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Steve Letarte and Jeff Gordon need to find a way to make up ground on their 48 team counterparts this week at Phoenix.By the Numbers: Phoenix
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The season is down to two races and two drivers. Jeff Gordon has lost 98 points to Jimmie Johnson in the past four races and trails his teammate by 30.
But all is not lost just yet. Fifteen times this season, back-to-back races have resulted in Gordon "out-pointing" Johnson by more than 30 points. Twice, Phoenix was involved. However, he's only done it twice in the Chase.
+93Daytona (Feb. 18) and California (Feb. 25)
+40Bristol (March 25) and Martinsville (April 1)
+106Martinsville (April 1) and Texas (April 15)
+ 151Texas (April 15) and Phoenix (April 21)
+50Phoenix (April 21) and Talladega (April 29)
+173Dover (June 4) and Pocono (June 10)
+185Pocono (June 10) and Michigan (June 17)
+61Michigan (June 17) and Sonoma (June 24)
+44Sonoma (June 24) and New Hampshire (July 1)
+41New Hampshire (July 1) and Daytona (July 7)
+107Daytona (July 7) and Chicago (July 15)
+200Chicago (July 15) and Indianapolis (July 29)
+124Indianapolis (July 29) and Pocono (Aug. 5)
+74Talladega (Oct. 7) and Charlotte (Oct.13)
+44Charlotte (Oct. 13) and Martinsville (Oct. 21)
Gordon is coming off his first career victory at Phoenix International Raceway in April whereas Johnson has yet to win there. But Johnson also hadn't won at Texas before last week. This week, Johnson will try to become the first driver to win four consecutive races since Gordon in 1998.
Want something other than Gordon or Johnson? Well, 49 drivers are on the official entry list for Phoenix; 43 of them will make the race. For something non-Gordon or Johnson related, try a sample of the following (only twice more will the aforementioned be mentioned):
Interesting Fact
448Laps led at Phoenix by Kyle Busch, third-most of all time. Only Rusty Wallace (869) and Mark Martin (608) have led more. However, Busch has made only nine career starts at PIR; 36 drivers have made more including 25 who are active. Wallace made 19 career starts at Phoenix; Martin has 22.
Fun Fact
20Years NASCAR has been racing at Phoenix International Raceway, which opened in 1964 as a top open-wheel venue. Today's NASCAR will feel right at home.
All the Facts (Top 20 at Phoenix, April 2007)
1Jeff Gordon has 14 top-10s in 17 starts at Phoenix and has finished worse than 17th just once when handling issues in his first start there resulted in a 35th-place finish and his only DNF. Average finish: 8.2.
2Tony Stewart has three top-fives in the past four races at Phoenix including two runner-up finishes. His lone win in Phoenix came in his first race at the track, in 1999, and was the second victory of his Cup career. Average finish (11 starts): 9.9.
3Denny Hamlin has finished third in consecutive races at Phoenix, and in 2005 in just his sixth career Cup event started from the pole and finished 13th. Average finish (four starts): 13.2.
4Jimmie Johnson has six top-10s in eight starts at Phoenix and has never finished worse than 15th. He has finished second there two times, both in November races. Average finish: 7.2.
5Matt Kenseth has four top-fives and five top-10s in 10 starts at Phoenix, but also three DNFs. Four times he has finished 32nd or worse. Average finish: 18.4.
6Jeff Green, having been replaced by Jeremy Mayfield, will not get a chance to improve upon his best finish of the season -- matched three times in 2007 -- as well as his only top-10 in 10 races at Phoenix. Average finish: 26.5.
7Kyle Busch has three top-10s in five starts, but finished 36th and 38th in the two races last year at Phoenix. His second career Cup victory came in the November race in 2005. Average finish: 18.0.
8Bobby Labonte has nine top-10s in 17 starts at Phoenix, including two eighth-place finishes in three races in the 43 car. Labonte's finish this past April matches his best this season and is one of only three top-10s he has in 2007. Average finish: 16.1.
9Johnny Sauter has finished ninth in two of four races at Phoenix, both times in the spring. He has finished 39th in both November races there with two DNFs (crash and suspension). Average finish: 24.0.
10Kevin Harvick posted his third consecutive top-10 finish after sweeping the 2006 season at Phoenix. He led 252 of 312 laps last November. Prior to the back-to-back victories, Harvick had finished better than 17th just once in his first six races at PIR (fourth in 2004). Average finish: 14.0.
11Carl Edwards had his run of four consecutive top-10s at Phoenix end with a finish closer to his track average in six starts. Edwards finished 37th in his first race there. Average finish: 11.7.
12Mark Martin has only three finishes outside the top 15 in 22 starts at Phoenix and just one worse than 19th (he had his lone DNF at Phoenix in his first start there when a crash resulted in a 36th-place finish). He was sixth last November, his last top-10 in the 6 car. Average finish: 9.4.
13Jeff Burton finished 27th, 23rd and 31st in his first three starts at Phoenix, but hasn't finished worse than 15th in 13 races since. He led race-high laps of 105 and 102 in winning back-to-back events in 2000 and 2001, respectively. He has completed all but 16 of a possible 4,940 laps at PIR. Average finish: 11.6.
14Tony Raines posted his best finish in five Phoenix starts and first top-15 there. Average finish: 22.8.
15Reed Sorenson posted his best finish in three Phoenix starts. His previous best was 29th last November. Average finish: 28.0.
