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Jimmie Johnson has smoked the competition at Phoenix with three consecutive wins and an average finish of 5.5 at the track.By the Numbers: Phoenix
Johnson looks to join exclusive list with four in a row
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Winning a race is difficult and special. Winning two in a row at the same track is impressive, but certainly not unheard of. Taking three consecutive at the same track is pretty darn impressive, but again, has been done on numerous occasions.
But winning four in a row at one track -- well that gets you on a special list.
That's exactly what Jimmie Johnson hopes to accomplish Saturday night in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway (8 p.m. ET, FOX). Nine drivers have won four consecutive at a venue, but it's only happened twice since the mid-'80s.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won four in a row at Talladega in 2001-2003 and Johnson pulled the feat off at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2004-2005.
What makes this streak even more interesting -- consecutive wins at Phoenix is more the rule than the exception. Of the 25 races at PIR, five of the winners have gone on to win the next race (Davey Allison, '91-'92; Jeff Burton, '00-'01; Earnhardt Jr., '03-'04; Kevin Harvick, '06 (2x); Johnson, '07-'08 (2x)).
With three wins, six top-fives, nine top-10s and a worst finish of 15th in 11 races at the 1-mile track, expect tot see the No. 48 challenging for its second win in 2009.
Inside the Data
Cup drivers who have won four or more consecutive races at one track
| Driver | Track | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darrell Waltrip | Bristol Motor Speedway | 7 | 1981-1984 |
| Darrell Waltrip | North Wilkesboro Speedway | 5 | 1981-1983 |
| Darrell Waltrip | Nashville Speedway | 4 | 1981-1983 |
| Richard Petty | Richmond International Raceway | 7 | 1970-1973 |
| Richard Petty | South Boston Speedway | 4 | 1963-1968 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Talladega Superspeedway | 4 | 2001-2003 |
| Bill Elliott | Michigan International Speedway | 4 | 1985-1986 |
| Bobby Isaac | Hickory Speedway | 4 | 1969-1970 |
| Bobby Isaac | Greenville-Pickens Speedway | 4 | 1969-1971 |
| Jimmie Johnson | Lowes Motor Speedway | 4 | 2004-2005 |
| Fred Lorenzon | Martinsville Speedway | 4 | 1963-1965 |
| Rex White | Bowman-Gray Stadium | 4 | 1961-1962 |
| Cale Yarborough | Bristol Motor Speedway | 4 | 1976-1977 |
Did you know?
500The race is called the Subway Fresh Fit 500 but not because of the laps run or mileage -- the 500 represents kilometers run. The race is only 312 laps which equals 312 miles. Phoenix and Infineon are the only two tracks to use the number of kilometers run in its race title.
Necessitous Numbers
1Only once in PIR's history has a Cup race been shortened due to rain -- October 25, 1998.
2Number of drivers entered in Saturday's race with an average finish inside the top 10: Jimmie Johnson, 5.5 and Mark Martin, 9.4.
3Three drivers have 10 or more top-10 finishes at Phoenix and all will race Saturday night: Mark Martin, 15; Jeff Gordon, 15 and Jeff Burton, 11.
7Chevrolet has won the last seven races at PIR and nine of the last 10. Toyota and Dodge are both winless in the Cup Series at the track.
7.4Average starting position of the winner at Phoenix in the last 10 Cup races. Four of those 10 races were won with a front-row starting spot and no winner in the last 10 has started worse than 15th.
24Mark Martin has raced in 24 of the 25 Cup races run at Phoenix. His one miss -- the 2007 fall race when Aric Almirola ran the No. 8 car that season with Martin.
50If Greg Biffle finishes in the top five at Phoenix, it will be his 50th career Cup top-five. Biffle has just two top-fives in 10 races at PIR, both second-place finishes.
50Clint Bowyer is going for his 50th career Cup top-10 at Phoenix. In seven PIR events, Bowyer has two top-10s, both top-five finishes.
300Congratulations to Kurt Busch, who will make his 300th Cup start this weekend. Busch is 72nd on the all-time Cup starts list and has 19 wins, 63 top-fives, 119 top-10s and one championship in 10 years in the series.
349Number of laps Greg Biffle has led at Texas, tops among active drivers without a win. In 10 starts Biffle has two second-place finishes but an average finish of 15.9.
400If Mark Martin can put his No. 5 in the top 10 at Phoenix, it will give him 400 career Cup top-10s. Martin has finished the last three races this season in the top 10 and has 15 top-10s at Phoenix, tying Jeff Gordon for the most at the track.
605Number of points Denny Hamlin has earned in the last four races at Phoenix, second to Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin has two third-place finishes -- a fifth and a 16th -- in that stretch.
Also
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Phoenix Int'l Raceway
Cup race winners at the track
| Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-fives | Top-10s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmie Johnson | 11 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 13 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Davey Allison | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Jeff Burton | 19 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| Kevin Harvick | 12 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Dale Jarrett | 22 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| Tony Stewart | 14 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| Kyle Busch | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Jeff Gordon | 20 | 1 | 8 | 15 |
| Kurt Busch | 12 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Alan Kulwicki | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Bobby Hamilton | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Dale Earnhardt | 13 | 1 | 5 | 9 |
| Terry Labonte | 17 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Mark Martin | 24 | 1 | 9 | 15 |
| Rusty Wallace | 19 | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Bill Elliott | 20 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Matt Kenseth | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Ricky Rudd | 21 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
• Bold: Active drivers
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