NASCAR Phoenix Sunday, March 7, 2021
PHOENIX NASCAR CUP SERIES STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Championship race: November 7 – 238 Days from March 14
312 Laps – Stages 75 / 190 / 312
Phoenix 11/20:
Winner: Chase Elliott (6 Stops) 33, 79, 139, 163, 196, 260
Longest green flag run: 112 Laps (201-312)
Top 5 Stage 1 & 2:
Chase Elliott (3rd & 2nd), Brad Keselowski (4th & 1st), Joey Logano (1st & 3rd), Denny Hamlin (2nd & 4th), Ryan Blaney (5th & 5th)
Speeding: A. Dillon (18th), McDowell, Nemechek, Stenhouse Jr., Hill
Rear of field: Chase Elliott (1st), Brennan Poole (29th)
Best Hendrick Motorsports: Chase Elliott 1st
Best Joe Gibbs Racing: Denny Hamlin 4th
Best Stewart-Haas Racing: Kevin Harvick 7th
Best Team Penske: Brad Keselowski 2nd
Phoenix wins: Kevin Harvick 9, Kyle Busch 3, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano & Ryan Newman 2, Kurt Busch & Chase Elliott 1
2 Champions winless at Phoenix: Brad Keselowski & Martin Truex Jr.
Finished 2nd at Phoenix 11/20 – Finished 4th in Stage 1 & Stage 2 winner, 16 laps led, 2nd in championship
2-Brad Keselowski: Phoenix Stage 2 winner both races last season – Finished 11th & 2nd
2-Brad Keselowski passed for final lead change at Phoenix 3/20 – Finished 11th
4-Kevin Harvick: 15 Straight Phoenix top 10 finishes (37-Years-old last time finishing outside top 10) – All-time longest streak
4-Kevin Harvick won his first race of the season at Phoenix 4 times
4-Kevin Harvick: Phoenix 3/20 Stage 1 winner – Finished 2nd
4-Kevin Harvick: Last win with Childress – Phoenix 11/10/13 / First win with Stewart-Haas – Phoenix 3/2/14
5-Kyle Larson: Finished 6th or better last 4 Phoenix races – 3 Top 5 finishes
6-Ryan Newman ended winless streaks of 77-races & 127-races at Phoenix
9-Chase Elliott: Phoenix 11/20 winner – Finished top 3 in Stage 1 & 2, 153 laps led, champion
9-Chase Elliott led most laps both Phoenix races last season – 246 of 628 (39%)
Finished 4th at Phoenix 11/20 – Finished 2nd in Stage 1 & 4th in Stage 2, 4th of Championship 4
11-Denny Hamlin only Stage 1 winner to win at Phoenix (11/19)
18-Kyle Busch: 2 Wins in 5 Phoenix races since start/finish line moved
18-Kyle Busch only repeat winner last 8 Phoenix races (2 Wins) – 6 Others 1 win each
Finished 3rd at Phoenix 11/20 – Stage 1 winner & finished 3rd in Stage 2, 3rd of Championship 4
22-Joey Logano: Only driver to finish top 5 both Phoenix races last season – Winner & finished 3rd
22-Joey Logano: 4 straight Phoenix top 10 finishes – 2 Straight top 3 finishes
22-Joey Logano passed for final lead change at Phoenix 11/20 – Finished 3rd
22-Joey Logano: 2 Phoenix wins with 2 different crew chiefs – Todd Gordon 11/16 & Paul Wolfe 3/20
22-Joey Logano: Phoenix 11/20 Stage 1 winner – Finished 3rd
50th Phoenix NASCAR Cup Series race
25 Different winners in 49 NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix races
4 Finished top 10 both Phoenix races last season – Byron, Elliott, Harvick & Logano
Hendrick Motorsports won 11 Phoenix races with 7 different drivers
Worst official start position of Phoenix winner: 29th – Ricky Rudd 1995 (Chase Elliott started rear of field 11/20)
Last defending champion to win Phoenix: Kevin Harvick (2014 Champion & 3/15 winner)
