Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Kansas Speedway Odds and Ends: STP 400

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.
·      This is the first season Kansas Speedway will hold two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events.

Notebook
·         There have been 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas
      since the track opened in 2001.
·         All of the races have been scheduled for 267 laps.
·         11 drivers have competed in all 10 races at Kansas.
·         Jeff Gordon won the first two NASCAR Sprint Cup races.
·         Jason Leffler won the first pole in September 2001.
·         Seven different drivers have won poles, led by Jimmie Johnson, with three.
·         Seven different drivers have posted victories, led by Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart (each with two).
·         There have been seven different winners.
·         Seven of the 10 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 race winner started was 21st, by Tony Stewart in 2006. Seven of the 12 races this season have been won from a starting position of 20th or lower.
·         Denny Hamlin made his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup start at Kansas – a 32nd-place finish in 2005.
·         Three active drivers with more than one start have averaged a top-10 finish: Greg Biffle (8.1), Jeff Gordon (8.5) and Jimmie Johnson (9.3).
·         Jeff Gordon leads all drivers in top fives (seven) and top 10s (eight). Gordon’s only two non-top 10s were a 39th in 2006 and a 13th in 2004.
·         Seven of the nine races that ended under green had a margin of victory under one second. The 2007 race ended under caution.

NASCAR in Kansas
·         There have been 10 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 from Kansas in NASCAR’s three national series:
Driver
 NSCS
NNS
NCWTS
Clint Bowyer
4
8
2
Jim Roper
1
0
0

Kansas Speedway Data
Race #: 12 of 36 (06-05-11)
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                    122.6
Jimmie Johnson            118.7
Jeff Gordon                   106.5
Tony Stewart                103.3
Matt Kenseth                97.7
Mark Martin                  97.3
Carl Edwards                94.8
Clint Bowyer                 88.1
Kevin Harvick                87.1
Kurt Busch                   84.6
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2010 races (6 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)


Las Vegas Hilton Odds to Win STP 400 

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