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 29th 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 18th 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 16th Cup start in Phoenix this weekend. Last spring he ran his best race there to date with a P10 finish. He most recently finished 15th this spring.
- Buescher’s best qualifying effort stands as 17th (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 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 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: 7th, 17: 8th): 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
