Good Sam 500 Betting News and Notes

Phoenix Driver Tale of the Tape

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)

· Five top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 14.864, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 15.535, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.1, 11th-best
· 288 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 126.279, 11th-fastest
· 3528 Laps in the Top 15 (51.5), 12th-most
· 436 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)

· One win, six top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.524, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 10.474, third-best
· Driver Rating of 98.4, fourth-best
· 352 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 126.552, fifth-fastest
· 4962 Laps in the Top 15 (75.9), fourth-most
· 514 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· One win, four top fives, 13 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.810, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.613, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 97.3, fifth-best
· 270 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 126.411, eighth-fastest
· 5232 Laps in the Top 15 (80.0), third-most
· 602 Quality Passes, second-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· Three wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 17.045, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.847, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.4, 13th-best
· 212 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 126.350, ninth-fastest
· 3493 Laps in the Top 15 (51.0), 13th-most
· 366 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Carl Edwards (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· Two wins, seven top fives, 12 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 11.136, third-best
· Average Running Position of 12.303, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 99.2, third-best
· 391 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 126.563, fourth-fastest
· 4833 Laps in the Top 15 (70.6), fifth-most
· 506 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· One win, nine top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.429, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.372, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 95.1, sixth-best
· 249 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 126.437, seventh-fastest
· 4494 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7), sixth-most
· 446 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)

· Seven wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 9.273, second-best
· Average Running Position of 9.065, second-best
· Driver Rating of 109.9, second-best
· 681 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 126.817, second-fastest
· 5489 Laps in the Top 15 (80.1), second-most
· 488 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· Four wins, 15 top fives, 19 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 7.727, series-best
· Average Running Position of 7.833, series-best
· Driver Rating of 112.6, series-best
· 632 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 127.083, series-fastest
· 5810 Laps in the Top 15 (84.8), series-most
· 592 Quality Passes, third-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· One win, six top fives, ten top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.333, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.062, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.0, 12th-best
· 179 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 126.341, 10th-fastest
· 4189 Laps in the Top 15 (63.2), 11th-most
· 492 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford)

· Four top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.538, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.096, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.8, seventh-best
· 226 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 126.660, third-fastest
· 2708 Laps in the Top 15 (67.0), ninth-most
· 341 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet)

· One top 10
· Average finish of 16.000, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 12.270, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 88.3, 10th-best
· 2 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 126.522, sixth-fastest
· 789 Laps in the Top 15 (68.3), seventh-most
· 91 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)

· Three top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 13.714, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 13.194, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 89.9, eighth-best
· 119 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 126.278, 12th-fastest
· 2780 Laps in the Top 15 (63.9), 10th-most
· 293 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Ryan Newman (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)

· One win, nine top fives, 11 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 16.227, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.641, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.6, ninth-best
· 96 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 126.212, 13th-fastest
· 4603 Laps in the Top 15 (67.2), eighth-most
· 603 Quality Passes, series-most

Good Sam 500 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

The fourth race of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season takes us to the flat one-mile layout at Phoenix International Raceway, one of the most beautiful backdrops the tour will see all year until making the trip again in November during the Chase. Situated on the base of the Estella Mountains, the combination of Saguaro cacti everywhere, constant sunshine and fun on Rattlesnake hill make it one of a kind.

I love the concept of having three straight West Coast races early in the season, but it's not very practical from a west coast fan perspective. When I was at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last Sunday I had the opportunity to talk with lots of the fans. There were a couple of parties I met anchored in on the infield with their RV's that will be going to Phoenix this week and Fontana in two weeks. They've taken three weeks out of their lives to live NASCAR -- pretty awesome stuff. I was extremely jealous.

But others I talked to at Las Vegas that don't have the liberty to take off work so long aren't very happy about three straight West Coast races this early. The problem is that NASCAR forces almost everyone to make a destination choice between the three. Where do I go, Las Vegas, Phoenix or Fontana? If the races were spaced out more across the schedule, there would be more people able to attend all three west coast dates. After Fontana next week, the series won't come out west again until late June at Sonoma and then not again until November with Phoenix again.

When I heard multiple fans at Las Vegas tell me this and then I looked around at LVMS and saw less people than ever in the stands, I thought they had some valid points. The wind was hitting 40 mph on Sunday, which may have discouraged some to attend, but there should still be cause for concern. If Las Vegas is having trouble filling the track, with all the city has to offer, there is something wrong with the set-up. The west coast swing thing may sound nice to the NASCAR folks in Daytona making the schedule, and they are saving some fuel with less travel, but it should be called west coast cannibalism.

