CONCORD, N.C. – From 2007 to 2009, no team could beat Hendrick Motorsports at Phoenix Raceway.
The company won a track-record six straight times at the 1-mile track, which is the longest such streak for the team and the third-longest streak of one team winning at one track in NASCAR Cup Series history. The only longer streaks were accomplished by Junior Johnson and Associates (eight wins at Bristol Motor Speedway from 1980 to 1984) and Petty Enterprises (seven wins at Richmond Raceway from 1970 to 1973).
It all started with a historic win for the sport and one legendary driver. Additionally, the track’s second race date was the penultimate event of the playoffs and the venue played a crucial role in three of Jimmie Johnson’s championships.
To date, the team holds the all-time marks for wins (13), poles (15), top-five finishes (56), top-10s (102) and laps led (3,530) at Phoenix.
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In Hendrick Motorsports' 40th anniversary, we take a look back at each of those six wins.
April 21, 2007: Following a triumph at Phoenix, Jeff Gordon tied Dale Earnhardt with 76 victories on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list. Gordon battled Tony Stewart late in the race for the lead but took it away for good with 13 circuits left to score his first of six wins on the season. Following the victory, Gordon’s team wore white hats in tribute to Earnhardt, and after completing a burnout, Gordon drove around the track holding a No. 3 flag out the window.
Nov. 11, 2007: Jimmie Johnson caps off a run of four straight playoff race wins with a victory at Phoenix. Taking the lead from Martin Truex Jr. with 24 laps to go, Johnson led the rest of the way for his 10th victory of the season. His four straight wins took him from second in the points standings (behind Gordon) to the top spot as he went on to win his second consecutive championship.
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April 12, 2008: Johnson’s first season victory came at Phoenix. The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet got the lead from future teammate Mark Martin with 11 laps to go to take the checkered flag by a whopping seven seconds. On the day, Johnson led a race-high 120 laps.
Nov. 9, 2008: Johnson’s third straight victory at Phoenix was a dominating performance where he paced the field for over two-thirds of the laps (217 of 313) to earn his 40th Cup Series win. He led all but 16 of the final 233 circuits. The following week, Johnson took home his third consecutive championship.
April 18, 2009: Mark Martin becomes the oldest driver to win at Phoenix (50 years, three months and nine days) with a dominating performance for his first victory as a Hendrick Motorsports driver. Martin won from the pole position, leading a race-high 157 laps for his first of five triumphs in a season that saw him battle his now-teammate Johnson for the championship.
Nov. 15, 2009: Johnson grabs his third straight playoff race win in the desert and the sixth straight win at Phoenix for Hendrick Motorsports. This victory is a little more dominating than his last one as the El Cajon, California, native leads 238 (of 312) laps. During the final green-flag run of 134 circuits, Johnson led all but four of them. One week later, Johnson went on to win his fourth of five consecutive championships. At the time, crew chief Chad Knaus was the all-time winningest crew chief at Phoenix with four wins, which now ranks tied for second with Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Alan Gustafson.
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Hendrick Motorsports nearly made it seven straight Phoenix wins, but Gordon was passed by Ryan Newman in an overtime finish in the April 2010 race. In that race, Gordon, Johnson and Martin finished second through fourth, respectively.
