NASCAR Phoenix Sunday, October 29, 2023
Phoenix Raceway NASCAR Cup Series Stats Highlights
Phoenix 11/22
Joey Logano
Phoenix 11/22 winner – Pole, Stage 1 winner & finished 2nd in Stage 2, 5 times led for 187 laps (most), avg. running pos.: 1.9, champion
Winner pit stops: Joey Logano (5 Stops) 64, 87, 188, 252 (G), 271
Top 5 Stage 1 & 2: Joey Logano 1st & 2nd, Ryan Blaney 2nd & 1st, Chase Briscoe 3rd & 4th, Martin Truex Jr. 5th & 3rd
Best free pass finisher: Cole Custer 16th
Best finisher with pit road speeding penalty: Martin Truex Jr. 15th
Best starting rear of field finisher: None
Best Hendrick: William Byron 6th
Best Gibbs: Kyle Busch 7th
Best Stewart-Haas: Chase Briscoe 4th
Best Penske: Joey Logano 1st
Phoenix 3/23
William Byron
Phoenix winner – Started 3rd, Stage 1 winner & finished 2nd in Stage 2, 64 laps led, 2 to go took lead for final time
Winner pit stops: William Byron (6 Stops) 64, 119 (G), 142, 190, 245 (G), 305
Stage 1 winner: William Byron 1st
Stage 2 winner: Kyle Larson 4th
Top 5 Stage 1 & 2: William Byron 1st & 2nd, Kyle Larson 2nd & 1st, Tyler Reddick 5th & 5th
Passed for final lead change: Kyle Larson 4th
Winner final laps led: William Byron 2
Cautions: 5
Longest green run: 108 Laps (195-302)
Best free pass finisher: Joey Logano 11th
Best finisher with pit road speeding penalty: Kyle Busch 8th
Best starting rear of field finisher: Zane Smith 31st
Best Hendrick: William Byron 1st
Best Gibbs: Christopher Bell 6th
Best Stewart-Haas: Kevin Harvick 5th
Best Penske: Ryan Blaney 2nd
29 Different winners in 54 NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix races
11 Different winners 19 Phoenix Playoff races
All 3 Phoenix Championship 4 races won by Championship 4 driver starting first & using pit stall 1
6 Different winners last 6 Phoenix races –
Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano & William Byron
First Phoenix win 5 of last 6 Phoenix winners – Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe & William Byron
Joe Gibbs Racing won 4 of 10 Phoenix races since start/finish line moved –
Kyle Busch 2, Denny Hamlin 1 & Martin Truex Jr. 1
Joey Logano only repeat winner last 9 Phoenix races (2 Wins) – 7 Others 1 win each
Joey Logano: 3 Phoenix wins – 2 Wins last 7 races
Joey Logano: 2 of 3 Phoenix wins were Overtime races
Ryan Blaney best non-Championship 4 driver last 2 Phoenix Championship 4 races
Phoenix pit road speeding penalties:
11/18: 10 / 3/19: 3 / 11/19: 8 / 3/20: 6 / 11/20: 5 / 3/21: 11 / 11/21: 6 / 3/22: 8 / 11:22: 4 / 3/23: 10
Hendrick Motorsports won 13 Phoenix races with 9 different drivers
Martin Truex Jr. won first Phoenix race in 31st try (3/21) – Most of all drivers
Alan Kulwicki & Tony Stewart only drivers to win Phoenix in first try
Worst official start position of Phoenix winner: 29th – Ricky Rudd 1995 (Chase Elliott started rear of field 11/20)
Kevin Harvick only driver to win 4 straight Phoenix races – 11/13, 3/14, 11/14 & 3/15
Last to win back-to-back Phoenix races: Kyle Busch 11/18 & 3/19
Jimmie Johnson (2008) & Kevin Harvick (2014) only drivers to sweep Phoenix races & championship in same year
Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion swept both Phoenix races once – Jimmie Johnson 2008
Last defending champion to win Phoenix: Kevin Harvick (2014 Champion & 3/15 winner)
10 Phoenix races finished in Overtime – Leader at scheduled distance won 7 times
23 Won first race of the season at Phoenix
Kevin Harvick won first race of the season at Phoenix 4 times
3 Won first career race at Phoenix – Alan Kulwicki 1988, Bobby Hamilton 1996 & Chase Briscoe 3/22
