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Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Camping World 500


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Phoenix Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona going into the Camping World 500 on March 19.

PHOENIX-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
·        One win, six top fives, 15 top 10s; three poles
·        Average finish of 12.870, sixth-best
·        Average Running Position of 11.204, fifth-best
·        Driver Rating of 98.4, fourth-best
·        308 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 126.649, eighth-fastest
·        5851 Laps in the Top 15 (81.6), third-most
·        660 Quality Passes, series-most

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion)
·        One win, seven top fives, 17 top 10s
·        Average finish of 12.826, fifth-best
·        Average Running Position of 10.230, fourth-best
·        Driver Rating of 98.3, fifth-best
·        352 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 126.741, fifth-fastest
·        5563 Laps in the Top 15 (77.5), fifth-most
·        556 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)
·        Three wins, nine top fives, 14 top 10s
·        Average finish of 16.522, 11th-best
·        Average Running Position of 15.373, 11th-best
·        Driver Rating of 88.7, 10th-best
·        274 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 126.581, 10th-fastest
·        3796 Laps in the Top 15 (53.0), 13th-most
·        388 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Chase Elliott (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)
·        Two top 10s
·        Average finish of 8.500, series-best
·        Average Running Position of 7.659, series-best
·        Driver Rating of 103.9, third-best
·        32 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 127.189, second-fastest
·        631 Laps in the Top 15 (99.1), series-most
·        55 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
·        One win, ten top fives, 13 top 10s; two poles
·        Average finish of 10.870, fourth-best
·        Average Running Position of 12.057, sixth-best
·        Driver Rating of 95.6, sixth-best
·        258 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 126.659, seventh-fastest
·        5059 Laps in the Top 15 (70.5), sixth-most
·        499 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion)
·        Eight wins, 13 top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
·        Average finish of 8.708, second-best
·        Average Running Position of 8.856, third-best
·        Driver Rating of 110.7, second-best
·        763 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 127.019, third-fastest
·        6061 Laps in the Top 15 (81.0), fourth-most
·        532 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)
·        Four wins, 15 top fives, 19 top 10s; three poles
·        Average finish of 9.125, third-best
·        Average Running Position of 8.421, second-best
·        Driver Rating of 111.2, series-best
·        693 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 127.273, series-fastest
·        6217 Laps in the Top 15 (83.0), second-most
·        637 Quality Passes, second-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
·        One win, six top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
·        Average finish of 16.130, 10th-best
·        Average Running Position of 14.439, 10th-best
·        Driver Rating of 89.0, ninth-best
·        206 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 126.582, ninth-fastest
·        4817 Laps in the Top 15 (66.3), ninth-most
·        524 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion)
·        Four top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
·        Average finish of 14.600, ninth-best
·        Average Running Position of 13.069, eighth-best
·        Driver Rating of 92.4, seventh-best
·        235 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 126.834, fourth-fastest
·        3193 Laps in the Top 15 (68.3), seventh-most
·        378 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet SS)
·        One top five, two top 10s
·        Average finish of 13.167, seventh-best
·        Average Running Position of 13.341, ninth-best
·        Driver Rating of 87.5, 11th-best
·        15 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 126.687, sixth-fastest
·        1076 Laps in the Top 15 (60.0), 12th-most
·        138 Quality Passes, 12th-most
  
Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford Fusion)
·        One win, four top fives, nine top 10s
·        Average finish of 13.188, eighth-best
·        Average Running Position of 12.103, seventh-best
·        Driver Rating of 92.4, eighth-best
·        144 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 126.552, 11th-fastest
·        3408 Laps in the Top 15 (68.3), eighth-most
·        315 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Ryan Newman (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet SS)
·        One win, nine top fives, 11 top 10s; four poles
·        Average finish of 17.000, 12th-best
·        Average Running Position of 15.684, 12th-best
·        Driver Rating of 86.1, 12th-best
·        99 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 126.396, 12th-fastest
·        4658 Laps in the Top 15 (62.2), 10th-most
·        611 Quality Passes, third-most