Okay, that's all I have to say about that. As usual, I'll be watching the race on television, where to be truthful, I actually enjoy more in my older age than being at the race. Phoenix has always been a track I enjoyed watching not just because it's unique, but also because its one of the truest to driver ratings. Drivers expected to do well usually do and that's a big advantage in betting driving matchups.

Not only do you have past Phoenix data to go off, but you've also got flat tracks at Richmond and New Hampshire that require the same set-ups. If a driver does well on one, they'll do well on the others. This is the first go 'round on this type of track this season, but we should see the same players we saw last year that did well have similar results. That means Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson will be the focal points.

Those six drivers aren't all on the same level, however.

Harvick is a couple notched above the others just because he is the King of Phoenix. He's the track's all-time leader with seven wins as well as leading 1,345 laps in 26 career starts. Think about all those laps led for minute with only only 312 laps per race. Last year's fall race only had 219 laps due to rain, but between the two races in 2015 Harvick led 367 of the 531 total laps. Had the rain not happened, Harvick would have probably won his fifth straight Phoenix race. He settled for second. He's got five wins in his last seven there, which is why he is the short 3/1 favorite (Bet $100 to win $300) this week.

Last fall during the Chase, Dale Earnhardt Jr. busted up Harvick's hope of winning five straight. It was Junior's third win at Phoenix and first since 2004. He's been very good at Phoenix lately, finishing eighth or better in five of his past six starts there.

Jimmie Johnson's four Phoenix wins are second best to Harvick's seven, but Johnson hasn't won there since 2009 when he was on a run of winning four of five Phoenix races. Despite not winning there lately, he's still been classic Jimmie. His 7.7 average finish is best among all drivers as is his 15 top-five finishes in 25 starts. Harvick only has 11 top-fives in 26 starts to pit into perspective just how good Johnson is at Phoenix.

Denny Hamlin has a 2012 Phoenix win to his credit and his 11.4 average finish in third-best in the series. Hamlin's best tracks over his career have been the flat shorter types, which Phoenix fits.

Keselowski hasn't won at Phoenix yet, but has finished 11th or better in his past eight starts there, including sixth or better in six of them. His Team Penske teammate Joey Logano has a similar run of success going at Phoenix finishing ninth or better in his past five starts.Look for Chevrolet to come out strong and win its sixth straight Phoenix race.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #48 Jimmie Johnson (7/1)
2) #4 Kevin Harvick (3/1)
3) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (12/1)
4) #2 Matt Kenseth (10/1)
5) #22 Joey Logano (8/1)

NASCAR at Phoenix betting odds, driver preview
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

After a restrictor-plate race at Daytona and two races on 1.5-mile tracks, we get our first taste of 2016 racing on a smaller track Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway's flat, one-mile layout. It's the second of three races on the west coast swing, and the first of six races this season on similar flat tracks.

What you see in Sunday's Sam Good 500 will be extremely important to handicapping two later races at Richmond and New Hampshire, as well as the second Phoenix race in November during the Chase. For this weeks race, the best approach is to look at happened in those six races last season.

From a handicapping perspective, Phoenix is one of the most true to each driver's rating, which makes it one of the best tracks to bet on with driver matchups. After Friday and Saturday's practices, you should have a nice edge over the sports books in betting because there isn't much randomness factored in. In five of the past seven races, it's been one driver — Kevin Harvick — that has won, which is why he's the +225 favorite this week.

With such a big favorite, several other quality drivers have their odds raised to balance out the sports books preferred theoretic hold. The big question is just how much you can be tempted to support a driver other than Harvick to win. Let's take a look at all the Sam Good 500 odds to win posted by William Hill's 105 sports books across Nevada.

NASCAR at Phoenix odds, driver breakdown

KEVIN HARVICK (+225) - He holds the track record with seven wins and leading 1,345 laps. He had an amazing four race win streak snapped last fall, and it took a rain shortened race to derail him. No one knows every wrinkle of the Phoenix layout better than Harvick, who has been racing there in all fazes of his career. He's finished second or better in six of his past Phoenix seven starts — with two different teams — since the track was reconfigured in 2011. That's all you need to know about him as the reason why he's such a prohibitive favorite to win Sunday's race.

JOEY LOGANO (8/1) - He has yet to win at Phoenix, but it's coming soon. This is his type of track and his team has been very successful at similar layouts at Richmond and New Hampshire over the past two seasons. He's finished ninth or better in his past five Phoenix starts.

