After a week of high speed stakes at Texas, NASCAR’s returns to the “big short track”, Phoenix International Raceway. With what went down last Sunday, there’s a little more intrigue involved in this race as Mark Martin and maybe even Jeff Gordon work to catch points leader Jimmie Johnson.
TRACK FACTS
Phoenix International Raceway is something of a funky track, 
and I mean that in the best way. Tony Stewart says having a car that’s good in Turns 1 & 2 means you may not have car suited for handling 3 & 4. Crew chief Chad Knaus says a driver’s car has to be the total package to win.
Though it was built in 1964, the first NASCAR Cup event ran here on November 6 1988, the Checker 500, won by Alan Kulwicki.
The race here is actually a 500 kilometer event on PIR’s one-mile track, meaning the race will have 312 laps. The track is a relatively flat oval with a dog leg- there’s 3 degrees banking on the front stretch, 9 on the back. There’s 11 degrees banking on turns 1 and 2, 9 degrees on 3 and 4.
The front stretch measures 1,179 feet. The back stretch is 1,551 feet. The grandstands holds 76,812.
TOP PERFORMANCES
Not only has Jimmie Johnson won the most victories (3) at Phoenix, he had won three races here in a row, before Mark Martin took the checkered flag last spring. His teammates Martin and Jeff Gordon have two wins on this track, Jeff Burton won here twice for Jack Roush at the beginning of this decade, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Phoenix in 2003 and ‘04, Kevin Harvick swept the 2006 races, plus the Busch brothers, Smoke and Matt Kenseth have victories at this track where Cup events have only gone to two dates a season since 2005.
Ryan Newman is the “King of Qualifying” as the all-time pole-winner at PIR with 4, his lap of 26.499 seconds (135.854 miles per hour) on November 5, 2004 is the track qualifying record.
Tony Stewart has run the fastest race at the Arizona track. On November 7, 1999 in the Dura-Lube 500, the “Rushville Rocket” ran the course in 2 hours, 38 minutes, and 28 seconds- a speed of 118.132 miles per hour.
The record for cautions is 11- set in November of 2004. The
fewest cautions? 2 in November of 1999.
41 racers finished the contest 3 times, the most recent being the spring, 2007 race won by Jeff Gordon. The 1989 Autoworks 500, won by Bill Elliott had the fewest finishers with 27.
In the 2000 Checkers/Duralube 500- won by Jeff Burton- there were a track record 23 lead changes. In 1990’s Checker 500- won by Dale Earnhardt- there was only 1.
WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
SPEED’s NASCAR Raceday coverage sets the table for pre-race coverage at 12:30 PM Eastern, 9:30 AM Pacific with John Roberts, Kenny Wallace and “Mr. Excitement”, Jimmy Spencer.
ESPN on ABC’s NASCAR Countdown gets underway at 2:30 PM Eastern, 11:30 AM Pacific. Allen Bestwick anchors, with him are Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty and Tim Brewer in the Craftsman Tech Center.
Race coverage by ABC is set for 3:15 PM Eastern and 12:15 PM Pacific. Dr. Jerry Punch is joined by Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett. On pit road, reporters are Shannon Spake, Dave Burns, Vince Welch and Jamie Little.
Radio coverage is provided by MRN radio and XM Sirius Satellite.
The green flag is scheduled to wave at approximately 3:31 PM Eastern time, 12:31 PM Pacific.
WHO’S GOING TO WIN?
When you think about a one mile flat track, some names immediately come to mind. I think of Kurt Busch as a kind of driver who can win at Phoenix. I also think of Clint Bowyer. It’s not a stretch to think that a Tony Stewart or Carl Edwards (this weekend’s Nationwide Series winner here) can win at Phoenix.
For a lot of drivers, driving on a short, flat track is how they got started. PIR seems to fit right into the wheelhouse of many a NASCAR driver.
Phoenix is another one of those tracks where there is a division of opinion as to whether drivers love or loathe driving on it. When it comes to a love of the track, a short list comes to mind.
Not only did Kevin Harvick win the Friday night Camping World Truck Series race, he’s also win in other series at PIR. I see him as an “off the radar” possibility. Ditto for his teammate Jeff Burton. The RCR gang has fared much better of late, and I expect between Burton, Bowyer, Harvick and maybe even Casey Mears we’ll see a good representation in the top ten.
Denny Hamlin is another flat track ace. His ride through the Chase has been a roller coaster, but make no mistake, his attitude suits driving here.
You also have to take into consideration the New York Yankees of NASCAR: Hendrick Motorsports. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has looked good on the practice charts and he’s also tasted success at Phoenix back in the days when he really looked like the second coming. Jeff Gordon tied Junior’s dad for career victories on this track not too many seasons ago, and he’s still making a good showing.
Then there’s the two guys battling it out for the championship- Mark Martin and points leader Jimmie Johnson. The champion had won three races in a row at Phoenix until Martin broke that string with a win in the Spring that broke a multi-year winless streak for Martin, the first of his five wins on the year.
Everybody’s going with Jimmie- from Ricky Craven and Jenna Fryer on Yahoo!- to the guys at Rowdy.com. So you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to go with Mark Martin.
Yeah, Johnson gets a better starting position than Martin, but I’m not convinced that means anything in Phoenix. I won’t deny J.J. has a great car and a track record for bouncing back quickly from adversity, but sometimes things don’t go according to Hoyle.
That’s why I am saying Mark Martin slices off another chunk of Johnson’s points lead at Phoenix, setting up a battle at Homestead- Miami like we’ve never seen before.
PHOTO CREDITS- “14” by Darrell Ingham/ Getty Images. Jimmie Johnson at Phoenix by Christian Peterson/ Getty Images. Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin by Jason Smith/ Getty Images for NASCAR.
