Statistical Advance: Analyzing the United Rentals Work United 500

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona going into the United Rentals Work United 500 on Sunday, March 12 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

PHOENIX RACEWAY-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

(Driver stats below are from 2005 – Present)

Christopher Bell (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

• Three top 10s
• Average Finish of 15.833, 13th-best
• Average Running Position of 15.091, 15th-best
• Driver Rating of 78.9, 13th-best
• 37 Fastest Laps Run, 17th-best
• 963 Laps in the Top 15 (51.3%), 19th-most
• 233 Quality Passes, 18th-most

Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Ford)

• Five top fives, nine top 10s, three poles
• Average Finish of 12.643, seventh-best
• Average Running Position of 9.878, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 97.9, sixth-best
• 194 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
• 3,546 Laps in the Top 15 (80.8%), 11th-most
• 367 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Chase Briscoe (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)

• One win, two top fives, two top 10s
• Average Finish of 15.500, 11th-best
• Average Running Position of 13.079, 11th-best
• Driver Rating of 90.7, 10th-best
• 67 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
• 789 Laps in the Top 15 (63.2%), 21st-most
• 100 Quality Passes, 22nd-most

Kyle Busch (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)

• Three wins, 12 top fives, 25 top 10s, four poles
• Average Finish of 10.629, fourth-best
• Average Running Position of 10.001, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 102.8, fourth-best
• 629 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
• 9,148 Laps in the Top 15 (83.7%), second-most
• 1,159 Quality Passes, series-most

William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• Five top 10s
• Average Finish of 13.000, ninth-best
• Average Running Position of 11.511, ninth-best
• Driver Rating of 87.5, 12th-best
• 69 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
• 2,375 Laps in the Top 15 (76.0%), 12th-most
• 408 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

• Two wins, 16 top fives, 21 top 10s, two poles
• Average Finish of 10.543, third-best
• Average Running Position of 10.991, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 98.6, fifth-best
• 568 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
• 8,071 Laps in the Top 15 (73.9%), third-most
• 832 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)

• Nine wins, 19 top fives, 29 top 10s, two poles
• Average Finish of 7.611, series-best
• Average Running Position of 8.073, series-best
• Driver Rating of 110.3, series-best
• 1,016 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
• 9,641 Laps in the Top 15 (85.8%), series-most
• 999 Quality Passes, second-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 6 RFK Racing Ford)

• Eight top fives, 13 top 10s, one pole
• Average Finish of 13.741, 10th-best
• Average Running Position of 12.523, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 91.8, ninth-best
• 432 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
• 5,740 Laps in the Top 15 (68.1%), seventh-most
• 686 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• One win, six top fives, ten top 10s, one pole
• Average Finish of 12.176, sixth-best
• Average Running Position of 11.257, eighth-best
• Driver Rating of 95.3, eighth-best
• 192 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
• 3,834 Laps in the Top 15 (73.3%), eighth-most
• 491 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)

• Three wins, eight top fives, 16 top 10s, two poles
• Average Finish of 12.679, eighth-best
• Average Running Position of 10.951, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 96.5, seventh-best
• 344 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
• 6,514 Laps in the Top 15 (74.5%), sixth-most
• 703 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Martin Truex Jr (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

• One win, six top fives, 14 top 10s, two poles
• Average Finish of 15.559, 12th-best
• Average Running Position of 13.577, 12th-best
• Driver Rating of 90.2, 11th-best
• 429 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
• 7,421 Laps in the Top 15 (69.9%), fifth-most
• 868 Quality Passes, fourth-most

The NASCAR Cup Series 2023 Top 16 in the Driver Standings at Phoenix Raceway

* – Based on last 36 races at Phoenix Raceway (2005 – 2022).

