Driver Averages | Laps Led Leaders | Driver Ratings | Past Winners
Detailed driver notes and statistics to help set your fantasy racing lineup for Sunday’s TicketGuardian 500 at ISM Raceway.
Who’s HOT at ISM Raceway
- Kevin Harvick has won seven of the last 13 races and has a 3.2 average finish in that span.
- Kyle Busch, who combined to lead 245 laps in the two races in 2018, has finished seventh or better in his last seven starts, including a win last fall.
- Denny Hamlin, who led 33 laps in this event last year, has finished in the top 10 in five of the last seven races. He won this race in 2012.
- Chase Elliott, who combined to lead 140 laps in the two races in 2017, has finished third or better in two of the last three races.
- Aric Almirola is the only other driver besides Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick that has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three races.
- Kyle Larson has finished third or better in three of his five starts.
Keep an Eye On at ISM Raceway
- Martin Truex Jr., who won the pole for this event last year, has finished in the top five in two of his last three starts at ISM. This weekend marks his first track start with Joe Gibbs Racing.
- Erik Jones has finished ninth or better in three of his four starts at ISM.
- Brad Keselowski is coming off his best finish (second) at ISM after leading 32 laps last fall.
- Kurt Busch, who will make his first ISM start with Chip Ganassi Racing, finished 10th last year in this event and led 52 laps in the fall before getting caught up in a multi-car accident. Busch also is coming off two consecutive top fives on the season.
- Series points leader Joey Logano ranks third in laps led in the two races with two variations of this year’s rules package. His 2016 win in the fall race at ISM is his last of nine top 10s there.
- Besides Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Harvick and Logano, Ryan Newman is the only other race winner at ISM since the track was repaved and reconfigured.
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Daniel Suarez (making first ISM start with Stewart-Haas Racing) each have two 10s in the last four races at ISM.
- Alex Bowman has started in the top five in his three ISM starts with Hendrick Motorsports. He led 194 laps in the 2016 fall race and finished 13th in this event last year with the Camaro.
- ISM is William Byron’s best track with multiple starts based on his 10.5 average finish.
- ISM is Ryan Blaney’s best track based on starting average (6.5). He ranks fifth in laps led this season but is still seeking his first top 10 in 2019 and first at ISM since 2016 when he finished in the top 10 in both races. He ranks seventh in laps completed (1,344) while running in the top 15 since 2016 at ISM.
- Jimmie Johnson is a four-time winner at ISM, but has not won since the track was repaved and reconfigured. He finished 14th and 15th, respectively last season. His new crew chief Kevin Meendering helped lead Elliott Sadler to three straight top 10s in the spring Xfinity race at ISM.
Notes: The TicketGuardian 500 will feature the 2019 baseline aero elements but with a 1.17-inch tapered spacer that will make the engines generate around 750 horsepower…The aero ducts will not be used on the cars like they were last weekend in Las Vegas…Because of the extra downforce versus 2018, Goodyear will bring a new tire combination this weekend based off a test last fall…Drivers participating in that test were Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Paul Menard…Sunday will mark the 16th race since ISM Raceway was repaved and reconfigured…However, Sunday’s race will be the second with the start/finish line in a new location and a new pit road layout…The third starting position has produced the most race winners (6) at ISM with Dale Earnhardt Jr. the last to win from that position in this event in 2015…Last year in this event, Kevin Harvick won from the 10th starting position…Kyle Busch is also competing in the Xfinity race this weekend…Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest organization at Phoenix with 10 victories.
*Best Average Finish at ISM Raceway
| Last # of Races | Driver | Average Finish |
| Two Races | Kyle Busch | 1.5 |
| Four Races | Kyle Busch | 3.2 |
| Six Races | Kyle Busch | 3.2 |
| Eight Races | Kevin Harvick | 3.1 |
| Ten Races | Kevin Harvick | 2.7 |
* – The best average finish is based off a driver entered in the race who has competed in every race during that time span.
Laps Led Leaders at ISM Raceway
| Last # of Races | Driver | Laps Led |
| Two Races | Kyle Busch | 245 |
| Four Races | Kyle Busch | 359 |
| Six Races | Kyle Busch | 434 |
| Eight Races | Kevin Harvick | 617 |
| Ten Races | Kevin Harvick | 1,105 |
Click Here to view all laps led leaders at ISM Raceway over the past 10 races.
ISM Raceway Loop Data Stat Leaders (2005-2018, 28 Races)
| Average Running Pos. | Laps in Top 15 |
| 1. Chase Elliott – 6.2 | 1. Kevin Harvick – 7,216 |
| 2. Kevin Harvick – 8.5 | 2. Kyle Busch – 7,086 |
| 3. Jimmie Johnson – 9.4 | 3. Jimmie Johnson – 7,008 |
| 4. Erik Jones – 9.9 | 4. Kurt Busch – 6,098 |
| 5. Kyle Busch – 10.2 | 5. Denny Hamlin – 6,070 |
| Fastest Laps Run | Driver Rating |
| 1. Kevin Harvick – 860 | 1. Kevin Harvick – 111.0 |
| 2. Jimmie Johnson – 712 | 2. Chase Elliott – 108.7 |
| 3. Kyle Busch – 457 | 3. Jimmie Johnson – 106.6 |
| 4. Kurt Busch – 417 | 4. Kyle Busch – 102.2 |
| 5. Denny Hamlin – 339 | 5. Denny Hamlin – 96.7 |
Click Here to view Driver Ratings since 2016 at ISM Raceway.
