NASCAR rail: Subway Fresh Fit 500k at a glance
WHERE: Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.
WHEN: TV start 8 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: Fox, live on Sirius satellite radio, channel 128
THE LOWDOWN: Two drivers who struggled last week on the unrestricted, intermediate speedway at Texas should get back on track this week. Kevin Harvick complained that he was so tight in the Samsung 500 that he couldn't imagine a worse-handling car. Behind him on the track, Jeff Gordon couldn't imagine being any looser. These two drivers have been much stronger on the short, flat Phoenix International Raceway, however, with Harvick sweeping victory lane in 2006 and Gordon earning his first victory on this track in last year's edition of the Subway Fresh Fit 500k.
PREVIOUS 5 WINNERS:
2007: Jeff Gordon
2006: Kevin Harvick
2005: Kurt Busch
2004: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fall)
2003: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fall)
LAST WEEK'S WINNER: CARL EDWARDS
The first thing Carl Edwards did after winning the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway was look over his shoulder to make certain the oil cooler lid was still in place. Then he climbed from his car and did the traditional back flip from the door post. His victory last week partly erased the scandal surrounding Las Vegas and elevated him back inside the top 12 in points. In two more weeks, when crew chief Bob Osborne returns from his suspension, one can truly say that incident is behind him and Edwards can set his focus on winning the championship.
1. Jeff Burton
Three-year average finish at Phoenix: 9.8 in six starts
Burton's strong run early in the 2008 season is likely to continue this week since he enters Phoenix with a 14-race streak of top-15s there. However, he has not had a top-five in Arizona since 2005.
2. Kevin Harvick
Three-year average finish at Phoenix: 10.0 in six starts
Harvick was perfect at Phoenix in 2006 by sweeping the Cup races and coming within a whisker of sweeping the Nationwide events as well. Last year wasn't as good, but he still swept the top 10 in Cup.
3. Kyle Busch
Three-year average finish at Phoenix: 16.3 in six starts
Busch continues to mature as a driver, and Phoenix will be a great place for him to showcase that. He created his own problems in 2006 and finished in the 30s twice, but every other race there was a top-10.
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Three-year average finish at Phoenix: 23.0 in six starts
As the track changed last week at Texas, Earnhardt was unable to keep up with the adjustments. Phoenix should provide some relief; HMS runs strong there, and Junior won back-to-back in 2003/2004.
5. Tony Stewart
Three-year average finish at Phoenix: 9.8 in six starts
In this race last year, Stewart gave voice to what everyone was thinking by questioning a "debris" caution late in the race that tightened the field while he was leading. On the restart, he got shuffled to second.
6. Jimmie Johnson
Three-year average finish at Phoenix: 6.0 in six starts
Johnson has the best three-year average finish among all active drivers at Phoenix, and he's never truly stumbled there. In nine career starts, he's never finished outside the top 15.
7. Denny Hamlin
Three-year average finish at Phoenix: 13.8 in five starts
This flat-track master won two weeks ago at Martinsville, and he's one of the favorites to win in Phoenix. Two of his past three races there ended in third-place finishes.
8. Ryan Newman
Three-year average finish at Phoenix: 20.5 in six starts
Newman has been an all-or-nothing driver at Phoenix with three top-fives but no other top-10s in 11 career starts. Luckily for his fans, one of those strong runs came last fall, when he finished fifth.
9. Greg Biffle
Three-year average finish at Phoenix: 18.5 in six starts
Biffle and Newman have identical points, but the No. 12 gets the spot based on the tie-breaker. Biffle should remedy that this week because he finished better in both Phoenix races last year.
10. Carl Edwards
Three-year average finish at Phoenix: 12.5 in six starts
They say success if the best revenge, and Edwards got his last Sunday. He might have to wait for his next taste of the dish served cold though: He missed the top 10 in both of last year's Phoenix events.
11. Clint Bowyer
Three-year average finish at Phoenix: 18.6 in five starts
Bowyer made his Cup debut at Phoenix in 2005, and he didn't exactly set the world on fire after slipping off the lead lap and finishing 22nd. He wasn't any better last spring because he finished in the same spot.
12. Kasey Kahne
Three-year average finish at Phoenix: 21.3 in six starts
Kahne has a 54-point margin over the driver currently in 13th, and if last year is an indication, he's going to need it. He finished 31st at Phoenix in the spring and crashed out of the fall race in 40th.
Career top-fives on short, flat tracks
(Phoenix International Raceway, New Hampshire International Speedway and Martinsville Speedway)
Driver Top-5s
Jeff Gordon, 39
Mark Martin, 27
Tony Stewart, 23
Jeff Burton, 22
Jimmie Johnson, 16
Dale Earnhardt Jr., 15
Bobby Labonte, 14
Ryan Newman, 13
Matt Kenseth, 12
Bill Elliott, 9
Kurt Busch, 8
Kyle Busch, 7
Denny Hamlin, 7
Kevin Harvick, 6
Greg Biffle, 5
John Andretti, 3
Carl Edwards, 3
Kasey Kahne, 3
Joe Nemechek, 3
Michael Waltrip, 3
Clint Bowyer, 2
Robby Gordon, 2
Jeremy Mayfield, 2
Jamie McMurray, 2
Mike Skinner, 2
Martin Truex Jr., 2
Brian Vickers, 2
Elliott Sadler, 1
Laps in the top 10, 2008 to date
Driver Top-10 Laps (2008)
Carl Edwards, 1,833
Jeff Burton, 1,693
Jimmie Johnson, 1,676
Dale Earnhardt Jr., 1,668
Tony Stewart, 1,609
Kyle Busch, 1,596
Jeff Gordon, 1,563
Clint Bowyer, 1,556
Denny Hamlin, 1,506
Kevin Harvick, 1,254
Greg Biffle, 1,234
Matt Kenseth, 1,224
Kasey Kahne, 871
Martin Truex Jr., 835
Casey Mears, 622
David Ragan, 571
Ryan Newman, 550
Jamie McMurray, 525
Mark Martin, 417
Brian Vickers, 325
Kurt Busch, 296
Scott Riggs, 176
Bobby Labonte, 166
Juan Montoya, 157
Sam Hornish Jr., 155