NASCAR At Phoenix International Raceway: 2011 Start Time, Starting Lineup, TV/Radio Listings And More

It’s NASCAR race day at Phoenix International Raceway and we’ve got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about today’s Chase race for you below.

What time does the race start today? The Phoenix start time is a bit later than most Chase races have been, because NASCAR and ESPN want the final three races of the season to finish closer to prime time on the East Coast. The command to start engines will be given by veteran race car driver Adrian Fernandez at 3:09 p.m. Eastern time. The green flag will then wave at 3:17 p.m. Eastern. So if you want to tune in for the actual race itself and skip the pre-race show, just tune in at 3:17.

Race name/distance: The Kobalt Tools 500 is not 500 miles, but 500 kilometers around the 1-mile oval near Phoenix. The actual distance of the race is 312 miles, which makes it one of the shorter NASCAR races of the season.

TV and radio: Today’s race can be seen on ESPN. Every Sprint Cup race will be on ESPN for the rest of the season. If you aren’t near a TV, the radio broadcast can be found on your local Motor Racing Network (MRN) affiliate. Click here to see a list of stations where you can listen.

National anthem: Minneapolis-based rock/pop band Catchpenny will perform the national anthem today. There haven’t been too many rock bands that have performed the anthem lately after disasters by Brett Michaels and Saving Abel last season, so this should be interesting.

Tickets: The grandstands are sold out for today’s Phoenix race. If you want to buy an infield ticket or find a seat on Rattlesnake Hill, however, those tickets are still available.

Weather: Iffy. The unofficial NASCAR weatherman says there’s a chance of rain due to a storm system that will pass south of the track near the Arizona/Mexico border. He’s optimistic the race will get in, however.

Last time: Jeff Gordon ended a 66-race winless drought by winning the Phoenix race in February, which was the second race of the season. One year ago, Denny Hamlin dominated the race but blew it with late fuel strategy, and Carl Edwards won instead. But since both those races, the track has been reconfigured and drivers say it’s a completely new place.

Starting lineup for today’s NASCAR race at Phoenix International Raceway (Chase drivers in bold):