Phoenix Raceway – Track Data

Season Race #: 04 of 36 (03-12-23)

Track Size: 1-mile

Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 9 degrees

Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 11 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 3 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees

Race Length: 312 laps / 500 Kilometers

Stage 1 Length: 60 laps

Stage 2 Length: 125 laps

Final Stage Length: 127 laps

Phoenix Raceway Qualifying & Race Data:

Track Qualifying Record:

Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 143.158 mph, 25.147 secs., November 13, 2015

2022 Pole Winner (Spring):

Ryan Blaney, Ford, 132.709 mph, 27.127 secs., March 12, 2022 

2021 Pole Winner (Spring):

The 2021 Starting Lineups were set per Metric Qualifying; Brad Keselowski started from first. 

Track Race Record:

Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 118.132 mph, (02:38:28), November 7, 1999

2022 Race Winner (Spring):

Chase Briscoe, Ford, 100.339 mph, (03:06:34), March 13, 2022 

2021 Race Winner (Spring):

Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 103.808 mph, (03:00:20), March 14, 2021

Phoenix Raceway Stats & Tidbits:

HISTORY

• Construction was completed on Phoenix Raceway in January of 1964. The facility consisted of a one-mile oval and a 2.5-mile road course.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer 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 driving for Roush Fenway Keselowski 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):

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.

• Following the 2017 season, the track was renamed from Phoenix Raceway to ISM Raceway. Then in 2019 the track was renamed from ISM Raceway back to Phoenix 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.
• There have been 53 NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.

STARTS

• In total 238 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway; 184 have competed in more than one race at Phoenix.
• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Phoenix Raceway with 40 starts from 2001-2022.
• A total of 25 different drivers have made their first NASCAR Cup Series start at Phoenix Raceway (in descending chronological order).

• Of the 25 different drivers to make their first NASCAR Cup Series career start at Phoenix Raceway, Clint Bowyer on April 23, 2005 posted the best finish in his series debut with a 22nd-place result.
• Ryan Blaney leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Phoenix Raceway with a 5.357 in 14 starts.

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

POLES

• A total of 26 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won the pole at Phoenix Raceway.
• Eleven of the 26 NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway pole winners are active.

• Ryan Newman (2002, 2003, 2004, 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 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).
• A total of 17 different organizations have won a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway, led by Hendrick Motorsports with 13 poles among nine drivers: Geoff Bodine (1988), Ken Schrader (1989), Jeff Gordon (2005, 2006, 2007), Kyle Busch (2006), Jimmie Johnson (2008, 2013, 2015), Mark Martin (2009), Alex Bowman (2016), Chase Elliott (2020) and Kyle Larson (2021).
• Six active organizations have won poles in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway.

• Five different manufacturers have won at least one pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway, led by Chevrolet with 19 poles; followed by Ford (17), Toyota (seven), Dodge (four) and Pontiac (four). 

WINS

• A total of 28 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Phoenix Raceway.
• Eight of the 28 NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway winner are active.

• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup 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 Cup 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), Joey Logano (three), Davey Allison (two), Jeff Burton (two), Jeff Gordon (two) Carl Edwards (two), Mark Martin (two), Matt Kenseth (two), Ryan Newman (two), Denny Hamlin (two).
• Six drivers have won consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway:

o   Davey Allison (1991,1992)

o   Jeff Burton (2000, 2001)

o   Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003, 2004)

o   Kevin Harvick (swept 2006, 2013 Playoff race, swept 2014 and 2015 spring race)

o   Jimmie Johnson (fall race of 2007, swept 2008)

o   Kyle Busch (2018 Playoff race, 2019) 

• Alan Kulwicki (November 6, 1988), Bobby Hamilton (October 29, 1996) and Chase Briscoe (March 13, 2022) are the only three drivers to post their first NASCAR Cup Series career win at Phoenix Raceway.
• 25 of the 28 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 28 winners.
• 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).
• A total of 22 different positions on the starting grid have produced winners in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway.
• The first starting position is the most proficient starting position producing more winners (eight) than any other position on the starting grid.
• Eight of the 53 NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway have been won from the pole or first starting position (15.1%): Jeff Gordon (Spring race of 2007), Jimmie Johnson (Playoff race of 2008), Mark Martin (Spring race of 2009), Carl Edwards (Playoff race of 2010), Kevin Harvick (Spring race of 2015), Chase Elliott (Championship finale 2020; started first due to Metric Qualifying), Kyle Larson (2021 Championship race) and Joey Logano (2022 Championship Race).
• 11 of the 53 (20.7%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway have been won from the front row: eight from the pole or first starting position and three from the second starting position.
• 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 Phoenix.

