Phoenix Raceway
Sunday, March 14, 2021
1-Mile Oval
3:30 PM EST
Location: Avondale, Arizona
TV: Fox logo
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (5 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM logo PRN logo

5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 28 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 3rd

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

VEGAS VICTORY: Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, led 103 laps en route to victory in Sunday’s 400-mile race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It marked Larson’s seventh career NASCAR Cup Series win and first as a Hendrick Motorsports driver. Visiting victory lane in only his fourth race for the 13-time Cup Series championship organization, Larson won in fewer starts than any previous driver for car owner Rick Hendrick.

BRIDESMAID NO MORE: Prior to Sunday’s victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Larson had scored nine runner-up finishes – the most all-time without a Cup Series victory – in 71 career starts on 1.5-mile tracks. The win in his 72nd attempt moved him up to third in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings – 40 markers behind leader Denny Hamlin – and all but secured him a spot in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

RANKING UP: In four starts in 2021, Larson is tied for most wins (one), most top-10 finishes (three) and has run the most laps inside the top 10 (676) – 87 more than any other competitor. He is one of only three drivers to complete all 804 laps this season – Hamlin and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott being the other two to do so. Larson’s 109 laps led trail only Hamlin (150) and teammate William Byron (127).

DESERT HEAT: Although he has not won at Phoenix Raceway in 13 Cup Series starts, Larson has scored six top-six finishes there – all in his last eight starts at the 1-mile oval. His best finish of second occurred in this race in 2017.

NICE TRIBUTE: The No. 5 HendrickCars.com paint scheme Larson drove to victory last weekend and will drive again Sunday is based on the design Ricky Hendrick, the late son of owner Rick Hendrick, drove to a win in Kansas Speedway’s inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event in 2001. The following season, the paint scheme appeared on the No. 5 Chevrolet driven by the younger Hendrick in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

CLIFF’S NOTES: Sunday’s victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway marked Cliff Daniels’ first as a Cup Series crew chief. The Smithfield, Virginia, native was atop the pit box for seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson during 2020 and a portion of the 2019 season. In Johnson’s final Cup Series start, Daniels guided him to a fifth-place finish at Phoenix Raceway in November 2020.

YOUR CAR NEEDS: This weekend, Larson will again drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. From the convenience of home, customers can select the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HendrickCars.com. The website also makes it easy for customers to find one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 93 dealership locations nationwide.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 25 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 4th

No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

FAMILIAR TERRITORY: During his most recent trip to Phoenix Raceway in November 2020, Chase Elliott led a race-high 153 laps and outdueled three of the best drivers in stock-car racing to become the third-youngest champion in NASCAR Cup Series history.

LEAD STREAK: Having led laps in the last six NASCAR Cup Series events, Elliott is tied with Joey Logano for the longest active streak. In the six-race span that dates to last season, the 25-year-old driver has led the most total laps (440) out of all Cup Series drivers.

PHOENIX 2020: Last season, Elliott was one of only four drivers to garner top-10 results in both Cup Series events at Phoenix Raceway. In March 2020, the driver of the No. 9 Chevy started from the pole position, led 93 total laps and ultimately finished seventh. Elliott applied what he learned from the spring for the November race, where he had a dominating performance to close out the 2020 season with a championship-securing victory.

PHX STATS: This Sunday, Elliott will make his 11th Phoenix start in the NASCAR Cup Series. In his previous 10 races at the 1-mile oval, the driver of the No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE has led a total of 402 laps – his second-most laps led at any track. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native has collected one victory, three top-five finishes, six top-10s and two stage wins at the Avondale, Arizona, venue.

GUSTAFSON’S FOUR AT PHOENIX: On Sunday, Alan Gustafson will call his 33rd Phoenix race as a Cup Series crew chief. In his previous 32 starts there, he has collected four wins, 10 top-five results, 21 top-10s and 833 laps led. Gustafson’s four wins are tied with Chad Knaus for the second-most by a crew chief at Phoenix and came via four different drivers: Kyle Busch in 2005, Mark Martin in 2009, Jeff Gordon in 2011 and Elliott in 2020. In an interesting twist, Gustafson worked with the oldest winner ever at Phoenix Raceway (Martin at 50 years, 3 months and 9 days) and the track’s youngest winner ever (Busch at 20 years, 6 months and 11 days).

UNIFIRST RETURNS: This weekend, UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF), a North American leader in providing customized work uniform programs, corporate attire and facility service products, will serve as the primary sponsor on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. It will be the first of three races (Phoenix, Kansas and Daytona) that UniFirst will be the primary partner and have its newly revamped green corporate logo adorning the No. 9 Chevrolet. In 2016, Unifirst and Hendrick Motorsports announced an eight-year partnership. UniFirst will continue to serve as the Official Workwear Provider of Hendrick Motorsports, supplying work clothing and uniforms to the team and sister company Hendrick Automotive Group, the largest privately held retail automotive organization in the United States.

COMING HOME: No. 9 team fueler John Gianninoto, who grew up in Tucson, Arizona, will compete in front of his home-track crowd at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday. Gianninoto graduated with honors from Catalina Foothills High School and went on to play as an offensive lineman for UNLV in 2006 – earning his first letter in 2007 and becoming a team captain in 2010. In 2012, he participated in the NFL’s Carolina Panthers training camp before signing with Hendrick Motorsports that September. Gianninoto set a Guinness World Record in 2018, teaming with Sunoco for the most vehicles refueled by an individual in one hour (148).

