Martinsville Odds & Ends: 2012 Goody's Fast Relief 500

At Martinsville Speedway:

Martinsville Speedway has been running strong in NASCAR since 1949

History
· Opened in September 1947 by H. Clay Earles, Martinsville, originally a dirt track, is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States.
· The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville was on July 4, 1948.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was Sept. 25, 1949.
· The track was paved in 1955.
· The first 500-lap event at Martinsville was in 1956.
· Concrete corners were added atop asphalt in 1976.

Notebook
· There have been 126 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.
· Curtis Turner won the pole for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville in 1949.
· Red Byron won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
· 56 drivers have won poles, led by Darrell Waltrip with eight. Jeff Gordon, with seven poles, can tie that mark this weekend.
· Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Darrell Waltrip share the consecutive pole record, each with three.
· 46 different drivers have won, led by Richard Petty’s 15.
· Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with seven wins. Jimmie Johnson has six and Denny Hamlin has four.
· 19 races have been won from the pole, the last by Denny Hamlin in October 2010.
· Petty Enterprises has won 19 races, more than any other organization. Hendrick Motorsports, with 18 wins, can tie that mark this weekend.
· Kurt Busch won the 2002 fall race from the 36th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.
· Three active drivers average a top-10: Jimmie Johnson (5.4), Denny Hamlin (6.4) and Jeff Gordon (6.8).
· Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Martinsville Speedway winner: Richard Petty (4/10/1960 – 22 years, 9 months, 8 days).
· Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Martinsville Speedway winner: Harry Gant (9/22/1996 – 51 years, 8 months, 12 days)

NASCAR in Virginia
· There have been 274 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Virginia.
· 162 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Virginia.
· There have been 18 race winners from Virginia in NASCAR’s three national series.

2012 Phoenix Subway Fresh Fit 500 Odds & Ends

At Phoenix International 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 NASCAR Sprint 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 last year. The construction began in March and concluded in September of 2011.

·         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

Notebook

·         There have been 31 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix International Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.

·         Geoffrey Bodine won the first pole in 1988.

·         There have been 19 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman with four.

·         Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards are the only drivers to win consecutive poles. Newman won three straight (2002-04), while Gordon won the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007, and Edwards won the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011.

·         There have been 22 different race winners, led by Jimmie Johnson, with four.

·         The race has been won from the pole four times: Jeff Gordon (spring 2007), Jimmie Johnson (fall 2008), Mark Martin (spring 2009) and Carl Edwards (fall 2010).

·         The race has been won from a top-10 starting position in 16 of 31 events.

·         Denny Hamlin (November, 2005) and AJ Allmendinger (April, 2010) won their first career poles at Phoenix International Raceway.

·         Ricky Rudd won the 1995 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.

·         Mark Martin has 12 top-five finishes, more than any other driver. Martin (9.0 average finish) is one of two active drivers who average a top-10 finish. Jimmie Johnson (5.3) is the other.

·         Jeff Gordon has the lowest average start amongst active drivers with a 10.4; followed by AJ Allmendinger (10.5) and Carl Edwards (10.8).

·         Two perfect Driver Ratings of 150.0 have been recorded at Phoenix. Kurt Busch did it with his win in April of 2005, and Kevin Harvick did it in November of 2006.

·         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); Jimmie Johnson is the only one of the five to win three consecutive races (fall 2007, swept 2008).

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Phoenix International Raceway winner: Kyle Busch (11/13/2005 – 20 years, 6 months, 11 days)

·         Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Phoenix International Raceway winner: Mark Martin (04/18/2009 – 50 years, 3 months, 9 days)

·         Of the seven 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).

Phoenix International Raceway Data

Race: 2 of 36 (3-4-12)

Track Size: 1 mile

·     Banking/1 and 2: 10 - 11 degrees

·     Banking/3 and 4: 8 - 9 degrees

·     Banking/Frontstretch: 3 degrees

·     Banking/Backstretch:9 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 1,179 feet

·     Backstretch: 1,551 feet

 

Driver Rating at Phoenix 
Jimmie Johnson             118.6
Carl Edwards                 101.3
Tony Stewart                 100.9

Kurt Busch                    100.4

Jeff Gordon                     99.8

Mark Martin                    97.8

Denny Hamlin                 96.3

Kyle Busch                     95.5

Kevin Harvick                  94.8

Greg Biffle                      93.1

Ryan Newman                90.1

Martin Truex Jr.              88.9

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (14 total) at Phoenix.

