NASCAR - Sprint Cup - Subway Fresh Fit 500 Preview
From The Sports Network
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| DATE: Sunday, March 4th |
| SITE: Phoenix International Raceway (1964) -- Avondale, Arizona |
| TRACK: one-mile oval - 1,179 feet (Frontstretch); 1,551 feet (Backstretch) |
| CAPACITY: 55,000 (Grandstand Seating) |
| ANNUAL: 8th |
| TELEVISION: FOX |
| ANNOUNCERS: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds |
| RADIO: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio |
| START TIME: 3 p.m. (ET)/Green Flag: 3:14 p.m. (ET) |
| DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jeff Gordon |
| RUNNER-UP: Kyle Busch |
| POLE WINNER: Carl Edwards (Finished 28th) |
| LAPS: 312 |
| MILES: 312 (500 kilometers) |
| QUALIFYING RECORD: Carl Edwards, 2011 (137.279 m.p.h.) |
| RACE RECORD: Tony Stewart, 1999 (118.132 m.p.h.) |
| TOTAL PURSE: $4,929,477 (2011 figures) |
| PAYOUTS: 1st Place - $230,586; 2nd Place - $210,016; 3rd Place - $175,961 |
| 2011 Finish |
| Finish | Driver | Start | Finish | Driver | Start |
| 1 | Jeff Gordon | 20 | 6 | Kasey Kahne | 3 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 4 | 7 | Tony Stewart | 18 |
| 3 | Jimmie Johnson | 28 | 8 | Kurt Busch | 2 |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | 17 | 9 | A.J. Allmendinger | 15 |
| 5 | Ryan Newman | 14 | 10 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | 10 |
| 2011 Subway Fresh Fit 500 Facts and Figures |
| TIME OF RACE: 3 hours, 1 minute, 49 seconds |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 102.961 m.p.h. |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.137 seconds |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 8 for 43 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 28 among 12 drivers |
| POLE WINNER: Carl Edwards (137.279 m.p.h. - track record) |
| Past Subway Fresh Fit 500 Winners (Starting Position) Car -- Speed |
| 2011 -- Jeff Gordon (20th) -- Chevrolet -- 102.961 m.p.h. |
| 2010 -- Ryan Newman (14th) -- Chevrolet -- 99.372 m.p.h. (600-kilometer race) |
| 2009 -- Mark Martin (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 108.042 m.p.h. |
| 2008 -- Jimmie Johnson (7th) -- Chevrolet -- 103.292 m.p.h. |
| 2007 -- Jeff Gordon (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 107.710 m.p.h. |
| 2006 -- Kevin Harvick (15th) -- Chevrolet -- 107.063 m.p.h. |
| 2005 -- Kurt Busch (2nd) -- Ford -- 102.707 m.p.h. |
| NOTE: Previously called Subway Fresh 500 (2005-06), Subway Fresh Fit 500 |
| (2007-09). Race changed from 500 kilometers to 600 (2010), and then from |
| 600 kilometers to 500 (2011). |
| Past Subway Fresh Fit 500 Pole Winners (Finish) |
| 2011 -- Carl Edwards -- 28th |
| 2010 -- AJ Allmendinger -- 15th |
| 2009 -- Mark Martin -- 1st |
| 2008 -- Ryan Newman -- 43rd |
| 2007 -- Jeff Gordon -- 1st |
| 2006 -- Kyle Busch -- 36th |
| 2005 -- Jeff Gordon -- 12th |
| Last Race Results |
| RACE: Daytona 500 (February 26th) |
| SITE: Daytona International Speedway -- Daytona Beach, Florida |
| MILES: 202 |
| LAPS: 505 |
| WINNER: Matt Kenseth |
| RUNNER-UP: Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| THIRD: Greg Biffle |
| FOURTH: Denny Hamlin |
| FIFTH: Jeff Burton |
| POLE WINNER: Carl Edwards (Finished 8th) |
| TIME OF RACE: 3 hours, 36 minutes, 2 seconds |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 140.256 m.p.h. |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.210 second |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 10 for 42 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 25 among 13 drivers |
| LAP LEADERS: C. Edwards - pole; G. Biffle 1-9; R. Smith 10-11; G. Biffle |
| 12-14; P. Menard 15-16; D. Hamlin 17-40; J. Burton 41-57; J. |
| Gordon 58; T. Stewart 59-60; J. Burton 61-67; G. Biffle 68-76; M. |
| Truex Jr. 77-81; G. Biffle 82; T. Labonte 83-85; G. Biffle 86-99; |
| M. Truex Jr. 100-101; D. Hamlin 102-129; G. Biffle 130; M. Martin |
| 131-132; G. Biffle 133-138; D. Hamlin 139-143; J. Logano 144-145; |
| M. Kenseth 146-157; G. Biffle 158; D. Blaney 159-164; M. Kenseth |
| 165-202. |
| Subway Fresh Fit 500 Entry List |
| Car | Driver, Hometown | Car/Name |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO) | Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI) | Dodge/Miller Lite |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) | Chevrolet/Farmers Insurance |
| 7 | Robby Gordon (Orange, CA) | Dodge/Speed Energy |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia) | Ford/Stanley |
| 10 | David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL) | Chevrolet/Tommy Baldwin Racing |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) | Toyota/FedEx Express |
| 13 | Casey Mears (Bakersfield, CA) | Ford/GEICO |
| 14 | Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) | Chevrolet/Office Depot/Mobil 1 |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) | Toyota/5-Hour Energy |