BRAD KESELOWSKI (8/1) - Just like his Pesnke teammate Logano, his first Phoenix win is coming soon. He's been 11th or better in his past eight Phoenix starts.

KYLE BUSCH (8/1) - His lone win came in 2005 driving for Hendrick Motorsports, but he's maintained a nice 13.8 average finish in 21 starts, including fourth last fall.

JIMMIE JOHNSON (8/1) - While Harvick owns many of the track records, it's Johnson with 15 top-five finishes in 25 starts — Harvick has only 11 in 26 starts. His 7.7 average finish is tops among all drivers as well. His four wins are second behind Harvick. He didn't fare well as well as usual last season in the six combined races between Phoenix, New Hampshire and Richmond, but did have another top-five in the fall at Phoenix.

MATT KENSETH (8/1) - He won at Phoenix early in his career (2002) on the old layout, but what makes him a strong candidate to win this week is winning at Richmond and New Hampshire last fall.

DALE EARNHARDT JR. (17/2) - Who knows if he would been able to hold off Harvick last fall if it wasn't for the rain, but his third Phoenix win was due for some time. He had finished eighth or better in four of his past five before the win, including runner-up in the spring of 2014.

KURT BUSCH (10/1) - He won in 2005 driving for Roush Fenway Racing — his last year with the team — and has averaged a 13.6 finish in 26 starts. Last spring he finished fifth at Phoenix and then won a month later at Richmond, leading 291 laps.

CARL EDWARDS (12/1) - This has always been a good track for him with two wins in the Cup series and four others in the Xfinity series. His 12.2 average finish in 23 starts is fourth-best. The big question mark surrounding him is not faring well, by his standards, on these types of tracks last season in his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing.

MARTIN TRUEX JR. (15/1) - So far we've seen the No. 78 be just as good in practice and race day in the first three races as the JGR cars who are supplying the Furniture Row team with equipment and information. Will they be similar on this type of track as well? In 20 career starts, he's got one top-five and a 16.9 average finish.

DENNY HAMLIN (20/1) - He's got a 2012 win and an 11.4 average finish in 21 starts, including nine top-fives. Only two active drivers have a better average and more top-fives. The flat tracks have always been his bread and butter, so getting 20-to-1 odds might present the best value of all on the board this week if you're willing to bet against Harvick.

CHASE ELLIOTT (30/1) - He'll make his Phoenix Cup debut here. His best Xfinity series result at Phoenix was fifth. Last year, Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 finished ninth and sixth at Phoenix.

KASEY KAHNE (30/1) - 2011 fall race winner with a 17.7 average finish in 23 starts. Finished fourth in this race last season and 26th in the fall.

KYLE LARSON (40/1) - Steady in four career starts with a 16th-place average and career-best 10th last spring, a race where he gave indication during practices that he should be able to contend for the win.

RYAN NEWMAN (50/1) - His 2010 win by 0.130 of second over Gordon was the closest margin of victory ever at Phoenix. He's been solid there ever since with finishes of 11th or better in nine of his past 11 starts, including third in this race last season.

JAMIE McMURRAY (50/1) - His 25 starts without a Phoenix win are the most among all active drivers. He came in with a career best runner-up last spring, and was good on all the similar type tracks as well.

AUSTIN DILLON (75/1) - Forget his 24th-place average finish in his first four Phoenix starts because this is a new and improved team riding some momentum. You could see the confidence with his crew last week prior to the Las Vegas race after two great final practices and they executed in the race with a great fifth-place finish. This is a team on the rise, maybe not ready to win at Phoenix, but a driver you can count on in match-ups.

PAUL MENARD (100/1) - A 21st-place average finish in 18 career starts with a respectable 14th and 13th in last years races.

RYAN BLANEY (100/1) - When watching his sixth-place finish last week at Las Vegas while affiliate Team Penske came in 1-2, you couldn't help but feel that this a low level team that might provide some value in driver matchups this season before his true rating shows. This will be his first Phoenix Cup race, but he has won on it before. In 2011, at 17 years-old, he won the K&N Pro Series West race beating the likes of Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott and Daniel Suarez.

GREG BIFFLE (150/1) - In 24 starts, he's got a 14.9 average and has led 389 laps. Last season he was 27th and 25th.

TY DILLON (150/1) - In his only Cup start at Phoenix (2014), he finished 26th. He has two top-fives there in the Truck series. He'll driving the No. 14 Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet this week.

ARIC ALMIROLA (250/1) - In 10 career starts, he has a 17.7 average finish with a career-best 10th last fall.