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 23 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 11th

No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

FRONT RUNNER: Four races into his fourth NASCAR Cup Series season, William Byron is off to his best start of his career. So far, the 23-year-old driver has spent 514 laps running inside the top 10 – the fourth-highest amount in the Cup field. Of those 514 laps, 317 were inside the top-five running order, which is the fifth-most by a driver at NASCAR’s highest level this season. Currently, Byron has led laps in two consecutive races and ranks second for most laps led by a driver this year with 127. Only Denny Hamlin has led more laps (150).

PERFECT TENS: Byron currently holds three career top-10 finishes at Phoenix Raceway. A fourth top-10 this weekend would tie Phoenix with Pocono Raceway as tracks where he has the most top-10s. Byron was one of four drivers to finish inside the top 10 in both races at the Avondale, Arizona, venue in 2020.

VENTURING TO THE VALLEY OF THE SUN: Heading to a track where he has found success at every level of NASCAR competition, Byron will return to Phoenix Raceway for the seventh time in his Cup career. Across his six Cup Series starts at the 1-mile oval, Byron earned a personal-best finish of ninth twice (fall of 2018 and 2020). The driver of the No. 24 also has two NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances at Phoenix on his résumé, both coming in 2017. He started on the front row and finished in the top four in both races, including a win that November. With the victory, he became the youngest Xfinity Series winner ever at Phoenix at 19 years, 11 months and 13 days.

DYNAMIC DUO OUT WEST: In 2016, Byron was behind the wheel for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Phoenix with crew chief Rudy Fugle atop the pit box. The duo won the pole and went on to lead 112 laps at the 1-mile track. Unfortunately, an engine failure while Byron was leading with 10 laps to go ended his race early and dashed his chances to advance into the Championship Four at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where they rebounded with a win.

RUDY’S PHOENIX PERFORMANCE: Although he’s heading there for the first time in his Cup Series career, Fugle has eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts under his belt at Phoenix. In those eight races, the No. 24 crew chief has four pole awards and his drivers have led a total of 471 laps. While Fugle has only one win at Phoenix (Erik Jones in 2013), he’s earned two runner-up results, three top-five finishes and six top-10s. In fact, his drivers have only finished worse than ninth two times, including 2017 when Byron dominated before an engine failure.

LAS VEGAS LOOKBACK: Rolling off second at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Byron took the lead early on and maintained that position until Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott took over just before the competition caution. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native continued to run up front during the duration of the 267-lap event. Dealing with a tire vibration in the final 20 laps, Byron held on to secure an eighth-place finish – his second consecutive top-10 result.

ALL ABOUT AXALTA: For the final stop of the West Coast swing, Byron will pilot the newly redesigned No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Sunday’s Cup Series race at Phoenix. Now in its 29th year of partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta will return as primary partner on Byron’s No. 24 for 14 races in 2021. For a better look at Byron’s new No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, click here.

HOMETOWN HYPE: Phoenix Raceway holds a special meaning for one member of the No. 24 team. Michael “Too Tall” Madill, the rear suspension mechanic for the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, hails from Glendale, Arizona, approximately 30 minutes from the track. At the age of 16, he made the move to North Carolina to pursue his career in NASCAR. Now 31, Madill is embarking on his 12th season in the sport and his third with the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team.

48 Alex Bowman
Age: 27 (April 15, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 18th

No. 48 Ally/Best Friends Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

WELCOME HOME:Alex Bowman heads to his home state to take on Phoenix Raceway forthe 12th time in his NASCAR Cup Series career. The Tucson, Arizona, native has one top-10 finish at the 1-mile facility, which came in 2016 after he started from the pole position, led a race-high 194 laps and spent 272 laps inside the top two for an average running position of 1.9. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has six NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 1-mile oval with a best finish of eighth (2017) and one NASCAR K&N Pro Series West start in 2011 when he led 23 laps en route to a second-place result.

SAVE THEM ALL: For this weekend’s event at Phoenix Raceway, the No. 48 Chevrolet’s full-time primary sponsor, Ally, has teamed up with the Best Friends Animal Society to help #SaveThemAll and end kill shelters by the end of 2025. Ally will donate a total of $33,000 to shelters affiliated with Best Friends throughout the 2021 season. The donations will be made up of $1,000 gifts to shelters in each NASCAR Cup Series race market from now until the last event of the year. Bowman, a noted dog lover, will match Ally’s commitment by personally donating $1,000 to a shelter in each market. In addition, for each No. 48 team win this season, Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 to the local shelter designated for that race. Check out the Ally/Best Friends paint scheme here.

NEW LID: In addition to the special No. 48 Ally/Best Friends paint scheme, Bowman will be rocking a new helmet this weekend. The eggplant and orange design carries the Ally and Best Friends Animal Society logos along with a few tiny paw prints across the lid. At the conclusion of Sunday’s event, Bowman will sign the visor of the race-worn helmet, and it will be auctioned off to benefit Best Friends Animal Society later this year.

IVES IN PHOENIX: For the 13th time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, Greg Ives will call the shots at Phoenix Raceway this weekend. The Bark River, Michigan, native claimed the victory in the 2015 fall event at the track with Dale Earnhardt Jr. after leading 22 laps. In 2016, Ives guided Bowman to a pole win, 194 laps led and a sixth-place finish. Ives has four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the venue as a crew chief with a best finish of fourth in 2013 with driver Regan Smith. From 2006-2012, he was part of four wins, one pole award and 11 top-five finishes at Phoenix Raceway as a race engineer for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team.

