11/01/2023

RFK Advance | Phoenix II

Phoenix II Event Info:
Track Info: Phoenix Raceway, 1-mile tri-oval
Date: Sunday, Nov. 5
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Avondale, Arizona
Format: 312 laps, 312 miles, Stages: 60-125-127
TV: NBC
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Weekend Schedule:
Friday: 8 p.m. ET, Practice (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 4:30 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3 p.m. ET, Race (NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: Castrol Edge

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Fastenal

Pace Laps:

• The 2023 season comes to a close this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, as both RFK drivers sit top-8 in points entering the finale.
• Brad Keselowski has been Mr. Consistent as of late, and is the only driver to finish top five in every stage in the Round of 8 (Las Vegas, Homestead, Martinsville). He amassed 41 stage points in that stretch, third-most among all drivers, and the most among non-playoff cars.
• In tracks the Cup Series visits twice, Chris Buescher has seen significant improvements in the return race, netting 52 total positions in the eight two-time races this season (Daytona, Vegas, Atlanta, Richmond, Martinsville, Talladega, Kansas, Darlington).

Keselowski at Phoenix
Starts: 28
Wins: —
Top-10s: 13
Poles: 2 (2014, 2021)

• Keselowski makes his 29^th Cup start in Phoenix this weekend where he has 13 top-10s with an average finish of 13.9. He has three top-10s in his last six starts, and finished 18^th there this spring.
• He’s led 284 laps in 15 different races and has six top-10s in the spring race alone at the 1-mile track.
• Keselowski has two poles (2014, 2021) with an average starting position of 13.2, and is coming off a fourth-place qualifying effort this spring.
• 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 5 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: 15
Wins: —
Top-10s: 1
Poles: —

• Buescher makes his 16^th Cup start in Phoenix this weekend. Last spring he ran his best race there to date with a P10 finish. He most recently finished 15^th this spring.
• Buescher’s best qualifying effort stands as 17^th (2019, 2021) as he has an average starting position of 25.1.
• Buescher also made four Xfinity Series starts in Arizona for Jack Roush with a best finish of 12^th (2014).

RFK Historically in Phoenix
Cup Wins: 7 (Mark Martin, 1993; Jeff Burton, 2000, 2003; Matt Kenseth, 2002; Kurt Busch, 2005; Carl Edwards, 2010, 2013)

• Hooked on Phoenix: RFK has 303 combined starts at Phoenix, totaling 17 wins, 75 top-five and 135 top-10 finishes. RFK Fords have nine poles and have led 4,032 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-fives, 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).
• Tale of the Tape: RFK has started 174 NCS races at Phoenix, recording a total of seven victories, 35 top-five finishes, 61 top-10 finishes, four poles and has led 2,292 laps. Edwards earned RFK’s most recent victory at Phoenix in the March 2013 event.

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
Martinsville: Buescher earned his best finish in the Round of 8, and best career finish at Martinsville, crossing the line P8 Sunday. Keselowski again finished top five in both stages, but ran into a multi-car incident, which ultimately relegated him towards the end of the race.

Points Standings (6: 7^th, 17: 8^th): Keselowski and Buescher sit 7-8 in points entering the final weekend of the season.

By the Numbers at Phoenix

Race      Win       T5           T10         Pole       Laps       Led        AvSt      AvFn     Miles

174         7              35           61           4              52169    2292       18.3        16.3        52169

93           8              27           53           5              17917    1406       11.3        11.7        17917

36           2              13           21           0              5195       334         12.3        12.4        5195

303         17           75           135         9              75281    4032       15.5        14.4        75281