03/05/2025
RFK Advance | Phoenix I
Phoenix I Event Info:
Date: Sunday, March 9
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: 2:05 p.m. ET, Practice (Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 3:10 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 2025 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.
- Consumer Cellular makes its season debut alongside Brad Keselowski and the No. 6 team.
- The No. 60 car will don Solomon Plumbing for the first time this season alongside Ryan Preece.
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 / Thomas’ / Philadelphia
60 Team Info:
Driver: Ryan Preece
Crew Chief: Derrick Finley
Partner: Solomon Plumbing
Keselowski at Phoenix
Starts: 31
Wins: —
Top-10s: 14
Poles: 2 (2014, 2021)
- Keselowski makes his 32nd Cup start in Phoenix this weekend where he has 14 top-10s with an average finish of 13.6. Most recently he finished 4th in the 2024 spring race and 15th last fall.
- He’s led 284 laps in 15 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 14.4. 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 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: 18
Wins: —
Top-10s: 4
Poles: —
- Following two top-10 finishes in the first three races, Buescher makes his 19th Cup start in Phoenix this weekend. Buescher has recorded three straight top-10 finishes at the track, including a runner-up effort in this event a year ago.
- He was one of four drivers to finish inside the top-10 in both the spring and fall races last season at Phoenix alongside Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick.
- Buescher has an average starting position of 23.6 with the P9 start in the fall of 2022 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: 11
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —
- Preece is set to make his 12th Cup start in Phoenix this weekend. In 2022, he posted the two best finishes of his career at the track, crossing the line in 12th in the spring race after starting 25th, and 14th in the fall.
- Preece has an average starting position of 24.9, including a P12 effort in the 2023 season finale.
RFK Historically at 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 309 combined starts at Phoenix, totaling 17 wins, 78 top-five and 139 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-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 180 NCS races at Phoenix, recording a total of seven victories, 38 top-five finishes, 65 top-10 finishes, four poles and has led 2,310 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
Circuit of the Americas (COTA): Buescher shined during a day defined by determination for RFK Racing, recording a 7th-place finish at the road course. Keselowski overcame extreme heat when his cool suit failed, to finish 15th, while Preece won the second stage to grant himself a playoff point and 10 regular-season points.
Points Standings (17: 12th, 6: 26th, 60: 30th): Buescher leads all RFK Fords as he sits 12th in the points standings after three races. Keselowski moved up to 26th after a solid run at COTA, while Preece used his stage two win to move up to 30th.