Martin Truex Jr (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry)
·        One top five, seven top 10s; one pole
·        Average finish of 17.864, 13th-best
·        Average Running Position of 16.097, 13th-best
·        Driver Rating of 84.5, 13th-best
·        183 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 126.375, 13th-fastest
·        4186 Laps in the Top 15 (61.0), 11th-most
·        445 Quality Passes, eighth-most

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2017 Top 16 at Phoenix Raceway

Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
 
 
1
Brad Keselowski
15
1
0
4
7
1
14.6
92.4
 
2
Kyle Larson
6
0
0
1
2
0
13.2
87.5
 
3
Chase Elliott
2
0
0
0
2
0
8.5
103.9
 
4
Martin Truex Jr
22
1
0
1
7
3
17.9
84.5
 
5
Joey Logano
16
0
1
4
9
2
13.2
92.4
 
6
Ryan Blaney
2
0
0
0
2
0
9
83.8
 
7
Kurt Busch
28
0
1
7
17
1
13.1
98.3
 
8
Kevin Harvick
28
1
8
13
17
0
10
110.7
 
9
Kasey Kahne
25
0
1
5
8
1
17.7
80.7
 
10
Jamie McMurray
27
0
0
2
4
4
19.4
77.2
 
11
Trevor Bayne
5
0
0
0
0
1
30.6
47.4
 
12
Clint Bowyer
23
0
0
2
6
3
19.4
75.8
 
13
Matt Kenseth
28
1
1
6
11
4
16.4
89.0
 
14
Aric Almirola
12
0
0
0
1
0
17.7
72.6
 
15
Denny Hamlin
23
2
1
10
13
0
10.9
95.6
 
16
Paul Menard
20
0
0
0
3
1
21.4
67.7
 
* – Based on last 24 races at Phoenix Raceway (2005 – 2016).

2017 Stage Winners / Drivers with Playoff Points

Track
Stage 1 Winner
Stage 2 Winner
Race Winner
 
Playoff Points Following Race #3
Daytona
Kyle Busch
Kevin Harvick
Kurt Busch
 
Drivers
Playoff Points
Atlanta
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
Brad Keselowski
 
Martin Truex Jr
7
Las Vegas
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
 
Kurt Busch
5
Phoenix



 
Brad Keselowski
5
Auto Club
       
Kevin Harvick
3
Martinsville



 
Kyle Busch
1
Texas
           
Bristol



 


Richmond
           
Talladega



 



Phoenix Raceway:
History
·        Construction was completed in January 1964. The facility consisted of a one-mile oval and a 2.5-mile road course.
·        Alan Kulwicki won the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix on Nov. 6, 1988.
·        The first spring race was held on April 23, 2005 and also the first night race, which was won by Kurt Busch.
·        The track underwent its first repave in 2011. The construction began in March and concluded in September of that year.
·        The following changes were made during the construction period (March – Sept., 2011):
o   Widened the frontstretch from 52 to 62 feet
o   Reconfigured pit road with the installation of concrete pit stalls
o   Pushed the dog-leg curve between Turn 2 and Turn 3 out 95 feet
o   Tightened the turn radius of the dog-leg from 800 to 500 feet
o   Implemented variable banking to ensure the immediate use of two racing grooves, including 10-11 degree banking between Turn 1 and Turn 2; 10-11 degree banking in the apex of the dog-leg; and 8-9 degree banking in Turn 4
Starts
·        There have been 41 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.
·        209 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix; 153 in more than one.
·        Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon lead series in starts at Phoenix with 34 each; Ryan Newman leads all active drivers with 29 starts.
·        Kyle Larson leads the series at Phoenix in average starting position with a 7.167.
  
Poles
·        There have been 22 different Coors Light pole winners, led by Ryan Newman with four.
·        Geoffrey Bodine won the first MENCS pole at Phoenix in 1988 at a speed of 123.203 mph (29.220 sec.).
·        Youngest Phoenix pole winner: Kyle Busch (4/22/06 – 20 years, 11 months, 20 days).
·        Oldest Phoenix pole winner: Mark Martin (03/03/13 – 54 years, 1 month, 22 days).
·        Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards are the only drivers to win consecutive poles. Newman won three straight (2002-04), Gordon won the fall of 2006 and the spring of 2007. Edwards won the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011.
·        Casey Atwood (October 2001), Denny Hamlin (November, 2005), AJ Allmendinger (April, 2010) and Alex Bowman (11/13/2016) won their first career MENCS poles at Phoenix Raceway.

