NASCAR Pre-race: FOX - 2:30pm/et

Television Race Coverage: FOX, 3:00pm/et

In the Booth: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds

Pit Reporters: Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum, Krista Voda

Hollywood Hotel: Chris Myers and Michael Waltrip

Virtual Garage: Jeff Hammond

SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 12:30 pm/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace

Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
Wednesday, March 7 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

TV Listings, Links and Info:
Jayski's TV Listings Page
NASCAR on TV
Race Fan TV

This Week - Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite Radio

motorracingnetwork.com

siriusxm.com

Practices:
Friday, March 2, 2:30 - 4:00pm/et, TV-SPEED

Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Friday, March 3, 5:30 - 7:00pm/et, TV-SPEED

Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Saturday, March 3 at 2:35 pm/et, TV-SPEED, no re-air scheduled.

Track Specifications:
Track/Race Length: 1.0 mile oval, 312 laps, 312 miles/500km
Pit Road Speed: 45mph
Degree of Banking: Turns 1-2: 11 degrees; Turns 3-4: 9 degrees
Frontstretch: Length: 1,179 feet, Banking: 3 degrees
Backstretch: Length: 1,551 feet, Banking: 9 degrees
Pit Road: Length: 1,140
Grandstand seating: 55,000 [was 76,812] Opened: 1964 (first NASCAR Sprint Cup event was 1988)

Attendence:
November 2011: 85,000
February 2011: 75,000
November 2010: 75,000
April 2010: 70,000
November 2009: 90,000
April 2009: 80,000
November 2008: 100,000
April 2008: 100,000 November 2007: 105,000
April 2007: 105,000 (as reported on NASCAR Race Results pages)

Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: Detroit Lions player Ndamukong Suh
Command to start engines: Ndamukong Suh
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: Mark Dacascos
Honorary Race Chairman: ?
Honorary Pace Car Driver: UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz
Invocation: Ken Bowers
National Anthem: Brian McKnight
Military Flyover: F-16s - 310th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB

Track Websites:
Phoenix International Raceway
ISC Motorsports
Phoenix International Raceway - Facebook
Phoenix International Raceway - Twitter