Qualifying/Race Data

2011 pole winner: Carl Edwards (137.279 mph, 26.244 seconds)

2011 race winner: Jeff Gordon

(102.961 mph, 2-27-11)

Track qualifying record: Carl Edwards (137.279 mph, 26.244 seconds, 2-26-11)

- compiled by Ray Smith, NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications  


LVH Super Book Odds to Win Phoenix Subway Fresh Fit 500

2012 Budweiser Shootout Odds & Ends

Budweiser Shootout Facts

Kurt Busch won last years Bud Shootout by the closest margin ever (Getty)

* The number of participants has ranged from a low of seven in 1981 to a high of 28 in 2009 (25 are entered for this year’s event).

* The drivers with the most Shootout appearances:
o Bill Elliott (23)
o Mark Martin (23)
o Rusty Wallace (19)
o Ken Schrader (19)
o Jeff Gordon (18)

* Mark Martin had appeared in the most consecutive Shootout races, competing in 20 consecutive events from 1989-2008. The active leader in consecutive appearances is Jeff Gordon, with 18. This year marks his 19th.

* There have been eight multiple winners in the Shootout:
o Tony Stewart has won three of the last 10 (2001, 2002 and 2007).
o Dale Earnhardt won six events, most all-time (1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995).
o Dale Jarrett won in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
o Other multiple winners: Neil Bonnett (1983-1984), Ken Schrader, (1989-1990), Jeff Gordon (1994 and 1997), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003 and 2008) and Kevin Harvick (2009-2010).
o Bonnett, Schrader, Stewart and Harvick are the only drivers to win back-to-back races. No driver has ever won three consecutive Shootouts.

* Buddy Baker (1979), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994), Dale Jarrett (1996) and Denny Hamlin (2006) all won the first Shootout in which they competed.

* Only five times in the 32-year history of the race has the winner gone on to win the Daytona 500:
Bobby Allison (1982)
Bill Elliott (1987)
Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000)
Jeff Gordon (1997)

* There have been three winners from the pole: Darrell Waltrip (1981), Bill Elliott (1987) and Ken Schrader (1989).

* Two drivers have swept the Shootout, Daytona 500 pole and Daytona 500 from 1979-2010: Dale Jarrett (2000) and Bill Elliott (1987).

* One driver has swept the Shootout, Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400 from 1979-2011: Bobby Allison (1982).

* Seven drivers have won the Shootout (1979-2011) and the same season’s championship. Dale Earnhardt is the only one to have accomplished it multiple times – four times:
Tony Stewart (2002)
Jeff Gordon (1997)
Dale Earnhardt (1993)
Dale Earnhardt (1991)
Dale Earnhardt (1986)
Darrell Waltrip (1981)
Dale Earnhardt (1980)

* Four drivers have won consecutive Shootouts (1979-2010). None went on to win that year’s Daytona 500:
Kevin Harvick (2009-10)
Tony Stewart (2000-01)
Ken Schrader (1990-91)
Neil Bonnett (1983-84)

By the Numbers: Shootout at Daytona
.058 –Margin of victory in seconds by Kurt Busch over Jamie McMurray in 2011, the closest margin in Shootout history
1 – Laps led by Rusty Wallace (1998), Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Dale Jarrett (2000 and 2004) and Kevin Harvick (2009) in the Shootouts they won
2.75 – Average finish by Dale Earnhardt, best by any driver with multiple starts
5 – Drivers who have won the event in their first appearance (Buddy Baker, 1979; Dale Earnhardt, 1980; Jeff Gordon, 1994; Dale Jarrett, 1996; Denny Hamlin, 2006)
6 – Number of Shootout wins by Dale Earnhardt, the series leader
7 – Number of fewest starters in the field for the Shootout (1981)
11 – Number of starts before winning, most since race began in 1979 (Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin)
14 – Number of different leaders in the 2009 event, most since race began in 1979
19 – Number of wins by Chevrolet in the Shootout, leads all manufacturers
27 – Kevin Harvick’s starting position in 2009, the lowest by a race winner in the event’s history
28 – Number of lead changes in the 2011 event, highest number since race began in 1979
44 – Laps led by Greg Biffle in 2005, the most by a driver who did not win the event
47 – Laps led by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008, the most in a single Shootout
98 – Number of all-time laps led in the Shootout (1979-2011) held by Dale Earnhardt

- compiled by Ray M. Smith, NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications

Texas Odds & Ends: AAA Texas 500

At Texas Motor Speedway:

History

·         Construction began in 1995.

