PHOENIX 1
Saturday, March 8 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 5 p.m. ET (CW)
Sunday, March 9 — NASCAR Cup Series, 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Phoenix Raceway, site of this weekend’s doubleheader featuring the NASCAR Cup and NASCAR Xfinity Series, holds good memories for Ford Performance, which celebrated two championships the last time NASCAR visited the one-mile facility in November. Overall, the Blue Oval has won five of the last six titles in the sport’s top three touring series the last two years combined.
LOGANO LOVES PHOENIX
If you’re looking for a favorite this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, look no further than defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano. The Connecticut native has four career victories at the Phoenix facility, which is tied for a career-best at one track with Las Vegas. Logano won his third series title in November by leading the final 53 laps and holding off Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney down the stretch to win the championship race. He will be looking to become the first Cup driver to win consecutive races at the track since Kyle Busch did it in 2018-19.
BLANEY LOOKING TO EXTEND STREAK
Ryan Blaney remains Ford’s highest driver in the Cup Series point standings as he sits second overall going into this weekend’s race at Phoenix Raceway. After starting the year with back-to-back top-10 finishes, the 2023 champion ran 19th this past weekend at Circuit of the Americas. Blaney, who won the pole in Atlanta two weeks ago, has displayed career consistency at Phoenix with an average finish of 10.4 in 18 series starts. Even though he doesn’t have a win, Blaney has seven straight top-5 efforts at the one-mile track, including four runner-up finishes.
BUESCHER LEADS FORD AT COTA
Chris Buescher led Ford with a seventh-place finish on Sunday at Circuit of The Americas, marking his second top-10 effort in three races this season. Buescher, who ran 10th in the season-opening Daytona 500, is one of two Ford drivers to open the year with a pair of top 10 runs with Ryan Blaney being the other. The Texas native will be making his 19th career Cup Series start at Phoenix and while he is still winless, Buescher has recorded three straight top-10 finishes at the track, including a runner-up effort in this event a year ago.
AUSTIN CINDRIC ON THE OPTION TIRE BEING USED AT PHOENIX RACEWAY: “It’s a variable for sure, and I think it changes strategy. Similar to Richmond, I don’t feel like you’re gonna change your day as far as track position, but it can certainly influence things and be a strategy play to be the first to do the right thing. It’s always interesting to see how those things play out, and I think Phoenix is kind of an evolution to seeing what we can try there.”
KULWICKI WINS FIRST CUP RACE IN PHOENIX OPENER
Alan Kulwicki, driving the No. 7 Zerex Ford, won his first NASCAR Cup Series race in the debut event at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 6, 1988. Kulwicki, who celebrated by taking a Polish Victory Lap for which he is still remembered for today, passed leader Ricky Rudd with 16 laps to go and ended up taking the checkered flag in his 85th start by 18 seconds over runner-up Terry Labonte. Fellow Ford drivers Davey Allison and Bill Elliott finished third and fourth, respectively. Kulwicki, who ended up leading four times for 41 laps in taking the next-to-last event of the season, went on to win four more Cup races during his career.
A NEW PHOENIX FORD WINNER?
Ford has won two of the last three NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Phoenix Raceway, but Cole Custer (2023) and Riley Herbst (2024) have both moved onto the NASCAR Cup Series so there’s an opportunity for somebody new to find Victory Lane. Sheldon Creed, who drives the 00 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Haas Factory Team, has one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win to his credit at Phoenix in 2020, while Sam Mayer, Harrison Burton and Ryan Sieg are still looking for their first at the track.
HAAS FACTORY TEAM OFF TO GOOD START
Armed with a new name and two new drivers, the Haas Factory Team hasn’t wasted any time in getting the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season off to a good start. And even though drivers Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer have yet to find Victory Lane, they still find themselves third and fourth, respectively, in the point standings. Mayer is coming off a third-place run at Circuit of The Americas last weekend, which was the best Ford finish, and has two top-5 efforts in the first three races. Creed started the season with a third-place effort at Daytona.
FORD’S PHOENIX CUP SERIES WINNERS
1988 – Alan Kulwicki
1989 – Bill Elliott
1991 – Davey Allison
1992 – Davey Allison
1993 – Mark Martin
1995 – Ricky Rudd
1997 – Dale Jarrett
1998 – Rusty Wallace
2000 – Jeff Burton
2001 – Jeff Burton
2002 – Matt Kenseth
2005 – Kurt Busch (1)
2010 – Carl Edwards (2)
2013 – Carl Edwards (1)
2016 – Joey Logano (2)
2018 – Kevin Harvick (1)
2020 – Joey Logano (1)
2022 – Chase Briscoe (1) and Joey Logano (2)
2024 – Joey Logano (2)
FORD’S PHOENIX XFINITY SERIES WINNERS
2000 – Jeff Burton
2001 – Greg Biffle
2003 – Bobby Hamilton Jr.
2005 – Greg Biffle (1) and Carl Edwards (2)
2006 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2008 – Carl Edwards (2)
2009 – Greg Biffle (1) and Carl Edwards (2)
2010 – Carl Edwards (2)
2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Joey Logano (1)
2018 – Brad Keselowski (1)
2020 – Austin Cindric (2)
2021 – Austin Cindric (1)
2023 – Cole Custer (2)
2024 – Riley Herbst (2)
