ADVANCE NOTES
Weekend Format
- Traditional practice – a full, 50-minute session – is on the schedule for Friday, with single-car qualifying set for Saturday in Phoenix.
Keselowski at Phoenix
- Keselowski makes his 27th start at Phoenix this Sunday, where he has 13 top-10s all-time with an average finish of 12.9. Despite no wins at the 1-mile track, Keselowski has four top-10s in his last six starts including a runner-up result in the 2020 season finale, one of his two P2 finishes there (2018, fall).
- He’s led 283 laps at Phoenix in 14 different races and is coming off a 10th-place run last fall. In the 2021 spring event he finished fourth after starting from the pole. He finished 23rd there this spring.
- Keselowski is a two-time Xfinity Series winner in Phoenix, earning the victory in 2018 in the No. 22 entry, and in 2014 for Team Penske. Overall he has 21 NXS starts there with 15 top-10s. He also made two Truck starts there in 2005 and 2008 with a best finish of sixth in his own No. 19 truck for BKR.
Matt McCall at Phoenix
- McCall will call his 16th Cup race from Phoenix on Sunday where he has five top-10s and a best finish of second, which came in his very first start with Jamie McMurray back in 2015.
- He carries a 12.5 average finish and finished 16th in the 2021 season finale. He and Kurt Busch most recently teamed up for two top-10 efforts (seventh – 2019, sixth – 2020) and his drivers have completed all but four laps there all-time.
QUOTE WORTHY
Keselowski on racing at Phoenix:
“We’ve got one more chance to steal a win with this 6 team this season, and the last couple of weeks I think have been an indicator as to how strong we’ve been as of late. Phoenix wasn’t our best of races in the spring, but returning to tracks for a second time has been huge for us in continuing to build our organization. It’s a long season to get to this point, and we’re ready for the challenge out West.”
Last Time Out
Keselowski drove to his best finish (fourth) of the season Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, putting his Kohler Ford in position late to steal a win. He was later stripped of the finish after NASCAR deemed the No. 6 did not meet minimum weight requirements in post-race technical inspection.
On the Car
Kohler returns for its 14th primary race this season. Kohler is the anchor partner for the No. 6 team throughout the 2022 campaign, and will be the primary in 14 races after initially joining the RFK partner family in 2021 with eight events on the No. 6 team.
RFK PR