Sunday’s Quicken Loans 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway is the next-to-last race of the 2014 Sprint Cup season, but it’s also the final race of the Eliminator round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. At Phoenix, eight drivers will battle for the four slots to battle for the 2014 Sprint Cup trophy in the season-finale next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Only three drivers, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman, are in control of their own destiny, as far as advancing to the final round without winning at PIR, regardless of how their other five fellow-competitors perform.
With eliminated Chase drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson claiming wins in the two races of the Eliminator round, so far, no Chase driver has yet won and Eliminator round race. But the only way the other five Chasers — Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards — can guarantee their advancement, regardless of the finishes of their regular competitors is to win at Phoenix.
As far as wins go, past stats are in Harvick’s favor. Among the eight remaining Chase drivers, Harvick’s make the most trips to victory lane at PIR with five wins. Gordon and Edwards are the other two drivers among the eight with multiple wins at Phoenix, each with two. Meanwhile Team Penske teammates Logano and Keselowski have yet to post wins at PIR.
Here’s a statistical look at how the eight remaining Chasers have fared throughout their careers at Phoenix International Raceway.
1 – Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 106.8
2014 Rundown
· Five wins, 16 top fives, 21 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.4
· Led 21 races for 976 laps
Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:
· Two top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 15.9 in 11 races
· Average Running Position of 15.1, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 83.7, 15th-best
2 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.8
2014 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.8
· Led 16 races for 289 laps
Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:
· One win, eight top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.3 in 18 races
· Average Running Position of 11.7, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 97.1, seventh-best
· 237 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 4,134 Laps in the Top 15 (72.6%), seventh-most
3 – Ryan Newman (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.9
2014 Rundown
· Four top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.0
· Led 7 races for 41 laps
Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:
· One win, eight top fives, 10 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 18.2 in 24 races
· Average Running Position of 15.1, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.7, 11th-best
· 821 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· 4,031 Laps in the Top 15 (67.1%), ninth-most
· 539 Quality Passes, second-most
4 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 109.3
2014 Rundown
· Four wins, 13 top fives, 21 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 10.6
· Led 25 races for 922 laps
Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:
· Two wins, 11 top fives, 21 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 11.3 in 31 races
· Average Running Position of 10.3, third-best
· Driver Rating of 99.9, third-best
· 237 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.692 mph, eighth-fastest
· 4,874 Laps in the Top 15 (81.2%), second-most
· 450 Quality Passes, sixth-most
5 – Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.1
2014 Rundown
· 12 top fives, 20 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.7
· Led 20 races for 529 laps
Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:
· One win, five top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 17.2 in 24 races
· Average Running Position of 15.9, 15th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.3, 12th-best
· 173 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· 835 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.506 mph, 11th-fastest
· 3,616 Laps in the Top 15 (60.2%), 10th-most
· 449 Quality Passes, seventh-most
6 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 81.3
2014 Rundown
· Two wins, seven top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.5
· Led 11 races for 135 laps
Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:
· Two wins, seven top fives, 12 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 12.1 in 20 races
· Average Running Position of 12.6, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 99.9, fourth-best
· 367 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.784 mph, fourth-fastest
· 4,124 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7%), eighth-most
· 435 Quality Passes, ninth-most
7 – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 103.2
2014 Rundown
· Six wins, 15 top fives, 18 top 10s; five poles
· Average finish of 13.2
· Led 27 races for 1,540 laps
Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:
· Three top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.7 in 10 races
· Average Running Position of 14.9, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.9, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.711 mph, fifth-fastest
8 – Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 108.7
2014 Rundown
· Three wins, 12 top fives, 18 top 10s; eight poles
· Average finish of 13.6
· Led 25 races for 1,819 laps
Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:
· Five wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.8 in 23 races
· Average Running Position of 10.2, second-best
· Driver Rating of 103.9, second-best
· 386 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· 771 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.868 mph, second-fastest
· 4,646 Laps in the Top 15 (77.4%), fourth-most
· 446 Quality Passes, eighth-most
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