FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 8:00P-10:30 SPEED
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150, Phoenix Intl. Raceway, HD, L (expect green at 8:18P)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26 5:30P-8:00 ESPN2 NASCAR Nationwide Series Bashas’ Supermarkets 200, Phoenix Intl. Raceway, HD, L (expect green at 5:45P)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27 3:00P-6:30FOX
NASCAR Sprint Cup SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500, Phoenix Intl. Raceway, HD, L (expect green at 3:14P)
Phoenix International Raceway Records
Date Series Driver Speed
11/7/99 Sprint Cup Race Tony Stewart 118.00
11/14/10 Sprint Cup Qualifying Carl Edwards 136.389
11/13/10 Nationwide Race Carl Edwards 107.00
11/13/10 Nationwide Qualifying Joey Logano 134.048
10/31/03 Camping World Truck Race Kevin Harvick 108.00
11/12/10 Camping World Truck Qualifying Austin Dillon 133.605
Sprint Cup Series
Upcoming Race Feb 27
Subway Fresh Fit 500
Track Facts
Phoenix International Raceway
Location: Avondale, AZ
Banking/Turns: Oval
Distance: 1.00 mile
Shape: Oval
Most Cup Wins (since 1975)
* Jimmie Johnson: 4
Sprint Cup Nationwide Camping World Truck Date Race Name Pole Winner Race Winner Make Purse
4/10/10 Subway Fresh Fit 600 A J Allmendinger Ryan Newman Chevrolet $5,318,679
11/14/10 Kobalt Tools 500 Carl Edwards Carl Edwards Ford $4,998,285
4/18/09 Subway Fresh Fit 500 Mark Martin Mark Martin Chevrolet $5,103,912
11/15/09 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Martin Truex Jr. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet $5,136,375
4/12/08 Subway Fresh Fit 500 Ryan Newman Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet $5,064,433
11/9/08 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet $5,096,896
4/21/07 Subway Fresh Fit 500 Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Chevrolet $4,961,431
11/11/07 Checker Auto Parts 500 Carl Edwards Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet $4,998,497
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
CAT-BACK Exhaust, CAI, Projector Head Lamps
Fully-Equipped w/all factory options
AVONDALE, Ariz., , Feb 22, 2011 - For Immediate Release
Dodge Motorsports NSCS Race Advance
Subway 500
Phoenix International Raceway
Sunday, March 1, 2011
DODGE MOTORSPORTS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Daytona was a great two weeks for us, but our focus has turned totally on getting ready for Phoenix this week, Vegas the next and all the races on down the line. The big-picture situation is already our primary focus now. We’re excited about starting off the year like we have and look to build on the success week after week. We have a great group of guys on our ‘Double-Deuce’ Dodge team and – just like Kurt -- we are all dedicated to do what it takes to be right there challenging for the championship at the end of the season.”
Steve Addington, crew chief, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T
DODGE AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
• Dodge is seeking its first win at Phoenix International Raceway in Sprint Cup competition.
• Dodge has earned four poles at PIR since returning to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001 (Ryan Newman – 3, Casey Atwood).
• Dodge’s Kurt Busch (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge) is the only active Dodge driver with a win at PIR. He won the spring event in 2005 before moving to Penske Racing and the Dodge ranks in 2006.
THE DODGE BOYS
• Dodge has 207 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories.
• Dodge’s most recent win came at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kurt Busch led 252 of 400 laps en route to victory in the Coca-Cola 600.
• Dodge claimed two Sprint Cup victories in 2010.
• Dodge teams have posted 47 wins since the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001 after being out of the sport since 1977.
• Dodge has posted wins each season since it’s return in 2001 including seven wins twice (2002 and 2006).
DODGE NEWS AND NOTES
• Kurt Bush won the first two restrictor-plate races of his career at Daytona last weekend: Budweiser Shootout and Gatorade Duel.
• The Dodge’s of Kurt Busch (19), Brad Keselowski (9) and Robby Gordon (7) each led laps during last weekend’s Daytona 500.
• Two Dodge drivers are inside the coveted Top 12 point standings: Kurt Busch (4th) and Robby Gordon (11th).
• Dodge qualified 1-2 at the 2008 spring Cup event at PIR (Ryan Newman and Elliott Sadler).
DODGE HISTORICAL DATA
• First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win: Lee Petty, 2/1/53, West Palm, Fla., 100 miles, .5-mile track.
