NASCAR at Phoenix 2016: Start time, lineup, TV schedule
AVONDALE, Ariz. — It's NASCAR race day at Phoenix International Raceway, and we've got some essential information you need to get ready for Sunday’s Good Sam 500.
START TIME: Mark Boggess, chief operating officer of race sponsor Good Sam, is scheduled to instruct drivers to start their engines at 3:38 p.m. ET (12:38 p.m. local time) today. If you want to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the race, turn on your TV at 3:45 p.m. for the green flag.
RACE DISTANCE: The Good Sam 500, the first of two Sprint Cup races this season at PIR, is 312 laps (500 kilometers) around the 1-mile track for a total of 312 miles.
NATIONAL ANTHEM: Actor/singer Jordan Fisher will sing the anthem at 3:31 p.m. ET.
TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: Fox will broadcast today's race. The pre-race show is scheduled at 3 p.m. ET. Motor Racing Network will call the race on the radio.
WEATHER: Sunday’s forecast is excellent — sunny skies with a high of 77 and almost no chance of rain.
LAST TIME: Kevin Harvick, the acknowledged king of PIR with seven victories, won last year’s “spring” race at the track. Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the fall race — the penultimate race of the Sprint Cup Series schedule.
STARTING LINEUP: Kyle Busch won the pole Friday with a speed of 138.387 miles per hour. Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin also start in the top three.
Here's the starting lineup for today's NASCAR race at Phoenix International Raceway (Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne will be in backup cars and will have to start at the rear of the field):
1. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota
2. (19) Carl Edwards, Toyota
3. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
4. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet
5. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
6. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota
7. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
8. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
9. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
10. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford
11. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet
12. (21) Ryan Blaney, Ford
13. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford
14. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford
15. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
16. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet
17. (24) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
18. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
19. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford
20. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet
21. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford
22. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
23. (83) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota
24. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet
25. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet
26. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet
27. (38) Landon Cassill, Ford
28. (14) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
29. (23) David Ragan, Toyota
30. (44) Brian Scott, Ford
31. (7) Regan Smith, Chevrolet
32. (34) Chris Buescher, Ford
33. (95) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
34. (98) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet
35. (15) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet
36. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet
37. (30) Josh Wise, Chevrolet
38. (46) Michael Annett, Chevrolet
39. (32) Joey Gase, Ford