Tag Archives: Phoenix International Raceway

Military flyovers at NASCAR races suspended due to budget cuts

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Daytona International Speedway did not have a flyover for the Rolex 24 nor the 150-mile qualifying races. Ever wonder why there wasn’t one? There wasn’t one for the NASCAR Nationwide race either, which came to me as kind of unusual for one of the biggest races of the 2013 season at Daytona International Speedway, but did have the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds for the Daytona 500 (scheduled) and present the day before for the media.

Automatic budget cuts known as “sequestration” came upon the military across the board starting on March 1st suspending all Air Force flyovers immediately – with the exception of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbird Aerial Demonstration Team (F-16 Fighting Falcons).

According to Wendy Varhegyi, the chief of the engagement division for Air Force public affairs, the suspension of flyovers are due to Military spending cuts of 30 percent which have forced the Air Force to trim flying hours by 18%. The cuts are coming mainly from air shows and flyovers. This would include all sports, not just NASCAR, through the end of the fiscal year – September 30, 2013.

Luke Air Force Base (AZ) was not allowed to provide a flyover for tomorrow’s (Sunday,  March 3rd) Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway. As the sequestration kicks in, base officials announced today that Luke’s 2013 Open House and Air Show, “Storm on the Horizon,” originally scheduled for March 16th-17th, has been canceled.

However, race fans will still see a flyover on Sunday, but thanks to a private company that  provided Phoenix International Raceway with a B-17 Flying Fortress for the flyover, which is not a part of Air Force inventory. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and Las Vegas Motor Speedway have been locked into an agreement with Nellis Air Force Base for its March 10th Cup event. But as of April 1st, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will be grounded.

Source: Luke AFB, Google, ESPN.com

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: Starting Line-Up

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10 subway fresh fit 500 dk

Starting
Position		 Car# Driver Manu Qualifying
Speed
(mph)
1 55 Mark Martin Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 138.074
2 5 Kasey Kahne Quaker State Chevy 137.862
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevy 137.804
4 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota 137.673
5 24 Jeff Gordon Pepsi MAX Chevy 137.164
6 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy 137.143
7 29 Kevin Harvick Jimmy John’s Chevy 137.075
8 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 136.924
9 20 Matt Kenseth Husky Toyota 136.882
10 39 Ryan Newman Quicken Loans Chevy 136.861
11 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 136.835
12 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Best Buy Ford 136.731
13 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota 136.654
14 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Filters Toyota 136.602
15 99 Carl Edwards Subway Ford 136.483
16 27 Paul Menard Menards/Serta Chevy 136.364
17 16 Greg Biffle 3M/Novec Ford 136.291
18 43 Aric Almirola Farmland Ford 136.266
19 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevy 135.936
20 31 Jeff Burton Cheerios Chevy 135.890
21 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard Chevy 135.870
22 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford 135.440
23 51 AJ Allmendinger Guy Roofing Chevy 135.440
24 34 David Ragan Ford 135.267
25 78 Kurt Busch Furniture Row/Beautyrest Chevy 135.247
26 7 Dave Blaney Sany Chevy 135.100
27 36 JJ Yeley Accell Construction Chevy 135.064
28 95 Scott Speed Surrender the Sponsor Ford 134.917
29 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevy 134.821
30 93 Travis Kvapil Burger King/Dr.Pepper Toyota 134.705
31 38 David Gilliland Long John Silver’s Ford 134.695
32 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 134.373
33 47 Bobby Labonte Glad Toyota 134.343
34 83 David Reutimann Burger King/Dr.Pepper Toyota 133.814
35 19 Mike Bliss(i) Plinker Tactical/Value Place Toyota 133.774
36 35 Josh Wise(i) Blockbuster.com Ford 133.591
37-OP 30 David Stremme Swan Racing Toyota 133.571
38-OP 33 Landon Cassill Little Joe’s Autos Chevy 133.383
39-OP 44 Scott Riggs(i) No Label Watches Ford 132.920
40-OP 10 Danica Patrick # GoDaddy.com Chevy 132.890
41-Op 87 Joe Nemechek(i) MaddiesPlaceRocks.com Toyota 132.023
42-OP 32 Ken Schrader Safe Skies Locks Ford 131.747
43-OP 13 Casey Mears GEICO Ford 131.286