| 16 | Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA) | Ford/3M Commer Graphics |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) | Ford/Best Buy |
| 18 | Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Toyota/M&M's |
| 20 | Joey Logano (Middletown, CT) | Toyota/Home Depot |
| 22 | A.J. Allmendinger (Los Gatos, CA) | Dodge/Shell/Pennzoil |
| 23 | Scott Riggs (Bahama, NC) | Toyota/North Texas Pipe |
| 24 * | Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA) | Chevrolet/Drive to End Hunger |
| 26 | Josh Wise (Riverside, CA) | Ford/Morristown Driver's Service |
| 27 | Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI) | Chevrolet/Menards/Tarkett |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) | Chevrolet/Rheem |
| 30 | David Stremme (South Bend, IN) | Toyota/TBA |
| 31 | Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA) | Chevrolet/Wheaties |
| 32 | Terry Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) | Ford/TBA |
| 33 | Brendan Gaughan (Las Vegas, NV) | Chevrolet/South Point Casino |
| 34 | David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) | Ford/TBA |
| 36 | Dave Blaney (Hartford, OH) | Chevrolet/Tomm |
| 37 | Timmy Hill (Port Tobacco, MD) | Ford/poynt.com |
| 38 | David Gilliland (Riverside, CA) | Ford/Long John Silver's |
| 39 | Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN) | Chevrolet/Wix |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota, Colombia) | Chevrolet/Target |
| 43 | Aric Almirola (Tampa, FL) | Ford/Medallion Financial |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) | Toyota/Kingsford/Scotts |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA) | Chevrolet/Lowe's/Kobalt Tools |
| 49 | J.J. Yeley (Phoenix, AZ) | Toyota/America Israel Racing |
| 51 | Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Chevrolet/Phoenix Construction |
| 55 | Mark Martin (Batesville, AR) | Toyota/Aaron's |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, NJ) | Toyota/NAPA Filters |
| 78 | Regan Smith (Cato, NY) | Chevrolet/Furniture Row Racing |
| 83 | Landon Cassill (Cedar Rapids, IA) | Toyota/Burger King |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) | Toyota/AM FM Energy Wood Pellet |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Kannapolis, NC) | Chevrolet/Diet Mt. Dew/Nat Guard |
| 93 | Travis Kvapil (Janesville, WI) | Toyota/Burger King |
| 98 | Michael McDowell (Glendale, AZ) | Ford/TBA |
| 99 | Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) | Ford/Subway |
| Leading Contenders (Finish the last seven years) |
| Driver | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | | |
| Jeff Gordon | 12th | 10th | Won | 13th | 25th | 2nd | Won | | |
| Kyle Busch | 8th | 36th | 7th | 10th | 17th | 8th | 2nd | | |
| Jimmie Johnson | 15th | 7th | 4th | Won | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | | |
| Kevin Harvick | 19th | Won | 10th | 19th | 30th | 13th | 4th | | |
| Ryan Newman | 14th | 39th | 38th | 43rd | 16th | Won | 5th | | |
| Kasey Kahne | 17th | 6th | 31st | 36th | 13th | 39th | 6th | | |
| Tony Stewart | 33rd | 2nd | 2nd | 14th | 2nd | 23rd | 7th | | |
| Kurt Busch | Won | 24th | 18th | 23rd | 3rd | 35th | 8th | | |
| A.J. Allmendinger | --- | --- | --- | --- | 35th | 15th | 9th | | |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr | 4th | 23rd | 19th | 7th | 31st | 12th | 10th | | |
| Denny Hamlin | --- | 34th | 3rd | 3rd | 6th | 30th | 11th | | |
| Matt Kenseth | 42nd | 3rd | 5th | 38th | 27th | 6th | 12th | | |
| Mark Martin | 16th | 11th | 12th | 5th | Won | 4th | 13th | | |
| Martin Truex Jr. | --- | 22nd | 20th | 8th | 7th | 17th | 14th | | |
| Brad Keselowski | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 16th | 15th | | |
| Marcos Ambrose | --- | --- | --- | --- | 14th | 11th | 16th | | |
| Paul Menard | --- | --- | 25th | 21st | 23rd | 29th | 17th | | |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | --- | --- | 33rd | 16th | 24th | 5th | 19th | | |
| Greg Biffle | 41st | 15th | 17th | 9th | 5th | 22nd | 20th | | |
| Jeff Burton | 3rd | 9th | 13th | 6th | 15th | 25th | 26th | | |
| Clint Bowyer | 22nd | 5th | 22nd | 2nd | 26th | 9th | 27th | | |
| Carl Edwards | 7th | 4th | 11th | 4th | 10th | 7th | 28th | | |
| Joey Logano | --- | --- | --- | --- | 21st | 10th | 33rd | | |
| Jamie McMurray | 25th | 14th | 23rd | 17th | 11th | 24th | 35th | | |
| Mover of the Week |
| Paul Menard - Started 37th on the grid and finished 6th |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Greg Biffle |
| Darkhorse - Kasey Kahne |
| Last Week's Pick to Win (Kyle Busch) - Finished 17th |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Jeff Burton) - Finished 5th |
| NOTES: |
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All good things must come to an end, as well as the bad and that was the
case at last year's Subway Fresh Fit 500.
