Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Las Vegas Track Facts: 2014 Kobalt Tools 400

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2014 Top 10 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
RankDriverRacesPolesWinsTop FivesTop 10sDNFsAverage FinishDriver Rating
1Dale Earnhardt Jr.140027215.688.2
2Brad Keselowski50011025.066.7
3Jeff Gordon160167315.4103.8
4Kevin Harvick130035012.794.8
5Jimmie Johnson12045709.5112.3
6Joey Logano50001014.083.1
7Matt Kenseth141367111.698.7
8Denny Hamlin80014013.179.2
9Carl Edwards9024509.798.8
10Greg Biffle101026113.8103.0
* – Based on last nine races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2005 – 2013).
 
At Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
History
·      The construction to build the superspeedway known today as Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) began in 1995. Speedway Motorsports Inc. acquired the property in 1998.
·       The first NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race won by Ken Schrader on Nov. 2, 1996.
·        The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held on March 1, 1998, won by Mark Martin.
·        In 2006, the track was reconfigured to include progressive banking.
Notebook
·        There have been 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
·        128 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas; 97 in more than one.
·        Four drivers have participated in all 16 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.
·        Dale Jarrett won the inaugural pole with a speed of 168.224 mph (32.773 secs.).
·        10 drivers have poles at LVMS, led by Kasey Kahne, who posted his third last season (2004, 2007 and 2012).
·        Kyle Busch is the only driver to win consecutive poles at LVMS from (2008-‘09).
·        Youngest LVMS pole winner: Kyle Busch (3/2/2008 – 22 years, 10 months, 0 days).
·        Oldest LVMS pole winner: Dale Jarrett (3/4/2001 – 44 years, 3 months, 6 days).
·      Nine different drivers have won at LVMS, led by Jimmie Johnson (four). Three other drivers have multiple wins at Las Vegas: Matt Kenseth (three), Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards (each have two).
·        Roush Fenway Racing leads the series in wins at Las Vegas with seven, followed by Hendrick Motorsportswith five.
·       Las Vegas-native Kyle Busch became the first and only Only two LVMS races have been won from the front row:Kyle Busch, 2009 (pole); and Carl Edwards, 2008 (second-place).
·        Three of the 16 races (18.7%) have been won from a top-five starting position at Las Vegas.
·        Seven of the 16 (43.7%) races have been won from a top-10 starting position at Las Vegas.
·        Four of the 16 races (25%) at Las Vegas have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 25th, by Matt Kenseth in 2004.
·        Youngest LVMS winner: Kyle Busch (3/1/2009 – 23 years, 9 months, 27 days).
·        Oldest LVMS winner: Sterling Marlin (3/3/2002 – 44 years, 7 months, 32 days).
·        Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart lead the series in runner-up finishes at Las Vegas with two each.
·        Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart lead the series in top-five finishes at Las Vegas with six each.
·        Mark Martin has 10 top-10 finishes, more than any other driver. His average finish is 13.4.
·       Jimmie Johnson leads the series in average finish at LVMS with a 9.5; Carl Edwards (9.6) is the only other active driver with an average finish in the top 10.  
·        There has been one green-white-checkered finish at Las Vegas: 2006 (270/267).
·        Kyle Busch made his first start and Kasey Kahne won his first pole at Las Vegas, in the same event (2004).
·        Aric Almirola made his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2007.
·      Three drivers have won consecutive races at Las Vegas: Jeff Burton (1999, 2000); Matt Kenseth (2003, 2004) and Jimmie Johnson is the only one of the three to win three consecutive races (2005, 2006 and 2007).
·       Eight of the nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who have won at Las Vegas participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Mark Martin (1998; inaugural event) is the only driver to win at Las Vegas in his first appearance.
·     Tony Stewart competed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway 13 times before winning (2012); the longest span of any of the nine winners. Stewart is the only driver to have made 10 or more attempts before his first win at LVMS.
·       Bobby Labonte leads the series (active drivers) with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Las Vegas without visiting Victory Lane with 16.
·     Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Las Vegas was the March 12, 2006 race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.045 second.
·       No driver has won the first three races of the season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The five drivers that have won the first two events of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season are: Matt Kenseth (2009), Jeff Gordon(1997), David Pearson (1976), Bob Welborn (1959) and Marvin Panch (1957).  
·      Three reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions have gone on to win at Las Vegas the following season:Matt Kenseth (2004), Jimmie Johnson is the only one to do it multiple times(2007, 2010) and Tony Stewart(2012).
·     Three drivers have won at Las Vegas and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the same season: Jeff Gordon (2001), Matt Kenseth (2003) and Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2007 and 2010).
·     Danica Patrick and Shawna Robinson are the only two female drivers to compete at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Date
Race Name
Shawna Robinson
36
42
3/3/2002
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
Danica Patrick
37
33
3/10/2013
KOBALT Tools 400
·        Only two car numbers have produced three or more Las Vegas NSCS wins:
Car Number – Drivers – (Years)
o   No. 48  - Jimmie Johnson (2005-2007 and 2010)
o   No. 99 – Jeff Burton (1999, 2000) Carl Edwards (2008, 2011)
 
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Data
Season Race #: 3 of 36 (3-9-14)
Track Size: 1.5-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 20 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 20 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 9 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 2,275 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,572 feet
Race Length: 267 laps / 400.5 miles
 
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Las Vegas
Jimmie Johnson...................... 112.3
Jeff Gordon............................. 103.8
Tony Stewart........................... 103.4
Greg Biffle............................... 103.0
Kyle Busch............................. 102.8
Carl Edwards........................... 98.8
Matt Kenseth........................... 98.7
Kevin Harvick........................... 94.8
Dale Earnhardt Jr...................... 88.2
Kasey Kahne........................... 87.7
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (nine total) among active drivers at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
 
Qualifying/Race Data
2013 pole winner: None Due to Inclement Weather
2013 race winner: Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 146.287 mph, (2:44:16), 3-10-13
Track qualifying record: Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 190.456 mph, 28.353 secs., 3-09-12
Track race record: Mark Martin, Ford, 146.554 mph, (2:43:58), 3-01-98
 
NASCAR in Nevada
·        There have been 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Nevada.
Track Name
City
NSCS
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas
16
Las Vegas Park Speedway
Las Vegas
1
·        23 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Nevada.
·        Three drivers from Nevada have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series.
Driver
NSCS
NNS
NCWTS
Kyle Busch
28
63
36
Kurt Busch
24
5
4
Brendan Gaughan
0
0
8
 

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