Top 10 Stage 1 &2 Points Earned at ISM Raceway
Four Races
| Driver | Points Earned |
| Kyle Busch | 55 |
| Kyle Larson | 47 |
| Chase Elliott | 46 |
| Brad Keselowski | 42 |
| Denny Hamlin | 36 |
| Kevin Harvick | 32 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 27 |
| Erik Jones | 20 |
| Kurt Busch | 20 |
| Ryan Blaney | 19 |
2018 March ISM Raceway Stage Finishes
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 |
| 1. Kyle Busch | 1. Kurt Busch |
| 2. Kevin Harvick | 2. Brad Keselowski |
| 3. Kyle Larson | 3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 4. Denny Hamlin | 4. Kyle Busch |
| 5. Martin Truex Jr. | 5. Michael McDowell |
| 6. Chase Elliott | 6. Ty Dillon |
| 7. Brad Keselowski | 7. Kevin Harvick |
| 8. Kurt Busch | 8. Martin Truex Jr. |
| 9. Joey Logano | 9. Kasey Kahne |
| 10 Erik Jones | 10. Clint Bowyer |
MRN.com Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Kevin Harvick
Pete Pistone: Kyle Busch
Tyler Burnett: Kyle Busch
Kenneth Lee: Kevin Harvick
Driver Notes – Ordered by Average Finish (Top 15) in the Last Five Races at ISM
Kyle Busch has finished seventh or better in the last seven races at ISM Raceway that includes a win last fall and two-runner up finishes. He leads all drivers with 55 stage points earned in the last four races at the 1-mile track. Busch led a race-high 128 and 117 laps, respectively, in both races last year.
Kevin Harvick has finished sixth or better in the last 11 races at ISM Raceway, which includes six wins in that span. Last year, Harvick led 38 laps en route to the win in this event and led 73 in the fall where he finished fifth.
Erik Jones finished 17th last fall after a pit road speeding penalty to snap a streak of three consecutive top 10s at ISM Raceway. Jones is tied for eighth among all drivers in stage points (20) at ISM. Jones, who has started 11th or better in his five Phoenix starts, has recorded points in each of the first stages in the last three races there.
Chase Elliott snapped a streak of two consecutive top-three finishes at ISM Raceway last fall when he came home 23rd. In that race, Elliott led 16 laps, won Stage 1 and finished seventh in Stage 2, but his No. 9 Chevrolet took on damage when he was caught up in a multi-car accident on Lap 270. In the 2017 spring race, Elliott led 106 laps but finished 12th after pitting and being behind cars with older tires on the final restart. Elliott ranks third in laps led (156) and stage points (46) in the last four races at ISM.
Brad Keselowski finished second last fall for his best finish, and ninth top 10, in the 14 races since ISM was repaved/reconfigured and first since the start-finish line was moved. Last year in this event, crew chief Paul Wolfe kept Keselowski on the track as long as possible before making his final stop with hopes of catching a yellow flag to pit with the leaders. The yellow did not come out and he finished 15th. He ranks fourth among all drivers in stage points (42) in the last four races at ISM.
William Byron has finished 12th or better in his two starts at ISM Raceway. The 1-mile track is his best on the schedule where he has made two starts based on his 10.5 average finish. Byron scored his first stage point at ISM last fall in the second stage.
Ryan Newman will be making his first start at ISM Raceway with Roush Fenway Racing. He is a two-time winner at the track with his last coming in this event in 2017 with Richard Childress Racing. Newman’s best finish of 2019 came at Atlanta, 13th, with the lower horsepower and no aero ducts.
Aric Almirola is one of only three drivers (others Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick) that have finished in the top 10 in the last three races at ISM Raceway. Almirola scored his first stage point at ISM last fall in the second stage.
Kyle Larson finished second last fall for his third top-three finish in the last five races at ISM Raceway. Larson led 54 laps in this event last year, but spun on Lap 123 and finished 18th in the end. He led 12 laps in the 2017 fall race but finished 40th after an engine failure. Larson, who participated in the Goodyear tire test last fall, ranks second among all drivers with 47 stage points.
Denny Hamlin led 33 laps and finished fourth in this event last year for his fifth top 10 in the last seven races at ISM Raceway. Hamlin dominated the 2017 fall race, leading 93 laps, but his day ended on lap 275 after a tire went down following contact with Chase Elliott in a side-by-side battle. His 35th-place finish snapped a streak of four consecutive top 10s. In last year’s fall race, Hamlin finished 13th after damage to his car in a multi-car crash when he got loose on Lap 270. Hamlin’s lone win at ISM came in this event in 2012 – the second race since the track was repaved and reconfigured. Hamlin, who participated in the Goodyear tire test last fall, ranks fifth in stage points earned in the last four races at ISM.
Martin Truex Jr. finished 14th last fall to snap a streak of two consecutive top fives at ISM Raceway. Truex, who won the pole for this event last year, will be making his first track start as part of the Joe Gibbs Racing organization. Truex has recorded stage points in five of the last six stages at ISM for a total of 27 points.
Alex Bowman finished 13th in this event last year in his first start at ISM Raceway as the full-time driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet. Bowman’s previous start at ISM came in the 2016 fall race when he subbed for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and led 194 laps en route to a sixth-place finish. Bowman, who was swept up in an accident last fall that ultimately led to a 30th-place finish, scored his first stage point in that race in the opening stage.
Daniel Suarez finished 36th last fall after contact to raise his average finish to 17.2 in four starts at ISM Raceway. Suarez, who is making his first track start with Stewart-Haas, has finished in the top 10 in this event for the past two seasons.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 33rd last fall after a hard crash to raise his average finish to 20.3 in 12 starts at ISM Raceway. Stenhouse’s two top 10s at the track came in 2017. His only stage points at ISM came in this event last year when he finished third in the second stage.
Clint Bowyer finished sixth last year in this event for his only top 10 in the last 11 races at ISM Raceway. He’s only scored stage points in two stages in the last four races, both 10th-place finishes for a total of two points.