DOG DAYS: Be on the lookout for a fun feature during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series pre-race show on FOX with Bowman and analyst Jamie Little. The duo visited Weddington Bark Park in Concord, North Carolina, this week to talk about their love for animals and passion for rescuing pets across the country. In addition to talking about the Best Friends Animal Society’s mission for animals, Bowman and Little got to play with some local dogs from the Humane Society of Charlotte. Pre-race coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

VEGAS SILVER LINING: Although it wasn’t reflected in the finishing order, the No. 48 Ally team had a strong showing last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Bowman spent the majority of the 267-lap event running inside the top 10 and secured valuable points in each stage of the event. He was poised to bring home a top-10 finish before a flat left-rear tire late in the race saddled the team with a 27th-place finish.

TWENTY IN ’21: On Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson became the 20th driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series points race for Hendrick Motorsports and the seventh to win in the organization’s flagship No. 5 Chevrolet. Larson’s victory came in just his fourth start for car owner Rick Hendrick, breaking the team record of seven set by Terry Labonte in 1994.

ON A TEAR: In the last six NASCAR Cup Series points races dating back to last season, Hendrick Motorsports has four wins (Martinsville, Phoenix, Homestead and Las Vegas) and one second-place finish (the DAYTONA 500). The team has led the most laps in five of the six events: Martinsville, Phoenix, the DAYTONA Road Course, Homestead and Las Vegas.

RACING ARIZONA: At Phoenix Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports holds the track records for NASCAR Cup Series wins (11), runner-up finishes (nine), top-fives (49), top-10s (89) and laps led (2,903). The team has won 10 of the last 32 Phoenix races, which is four more than anyone else.

PHOENIX SONS: Seven different Hendrick Motorsports drivers have posted at least one NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix: Jimmie Johnson (four), Jeff Gordon (two), Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Labonte and Chase Elliott. An eighth driver to visit victory lane at Phoenix would tie the record for different winners by a team at a single racetrack, which is held by Hendrick Motorsports at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: With an average age of 26, Hendrick Motorsports fields the youngest multi-car team in the NASCAR Cup Series and its youngest four-driver lineup since 2005. With victories this season at Homestead and Las Vegas, the organization’s drivers – Alex Bowman, William Byron, Elliott and Larson – have won 22 combined points races and secured 16 playoff berths, including two already in 2021.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on strategy now that he has a win: “We put an emphasis on winning and approach every race wanting to win, so I don’t think our strategy will change, but I haven’t talked to Cliff (Daniels) about it yet. We can definitely be more aggressive during the stages to possibly get more playoff points.”

Larson on early season success: “Part of me is surprised, but part of me is not. I thought it might take a little bit of time for us to gel as a team. But we had all the tools to run well and battle for wins, and we were able to win at Las Vegas. But that was last Sunday and our focus is now on Phoenix and what we can do to run well and hopefully win there.”

Larson on racing at Phoenix: “It’s a fun racetrack where each corner is different. I like tracks like that. We’ve had a lot of speed this year and (teammate) Chase (Elliott) won there last year, so I’m hoping we’ll be fast again this weekend.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on using last week’s win as motivation: “What we’ve been through the last few years, I had the feeling that once we did get a win it would help reaffirm the focus of our team. We’ve done a nice job of maintaining focus to go compete at a high level every week. The win reaffirms what we have been doing all along works and we don’t plan changing much. We have good notes from Jimmie and we also have a lot of good notes from Chase and the 9 team – not only from their win in the fall but they have been really good there the past few races. Our company as a whole has been good there. We have been studying up on Kyle and his trends at Phoenix the best we can and are looking forward to this weekend’s race.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on returning to Phoenix: “I am definitely looking forward to getting back to Phoenix this weekend. Our last trip there was something I will never forget. Obviously it’s a new season, eyes forward for now and just thinking about what we need to do to be fast and have our car where it needs to be. I also hope we can learn a lot while we are there because you want to be prepared if you are in the Championship 4 at the end of the season.”

Elliott on UniFirst’s 2021 debut: “I’m looking forward to having the green and white UniFirst colors back on the car this weekend at Phoenix and I hope we can have a good run for them. The new scheme looks great and I really like the colors. They are so different from any scheme I’ve had before. It was pretty cool to get them their first win last year at the All-Star Race and we’re going to work hard to get them back in victory lane soon.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the challenge that Phoenix brings: “The restarts are crazy at Phoenix. You really fan out and have to find different lanes to run going into turn one. You can run the apron and down on the flat, which isn’t really common for us at a lot of places. I enjoy it and the other challenges Phoenix brings. It is a difficult track to pass on because cars are so close to each other on speed. It’s about track position and having a car that you can drive up underneath guys to make a pass. Usually, there’s a lot of green-flag runs, too. It’s a tough short track overall.”