A.J. ALLMENDINGER (250/1) - A 17.2 average finish in 13 starts.

CLINT BOWYER (250/1) - These type of tracks have always been good for him, but don't look for anything here as 31 drivers have accumulated more points through the first three races. It's going to be long and frustrating year for Bowyer before he jumps in the No. 14 in 2017.

RICKY STENHOUSE JR. (300/1) - A 19.3 average finish in six starts — career-best 12th in this race last season.

TREVOR BAYNE (400/1) - A 34th-place average in three starts.

DANICA PATRICK (400/1) - No top-fives in any of her 121 Cup starts and just one in 61 Xfinity series starts. The good news is that she had her best Phoenix finish last fall (16th) which dropped her career average down to 27.7 in seven starts.

FIELD - ALL OTHERS (200/1) - Forget about this wager. Buy five Powerball tickets instead — chances of winning are better, or else throw down on a driver that can actually win like Harvick, Johnson, Logano, Kenseth, Junior or Hamlin.

Drivers to Watch - Phoenix
By Sportsbook.ag

Kevin Harvick will be going for his third straight victory at the Good Sam 500 in Arizona on Sunday. Not only has Harvick won this race two years in a row, but he also won in 2006. His three wins give him more than any other driver and the retired Jeff Gordon is the only other driver to have won this race more than once.

One thing worth keeping an eye on is that a Chevrolet manufactured car has won this race eight times in the past and the next closest is Ford with just two wins.

Although Harvick will draw most of the attention in this race, Denny Hamlin has also done some impressive things at Phoenix International. He won this race back in 2012 and he finished with the best time of all time at 2:50:35.

Let’s now take a look at who will be gunning to beat that time on Sunday:

Drivers to Watch

Kevin Harvick (3/1) - Harvick is not getting very favorable odds, but that is because he has been dominant at this race in his career. It’s very tough to pick chalk, but the safest thing to do this weekend would be to choose Harvick in some capacity. As previously mentioned, Harvick has already won here three times in his career and he has also won the past two years. When playing this race, the move might just be putting a few units on Harvick and then throwing a unit or two on somebody else that has better odds.

Jimmie Johnson (6/1) - Johnson doesn’t have the same history at Phoenix International as Harvick, but he won this race back in 2008 and is as hot as any driver in the Sprint Cup right now. Johnson won the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 two weeks ago and he followed it up with a third place finish at the Kobalt 400. He is really in a groove after having a disappointing season last year and he is not somebody that should be ignored heading into this week’s race. Putting a few units on Johnson could pay off huge come Sunday.

Denny Hamlin (10/1) - As previously mentioned, Hamlin won this race back in 2012 and he also did it in the fastest time of anybody to ever win here. That type of record says a lot about him as a driver and he also happens to be getting some favorable odds coming into this one. Hamlin finished in just 16th place at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 and 19th place at the Kobalt 400, so he is being a bit undervalued heading into this race. He won the Daytona 500 and is a threat to win every time he is out on the track. He’s a good pick at 10-to-1 and is somebody to consider pairing with Harvick for Sunday.

Clint Bowyer (66/1) - There are not many great dark horse guys in this race, but Bowyer actually stands out in this one. Bowyer finished last season with 10 top-10 finishes, but he has struggled a bit this season. Bowyer has failed to crack the top-20 on the year, but he is coming off of his best performance of the season so far. Bowyer finished in 22nd at the Kobalt 400 and he should break through soon enough. He’s a good long shot to put a unit on this weekend.

Phoenix Fantasy Racing Preview
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

To assist in making your fantasy racing picks, MRN.com's Jeff Wackerlin takes a look at some notes and statistics for Sunday's Good Sam 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Who's HOT at Phoenix

• Kevin Harvick has won four of the last five races and has a 1.2 average finish in that span.
• Joey Logano has finished in the top 10 in each of the last five races (6.0 average finish).
• Brad Keselowski has finished in the top 10 in each of the last four races (5.5 average finish).
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the rain-shortened race last November for his fifth top 10 in the last six races.
• Kurt Busch has posted a 6.3 average finish in his last three starts.
• Kyle Busch (eight starts) is second in laps led (290) and has posted five top 10s in the nine races since the track was repaved/reconfigured.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Phoenix

