CONCORD, N.C. – This Sunday marks the second race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' West Coast swing and first of the season at Phoenix International Raceway.
All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers will pilot a selected chassis in which the teams have previously raced at the one-mile desert oval.
Tune in to FOX this Sunday, March 15, at 3:30 p.m. ET to catch the green-flag wave, kicking off the fourth race of the 2015 season.
Before doing so, check out this week's pre-race notes for the inside scoop on what to watch for.
THIS WEEK'S PAINT SCHEMES: Kasey Kahne will drive the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS this Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway. Jeff Gordon will compete in the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS, while teammate Jimmie Johnson pilots the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet SS. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will race the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS in the second race of the West Coast swing.
QUALIFYING: This Sunday's qualifying will take place tonight, March 13, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2. Catch all three practices on FOX Sports 1 on March 13 at 3 p.m. ET and March 14 at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. ET.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT PHOENIX: In 37 races at Phoenix, Hendrick Motorsports has nine wins, 41 top-five finishes and 69 top-10 finishes. Those nine wins are spread among five drivers, with Johnson accounting for four. Gordon recorded the organization's most recent Phoenix victory in February 2011, prior to the repave of the one-mile oval. The organization took home two second-place finishes in the 2014 events at the track thanks to Earnhardt and Gordon, respectively.
400TH CAREER CUP START: This Sunday, Kahne will make his 400th career Cup start. In 399 career starts to this point, Kahne has accumulated 17 wins, 83 top-five finishes and 147 top-10 finishes. One of those wins occurred at Phoenix in 2011. [Watch the video of Kahne's thoughts on making his 400th Cup start this Sunday at Phoenix.]
KAHNE AT PHOENIX: The No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS has qualified inside the top 10 six times during the last eight races at the one-mile, Avondale, Arizona oval, making his average start 8.63 in that span. According to NASCAR loop data during the last 20 Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix, Kahne ranks eighth in closers by moving up 16 positions in the last 10 percent of laps in each event.
GORDON AT PHOENIX: In 32 Sprint Cup starts at Phoenix International Raceway, Gordon has two wins, 12 top-five finishes and 22 top-10 finishes and has led 442 laps. Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 24, has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-912 for this Sunday's 312-lap race. The chassis has been raced once with Gordon piloting it to a second-place finish at Phoenix in November of last year.
JOHNSON AT PHOENIX: Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet SS, leads the Sprint Cup Series with the best average finish at Phoenix International Raceway among active drivers with 7.7. He also has the series-highest driver rating with 114. For this weekend's event, crew chief Chad Knaus has selected chassis No. 48-906, which last saw action at Phoenix last November.
STRONG START: Earnhardt advanced two positions in the points standings after finishing fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend. He currently ranks second in the points standings after three races in the 2015 season. The No. 88 Chevrolet has led at least one lap in each of his three starts this season, a first in his career.
EARNHARDT AT PHOENIX: Among drivers all-time, Earnhardt's two wins are tied for third at Phoenix. Among active drivers, Earnhardt ranks tied for fifth in the laps led category with 513 laps, and he is tied for seventh with seven top-five finishes. He ranks tied for fifth with 12 top-10 finishes at the one-mile desert oval.