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Jimmie Johnson won the spring race at Phoenix, his second win in a row at the track.

By the Numbers: Phoenix

Statistics lean in favor of Johnson at 1-mile desert track

By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
November 6, 2008
10:44 AM EST

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Think April of 2006, the spring race at Phoenix. Kevin Harvick won the first of his season sweep at the Arizona mile track. Carl Edwards came in fourth, his first top-five finish at the track. And Jimmie Johnson was three positions back in seventh.

It was also the last time Edwards beat Johnson at Phoenix.

Despite finishing 11th or better in three of the next four races there, Johnson was able to do even better in that span. In fact, only four drivers finished higher than Johnson in that span. He was second and fourth in the next two races, then won two in a row.

What does that mean for Edwards? Johnson, who could possibly clinch the Cup Series championship at Phoenix by gaining 90 points on Edwards and 50 points on Greg Biffle, simply needs to take care of his own finishing position to win the title (more below). But for Edwards, he has to average a 53-point gain on Johnson in the next two weeks -- also the difference between first and seventh.

Chase Drivers at Phoenix

1. Jimmie JohnsonTwo times Johnson has finished 15th at Phoenix -- his worst performance at the track. Otherwise, he's finished seventh or better. And he's won the last two races there.

2. Carl EdwardsEdwards had an engine failure last fall at Phoenix, but otherwise he's been 11th or better in every race since his 2004 track debut (when he was 37th). Edwards was fourth there in the spring.

3. Greg BiffleSince Phoenix moved to two races in 2005, Biffle has finished second twice in the fall race, including last year. He was ninth in the spring race there. He has not led a lap at PIR since the 2006 spring race.

4. Jeff BurtonBurton won back-to-back Phoenix races in 2001 and 2002, leading 105 laps in the first one and 102 in the second one. He hasn't finished worse than 15th there since, but he hasn't led either.

5. Jeff GordonJust because he got his first victory at the track last spring, don't let it camouflage his consistent success at Phoenix. All but two of his 19 starts have ended in finishes of 13th or better.

6. Clint BowyerBowyer has gotten progressively better in his last four races at Phoenix with finishes of 33rd, 22nd, 11th and second. The problem is, he hasn't led a lap in any of those races.

7. Kevin HarvickHarvick swept the 2006 races at Phoenix, including the fall race when he led 252 of 312 laps. He has had balmy success since: 10th, sixth and 19th.

8. Matt KensethThe 2002 winner struggled to a 38th-place finish in the spring. But last year, Kenseth finished fifth and third in the two Phoenix races.

9. Tony StewartStewart won Phoenix in his first attempt in 1999. In the last four races, he's finished 14th, second, fourth and 14th again. He led 132 laps in the spring 2007 race.

10. Kyle BuschAwful showings in 2006 (36th and 38th) have been the exception for Busch at Phoenix. Otherwise, he's finished in the top 10 and even won there in the fall 2005 race.

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.Since his back-to-back wins there in 2003 and 2004, Earnhardt has been up and down at Phoenix. His most recent trips resulted in a 43rd-place finish last fall, but a seventh-place showing earlier this year.

12. Denny HamlinThree is the lucky number for Hamlin. He has finished third at Phoenix in three of the last four races.

Five Chase Facts

3Phoenix Chase races that have been won by a Chase driver (2004-present). The only fall race at PIR that was not won by a Chase driver was 2005 when Kyle Busch won. Busch finished 20th in the standings that season.

5Times this season that Carl Edwards has gained 106 points or more on Jimmie Johnson in consecutive races. He trails Johnson by 106 points in the championship standings with two races to go.

5.5Average running position for Jimmie Johnson in the last seven races at Phoenix. Carl Edwards' average running position during that same span is 13.1.

7Position Jimmie Johnson can finish (or better) in the final two races and clinch the championship no matter what any other driver does.

1,280Points scored by Jimmie Johnson at Phoenix since the Chase began, more than any other driver. Carl Edwards ranks seventh on the list with 995 points scored.

Non-Chase Nugget

676Laps led by Mark Martin in his 23 starts at Phoenix, more than any other active driver and second on the all-time list behind Rusty Wallace (868). Martin will be making his final start of this season at Phoenix.

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Phoenix International Raceway

Chase Driver Statistics

Pos.	Driver	Starts	Wins	Avg. Finish

1.	Jimmie Johnson	10	2	6.0
2.	Carl Edwards	8	0	14.5
3.	Greg Biffle	9	0	16.4
4.	Jeff Burton	18	2	11.1
5.	Jeff Gordon	19	1	8.5
6.	Clint Bowyer	6	0	15.8
7.	Kevin Harvick	11	2	13.7
8.	Matt Kenseth	12	1	18.8
9.	Tony Stewart	13	1	9.8
10.	Kyle Busch	7	1	15.4
11.	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	12	2	18.0
12.	Denny Hamlin	6	0	12.0

Sprint Cup Series

Official Standings

Pos.	+/-	Driver	Points	Behind

1.	--	Jimmie Johnson	6366	Leader
2.	--	Carl Edwards	6260	-106
3.	--	Greg Biffle	6223	-143
4.	--	Jeff Burton	6154	-212
5.	+1	Jeff Gordon	6111	-255
6.	+1	Clint Bowyer	6099	-267
7.	-2	Kevin Harvick	6087	-279
8.	+1	Matt Kenseth	5973	-393
9.	-1	Tony Stewart	5962	-404
10.	+2	Kyle Busch	5938	-428
11.	-1	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	5937	-429
12.	-1	Denny Hamlin	5935	-431