• Along with Earnhardt Jr. and Harvick, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne are the only winners since Phoenix was repaved and reconfigured.
• Jimmie Johnson, a four-time winner on PIR's old configuration, won the pole and finished fifth last November in a rain-shortened race for his fourth finish of sixth or better in the last six races.
• Ryan Newman (8.0) and Jamie McMurray (10.2) each rank in the top five in average finish among active drivers in the last four races at Phoenix.
• AJ Allmendinger, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Keselowski participated in the Goodyear tire test at Phoenix last October, which included work on the 2016 rules package.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Joey Logano
Pete Pistone: Joey Logano
Robbie Mays: Brad Keselowski
John Singler: Kevin Harvick

Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish in the Last Five Races at Phoenix

Kevin Harvick has won four of the last five races at Phoenix and combined to lead 925 laps in that span. Ninety-two percent of his laps led in the five races have come in his four starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. This weekend, Harvick will return in the same car (chassis No. 841) that he led 224 laps with in this event last year. He also finished second and led 143 laps with this chassis at Phoenix last fall before the race was called due to rain following a pit stop.

Joey Logano is the only driver besides Kevin Harvick that has finished in the top 10 in the last five races at Phoenix. He also ranks second in laps led (156) in that span.

Brad Keselowski has finished ninth or better in seven of the last eight races at Phoenix. Last year in this event, Keselowski led 52 laps and finished sixth. Keselowski participated in the Goodyear tire test last October, which included work on the 2016 rules package.

Ryan Newman finished third in the spring to help give him an 8.4 average finish in the last five races at Phoenix. Newman, who won the 2010 spring race, will pilot chassis No. 508 for the first time this season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Phoenix last November in a rain-shortened race. The win, which was his third at PIR, was one of five top 10s in the last five races.

Jamie McMurray finished second in this event last season for his best finish in 25 starts at Phoenix. The finish was one of two top 10s in the last four races where he has an average finish of 10.2, which ranks fifth among active drivers in the span.

Kurt Busch has finished seventh or better in his last three Phoenix starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch does have one win on PIR's old surface/configuration in 2005 with Roush Fenway Racing. He did participate in the Goodyear tire test last October, which included work on the 2016 rules package.

Martin Truex Jr. finished seventh in this event last year for his third top 10 - first with Furniture Row Racing - since Phoenix was repaved/reconfigured. Truex, who has posted a 13.8 average finish in his three Phoenix starts with FRR, will not have crew chief Cole Pearn at the track this weekend, but will be in contact with the team remotely.

Jimmie Johnson is a four-time Phoenix winner, but has yet to take the checkered flag since the track was reconfigured and repaved in 2011. Johnson won the pole and finished fifth last November in a rain-shortened race for his fourth finish of sixth or better in the last six races.

Kasey Kahne finished fourth last year in this event for one of three top 10s in eight Phoenix starts with Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne's only win at PIR came in this event in 2011 - the first race since the track was repaved and reconfigured - with Red Bull Racing.

Matt Kenseth missed the Phoenix race last November when he served his final of a two-race suspension. Kenseth did participate in the Goodyear tire test last October, which included work on the 2016 rules package. In five Phoenix starts with Joe Gibbs Racing, Kenseth has scored two top 10s and has yet to lead a lap.

Kyle Busch has finished in the top 10 five times since Phoenix was repaved/reconfigured in 2011. Busch did not race in this event due to injury, but did finish fourth last November in a rain-shortened race. His only Phoenix win came back in 2005 on the old track surface when he drove for Hendrick Motorsports.

Carl Edwards finished 13th and 12th, respectively, in his first two Phoenix starts with Joe Gibbs Racing. In his previous 21 starts with Roush Fenway Racing, Edwards recorded 12 top 10s, including two wins last coming in spring of 2013.

Kyle Larson has posted a 16.0 average finish at Phoenix. His 10th-place finish in this event last year is his best in four starts.

Aric Almirola is coming off his first top 10 at Phoenix in 10 starts.

Denny Hamlin won the first spring race on Phoenix's new configuration in 2012. The win was one of five top 10s in the last eight races.

Paul Menard's last of two top 10s in 18 starts with Phoenix came in the fall race in 2012.

Greg Biffle finished 27th in this event last season due to a loose wheel late in the race put him one lap down. Biffle has finished in the top 10 three times since Phoenix was repaved/reconfigured with his last coming in the 2014 fall race, in ninth.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. equaled his best finish in six starts at Phoenix last year in this event, in 12th.

AJ Allmendinger has posted a 20.8 average finish in four Phoenix starts with JTG Daugherty Racing. His last of two top 10s in 12 overall starts came in the 2011 fall race - the first on PIR's current surface/configuration - with Richard Petty Motorsports. Allmendinger did participate in the Goodyear tire test last October, which included work on the 2016 rules package.