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY – NSCS driver stats

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10 subway fresh fit 500 dkPhoenix International Raceway Data
Race #: 2 of 36 / SUNDAY
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

Qualifying/Race Data
2012 pole winner: Mark Martin, Toyota, 136.815 mph, 26.313 sec., 03-01-12
2012 race winner: Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 110.085 mph, (2:50:35), 03-04-12
Track qualifying record: Kyle Busch, Toyota, 138.766 mph, 25.943 sec., 11-09-12
Track race record: Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 118.132 mph, (2:38:28), 11-7-99

Chase Contenders

The Top 12 Following Race 1 of 36

Driver                             Points   Wins      Poles        Week        Rating

1. Jimmie Johnson         47               1           0              0           125.7

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.       42               0           0              0           105.7

3. Mark Martin                  41             0           0              0             95.5

4. Brad Keselowski          41              0           0               0            97.3

5. Ryan Newman             40              0           0               0            76.5

6. Greg Biffle                    38              0           0               0           106.6

7. Danica Patrick             37               0           1               0           113.4

8. Michael McDowell       35               0           0               0             70.3

9. JJ Yeley                        34              0           0               0             59.0

10. Clint Bowyer                34             0           0               0           104.0

11. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.    32              0           0               0             80.4

12. Aric Almirola                31              0           0               0             78.0

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY – SPECIFIC STATISTICS

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M / NOVEC Ford)
·         Five top fives, seven top 10s
·         Average finish of 13.7

Kurt Busch (No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet)
·         One win, four top fives, 11 top 10s
·         Average finish of 13.3

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
·         One win, three top fives, 10 top 10s; two poles
·         Average finish of 13.3
 
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Subway Ford)
·         One win, six top fives, 10 top 10s; three poles
·         Average finish of 12.5

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 PEPSI MAX Chevrolet)
·         Two wins, 10 top fives, 19 top 10s; three poles
·         Average finish of 11.5

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)
·         One win, seven top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 10.3

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet)
·         Three wins, six top fives, 10 top 10s
·         Average finish of 12.9
 
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
·         Four wins, 12 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 6.7

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Husky Toyota)
·         One win, five top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 17.7

Mark Martin (No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota)
·         Two wins, 12 top fives, 21 top 10s; two poles
·         Average finish of 9.1

Ryan Newman (No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet)
·         One win, eight top fives, eight top 10s; four poles
·         Average finish of 18.0

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Racing Chevrolet)
·         One win, eight top fives, 11 top 10s
·         Average finish of 12.1

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Filters Toyota)
·         One top five, five top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 17.1

Top 12 Driver Rating at Phoenix
Jimmie Johnson…………………… 115.8
Denny Hamlin………………………. 100.4
Kyle Busch…………………………… 99.9
Kurt Busch……………………………. 99.3
Tony Stewart…………………………. 99.0
Jeff Gordon………………………….. 98.8
Kevin Harvick………………………… 98.4
Carl Edwards………………………… 98.3
Mark Martin…………………………… 97.8
Greg Biffle……………………………. 92.4
Ryan Newman……………………….. 88.9
Matt Kenseth………………………… 85.5

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (16 total) among active drivers at Phoenix International Raceway