• Last Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win: Kurt Busch, 5/30/2010, Charlotte, 600 miles, 1.5-mile track.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Kurt Busch has the fifth-highest driver rating amongst active Sprint Cup competitors at Phoenix Int’l Raceway (99.3).
• Only four of the 29 races held at PIR have been won from the pole position.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• Kurt Busch, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge raced to a career-best Speedweeks at Daytona Int’l Speedway. Busch won the Budweiser Shootout, a Gatorade Duel and finished fifth in the 53rd running of the Daytona 500 last Sunday.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Brad Keselowski gave Dodge its most recent pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last September.
• Dodge earned its last pole position at PIR at the spring race in 2008 (Ryan Newman).
• Kurt Busch has led 431 laps the last six races at PIR.
• Dodge is an Official Passenger Car of NASCAR.
FROM THE ENGINEER
"After the time and energy expended by teams on the Daytona 500, now five days later comes Phoenix. Everybody liked the look of the new 2011 Sprint Cup nose at Daytona and it seemed to work to perfection on the high banks. But now we travel to the flat one mile of Phoenix International Raceway. This will be the first real test of the new aerodynamic look without the benefit of high banking to help get the cars through the corners. Fans have already said they like the new look, but the teams may have a busy weekend adapting it to the flat Phoenix track."
Howard Comstock, Dodge Motorsports Engineering
TALKING SHOP WITH PENSKE RACING
"After a solid week at Daytona, Penske Racing is ready to get the regular season underway. Phoenix International Raceway is a tough one-mile track that produces some great short track action. The different banking in the two corners along with the dogleg on the back straight creates some unique challenges. The teams will need to balance both heavy braking and hard acceleration to be successful."
Travis Geisler, Director of Competition, Penske Racing
PHOENIX NUGGETS
• The first spring race at Phoenix Int’l Raceway was held in 2005 which was won by Kurt Busch. En route to victory, Busch earned a perfect driver rating of 150.0.
• Busch has top-10 finishes in four of his last five starts at PIR.
DODGE DRIVER QUOTES
“We’ve had a lot of success and fun at Daytona this time around, but like I told them, ‘the real season starts right now.’ It’s kind of like a football team starting off with two wins and a tie going into a new season. We’ve tasted success, but there could have been even more. The important thing is that we didn’t leave Daytona in a hole like we have several times before.” Kurt Busch, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T
"I enjoy the challenge that Phoenix provides. It's a very unique layout that has little - if any - grip. The track is worn down and it sits in that Arizona sun and just bakes, so it's hard to get your car hooked up. But that's part of the reason it's so much fun to race there. It just seems like you are sliding around the entire race because it doesn't take long for your tires to wear out. You really have to be smooth. That's what I focus on when I get there and I think anyone that runs
well there does the same thing. It's also really important to work with your crew chief to come up with a setup that is balanced and will work well with the asphalt at Phoenix." Brad Keselowski, No 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T
“We had some strong runs in Phoenix last season. We were a top 10 car all day at last year’s spring Cup race. I think coming back there with a Dodge Charger is going to be a lot of fun. With our great run last weekend at the (Daytona)500, we have a lot of momentum with this SPEED Energy team. Basha’s is one of our partners and we hope to give them something to root for come Sunday.” Robby Gordon, No. 7 SPEED Energy Dodge Charger R/T
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
CAT-BACK Exhaust, CAI, Projector Head Lamps
Fully-Equipped w/all factory options
BRAD KESELOWSKI – No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T
Career Starts: 140
Wins: 12
Top Fives: 59
Top 10s: 82
Poles: 8
Career Highlights:
• Keselowski is the defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion
• Earned Penske Racing its first NASCAR champion last season
• In 2010, Keselowski set career-bests in wins (6), top five’s (26), top 10s (29) and poles (5).
• Set a NASCAR record 102 consecutive Nationwide Series races without a DNF (Did Not Finish) that ended last weekend at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
• First Nationwide victory came at Nashville Superspeedway (2008).
• Keselowski is a third-generation driver, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
KESELOWSKI AT PHOENIX INTERNATIOAL RACEWAY
• Keselowski is making his ninth-career NNS start at PIR.
• Highest starting position: 2nd - 2008 spring race
• Highest finishing position: 3rd - 2010 spring race
• Average starting position: 14.4
• Average finishing position: 12.6
• Laps Led: 68
• Keselowski has four consecutive top-five finishes at PIR.
