Phoenix: Long runs, close battles, Chase success

Race No. 35: Kobalt Tools 500 from Phoenix International Raceway (3 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPN). Green flag at 3:15 p.m. ET.

2 -- Times in the past three races at Phoenix the leader with 10 laps to go did not win: April 2009 (Ryan Newman was leading, Mark Martin won); and April 2010 (Kyle Busch was leading, Newman won). It happened only one other time in first 25 races at PIR: November 2000 (Martin was leading, Jeff Burton won).

3 -- Races at Phoenix won from the pole, all in the past seven races: Jeff Gordon (April 2007); Jimmie Johnson (November 2008); and Mark Martin (April 2009). Seven of the past eight have been won from a top-10 starting position, the lone exception in April when Ryan Newman started 14th. Overall, 14 of the 28 races at PIR have been won from the top 10.

4 -- Laps led by Ryan Newman at Phoenix in April, the fewest of any winner there. The four races prior were won by the leader of the most laps, which is the case in 15 of the 28 races at PIR.

5 -- Drivers who have won consecutive races at Phoenix: Davey Allison (1991-92); Jeff Burton (2000-01); Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003-04); Kevin Harvick (2006 sweep); and Jimmie Johnson (November 2007 and 2008 sweep).

6 -- Times in the past eight races at Phoenix the margin of victory has been less than 1 second. Ryan Newman won by .130 seconds in April, the smallest in track history. The MOV has been less than 1 second 12 times overall at PIR.

6 -- Chase drivers who finished in the top 10 at Phoenix in April: Jeff Gordon (second); Jimmie Johnson (third); Matt Kenseth (sixth); Carl Edwards (seventh): Kyle Busch (eighth); and Clint Bowyer (ninth). Three finished 25th or worse: Jeff Burton (25th); Denny Hamlin (30th); and Kurt Busch (35th).

9 -- Drivers who have finished second at Phoenix but never won there: Greg Biffle (twice), Clint Bowyer, Derrike Cope, Ernie Irvan, Jeremy Mayfield, Ken Schrader, Mike Wallace, Darrell Waltrip and Michael Waltrip.

10 -- Consecutive victories at Phoenix by Chevrolet drivers, including six in a row by Hendrick Motorsports (2007-09), after Ford drivers won 12 of the first 18 races. Chevy lead all manufacturers with 14 victories at the track. Pontiac (two) is the only other make to win there.

12 -- Times there have been a green-flag stretch of 100 or more laps at Phoenix. Eight races have had at least one green-flag stretch of 125 or more laps. The longest was 189 in 1994. Although two of the past four races have ended in a green-white-checkered finish, only eight races overall at PIR (29 percent) have had a caution in the final 12 laps.

13 -- Drivers who led at Phoenix in April, matching a track high accomplished three other times. Three drivers led 100 or more laps: Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch (113 each); and Juan Montoya (104). Johnson finished third, Montoya fifth and Busch eighth.

27 -- Starts at Phoenix for Mark Martin, most of any driver. He also holds track highs in top-fives (11), top-10s (18) and lead-lap finishes (24). A two-time winner at PIR, he is third all time in laps led (833) and average finish (8.67).

189 -- Laps led by Greg Biffle at Phoenix in November 2005, the most of any non-winner there. Biffle is the only driver of the 10 who has led 300 or more laps at PIR (349 in 13 starts) not to have won there. He has led the most laps in a race at Phoenix twice. Biffle has three Nationwide victories at Phoenix and one in the Truck Series.

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