Saturday, February 21, 2015

Daytona International Speedway Facts: 2015 Daytona 500

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final 2014 Top 16 at Daytona International Speedway

Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
 
 
1
Kevin Harvick
27
1
2
6
11
3
16.7
79.9
 
2
Ryan Newman
26
0
1
4
6
5
20.3
79.6
 
3
Denny Hamlin
18
0
0
3
4
1
19.6
86.4
 
4
Joey Logano
12
0
0
2
3
2
19.8
82.5
 
5
Brad Keselowski
11
0
0
2
3
3
20.0
75.4
 
6
Jeff Gordon
44
3
6
13
20
6
16.2
87.1
 
7
Matt Kenseth
30
1
2
6
14
5
17.2
91.6
 
8
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
30
1
3
11
17
3
13.4
90.3
 
9
Carl Edwards
20
1
0
4
8
2
19.1
79.8
 
10
Kyle Busch
20
1
1
5
6
5
19.1
96.2
 
11
Jimmie Johnson
26
2
3
9
12
6
18.0
87.0
 
12
Kurt Busch
28
0
0
11
14
1
17.5
90.5
 
13
AJ Allmendinger
11
0
0
1
2
2
26.3
61.1
 
14
Greg Biffle
24
1
1
3
7
3
19.6
81.3
 
15
Kasey Kahne
22
0
0
2
7
5
19.9
82.2
 
16
Aric Almirola
7
0
1
1
1
3
24.7
72.9
 
Note: Driver Rating from races at Daytona International Speedway from 2005-2014.





Daytona 500 Tidbits
·         The 2015 edition will be the 57th running of the Daytona 500.
·         Although the first Daytona 500 was held in 1959, it has been the season-opener only since 1982.
·         530 drivers have competed in at least one Daytona 500; 314 in more than one.
·         35 drivers have won a Daytona 500.
·         Youngest Daytona 500 winner: Trevor Bayne (02/20/2011 - 20 years, 0 months, 1 days)
·         Oldest Daytona 500 winner: Bobby Allison (02/14/1988 - 50 years, 2 months, 11 days)
·         11 drivers have won more than one Daytona 500, led by Richard Petty with seven victories.
·         The 11 drivers who have won the Daytona 500 more than once: Richard Petty (seven), Cale Yarborough (four),Bobby Allison (three), Dale Jarrett (three), Jeff Gordon (three), Bill Elliott (two), Matt Kenseth (two), Jimmie Johnson (two), Sterling Marlin (two), Michael Waltrip (two) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two).
·         A driver has won back-to-back Daytona 500s three times. Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95).
·         Seven drivers posted their career-first victory with a win in the Daytona 500: Tiny Lund (1963), Mario Andretti(1967), Pete Hamilton (1970), Derrike Cope (1990), Sterling Marlin (1994), Michael Waltrip (2001) and Trevor Bayne (2011).
·         Three other drivers posted their career-first victory in (points-paying) qualifying races: Johnny Rutherford (1963),Bobby Isaac (1964) and Earl Balmer (1966).
·         Lee Petty, who won the inaugural Daytona 500, and Trevor Bayne, 2011 Daytona 500 champion, are the only two drivers to win the Daytona 500 in their first appearance.
·         Active Daytona 500 winners and the number of NSCS starts in their careers when they won:
o    Jeff Gordon won his first Daytona 500 on his 125th career start (1997). His second Daytona 500 win was on his 190th career start (1999) and the third Daytona 500 was on his 402nd career start (2005).
o    Jimmie Johnson won his first on his 148th (2006) start and posted his second Daytona 500 win on his 400th career start (2013).
o    Matt Kenseth won his first on his 329th start (2009) and his second Daytona 500 on his 437th career start (2012).
o    Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first Daytona 500 on 148th start (2004) and his second on his 506th (2014).
o    Kevin Harvick posted his Daytona 500 win on his 215th career start (2007).
o    Ryan Newman posted his Daytona 500 win on his 225th career start (2008).
o    Jamie McMurray posted his Daytona 500 win on his 259th career start (2011).
o    Michael Waltrip won his first on his 463rd start (2001) and posted his second Daytona 500 win on his 535th career start (2003).
·         Dale Earnhardt leads the series in runner-up finishes in the Daytona 500 with five; Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads all active drivers with four (Earnhardt Jr. is tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for second all-time with four).



