# 2017 Can-Am 500

The 2017 Can-Am 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on November 12, 2017, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 312 laps on the one mile (1.6 km) oval, it was the 35th race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, ninth race of the Playoffs, and final race of the Round of 8. Matt Kenseth recorded his 39th Series and final win in his Circle K Toyota Camry.

## Report
### Background

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.
Phoenix International Raceway is home to two annual NASCAR race weekends, one of 13 facilities on the NASCAR schedule to host more than one race weekend a year. The track is both the first and last stop in the western United States, as well as the fourth and penultimate track on the schedule.

#### Entry list

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 00 | Derrike Cope | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Joey Gase (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 13 | Ty Dillon (R) | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | D. J. Kennington | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Daniel Suárez (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Corey LaJoie (R) | BK Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford |
| 33 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Landon Cassill | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford |
| 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Kyle Weatherman | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 66 | David Starr (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 77 | Erik Jones (R) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## First practice

Chase Elliott was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 26.207 seconds and a speed of 137.368 mph (221.072 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.207 | 137.368 |
| 2 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 26.231 | 137.242 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.288 | 136.945 |
| Official first practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Ryan Blaney scored the pole for the race with a time of 26.098 and a speed of 137.942 mph (221.996 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 1 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 26.254 | 26.168 | 26.098 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.369 | 26.176 | 26.099 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.182 | 26.161 | 26.101 |
| 4 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.307 | 26.200 | 26.155 |
| 5 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 26.437 | 26.225 | 26.166 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.245 | 26.120 | 26.230 |
| 7 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.309 | 26.067 | 26.241 |
| 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.429 | 26.178 | 26.263 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 26.297 | 26.260 | 26.333 |
| 10 | 19 | Daniel Suárez (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.492 | 26.286 | 26.380 |
| 11 | 77 | Erik Jones (R) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 26.394 | 26.215 | 26.398 |
| 12 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.378 | 26.265 | 26.427 |
| 13 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.234 | 26.308 | — |
| 14 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.331 | 26.408 | — |
| 15 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.405 | 26.411 | — |
| 16 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 26.387 | 26.412 | — |
| 17 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.476 | 26.416 | — |
| 18 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.509 | 26.462 | — |
| 19 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.490 | 26.497 | — |
| 20 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.422 | 26.535 | — |
| 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.507 | 26.551 | — |
| 22 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 26.508 | 26.606 | — |
| 23 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 26.508 | 26.622 | — |
| 24 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.520 | 26.694 | — |
| 25 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 26.542 | — | — |
| 26 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 26.597 | — | — |
| 27 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 26.604 | — | — |
| 28 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 26.609 | — | — |
| 29 | 13 | Ty Dillon (R) | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 26.664 | — | — |
| 30 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 26.697 | — | — |
| 31 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 26.727 | — | — |
| 32 | 34 | Landon Cassill | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 26.762 | — | — |
| 33 | 23 | Corey LaJoie (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 26.956 | — | — |
| 34 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.957 | — | — |
| 35 | 7 | Joey Gase (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.970 | — | — |
| 36 | 66 | David Starr (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 27.158 | — | — |
| 37 | 15 | D. J. Kennington | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.221 | — | — |
| 38 | 33 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 27.352 | — | — |
| 39 | 51 | Kyle Weatherman | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 28.337 | — | — |
| 40 | 00 | Derrike Cope | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| Official qualifying results ||||||||

## Practice (post-qualifying)
### Second practice

Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 26.800 seconds and a speed of 134.328 mph (216.180 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.800 | 134.328 |
| 2 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.833 | 134.163 |
| 3 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.849 | 134.083 |
| Official second practice results |||||||

### Final practice

Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 26.672 seconds and a speed of 134.973 mph (217.218 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.672 | 134.973 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.799 | 134.333 |
| 3 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.800 | 134.328 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## Race
### Stage 1
#### Start

Ryan Blaney led the field to the green flag at 2:37 p.m., He led a total of 11 laps, Chase Elliott took the lead on lap 11 and led 14 laps, Denny Hamlin took the lead on lap 26 and led only one lap, Chase Elliott regained the lead on lap 27 and led only one lap, Hamlin regained the lead on lap 28 and led 40 laps. The first caution of the race flew on lap 77 for the conclusion of the first stage.

### Stage 2

The race restarted on lap 84 and it remained green for 67 laps.