Notebook
·         There have been 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix International Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.
·         184 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix; 134 in more than one.
·         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.
·         Youngest Phoenix pole winner: Kyle Busch (4/22/06 – 20 years, 11 months, 20 days).
·         Oldest Phoenix pole winner: Mark Martin (03/04/12 – 53 years, 1 months, 24 days).
·         Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards are the only drivers to win 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 at Phoenix, seven of which have won more than once, led by Jimmie Johnson, with four – (’07 fall, ’08 sweep, ’09 fall).
·         The seven drivers who have won more than once at Phoenix: Jimmie Johnson (four), Kevin Harvick (three), Davey Allison (two), Jeff Burton (two), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Jeff Gordon (two) and Mark Martin (two).
·         Of the seven drivers with multiple wins at Phoenix International Raceway, Mark Martin is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Ford (1993) and Chevrolet (2009).
·         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 33 events.
·         Denny Hamlin (November, 2005) and AJ Allmendinger (April, 2010) won their 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 21 top-10 finishes, more than any other driver. Martin (9.0 average finish) is one of two active drivers who average a top-10 finish. Jimmie Johnson (6.6) 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 to win 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.
·         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 (04/18/2009 – 50 years, 3 months, 9 days).
·         Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Phoenix with five; followed by Tony Stewart with three.
·         Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson lead the series in top-five finishes at Phoenix with 12 each.
·         Alan Kulwicki (11/6/1988) and Bobby Hamilton (10/27/1996) are the only two drivers to post their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career win at Phoenix International Raceway.
·         21 of the 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who have won at Phoenix 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 competed at Phoenix International Raceway 16 times before winning (4/21/2007); the longest span of any the 23 winners.
·         Six drivers have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Phoenix: Jeff Gordon (16), Ryan Newman (15), Kasey Kahne (14), Denny Hamlin (13), Carl Edwards (12) and Rusty Wallace (11).
·         Bobby Labonte leads the series (active drivers) with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Phoenix without visiting Victory Lane with 28.
·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Phoenix was the (4/10/2010) race won by Ryan Newman with a MOV of 0.13 seconds.
·         Seven of the 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Phoenix have been won from the front row.
·         Five drivers have won the first two races of the season in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; the first two times did not include the Daytona 500: Lee Petty (Daytona Beach Course, Tri-City Speedway; 1954), Marvin Panch (Willow Springs Speedway, Concord Speedway; 1956), David Pearson (Riverside, Daytona; 1976), Jeff Gordon (Daytona, Rockingham; 1997) and Matt Kenseth (Daytona, Auto Club).
·         Three reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champions have gone on to win at Phoenix the following season; Jimmie Johnson is the only one to do it multiple times: Jimmie Johnson (2007, 2008 sweep and 2009); Kurt Busch (2005) and Bill Elliott (1989).
·         Two drivers have won at Phoenix and the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship in the same season: Jimmie Johnson (2007, 2008 sweep and 2009); Dale Earnhardt (1990).
·         Danica Patrick is the only female driver to have made a NASCAR Sprint Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway. She did so last season (11/11/12) starting 37th and finishing 17th.

Hendrick Motorsports releases statement

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS STATEMENT

CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 12, 2012) – Hendrick Motorsports will not appeal sanctions announced today by NASCAR regarding the No. 24 Sprint Cup Series team and driver Jeff Gordon.

“I’ve always respected Jeff for standing his ground,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “We also respect that NASCAR needs to police the sport and send a message when situations like this occur. It’s been a great year, and we’re going to put our focus on finishing in a positive way this weekend.”

“I take responsibility for my actions on the racetrack,” Gordon said. “I accept NASCAR’s decision and look forward to ending the season on a high note at Homestead.”

NASCAR issues penalties from Sunday’s event at Phoenix International Raceway

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NASCAR announced today penalties to three teams that compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as a result of rule infractions at Phoenix International Raceway.

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 car, was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) – altercation with another competitor on the race track during the race – and has been fined $100,000, docked 25 championship driver points and put on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Rick Hendrick, owner of the No. 24 car, has also been penalized with the loss of 25 championship owner points. Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 24 car, also was found to be in violation of Section 9-4A (at all events, crew chief assumes responsibility of his driver, car owner and team members) and has been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

Brian Pattie, crew chief of the No. 15 car, violated Sections 12-1 and 9-4A and has been fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 car, has been fined $25,000 and placed on probation until Dec. 31 for violating Sections 12-1 and 20-6.7A (cars and drivers will not be permitted to carry onboard computers, automated electronic recording devices, electronically actuated devices, power distribution modules, power conditioners, micro-processors, recording devices, electronic digital memory chips, traction control devices, digital readout gauges and the like, even if inoperable or incomplete) – driver had a cell phone in his possession onboard the race car.

All of these violations occurred during the Nov. 11 event at PIR.

Statement From Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 12, 2012) – “Following a thorough analysis of the actions that took place during Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway, we have issued penalties based upon our review. The decisions announced today cover NASCAR’s full assessment of penalties for the incidents that occurred.

“There’s no doubt that a unique set of circumstances combined with a championship battle on the line resulted in raw emotions coming into play. We consider the penalties appropriate and those involved understand our decision and we expect them to abide by them.”

