Kevin Harvick has dominated Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing at ISM Raceway, formerly Phoenix International Raceway, especially in recent years. Harvick heads into Sunday's Ticket Guardian 500 at ISM, the second of a three-race West Coast Swing, as a nine-time winner at the track, the most of any NASCAR driver there.
“When we go to Phoenix, we are always going for the win,” Harvick said. “That’s been a great racetrack for me,personally, and since I’ve been at SHR, it’s become statistically one of our best racetracks as far as win counts go. It’s definitely a racetrack that we circle every year where we think we should have an opportunity to win.”
Harvick's nine wins have come in 32-career races at ISM Raceway, with five of those victories coming since he joined Stewart-Haas Racing before the start of the 2014 season. His most recent win at the track was last year's Ticket Guardian 500.
A 10th win at ISM Raceway on Sunday would put Harvick in elite company, making him only the sixth driver in NASCAR premier-series history to win at least 10 races at a single track. The other five include Richard Petty with 15 wins at Martinsville Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway, 13 at Richmond Raceway, 11 at Rockingham Speedway and 10 at Daytona International Speedway; Darrell Walltrip with 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway, 11 at Martinsville and 10 at North Wilkesboro; Jimmie Johnson with 11 at Dover International Speedway; David Pearson with 10 at Darlington Raceway and Dale Earnhardt with 10 at Talladega Superspeedway.
ISM Raceway is Harvick's best track in terms of wins but not in terms of average race finish. When it comes to average race finish, Harvick is tops at Homestead-Miami Speedway with an average finish of 6.6, even though he has only won there once in the 2014 season finale to claim a Cup Series championship. ISM Raceway ranks second among tracks the Cup Series has raced at more than once, as Harvick's average finish there is 9.3.
Sunday’s Ticket Guardian 500 is scheduled for an approximate 3:30 p.m. ET start Sunday. Qualifying for the race is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. Friday.
