The 2014 Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on November 9, 2014, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 312 laps, it was the 35th and penultimate race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, as well as the ninth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Kevin Harvick dominated the race on his way to scoring the win. Jeff Gordon finished second while Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five. The top rookies of the race were Kyle Larson (13th), Michael Annett (26th), and Alex Bowman (32nd).
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Background Phoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. 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 road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 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.
Entry list Forty-four drivers were entered for the race.
Driver Team Manufacturer 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2 Brad Keselowski (PC2) (CC) Team Penske Ford 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Kevin Harvick (CC) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 11 Denny Hamlin (CC) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 14 Tony Stewart (PC3) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Matt Kenseth (PC5) (CC) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 22 Joey Logano (CC) Team Penske Ford 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 24 Jeff Gordon (PC6) (CC) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31 Ryan Newman (CC) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 32 Joey Gase (i) Go FAS Racing Ford 33 Ty Dillon (i) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 37 Mike Bliss (i) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman–Circle Sport Chevrolet 41 Kurt Busch (PC4) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Jimmie Johnson (PC1) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 66 Mike Wallace (i) Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 75 Clay Rogers Beard Motorsports Chevrolet 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 83 J. J. Yeley (i) BK Racing Toyota 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 99 Carl Edwards (CC) Roush Fenway Racing FordOfficial entry list Key Meaning (R) Rookie (i) Ineligible for points (PC#) Past champions provisional (CC) Chase Contender
Practice and qualifying Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 25.438 and a speed of . Denny Hamlin won the pole with a new track record time of 25.332 and a speed of . “We showed up today and had decent speed in race trim, not great speed but decent speed,” said Hamlin after his third pole of the season. “But we didn't show decent speed in qualifying and it just shows today that it's possible. We’ve got it in our car. We just gotta get for 312 laps now.” "Kevin (Harvick) probably has a 10th on everyone," Kez says. "We probably have a second or third place car." "You're either going to hit a walk off, or you're just going to race next weekend," said Harvick, who is last in the Chase standings and 18 points out of the lead. Clay Rogers failed to qualify for the race. Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 26.011 and a speed of . Jamie McMurray was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 26.257 and a speed of .
Qualifying Results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 25.426 25.332 2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 25.468 25.338 3 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 25.506 25.353 4 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 25.327 25.389 5 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 25.539 25.389 6 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 25.533 25.393 7 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 25.520 25.412 8 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 25.475 25.474 9 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 25.521 25.480 10 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 25.560 25.498 11 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 25.587 25.552 12 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 25.607 25.761 13 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 25.625 — 14 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 25.639 — 15 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 25.649 — 16 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 25.662 — 17 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 25.679 — 18 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 25.680 — 19 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 25.685 — 20 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 25.691 — 21 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 25.706 — 22 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 25.720 — 23 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 25.722 — 24 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 25.761 — 25 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 25.770 — 26 33 Ty Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 25.819 — 27 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 25.826 — 28 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 25.836 — 29 14 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 25.863 — 30 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 25.880 — 31 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 25.923 — 32 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 25.927 — 33 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 25.957 — 34 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 26.029 — 35 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 26.034 — 36 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 26.098 — 37 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 26.110 — 38 40 Landon Cassill Hillman–Circle Sport Chevrolet 26.114 — 39 37 Mike Bliss Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 26.179 — 40 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 26.197 — 41 83 J. J. Yeley BK Racing Toyota 26.307 — 42 32 Joey Gase Go FAS Racing Ford 26.432 — 43 66 Mike Wallace Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 26.848 —Did not qualify 44 75 Clay Rogers Beard Motorsports Chevrolet 26.218 —
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