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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Week 2 Preview: Phoenix

Phoenix International Raceway

The Profit on CNBC 500




By Richard Tix

Well NASCAR left Daytona on a higher note then anyone could have expected. The racing was great, it ended up in prime time, and Dale Earnhardt Jr (the leagues most popular driver) won his second career 500 (2004 and 2014).

The fun shouldn't stop there either. I think 2014 could be a huge year. As I said in NASCAR's New Era earlier this year, the new points format should make this season very fun, while at times frustrating, one of the most entertaining seasons in recent memory. But even after I said that, I didn't see this kind of excitment coming to start the season.

It looks like NASCAR might have hit it out of the park with the new Aero Package at Daytona. The racing was fun and it resulted in great finishes. Now we move onto a totally different kind of racing after plate racing for a week.

In 2013 Carl Edwards picked up his first win of 2013 at Phoenix. After Phoenix I started my weekly Power Rankings, so check the review and rankings from last year out while you're here! If you haven't seen it yet, take a look at the Phoenix Entry List and the TV and Track Schedule. As for who will win this year, NASCAR Behind the Wall takes a fast look at some drivers who have fared on the "Good" side, been in the "Middle" and done "Bad" at Phoenix in recent seasons.


The Good:

  • Kevin Harvick- Harvick is the most recent winner at Phoenix International and is also the winner of two of the past three here. He has 4 top 5 finishes in the last three years at Phoenix (6 races). Hard to argue with thos numbers.
  • Jimmie Johnson- Consistency is key, and JJ has found that at Phoenix. He has 8 top 10's, all of which are also in the top 5 in his last 10 races here. He also has a win within that same time frame. So to say JJ has been pretty good at Phoenix might be an understatement.
  • Ryan Newman- If you take out the crash he was involved in during the first visit in 2013 (finished 40th) he has finsihed in the top 10 six out of the past 7 races including a win. He has the third best average finish at Phoenix in the last 10 races.
The Middle:
  • Carl Edwards- Well Carl is good or in the middle when it comes to Phoenix. Last year he broke his win less streak at Phoenix but then finished 21st the second time around. That seems to be the trend when it comes to Edwards here, which one will show up?
The Bad:
  • Jamie McMurray- He has one top 10 in the last 10 races at Phoenix. That stat pretty much says it all. To rub salt in the wound, his average finish in those 10 races is 21.6. Keep clear of McMurray, he is not a sleeper in this race. 
  • Clint Bowyer- For one reason or another, Clint runs into trouble when racing at Phoenix, maybe it is in the air, or the "water," all that we know is he has been up and down here. In his last 4 starts here he has finished better then 20th only once. That must mean Clint is due right?
Track Stats:
  • Kevin Harvick has won 2 of the last 3 races.
  • Chevy won 10 straight races from 2005-10. 
  • In the last 7 races here Chevy has won 3 races, Ford 2, and Toyota 2.
  • Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson are tied for most career wins here with 4
  • Mark Martin has the most top 10's (21) followed by Jeff Gordon (20) in track history
  • Jimmie Johnson has the best Average Finish position with 6.3 over his career (21 races)
  • First NASCAR Cup Win at Phoenix in 1988 was by Alan Kulwicki. Also, his first career Cup win.
  • First Night race at Phoenix was run in 2005, won by Kurt Busch
  • Ricky Rudd won the 1995 race from 29th position. Still the farthest back a winner has started.
  • Mark Martin is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers (Ford 1993 and Chevy 2009)
  • Mark Martin's last Career Pole was at Phoenix Intl Raceway (This race last year) and he has no plans of trying again this year...
Well, it was worth a shot.


So who will run well this week? Let your voice be heard on Twitter and let me know! If you let me know and you get it correct NASCAR Behind the Wall includes shout outs in the Review/Power Rankings article every week.

Need more?

Week 1 Preview
Week 1 Review w/Power Rankings
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