Wins
·        There have been 24 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race winners at Phoenix, eight have won more than once, led by Kevin Harvick, with eight – (’06 spring race and playoff race, ’12 playoff race, ‘13 playoff race, ’14 spring race and playoff race, ’15 spring race and ’16 spring race).
·        Eight drivers have multiple wins at Phoenix: Kevin Harvick leads the series in wins with eight followed by Jimmie Johnson (four), Davey Allison (two), Jeff Burton (two), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Jeff Gordon (two) Carl Edwards (two) and Mark Martin (two).
·        Of the eight drivers with multiple wins at Phoenix International Raceway, Mark Martin is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Ford (1993) and Chevrolet (2009).
·        Five drivers have won consecutive races at Phoenix: Davey Allison (1991,1992); Jeff Burton (2000, 2001); Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003, 2004); Kevin Harvick (swept 2006) and (2013 playoff race, swept 2014 and ’15 spring race); Jimmie Johnson (fall 2007, swept 2008).
·        Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Phoenix with 10, followed by Roush Fenway Racing with seven.
·        Five of the 41 (12.1%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix have been won from the Coors Light pole: Jeff Gordon (spring 2007), Jimmie Johnson (fall 2008), Mark Martin (spring 2009), Carl Edwards (fall 2010) and Kevin Harvick (spring 2015).
·        Eight of the 41 (19.5%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix have been won from the front row: five from the pole and three from second-place.
·        21 of the 41 (51.2%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix have been won from a starting position inside the top 10.
·        20 of the 41 (48.8%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.
·        3 of the 41 (7.3%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·        Ricky Rudd won the 1995 Phoenix race from the 29th-place starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.
·        Matt Kenseth won the 2002 race from the 28th-place starting position, the furthest back an active race winner has started.
·        Alan Kulwicki (11/6/1988) and Bobby Hamilton (10/27/1996) are the only two drivers to post their first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career win at Phoenix Raceway.
·        21 of the 24 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers who have won at Phoenix participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Alan Kulwicki (11/6/1988) and Tony Stewart (11/7/1999) are the only two drivers to win at Phoenix in their first appearance.
·        Jeff Gordon and Joey Logano competed at Phoenix Raceway 16 times before winning (4/21/2007); the longest span of any the 24 winners.
·        Six drivers have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Phoenix: Jeff Gordon (16), Joey Logano (16), Ryan Newman (15), Kasey Kahne (14), Denny Hamlin (13), Carl Edwards (12) and Rusty Wallace (11).
·        Jamie McMurray leads the series (active drivers) with the most Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix without visiting Victory Lane with 27.
·        Youngest Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway winner: Kyle Busch (11/13/2005 – 20 years, 6 months, 11 days).
·        Oldest Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway winner: Mark Martin (04/18/2009 – 50 years, 3 months, 9 days).

Additional Finishing Positions
·        Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Phoenix with five; followed by Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart with three each.
·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-five finishes at Phoenix with 15; followed by Kevin Harvick (13), Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon with 12 each.
·        Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at Phoenix with 24, followed by Mark Martin with 21. Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with 19.
·        Alan Kulwicki leads the series in average finishing position at Phoenix with a 5.200. Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with a 8.963.
·        Jimmie Johnson (8.963), Chase Elliott (8.500) and Ryan Blaney (9.000) are the only three active drivers with average finishes inside the top 10.  

