NASCAR 2012 – Statistical Advance: Analyzing AdvoCare 500

PHOENIX-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

Chase Contenders

The Top 12

Following Race 34 of 36

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 Logan                  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 PablMontoya        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 gtthose 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

* – 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 alsthe 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):
  •    Widened the frontstretch from 52 t62 feet
  •    Reconfigured pit road with the installation of concrete pit stalls
  •    Pushed the dog-leg curve between Turn 2 and Turn 3 out 95 feet
  •    Tightened the turn radius of the dog-leg from 800 t0 500 feet
•    Implemented variable banking tensure the immediate use of twracing 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 tweach 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 twin 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 twactive drivers whaverage 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 twin 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 twin in twdifferent 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

1. Jimmie Johnson…………………… 118.4
2. Tony Stewart……………………….. 100.4
3. Carl Edwards………………………… 99.7
4. Jeff Gordon………………………….. 99.5
5. Kurt Busch……………………………. 98.9
6. Denny Hamlin……………………….. 98.8
7. Mark Martin…………………………… 98.4
8. Kevin Harvick………………………… 97.5
9. Kyle Busch…………………………… 96.9
10. Greg Biffle……………………………. 93.3
11. Martin Truex Jr………………………. 89.1
12. 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.

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

There have been nrace winners from Arizona in NASCAR’s three national series.

Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR
Jimmie Johnson (R), driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane by firing the commemorative Turnbull pistols as Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage (L) looks on after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 4, 2012 in Fort Worth, Texas.