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| Jeff Gordon will be starting his 21st Sprint Unlimited Shootout |
Sprint Unlimited Tidbits
The number of participants has ranged from a low of seven in 1981 to a high of 28 in 2009 (18 are entered in this year’s event).
The drivers with the most Sprint Unlimited appearances:
* Mark Martin (24)
* Bill Elliott (23)
* Jeff Gordon (20)
* Ken Schrader (19)
* Rusty Wallace (19)
Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon have appeared in the most consecutive Sprint Unlimited races, competing in 20 consecutive events. Martin from 1989-2008 and Gordon from 1994-2013.
There have been eight multiple winners in the Sprint Unlimited:
* Dale Earnhardt won six events, most all-time (1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995).
* Dale Jarrett won in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
* Kevin Harvick won in 2009, 2010 and 2013.
* Tony Stewart won in 2001, 2002 and 2007.
Other multiple winners: Neil Bonnett (1983-1984), Ken Schrader, (1989-1990), Jeff Gordon (1994 and 1997) andDale Earnhardt Jr. (2003 and 2008).
Bonnett, Schrader, Stewart and Harvick are the only drivers to win back-to-back Sprint Unlimited races. No driver has won three consecutive Sprint Unlimited events.
Buddy Baker (1979), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994), Dale Jarrett (1996) andDenny Hamlin (2006) all won the first Sprint Unlimited 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 Sprint Unlimited, Daytona 500 pole and Daytona 500 from 1979-2013: Dale Jarrett (2000) and Bill Elliott (1987).
One driver has swept the Sprint Unlimited, Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400 from 1979-2013: Bobby Allison (1982).
Seven drivers have won the Sprint Unlimited (1979-2013) 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 Sprint Unlimited races (1979-2013). 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)
The format for the Sprint Unlimited has changed 12 times since its inception into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 1979.
The second starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field resulting in five wins over the 35 races.
Sprint Unlimited Manufacturer Recap
| Manufacturer | Victories | Last Victory - Driver |
|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | 20 | 2013 – Kevin Harvick |
| Ford | 7 | 2004 – Dale Jarrett |
| Buick | 2 | 1982 – Bobby Allison |
| Oldsmobile | 2 | 1980 – Dale Earnhardt |
| Pontiac | 2 | 2002 – Tony Stewart |
| Dodge | 1 | 2011 – Kurt Busch |
| Toyota | 1 | 2012 – Kyle Busch |
By the Numbers: Sprint Unlimited
.013 –Margin of victory in seconds by Kyle Busch over Tony Stewart in 2012, the closest margin in Sprint Unlimited history.
.058 –Margin of victory in seconds by Kurt Busch over Jamie McMurray in 2011, the second closest margin in Sprint Unlimited history.
.08 –Margin of victory in seconds by Dale Earnhardt over Sterling Marlin in 1995, the third closest margin in Sprint Unlimited 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 Sprint Unlimited races they won.
2 – The starting position that has produced the most Sprint Unlimited wins (five).
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 Sprint Unlimited wins by Dale Earnhardt, the series leader.
7 – Number of fewest starters in the field for the Sprint Unlimited (1981).
9 – Number of races led, most since race began in 1979 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.)
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.
20 – Number of wins by Chevrolet in the Sprint Unlimited, leads all manufacturers.
20 – Most consecutive starts in the Sprint Unlimited by Mark Martin (1989-2008) and Jeff Gordon (1994-2013).
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 Sprint Unlimited.
124.095 mph – The slowest average speed of the race for the Sprint Unlimited was last season’s event won byKyle Busch.
197.802 mph – The fastest average speed of the race for the Sprint Unlimited was in 1987 won by Bill Elliott.
- NASCAR
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