Phoenix I Event Info:
Date: Sunday, March 8
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Avondale, Arizona
Format: 312 Laps, 312 miles, Stages: 60-185-312
TV: FS1
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 12 p.m. ET, Practice (Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 1:10 p.m. ET, Qualifying (Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3:30 p.m. ET, Race (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Pace Laps:
Phoenix hosts its annual spring date this weekend for the fourth points race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Phoenix is the site of seven of Jack Roush’s Cup wins all-time, and 17 wins across NASCAR’s three series.
6 Team Info:
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Crew Chief: Jeremy Bullins
Partner: Consumer Cellular
17 Team Info:
Driver: Chris Buescher
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Fry’s / Artesano / Kraft
60 Team Info:
Driver: Ryan Preece
Crew Chief: Derrick Finley
Partner: Body Guard
Keselowski at Phoenix
Starts: 33
Wins: —
Top-10s: 15
Poles: 2 (2014, 2021)
- Keselowski returns to Phoenix Raceway where in his most recent visit last season he nearly pulled off the victory, leading 6 laps and finishing 2nd.
- Keselowski makes his 34th Cup start in Phoenix this weekend where he has 15 top-10s with an average finish of 13.9. He finished runner-up in the season finale last season despite leading coming to the checkered flag.
- He’s led 290 laps in 16 different Phoenix races and has seven top-10s in the spring race alone at the 1-mile track.
- Keselowski has two poles (2014, 2021) with an average starting position of 14.7. He has started inside the top-10 nine times at Phoenix throughout his career, including three on the front row.
- He is a two-time Xfinity Series winner in Phoenix including winning the 2018 race in the No. 22 entry, and in 2014 for Team Penske. Overall, he has 21 NXS starts with fifteen top-10s. He also made two Truck Series starts in 2005 and 2008 with a best finish of sixth in his own No. 19 truck for BKR.
Buescher at Phoenix
Starts: 20
Wins: —
Top-10s: 5
Poles: —
“For a large part of my career, I wanted to burn Phoenix down to the ground,” said Buescher during his media availability at COTA. “We are in a better headspace now because we have been good there. Fixes a lot of things as a race car driver when you go to a track and your more competitive.”
- Buescher makes his 21st Cup start in Phoenix this weekend where he has four top-10 finishes in his last five starts.
- Buescher has an average starting position of 22.3 with the P9 start in the fall last season that stands as his best effort.
- Buescher also made four Xfinity Series starts in Arizona for Jack Roush with a best finish of 12th (2014).
Preece at Phoenix
Starts: 13
Wins: —
Top-10s: 1
Poles: —
Following a determined run at COTA, Preece remains one of the series’ hungriest drivers, seeking to score his first official points paying cup series victory. Phoenix looms large as place of opportunity. Although he finished 15th in this race year ago, he led 34 laps, using the “option tire” masterfully. There are no “option tires” this year but potential remains heading to a track where he scored a 9th place finish in the fall.
Preece is set to make his 14th Cup start in Phoenix this weekend and is coming off a career-best ninth-place finish in last season’s finale.
Preece has an average starting position of 24.8, including a P12 effort in the 2023 season finale.
RFK Historically at Phoenix
Cup Wins: 7 (Mark Martin, 1993; Jeff Burton, 2000, 2001; Matt Kenseth, 2002; Kurt Busch, 2005; Carl Edwards, 2010, 2013)
- Hooked on Phoenix: RFK has 315 combined starts at Phoenix, totaling 17 wins, 80 top-five and 142 top-10 finishes. RFK Fords have nine poles and have led 4,050 laps at the 1-mile track.
- Winning in the Desert: RFK has won at Phoenix in all three of NASCAR’s major divisions, with the organization’s first win coming in the fall of 1993 with NASCAR Hall of Famer and former driver Mark Martin in the NCS. RFK won the second-ever NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix in 2000 and former driver Greg Biffle claimed the organization’s 100th overall NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Phoenix in 2009.
- Former driver Carl Edwards also won at the track that fall to give RFK the season sweep. All in all, six drivers have won NASCAR races for RFK at Phoenix (Martin, Biffle, Edwards, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Joe Ruttman). In addition, Edwards swept Phoenix in the fall of 2010, winning both the NXS and NCS events.
- Xfinity Success: Phoenix was one of the strongest tracks for RFK’s Xfinity program. In 93 starts, the organization won eight times, earned 27 top-5s, 53 top-10s and has led 1,406 laps. RFK most recently went to victory lane with Edwards in Nov. 2010. Its eight wins rank most of any track on the circuit behind only Charlotte (12), Darlington (15), Richmond (9) and Rockingham (10).
RFK Phoenix Wins
1993 Martin Cup
1997-2 Ruttman Truck
2000 Burton Cup
2000 Burton NXS
2001 Biffle Truck
2001 Burton Cup
2001 Biffle NXS
2002 Kenseth Cup
2005-1 Busch Cup
2005-2 Edwards NXS
2006-2 Kenseth NXS
2008-2 Edwards NXS
2009-1 Biffle NXS
2009-2 Edwards NXS
2010-2 Edwards Cup
2010-2 Edwards NXS
2013-1 Edwards Cup
Last Time Out & Where They Stand
COTA: RFK Racing did not leave COTA with a trophy, but the day was defined by Texas-sized toughness from all three drivers. Ryan Preece overcame several obstacles, including a failed cool suit, to finish in 18th place, demonstrating the perseverance that has come to define him. In the season’s most intense race and his first significant test since injuring his femur, Brad Keselowski persevered through 90 challenging laps to finish in 20th place. Chris Buescher, a favorite in his hometown, overcame heavy traffic, a late-race spin, and nose damage to battle back to 24th and earn every point he could. On paper, it wasn’t a big day, but the Preece, Keselowski, and Buescher trio’s battle made it a victory in spirit.
Points Standings (Buescher: 11th, Keselowski: 12th, Preece: 16th)