February 2011: see my Phoenix Race Info page

November 2011: see my Phoenix Race Info page

2011 February Pole Sitter: #99-Carl Edwards, 137.279mph [track record], finished 28th

2011 November Pole Sitter: #17-Matt Kenseth, 137.101mph, finished 34th

Track Qualifying Record: Carl Edwards, 2/26/2011, 137.279mph

Oldest Pole Winner: Mark Martin, 50 years, 3 months, 9 days, 4/18/2009

Youngest Pole Winner: Kyle Busch, 20 years, 11 months, 20 days, 4/22/2006

2011 February Race Winner: #24-Jeff Gordon, 102.961mph, started 20th

2011 November Winner: #4-Kasey Kahne, 112.918mph, finished 9th

Race Record: Tony Stewart, Nov 1999, 118.132mph

Slowest Race Record: Al Kulwicki, 1988, 90.457mph

Oldest Race Winner: Mark Martin, 50 years, 3 months, 9 days, 4/18/2009

Youngest Race Winner: Kyle Busch, 20 years, 5 months, 11 days, 11/13/2005

At Phoenix International Raceway:
• Construction was completed in January 1964. The facility consisted of a one-mile oval and a 2.5-mile road course.
• Alan Kulwicki won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix on Nov. 6, 1988.
• The first spring race was held on April 23, 2005 and also the first night race, which was won by Kurt Busch.
• The track underwent its first repave last year. The construction began in March and concluded in September of 2011.
• The following changes were made during the construction period (March - Sept., 2011): Widened the frontstretch from 52 to 62 feet; Reconfigured pit road with the installation of concrete pit stalls; Pushed the dog-leg curve between Turn 2 and Turn 3 out 95 feet; Tightened the turn radius of the dog-leg from 800 to 500 feet; Implemented variable banking to ensure the immediate use of two racing grooves, including 10-11 degree banking between Turn 1 and Turn 2; 10-11 degree banking in the apex of the dog-leg; and 8-9 degree banking in Turn 4
• There have been 31 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix International Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.
• Geoffrey Bodine won the first pole in 1988.
• There have been 19 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman with four.
• Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards are the only drivers to win consecutive poles. Newman won three straight (2002-04), while Gordon won the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007, and Edwards won the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011.
• There have been 22 different race winners, led by Jimmie Johnson, with four.
• The race has been won from the pole four times: Jeff Gordon (spring 2007), Jimmie Johnson (fall 2008), Mark Martin (spring 2009) and Carl Edwards (fall 2010).
• The race has been won from a top-10 starting position in 16 of 31 events.
• Denny Hamlin (November, 2005) and AJ Allmendinger (April, 2010) won their first career poles at Phoenix International Raceway.
• Ricky Rudd won the 1995 race from the 29th-place starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.
• Matt Kenseth won the 2002 race from the 28th-place starting position, the furthest back an active race winner has started.
• Mark Martin has 12 top-five finishes, more than any other driver. Martin (9.0 average finish) is one of two active drivers who average a top-10 finish. Jimmie Johnson (5.3) is the other.
• Jeff Gordon has the lowest average start amongst active drivers with a 10.4; followed by AJ Allmendinger (10.5) and Carl Edwards (10.8).
• Two perfect Driver Ratings of 150.0 have been recorded at Phoenix. Kurt Busch did it with his win in April of 2005, and Kevin Harvick did it in November of 2006.
• Five drivers have won consecutive races at Phoenix: Davey Allison (1991,1992); Jeff Burton (2000, 2001); Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003, 2004); Kevin Harvick (swept 2006); Jimmie Johnson is the only one of the five to win three consecutive races (fall 2007, swept 2008).
• Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Phoenix International Raceway winner: Kyle Busch (11/13/2005 - 20 years, 6 months, 11 days)
• Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Phoenix International Raceway winner: Mark Martin (04/18/2009 - 50 years, 3 months, 9 days)
• Of the seven drivers with multiple wins at Phoenix International Raceway, Mark Martin is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Ford (1993) and Chevrolet (2009).(NASCAR)(3-1-2012)

The Numbers for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 Phoenix International Raceway:
1 - fewest lead changes (11/4/90)
2 - fewest leaders (11/4/90)
2 - fewest caution (11/7/99)
3 - fewest cars on lead lap at finish (10/30/94)
4 - number of wins from the pole (most recent, Carl Edwards 11/14/10)
4 - fewest laps led by race winner (Ryan Newman, 4/10/10)
4 - most wins (Jimmie Johnson)
4 - most poles (Ryan Newman)
5 - number of jet dryers available for track drying this weekend at PIR
7 - number of years PIR has hosted two Sprint Cup events
8 - number of cautions during the 2011 spring race (2/27/11)
10 - fewest caution laps (11/7/99)
12 - number of leaders in 2011 spring race (2/27/11)
13 - most leaders (four times, most recent 4/10/10)
27 - fewest running at finish (11/5/89)
28 - most lead changes (2/27/11)
29 - most on lead lap at finish (11/2/03)
41 - most cars running at finish (three times, most recent 4/21/07)
66 - most caution laps (11/2/03)
90 minutes - amount of time it takes to dry the track after a significant rainfall.
94 pounds - approximate weight of full fuel can
262 - most laps led by race winner (Dale Earnhardt, 11/4/90)
(Darnell Communications for Dodge Motorsports)(3-2-2012)

For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski's Phoenix International Raceway Track News/Rumors/Links page

Hamlin wins at Phoenix: #11-Denny Hamlin won the Subway Fresh Fit 500(k) Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway for his 1st win of the year and 18th of his career. He also gets his first win with new crew chief Darian Grubb. #29-Harvick made a late charge for the lead but ran low on fuel. He held on to finish 2nd followed by #16-Biffle, #48-Johnson, #2-Keselowski, #18-Busch, #56-Truex, Jr., #24-Gordon, #55-Martin, and #20-Logano. #14-Stewart shut his car off during a late caution and was unable to get it refired. He lost 2 laps and finished 22nd.
There was 7 cautions for 16 laps. There were 25 lead changes among 15 drivers. The estimated attendence was 76,000, up from 75,000 in 2011.
See race results, awards, money won and more on the Phoenix Race Results page (pdf) and also on the Official Phoenix Race Report (pdf).(3-4-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Chase Points Standings:
[after Phoenix, race 2 of 36]
1) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 89
2) #16-Greg Biffle [0 wins], 83, -6
3) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 81, -8
4) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 79, -10
5) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [0 wins], 72, -17
6) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 71, -18
7) #55-Mark Martin [0 wins], 71, -18
8) #20-Joey Logano [0 wins], 70, -19
9) #18-Kyle Busch [0 wins], 66, -23
10) #99-Carl Edwards [0 wins], 63, -26
11) #47-Bobby Labonte [0 wins], 58, -31
12) #2-Brad Keselowski [0 wins], 52 -37
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings page (pdf).
and Owners Points on the Owners Points Standings page (pdf).(3-4-2012)

Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's:
Official Phoenix Race Report (pdf)
Phoenix Race Results page (pdf)
Drivers Points Standings page (pdf)
Owners Points Standings page (pdf)
Phoenix 500 Starting Lineup
Phoenix Practice 2 Speeds page (pdf)
Phoenix Practice 1 Speeds page (pdf)

Race Fast Facts - Phoenix:
Denny Hamlin won the 8th Annual SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500, his 18th victory in 225 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in 2012. He breaks a 22-race winless streak. Hamlin's last win came June 19, 2011 at Michigan International Speedway.
This is his first victory and seventh top-10 finish in 14 races at Phoenix International Raceway. He is the seventh consecutive different winner here.
Kevin Harvick (second) posted his ninth top-10 finish in 19 races at Phoenix International Raceway. It is his second top-10 finish in 2012.
Greg Biffle (third) posted his sixth top-10 finish in 17 races at Phoenix International Raceway.
Josh Wise (38th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Denny Hamlin leads the point standings by 6 points over Greg Biffle.(NASCAR Statistics)(3-4-2012)

Phoenix Notes-n-Nuggets:
" Denny Hamlin earned his 18th career victory in his 225th start.
" This is Denny Hamlin's first career victory at Phoenix in his 14th start. He finished third four times before winning.
" Denny Hamlin is the 23rd different driver to win at Phoenix in 32 races at the track.
" Joe Gibbs Racing earned its 94th Cup victory and second win at Phoenix. All three JGR cars finished in the top 10.
" Toyota earned its second win at Phoenix -- both coming on the track's new configuration.
" Kevin Harvick (second) scored his second top-10 finish in 2012. He finished seventh at Daytona.
" Greg Biffle (third) earned his second third-place finish in two races in 2012.
" Jimmie Johnson (fourth) has finished in the top five in 11 of the past 12 races at Phoenix. He has never finished worse than 15th in his 18 races.
" Brad Keselowski (fifth) earned his best finish and first top-10 in six races at Phoenix.
" Kyle Busch (sixth) scored his first top-10 finish in his past six Cup starts.
" Martin Truex Jr. (seventh) has finished 12th or better in six of his past seven Cup starts.
" There were a record 15 different leaders in this race, breaking the old track record of 13.
" This is the 198th victory for the No. 11, tying the No. 43 for the most in NASCAR history.
(Racing Recall/nascar.com)(3-4-2012)

To the Back: none

Lucky Dogs - Who got a lap back on each caution at Phoenix: (and their finish)
Caution 1: no driver a lap down on track
Caution 2: #49-Yeley, 26th
Caution 3: #36-Blaney, 23rd
Caution 4: #93-Kvapil, 19th
Caution 5: #42-Montoya, 11th
Caution 6: #47-Labonte, 16th
Caution 7: #93-Kvapil (2), 19th
(3-4-2012)

Race Coverage of the Subway Fit Fresh 500 (k) Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway is scheduled for Sunday, March 4, 2012.
Television (TV): FOX at 3:00 pm/et; Pre-Race show at 2:30 pm/et; green flag approx 3:14pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs: on SPEED, Wednesday, March 7 at 12:00pm/et

Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Subway Fit Fresh 500 (k) Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway have been made.
Pole sitter #55-Martin chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #14-Stewart took pit stall 16, the next pitstall with an opening in front of it..
#78-Smith, who starts 3rd took the 24th pit stall.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #29-Kenseth, who starts 8th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(3-3-2012)

Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's:
Phoenix Starting Lineup
Phoenix Happy Hour Practice Speeds page (pdf)
Phoneix Practice 1 Speeds page (pdf)

NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.

Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.