Kyle Busch had won the Camping World and Nationwide races the two previous days
and was in line to win the trifecta at PIR, but he was denied by Jeff Gordon.
Gordon on the other hand, was winless in 66 consecutive races, the longest dry
spell of his career.
With just eight laps remaining, Gordon passed Busch and then held him off by
1.1 seconds for his first win since April 2009 at Texas. The four-time Sprint
Cup champion collected his 83rd career victory, which placed him in a tie with
Cale Yarborough for fifth on the series' all-time race winners list. Gordon
added two additional wins in 2011 and now stands alone in third place with 85
titles.
Back in 2010, Ryan Newman benefited from a late-race caution to end a 77-race
winless streak at Phoenix International Raceway. Newman passed Gordon for the
lead during a two-lap overtime finish, and then held off Gordon by 0.13 seconds
for his 14th career Cup victory but his first since the 2008 Daytona 500.
During the caution, Busch and then second-place runner Jimmie Johnson pitted
for four tires, while Gordon and Newman took two tires only. Gordon exited the
pits first, followed by Newman. Busch and Johnson fell back in the field. Just
after the final restart, Newman pulled even with Gordon and then made the
winning pass on the backstretch. Newman led just four laps in the 375-lap race.
Starting from the pole position, Mark Martin dominated the 2009 running of the
spring race, as he crossed the finish line 0.734 seconds ahead of Tony Stewart
for his 36th career Sprint Cup title. Martin, whose win total now stands at 40,
good for 17th on the all-time winners list, led five times for a race-high 157
laps, as he became the second pole winner to win this race.
In 2008, Jimmie Johnson overcame an early race mistake by stretching his final
tank of fuel for the final 81 laps and win his 34th Sprint Cup title. Johnson,
who now totals 55 wins, led the final 11 laps to edge Clint Bowyer by seven
seconds. Pole sitter Ryan Newman failed to finish the race due to engine
problems and placed last.
Kevin Harvick swept both Arizona races in 2006, as he captured the Nationwide
Series race on Friday and then cruised to victory the following evening in the
Sprint Cup event. Harvick, who won for the sixth time in his career at the
time, finished well ahead of Tony Stewart to complete the double. Harvick
started in the 15th position and did not move in front until the 303rd lap,
but it was good enough to post a 2.774 seconds victory. Pole sitter Kyle Busch
led the first seven laps, but finished well back at 36th. Greg Biffle, who
started second on the grid, led six times for a race-high 151 laps and placed
15th.
Although this is just the eighth spring race in Arizona, NASCAR has raced in
Phoenix since the late 1970s. The occasion was an event in what is now the
NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series. Staged a few days after the
NASCAR Sprint Cup season finale at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario,
California, the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series event attracted
NASCAR Sprint Cup teams en route from California - a tradition that lasted
from 1977 through 1982.
The one-mile Arizona track opened in March 1964. Its first race was an open-
wheel event won by A.J. Foyt. In the 31 previous races in Phoenix, only four
pole sitters have emerged victorious. Over 50-percent of the winners have come
from the top-10.
Although just a two-time winner on the Sprint Cup circuit at PIR, Gordon has
had strong results in the desert with 18 top-10 finishes, three poles and 388
laps led in 26 starts. His average finish is 10.885. Gordon has an additional
win on the Nationwide Series from 1999. Gordon's win in 2007 tied Dale
Earnhardt on the all-time wins list at 76.
Detroit Lions defensive player Ndamukong Suh will serve as the Grand Marshall
for this weekend's race.
The Sprint Cup Series moves on to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the March 11
Kobalt Tools 400. Carl Edwards is the defending race winner.
02/28 18:02:28 ET
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As of February 28, 2012, at 06:02 PM ET
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