Byron on if any notes from this race translate to the fall Phoenix race: “I think you get good notes going to racetracks twice even if the conditions won’t be exactly the same when you come back. The biggest thing is we go back to Phoenix for the championship race, so it’s really that much more of an important race in that aspect. You know that whoever makes the final four will show up with a fast car, and I think that comes from the notes they have. You just need to go into this race and learn characteristics about the track. Hopefully, you have good speed and a good run to really capitalize on the situation.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the importance of this Phoenix race: “Phoenix is a track that has always just clicked for me. I enjoy the challenges the track brings but I also enjoy the stress that usually comes with it being the final race of the season and you’re hopefully in the hunt for a championship when you’re there. Now in the Cup Series, we go to Phoenix twice but it makes this first race even more crucial. Like last week’s race at Vegas, this is another track in the playoffs, so you really want to have a solid race the first time around to have a good notebook for when you come back in the fall with a championship on the line.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on representing Best Friends Animal Society: “Running this special scheme with Ally and the Best Friends Animal Society this weekend is really special. What Best Friends is doing for shelter animals across the country is amazing, and I am pumped we are able to represent them on track. Ally has really tapped into things that are special to me, and it’s no surprise that my dogs are a huge part of my life. Hopefully, we can park this Ally Chevrolet in victory lane at the end of the day Sunday and donate $10,000 to the Halo Animal Rescue in Avondale, Arizona.”

Bowman on returning to his home track of Phoenix Raceway: “Going back to my home track is always special. We have a pretty strong notebook for Phoenix Raceway, and I think that we are always improving every program we have here at Hendrick Motorsports. This Ally team has worked hard all off-season on our programs, especially for Phoenix. This race from 2016 will always be the one that got away from us and we need some redemption from that. Short-track racing is always fun and I’m ready to see how we unload on Sunday for the race.”

Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the importance of doing well at Phoenix: “You always get up for every race, but this being Alex’s home track is special. His first time there when we were together, he ran really strong. We haven’t necessarily been able to duplicate that performance for one reason or another, but he wants to win there like no other place and try to find some redemption for that one that got away.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ford Zoom Media Availability | Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series, is coming off his first top-five finish of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Team Penske driver was this week’s Ford Zoom guest and spoke about not only last week’s run, but what lies ahead on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang — DO YOU THINK THE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE SHOULD MOVE AROUND AND IS IT BETTER TO HAVE A RACE THERE EARLIER IN THE OR LIKE AT HOMESTEAD, WHERE IT WAS JUST ONCE? “I’ve always said I think it should move around each year. I think you give other tracks and areas different opportunities to showcase a championship race. I think it’s good for the tracks, it’s good for the community, it’s good for the variation of you never know what you’re gonna get each year. You know what you’re gonna get, but it’s at a different place. If you look at every other sport and that’s what they do. You don’t have the Super Bowl in the same place every year, you move it around. I know we’re kind of limited. At that time of the year you can’t really have it east or north. You’re kind of limited to some of the tracks you can go to, but I’d like to see it move around. It’s cool that you go to Phoenix. As far as the championship race the only time you run at that racetrack a year, I don’t really have a preference on that. It’s nice to kind of build a little notebook. I really don’t think it’s a bad thing to go to a racetrack like Phoenix now. We race Phoenix this weekend and then we go back there for the championship race, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. You kind of get a little bit of an idea what you need and it really gives you something to work on if you do make it to the Championship 4. I tell you right now, every single team is really focused on Phoenix this weekend, just because if you do happen to make it to the Championship 4 you need a pretty good notebook going back there, so to answer your question I think it’s pretty neat you go to the championship track early in the year so you can kind of focus on it, but I’d like to see it move around to some different racetracks. I think it would be cool for the community and it would definitely help the track out too, for sure.”

DO YOU THINK PEOPLE FOCUS MORE ON PHOENIX BECAUSE IT’S THE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE AS OPPOSED TO LAST WEEK AT LAS VEGAS, WHERE IT’S JUST A PLAYOFF RACE? “I think teams focus on every track to the fullest of their abilities because you want to win. You want to win every single weekend. When you’re going to a track early in the year, just like Vegas, where we’re going to return to and it is in the playoffs, yeah, you definitely build your notebook up. You take notes after every single race and teams and drivers build off of that previous race. That’s how you adjust for the next one. It don’t matter if it’s a championship race or the playoffs if it’s the doubleheader at Pocono, you really focus on the previous race to build off the next one, so I don’t think there’s more emphasis on really paying attention to this race. I think it’s just like everyone else, you’re always focused and paying attention just to build your notebook up, but everyone knows going into this race that if we’re in the Championship 4 this year we really have to pay attention. So, I don’t think anymore than another race or racetrack, but you definitely have that in the back of your head.”

