Hendrick trio set the mark among the Chase drivers

If you're in the Chase, this week's stop at Phoenix International Raceway is going to make you happy.

Eight of the Chase drivers have won at least once on the 1-mile oval, and half of the eight have won twice, including point leader Jimmie Johnson. Among those who haven't won at PIR are point runner-up Carl Edwards and third-place Greg Biffle.

Johnson won the pole for the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 with a lap at 134.725 mph, his first pole at PIR. That's a good thing, but interestingly enough, there has only been one race won from the pole at PIR, and that was in last year's spring race when Jeff Gordon turned the trick.

Johnson has won the past two races at PIR, taking last fall's race in addition to the spring event. Winners seem to go in spurts there, however, and no one has won more than two consecutive races. Johnson has two victories five-top-fives and eight top-10s in 10 starts for an average finish of 6.0. He was also fastest in practice on Friday morning.

Three more Chasers followed Johnson in the top 10.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is another two-time winner at PIR, and he was .005 seconds off Johnson's best time in practice. Earnhardt Jr. has four top-five and six top-10 finishes in 12 starts, but he's also had three DNFs there. That puts his average finish at 18.0, next to last in the Chase. He'll line up fifth on Sunday after a lap at 134.108 mph.

Gordon, despite 15 top-10 finishes in his 19 starts, has won only once at Phoenix, in the spring of 2007. His average finish of 8.5 is second to Johnson's unfathomable 6.0, and he has eight top-fives to boot. Gordon put his Chevrolet in seventh at 133.730 mph.

Denny Hamlin has finished three of his six Phoenix races in the top five, and all three of those runs resulted in third-place finishes. His last third-place run came in April and his average finish of 12.0 is fifth among the Chase set. His Toyota timed in at 133.685 mph and he'll start eighth.

The rest of the Chase drivers were spread out through the field.

Kyle Busch won at PIR back in his rookie season of 2005 and has put his car in the top 10 in five of seven starts. His lone top-five, however, was the victory. His average finish of 15.4 is eighth in the Chase. Busch clicked off a lap at 133.323 mph to earn the 14th starting spot.

Edwards, for his part, has three top-five and five top-10 finishes in eight starts, and won a pole at PIR. He's been fourth twice, and his average finish of 14.5 is seventh-best among Chasers. He put his Ford in 15th at 133.304 mph.

Kevin Harvick is another two-time Phoenix winner, and he's been good in his 11 previous starts. Harvick has three top-five and five top-10 finishes, and his average finish is 13.7, sixth among the Chase drivers. He'll line up 19th on Sunday after a lap at 133.151 mph.

Jeff Burton has won two races on the desert mile, the last in 2001. He's another top-10 machine at PIR, logging 10 of them in 18 starts, and half of those were top-fives. His average finish of 11.1 is fourth in the Chase. His lap at 132.836 mph put him 24th.

Clint Bowyer made his Cup Series debut at Phoenix a couple years ago, and finished 22nd. He was second in the spring race earlier this year, giving him two top-five finishes in six starts. His lap at 132.636 mph was good for 28th.

Tony Stewart loves Phoenix, and has the single-digit average finish to prove it. His is 9.8, third behind Johnson and Gordon, and he has a victory, six top-five and eight top-10 results in 13 starts. His victory came in his first start back in 1999. On Friday, he logged a lap at 132.621 mph to start 29th.

Biffle, third in the points, was 28th in practice, and in nine starts at PIR he has managed a pair of top-fives and three top-10s. Biffle's average finish is 16.4, 10th best among the 12 Chase drivers. Biffle averaged 132.329 mph in his Ford, for 31st starting spot on Sunday.

Matt Kenseth is worst among Chasers in terms of average finish at 18.8, but his record is better than most. In 12 starts, Kenseth has a victory, five top-five and six top-10 finishes to his credit. It's the three DNFs that have killed his average. Kenseth was the fifth car out on Friday, and he went 132.280 mph to earn the 34th spot on Sunday.