DODGE QUOTES: DRIVE4COPD 300
“I feel that every weekend we have a shot at winning in the Nationwide Series. Our team is that strong. The Nationwide program at Penske Racing is that strong. Every weekend is a great opportunity for us to win and I think we can get the first win of the season at Phoenix. I’ve always looked forward to going out to PIR to race. I love the fact that Phoenix is its own unique venue and the community really embraces us twice a year. We have a lot of support from Discount Tire and winning in their backyard would be a great way to show them how much we appreciate what they do for Penske Racing.” Brad Keselowski, No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge R/T Challenger R/T
FROM THE PITBOX
“Everyone on the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge team is looking forward to this weekend’s race at Phoenix. This is the car Brad won Charlotte with in October and we have tested twice at Walt Disney World Speedway, which is very similar to Phoenix. Brad was very happy with the way the car drove so we feel like we have a great shot to give Discount Tire their first victory of the season at their home track.” Todd Gordon, crew chief, No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T
DODGE IN THE NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
• Dodge won its first Nationwide championship last year when Penske Racing’s Brad Keselowski won the driver’s title.
• Dodge will field two entries in the Nationwide Series from the Penske Racing stable. Sam Hornish Jr. will join teammate Keselowski for a limited race schedule in 2011.
• The Dodge Challenger R/T will serve as Dodge’s entry for all 35 races this season in the Nationwide Series.
DID YOU KNOW
• Dodge runs two different car brands in NASCAR; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (Dodge Charger R/T) and NASCAR Nationwide Series (Dodge Challenger R/T).
STAT OF THE WEEK
• After five starts in a Dodge Challenger (four last year and one this year) in the Nationwide Series, Keselowski has one pole, two wins, and four top fives.
DODGE SPEAK
“We’ve spent the last year redefining and building the Dodge brand. Now we’re going to show customers what the future of Dodge will look like. At Dodge, we’re passionate about driving; we look forward to it. We think a car should have a personality, be powerful and fun. We’re going to put that Dodge mojo into the entire lineup, from compact cars to minivans to SUVs and everything in between.” Ralph Gilles, President and CEO - Dodge Car brand, Chrysler Group LLC
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
CAT-BACK Exhaust, CAI, Projector Head Lamps
Fully-Equipped w/all factory options
Brian Keselowski entered at Phoenix By David Newton
ESPN.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Brian Keselowski, who became one of the feel-good stories at the Daytona 500 after being pushed into the race by his brother, will attempt to qualify for Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway.
The older brother of Penske Racing driver Brad Keselowski was skeptical he would be able to repair the car that was involved in the 14-car wreck on Lap 29 of the 500, but after working around the clock all week, the hauler and car are headed west.
"Still a lot of work to be done," Keselowski told ESPN.com Thursday. "But we need to run more to keep getting better."
Keselowski is one of 45 cars entered in the race, so he has to beat only two cars in qualifying to make the field. He is able to travel to Phoenix after a 41st-place finish at Daytona pocketed him $273,663. In addition, he won money for finishing fifth in the second of last Thursday's two qualifying races.
The 29-year-old Keselowski appeared headed home late in the qualifier running in the back of the field with his unsponsored car. But after a wreck sent brother Brad to the back, they hooked up in a two-car tandem and blew past most of the competition.
Brian Keselowski got a last-minute sponsor's deal for the 500 from Discount Tire, which also sponsors his brother's Nationwide Series car, with help from Penske Racing. Brian Keselowski continues to look for sponsors heading into Phoenix.
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
CAT-BACK Exhaust, CAI, Projector Head Lamps
Fully-Equipped w/all factory options
Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes - Kurt Busch Open Interview - Phoenix
AVONDALE, Ariz. , Feb 25, 2011 -
KURT BUSCH (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T) WHY WERE YOU ALMOST A HALF-SECOND FASTER THAN EVERYONE IN THE FIRST PRACTICE? “What’s interesting right now is that we have the ability to do what we want in qualifying practice. You’re seeing guys in race trim and guys in qualifying trim. We went out in qualifying trim and I think that I got a draft or at least the air was broken up when I chased Bowyer down right in front of me and that might have added to our car running a little bit faster. The only other car that we saw in qualifying trim was my teammate Brad Keselowski and Jeff Burton and those guys didn’t get the perfect lap in. Our car was just perfect right off the bat. It qualified third here last fall and it’s the setup that we started with today. The second run that I made was much slower. The track seems to be real fast in the beginning and then it slows up. Our goal was to go out right away, post a fast lap in case qualifying is rained out.”
