Quotes and Trivia about Phoenix
compiled by Jo Ann Hlavac
“I don’t really see Phoenix as a short track. Even though places like Phoenix and New Hampshire are only a mile, they both have lots of room to race. Phoenix is always a fun race track. There are always at least two lanes, and sometimes even more, to pass." Kevin Harvick
“It’s a racy race track. It kind of reminds me of driving a dirt car. You have to carry a lot of momentum through the center of the corner, be able to get the car pointed, drive it straight and have a good drive up off. It’s a fun race track. I like it and that usually helps a little bit.” Clint Bowyer
“I love going to Phoenix. For a flat race track, it puts on great races. The track has multiple grooves. You can run the middle groove in turns one and two and the middle groove in turns three and four. The grooves change all the time. Some races you can go out there and run way up by the wall and the next race you can’t. You never know what race track you are going to get and, to me, that makes it a lot of fun.” Jeff Burton
“Ken Schrader is to Phoenix what Dick Trickle is to Midwest short track racing, and to beat Schrader is awesome." Paul Menard
“As a driver I like this track because it fits my driving style. I grew up running short and flat tracks and it’s still where I am the most comfortable. It comes down to car control and these are the kind of tracks where I feel I am at my best and I think the racing is really exciting." Denny Hamlin
"It’s a flat race track and downforce will be key. It’s all turn, just about, and the lack of banking makes it more challenging. Even the back straightaway has a kink. Getting the car to turn and getting it to where you can point the front end is going to be a fight." Andy Petree
"It’s kind of a tri-oval, but it’s backwards from the other ones we go to. That ‘Dog Leg’ on the backstretch is just something you have to set up for in terms of your traffic, but it doesn’t really affect you other than that." Jeff Green
"It’s a unique place because the radius of the corners are different on each end, the banking of the corners are different on each end, and then you have the dogleg on the backstretch.” Tony Stewart
"I love Phoenix. It's a cool place. It's the first track I ever saw a Cup race at -- and Terry Labonte won it, so it's special that I'm lucky enough to drive the No. 5 car there." Kyle Busch
And Now for a little Trivia...
Phoenix Construction was completed on Phoenix International Raceway in January 1964 and the track includes a uniquely-shaped one-mile oval and meandering 2.5-mile road course.
On January 1968, Don White wins the first stock car race staged at PIR, a 250-mile chase on the road course.
In October 1970 actor Steve McQueen won a sports car race on the track's
road course.
On November 6, 1988, NASCAR raced at PIR for the first time. Geoff Bodine sat on the pole. Alan Kulwicki won the Checker Auto Parts 500. A track-record crowd of 60,000 is on hand. Also on this date is the first time the "Polish Victory Lap" was done to celebrate.
Only three drivers have started all 21 Nextel Cup races at Phoenix International Raceway: Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin and Ken Schrader
Ryan Newman and Rusty Wallace each have 3 poles - the most of any drivers.
In 21 Nextel Cup races at Phoenix International Raceway, no pole sitter has ever won the race.
Four drivers have won twice at Phoenix
for the most wins; Jeff Burton, Kevin
Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and
Davey Allison
Fords have won 12 of 21 races at PIR
- Most Wins by a Manufacturer
Races won from the top 10:
8 of 21 - 38.1%
On 11/5/89 there was only 27 cars
running at the end of the race -
the fewest ever running at the finish.
above trivia courtesy of www.jayski.com, www.phoenixinternationalraceway.com
above quotes courtesy of www.catchfence.com
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