Michael Waltrip Racing statement regarding PIR incident

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 MWR PRESS RELEASE

STATEMENT

“The goal of Michael Waltrip Racing is to be a championship-level organization both on and off the track. The on-track incident which occurred during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway was extremely disappointing and brought raw emotions of a long and hard championship battle to the surface. Though we generally cannot control certain actions on the track, the unfortunate reactions off the track Sunday did not live up to the professional standards in which Michael Waltrip Racing expects all of its representatives to live by. We commit to our sponsors, our manufacturer, our fans and NASCAR that we will do so in the future.”

Phoenix International Raceway is the place to be this weekend – plan ahead

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SOLD OUT!
Phoenix International Raceway’s grandstands are sold out for the AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race on November 11th. Fans may still purchase general admission tickets to PIR’s hillside area by calling 866-408-RACE or visiting PhoenixRaceway.com.

REMINDER:  Phoenix International Raceway announced that NASCAR has moved Gatorade Pole Qualifying for the semi-final race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup to Friday, Nov. 9 at 4:10 p.m. Gates open to the public Friday at 9 a.m. A full day of activity on the track will be highlighted by Gatorade Pole Qualifying and the running of the Lucas Oil 150 Camping World Truck Series race at 6 p.m.

PRACTICES/QUALIFYING/RACES
Thursday, November 8th:
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Practice & NASCAR K&N Pro Series – West Practice 
3:00 p.m.     Spectator Gates Open
3:30 p.m. – 4:25 p.m.     NCWTS Practice
4:35 p.m. – 5:25 p.m.     NKNPS-W Practice
5:35 p.m – 7:35 p.m.     NCWTS Final Practice

Friday, November 9th:
2:30 p.m. NCWTS Qualifying
4:10 p.m. NSCS Qualifying
Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race

Saturday, November 10th:
8:30 a.m.  NKNPS-W Qualifying
10:35 a.m. NNS Qualifying
2:00 p.m.     Great Clips 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series Race. (200 laps, 200 miles)
5:00 p.m.     Casino Arizona 50 NASCAR K&N Pro Series – West Race (50 laps, 50 miles)

Sunday, November 11th: 
AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race

PRE-RACE PERFORMANCES/SPECIAL APPEARANCES
Country music duo The Lost Trailers- known for their current hit “American Beauty”- will perform at 11 a.m. on Sunday, November 11 at the Budweiser ROLL-BAR main stage prior to the AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Country singer Chelsea Bain will be singing National Anthem for Phoenix Nationwide race
Pop singer/songwriter and actress JoJo will sing “The Star Spangled Banner” prior to the AdvoCare 500 Semi-Final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, November 11.

Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion, and former star of The Ultimate Fighter Live on FX, Dominick Cruz has been named Honorary Pace Car Driver for the AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, November 11.

ENTERTAINMENT
Fans attending the AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway will be treated to hearing from some of NASCAR’s top drivers prior to the action on the track Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 10-11. PIR race fans will have an opportunity to visit with 2012 Chase contender Kevin Harvick, racing legend and five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series runner-up Mark Martin, Arizona native Michael McDowell and 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series runner-up Elliott Sadler and much more.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Event Time Location
Harry Luge Jr. 9pm-11pm SPEED Cantina

Friday, November 9, 2012

Event Time Location
Furious George Band 9pm-10:30pm Budweiser ROLL-BAR Stage
Harry Luge Jr. 9pm-11pm SPEED Cantina

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Event Time Location
Harry Luge Jr. 7pm-8:30pm SPEED Cantina
Chad Freeman and Redline 9pm-11pm SPEED Cantina

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Event Time Place
The Lost Trailers 11am-11:45am Budweiser ROLL-BAR Stage

(Entertainment schedule and locations subject to change)

Phoenix International Raceway and driver data

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GARAGE/TRACK SCHEDULE

Friday, March 2
12:30 – 2:00 pm NSCS Practice
3:30 – 5:00 pm NSCS Final Practice
6:00 pm NSCS Garage Closes

Saturday, March 3

9:00 am NSCS Garage Opens
12:35 pm NSCS Qualifying
5:00 pm NSCS Garage Closes

Sunday, March 4

7:00 am NSCS Garage Opens
11:00 am NSCS Driver/Crew Chief Meeting
12:30 pm NSCS Driver Intros
1:00 pm NSCS Race