2 Rookie of the Year contenders won Phoenix – Tony Stewart 1999 & Kyle Busch 11/05
Chevrolet leads with 26 Phoenix wins
Ford: 19 Phoenix wins / Toyota: 7 Phoenix wins
Closest Phoenix finish: .010 Seconds (3/16) Kevin Harvick over Carl Edwards
Stage 1 winner went on to win only 3 of 13 Phoenix races including last 2
Stage 2 winner failed to win last 3 Phoenix races
Bobby Allison leads all with 5 season finale wins
16 Won season finale & championship in same season including last 9
7 Won final 2 races to finish season – 2 Won first race the following season
Champion raced Chevrolet to championship 12 of 19 seasons in Playoff era
Champion raced Toyota to championship 3 of last 8 seasons
Champion raced Ford to championship only 3 seasons in Playoff era – 2004 Kurt Busch, 2018 & ‘22 Joey Logano
Kevin Harvick: Last win with Childress – Phoenix 11/10/13 / First win with Stewart-Haas – Phoenix 3/2/14
Hendrick Motorsports: 3 Wins last 6 Phoenix races (3 Different drivers) – Winless previous 9 Phoenix races
1988 Phoenix Alan Kulwicki won for the first time in his career in the first race at Phoenix
Jeff Gordon tied Dale Earnhardt with 76 wins 4/07 & Cale Yarborough with 83 wins 2/11
Phoenix 3/18 Kevin Harvick passed Tony Stewart all-time Stewart-Haas Racing wins
Phoenix 4/09 Mark Martin won at 50-years-old driving for Hendrick Motorsports
Phoenix Raceway NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats Highlights
Phoenix wins
Joe Gibbs Racing 16
JR Motorsports 4
Richard Childress Racing 3
Kaulig Racing 0
24 Different Winners in 43 NASCAR Xfinity Series Phoenix Races
5 Different winners last 5 Phoenix races – Austin Cindric, Daniel Hemric, Noah Gragson, Ty Gibbs & Sammy Smith
8 Times drivers won season finale & championship in same year –
1983 Sam Ard, 2009 Kyle Busch, 2016 Daniel Suarez, 2018 Tyler Reddick,
2019 Tyler Reddick, 2020 Austin Cindric, 2021 Daniel Hemric & 2022 Ty Gibbs
Last 4 winners all first-time Phoenix winners –
Daniel Hemric (11/21), Noah Gragson (3/22), Ty Gibbs (11/22) & Sammy Smith (3/23)
Sammy Smith: 92 of final 98 laps led winning Phoenix March
Joe Gibbs Racing: 16 Phoenix wins – 7 Different drivers
Justin Allgaier: 2 Phoenix wins (3/17 & 11/19) – First win with JR Motorsports 3/17
Justin Allgaier won Phoenix March Stage 1 & 2 – Finished 36th
5 Drivers won a Phoenix race & championship in same season –
Kevin Harvick (2006), William Byron (2017), Austin Cindric (2020), Daniel Hemric (2021) & Ty Gibbs (2022)
Kyle Busch (Phoenix) & Mark Martin (Rockingham) record 11 wins at a single track
3 Won first career race at Phoenix – Sam Hornish Jr. 11/11, Daniel Hemric 11/21 & Sammy Smith 3/23
Brad Keselowski won first Phoenix race in 16th try – Most of all drivers
Justin Allgaier won first Phoenix race in 14th try
Greg Biffle & Jeff Gordon only drivers to win Phoenix in first try
11 of 43 won Phoenix from pole
Driver starting first won only 1 of last 13 Phoenix races – Ty Gibbs (11/22)
Worst start position of Phoenix winner: 38th – Christopher Bell 11/18
Only 5 of 43 Phoenix races won by drivers starting outside top 10
11 Phoenix races finished in Overtime – Leader at scheduled distance won 8
2 of 3 Phoenix Championship races ended in Overtime – Leader at scheduled distance failed to win
First win of season for 16 Phoenix winners
5 Rookie of the Year candidates won Phoenix –
Greg Biffle 2001, Carl Edwards 11/05, William Byron 11/17, Christopher Bell 11/18 & Sammy Smith 3/23
Toyota leads with 16 Phoenix wins
Most lead changes: 16 (11/20 & 3/22)
Most leaders: 8 (2001 & 3/23)
Most cautions: 14 (4/05)
Most caution laps: 69 (3/23)
Joe Nemechek leads all with 3 season finale wins