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 28^th 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 23^rd 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 15^th Cup start in Phoenix this weekend. Last spring he ran his best race there to date with a P10 finish. Most recently Buescher finished 21^st last fall.
• Buescher’s best qualifying effort stands as 17^th (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 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 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 17^th, while Chris Buescher battled to finish 21^st last weekend in Vegas.

Points Standings (17: 10^th, 6: 11^th): 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