·         Dale Earnhardt had 12 top fives in his 23 Daytona 500 starts, more than any other driver. Dale Earnhardt Jr.leads all active drivers in Daytona 500 top-five finishes with seven (eighth most all-time).
·         Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty each posted a series leading 16 top 10s in the Daytona 500.
·         Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip lead all active drivers in Daytona 500 top-10 finishes with nine.
·         Only 10 drivers have an average finish of 10th or better in the Daytona 500, five of those competed in the Daytona 500 only once.
·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a 12.7 average finish in 15 appearances, the best of the active drivers who have competed in more than one Daytona 500.
·         28 of the 35 drivers, who have won, participated in at least two Daytona 500s before visiting Victory Lane.
·         Six drivers made 10 or more attempts before their first Daytona 500 victory: Dale Earnhardt (19), Buddy Baker(18), Darrell Waltrip (16), Bobby Allison (14), Michael Waltrip (14) and Sterling Marlin (12).
·         The driver with the all-time most Daytona 500 starts without a victory is Dave Marcis with 33 races; the active drivers with the most starts without a Daytona 500 win is Joe Nemechek (19) and Tony Stewart (16).
·         Kevin Harvick’s 0.020-second margin of victory over Mark Martin in the 2007 Daytona 500 is the 12th-closest overall since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, and the closest in a Daytona 500.
·         Nine of the 56 Daytona 500s (16.3%) have been won from the Coors Light pole. The last to do so was Dale Jarrett in 2000. Jeff Gordon is the only active driver to accomplish the feat (1999).
·         Cale Yarborough (1968, 1984) and Bill Elliott (1985, 1987) are the only two drivers to win the Daytona 500 from the Coors Light pole more than once.
·         16 of the 56 Daytona 500s (28.5%) have been won from the front row.
·         27 of the 56 Daytona 500s (48.2%) have been won from a top-five starting position.
·         41 of the 56 Daytona 500s (73.2%) have been won from a top 10 starting position
·         Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500 from the 39th starting position in 2009, the deepest a race winner has started.
·         Five reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions have gone on to win the Daytona 500 the following season: Lee Petty (1959), Richard Petty (1973), Cale Yarborough (1977), Jeff Gordon (1999) and Dale Jarrett (2000).
·         Five drivers have won the Daytona 500 and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the same season,Richard Petty has done it four times: Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2013), Jeff Gordon (1997), Richard Petty (1964, 1971, 1974, 1979), Cale Yarborough (1977) and Lee Petty (1959).
·         Danica Patrick on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2013 became the first female in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history to win a Coors Light pole for the Daytona 500 posting a speed of 196.434 mph.
·         Janet Guthrie previously held the record for top starting position by a female NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, starting ninth twice in 1977 - at Talladega Superspeedway on Aug. 7, 1977 and at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 28, 1977.


·         In 2012, Danica Patrick became the third female driver to compete in a Daytona 500 joining Janet Guthrie andShawna Robinson. Below are the previous female driver performances in the Daytona 500.
Race
Season
Driver
Start
Finish
Daytona 500
1977
Janet Guthrie
39
12
Daytona 500
1980
Janet Guthrie
18
11
Daytona 500
2002
Shawna Robinson
36
24
Daytona 500
2012
Danica Patrick
29
38
Daytona 500
2013
Danica Patrick
1
8
Daytona 500
2014
Danica Patrick
27
40

·         Driver Ratings for Winners – Pre-Race Daytona 500 Driver Ratings heading into 2014 for past Daytona 500 winners (past 7 years)
Driver – Year – Driver Rating
o    Dale Earnhardt Jr – 2014 – 89.7
o    Jimmie Johnson – 2013 – 82.8
o    Matt Kenseth – 2012 – 89.0
o    Trevor Bayne – 2011 – 68.9
o    Jamie McMurray – 2010 – 80.2
o    Matt Kenseth – 2009 – 89.0
o    Ryan Newman – 2008 – 82.9
o    Kevin Harvick – 2007 – 86.3
o    Jimmie Johnson – 2006 – 87.5

·         Drivers who have won the Daytona 500 in more than one car manufacturer:
Driver – Manufacturer (Number of wins in that manufacturer)
o    Richard Petty – Plymouth (3), Dodge (2), Oldsmobile (1) and Buick (1)
o    Cale Yarborough – Chevrolet (2), Mercury (1) and Pontiac (1)
o    Bobby Allison – Buick (2) and Ford (1)
o    Dale Jarrett – Ford (2) and Chevrolet (1)