HOW DO YOU LOOK AT PHOENIX AFTER A GOOD RUN AT VEGAS? “It was really nice to get a good run at Vegas. It was our first good run of the year. We’ve struggled getting going this year, but just unfortunate things happened. It was nice just to have a solid run. I didn’t think we had a car that could contend for the win. The 5 was pretty spectacular, but it was nice to have a strong car that could run in the top five most of the day. I’m looking forward to Phoenix. We were really good there in the November race last year, not being in the Championship 4. We were in fifth or sixth all day long and ended up running sixth, I think. I’m looking forward to that one. Our short track program, we’ve put a lot of emphasis on that as a whole group for Team Penske, so I’m looking forward to that. This is the first, I’m gonna call Phoenix as short track, it’s our first short track of the year, so a lot of teams are gonna look at where you stack up. Every team looked at Homestead and Vegas as a mile-and-a-half to see where you stack up there to other teams and people are really gonna be focused on this one too, to see where your short track program is at right now, so I’m looking forward to it. It’s always been a good track for us and hopefully we can build on our solid run there in the fall last year.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ATLANTA IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS? HOW QUICKLY DO TIRES GET CHEWED UP THERE? “Atlanta is up there with the roughest track we go to as far as how abrasive the pavement is. It’s old and worn out, and the bumps. It’s really bumpy there. You have a big tunnel bump in the middle of one and two, and then all through three and four it’s like a wavy set of bumps. It’s nothing really rigid, but it’s just wavy all the way through there and your car is all unsettled. You ever been driving down the highway or an old road and you’re like, ‘Man, they need to repave this road. This is getting really old. It’s cracked. It’s worn out.’ That’s pretty much what Atlanta is and we’re going 190 miles an hour around there. I’m not saying they need to repave it by any means. They don’t need to repave it. That’s like the biggest comparison I can do. If you ever find yourself on a back road, that’s what it is. We’re just going really fast around it, but I’d say Atlanta and Homestead are pretty similar as far as tire fall off. Atlanta actually might have a little bit more fall off, but it’s rougher than Homestead, so I’ve always enjoyed Atlanta. It’s a really great track, always get good fans out there that do a good job of promoting that race. I’m excited to go back there. I like old, slick, worn out racetracks where you’ve really got to search around, but tires definitely fall off very rapidly and you have to be aware of that. You can’t just go really hard every lap. You have to be conscious of having to save some stuff or I might be really paying the price here in 15 laps, people will be driving on by you on both sides, so you want to get all you can on restarts, but get all you can and then you’re like, ‘All right, I’ve got to go into a little bit of conservation mode and not abuse my stuff,’ because it’s a long 500-mile race that you have to be really aggressive, but be mindful of that. If you’re too aggressive, you’re really gonna pay the price for it late in a run.”

WHY DIDN’T WE SEE THE LEADERS PULL AWAY FROM THE FIELD ON SUNDAY? “I think you see it at all the high downforce stuff nowadays. When you have a track that’s not as abrasive as others, let’s say Homestead, you could see the leader break away just because the track is worn out, you’re lifting more. Vegas, you could run wide-open around there for a while. I know when Brad was leading and I was second there, I think it was in the second stage, he was wide-open around the bottom and I’m wide-open running the second lane and the draft is so big that the little bit you lose in the corner with dirty air you just gain right back down the straightaways, so Vegas it was cool enough to where it wasn’t a huge grip penalty until you go 20 laps into a run, and then you kind of starting to lift a little bit. That’s why the leader couldn’t get away from anybody. Everyone is running wide-open and the draft is so big and you see that at some of these other — Kansas is another good one that I can think of, Michigan is obviously a little bit bigger, but Atlanta was just enough grip that day where it wasn’t too hot and a lot of people are running a lot of throttle to where it could handle pretty good in the corners and then the draft will make up what you lose in the corners until you have to start lifting when your tires get old. That was wild racing at Vegas. That’s what this high downforce package does. It’s fun to watch, that’s for sure. It can be frustrating at times if you’re running around there wide-open and not really going anywhere, but it’s just what it is. It’s exciting for people to watch and we try to put on a good show like we did at Vegas and I’m happy that people enjoyed that.”

iRACING RELEASED THE BRISTOL DIRT TRACK YESTERDAY. WILL YOU RELY ON THAT FOR PREPARING FOR THE REAL RACE LATER THIS MONTH? “I actually don’t iRace at all. I don’t have a rig at my house. Last year when we did those iRaces I had to go to my spotter’s house, Josh Williams is a big iRacer, and that’s what I used, but I don’t iRace. It’s a great program. It’s a great thing that gives a lot of people a chance to experience a lot of different cars and racetracks around the world, but I haven’t done much of that at all, except for when I have to do it — for a multiple of reasons. I think it can teach you some bad habits, but it’s a good time and it’s probably good to get some track time for some people. Mostly, I just do Ford sim stuff and we have practice there, which will be good and kind of relying back to the truck dirt race I did at Eldora a couple times. I’ll kind of think back on that a little bit and rewatch that race, but Bristol will be totally different — bigger, high-banked track, and the Cup car is gonna drive a little bit different than the truck, so that’s the biggest thing. But it’s nice we have practice and it’s nice to have a dad that I can maybe talk to about what he thinks. His sprint cars are way different than what we’re gonna be driving, but just as far as looking at the dirt track, if it’s slicking off, if there’s a little bit of moisture everywhere, that’s just kind of heads-up. You can expect all you want to, but until you get there and you see what the track is like and how much water they’ve put down on it, if it’s rubbering up, if it’s really slick — that’s just game time stuff. That’s what makes those dirt guys so great at what they do is they have to notice that every single lap and it changes every lap and they have great ability to really switch up what they’re doing. Dirt, sim and kind of going into it with high hopes and seeing what the track has in it.”