ALL TIMES ABOVE ARE LISTED IN LOCAL / MOUNTAIN TIME ZONE

Practices: (times in eastern time)

Friday, March 2, 2:30 – 4:00pm/et, TV-SPEED

Happy Hour ‘Final’ practice:

Friday, March 3, 5:30 – 7:00pm/et, TV-SPEED

Qualifying:

Saturday, March 3 at 2:35 pm/et

2 laps for positions 1-42, TV-SPEED, no re-air scheduled

Race Coverage:

Subway Fit Fresh 500 Sunday, March 4, 2012.

Broadcasting Station:

FOX at 3:00 pm/et; Pre-Race show at 2:30 pm/et;  green flag approx 3:14pm/et

Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90

Scheduled Race Re-Airs: on SPEED, Wednesday, March 7 at 12:00pm/et

 

Grand Marshal: Detroit Lions player Ndamukong Suh

Command to start engines: Ndamukong Suh

Honorary Pace Car Driver: UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz

National Anthem: Brian McKnight

Race: 2 of 36 (3-4-12)
Track Size: 1 mile
Banking/1 and 2: 10 – 11 degrees
Banking/3 and 4: 8 – 9 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 3 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,179 feet
Backstretch: 1,551 feet

GOODYEAR TIRES
Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same tire codes at Phoenix this weekend . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that these teams ran at Phoenix last November. Soon after the track was repaved last summer, Goodyear held a tire test on Phoenix’s new track surface with Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart on August 29-30, 2011. This tire set-up came out of that test and was confirmed at a NASCAR open test in early October. As on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Phoenix.

2011 February Pole Sitter: #99-Carl Edwards, 137.279mph [track record], finished 28th

2011 November Pole Sitter: #17-Matt Kenseth, 137.101mph, finished 34th

Track Qualifying Record: Carl Edwards, 2/26/2011, 137.279mph

Oldest Pole Winner: Mark Martin, 50 years, 3 months, 9 days, 4/18/2009

Youngest Pole Winner: Kyle Busch, 20 years, 11 months, 20 days, 4/22/2006

2011 February Race Winner: #24-Jeff Gordon, 102.961mph, started 20th

2011 November Winner: #4-Kasey Kahne, 112.918mph, finished 9th

Race Record: Tony Stewart, Nov 1999, 118.132mph

Slowest Race Record: Alan Kulwicki, 1988, 90.457mph

Oldest Race Winner: Mark Martin, 50 years, 3 months, 9 days, 4/18/2009

Youngest Race Winner: Kyle Busch, 20 years, 5 months, 11 days, 11/13/2005

Most Wins – Active Driver: Jimmie Johnson, 4

Most Wins – All Time: Jimmie Johnson, 4

Most Poles: Ryan Newman, 4

Most Top 5s: Mark Martin, 12; Jimmie Johnson 11; Jeff Gordon 10

Most Top 10s: Mark Martin, 19; Jeff Gordon, 18

Most Lead Changes: 28 – 2/27/2011

Fewest Lead Changes: 1 – 11/4/1990

Most Leaders: 13 – four times, last 4/10/2010

Fewest Leaders: 2 – 11/4/1990

Most Cautions: 11 – 11/7/2004

Most Caution Laps: 66, 11/2/2003

Fewest Cautions: 2 – 11/7/1999

Fewest Caution Laps: 10, 11/7/1999

Most on the Lead Lap: M29 – 11/2/2003

Fewest on the Lead Lap: 3 – 10/30/1994

Most Running at the Finish: 41 – three, last on 4/21/2007

Fewest Running at the Finish: 27 – 11/5/1989

Worst Starting Spot to Win: Ricky Rudd, 1995, started 29th

Most Laps Led by a Race Winner: 262 – Dale Earnhardt, 11/4/1990

Fewest Laps Led by a Race Winner: 10 – Kevin Harvick 4/22/2006

Most Wins by a Manufacturer: 13 – Ford

Source: NASCAR Media

 

 

NASCAR driver autograph sessions/appearances for Phoenix International Raceway

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THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2012

Eric McClure 
No. 14 Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap® NNS show car
11:00am – 1:00pm local time
Safeway – 174
520 W Osborn Rd.
Phoenix, AZ
T-shirts will be given away while supplies last.