### Final stage

The race restarted on lap 159 and it remained green for 71 laps. Denny Hamlin led on lap 228, with Matt Kenseth 2.5 seconds behind.
The race restarted on lap 236 and the fourth caution of the race flew on lap 239 for debris in turn 2, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the free pass under caution.
The race restarted on lap 244 and it remained green for 9 laps.
The race restarted on lap 259 and the sixth caution of the race flew three laps later for a single-car wreck in turn 3 by Cole Whitt, Kasey Kahne won the free pass under caution.
The race restarted on lap 266 and it remained green for 10 laps, The seventh caution of the race flew on lap 276 for Hamlin cutting a tire down after a few laps earlier he and Elliott slammed into the wall.
The race restarted on lap 282, Elliott was aggressive to get the lead from Kenseth with 29 to go but Kenseth fought back and took the lead with 10 laps to go and drove on to score his first victory in 52 races since 2016 in New Hampshire. With Kenseth's win Brad Keselowski was the final driver to advance to the Championship Four.

#### Post race

"I don't know what to say except thank the Lord," an emotional Kenseth said after climbing out of his car. "It's been an amazing journey. Just got one race left and everybody dreams of going out a winner. We won today. Nobody can take that away from us."

### Race results
#### Stage results

Stage 1 Laps: 75
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 77 | Erik Jones (R) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage 2 Laps: 75
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 77 | Erik Jones (R) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final stage results

Stage 3 Laps: 162
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 7 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 56 |
| 2 | 4 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 45 |
| 3 | 5 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 312 | 44 |
| 4 | 11 | 77 | Erik Jones (R) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 312 | 45 |
| 5 | 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 43 |
| 6 | 13 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 35 |
| 7 | 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 41 |
| 8 | 27 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 312 | 29 |
| 9 | 22 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 312 | 28 |
| 10 | 14 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 27 |
| 11 | 29 | 13 | Ty Dillon (R) | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 26 |
| 12 | 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 312 | 25 |
| 13 | 20 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 25 |
| 14 | 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 23 |
| 15 | 19 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 22 |
| 16 | 16 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 312 | 21 |
| 17 | 1 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 312 | 20 |
| 18 | 10 | 19 | Daniel Suárez (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 19 |
| 19 | 17 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 311 | 18 |
| 20 | 18 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 22 |
| 21 | 15 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 310 | 16 |
| 22 | 28 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 15 |
| 23 | 23 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 14 |
| 24 | 32 | 34 | Landon Cassill | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 309 | 13 |
| 25 | 24 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 309 | 12 |
| 26 | 37 | 15 | D. J. Kennington | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 307 | 11 |
| 27 | 30 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 306 | 10 |
| 28 | 36 | 66 | David Starr (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 305 | 0 |
| 29 | 38 | 33 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 305 | 8 |
| 30 | 35 | 7 | Joey Gase (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 304 | 0 |
| 31 | 33 | 23 | Corey LaJoie (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 304 | 6 |
| 32 | 40 | 00 | Derrike Cope | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 302 | 5 |
| 33 | 26 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 301 | 4 |
| 34 | 39 | 51 | Kyle Weatherman | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 294 | 3 |
| 35 | 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 275 | 21 |
| 36 | 34 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 258 | 1 |
| 37 | 31 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 247 | 1 |
| 38 | 25 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 226 | 1 |
| 39 | 12 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 2 |
| 40 | 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 104 | 11 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 5 among different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 7 for 41
* Red flags: 1 for 5 minutes and 3 seconds
* Time of race: 2 hours, 57 minutes, 23 seconds
* Average speed: 105.534 miles per hour (169.841 km/h)

## Media
### Television

NBC covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, two–time Phoenix winner Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.
NBC :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte | Dave Burns Parker Kligerman Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |

### Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
MRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Kyle Rickey Turns 3 & 4: Buddy Long | Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 2 | 1 | Kevin Harvick | 5,000 |
| | 2 | Kyle Busch | 5,000 (−0) |
| 2 | 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 5,000 (−0) |
| | 4 | Brad Keselowski | 5,000 (−0) |
| 2 | 5 | Chase Elliott | 2,338 (−2,662) |
| 1 | 6 | Denny Hamlin | 2,321 (−2,679) |
| 3 | 7 | Matt Kenseth | 2,311 (−2,689) |
| 2 | 8 | Ryan Blaney | 2,297 (−2,703) |
| | 9 | Kyle Larson | 2,266 (−2,734) |
| 2 | 10 | Jimmie Johnson | 2,250 (−2,750) |
| 3 | 11 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 2,200 (−2,800) |
| 3 | 12 | Jamie McMurray | 2,200 (−2,800) |
| | 13 | Austin Dillon | 2,198 (−2,802) |
| 2 | 14 | Kasey Kahne | 2,194 (−2,806) |
| 4 | 15 | Kurt Busch | 2,193 (−2,807) |
| | 16 | Ryan Newman | 2,169 (−2,831) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| | Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| | 1 | Toyota | 1,252 |
| | 2 | Ford | 1,221 (−31) |
| | 3 | Chevrolet | 1,213 (−39) |
| Official manufacturers' standings ||||