Qualifying Update
There have been 10 different Bud Pole winners in the past 12 races at Phoenix. Ryan Newman posted three consecutive Bud Poles (2002-2004) and is the only repeat Bud Pole winner in the 12 races there since 1994.

Track Update
Mark Martin has posted 13 top-10 finishes in 18 races at Phoenix International Raceway – three more than any other driver.

Manufacturer Update
Ford has won 12 of the 18 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Phoenix and had at least two top-five finishes in the first 16 races there. Ford's best finish in 2004 was 10th and their only top-five in the first race this season was race winner Kurt Busch. Chevrolet has four victories at Phoenix, including two of the past three races. The highest finishing Dodge driver in the five races that the manufacturer has competed at Phoenix since 2001 was Ryan Newman (2nd in 2004). Pontiac had the other two Phoenix victories: Bobby Hamilton (1996) and Tony Stewart (1999).

Would You Believe?
Ryan Newman started 10th in the 2000 Checker Auto Parts/Dura Lube 500, his career-first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start. That start came two seasons before his 2002 rookie season. In 2001 he started 25th. In the four races since his official rookie season (2002) he has won three Bud Poles (2002-2004) and started seventh (April 2005).

Mr. Phoenix
Mark Martin has posted eight top-five and 13 1op-10 finishes in 18 races at Phoenix, both more than any other driver. Martin has one victory and five second-place finishes in the 18 races.

Track Update of the Week
Phoenix is one of only four active tracks where Jeff Gordon has not scored a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory. Chicago, Homestead and Texas are the others. Gordon has posted 10 top-10 finishes in 13 races at Phoenix. His best finish there was third in 2002 and 2004.

The Money
Purse $4,870,213
NASCAR NEXTEL Leader Bonus $70,000
MBNA Mid-Race Leader Bonus $25,000

Tire/Fuel Data
Goodyear Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-6798; Right-side -- D-6832
Other Nextel Cup Tracks At Which This Tire Combination Is Run: New Hampshire; Richmond
Estimated Pit Window: Every 90-100 laps, based on fuel mileage.

Notebook

The Chase Drivers at Phoenix

Driver Milestones at Phoenix
Ricky Rudd.is expected to make his 786th consecutive start, extending the all-time record for consecutive races by a driver.

Defending NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Champion at Phoenix
Kurt Busch has competed in six races at Phoenix, scoring four top-10 finishes - all in the last four races.

Point Leader at Phoenix International Raceway
Tony Stewart has competed in seven races at Phoenix International Raceway, scoring four top-10 finishes. He finished 33rd there in April, posting his worst Phoenix finish.

Strong Starter at Phoenix International Raceway
Brian Vickers has posted three top-five starts his three races at Phoenix (second twice and fifth).

Winning From Outside the Top 10 at Phoenix International Raceway
Eleven of the 18 races at Phoenix International Raceway have been won from a starting position outside the top-10. In April Greg Biffle became the first driver to win from a top-10 starting position (fifth) in the last four races there.

Phoenix Dominators

Manufacturer Domination at Phoenix
A Ford has won 12 of the 18 races at Phoenix International Raceway, Chevrolet has four wins and Pontiac had two.

“Last-Timer” at Phoenix International Raceway
Rusty Wallace has scored top-10 finishes in every other race beginning with his victory there in 1998. He finished 36th in April keeping in pace with the streak and must score a top-10 this weekend to continue this unusual streak.

And Beat Goes On
Jeff Burton and Joe Nemechek have been running at the finish in all 12 of their races at Phoenix.

Owner Domination at Phoenix
Jack Roush Racing has scored five victories at Phoenix, two more than the closest owner, Robert Yates who has three.

Don't Tell Me You Can't
Ricky Rudd won the 1995 Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix from the 29th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

Leading the way at Phoenix International Raceway
Both Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace have led at least one lap in 10 of their 18 races at Phoenix.

Would You Believe?
With just two races remaining before his scheduled retirement, Rusty Wallace is still 59 laps shy of leading 20,000 laps in his career. He ranks seventh all-time. Wallace has led only one lap in the last 10 races (since Bristol).

Who's Hot

Top 10 in 2005 Points at This Track
First
Tony Stewart finished sixth in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and remained first in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He remains at the top of the point standings for the 13th time in the last 14 races, falling to fifth after Dover. He has scored 16 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes this season, both the most of all drivers. Stewart has scored six top-10 finishes in the eight races in the Chase, tied with Jimmie Johnson Carl Edwards and Mark Martin for the most. His worst Chase finish of 25th came at Lowe?s Motor Speedway. He has earned 50 bonus points during the Chase, 15 more than any other Chase driver. That accounts for most of his 38- point lead over second-place Jimmie Johnson. Stewart ranked sixth in the point standings after 34 races one year ago. He has competed in seven races at Phoenix International Raceway, scoring one victory (1999) and four top- 10 finishes. Stewart finished 33rd at Phoenix this past April, his worst finish there. Stewart has a 12.428 average finish at Phoenix and ranks fourth among the Chase drivers in average finish there.