 

Brad Keselowski
4 p.m. MT
Discount Tire store
13213 West McDowell Road
Goodyear, AZ

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012

Jeff Burton
6:30pm local time
Basha’s Grocery Store
5115 N. Dysart Road
Litchfield Park, AZ

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2012

Clint Bowyer
9:15am local time
Budweiser ROLL-BAR at Phoenix International Raceway
Located just behind the Bobby Allison Grandstands on the west side of the track.
For more information and tickets, see the Phoenix International Raceway website.

Clint Bowyer
12:30 p.m. local time
SPEED TV’s Trackside Live
Phoenix International Raceway

Cole Whitt
10:00am -10:30am local time
JR Motorsports Merchandise Hauler – Autograph signing
Fan concourse area at Phoenix International Raceway

AJ Allmendinger
10:00am local time
Budweiser ROLL-BAR at Phoenix International Raceway
Located just behind the Bobby Allison Grandstands on the west side of the track.
For more information and tickets, see the Phoenix International Raceway website.

James Buescher
10:00am local time
Q&A Session / Autograph Session
Chevrolet Racing display located outside of the main grandstands at Phoenix International Raceway

Jeff Burton
10:30am local time
Basha’s Grocery Store
5115 N. Dysart Road
Litchfield Park, AZ.

Michael McDowell
10:30am local time
Wine Trackside Club
The Trackside Club is located at Turn 4 on PIR’s frontstretch.

Michael McDowell
11:00am local time
Budweiser ROLL-BAR at Phoenix International Raceway
Located just behind the Bobby Allison Grandstands on the west side of the track.
For more information and tickets, see the Phoenix International Raceway website.

Martin Truex Jr.
10:30am local time
Octane – Phoenix International Raceway’s exclusive luxury lounge
For complete details and ticket information, see the Phoenix International Raceway website.

SUNDAY, MARCH 4, 2012

A.J. Allmendinger
9:30am local time
Octane – Phoenix International Raceway’s exclusive luxury lounge
For complete details and ticket information, see the Phoenix International Raceway website.

Clint Bowyer
9:00am local time
Budweiser ROLL-BAR at Phoenix International Raceway
Located just behind the Bobby Allison Grandstands on the west side of the track.
For more information and tickets, see the Phoenix International Raceway website.

Jeff Burton
9:25am local time
Q&A Session / Autograph Session
Chevrolet Racing display located outside of the main grandstands at Phoenix International Raceway

Robby Gordon
10:00am local time
Octane – Phoenix International Raceway’s exclusive luxury lounge
For complete details and ticket information, see the Phoenix International Raceway website.

Kevin Harvick
10:00am local time
Budweiser ROLL-BAR at Phoenix International Raceway
Located just behind the Bobby Allison Grandstands on the west side of the track.
For more information and tickets, see the Phoenix International Raceway website.

OTHER APPEARANCES

SUNDAY, MARCH 4, 2012

UFC Bantamweight Champion, Dominick Cruz
10:15am local time
Octane – Phoenix International Raceway’s exclusive luxury lounge
For complete details and ticket information, see the Phoenix International Raceway website.

All-Pro defensive tackle & Grand Marshal, Ndamukong Suh
2:30pm local time
Octane – Phoenix International Raceway’s exclusive luxury lounge. For complete details and ticket information, see the Phoenix International Raceway website

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DENIED: No ‘General Lee’ at Phoenix International Raceway

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PGA's Bubba Watson stands next to the "General Lee" he purchased at auction. Credit: UGASports.com

NASCAR vetoed PGA star Bubba Watson’s dream of driving his “General Lee” show car around Phoenix International Raceway before the March 4 Sprint Cup race. Watson purchased the the #01 car at auction for $110,000 and was previously told he could. But upon further discussion, NASCAR, ISC & Phoenix International Raceway felt it was not in the best interest of the sport to have a car with the Confederate flag, go around PIR.

In reply via Twitter, Watson wrote: “Sorry to say @nascar won’t let me drive The General Lee at the @PhoenixRaceway !!! #dreamcrushed.”

The Confederate flag still is flown by many fans at a lot of racetracks, particularly in the South.

Source: ESPN