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Phoenix: Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview
HISTORICAL DATA
• First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win: Lee Petty, 2/1/53, West Palm, Fla., 100 miles, .5-mile track.
• Consecutive Years With A Win: 18, Richard Petty, 1960-1977.
• Consecutive Victories: 10, Richard Petty, 8/12/67 to 10/01/67.
• Victories From The Pole: 61, Richard Petty
• Most Career Starts: 1185, Richard Petty
• Most Lead Changes In A Race: 75, Talladega, 5/16/1984
• Most Races In A Single Season: 62, 1964
• Fewest Races In A Season: 8, 1949
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DODGE AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
• Dodge has never won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at PIR.
• Penske Racing’s Sam Hornish Jr. made his Sprint Cup debut at PIR at the fall event in 2007. Hornish Jr., driving the No. 06 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, qualified 26th and finished 30th.
• Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) is the only active Dodge driver with a win at PIR. Busch won the spring race in 2005 before moving to Penske Racing and the Dodge ranks in 2006.
• Dodge has earned four of the last 11 pole positions at PIR in NASCAR’s premier series.
• Dodge drivers swept the front row in qualifying at last year’s spring event at PIR. RPM’s Elliott Sadler earned the outside pole position while former Penske Racing driver Ryan Newman earned the pole.
THE DODGE BOYS
• Dodge’s most recent win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was recorded by Kurt Busch at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8th – Kobalt Tools 500. It was the 203rd win for Dodge in NASCAR’s premier series.
• Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) and Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) are currently in the top 12 in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. Busch is third, 180 points behind the leader, while Kahne is 10th, 303 points out.
• All seven Dodge teams running the full 36-race Sprint Cup schedule are in the top-35 in 2009 owner points: Kurt Busch (third), Kasey Kahne (10th), AJ Allmendinger (20th), David Stremme (22nd), Elliott Sadler (25th), Reed Sorenson (30th) and Sam Hornish Jr. (31st).
• Kasey Kahne recorded the 200th win by Dodge in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The milestone victory came in the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway last season.
DODGE DRIVER NOTES & ANCEDOTES
• AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Charter Dodge Charger) finished 16th in his only start at PIR (fall 2008).
• Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) has led the third-most laps all-time at PIR (508), trailing Mark Martin (676) and Rusty Wallace (867).
• Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) has three top-10 finishes in nine starts at PIR.
• Reed Sorenson (No. 43 Auto Value Dodge Charger) is the seventh driver to pilot the No. 43 Dodge since Richard Petty retired at the end of the 1992 season.
• Elliott Sadler’s (No. 19 Stanley Dodge Charger) best career start at PIR was an outside pole at last year’s spring event.
• David Stremme (No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger) will be making his fifth start at PIR, but first for Penske Racing.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Kurt Busch will be making his 300th career NSCS start at PIR this weekend. Busch has scored five top-15 finishes in seven races in 2009
• Elliott Sadler’s Autism Awareness helmets worn the past two years have raised a total of $13,567 through online auctions hosted by the Hermie and Elliott Sadler Foundation’s Web site. ($6,900 in 2008, $6,667 in 2007).
• Sunday’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 will be the 2,218th event for NASCAR’s premier series.
• The last 10 races at Phoenix have been won from a top-15 starting position.
• Kasey Kahne’s best PIR finish of 5th came in his first race there in his rookie season in November 2004.
• The lowest starting position for a Phoenix race winner is 29th – Ricky Rudd on 10/17/95.
NOTES OF INTEREST
• Current Dodge drivers with wins at Phoenix International Raceway: 1 – Kurt Busch Elliott (2005- Roush Racing)
• No. 43 car’s last trip to Victory Lane: John Andretti, Martinsville, 04/18/1999 – Goody’s 500. (366 races).
• Kurt Busch’s last win: Atlanta, 03/08/2008, (3 races)
• Kasey Kahne’s last win: Pocono, 06/08/2008, (29 races)
• Elliott Sadler’s last win: Fontana, 09/052004, (162 races)
• Elliott Sadler leads all Dodge drivers with 320 consecutive starts; (Kahne-187, Ku. Busch-115, Sorenson-27, Allmendinger-13, Stremme -7, Hornish Jr. - 7)
• Kurt Busch leads all active drivers for consecutive year with a NSCS win: 8 years, (2002-2009).
• Kasey Kahne is fourth in active pole award streak: Five years, (2004-2008)
• Kurt Busch leads all active Dodge drivers with 19 career NSCS wins (T-33 all-time w/ D. Allison, B. Baker, F. Flock).
• Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) will be making his 300th career NSCS start this weekend.
DODGE DRIVER QUOTES
“I can’t think of any track that would be more appropriate for us to be celebrating our 300th race than out in the desert at PIR. There are just so many reasons for me saying that. It’s really cool that’s the way it turned out, that we’d be running in such a significant race during my career on the Phoenix track.”
Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
“There isn’t a track on the circuit like Phoenix. It’s flat, fast and pretty tricky, but is also a lot of fun. Plus, it is close to California so friends and family all try to make Phoenix.”
AJ Allmendinger, No. 44 Charter Dodge Charger
“I like Phoenix. It’s the fastest mile track we race on. Night racing is pretty cool as well. The sun can pose some problems at times, but we can work around that. It’s a tough place. It’s real easy to get caught up in somebody else’s problems there. The track isn’t self cleaning meaning if someone hits the wall, the likelihood they are going to bounce back into traffic is pretty good. The key is to get a good qualifying effort on Friday so you can stay up front and pick a pretty decent pit stall.”
Reed Sorenson, No. 43 Auto Value Dodge Charger
“Momentum has to start somewhere and we’re thinking that this weekend is as good as any to start to put a couple of good races together and make up some ground to put ourselves in a better points position before the season gets too far along.”
Elliott Sadler, No. 19 Stanley Dodge Charger
“Phoenix is a pretty unique race track. To me, it’s a neat place to race. The weather always seems to be good out there. That’s a track that I really haven’t run that well at. Early on (in my career) I did…my first year. We’ve kind of been up-and-down there. I feel like this year, with where we’re at right now and the gains that we’ve made the last month, Phoenix will be another track where we can run pretty well.”
Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger
“Phoenix International Raceway is a special place to me. I celebrated my first win in IndyCar Series competition here as well as my racing debut in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. I look forward to racing at Phoenix because it’s always an exciting race. Unlike most other race tracks, Phoenix International Raceway is completely different at both ends. The corners are not alike in any way. A lot of times you have to compromise on one end of the track to make your car do what you want it to do on the other. Basically, you have to focus all weekend on which part of the track is most critical.”
Sam Hornish Jr., No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger
"One of the things I’m interested in seeing is that Kurt (Busch) ran well there (finished second) in the fall. He had one of the new Dodge R6P8 motors and I feel going back there, they’ve got a pretty good baseline. We’re going to start right in that area and we should be competitive."
David Stremme, No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger
PaddockTalk Perspective
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