See Jayski's - 2011 Sprint Cup Race Results Page for pole winner, race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup, practice speeds and chase stats as well as link to race track and race information page for each race

Martin wins pole at Phoenix: #55-Mark Martin won the pole for the Subway Fresh Fit 500(k) Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway with a lap of 136.814mph for his 1st pole of 2012 and 52nd career pole. The oldest pole sitter is Harry Gant, who won the pole at Bristol in August 1994 at the age of 54 years, 7 months, 17 days. Martin turned 53 in January. #14-Stewart was 2nd fastest followed by #78-Smith, #48-Johnson, #42-MOntoya, #39-Newman, #16-Biffle, #29-Harvick, #20-Logano, and #5-Kahne.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #36-Blaney, #23-Riggs, #26-Wise, 49-Yeley, #98-McDowell, #87-Nemechek, #7-Gordon, and #30-Stremme.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (1): #37-Hill.
See qualifying results & starting lineup on the Phoenix qualifying page or on the Starting Lineup page (pdf) (pdf). (3-3-2012)

Qualifying Fast Facts - Phoenix:
Mark Martin won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 8th Annual SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500 with a lap of 26.313 seconds, 136.815 mph.
This is his 52nd pole in 832 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2012.
This is his second pole in 31 races at Phoenix International Raceway. He won the the pole on April 18, 2009 leading 157 laps.
Tony Stewart (second) posted his second top-10 start of 2012 and his 10th in 21 races at Phoenix International Raceway.
Regan Smith (third) posted his fourth top-10 start at Phoenix International Raceway. It is his second in two races this season.
Josh Wise (33rd) was the fastest qualifying rookie. (NASCAR Statistics)(3-2-2012)

Coverage of Qualifying for the Subway Fit Fresh 500 (k) Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway is scheduled for Saturday, March 3, 2012 at 2:35pm/et.
Television (TV): SPEED, 2:30pm/et
Qualifying Re-Air: none scheduled

Qualifying Order for the Subway Fit Fresh 500 (k) Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway is posted. 44 cars/drivers are listed.
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #37-Hill, slowest in practice.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #14-Stewart, who was fastest in first practice.
Qualifying order is set by the first practice session, with slowest driver going out by speed and the fastest going out last. The non-top 35 drivers are now mixed in with the top-35 in owners points, slowest to fastest.
See the full qualifying order on the Phoenix Qualifying Page.(3-2-2012)

Rain Out Procedures: the rain-out qualifying procedure for all three NASCAR national series is as follows: If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.

Go-or-go homers: Final practice rank for the Subway Fresh Fit Sprint Cup Series at Phoenix International Raceway:
these drivers would make the race:
#30-Stremme 17th fastest
#36-Blaney 24th
#23-Riggs 29th
#7-Gordon 32nd
#49-Yeley 34th
#26-Wise 37th
#37-Hill 41st
#87-Nemechek 42nd
this driver would miss the race:
#98-McDowell - no speed.(3-2-2012)

Final Practice for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway is over after 90 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and notes:
#56-Truex, Jr. 139.481
#15-Bowyer 139.227
#42-Montoya 139.002
#51-Busch 138.841
#24-Gordon 138.244
Slowest: #87-Nemechek 134.584 & #38-Gilliland 134.529. No speed: #98-McDowell
Notes: #17-Kenseth slid into the wall off turn 2 just a couple minutes into the session. The team will go to a backup. #87-Nemechek also scraped the wall midway through. #38-Gilliland hit the wall in turn 4 late in the session.
See speeds on the Phoenix Practice 2 Speeds (pdf).(3-2-2012)

Go-or-go homers: 1st practice rank for the Subway Fresh Fit Sprint Cup Series at Phoenix International Raceway:
these drivers would make the race:
#36-Blaney 20th fastest
#23-Riggs 25th
#30-Stremme 35th
#49-Yeley 37th
#87-Nemechek 38th
#7-Gordon 40th
#26-Wise 41st
#98-McDowell 43rd
this driver would miss the race:
#37-Hill 44th.(3-2-2012)

First Practice for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway is over after 90 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and notes:
#14-Stewart 138.680
#55-Martin 138.611
#16-Biffle 138.568
#39-Newman 138.493
#5-Kahne 138.408
Slowest: #98-McDowell 133.869 & #37-Hill 133.496
Several accidents during the session: #33-Gaughan slid up the track coming off turn two and hit the outside wall. The team will go to a backup car. #98-McDowell blew a tire late and hit the wall. He will also have to go to backup car. #56-Truex, Jr scraped the wall but didn't suffer much damage. #39-Newman will also go to a back up car after hitting the outside wall.
See speeds on the Phoenix Practice 1 Speeds (pdf).(3-2-2012)