THIS IS THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY WHEN NASCAR SHUT THINGS DOWN. CAN YOU LOOK BACK TO THAT WEEK AND WHEN YOU FOUND OUT? “Gosh, it doesn’t feel like a year ago. I was actually in Georgia. I was at Chase Elliott’s house and we were gonna ride over to the speedway together that day, and we were about to head out the door and I got some messages saying, ‘Hold up. Hold tight.’ And we were reading things of NBA shutting down and things like that, so we didn’t really know what was gonna happen, so we were about to head out the door and they said it got cancelled. And then you don’t know what to expect. I mean, OK, the Atlanta race is cancelled, but surely not the next week. We’re gonna figure it out, but then everything go shut down, so, yeah, it was a difficult thing for everybody on the teams and things like that, but in the bigger picture it was very difficult for people around the world — any job. It changes everyone’s lives, so it definitely doesn’t feel like a year. Hopefully, we’re making progress on this thing of getting the world healthy again, but it’s changed the way that our sport has operated. It’s changed the way everything has operated from sports to businesses and things like that, and I”m looking forward to the day we can all get healthy again and put this all behind us and get back to normal life. I think everyone is, but it doesn’t feel like a year and it’s changed the way we’ve done it, but, like everyone around the world we’ve made the best out of it and I think NASCAR and the teams have done a good job, and the tracks of making the most of the situation that we’re in.”

HOW HAS THE PJ1 COMPOUND CHANGED THE RACING AT PHOENIX? “They started doing that two years ago. In ‘19 I think they first put it down. I may be wrong, but I think that’s it, and I thought it helped it. I thought the racing at Phoenix, it got repaved in 2012 I think, 2011 or 2012, and it’s just one of those things where fairly new repaved racetracks it takes a while for the asphalt to get to where it need to be, to where the main groove, which is the bottom there, to get worn out enough to where people will start searching around, and I think they did a good job with the PJ1 of putting it where it needed to be. We worked on it for a couple races of, ‘OK, maybe it needs to be a little lower here. It needs to start here and here,’ to try to make the lanes even, but it just gives you options. That’s what you need. When you have a track that is limited on options, whether it’s the shape, the asphalt on it, the VHT stuff is good because it gives you those options if you do it right. I think they’ve been doing a good job of getting it right and getting it better throughout the years, for sure. But I think it’s helped the racing. It gives you multiple lanes to run in and that’s what people want to see, and not only the fans, but the drivers. The drivers don’t want single-file around the bottom either. That’s not fun for anybody, so I think they did a good job of opening that up and putting it down where it needs to be and I think it’s in a good spot.”

YOU’VE HAD SUCCESS AND GONE THROUGH A CREW CHIEF CHANGE DURING THIS TIME. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR TEAM AND THE SUCCESS YOU’VE HAD? “I’m really proud. Obviously, you want to be doing better and better, but I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to do — the whole team. Really, all of Team Penske with everyone getting new crew chiefs and teams and the 2 and 22 made the Championship 4 last year and I thought we had a good year last year, we just didn’t quite put it all together, which limited us. But the first four weeks last year I thought were awesome. We showed great speed. When Todd and I were able to work together through practice, and then everything shut down I thought we did the best we could of still communicating and unload with no practice and trying to make the most of it, so it’s just nice to build off of last year, coming back with the same people on your team I think really helps figuring out what you need to do to be better. The benefits of the offseason you can sit down with me and Todd and say, ‘OK, what did we do well and keep doing and improve on and what do we really need to improve on and put an emphasis on?’ And we’ve been trying to apply those things this year and I think we finally made a step in the right direction last week and hopefully we can keep carrying this momentum. It’s been a blast to work with Todd Gordon. He’s a very smart guy, a great crew chief, a championship crew chief with Joey and I hope to try and replicate that success with him.”

HOW MUCH DOES PHOENIX CHANGE FROM ONE RACE TO THE OTHER? “It’s all weather dependent. It’s all temperature driven. I feel like this time of year in Phoenix and then in the fall it’s almost the same temperature. We’re getting there early enough in the year to where it’s still fairly cool and I feel like in the fall it’s the same way, so it would be different if we went to Phoenix in August and then we went back there for the championship race. It would be a completely different racetrack, but it being the same temperature, I think it pretty much puts on the same show and then having multiple races there and the XFINITY guys running this weekend, and then we run after them, and having one or two more races before ours in November, I think, rubbers the track in a little bit more, so the only difference would be maybe we get to that VHT a little bit quicker in Sunday’s race in the fall than we would this weekend just because the bottom is more rubbered in, but I base tracks on temperature and I feel like it’s gonna be pretty similar between the two races.”

HOW DOES THIS WEEK CHANGE YOUR TEAM’S PERSPECTIVE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR WITH HOW YOU PERFORM? “Like I said, I feel like this is really your first short track race. It is. I mean, the only other low downforce race we had this year was the Daytona road course and that’s obviously different, so we’ll really get a good feel on where your teams stack up. Every team in the offseason they try to improve from last year with the low downforce, high downforce speedway road course package, no matter what it is you’re working on your stuff and the thing is you don’t know where you’re gonna stack up. That’s kind of the beauty of racing, you don’t know where you’re gonna stack up until you unload on the certain weekend and now it’s just how you start the race off, so you put a big emphasis not only on this one for the championship race, but it’s for where you stack up on all the short tracks that are coming up, so that’s a big thing to know where you think you’ll be and if you’ve got some work to do. If you’re behind the eight-ball here, you’re leaving Phoenix with a lot of work to do before Martinsville would be the next race with this. It’s where you stack up, just like the mile-and-a-halves we just had. You see where you’re at, if you need to put some work in. We all thought at Homestead our mile-and-a-half cars weren’t great and we put a lot of work in before Vegas changing some stuff up and it showed, so I apply that to both packages and definitely do that here this weekend for Phoenix going forward.”