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW THE TRACK WILL BE AFTER THE REPAVE? “It’s amazing how we set a track record last fall and with the surface the way it is, it’s time for them to resurface it with all the cracks and harshness that you see in the asphalt. I think with the repaving it’s going to be a great atmosphere for them to do something different and to add to the racing excitement with the variable banking. They’re also going to tweak the dogleg and create a sharper dogleg on the back straightaway. It’s going to change the whole outlook when we come back here for a Chase race with two to go in the fall. It’s going to be a roll of the dice and I think it’s smart on NASCAR’s part to shake up the Chase a little bit with a new race track.”
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR APPROACH TO THE WEEKEND? “We felt that going out early (in the first practice) and laying down a good lap was important. We’ll see how the second practice session goes. We still have one more set of stickers that we can put on our car for a qualifying run at the end. At the end of practice, it’s going to be around 5:30 p.m. and we’ll have optimum track conditions. We’ll see if guys are picking up a lot of speed at the end. You’re going to see the gap really close up here in the second practice.”
HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY GOODYEAR TO BE A PART OF THE TIRE TEST HERE AFTER THE REPAVE? “It’s going to be interesting to see who they pick and how they decide who’s going to participate in the tire test. We’re looking at a possibility of a tire test at Darlington. We’ve heard the possibility of a Kansas tire test. Phoenix is important because it’s part of the Chase. You have to do whatever you can to be on that list. If it’s up to me, you wouldn’t have anybody that’s in the Chase to come out here and test. But let’s just say that my teammate (Brad) Keselowski doesn’t make the top 12, does that mean that he can’t come out here and test because his teammate is in? That’s going to be a tough question for Goodyear to decide.”
IS IT STANDARD TO NOT TALK TO A DRIVER AFTER AN ON-TRACK INCIDENT? IS IT JUST UNDERSTOOD THAT IT’S A RACING INCIDENT? ”There’s that thought that each driver has when something happens on track, nobody steps over the line. It’s kind of just pushed away. I was going to reach out to Regan Smith today and tell him what a great Speedweeks it was for both of us. It’s was the best Speedweeks that I ever had and I couldn’t have done it without his help. Did it end up wrong in the end with him? For him, it was almost like hitting a pillow because he was able to get his car back out there and finish eighth. That was amazing for that to happen. The run that Tony Stewart and Dale Jr. had behind me, they were pushing hard. Could Tony have lifted? Yes. I was on the brakes as hard as I could not to run into Regan Smith. It’s just one of those chain reactions that you know happens. I don’t think Regan has any hard feelings on how they ended and finished seventh. He seemed to kind of push it off to the side. I’ve got to thank Regan again for such a great Speedweeks. Who knew that we were going to team up like we did and it turned out to be a positive effort for the 78 and 22 cars.”
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
CAT-BACK Exhaust, CAI, Projector Head Lamps
Fully-Equipped w/all factory options
Last Updated: Saturday, Feb 26, 2011 3:09 pm, EST
Bashas' Supermarkets 200
Phoenix International Raceway
Leaderboard Data Order Driver (No.) Car Qualifying Speed
1 Kyle Busch (18) Toyota 134.298
2 Carl Edwards (60) Ford 133.328
3 Joey Logano (20) Toyota 133.136 4 Brad Keselowski (22) Dodge 132.631
5 Brian Scott (11) Toyota 132.558
6 Ryan Newman (30) Chevrolet 132.514 7 Trevor Bayne (16) Ford 132.402
8 Steve Wallace (66) Toyota 131.863
9 Kevin Harvick (33) Chevrolet 131.854
10 Reed Sorenson (32) Toyota 131.805
11 Elliott Sadler (2) Chevrolet 131.459
12 Joe Nemechek (87) Chevrolet 131.186
13 Jason Leffler (38) Toyota 130.985
14 Ryan Truex (99) Toyota 130.928
15 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (6) Ford 130.662
16 Justin Allgaier (31) Chevrolet 130.653