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Phoenix Raceway

• Of the 13 drivers with multiple Cup wins at Phoenix Raceway, four drivers have won in multiple manufacturers:

o   Mark Martin – Ford (1993) and Chevrolet (2009).

o   Kevin Harvick – Chevrolet (2006 sweep, 2012, 2013, 2014 sweep, 2015, 2016) and Ford (2018)

o   Kyle Busch – Chevrolet (2005) and Toyota (2018, 2019)

o   Matt Kenseth – Ford (2002) and Toyota (2017)

• Kevin Harvick became the ninth different driver to win nine or more times at a single track in the NASCAR Cup Series when he won in 2018 at Phoenix Raceway – the only active driver with nine or more wins at a single track.
• This weekend, he can attempt to become just the sixth driver to win 10 or more races at a single track in the NASCAR Cup Series with a win this weekend.

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

• A total of 13 different organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway; led by Hendrick Motorsports with 12 victories; including the season finale the last two years – Terry Labonte (1994), Kyle Busch (2005), Jeff Gordon (2007, 2011), Jimmie Johnson (2007, 2008 sweep, 2009), Mark Martin (2009), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2015), Chase Elliott (2020), Kyle Larson (2021).

• Four different manufacturers have won at least one race in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix, led by Chevrolet with 25 victories; followed by Ford (19), Toyota (seven) and Pontiac (two).

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes

• A total of 32 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 NASCAR Cup Series drivers with four second-place finishes at Phoenix Raceway.

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

Top-Five Finishes

• A total of 54 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-five at Phoenix Raceway.
• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes at Phoenix Raceway with 19 top fives.

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

 Top-10 Finishes

• A total of 91 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-10 at Phoenix Raceway.
• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-10 finishes at Phoenix Raceway with 29 top 10s.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Phoenix Raceway (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 (40 starts) leads all active drivers in average finishing position at Phoenix Raceway with an 8.650.

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

LAP LEADERS

• A total of 96 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway.
• Kevin Harvick (40 starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Phoenix Raceway with 1,663.
• 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.

Top 10 All-Time Lap Leaders at Phoenix Raceway

Top 10 Active Lap Leaders at Phoenix Raceway 

TRACK & EVENT 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-second.

Top Five Closest Cup Series Margins of Victory at Phoenix Raceway

• Nine of the 53 NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway have ended with NASCAR Overtime:

Weather/Postponements

• Qualifying has never been cancelled due to weather at Phoenix Raceway.
• The 2020 season finale and the 2021 Spring race at Phoenix Raceway had the starting lineups decided by Metric Qualifying due to pandemic restrictions.
• Only two of the 53 NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway have been shortened due to weather:

Cautions

• The most cautions in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix was 12 – twice on Nov. 9, 2014 and March 8, 2020.
• The fewest cautions in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix was two – twice on Nov. 7, 1999 and Nov. 15, 2015.
• Seven of the last 13 NASCAR Cup Series Spring races at Phoenix Raceway have had a caution come out within the last 15 laps of regulation (see chart below):

Lead Changes

• The most lead changes at Phoenix Raceway in a NASCAR Cup Series race were 28 on February 27, 2011.
• The fewest lead changes in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix was one lead change on November 4, 1990.

Leaders

• The most leaders in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway were 15 on March 4, 2012 and
• The fewest leaders in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway was two on November 4, 1990.

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 series career.

NASCAR IN ARIZONA

• There have been 135 NASCAR national series races among four tracks in the state of Arizona dating as far back as 1951.
• The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Arizona was a NASCAR Cup Series race at Arizona State Fairgrounds in 1951. Arizona State Fairgrounds is a 1-mile dirt track. The race was 150 laps and had 33 entries. Marshall Teague won the race in a 1951 Hudson.

ARIZONA DRIVERS 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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