The Entry List for the Subway Fit Fresh 500 (k) Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway is posted, 44 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
Not in top 35 of owners points:
#7-Robby Gordon(37/36)
#23-Scott Riggs (61/1)
#26-Josh Wise (49/17)
#30-David Stremme (43/22)
#36-Dave Blaney (44/12)
#37-Timmy Hill (39/35)
#49-J.J. Yeley (0/0)
#87-Joe Nemechek (42/35)
#98-Michael McDowell (40/35)
In the event that qualifying is cancelled:
the eight who would make it [8]: #'s 7,37,98,87,30,36,26,61
missing the race would be [1]: #49
See the full entry list at my Jayski's Phoenix Entry List.(2-27-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Chase Points Standings:
[after Daytona, race 1 of 36]
1) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 47
2) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [0 wins], 42, -5
3) #16-Greg Biffle [0 wins], 42, -5
4) #11-Denny Hamlin [0 wins], 42, -5
5) #31-Jeff Burton [0 wins], 40, -7
6) #27-Paul Menard [0 wins], 39, -8
7) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 37, -10
8) #99-Carl Edwards [0 wins], 36, -11
9) #20-Joey Logano [0 wins], 36, -11
10) #55-Mark Martin [0 wins], 35, -12
11) #15-Clint Bowyer [0 wins], 33, -14
12) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 33, -14
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings page (pdf).
and Owners Points on the Owners Points Standings page (pdf).(2-27-2012)

