The NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will be staying on the West Coast as they head into race number three of the season at Phoenix Raceway – the Call811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200 on Saturday, March 9 at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Phoenix Raceway has hosted 44 NASCAR Xfinity Series races all-time, producing 25 different race winners and almost as many pole winners at 24. In total, 11 races have been won from the pole or first starting position by five different drivers, most recently by Ty Gibbs in the Xfinity Series Championship Race in 2022. Kyle Busch has won the Phoenix Xfinity Series race from the pole six times – series most.
Busch is a prime example of the Xfinity Series slogan at Phoenix Raceway, “Names Are Made Here”, holding just about every record in the series:
- Most wins: 11
- Most poles: 10
- Most top fives: 17 (tied with Kevin Harvick)
- Most top 10s: 21
- Most lead lap finishes: 24
- Most laps led: 2,237
Though Busch has most of the records, Justin Allgaier has managed a few himself. Allgaier and Jeremy Clements hold the record for the most series starts at Phoenix with 27 each. Allgaier also holds the Xfinity Phoenix record for the most laps completed at 5,395.
Drivers will have a jam-packed Saturday as they hit the grid for practice at 12:30 p.m. ET followed by qualifying at 1 p.m. ET on FS2 and SiriusXM NASCAR radio.
Stacked Deck: Winners galore at Phoenix Raceway this weekend
Five drivers in the field have conquered the 1-mile Arizona track, Phoenix Raceway, and will be looking to add another win to their resumes this weekend – Cole Custer, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Brandon Jones and William Byron.
Cole Custer: Driver of the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford has made eight starts at Phoenix Raceway, posting one win (2023), three top fives, six top 10s, and has led 140 laps. Custer, who is the most recent Xfinity Series winner at Phoenix, will look to become just the third driver all-time to win consecutive Xfinity races at the 1-mile track; joining Kyle Busch (2007-2008 and 2013 sweep-2014 and 2015-2016 sweep) and Austin Cindric (2020-2021).
Justin Allgaier: Driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet has made 27 starts (tied for most all-time with Jeremy Clements), posting two wins (2017, 2019 – most among active drivers this weekend), 10 top fives, 18 top 10s, and has led 544 laps.
Sammy Smith: Driver of the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet has made three starts at the one-mile track, posting one win (2023), one top five, three top 10s, and has led 113 laps. Smith is the defending winner of this race – his only victory in the series.
Brandon Jones: Driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet has made 16 starts at Phoenix, posting one win (2020), three top fives, six top 10s, and has led 59 laps.
William Byron: NASCAR Cup Series star and DAYTONA 500 champion, William Byron, will be behind the wheel of the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet this weekend at Phoenix. Byron has made two Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, posting one win (2017), two top fives, two top 10s and has led 17 laps.
Looking for Victory Lane in the desert
There may be five previous winners entered in this weekend’s Call811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200 but there are four other drivers worth keeping a close eye on as they hunt for their first win at Phoenix Raceway this weekend – Sheldon Creed, Austin Hill, Riley Herbst, and John Hunter Nemechek.
Sheldon Creed: Driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has made five starts at the track, posting two top fives and four top 10s. He’s come extremely close to taking the checkered flag at Phoenix Raceway, finishing runner-up in last year’s championship race.
Austin Hill: Driver of the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet has made four starts at Phoenix, where he has posted three top-10 finishes and has led 43 laps.
Riley Herbst: Driver of the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford has made nine starts at Phoenix Raceway, posting four top fives and six top 10s.
John Hunter Nemechek: Fulltime NASCAR Cup Series driver John Hunter Nemechek will be getting behind the wheel of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Phoenix after coming off a big win last weekend at Las Vegas. Nemechek has made seven Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, posting two top fives, six top 10s, and has led 168 laps.
Xfinity Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings shuffle after Las Vegas
The 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is in full swing, and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings has been shuffled after a wild race in Las Vegas. Richard Childres Racing’s Jesse Love still holds the rookie standings lead, but Hailie Deegan, the winner of the Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award at Las Vegas, moved up a spot to fourth in the rookie standings following her 15th-place finish at Vegas. Love also extended his points lead over second place Shane van Gisbergen to 36 points. Now, the 2024 Sunoco rookie class will be heading back out West to give Phoenix’s one-mile track a go.
Jesse Love: He currently leads his competitors and is seventh in the Xfinity Series standings with 96 points. This weekend will be Love’s series track debut.
Shane van Gisbergen: He is currently second in the battle for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors and sits in 16th in the Xfinity Series standings with 60 points. This weekend will also be his series track debut.
Leland Honeyman Jr.: Sliding in at third is Honeyman who is 22nd in the Xfinity Series standings with 42 points. Honeyman made his series track debut at Phoenix last November; he started 23rd and finished 27th.
Hailie Deegan: Coming in at fourth on the rookie standings list is Hailie Deegan. She currently is 27th in the Xfinity Series standings with 33 points. Deegan scored a 15th-place finish at Las Vegas to win the Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award. Deegan will be making he series track debut this weekend.
Dawson Cram: Rounding out our 2024 rookie class is Dawson Cram. He is 38th in the Xfinity Series standings with 15 points. Cram has made three starts at Phoenix in the Xfinity Series posting an average finish of 29.3.
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