Track / Event Specific Stats
·        Since the advent of electronic scoring (1993) the closest margin of victory in the MENCS at Phoenix was early last season (03/13/16) when Kevin Harvick beat Carl Edwards to the line by 0.010 seconds.
·        Three drivers have won at Phoenix and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship in the same season: Jimmie Johnson (2007, 2008 sweep and 2009); Dale Earnhardt (1990); Kevin Harvick (2014).
·        Four perfect Driver Ratings of 150.0 have been recorded at Phoenix, Kurt Busch in April of 2005 and Kevin Harvick in November of 2006, November 2014 and March 2015.  
·        Qualifying has never been cancelled due to weather at Phoenix International Raceway.
·        Of the 41 races at Phoenix seven have ended with NASCAR Overtime: 3/3/13 (312/316); 11/11/2012 (312/319); 4/10/10 (375/378); 11/9/08 (312/313); 11/7/04 (312/315); 03/13/16 (312/313); 11/13/2016 (312/324).
·        Only two of the 41 races at Phoenix have been shortened due to weather – 10/25/98 (Scheduled 312 / Completed 257); 11/15/2015 (Scheduled 312 / Completed 219)

Female Competitors
·        Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has made a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Phoenix Raceway. 
Date
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Driver Rating
11/13/2016
Danica Patrick
16
29
48.9
3/13/2016
Danica Patrick
36
19
60.3
11/15/2015
Danica Patrick
21
16
66.4
3/15/2015
Danica Patrick
23
26
59.6
11/9/2014
Danica Patrick
32
22
60.5
3/2/2014
Danica Patrick
33
36
51.7
11/10/2013
Danica Patrick
32
33
33.2
3/3/2013
Danica Patrick
40
39
44.2
11/11/2012
Danica Patrick
37
17
58
AVERAGES
30.0
26.3
53.6

NASCAR in Arizona
·        There have been 105 NASCAR national series races among four tracks in Arizona.
Track Name
City
Monster Energy
XFINITY
Camping World
Total Races
Phoenix Raceway
Avondale
41
30
26
97
Arizona State Fairgrounds
Phoenix
4
0
0
4
Tucson Raceway Park
Tucson
0
0
3
3
Tucson Rodeo Grounds
Tucson
1
0
0
1
Totals

46
30
29
105
·        33 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Arizona.
·        Michael McDowell (Phoenix) is the only Arizona native to win a NASCAR national series race (NXS; Road America, 2016).

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Milestones
Drivers
Has
Needs
Milestones
Jimmie Johnson
80
3
Tie Cale Yarborough for sixth on MENCS all-time wins list
Kyle Busch
38
1
Tie Tim Flock for 18th on all-time MENCS wins list
Matt Kenseth
38
1
Tie Tim Flock for 18th on all-time MENCS wins list
Kevin Harvick
35
2
Tie Bobby Isaac for 21st on MENCS all-time wins list
Kurt Busch
29
3
Tie Dale Jarrett for 24th on all-time MENCS wins list
Denny Hamlin
29
3
Tie Dale Jarrett for 24th on all-time MENCS wins list
Ryan Newman
51
3
To tie Bill Elliott for eighth on the all-time MENCS poles list
Jimmie Johnson
35
1
Tie Rusty Wallace and Rex White for 17th on all-time MENCS poles list
Kasey Kahne
27
1
Break the tie with Terry Labonte to become solely 25th on all-time MENCS poles list
Denny Hamlin
24
1
Break the tie with Alan Kulwicki to become solely 28th on all-time MENCS poles list
Kevin Harvick
48
1
Break the tie with Lee Petty and become solely 10th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Jimmie Johnson
46
2
Tie Lee Petty and Kevin Harvick for 10th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Kyle Busch
36
1
Tie Bobby Isaac and Ned Jarrett for 17th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Matt Kenseth
29
1
Tie Ricky Rudd for 25th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Matt Kenseth
172
3
Tie Bill Elliott for 19th on all-time MENCS top-five finishes list
Dale Earnhardt Jr
148
2
To become the 23rd driver to post 150th MENCS top-five finishes
Jimmie Johnson
330
2
Tie Lee Petty for 12th on the MENCS all-time top-10 finishes list
Kurt Busch
8,862
138
To become 20th MENCS driver all-time to lead 9,000 or more laps
Brad Keselowski
4,944
56
To become 39th MENCS driver all-time to lead 5,000 or more laps
Ryan Newman
4,705
295
To become 39th MENCS driver all-time to lead 5,000 or more laps
       