·         The first NASCAR race was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on April 5, 1997.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on April 6, 1997.

 

Notebook

·         There have been 21 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, one per season from 1997 through 2004 and two races per year since 2005.

·         Four drivers have competed in all 21 Texas races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.

·         Jeremy Mayfield was the first pole winner, in 1998. Qualifying for the inaugural race in 1997 was canceled.

·         Jeff Burton won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         15 drivers have scored poles, led by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon with two.

·         16 drivers have won races, led by Carl Edwards, with three. Denny Hamlin and Jeff Burton each have two wins.

·         15 of 21 races have been won from a top-10 starting position. Only one has been won from the pole (Kasey Kahne in 2006).

·         Matt Kenseth started 31st en route to his victory at Texas in 2002, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started. Kenseth started fourth and won earlier this season at Texas.

·         Both Jeff Burton (1999) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) scored their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Texas, and 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne made his first series start at Texas (11/07/10). Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup competitor Brad Keselowski also made his first career start at Texas (11/2/08).        

·         Martin Truex Jr. (11/04/07)and David Ragan (04/09/11) scored their first series poles at Texas.

·         Matt Kenseth (9.0), Denny Hamlin (9.3) and Jimmie Johnson (9.9) are the only three active drivers to average a top-10 finish.

·         Roush Fenway Racing leads all owners in victories, with eight. Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have three wins each.

·         There has been two season sweeps, by Carl Edwards in 2008 and Denny Hamlin in 2010.

 

Texas Motor Speedway Data

Race #: 34 of 36 (10-30-11)

Track Size: 1.5 miles

Race Length: 501 miles

·     Banking/corners: 24 degrees

·     Banking/straights: 5 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 2,250 feet

·     Backstretch: 1,330 feet

 

Driver Rating at Texas
Matt Kenseth
105.2
Tony Stewart
102.9
Greg Biffle
100.3
Jimmie Johnson
98.8
Carl Edwards
98.3
Denny Hamlin
97.8
Kyle Busch
97.5
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
93.1
Clint Bowyer
92.4
Kurt Busch
92.0

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Texas.

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Elliott Sadler (195.397 mph, 27.636 seconds)

2010 race winner: Denny Hamlin, 140.456 mph, 11-07-10)

Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers (196.235 mph, 27.518 seconds,

11-03-06)

Track race record: Carl Edwards (151.055 mph, 11-06-05)

NASCAR in Texas

• There have been 30 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Texas.
• 74 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Texas.
• There have been eight race winners from Texas in NASCAR’s three national series:

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Terry Labonte	22	11	1
Bobby Labonte	21	10	1
A.J. Foyt	7	0	0
Billy Wade	4	0	0
Bobby Hillin Jr.	1	2	0
Johnny Rutherford	1	0	0
David Starr	0	0	4
Colin Braun	0	0	1

Kansas Speedway Odds & Ends

At Kansas Speedway:

History

·      Groundbreaking was held on May 25, 1999.

·      The official opening of Kansas Speedway was in 2001, with the first events being an ARCA race and a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on the same day – June 2.

·      The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was Sept. 30, 2001.

 

Notebook

·         There have been 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas

      since the track opened in 2001.

·         All of the races have been scheduled for 267 laps.

·         10 drivers have competed in all 11 races at Kansas.

·         Jeff Gordon won the first two NASCAR Sprint Cup races.

·         Jason Leffler won the first pole in September 2001.

·         Eight different drivers have won poles, led by Jimmie Johnson with three.

·         Eight different drivers have posted victories, led by Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart (each with two).

·         Seven of the 11 races have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Two drivers have won from the pole: Joe Nemechek in 2004 and Jimmie Johnson in 2008.

·         The furthest back in the field that a race winner started was 25th, by Brad Keselowski earlier this season.

·         Three active drivers with more than one start have averaged a top-10 finish: Greg Biffle (8.3), Jeff Gordon (8.1) and Jimmie Johnson (9.1).

·         Jeff Gordon leads all drivers in top fives (eight) and top 10s (nine). Gordon’s only two non-top 10s were a 39th in 2006 and a 13th in 2004.

