PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY (ONE-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: AVONDALE, ARIZONA
EVENT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 4 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 3:30 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, MARCH 15 (FOX/MRN/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 34 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2015 Season
6th in standings
3 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
0 laps led
Career
399 starts
17 wins
26 pole positions
83 top-five finishes
147 top-10 finishes
4,541 laps led
Phoenix Career
21 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
7 top-10 finishes
55 laps led
400TH CAREER CUP START: This Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, Kasey Kahne will make his 400th career Cup start. In 399 career starts to this point, Kahne has accumulated 17 wins, 83 top-five finishes and 147 top-10 finishes. One of those wins occurred at Phoenix in 2011. [Watch video of Kahne’s thoughts on making his 400th Cup start this Sunday at Phoenix.]
SEASON-TO-DATE: After the first three Sprint Cup Series races this season, Kahne currently ranks second in quality passes (469), third in green-flag speed (4.667 average rank), fourth in fastest speed in traffic (6.333 average rank), fourth in average running position (7.651), fifth in laps in top 15 (716), fifth in fastest drivers early in a run (7.000 average rank), fifth in fastest laps run (30), tied for fifth in fastest drivers on restarts (9.000 average rank), sixth in fastest drivers late in a run (6.667 average rank) and seventh in driver rating (101.9).
PHOENIX WINNER: Kahne became the first Sprint Cup Series driver to reach Victory Lane at the reconfigured Phoenix International Raceway in November 2011 prior to his arrival at Hendrick Motorsports. He took the checkered flag in the Kobalt Tools 500 after starting 10th and spending most of the race running in the top 10 before leading the final 14 laps on his way to his first Sprint Cup win at the one-mile oval.
KAHNE AT PHOENIX: Kahne has qualified inside the top 10 six times during the last eight races at the one-mile, Avondale, Arizona, oval, making his average start 8.63 in that span. According to NASCAR loop data during the last 20 Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix, Kahne ranks eighth in closers by moving up 16 positions in the last 10 percent of laps in each event.
FARMERS INSURANCE: This weekend at Phoenix, Kahne will drive the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS. This year, Farmers has partnered with Paseo Academy High School in Kansas City, Missouri, to create a series of racing-related hero cards and posters that will be designed by the school’s art students. Farmers is making a donation to the school’s art program. Through ThankAmericasTeachers.com, Farmers has been committed to recognizing teachers and providing resources for educational initiatives throughout the country. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/FarmersRacing.
INTERMEDIATE STATS: Kahne has collected 10 of his 17 career Cup wins and 15 of his 26 pole positions at tracks one-to-two miles in length. In 193 starts on those tracks, he has posted 44 top-five finishes and 75 top-10s.
PHOENIX CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew chief Keith Rodden has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-896 for Sunday’s race at Phoenix. In 2014, Kahne raced the chassis at Chicagoland Speedway in September, where he finished 13th. He also drove it at Phoenix in November, where he finished 21st.
No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS / Jeff Gordon
Driver Jeff Gordon Hometown Pittsboro, Indiana
Age 43 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2015 Season
30th in standings
3 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
87 laps led
Career
764 starts
92 wins
79 pole positions
320 top-five finishes
454 top-10 finishes
24,751 laps led
Phoenix Career
32 starts
2 wins
3 pole positions
12 top-five finishes
22 top-10 finishes
442 laps led
TYING THE ‘INTIMIDATOR’: Jeff Gordon’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory at Phoenix International Raceway occurred on April 21, 2007, and was his 76th career win in NASCAR’s premier division. That win tied him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt for sixth on NASCAR’s all-time wins list. A week later, Gordon would move into sole possession of sixth with his win at Talladega Superspeedway.
GORDON TEARS UP DESERT TRACK: The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion’s second win at the one-mile Arizona track occurred on Feb. 22, 2011, in only his second start partnered with crew chief Alan Gustafson. After the event, Gordon ceremoniously dug up the start/finish line in advance of a track repave/reconfiguration project.
PHOENIX CHASSIS: Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-912 for this Sunday’s 312-lap race. The chassis has been raced once with Gordon piloting it to a second-place finish at Phoenix in November of last year.
DRIVE TO END HUNGER AT PHOENIX: Gordon will drive the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS in this Sunday’s race, and AARP’s “Real Possibilities” will again be featured on the car. AARP and its Foundation are helping to combat hunger by coordinating with local agencies and food banks and sponsoring innovative teaching programs and more. Thanks to these efforts, they have already donated more than 29 million meals. To learn more about Drive to End Hunger, please visit aarp.org/possibilities. If you don’t think “Feeding the Hungry” when you think AARP, then you don’t know “aarp.”
No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 39 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2015 Season
7th in standings
3 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
2 top-10 finishes
176 laps led
Career
474 starts
71 wins
33 pole positions
195 top-five finishes
294 top-10 finishes
17,327 laps led
Phoenix Career
23 starts
4 wins
2 pole positions
14 top-five finishes
18 top-10 finishes
933 laps led
SERIES LEADER: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, leads the Sprint Cup Series with the best average finish at Phoenix International Raceway among active drivers with 7.7. He also has the series-highest driver rating with 114.
PHOENIX CARS: For this weekend’s event, crew chief Chad Knaus has selected chassis No. 48-906, which last saw action at Phoenix last November. The backup car is No. 48-749, which Johnson raced last March in Martinsville.