Track Specific Milestones

Drivers
Has
Needs
Milestones
Kevin Harvick
1,484
16
Kevin Harvick will become the 14th driver in series history to lead 1,500 laps or more at a track that is 1-mile in length or longer.
Dale Earnhardt Jr
3
1
Tie Jimmie Johnson for the second-most wins at Phoenix in the series
Jimmie Johnson
3
1
Tie Ryan Newman for the series-most poles at Phoenix
Kyle Busch
3
1
Tie Ryan Newman for the series-most poles at Phoenix

Drivers with Nine or More Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins at a single track

Driver
Tracks (Wins)
Richard Petty
Martinsville (15), North Wilkesboro (15), Richmond (13), Rockingham (11), Daytona (10) and Nashville Fairgrounds (9)
Dale Earnhardt
Talladega (10), Atlanta (9), Bristol (9) and Darlington (9)
Darrell Waltrip
Bristol (12), Martinsville (11), North Wilkesboro (10)
Cale Yarborough
Bristol (9), Daytona (9)
David Pearson
Darlington (10), Michigan (9)
Jimmie Johnson
Dover (10), Martinsville (9)
Jeff Gordon
Martinsville (9)
Rusty Wallace
Bristol (9)
·        This weekend at Phoenix Raceway Kevin Harvick can become the ninth driver to have nine or more wins at a single track. 

Phoenix Raceway Data
Season Race #: 04 of 36 (03-19-17)
Track Size: 1-mile
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 10-11 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 8-9 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 3 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 8-9 degrees
Frontstretch Length:  1,179 feet
Backstretch Length:  1,551 feet
Race Length: 312 laps / 500 Kilometers
Stage 1 & 2 Length: 75 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 162 laps

Top 10 Active Driver Ratings at Phoenix
Jimmie Johnson........................ 111.2
Kevin Harvick........................... 110.7
Chase Elliott............................. 103.9
Kyle Busch................................. 98.4
Kurt Busch................................. 98.3
Denny Hamlin............................. 95.6
Brad Keselowski......................... 92.4
Joey Logano............................... 92.4
Matt Kenseth.............................. 89.0
Dale Earnhardt Jr....................... 88.7
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2016 races (24 total) among active drivers at Phoenix Raceway.

Qualifying/Race Data
2016 pole winner:
Kyle Busch, Toyota
138.387 mph, 26.014 secs. 03-11-16

2016 race winner:
Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
113.212 mph, (02:45:53), 03-13-16

Track qualifying record:
Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
143.158 mph, 25.147 secs. 11-13-15

Track race record:
Tony Stewart, Pontiac
118.132 mph, (2:38:28), 11-07-99

2017 Playoff Grid Outlook
Pos.
Drivers
Wins
Playoff Points
Points
1
Martin Truex Jr.
1
7
127
2
Brad Keselowski
1
5
132
3
Kurt Busch
1
5
93
4
Kevin Harvick
0
3
91
5
Kyle Larson
0
0
131
6
Chase Elliott
0
0
129
7
Joey Logano
0
0
119
8
Ryan Blaney
0
0
106
9
Kasey Kahne
0
0
88
10
Jamie McMurray
0
0
86
11
Trevor Bayne
0
0
82
12
Clint Bowyer
0
0
73
13
Matt Kenseth
0
0
71
14
Aric Almirola
0
0
70
15
Denny Hamlin
0
0
68
16
Paul Menard
0
0
62
Outside Looking In
17
Ryan Newman
0
0
59
18
Jimmie Johnson
0
0
55
19
Kyle Busch
0
1
50
20
Erik Jones
0
0
49
21
Michael McDowell
0
0
49
22
Matt Dibenedetto
0
0
48
23
Ty Dillon
0
0
47
24
Cole Whitt
0
0
47
25
Austin Dillon
0
0
47
26
Landon Cassill
0
0
46
27
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
0
0
46
28
Daniel Suarez
0
0
42
29
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
0
0
38
30
Danica Patrick
0
0
37

Green = Locked into the Playoffs, provided they attempt to qualify for the remaining regular season races and are in the top 30 in points

Yellow = Have a win, inside the current Playoff Grid's top 16 - Currently in the Playoffs, not locked in

Orange = No wins, Inside the current Playoff Grid's top 16 - Currently in the Playoffs, not locked in

Red = Inside the current top 30 in points, outside of the Playoff cutoff

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