Joe Gibbs Racing won 3 of 5 Phoenix races since start/finish line moved – Kyle Busch 2 & Denny Hamlin 1
Hendrick Motorsports: 1 Win last 10 Phoenix races – Chase Elliott 11/20
21 Won first race of the season at Phoenix
2 Won first career race at Phoenix – Alan Kulwicki 1988 & Bobby Hamilton 1996
2 Rookie of the Year contenders won Phoenix – Tony Stewart 1999 & Kyle Busch 11/05
9 Phoenix races finished in Overtime – Leader at scheduled distance won 7 times
Both Joey Logano Phoenix wins were Overtime races
Chevrolet leads with 24 Phoenix wins
Ford: 17 Phoenix wins / Toyota: 6 Phoenix wins
12 Cautions at Phoenix 3/20 tied all-time record (11/14)
73 Caution laps at Phoenix 3/20 – Most all-time
Closest Phoenix finish: .010 Seconds (3/16) Kevin Harvick over Carl Edwards
Hottest temperature Phoenix race day: 93 degrees (3/19/17)
Phoenix 3/18 Kevin Harvick passed Tony Stewart all-time Stewart-Haas Racing wins
Jeff Gordon tied Dale Earnhardt with 76 wins 4/07 & Cale Yarborough with 83 wins 2/11
Jeff Gordon won first Phoenix race in 17th try – Most of all drivers
Alan Kulwicki & Tony Stewart only drivers to win Phoenix in first try
PHOENIX NASCAR XFINITY SERIES STATS HIGHLIGHTS
20 Different Winners in 38 NASCAR Xfinity Series Phoenix Races
7 Different winners last 7 Phoenix races –
William Byron, Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones & Austin Cindric
3 Different leaders last 3 laps at Phoenix 11/20 – Allgaier, Gragson & Cindric
Crew chief Brian Wilson won 2 of last 6 Phoenix races – Brad Keselowski 3/18 & Austin Cindric 11/20
4 Swept Phoenix NXS & NCS races same weekend – Burton (2000), Harvick (4/06), Edwards (11/10) & Kyle Busch (3/19)
Justin Allgaier: 2 Phoenix wins (3/17 & 11/19) – First win with JR Motorsports 3/17
Justin Allgaier only repeat winner last 8 Phoenix races (2 Wins) – 6 Others 1 win each
Justin Allgaier led most laps last Phoenix race (76) – Finished 5th
Austin Cindric only Stage winner to win Phoenix race – Stage 2 winner 11/20
Kyle Busch (Phoenix) & Mark Martin (Rockingham) record 11 wins at a single track
Joe Gibbs Racing won 3 of last 5 Phoenix races with 3 different drivers – Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch & Brandon Jones
Joe Gibbs Racing swept top 3 at Phoenix 3/20 – Brandon Jones, Harrison Burton & Kyle Busch
1 Won first career race at Phoenix – Sam Hornish Jr. 11/11
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
10 of 38 won Phoenix from pole
Pole failed to win last 8 Phoenix races
Worst start position of Phoenix winner: 38th – Christopher Bell 11/18
Only 4 of 38 Phoenix races won by drivers starting outside top 10
Only 3 drivers won a Phoenix race & championship in same season –
Kevin Harvick (2006), William Byron (2017) & Austin Cindric (2020)
Kyle Busch only driver to win consecutive Phoenix races – 3 Different streaks
10 Phoenix races finished in Overtime – Leader at scheduled distance won 8
Leader of most laps failed to win 12 Phoenix races including 5 of last 7
Kyle Busch led most laps 14 Phoenix races – 11 Wins
First win of season for 13 Phoenix winners
Phoenix first win of season for Kyle Busch 3 times
4 Rookie of the Year candidates won Phoenix –
Greg Biffle 2001, Carl Edwards 11/05, William Byron 11/17 & Christopher Bell 11/18
Ford leads with 14 Phoenix wins
Most lead changes: 16 (11/20)