HELMET OF HOPE NOMINATIONS: In its eighth year, the Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope program gives fans and consumers across the country the opportunity to nominate their favorite charity to be featured on Johnson’s helmet for the June 7 race at Pocono Raceway. In addition to being featured on the helmet, each charity selected also receives a grant of $25,000 and an ice cream party. To date, the program has contributed more than $685,000 to 76 different charities. Round-one voting for the Helmet of Hope is open until April 1. Visit www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org to nominate a charity that supports K-12 public education in the United States. A total of five charities will be selected.
TEAM JJF WELLNESS CHALLENGE: Registration is open for the 2015 Jimmie Johnson Foundation Wellness Challenge. Register now for early-bird pricing and register for all three events and get a reduced rate. The first event is April 26, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation 5K in Huntersville, North Carolina. Log on to www.jjfwellnesschallenge.org for more details.
PHOENIX JIMMIE JOHNSON TICKET PACKAGE: The six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion cares about making it affordable for families to attend races. Johnson has partnered with Phoenix International Raceway for a family ticket package. As a part of this package, children will have the opportunity to attend a Q&A with Johnson as well as receive a Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic, which provides the supplies for children to build their very own mini race car while at the appearance. Packages can be purchased online at www.phoenixraceway.com or by calling 866-408-RACE (7223).
CALIFORNIA TICKET PACKAGE: The Jimmie Johnson Foundation has also partnered with the track in Fontana, California, for a ticket package experience. The package includes grandstand seating, pre-race pit passes, a Q&A with Johnson race morning and a scanner rental. There is also a $20 donation to the Jimmie Johnson Foundation for each package purchase. To purchase, go to www.autoclubspeedway.com or call 1-888-944- RACE. Offer expires March 12.
No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS / Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hometown Kannapolis, North Carolina
Age 40 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2015 Season
2nd in standings
3 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
3 top-10 finishes
37 laps led
Career
544 starts
23 wins
13 pole positions
130 top-five finishes
227 top-10 finishes
7,884 laps led
Phoenix Career
25 starts
2 wins
0 pole positions
7 top-five finishes
12 top-10 finishes
513 laps led
STRONG START: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, advanced two positions in the points standings after finishing fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend. He currently ranks second in the points standings after three races in the 2015 season. Earnhardt has led at least one lap in each of his three starts this season, a first in his career.
NATIONWIDE88: Fans can follow @Nationwide88 on Twitter for behind-the-scenes coverage of the No. 88 Nationwide team.
PHOENIX WINS: Earnhardt scored his two wins at Phoenix back-to-back, going to Victory Lane in November 2003 and November 2004 when Phoenix hosted one Cup event per season.
PHOENIX STATS: Among drivers all-time, Earnhardt’s two wins are tied for third at Phoenix. Among active drivers, Earnhardt ranks tied for fifth in the laps led category with 513 laps, and he is tied for seventh with seven top-five finishes. He ranks tied for fifth with 12 top-10s at the one-mile desert oval.
CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Greg Ives and the No. 88 crew will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-905 at Phoenix International Raceway. Earnhardt most recently raced this chassis to an eighth-place finish at Phoenix in November.
INTERMEDIATE TRACK STATS: In 264 Cup starts on intermediate (one- to two-mile) tracks, Earnhardt has recorded six wins, eight pole positions, 55 top-five finishes and 111 top-10s. On one-mile tracks, such as Phoenix, he ranks ninth among active drivers in the laps led category (961 laps) and tied for sixth with three wins.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT PHOENIX: In 37 races at Phoenix, Hendrick Motorsports has nine wins, 41 top-five finishes and 69 top-10s. Those nine wins are spread among five drivers, with Johnson accounting for four. Gordon recorded the organization’s most recent Phoenix victory in February 2011, prior to the repave of the one-mile oval. The organization took home two second-place finishes in the 2014 events at the track thanks to Earnhardt and Gordon, respectively.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 232 victories, 202 pole positions, 947 top-five finishes and 1,568 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 64,141 laps since 1984.
NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED: In time for the new NASCAR season, Hendrick Motorsports has re-launched its official website. HendrickMotorsports.com, which has presenting sponsorship from Bank of America, includes fresh team pages, an updated schedule area, responsive design and a completely revamped content platform. The organization has invested heavily in its digital programs in recent years. In 2013, the team opened a new studio to bolster its in-house video production capabilities and launched the Digital Dashboard social media command center. It also has added dedicated personnel and forged partnerships that support digital efforts with state-of-the-art equipment and advanced analytics.
QUOTABLE /
“Phoenix is going to be a unique challenge with the new rules package. With less engine braking and downforce, we might see more brake wear than we are used to since the repave. The track is still very fast and has a lot of grip so making sure we can keep the momentum up in the center of the corner is going to be key to a fast lap time.”
No. 5 team crew chief Keith Rodden on Phoenix
“We had a good run there last November and I’m looking forward to this weekend’s race. While we haven’t had the finishes we were hoping for so far in 2015, the No. 24 team has given me fast race cars each weekend. Hopefully, we’ll have another fast Chevy SS this weekend – and a great result to go with it.”
Jeff Gordon on racing at Phoenix and the start to the season
TRENDING /
Honored to meet the Camarena family at the #Kobalt400 this morning. I hope they enjoy their new home. @Habitat_org
@JimmieJohnson via Twitter
3/8/15, 11:20 p.m.
