NASCAR 2018 Race 35: Phoenix Can-Am 500 race thread

Schedule

Friday, November 9
10:30-11:20 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice, FS2 (Follow live)
12:05-12:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS2 (Follow live)
1:35-2:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
2:35-3:25 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
4:35-5:25 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
5:35 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS1 (Follow live)
7 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 (150 laps, 150 miles), FS1 (Follow live)

SATURDAY, November 10
11:30-12:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series second practice, CNBC/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
12:35 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
2-2:50 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Whelen Trusted To Perform 200 (200 laps, 200 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Follow live)

SUNDAY, November 11
2:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am 500 (312 laps, 312 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Follow live)

Distance 312 miles (502 km)
Laps 312
Stage 1: Lap 75
Stage 2: Lap 150
Race: Lap 312+

200px-Phoenix-international-raceway-2011.svg.png


Track Specs:
Degree of Banking: Turns 1-2: 11 degrees; Turns 3-4: 9 degrees
Frontstretch: Length: 1,179 feet, Banking: None
Backstretch: Length: 1,551 feet, Banking: None
Pit Road: Length: 1,140
Grandstand seating: 51,000 [was 55,000, 67,000 and 76,812]

Pit Stalls:
Length: 30 feet
Width: 17 feet



Track Records & Stats


2018 Spring Race winner was Kevin Harvick



2017 March Race Winner: #31-Ryan Newman, 104.271mph, started 22nd
2017 November Winner: #20-Matt Kenseth, 105.534mph, started 7th
Race Record: Tony Stewart, Nov 1999, 118.132mph
Slowest Race Record: Al Kulwicki, 1988, 90.457mph
Oldest Race Winner: Mark Martin, 50 years, 3 months, 9 days, 4/18/2009
Youngest Race Winner: Kyle Busch, 20 years, 5 months, 11 days, 11/13/2005

2017 March Pole Winner: #22-Joey Logano, 137.321mph, finished 31st
2017 November Pole Winner: #21-Ryan Blaney, 137.942mph, finished 17th
Track Qualifying Record: Jimmie Johnson, 11/15/2015, 143.158mph
Oldest Pole Winner: Mark Martin, 54 years, 1 month, 23 days, 3/1/2013
Youngest Pole Winner: Kyle Busch, 20 years, 11 months, 20 days, 4/22/2006

Most Races: Mark Martin & Jeff Gordon, 34; Ryan Newman, 31
Most Wins: Kevin Harvick, 8; Jimmie Johnson, 4
Most Poles: Ryan Newman, 4; Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, 3
Most Top 5s: Jimmie Johnson 15; Kevin Harvick, 14;
Most Top 10s: Jeff Gordon, 24; Mark Martin, 21; Jimmie Johnson, 20
Most Lead Changes: 28 - 2/27/2011
Fewest Lead Changes: 1 - 11/4/1990
Most Leaders: 15 - 3/4/2012
Fewest Leaders: 2 - 11/4/1990
Most Cautions: 12 - 11/9/2014
Most Caution Laps: 66, 11/2/2003
Fewest Cautions: 2 - 11/7/1999 & 11/15/2015
Fewest Caution Laps: 10, 11/7/1999
Most on the Lead Lap: 29 - 11/2/2003
Fewest on the Lead Lap: 3 - 10/30/1994
Most Running at the Finish: 41 - five times, last on 11/15/2015
Fewest Running at the Finish: 27 - 11/5/1989
Worst Starting Spot to Win: Ricky Rudd, 1995, started 29th
Most Laps Led by a Race Winner: 264 - Kevin Harvick, 11/9/2014
Fewest Laps Led by a Race Winner: 6 - Ryan Newman 3/19/2017
Most Wins by a Manufacturer: 23 - Chevy; 15 - Ford; 3 - Toyota; 2 - Pontiac
 
Starting Order:

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Chase Elliott
3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
4. Ryan Blaney
5. Alex Bowman
6. Kyle Busch
7. Erik Jones
8. Kyle Larson
9. Joey Logano
10. Denny Hamlin
11. Paul Menard
12. Brad Keselowski
13. Martin Truex Jr.
14. Kurt Busch
15. Austin Dillon
16. Clint Bowyer
17. Matt Kenseth
18. Aric Almirola
19. William Byron
20. Jimmie Johnson
21. Jamie McMurray
22. Ryan Newman
23. Michael McDowell
24. AJ Allmendinger
25. Chris Buescher
26. Daniel Suarez
27. Matt DiBenedetto
28. Ty Dillon
29. Regan Smith
30. Bubba Wallace
31. David Ragan
32. Landon Cassill
33. Ross Chastain
34. Cole Whitt
35. J.J. Yeley
36. Tanner Berryhill
37. Timmy Hill
38. D.J. Kennington
39. Cody Ware

--

Kevin Harvick made a statement Friday at Phoenix, claiming the pole for Sunday's NASCAR Cup race at ISM Raceway.

"This is a great race track (but) I really wasn't expecting that," Harvick told NBCSN afterward.

On Wednesday, NASCAR ruled that Harvick's race-winning car from last weekend's event at Texas Motor Speedway had failed a post-race inspection. As a result, NASCAR suspended crew chief Rodney Childers and car chief Robert Smith for the final two races, and docked Harvick 40 points.

More importantly, NASCAR took away the automatic spot Harvick had clinched for the Championship 4 playoff finale Nov. 18 at Homestead.

Those penalties left Harvick on the playoff bubble to advance to the championship showdown. And while Harvick is always tough at Phoenix, with nine career victories there, starting on the pole certainly gives him a leg up on the competition.

Harvick and six other playoff drivers will be trying to earn one of three remaining spots in the Championship 4 season finale race Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Joey Logano has already clinched a spot in the four-driver showdown thanks to his win at Martinsville last month).

While Chase Elliott, who qualified second and Kyle Busch (sixth) helped their causes in qualifying, four of those playoff drivers did not make the final round of qualifying. Martin Truex Jr. had an issue in inspection, failing the process three times before passing. Those three failures led to an automatic one-race suspension for his car chief and Truex will also be docked 30 minutes in the final Cup practice session Saturday. He qualified 13th. Kurt Busch checked in 14th, while Clint Bowyer (16th) and Aric Almirola (18th) also struggled.

Heading into Sunday's race Kyle Busch (25 points above the cutoff line) and Truex (plus-25) are in good shape, while Harvick sits just three points above the cutoff line and Kurt Busch. Elliott is 17 points below the cutoff, while Almirola (minus-35) and Bowyer (minus-51) need a victory to get into the season finale.

The Can-Am 500 begins Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
 
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