DOES DOING SHOWS LIKE THE CREW WHET YOUR APPETITE TO DO MORE OF THAT IN THE FUTURE? “If you’re talking about quitting racing and going acting, no. I know what you mean, but, that stuff is fun to me. I enjoy doing it, the small stuff. I’ve always said as long as it doesn’t take away from racing that stuff I don’t mind doing. I don’t do a lot of it, maybe one a year, but it’s not gonna take away from racing. If there’s a conflict, if I have to go film something for some show or anything and I have to fly right to the track and it’s taking up a couple days of prep, I’m not doing that. We did The Crew in December last year and it was just not working, so didn’t have any conflict. I enjoy it. I really enjoy seeing the behind the scenes movie or TV sets. It’s actually really fascinating if you’ve never seen behind the scenes sets of how many men and women are involved in production and preparation that are never on screen. Everybody from the writers to the director to the light person. There’s a lot of people that are involved with that that never get any recognition that aren’t on the TV, and it’s kind of the same with racing. There are a lot of people in these race shops that are never at the track, things like that, but they do a lot of work, whether it’s building chassis or putting body on the car, engineer work. I kind of compare it to that. There are a lot more people than you think than the finished product, so I enjoy that stuff. It’s been a pleasure to do and I’ll do a little bit of it here and there, it’s got to be the right stuff that I enjoy and doesn’t interfere with my job.”

DID YOU AND CHASE GET OUT THE DOOR TO AMS OR WERE YOU STILL AT HIS HOUSE? “We were still at his place. We were sitting around waiting to go and I forget who texted me, but I was like, ‘Let’s wait here for a second. There might be something going on here that we might not have a race.’ So, yeah, we were still sitting there but we were less than 30 minutes away from leaving when we heard about everything.”

WHEN YOU GOT THE NEWS WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND AT THE TIME? DID YOU HAVE AN AWARENESS IT COULD BE A WHILE BEFORE RACING STARTED AGAIN? “Man, I don’t know. I can’t quite recall what exactly I was thinking, but right when they postponed those two I don’t think, at least I didn’t, completely understand what the Coronavirus was at the time. I don’t think a lot of people really quite understood the severity of this disease and how widespread it was gonna affect the world because it was pretty early stages in America of us really learning about it, at least me. More people might have known more about it, but I was like, ‘We’ll see how long this goes.’ They postponed it for two weeks, maybe it’s just something we’ll get fixed up for right away and we’ll go back racing here in two weeks and we’ll make this stuff up here whenever. But then you don’t know. You get through one week and then you get through the second week and it’s like, ‘Well, how long is this gonna last? How long are we gonna not have anything to do and everything is gonna be shut down?’ So there were just a lot of unknowns and I think everyone was in that boat of ‘how long are we gonna be not working and everything will be shut down where we can’t see our families’ and all that stuff. So, all that stuff was kind of going through my head and I think a lot of people. It’s just you don’t know. You don’t know what you don’t know and just try to figure out all you can by watching whatever you need to or reading it on the web, but, a huge change in everyone’s lives at a rapid pace. I think it really took everyone by surprise when stuff happened like that.”

Moose and Chastain Continue Relationship Started in 2020

CONCORD, N.C. (Mar. 10, 2021) – Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) announced today that the Moose Fraternity (Moose) will join the organization as a primary partner on the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, driven by Ross Chastain. The partnership is a continuation for Moose and Chastain, who began a relationship with the fraternal order in 2020 for three races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and one Cup Series race.

The partnership includes several primary sponsor races as well as associate races for the Moose Fraternity on the No. 42 car. Additionally, through social media content and select events at lodges around the country, CGR will help to amplify the message of the Moose Fraternity to race fans.

The Moose Fraternity, headquartered in Mooseheart, IL, has a membership of nearly 1,000,000 men and women throughout the roughly 1,300 lodges across 49 states, four Canadian provinces, and Great Britain. Members are involved in civic and charitable service in their communities, in addition to supporting the operation of Mooseheart Child City & School, a 1,000-acre community for children and teens in need, located 40 miles west of Chicago; and Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community for members near Jacksonville, FL.

NOTES OF INTEREST:

Serving Communities – Members of the Moose conduct approximately $50 – $70 million worth of community service annually. The Fraternity organizes and participates in numerous sports, entertainment and recreational programs in local Lodges and Family Centers in the majority of 43 State and Provincial Associations, and on a fraternity-wide basis. Lodges across the Fraternity are known for creating life-long bonds between members through activities and a shared concern for children in need, seniors and the communities in which they live.

It Takes a Team – Throughout the year, The Moose organization will be providing grants to a number of their Lodges to help assist in COVID relief. Just as businesses have been affected across the country over the last year, many lodges were also affected and the grant program will help those lodges reopen and get back to the important civic work done in their communities.

Driving Membership – Chastain isn’t just the driver of the No. 42 Moose Chevy, he’s also a Moose member. Through his partnership in the Xfinity Series with the Moose Fraternity last year, Chastain became a member of the fraternal order. Throughout the remainder of the NASCAR season, he and the team will continue to share the virtues of membership and encourage fans to learn more about the Moose Fraternity and their local lodges.

QUOTEBOARD:

Scott Hart, CEO, Moose International: “We were very pleased with our partnership with Ross Chastain in 2020 as he represented the Fraternity in a very positive way and are excited to continue that relationship this year. He, along with Chip Ganassi Racing, projects the same values that we have as an organization and certainly supports our core missions, especially giving children in need a second chance at life.”

