The 2016 Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200 was the fourth stock car race of the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 12th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Kyle Busch, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would dominate the race to win his 79th career NASCAR Xfinity Series race and his third win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Erik Jones and Daniel Suárez, both driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 33 in the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
| Date | March 12, 2016 | ||
| Official name | 12th Annual Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200 | ||
| Location | Avondale, Arizona, Phoenix International Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1 mi (1.6 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 200 mi (321.868 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 200 mi (321.868 km) | ||
| Average speed | 114.087 miles per hour (183.605 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 26.318 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 175 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Michael Waltrip, Joey Logano | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
*Driver changed to Todd Peck after Ellis wrecked in qualifying.[2]
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, March 11, at 9:30 AM MST. The session would last for 55 minutes.[3] Erik Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 26.840 and an average speed of 134.128 miles per hour (215.858 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.840 | 134.128 |
| 2 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.881 | 133.924 |
| 3 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 26.988 | 133.393 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Friday, March 11, at 1:00 PM MST. The session would last for one hour and 25 minutes.[3] Erik Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 26.855 and an average speed of 134.053 miles per hour (215.737 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.855 | 134.053 |
| 2 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.888 | 133.889 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.096 | 132.861 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
editThe final practice session, sometimes known as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, March 11, at 3:30 PM MST. The session would last for 55 minutes.[3] Ty Dillon of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 27.050 and an average speed of 133.087 miles per hour (214.183 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.050 | 133.087 |
| 2 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.111 | 132.787 |
| 3 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.125 | 132.719 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Saturday, March 12, at 9:45 AM MST.[3] Since Phoenix International Raceway is under 2 miles (3.2 km), the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 15 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 15 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.[7]
Erik Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole after advancing from both preliminary rounds and setting the fastest lap in Round 3, with a time of 26.318 and an average speed of 136.789 miles per hour (220.141 km/h).[8]
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Josh Reaume and Todd Peck.
Full qualifying results
edit| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.996 | 133.353 | 26.507 | 135.813 | 26.318 | 136.789 |
| 2 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.768 | 134.489 | 26.695 | 134.857 | 26.346 | 136.643 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.217 | 132.270 | 26.637 | 135.150 | 26.390 | 136.415 |
| 4 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.083 | 132.925 | 26.866 | 133.998 | 26.588 | 135.399 |
| 5 | 88 | Chase Elliott (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.022 | 133.225 | 26.876 | 133.949 | 26.622 | 135.227 |
| 6 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.318 | 131.781 | 26.838 | 134.138 | 26.631 | 135.181 |
| 7 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 27.043 | 133.121 | 26.819 | 134.233 | 26.637 | 135.150 |
| 8 | 33 | Brandon Jones (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.229 | 132.212 | 26.845 | 134.103 | 26.674 | 134.963 |
| 9 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 27.102 | 132.832 | 26.685 | 134.907 | 26.683 | 134.917 |
| 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.056 | 133.057 | 26.820 | 134.228 | 26.714 | 134.761 |
| 11 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.209 | 132.309 | 26.943 | 133.615 | 26.797 | 134.343 |
| 12 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 27.239 | 132.163 | 26.938 | 133.640 | 26.850 | 134.078 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 | ||||||||||
| 13 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 27.276 | 131.984 | 26.960 | 133.531 | - | - |
| 14 | 42 | Justin Marks | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 27.207 | 132.319 | 26.983 | 133.417 | - | - |
| 15 | 43 | Jeb Burton | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 27.238 | 132.168 | 27.001 | 133.328 | - | - |
| 16 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.347 | 131.641 | 27.004 | 133.314 | - | - |
| 17 | 48 | Brennan Poole (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 27.313 | 131.805 | 27.030 | 133.185 | - | - |
| 18 | 21 | Spencer Gallagher (i) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 27.059 | 133.043 | 27.120 | 132.743 | - | - |
| 19 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.188 | 132.411 | 27.129 | 132.699 | - | - |
| 20 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 27.361 | 131.574 | 27.239 | 132.163 | - | - |
| 21 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 27.294 | 131.897 | 27.309 | 131.825 | - | - |
| 22 | 44 | David Starr | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 27.395 | 131.411 | 27.375 | 131.507 | - | - |
| 23 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 27.382 | 131.473 | 27.449 | 131.152 | - | - |
| 24 | 01 | Ryan Preece (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.180 | 132.450 | 27.526 | 130.785 | - | - |
| Eliminated in Round 1 | ||||||||||
| 25 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. (R) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 27.395 | 131.411 | - | - | - | - |
| 26 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 27.440 | 131.195 | - | - | - | - |
| 27 | 24 | T. J. Bell | JGL Racing | Toyota | 27.462 | 131.090 | - | - | - | - |
| 28 | 93 | Dylan Lupton | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 27.489 | 130.961 | - | - | - | - |
| 29 | 10 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 27.496 | 130.928 | - | - | - | - |
| 30 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 27.637 | 130.260 | - | - | - | - |
| 31 | 25 | Timmy Hill | Team Kapusta Racing | Chevrolet | 27.648 | 130.208 | - | - | - | - |
| 32 | 90 | Mario Gosselin | King Autosport | Chevrolet | 27.701 | 129.959 | - | - | - | - |
| 33 | 13 | D. J. Kennington | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 27.731 | 129.819 | - | - | - | - |
| Qualified by owner's points | ||||||||||
| 34 | 0 | Garrett Smithley (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.895 | 129.055 | - | - | - | - |
| 35 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (R) | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | 27.977 | 128.677 | - | - | - | - |
| 36 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 28.071 | 128.246 | - | - | - | - |
| 37 | 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | 28.104 | 128.096 | - | - | - | - |
| 38 | 97 | Harrison Rhodes | Obaika Racing | Chevrolet | 28.241 | 127.474 | - | - | - | - |
| 39 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 28.460 | 126.493 | - | - | - | - |
| 40 | 15 | Ryan Ellis | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 41 | 40 | Josh Reaume | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 28.414 | 126.698 | - | - | - | - |
| 42 | 99 | Todd Peck | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | 28.426 | 126.645 | - | - | - | - |
| Official qualifying results | ||||||||||
| Official starting lineup | ||||||||||
Race results
editStandings after the race
edit
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References
edit- ^ "Kyle Busch takes 3rd straight Xfinity Series win". ESPN.com. 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ Beard, Brock. "XFINITY: Jeff Green scores third-straight Phoenix last-place finish". Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site - Phoenix XFINITY Race Info Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Hammack, Leon (2016-03-11). "Erik Jones Is The Fastest In The First NXS Practice Session". Working On My Redneck. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (2016-03-11). "Joe Gibbs Racing sweeps top 3 spots in 2nd Xfinity practice at Phoenix". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (2016-03-11). "Ty Dillon tops three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in final Xfinity practice at Phoenix". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- ^ "Erik Jones captures first pole of year at Phoenix". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ "2016 Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-05-31.