Can-Am 500

Phoenix Raceway, November 12, 2017

Matt Kenseth
Winner
312
Laps
40
Entries
5
Leaders

Matt Kenseth won the 2017 Can-Am 500 at Phoenix Raceway on November 12, 2017, leading 62 of 312 laps. Chase Elliott finished second; Martin Truex, Jr. rounded out the podium. The race featured 5 different leaders.

Race Details
Date
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Season
2017
Winner
Leaders
5 drivers
Pos Start +/- Driver
1 7 +6 Matt Kenseth
2 4 +2 Chase Elliott
3 5 +2 Martin Truex, Jr.
4 11 +7 Erik Jones
5 6 +1 Kevin Harvick
6 13 +7 Jamie McMurray
7 8 +1 Kyle Busch
8 27 +19 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
9 22 +13 Aric Almirola
10 14 +4 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
11 29 +18 Ty Dillon
12 9 -3 Joey Logano
13 20 +7 Clint Bowyer
14 21 +7 Austin Dillon
15 19 +4 Paul Menard
16 16 Brad Keselowski
17 1 -16 Ryan Blaney
18 10 -8 Daniel Suarez
19 17 -2 Kasey Kahne
20 18 -2 Ryan Newman
21 15 -6 Kurt Busch
22 28 +6 Michael McDowell
23 23 A.J. Allmendinger
24 32 +8 Landon Cassill
25 24 -1 Danica Patrick
26 37 +11 D.J. Kennington
27 30 +3 Matt DiBenedetto
28 36 +8 David Starr
29 38 +9 Jeffrey Earnhardt
30 35 +5 Joey Gase
31 33 +2 Corey LaJoie
32 40 +8 Derrike Cope
33 26 -7 David Ragan
34 39 +5 Kyle Weatherman
35 2 -33 Denny Hamlin
36 34 -2 Cole Whitt
37 31 -6 Chris Buescher
38 25 -13 Trevor Bayne
39 12 -27 Jimmie Johnson
40 3 -37 Kyle Larson
Model Performance

How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 19 matched drivers, the model averaged 11.3 positions off — worse than the season average of 8.5. Below Average

Pos Driver Predicted Actual Delta
2 Chase Elliott 9.9 2 +7.9
3 Martin Truex, Jr. 14.0 3 +11.0
4 Erik Jones 17.7 4 +13.7
8 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 20.4 8 +12.4
11 Ty Dillon 23.1 11 +12.1
12 Joey Logano 10.3 12 -1.7
14 Austin Dillon 17.7 14 +3.7
16 Brad Keselowski 13.8 16 -2.2
17 Ryan Blaney 6.8 17 -10.2
18 Daniel Suarez 14.0 18 -4.0
22 Michael McDowell 15.6 22 -6.4
23 A.J. Allmendinger 20.1 23 -2.9
28 David Starr 20.2 28 -7.8
30 Joey Gase 22.0 30 -8.0
31 Corey LaJoie 24.9 31 -6.1
35 Denny Hamlin 6.8 35 -28.2
37 Chris Buescher 12.0 37 -25.0
39 Jimmie Johnson 18.0 39 -21.0
40 Kyle Larson 10.3 40 -29.7

Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.

Historical Context

  • Matt Kenseth: has 15 career starts at Phoenix Raceway with a 10.3 avg finish (2 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
  • Ryan Blaney: was the model’s top pick based on 22 career starts at Phoenix Raceway with a 9.8 avg finish (2 wins), finishing P17 on the day.
  • Erik Jones: was the biggest surprise, finishing P4 vs predicted P18. Track history: 22 starts, 16.0 avg finish.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the 2017 Can-Am 500?
Matt Kenseth won the 2017 Can-Am 500 at Phoenix Raceway driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Where was the 2017 Can-Am 500 held?
The 2017 Can-Am 500 was held at Phoenix Raceway on November 12, 2017.