Second
Jimmie Johnson finished fifth in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and remained second in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He has scored top-10 finishes in six of the eight races in the Chase. His worst Chase finish of 31st came at Talladega Superspeedway. Johnson led the point standings after 17 of the 34 races this season, but has ranked first only once during the Chase, after Dover. He has scored four victories in 2005 (Las Vegas, both races at Charlotte and second Dover). He has scored 21 top-10 finishes in 2005, three less than Tony Stewart. Johnson ranked fourth in the point standings after 34 races one year ago. He has ranked among the top-10 drivers since Las Vegas in March 2004, 67 straight races – the longest active streak in the top 10. Johnson has competed in four races at Phoenix , scoring two top-10 finishes. He has scored top-15 finishes in all four of his races at Phoenix International Raceway. Johnson finished 15th at Phoenix in April, tying his worst finish there - set in his 2002 rookie season. He has a 9.5 average finish at Phoenix ranking second among the Chase drivers in average finish there.

Third
Carl Edwards finished first in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and climbed from fourth to third in the point standings. Edwards has climbed from sixth to third in the standings in the last three races. Edwards has scored 20 top-15 finishes in 34 races in 2005, including 16 top-10 finishes. Edwards has scored six top-10 finishes in eight races in the Chase for the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and trails first-place Tony Stewart by 77 points. His worst Chase finish (26th) came at Martinsville. He finished seventh at Phoenix in April, the best of two finishes there. Edward?s 22.0 finishing average at Phoenix ranks eighth among the Chase drivers.

Fourth
Greg Biffle finished 20th in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and dropped from third to fourth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He has scored five victories in 2005, tied with Tony Stewart for the most of all drivers. He has scored 19 top-10 finishes in 34 races this season. Biffle has ranked in the top five after 31 of the 34 races in 2005. Biffle is making his first appearance in the Chase. He now trails first-place Tony Stewart by 122 points after the eighth of 10 races in the 2005 Chase. He has scored four top-10 finishes in the first eight races in the Chase. His worst Chase finish of 27th came at Talladega Superspeedway. Biffle has competed in three races at Phoenix International Raceway scoring two top-15 finishes. His best Phoenix finish, 13th, came there in November 2004. Biffle has a 23.0 average finish at Phoenix, ranking ninth among the Chase drivers in average finish there.

Fifth
Mark Martin finished second in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and climbed from sixth to fifth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings, now 123 points behind point leader Tony Stewart. and just one point behind fourth-place Greg Biffle. He has scored five top-10 finishes in the first eight races in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. He has posted 18 top-10 finishes in 2005. Martin ranked fifth in the point standings after 34 races one year ago. He has competed in all 18 races at Phoenix International Raceway, scoring one victory and 13 top-10 finishes. His only Phoenix victory came in the October 1993. He finished 16th at Phoenix this past April. Martin has a 9.055 average finish at Phoenix International Raceway, which ranks first among the Chase drivers.

Sixth
Matt Kenseth finished third in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and climbed from seventh to sixth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails first-place Tony Stewart by 135 points. He is one of six drivers that are within the 156-point window that can be made up in a single race. Kenseth has scored five topfive finishes in the first eight races in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, tied with Mark Martin for the most. Kenseth ranked ninth in the point standings after 34 races one year ago. Kenseth has scored 21 top-15 finishes including 16 top-10 finishes in 2005. Kenseth has competed in six races at Phoenix International Raceway scoring one victory (November 2002) and three top-10 finishes. He finished 42nd at Phoenix this past April tying his worst finish there set in his rookie season in 2000. Kenseth has a 21.833 average finish at Phoenix International Raceway, seventh among the Chase drivers.

Seventh
Ryan Newman finished 25th in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, his worst finish in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. He dropped from fifth to seventh in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings, 174 points behind first-place Tony Stewart, more than can be made up in a single race. Newman has scored five top-10 finishes in the eight races of the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Newman ranked seventh in the point standings after 34 races one year ago. He has scored 15 top-10 finishes in 34 races this season. Newman has competed in six races at Phoenix International Raceway scoring two top-10 finishes. He finished 14th at Phoenix in April, his third straight top-15 finish there. Newman's 19.666 average finish at Phoenix ranks sixth among the Chase drivers.

Eighth
Kurt Busch finished 10th in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and climbed from ninth to eighth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Busch is now 281 points behind first-place Tony Stewart, more than can be made up in a single race. Busch ranked first in the point standings after 34 races one year ago and went on to record his first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship by just eight points over Jimmie Johnson. He has scored 18 top-10 finishes in 34 races this season. Busch has competed in six races at Phoenix International Raceway, scoring one victory and four top-10 finishes, all in the last four races there. He finished first at Phoenix in April. Busch has a 12.0 average finish at Phoenix International Raceway and ranks third among the Chase drivers in average finish there.

Ninth
Rusty Wallace finished 22nd in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and dropped from eighth to ninth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails first-place Tony Stewart by 315 points, more than can be made up if all drivers start in the two remaining races. He has scored 24 top-15 finishes in 34 races this season. He is making his first appearance in the Chase. Wallace has scored three top-10 finishes in the first eight races in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. He has competed in all 18 races at Phoenix International Raceway, scoring one victory (October 1998) and eight top-10 finishes. He finished 36th at Phoenix in April. Wallace's 16.888 average finish ranks fifth among the Chase drivers in average finish at Phoenix.