03/13/2023
RFK Advance | Phoenix I
Phoenix I Event Info:
Track Info: Phoenix Raceway, 1-mile tri-oval
Date: Sunday, March 12
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Avondale, Arizona
Format: 312 laps, 312 miles, Stages: 60-125-127
TV: FOX
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Weekend Schedule:
Friday: 6:35 p.m. ET, Practice (FS2, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 2:05 p.m. ET, Qualifying (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3:30 p.m. ET, Race (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
6 Team Info:
Partner: Castrol Edge
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
17 Team Info:
Partner: Socios
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Pace Laps:
- The West Coast swing comes to a close this weekend in the desert as Phoenix Raceway hosts the first of its two race weekends in 2023.
- Jack Roush has 17 wins all-time in Phoenix including seven in the Cup Series.
- This weekend’s schedule features a full practice session on Friday as NASCAR announced updates to components of the NCS car for races held at a majority of the tracks measuring 1.058-mile or less. Those rules are in play this weekend with Friday’s session serving as the first test of the new package ahead of this weekend’s racing.
- Phoenix is also the site of the last NASCAR-organized test where Keselowski and the No. 6 team participated in the two-day session.
Keselowski at Phoenix Raceway
Starts: 27
Wins: —
Top-10s: 13
Poles: 2 (2014, 2021)
- Keselowski makes his 28th Cup start in Phoenix this weekend where he has 13 top-10s with an average finish of 13.7. He has four top-10s in his last six starts.
- He’s led 283 laps in 14 different races and has six top-10s in the spring race alone at the 1-mile track. Most recently Keselowski had an electrical issue last fall and finished 23rd last spring.
- Keselowski has two poles (2014, 2021) with an average starting position of 13.5.
- 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 Raceway
Starts: 14
Wins: —
Top-10s: 1
Poles: —
- Buescher makes his 15th Cup start in Phoenix this weekend. Last spring he ran his best race there to date with a P10 finish. Most recently Buescher finished 21st last fall.
- Buescher’s best qualifying effort stands as 17th (2019, 2021) as he has an average starting position of 25.4.
- Buescher also made four Xfinity Series starts in Arizona for Jack Roush with a best finish of 12th (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 301 combined starts at Phoenix, totaling 17 wins, 75 top-five and 135 top-10 finishes. RFK Fords have nine poles and have led 4,031 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 172 NCS races at Phoenix, recording a total of seven victories, 35 top-five finishes, 61 top-10 finishes, four poles and has led 2,291 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
Las Vegas: Brad Keselowski earned stage points in each of the two opening stages before going on to finish 17th, while Chris Buescher battled to finish 21st last weekend in Vegas.
Points Standings (17: 10th, 6: 11th): Both RFK cars are neck-and-neck in the standings as race four on the points schedule rolls on this weekend.
By the Numbers at Phoenix Raceway
Race Win T5 T10 Pole Laps Led AvSt AvFn Miles
172 7 35 61 4 51535 2291 18.4 16.3 51535
93 8 27 53 5 17917 1406 11.3 11.7 17917
36 2 13 21 0 5195 334 12.3 12.4 5195
301 17 75 135 9 74647 4031 15.4 14.4 74647