·         Seven of the 11 races that ended under green had a margin of victory under one second. The 2007 race ended under caution.

 

Kansas Speedway Data

Race #: 30 of 36 (10-9-11)

Track Size: 1.5 miles

·     Banking/Corners: 15 degrees

·     Banking/Frontstretch: 10.4 degrees

·     Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 2,685 feet

·     Backstretch: 2,207 feet

Driver Rating at Kansas Greg Biffle                    118.8

Jimmie Johnson            116.5

Jeff Gordon                   107.3

Tony Stewart                105.3

Carl Edwards                 98.7

Matt Kenseth                 98.6

Mark Martin                   92.7

Kurt Busch                    91.8

Kevin Harvick                 89.4

Clint Bowyer                  86.5

Denny Hamlin                85.2

Brad Keselowski            84.8

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (7 total) at Kansas.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Kasey Kahne (174.844 mph, 30.920 seconds)

2010 race winner: Greg Biffle, 138.077 mph, 10-03-10)

Qualifying record: Matt Kenseth (180.856 mph, 29.858 seconds, 10-08-05)

Race record: Greg Biffle (138.077 mph, 10-03-10)

 

NASCAR in Kansas

·         There have been 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Kansas, all at Kansas Speedway. The only other Kansas track to hold a NASCAR national series race was Heartland Park in Topeka, which hosted five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races from 1995-99.

·         16 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Kansas, including Jim Roper who won the very first NASCAR Sprint Cup race – Charlotte in 1949.

·         There have been two race winners in the top three NASCAR series from Kansas:

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Clint Bowyer	4	8	3
Jim Roper	1	0	0

Dover AAA 400 Odds & Ends

At Dover International Speedway:

History

·         The official opening of Dover International Speedway, then called Dover Downs International Speedway, was in 1969.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on July 6, 1969.

·         The first two races at Dover were 300 miles. The race length was changed to 500 miles in 1971.

·         The track surface was changed to concrete in 1995.

·         The race length was changed to 400 miles beginning with the second race in 1997.

·         The track name was changed to Dover International Speedway in 2002.

 

Notebook

·         There have been 83 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover International Speedway since the track opened in 1969.

·         There was one race in 1969 and 1970. There has been two-a-year since 1971.

·         Richard Petty won the track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         There have been 35 different pole winners, led by David Pearson (six).

·         David Pearson won the first pole in July 1969.

·         Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers, each with four poles.

·         32 different drivers have posted victories led by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty, each with seven.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers, with six victories.

·         Hendrick Motorsports has a series-high 12 wins.

·         50 races at Dover have been won from a top-five starting position; 18 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.

·         13 drivers have won from the pole. The last to do so was Jimmie Johnson, in last season’s September race.

·         The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 37th, by Kyle Petty in 1995.

·         Several active drivers had their first start at Dover, including three past champions: Kurt Busch (18th in 2000), Matt Kenseth (sixth in 1998) and Bobby Labonte (34th in 1991).

·         In addition, Matt Kenseth (2002) and Michael Waltrip (1991) earned their first pole at Dover. Martin Truex Jr. won his first race there (2007).

 

NASCAR in Delaware

·            There have been 83 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Delaware, all at Dover International Speedway.

·            Eight drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Delaware, though none have posted victories.

 

Dover International Speedway Data

Race #: 29 of 36 (10-02-11)

Track Size: 1 mile

·     Banking/Corners: 24 degrees

·     Banking/Straights: 9 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 1,076 feet

·     Backstretch: 1,076 feet

Driver Rating at Dover Jimmie Johnson         117.4
Matt Kenseth              110.0
Greg Biffle                  106.9
Carl Edwards             104.9
Kyle Busch                 102.0
Mark Martin                   97.8
Kurt Busch                   95.0
Ryan Newman             93.5
Jeff Burton                   90.4
Martin Truex Jr.           89.7
Jeff Gordon                 89.4
Clint Bowyer               87.9

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Dover.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Jimmie Johnson (155.736 mph, 23.116 seconds)

2010 race winner: Jimmie Johnson (131.543 mph, 09-26-10)

Track qualifying record: Jeremy Mayfield (161.522 mph, 22.288 seconds, 06-04-04)

Track race record: Mark Martin (132.719 mph, 09-21-97)