result he won his first series championship.
  • In 2016, Jimmie Johnson won from the 14th starting position at Homestead in the third year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he tied NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the series-most titles with seven each.
  • In 2017, Martin Truex Jr. won from the second starting position at Homestead in the fourth year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he won his first series championship.
  • In 2018, Joey Logano won from the fifth starting position at Homestead in the fifth year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he won his first series championship.
  • In 2019, Kyle Busch won from the fourth starting position at Homestead in the sixth year of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he became just the second active driver with multiple titles (20115, 2019) joining seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson.

• The worst finish in a Playoff race by the eventual series champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway is 15th (three times): Tony Stewart in 2005, Jimmie Johnson in 2008 and Brad Keselowski in 2012.
• Two non-Playoff drivers have won the Homestead-Miami season finale Playoff race: Greg Biffle (2004 and 2006) and Denny Hamlin (2013).

NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 Comparison:

Comparing Season Stats Heading into Season Finale

NASCAR Cup Series 2020 Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway

* – Based on last 31 races at Phoenix Raceway (2005 – 2020).

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 Raceway on November 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.
• 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 and 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 and tightened the turn radius of the dog-leg from 800 to 500 feet

o 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.

• 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.
• There have been 48 NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.
• Phoenix Raceway has participated in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs since 2004. The 2020 season is the first year Phoenix Raceway will host the championship finale race.

STARTS

• In total 228 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway; 169 have competed in more than one.
• Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman lead the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Phoenix Raceway with 35 starts each.
• In total 25 different drivers have made their first NASCAR Cup Series career start at Phoenix Raceway; four of 25 are active this season – Ryan Newman (11/5/2000), Clint Bowyer (04/23/2005), Matt DiBenedetto (03/15/2015) and Quin Houff (03/10/2019).
• Chase Elliott leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Phoenix Raceway with a 5.0 in 10 starts.

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

POLES

• There have been 25 different NASCAR Cup Series pole winners at Phoenix Raceway.
• Ryan Newman (2002, 2003, 2004 and 2008) and Kyle Busch (2006, 2012, 2016, 2019) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Phoenix Raceway with four each.
• Geoffrey Bodine won the first NASCAR Cup Series pole at Phoenix Raceway in 1988 at a speed of 123.203 mph (29.220 secs.) in a Chevrolet.
• Youngest series Phoenix pole winner: Kyle Busch (April 22, 2006 – 20 years, 11 months, 20 days).
• Oldest series Phoenix 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 a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway:

WINS

• A total of 24 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Phoenix Raceway.
• 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).
• A total of 13 drivers have multiple wins at Phoenix Raceway: Kevin Harvick leads the series in wins with nine followed by Jimmie Johnson (four), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (three), Kyle Busch (three), Davey Allison (two), Jeff Burton (two), Jeff Gordon (two) Carl Edwards (two), Mark Martin (two), Matt Kenseth (two), Ryan Newman (two), Joe Logano (two) and Denny Hamlin (two).
• Of the 13 drivers with multiple wins at Phoenix Raceway, Mark Martin (Ford; 1993 and Chevrolet; 2009) and Kyle Busch (Chevrolet; 2005 and Toyota; 2018, 2019) are the only two drivers to win in two different manufacturers.
• Six 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, then 2013 Playoff race, swept 2014 and 2015 spring race); Jimmie Johnson (fall race of 2007, swept 2008); Kyle Busch (Playoff race 2018, Spring race 2019).
• 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.
• Five of the 48 (10.4%) 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 48 (16.6%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway have been won from the front row: five from the pole and three from second starting position.
• The third starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field producing more winners (seven) than any other starting position – the most recent was Denny Hamlin’s win in this race last season.

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 one-mile raceway.
• Ryan Newman won the 2017 Phoenix Raceway race from the 22nd starting position, the furthest back an active NASCAR Cup Series race winner has started.
• 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 Raceway in their first appearance.
• 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 with 30 starts.
• Youngest NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix winner: Kyle Busch (November 13, 2005 – 20 years, 6 months, 11 days).
• Oldest NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix winner: Mark Martin (April 18, 2009 – 50 years, 3 months, 9 days).
• In total 13 different organizations have won at Phoenix Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series, led by Hendrick Motorsports with 10 victories.

LAP LEADERS

• In total 89 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway.
• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Phoenix with 1,662 laps led in 33 starts.

Top 10 Lap Leaders at Phoenix Raceway in NASCAR Cup Series (All-Time & Active)

• The most laps led by the race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway was 264 of the scheduled 312 laps (84.6%) by Kevin Harvick on November 9, 2014 – he started from the third position.
• The most laps led by a driver that did not win in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway was 237 of the scheduled 312 laps (74.3%) by Kyle Busch on November 11, 2012 – he started from the pole but finished third.
• The fewest laps led by the race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway was four of the scheduled 378 laps (1.05%) by Ryan Newman on April 10, 2010 – he started from the 14th position.

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.
• Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch lead all active series drivers in runner-up finishes at Phoenix with three second-place finishes each.

Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Phoenix Raceway (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.
• Kevin Harvick leads the series in top-five finishes at Phoenix Raceway with 18 top fives.

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

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 84 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-10 at Phoenix.
• Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick lead the series in top-10 finishes at Phoenix Raceway with 24 top 10s each.

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

Average Finish:

• Alan Kulwicki (five starts) leads the series in average finishing position at Phoenix Raceway with a 5.2.
• Kevin Harvick (33 starts) leads all active drivers in average finishing position at Phoenix Raceway with a 9.3.

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

TRACK / EVENT STATS

• Since the advent of electronic scoring (1993), the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway is the Spring race of 2016 (March 13, 2016) when Kevin Harvick beat Carl Edwards to the line by 0.010 seconds – which is tied with Atlanta (3/12/2000), Daytona (2/21/2016), and Rockingham (2/22/2004) for the eighth closest finish in series history.

Top Five Closest Margins of Victory at Phoenix Raceway

• Qualifying has never been cancelled due to weather at Phoenix Raceway.
• Seven of the 48 races at Phoenix Raceway have ended with NASCAR Overtime:

• Only two of the 48 series races at Phoenix Raceway have been shortened due to weather:

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 122 NASCAR national series races among four tracks in the state of Arizona.

Tracks in 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 NASCAR national series races.

Race Winners from Arizona

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