[3][4] 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.

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.

For this specific race, positions 21-40 would be decided on time,[5] and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; which was one for cars in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and two extra provisionals for the NASCAR Winston West Series.

Bill Elliott, driving for Junior Johnson & Associates, would win the pole, setting a time of 27.803 and an average speed of 129.482 miles per hour (208.381 km/h) in the first round.