17 Michael Annett (62) Toyota 129.983
18 Kenny Wallace (09) Ford 129.870
19 Mike Bliss (19) Chevrolet 129.683 20 Danica Patrick (7) Chevrolet 129.236
21 Mike Wallace (01) Chevrolet 129.180 22 Jeremy Clements (51) Dodge 129.176
23 Charles Lewandoski (44) Chevrolet 129.074 24 Josh Wise (39) Dodge 129.014
25 Aric Almirola (88) Chevrolet 128.958
26 Scott Wimmer (40) Chevrolet 128.875
27 Eric McClure (14) Toyota 128.714
28 Morgan Shepherd (89) Chevrolet 128.512
29 Shelby Howard (70) Chevrolet 127.614
30 Timmy Hill (15) Toyota 127.528
31 Robert Richardson Jr. (23) Chevrolet 127.425
32 Blake Koch (81) Ford 127.020
33 Kelly Bires (25) Ford 126.680
34 Daryl Harr (52) Ford 125.887
35 Derrike Cope (28) Chevrolet 125.414 36 Justin Marks (27) Dodge 124.236
37 Kevin Lepage (24) Ford 123.997
38 Carl Long (141) Chevrolet 123.839 39 Brett Rowe (55) Dodge 122.125
40 Jennifer Jo Cobb (79) Dodge -
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
CAT-BACK Exhaust, CAI, Projector Head Lamps
Fully-Equipped w/all factory options
Last Updated: Saturday, Feb 26, 2011 4:58 pm, EST
Subway Fresh Fit 500
Phoenix International Raceway
Leaderboard Data Order Driver (No.) Car Qualifying Speed
1 Carl Edwards (99) Ford 137.279 2 Kurt Busch (22) Dodge 137.112
3 Kasey Kahne (4) Toyota 137.096
4 Kyle Busch (18) Toyota 136.981
5 Regan Smith (78) Chevrolet 136.971
6 Joey Logano (20) Toyota 136.945
7 Martin Truex Jr. (56) Toyota 136.809
8 Jamie McMurray (1) Chevrolet 136.773 9 Brad Keselowski (2) Dodge 136.768
10 Greg Biffle (16) Ford 136.674
11 David Ragan (6) Ford 136.643
12 Denny Hamlin (11) Toyota 136.581
13 Paul Menard (27) Chevrolet 136.560
14 Ryan Newman (39) Chevrolet 136.457
15 A J Allmendinger (43) Ford 136.405
16 Clint Bowyer (33) Chevrolet 136.327
17 Kevin Harvick (29) Chevrolet 136.116
18 Tony Stewart (14) Chevrolet 136.060
19 Brian Vickers (83) Toyota 135.998
20 Jeff Gordon (24) Chevrolet 135.772
21 Bobby Labonte (47) Toyota 135.731
22 Juan Pablo Montoya (42) Chevrolet 135.701
23 Mark Martin (5) Chevrolet 135.609
24 Matt Kenseth (17) Ford 135.578
25 Jeff Burton (31) Chevrolet 135.563
26 David Reutimann (00) Toyota 135.557
27 Casey Mears (13) Toyota 135.527
28 Jimmie Johnson (48) Chevrolet 135.496
29 Marcos Ambrose (9) Ford 135.471
30 David Gilliland (34) Ford 135.471 31 Robby Gordon (7) Dodge 135.232
32 Joe Nemechek (87) Toyota 134.933
33 Trevor Bayne (21) Ford 134.756
34 Michael McDowell (66) Toyota 134.685
35 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) Chevrolet 134.675
36 Mike Skinner (32) Ford 134.273
37 Landon Cassill (60) Toyota 134.048
38 J.J. Yeley (46) Chevrolet 134.043
39 Bill Elliott (09) Chevrolet 133.784
40 Travis Kvapil (38) Ford 133.393
41 Andy Lally (71) Chevrolet 131.926
42 Tony Raines (37) Ford 131.661
43 Dave Blaney (36) Chevrolet 133.353 44 Brian Keselowski (192) DNQ 131.238
45 Terry Labonte (32) Ford -
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
CAT-BACK Exhaust, CAI, Projector Head Lamps
Fully-Equipped w/all factory options
BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T) “Just a tough break for this Discount Tire Dodge. I’m not sure exactly what happened, all that I know is that we blew up a right-front tire and I ended up throwing the car into the Turn 4 wall. We had a decent race car, but not exactly what we needed here today to win a race. We showed some tire wear in our first pit stop and I started to get concerned. We were late in the run and I started to feel a vibration. I had a feeling that I may be in trouble. That’s racing. We’ve been lucky to miss incidents all last year that helped us win the championship and now, this year, we’re two-for-two in DNF’s.
ARE YOU SEEING A LOT MORE TIRE WEAR WITH THIS NEW CAR? ARE GUYS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THIS TIRE? “Our team never saw this tire until we got to the track this weekend. It’s a combination of the new tire and the new car and that was the recipe for disaster.”
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
CAT-BACK Exhaust, CAI, Projector Head Lamps
Fully-Equipped w/all factory options
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Linear Mode
