Countdown: Arizona

From the majestic desert vistas to the walls of rock carved by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon State's natural wonders could fill a photo album.

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Tombstone sheriff Wyatt Earp took on the bad guys at the O.K. Corral, while Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh while peering into a telescope through the Arizona night sky.

By the time Glen Campbell got to Phoenix, she'd be rising, while Mark Lindsay asked Arizona to take off those rainbow shades.

Phoenix International Raceway has been hosting Cup races since 1988, but NASCAR's history in Arizona goes all the way back to 1951, when Marshall Teague drove a Hudson to victory at the one-mile dirt oval at the Arizona State Fairgrounds.

Best behind the wheel

• Mel Larson, Phoenix

Mel Larson never won a race, but he left a legacy in racing much greater than his 47 career NASCAR starts.

Larson began competiting in NASCAR's West Coast races in 1955, running the two local races in Phoenix and Tucson. By the next season, he was towing his car across country, competing at Daytona's beach course.

Inside the Numbers Mel Larson's career stats Year Races W T5 T10 1955 2 0 0 1 1956 6 0 0 1 1957 11 0 1 6 1958 4 0 0 1 1959 2 0 0 2 1960 4 0 1 2 1970 1 0 0 1 1972 4 0 0 0 1973 10 0 0 0 1975 1 0 0 0 1978 2 0 0 0 Total 47 0 2 14

Larson's career highlight came in 1960, when he won the pole for the Copper Cup Championship in a Pontiac and finished second to John Rostek as one of only two drivers to complete the 100-mile distance. He also won a pole at Concord, N.C. in 1957.

He made only one Daytona 500 start, finishing 36th in the 1960 event, which featured 68 cars.

Larson became the first NASCAR driver to carry an on-board camera in 1956, when he filmed footage to be used in Ford commercials. Later, he was instrumental in promoting off-road racing and drag racing. He entered the first Mint 400 as a driver, then ran the event as promoter. In addition, his name graced the Arizona Raceway for the AHRA's first sanctioned event in 1963.

After a 10-year sabbatical, Larson returned to the track in 1970 and continued to drive in selected races until his retirement in 1978. In 1973, he made 10 starts with a season-best 13th at Dover.

Another noteworthy driver from Arizona

• Marty Robbins, Glendale: Better known for hit records like "El Paso" and "A White Sport Coat (and a Pink Carnation)", he had 35 starts with a career-best fifth at Michigan in 1974

We wish ...

Kerri Strug vaults to the gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics at Atlanta. Credit: AP

Olympic gold medal gymnast Kerri Strug had become a NASCAR driver.

Consider what the Tucson native did during the 1996 Summer Olympic games. With the U.S. and Russia neck and neck for the team gold medal, the Americans needed a good score from Strug, who was last to perform. After suffering a badly sprained ankle on her first vault, Strug bravely stuck a perfect landing on her second attempt, raised her arms to the judges, then crumpled to the mat and had to be carried to the podium for the medal ceremony.

And you think Ricky Rudd taping his eyelids open was courageous.

Keeping it on the track

• Phoenix International Raceway

The quirky one-mile oval in Avondale has been around since 1964, but first hosted a NASCAR race in 1988, when Alan Kulwicki beat Terry Labonte for his first career victory. The track features differing radius turns and banking, along with a slight backstretch kink.

When it comes to winning at the track located at the base of the Estrella Mountains, apparently three is a crowd. No driver has ever won three times there.

Davey Allison was the first driver to win twice, visiting Victory Lane in 1991 and 1992. He was followed by Jeff Burton (2000-2001) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003-2004). Brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch swept the 2005 races as Phoenix hosted two stops on the Nextel Cup circuit for the first time.

Gone but not forgotten

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• Tucson Rodeo Grounds, Tucson

Danny Letner of Downey, Calif., scored the second of his two career NASCAR victories in May of 1955, piloting his Oldsmobile to an average speed of 51.428 mph at the half-mile dirt oval that had been in operation since 1939, but closed shortly after its only NASCAR event. Letner, who picked up $1,000 for the win, was the only car on the lead lap at the end of 100 miles, beating Allen Adkins by one lap as 12 of the 19-car field were running at the finish.

Other tracks which have hosted NASCAR races

• Arizona State Fairgrounds, Phoenix: Marshall Teague, Tim Flock, Buck Baker and John Rostek won at the dirt mile between 1951 and 1960

• Tucson Raceway Park, Tucson: Hosted Craftsman Truck Series events, including two victories by Ron Hornaday

A word from our sponsor

• Best Western, Phoenix

The Official Hotel of NASCAR has more than 4,100 independently owned and operated hotels, offering 310,421 quality guestrooms located in 78 countries and territories worldwide.