16Joe Nemechek has top-20 finishes in five of the past six races at Phoenix, including his only top-10 in 16 starts there. He led his one and only lap at Phoenix this past April in posting his best finish since he was 10th in April 2005. Average finish: 22.6.
17Greg Biffle has finished in the top 20 in five of seven starts at Phoenix. Twice he has led the most laps in a race at PIR, finishing second in November 2005 (189 laps led) and 15th in April 2006 (151). He was 34th last November. Average finish: 19.6.
18Kurt Busch has completed all but three of a possible 2,811 laps at Phoenix. He was eighth last November, one of five top-10s he has in nine starts there including a win in April 2005, the first spring race at PIR. Average finish: 13.6.
19Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finished better than 19th just once in the past four races at Phoenix -- he was ninth last November. Prior to that he had four consecutive top-fives including back-to-back wins in 2003 and 2004. Average finish (10 starts): 16.6.
20Martin Truex Jr. has never finished worse than 22nd in three starts at Phoenix and his best result came last November when he was 12th. Average finish: 18.0.
All the Facts (Notables at Phoenix, April 2007
22Clint Bowyer has finished better than 22nd once in four races at Phoenix -- he was fifth in April 2006. Average finish: 20.5.
26Ricky Rudd will make his final start at Phoenix and next-to-last of his long Cup career. Rudd led a race-high 183 laps in his first race at Phoenix in 1988, but engine failure resulted in a 26th-place finish. In 20 career starts at PIR, Rudd has three top-fives and five top-10s including a victory in 1995. Average finish: 19.6.
Also
Nextel Cup Series
Official Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | +1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6382 | Leader |
| 2. | -1 | Jeff Gordon | 6352 | -30 |
| 3. | -- | Clint Bowyer | 6201 | -181 |
| 4. | +2 | Kyle Busch | 6043 | -339 |
| 5. | -1 | Carl Edwards | 6025 | -357 |
| 6. | -1 | Tony Stewart | 6009 | -373 |
| 7. | +1 | Jeff Burton* | 5951 | -431 |
| 8. | -1 | Kevin Harvick* | 5943 | -439 |
| 9. | -- | Kurt Busch* | 5929 | -453 |
| 10. | +1 | Matt Kenseth* | 5928 | -454 |
| 11. | -1 | Denny Hamlin* | 5858 | -524 |
| 12. | -- | Martin Truex Jr.* | 5858 | -524 |
2007 Chase drivers at Phoenix
| Pos. | Driver | No. | W | T-5 | T-10 | Avg. Fin. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | J. Johnson | 8 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7.3 |
| 2. | J. Gordon | 17 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 8.2 |
| 3. | C. Bowyer | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20.5 |
| 4. | Ky. Busch | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 18.0 |
| 5. | C. Edwards | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 11.7 |
| 6. | T. Stewart | 11 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 9.9 |
• Eliminated drivers not included
Phoenix Int'l Raceway
Race Winners
| Year | Driver | Make | Start | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | A. Kulwicki | Ford | 21 | 41 |
| 1989 | B. Elliott | Ford | 13 | 50 |
| 1990 | D. Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 3 | 262 |
| 1991 | Da. Allison | Ford | 13 | 162 |
| 1992 | Da. Allison | Ford | 12 | 30 |
| 1993 | M. Martin | Ford | 3 | 212 |
| 1994 | T. Labonte | Chevrolet | 19 | 112 |
| 1995 | R. Rudd | Ford | 29 | 63 |
| 1996 | B. Hamilton | Pontiac | 17 | 40 |
| 1997 | D. Jarrett | Ford | 9 | 73 |
| 1998 | R. Wallace | Ford | 6 | 196 |
| 1999 | T. Stewart | Pontiac | 11 | 154 |
| 2000 | J. Burton | Ford | 2 | 105 |
| 2001 | J. Burton | Ford | 3 | 102 |
| 2002 | M. Kenseth | Ford | 28 | 55 |
| 2003 | Dale Jr. | Chevrolet | 11 | 87 |
| 2004 | Dale Jr. | Chevrolet | 14 | 118 |
| 2005 | Ku. Busch | Ford | 2 | 219 |
| Ky. Busch | Chevrolet | 15 | 63 | |
| 2006 | K. Harvick | Chevrolet | 15 | 10 |
| K. Harvick | Chevrolet | 2 | 252 | |
| 2007 | J. Gordon | Chevrolet | 1 | 53 |
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Car of Tomorrow
2007 races with the COT
| Date | Track | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| March 25 | Bristol | Kyle Busch |
| April 1 | Martinsville | Jimmie Johnson |
| April 21 | Phoenix | Jeff Gordon |
| May 6 | Richmond | Jimmie Johnson |
| May 13 | Darlington | Jeff Gordon |
| June 4 | Dover | Martin Truex Jr. |
| June 24 | Sonoma | Juan Montoya |
| July 1 | New Hampshire | Denny Hamlin |
| Aug. 12 | Watkins Glen | Tony Stewart |
| Aug. 25 | Bristol | Carl Edwards |
| Sept. 8 | Richmond | Jimmie Johnson |
| Sept. 16 | New Hampshire * | Clint Bowyer |
| Sept. 23 | Dover * | Carl Edwards |
| Oct. 7 | Talladega * | Jeff Gordon |
| Oct. 21 | Martinsville * | Jimmie Johnson |
| Nov. 11 | Phoenix * |
* -- Chase race | • Store: COT Die-Casts
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