Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Bristol Track Facts: 2015 Food City 500

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2015 Top 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway
Rank
Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
 
 
1
Kevin Harvick
28
1
1
9
12
3
14.2
91.6
 
2
Joey Logano
12
1
1
2
3
1
18.3
83.3
 
3
Martin Truex Jr.
18
0
0
2
2
2
20.3
80.5
 
4
Brad Keselowski
10
0
2
4
4
0
13.1
98.6
 
5
Kasey Kahne
22
1
1
5
10
3
17.8
88.4
 
6
Jimmie Johnson
26
1
1
8
14
1
15.0
91.9
 
7
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
30
0
1
7
14
2
12.9
87.5
 
8
Denny Hamlin
18
2
1
4
8
2
16.9
90.1
 
9
Aric Almirola
11
0
0
1
2
4
25.5
64.6
 
10
David Ragan
16
0
0
0
1
1
23.6
58.5
 
11
Jamie McMurray
24
0
0
3
10
1
17.4
78.3
 
12
Matt Kenseth
30
1
3
12
19
4
12.2
103.4
 
13
Jeff Gordon
44
5
5
16
24
6
12.3
99.9
 
14
Carl Edwards
21
2
3
5
9
2
14.8
89.9
 
15
Casey Mears
24
0
0
0
1
4
27.8
54.4
 
16
Paul Menard
15
0
0
1
6
0
17.3
73.4
 
* – Based on last 20 races at Bristol Motor Speedway (2005 – 2014).



Bristol Motor Speedway Data
Season Race #: 8 of 36 (04-19-15)
Track Size: 0.533-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 24-28 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 24-28 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 4-8 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 4-8 degrees
Frontstretch Length:  650 feet
Backstretch Length:  650 feet
Race Length: 500 laps / 266.5 miles

Top 10 Active Driver Ratings at Bristol
Matt Kenseth............................. 103.4
Jeff Gordon................................ 99.9
Brad Keselowski......................... 98.6
Greg Biffle.................................. 93.5
Jimmie Johnson.......................... 91.9
Kevin Harvick.............................. 91.6
Kurt Busch.................................. 91.6
Kyle Larson................................ 91.6
Denny Hamlin............................. 90.1
Carl Edwards.............................. 89.9
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2014 races (20 total) among active drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway

Qualifying/Race Data
2014 pole winner:
Denny Hamlin, Toyota
129.991 mph, 14.761 secs. 03-14-14

2014 race winner:
Carl Edwards, Ford
84.051 mph, (3:11:23), 03-16-14

Track qualifying record:
Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
131.362 mph, 14.607 secs. 08-22-14

Track race record:
Charlie Glotzbach, Chevrolet
101.074 mph, (2:38:12), 07-11-71



At Bristol Motor Speedway:
History
·         Groundbreaking for Bristol International Speedway, as Bristol Motor Speedway was originally known, took place in 1960. The track was an exact half-mile.
·         First NASCAR Sprint Cup race was July 30, 1961; Jack Smith won the event (with relief from Johnny Allen).
·         In the fall of 1969, the track was reshaped and re-measured to .533-miles.
·         The name changed to Bristol International Raceway in 1978.
·         The first night race was held in the fall of 1978.
·         The surface was changed from asphalt to concrete in 1992.
·         The name changed to Bristol Motor Speedway in May 1996.
·         The track was resurfaced between races in 2007, and the turns were ground down in 2012 to eliminate part of the progressive banking.
Notebook
·         There have been 108 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway since the first race in 1961, two races each season.
·         All races have been scheduled for 500 laps, except for both races in 1976 and the second in 1977, which were 400 laps.
·         432 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol; 302 in more than one.
·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Bristol with 60. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 44 starts.
·         Fred Lorenzen won the inaugural Coors Light pole with a speed of 79.225 mph.
·         47 different drivers have poles at Bristol, led by Mark Martin and Cale Yarborough with nine each.  Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with five.
·         The race winner has started from the pole 22 times, the most productive starting position. The last driver to win from the pole was Carl Edwards, in the night race of 2008.

