Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Dover FedEx 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 84 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.
· 33 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 13 wins.
· 51 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 the 2010 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: David Ragan (finished 42nd in 2006), 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).
· Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Dover International Speedway winner: Kyle Busch (06/01/2008 – 23 years, 0 months, 30 days).
· Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Dover International Speedway winner: Harry Gant (05/31/1992 – 52 years, 4 months, 21 days).
Dover International Speedway Data
Race #: 13 of 36 (06-03-12)
Track Size: 1 mile
Race Length: 400 miles
· Banking/Turns: 24 degrees
· Banking/Frontstretch: 9 degrees
· Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees
· Frontstretch: 1,076 feet
· Backstretch: 1,076 feet
Driver Rating at Dover
Jimmie Johnson........................ 118.6
Matt Kenseth............................ 110.0
Carl Edwards............................ 106.5
Greg Biffle................................ 105.4
Kyle Busch.............................. 102.6
Kurt Busch................................ 97.8
Mark Martin............................... 96.1
Ryan Newman........................... 91.1
Jeff Burton................................. 90.0
Jeff Gordon................................ 89.2
Clint Bowyer.............................. 88.1
Martin Truex Jr........................... 88.1
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (14 total) at Dover.
Qualifying/Race Data
2011 pole winner: None due to weather
2011 race winner: Matt Kenseth, (125.578 mph, 05-15-11)
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)
Driver Ratings for Winners
Driver
Year
Driver Rating
Series Driver Rating Rank
Matt Kenseth
2011
109.3
3rd
Kyle Busch
2010
98.5
7th
Jimmie Johnson
2009
102.9
4th
Kyle Busch
2008
101.5
5th
Martin Truex Jr.
2007
83.0
15th
Matt Kenseth
2006
92.4
10th
* Pre-Race Driver Ratings of the year the driver won at Dover (last six spring races).
NASCAR in Delaware
· There have been 84 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.

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