Doug Duchardt, COO, Chip Ganassi Racing: “We’re excited for the Moose Fraternity to team up again with Ross Chastain and expand on their partnership that began last year in the Xfinity Series. We look forward to growing the relationship between CGR and the Moose throughout the season and helping to amplify their message to race fans across the country.”

Ross Chastain, Driver, No. 42 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE: “I really enjoyed getting to know the team from the Moose Fraternity last season and was honored to be made a member of the Order, and it’s great to welcome them to Chip Ganassi Racing and the No. 42 team in the Cup Series. Their members do a lot of good work in communities across the country, and with everything going on I can’t think of a better time to help promote what the Moose do and who they are.”

About Moose International:

The Moose is a fraternal and service organization founded in 1888 with nearly 1,000,000 men and women in roughly 1,300 Lodges in 49 states and four Canadian provinces, plus Great Britain. The members of the Moose support the operation of Mooseheart Child City & School, a 1,000-acre community for children and teens in need, located 40 miles west of Chicago; and Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community for its members near Jacksonville, FL. Additionally, members of the Moose conduct approximately $50 – $70 million worth of community service (counting monetary donations and volunteer hours worked) annually. The Moose Fraternity organizes and participates in numerous sports, entertainment and recreational programs in local Lodges and Family Centers in 43 State and Provincial Associations, and on a fraternity-wide basis. Lodges across the Fraternity are known for creating life-long bonds between members through activities and a shared concern for children in need, seniors and the communities in which they live.

About Chip Ganassi Racing:

Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 30 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four cars in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, two cars in the NASCAR Cup Series, and one entry in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Extreme E. Overall his teams have 20 championships and more than 225 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400, eight Rolex 24 At Daytonas, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis, and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh.

For more information log onto www.chipganassiracing.com

After an encouraging run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last Sunday, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are headed to Phoenix Raceway hoping to build on two successful races on the desert track in 2020.

Last year at Phoenix, DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team posted finishes of 13th in the spring and eighth in the fall and scored Stage points in the three of the four Stages of those two races.

“Phoenix has always been one of my favorite tracks,” DiBenedetto said, adding that the one-mile track moved up on his personal list after he took the wheel of the No. 21 Ford. “It’s better knowing we have a fast Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang and a strong team behind us.

“We had a great car last fall, so I feel pretty good heading there this weekend.”

DiBenedetto said there’s lots to like about Phoenix from the driver’s seat.

“It’s kind of a short track,” he said. “And we’re running a low-downforce package, which makes it fun to drive.”

For the past several weeks, DiBenedetto has had to start near the back of the pack, as those starting positions were set based on performances in the first three races, which were disappointments for the No. 21 team.

But his 16th-place finish at Las Vegas allowed him to move up to 20th place in the Phoenix starting line-up. He said that means the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team will be in position to gain Stage points in both Stages.

“I’d be real concerned if we were starting in the 30s, but I think we should be able to get some points in the first Stage and hopefully more in the second,” he said.

Sunday’s 312-lap Instacart 500-kilometer race is set to get the green flag just after 12:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on FOX. Stage breaks will be at 75 and 190 laps.

About Motorcraft:

Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Omnicraft:

Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visit www.omnicraftautoparts.com or contact your local Ford or Lincoln Dealership.

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center

Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine vehicle maintenance including tire repair and replacement with a Low Tire Price Guarantee and a full menu of automotive services including oil and filter, brakes, alignments, batteries, and shocks and struts on all vehicle makes and models. Service is performed by certified technicians at more than 1,000 locations worldwide while you wait, and no appointment is necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Phoenix

Phoenix – the site of the last pre-COVID event for the NASCAR circuit – hosts the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend for its annual spring slot. Jack Roush has 17 wins all-time at the 1-mile track, including seven in the NCS.

Instacart 500
Sunday, March 14 | 3:30 p.m. ET
FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
· Ryan Newman, No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang
· Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Performance Ford Mustang

Las Vegas Recap, Phoenix Preview
· Newman finished 18th in last weekend’s 400-mile race at Homestead.
· Buescher battled to another top-15, crossing the line 14th.
· Guaranteed Rate returns to the side of Newman’s No. 6 machine in the desert for its first points event of 2021.
· Buescher will sport a bright look featuring Roush Performance, with a scheme he ran last season in Texas.

Hooked on Phoenix

Roush Fenway has 293 combined starts at Phoenix, totaling 17 wins, 75 top-five and 134 top-10 finishes. RFR Fords have nine poles and have led 4,031 laps at the 1-mile track.

Winning in the Desert

Roush Fenway 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. Roush Fenway 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 Roush Fenway the season sweep. All in all, six drivers have won NASCAR races for Roush Fenway 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.

Recent Ryan in Phoenix

Four years ago in the Phoenix spring race, Ryan Newman went to victory lane in the No. 31, marking his most recent win in the NCS. He started 22nd in that race before going on to lead the final six laps en route to his 18th career Cup series win.

Xfinity Success

Phoenix was one of the strongest tracks for Roush Fenway’s Xfinity program. In 93 starts, the organization won eight times, earned 27 top-fives, 53 top-10s and has led 1,406 laps. Roush Fenway 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).

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has started 164 NCS races at Phoenix, recording a total of seven victories, 35 top-five finishes, 60 top-10 finishes, four poles and has led 2,291 laps. Edwards earned Roush Fenway’s most recent victory at Phoenix in the March 2013 event.

Roush Fenway 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