·         Drivers who have won The Sprint Unlimited and the Daytona 500 in the same season:
Driver – (Year)
o    Bobby Allison (1982)
o    Bill Elliott (1987)
o    Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000)
o    Jeff Gordon (1997)


·         Car Numbers that have produced three or more Daytona 500 victories:
Car Number – Drivers – (Years)
o    No. 43 – Richard Petty (1964, ’66, ’71, ’73, ’74, ’79, ‘81)
o    No. 21 – Tiny Lund (1963), Cale Yarborough (1968), A.J. Foyt (1972), David Pearson (1976) and Trevor Bayne (2011)
o    No. 28 – Fred Lorenzen (1965), Buddy Baker (1980), Cale Yarborough (1983 and 1984) and Davey Allison (1992)
o    No. 4 – Ernie Irvan (1991), Sterling Marlin (1994 and 1995)
o    No. 15 – Bobby Allison (1978), Michael Waltrip (2001 and 2003)
o    No. 17 – Darrell Waltrip (1989), Matt Kenseth (2009 and 2012)
o    No. 88 – Bobby Allison (1982), Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2014)
o    No. 24 – Jeff Gordon (1997, 1999 and 2005)


At Daytona International Speedway
History
·         Groundbreaking for Daytona International Speedway was Nov. 25, 1957. The soil underneath the banked corners was dug from the infield of the track and the hole filled with water. It is now known as Lake Lloyd.
·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona was a 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20, 1959.
·         Richard Petty won his 200th career race on July 4, 1984 at Daytona.
·         Lights were installed in the spring of 1998. However, the July race was delayed until October that year due to thick smoke from wildfires. The second Daytona race has been held under the lights ever since.
·         The track underwent a repave in 2010.

Notebook
·         There have been 135 NASCAR Sprint Cup races since the track hosted its first race in 1959: 56 have been 500 miles, 52 were 400 miles and four 250 miles. There were also 23 qualifier races that were point races.
·         Fireball Roberts won the inaugural pole at Daytona.
·         Bob Welborn won the first race at Daytona, the 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500.
·         Lee Petty won the inaugural Daytona 500 on Feb. 22, 1959; he led 38 laps and won by 2 feet.
·         Fireball Roberts won the first 400-mile race at Daytona, the 1963 Firecracker 400.
·         58 drivers have posted poles at Daytona.
·         Cale Yarborough leads all drivers with 12 poles at Daytona.
·         Bill Elliott, Buddy Baker and Cale Yarborough are tied for the most Daytona 500 poles with four each. Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with two Daytona 500 poles.
·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with three poles at Daytona.


·         57 drivers have won at Daytona.
·         Richard Petty leads all drivers in victories at Daytona with 10.
·         Jeff Gordon has six victories at Daytona, more than any other active driver.
·         The Wood Brothers have won 15 races at Daytona, more than any other car owner.
·         17 full-length races at Daytona have been won from the pole; the last to do it was Kevin Harvick in the 2010 July race.
·         A driver has swept both the Daytona 500 and the July race only five times at Daytona International Speedway:Jimmie Johnson (2013), Bobby Allison (1982), LeeRoy Yarborough (1969), Cale Yarborough (1968) andFireball Roberts (1962).

NASCAR in Florida

·         There have been 177 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Florida.
Track Name
City
NSCS
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach
135
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead
16
Daytona Beach & Road Course
Daytona Beach
10
Palm Beach Speedway
W. Palm Beach
7
Speedway Park
Jacksonville
6
Five Flags Speedway
Pensacola
1
Golden Gate Speedway
Tampa
1
Titusville-Cocoa Speedway
Titusville
1

·         173 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series have their home state recorded as Florida.
·         There have been 10 race winners with their home state recorded as Florida in NASCAR’s three national series:
Driver
NSCS
NXS
NCWTS
Fireball Roberts
33
0
0
LeeRoy Yarbrough
14
0
0
Marshall Teague
7
0
0
Joe Nemechek
4
16
0
Bobby Johns
2
0
0
David Reutimann
2
1
1
Aric Almirola
1
1
2
Shorty Rollins
1
0
0
Rick Wilson
0
2
0
Joey Coulter
0
0
1



About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™, NASCAR XFINITY Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit http://www.NASCAR.com and follow NASCAR at www.Facebook.com/NASCARand Twitter: @NASCAR.

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