Chassis selections for the Subway Fresh Fit 500: see the list of many teams and what chassis were selected by the team to run at Phoenix International Raceway:
MISSING? why are some teams missing? like the #11, #24 or others? those teams do not report what chassis in the race previews or prs.
#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the No.1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats team will be bringing a brand new chassis, Chassis #1206, to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend.
#2-Brad Keselowski: The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-810 during Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). This is a new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.
#5-Kasey Kahne: For the March 4 race, Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-663, which was built in March 2011. The No. 5 team competed in the car four times in 2011, notably collecting a top-10 finish at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in September.
#9-Marcos Ambrose: The No. 9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 805 for this weekend's race at Phoenix International Raceway. This Stanley Ford is brand new and has never been run before.
#10-David Reutimann: will pilot the No. 297 chassis. TBR debuted chassis No. 297 with Blaney at Texas Motor Speedway in November 2011. Blaney also piloted the chassis at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the 2011 NSCS Season Finale where he finished 28th. TBR purchased the chassis from Richard Childress Racing during the 2011 season.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-637: This car made its debut in April 2011 at Martinsville, where it experienced some teething problems, qualifying 28th and finishing 34th with a broken rear-end gear. Prior to Martinsville, Chassis No. 14-637 was tested March 14 at the half-mile Little Rock Speedway in Rockingham, N.C. The July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon marked the car's second career start, where it qualified second and led twice for 48 laps around the 1.058-mile oval before finishing .773 of a second behind its sister car, piloted by Ryan Newman. It saw track time again during a Goodyear Tire Test at Phoenix International Raceway Aug. 29-30 before returning to New Hampshire in September for its third career start and first of the Chase. The car carried Stewart to his second straight Chase win, leading only the final two laps after previous leader Clint Bowyer ran out of fuel just before taking the white flag in the 300-lap race. Chassis No. 14-637 returned to action and another flat, 1-mile oval for the 2011 season's penultimate race at Phoenix. It again performed well by leading five times for a race-high 160 laps to deliver its third straight topthree finish. The car returns to Phoenix with fresh sheet metal to make its first start of 2012 and its fifth overall with Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500k.
#15-Clint Bowyer: The No. 15 5-hour ENERGY team will race chassis No. 712 at Phoenix. The backup is No. 718 - both are new.
#16-Greg Biffle: Primary: RK-778 Last ran New Hampshire - finished third; Backup: RK-759 Last ran Phoenix as the No. 6 - finished 33rd
#17-Matt Kenseth: Primary: RK-790 (last run at Martinsville, Nov. 2011)
#18-Kyle Busch: Chassis No. 326: No. 326 will make its fourth-ever start in Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500k at Phoenix. This chassis made its debut in the first race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup last September at Chicagoland. After qualifying a solid ninth and running within the top-10 all race long, Busch ran out of gas with just two laps remaining, forcing him to come to pit road for a splash of gas, which led to a disappointing 22nd-place finish. Up next, Busch qualified third and finished 11th in the Hollywood Casino 400 last October at Kansas Speedway. Most recently, the No. 18 team brought No. 326 to Phoenix last November. After qualifying 34th, Busch was forced to start at the rear of the field after the team changed an engine during the first practice session of the weekend. Despite the setback, Busch picked his way to the front and led 23 laps before more engine issues forced him to the sidelines after only completing 188 laps, relegating him to a disappointing 38th-place finish.
#20-Joey Logano: Chassis #336 will ride with Logano and the Home Depot team at Phoenix this weekend. The car was used at Phoenix last season. Chassis #339 will serve at the team's backup for Phoenix.
#22-A.J. Allmendinger: and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing No. 22 Team will be racing their "PRS-808" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger in this weekend's Subway Fresh Fit 500 action at Phoenix. This is a brand new addition to the "Double Deuce" fleet. The "PRS-807" is the backup Dodge Charger. It is a new car, also.
#27-Paul Menard: will pilot Chassis No. 328 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Fresh Fit 500. This Chevrolet Impala was utilized by the No. 27 team three times in 2011, most recently at Phoenix International Raceway in November 2011 where Menard started 11th and finished ninth. This chassis was also raced last season at Darlington Raceway in May, where the Eau Claire, Wis., native finished 22nd and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March where he finished 12th.
#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot Chassis No. 365 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This former No. 33 racer competed in three races in NASCAR's senior division last season, placing finishes of 17th at New Hampshire in July, 22nd at Richmond in September and 10th at Phoenix in November.
#31-Jeff Burton: will race chassis No. 382 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend. This is a brand new No. 31 Chevrolet Impala that will turn its first laps during opening practice on Friday.
#33-Brendan Gaughan: will pilot Chassis No. 351 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Chevrolet Impala is a proven contender in Sprint Cup Series competition, as Gaughan's RCR teammate Kevin Harvick made a trip to Victory Lane with it in May 2011 at Charlotte. Harvick also drove this former No. 29 racer to a seventh-place finish at Atlanta in September, a 10th-place finish at Dover in October and a 19th-place finish at Phoenix in November.
#36-Dave Blaney: will drive the No. 293, which he drove five times during the 2011 season. The Harford, Ohio nativeā¬"s best start with the No. 293 chassis was 22nd and best finish was 27th. TBR purchased the chassis from Richard Childress Racing, where Jeff Burton drove the chassis prior to its debut with TBR.
#39-Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-691: Two starts, two top-10 finishes. That was the story for Chassis No. 39-691 last season as it competed in the fall races at Richmond and Phoenix.This weekend at Phoenix will be Chassis No. 39-691's first appearance in 2012.
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Chris Heroy and the No. 42 Target team will be bringing a brand new chassis, Chassis #1203, to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend.
#43-Aric Almirola:: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 804 for this weekend's race at Phoenix International Raceway. This is a Ford Fusion brand new to the team.
#48-Jimmie Johnson:: Johnson will pilot chassis No. 689. Chassis No. 590 will serve as the backup.
#51-Kurt Busch: Chassis No. 662: This weekend's Subway Fresh Fit 500k will be the second Phoenix race for this chassis which was built in June 2011. Landon Cassill finished 29th at Phoenix in Chassis No. 662 last fall. The car was also used in events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July and September 2011, scoring 26th- and 30th-place finishes, respectively. Kurt Busch tested this chassis in January at Nashville Superspeedway during a two-day test session in preparation for the upcoming season.
#55-Mark Martin: Primary- 714; Backup- 715 - Both are new cars
#88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte and the No. 88 crew will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-709. This is a brand new, untested chassis.
#99-Carl Edwards: RK-801 - New car
(from team PR's/sites if reported)(3-2-2012)

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Intermediate Radials

Number of Tires:
Sprint Cup: Left-side -- 1,250, Right-side -- 1,250;
Nationwide: Left-side -- 550, Right-side -- 550

Set limits:
Sprint Cup: 6 sets for practice and qualifying, and 10 sets for the race;
Nationwide: 6 sets for event

Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4472; Right-side -- D-4520

Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 2,223 mm; Right-side -- 2,243 mm

Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 26 psi; Left Rear -- 26 psi;
Right Front -- 36 psi; Right Rear -- 36 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 14 psi; Left Rear -- 14 psi;
Right Front -- 34 psi; Right Rear -- 32 psi

Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same tire codes at Phoenix this weekend . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that these teams ran at Phoenix last November . . . after the track was repaved last summer, Goodyear held a tire test on Phoenix's new track surface with Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart on August 29-30, 2011 . . . this tire set-up came out of that test and was confirmed at a NASCAR open test in early October . . . as on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Phoenix.