1. Harvick Dominant at Phoenix
Kevin Harvick has been dominant at Phoenix recently. Although he didn't win there last November, he has won 5 of the last 7 races at the track and has led a huge chunk of laps.
Most Laps Led at Phoenix - 2014-16 NASCAR Cup Series Seasons
Wins
#4-Kevin Harvick 994 4
Alex Bowman 194 0
#22-Joey Logano 181 1
#18-Kyle Busch 76 0
>>In 6 races at track
Most Wins at a Track - Active Full-Time NASCAR Cup Series Drivers
#48-Jimmie Johnson Dover 10
#48-Jimmie Johnson Martinsville 9
#4-Kevin Harvick Phoenix 8
#48-Jimmie Johnson Charlotte 8
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. Talladega 6
#48-Jimmie Johnson Texas 6
2. Larson Strong Despite Not Winning
#42-Kyle Larson has finished in the top 3 in 4 of his last 5 races, a streak that started at Phoenix last November. Despite having not won a race or a stage this season, Larson is 2nd in points, 1 point behind #2-Brad Keselowski. Larson has finished every stage in the top 10, except for the final stage in the Daytona 500 (12th).
Kyle Larson - Last 5 NASCAR Cup Series Races
Finish Points
Nov. 22 at Phoenix 3rd 38
Nov. 29 at Homestead 2nd 41
Feb. 26 at Daytona 12th 36
March 5 at Atlanta 2nd 43
March 12 at Las Vegas 2nd 52
>>Averaging 42 points per race
Most Points Since November Phoenix Race - NASCAR Cup Series
Pts Pts Per Race Wins
#42-Kyle Larson 210 42.0 0
#22-Joey Logano 200 40.0 1
#24-Chase Elliott 191 38.2 0
#4-Kevin Harvick 167 33.4 0
#2-Brad Keselowski 165 33.0 1
Larson and the rest of the young guns are making their presence known at the end of races this season. Larson and Joey Logano are tied for the most points earned (95) based solely on race points.
Most Points This Season - Earned in Race's Final Stage
Race Points Age
#42-Kyle Larson 95 24
#22-Joey Logano 95 26
#78-Martin Truex Jr. 93 36
#24-Chase Elliott 89 21
#5-Kasey Kahne 88 36
#21-Ryan Blaney 84 23
Since the start of last season, Larson has finished in the top 3 10 times, which is tied for the 3rd-most in the series. Only Kyle Busch (12) and Logano (11) have more.
3. Ending a Drought in the Desert
Phoenix has been a popular place to snap winless streaks, dating back to 2009.
Winless Streaks of At Least 66 Races - Snapped Since 2009 at Phoenix
March 2013 Carl Edwards 70
Nov. 2011 Kasey Kahne 81
Feb. 2011 Jeff Gordon 66
Nov. 2010 Carl Edwards 70
April 2010 Ryan Newman 77
April 2009 Mark Martin 97
Kasey Kahne, who ended an 81-race winless streak at Phoenix in 2011, currently has an 86-race winless streak. Several other active drivers have longer winless streaks heading into Phoenix, Kahne's streak is the 9th-longest such streak.
Longest Active Winless Streaks - NASCAR Cup Series
Races Best Phoenix Finish
#27-Paul Menard 199 9th
#14-Clint Bowyer 152 2nd
#38-David Ragan 137 10th
#21-Trevor Bayne 132 23rd
#31-Ryan Newman 127 1st
#1-Jamie McMurray 115 2nd
>>Among drivers with career win
4. Early Impact of New Stage Format
NASCAR's new points format, introduced during the offseason, has made a big impact on the standings thus far. The same format is being used in both the Monster Energy Cup Series and the XFINITY Series. However, the influx of Cup drivers into the XFINITY races has limited the stage's impact quite a bit as the Cup drivers are finishing stages in the top 10 and do not receive points in the series.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series - Stage Points Leaders
Stage Points Total Points Stage Wins
#2-Brad Keselowski 50 132<< 0
#4-Kevin Harvick 47 91 3
#24-Chase Elliott 40 129 0
#42-Kyle Larson 36 131 0
#78-Martin Truex Jr. 34 127 2
>>Monster Energy Cup Series points leader
In the XFINITY Series, Elliott Sadler has actually scored 13 fewer race points than second place Ryan Reed, but is the points leader thanks to his stage points. Sadler is also the only XFINITY regular to win a stage this season.
NASCAR XFINITY Series - Stage Points Leaders
Stage Points Total Points Stage Wins
Elliott Sadler 25 99<< 2
Daniel Hemric 14 72 0
Justin Allgaier 14 61 0
Matt Tifft 12 66 0
William Byron 9 90 0
Ryan Reed 8 95 0
>>XFINITY Series points leader
5. XFINITY Dash 4 Cash Returns
Phoenix is the first NASCAR XFINITY Dash 4 Cash race for 2017. The Arizona race track replaces Indianapolis on the Dash 4 Cash schedule. The other Dash 4 Cash races for 2017 are being held at Bristol, Richmond and Dover. If a driver earns two Dash 4 Cash wins (not race wins) over the four Dash 4 Cash races, that is equivalent to a regular-season race win for XFINITY Series postseason eligibility.
All 3 drivers who won the Dash 4 Cash in 2016 will return for this race, however Erik Jones (Bristol and Dover) and Ty Dillon (Richmond) are not eligible for this year's Dash 4 Cash as they are now Cup drivers in 2017. Justin Allgaier won the Indianapolis Dash 4 Cash and is eligible for the 2017 XFINITY Series.
Who's Hot and Who's Not - Phoenix Edition
HOT
" Kevin Harvick: finished in the top 5 in 9 of his last 10 races at Phoenix
" Joey Logano: finished in the top 10 in 6 of his last 7 races at Phoenix; won November race in 2016
" Dale Earnhardt Jr.: finished in the top 5 in 5 of his last 7 races at Phoenix
NOT
" Danica Patrick: finished outside the top 15 in all 9 of her races at Phoenix; 26.3 Avg finish
" Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: finished outside the top 10 in all 8 of his races at Phoenix
" Clint Bowyer: finished in top 10 in 1 of his last 10 races at Phoenix
--- ESPN Stats ---