·         Four drivers have won from the pole position multiple times: Bobby Allison (1972 twice), Cale Yarborough(1973, 1977 twice, 1980), Darrell Waltrip (1981 twice, 1982) and Rusty Wallace (1991, 1993, 1999, 2000).
·         10 different drivers have posted consecutive poles at Bristol Motor Speedway; Mark Martin is the only of the 10 to win four consecutive poles at Bristol: Fireball Roberts (swept 1962), Fred Lorenzen (swept 1963), Richard Petty (1967-’68), Bobby Allison (swept 1972), Cale Yarborough (swept 1973; swept 1977; swept 1980),Darrell Waltrip (swept 1981), Geoff Bodine (swept 1986), Mark Martin (swept 1995-1996– all four races; and swept 2009); Rusty Wallace (swept 1998), Jeff Gordon (swept 2002) and Denny Hamlin (fall 2013, spring 2014).
·         Jeff Gordon leads (active drivers) the series in average starting position at Bristol with a 7.318. 
·         Youngest Bristol pole winner: Joey Logano (3/21/2010 – 19 years, 9 months, 25 days) – his first series career pole.
·         Oldest Bristol pole winner: Harry Gant (8/27/1994 – 54 years, 7 months, 17 days).
·         42 different drivers have won at Bristol, led by Darrell Waltrip (12). Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Buscheach have five wins, the most among active drivers.
·         Junior Johnson leads the series in car owner wins at Bristol with 16; Roger Penske and Jack Roush are tied among active car owners for the most wins at Bristol with 11 each.
·         12 drivers have won consecutive races at Bristol led by Darrell Waltrip with seven consecutive victories from 1981-1984. The other 11 are Fred Lorenzen (1963-1964 sweep), David Pearson (1968 sweep), Bobby Allison(1972 sweep), Cale Yarborough did it twice (1974 sweep and four straight from 1976-1977), Richard Petty(1975 sweep), Dale Earnhardt also did twice (1985 sweep and 1987 sweep), Alan Kulwicki (1992 sweep),Rusty Wallace (2000 sweep), Kurt Busch (2003 sweep and 2004 spring race), Kyle Busch (2009 sweep), andBrad Keselowski (2011 fall-2012 spring).
·         Youngest Bristol winner: Kyle Busch (03/25/2007 – 21 years, 10 months, 23 days).
·         Oldest Bristol winner: Dale Earnhardt (08/28/1999 – 48 years, 3 months, 30 days).
·         Eight different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Bristol; led by Chevrolet with 43 victories; followed byFord with 35. Toyota is ranked fifth among manufacturers with six wins at Bristol.
·         35 of the 108 (32.4%) races at Bristol have been won from the front row: Pole position (22 wins); second-place (13 wins).
·         86 of the 108 (79.6%) races have been won from a top-10 starting position; including 53 from the first four spots.
·         Five of the 108 (4.6%) races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20; most recent was Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2004 – he started 30th. 
·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started is 38th, by Elliott Sadler; in 2001.
·         Richard Petty leads the series in runner-up finishes at Bristol with 10; Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers with four.

·         Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty lead the series in top-five finishes at Bristol with 26 each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 16; followed by Matt Kenseth (12) and Kevin Harvick (nine).
·         Richard Petty has 37 top-10 finishes at Bristol, more than any other driver. Jeff Gordon leads the series among active drivers in top-10 finishes with 24; followed by Matt Kenseth (19) and Kurt Busch (15).
·         Greg Biffle leads the series (active drivers) in average finishing position at Bristol with an 11.917.
·         Eight of the last 10 races have ended with a Margin of Victory of less than a second at BMS.   
·         There has been four green-white-checkered finishes at Bristol – all four were the spring race: 2007 (500/504); 2008 (500/506); 2009 (500/503); 2014 (500/503).
·         Two of the 107 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the event on 3/31/1996.   
·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway three times; most recently August 25, 2012.    
·         Kurt Busch posted his first series career win at Bristol (2002), and Joey Logano won his first pole at Bristol (2010).
·         Ryan Newman leads the series (active drivers) with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol without visiting Victory Lane at 26.
·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Bristol was the 3/25/2007 race won by Kyle Busch with a MOV of 0.064 second.
·         Two female drivers have made NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Date
Danica Patrick
24
27
8/23/2014
Danica Patrick
36
18
3/16/2014
Danica Patrick
22
26
8/24/2013
Danica Patrick
41
28
3/17/2013
Danica Patrick
43
29
8/25/2012
Janet Guthrie
9
6
8/28/1977
Janet Guthrie
21
11
4/17/1977

·         Four car numbers have produced eight or more Bristol NSCS wins:
Car Number – (Number of Wins) – Most Recent Win
o    No. 11  - (19 wins) – Denny Hamlin, 2012
o    No. 2 – (12 wins) – Brad Keselowski, 2012
o    No. 17 – (eight wins) – Matt Kenseth, 2006
o    No. 3 – (eight wins) – Dale Earnhardt, 1999


8-8-8-8
STATISTICAL ADVANCE
NASCAR in Tennessee
·         There have been 169 NASCAR Sprint Cup races among six tracks in Tennessee.
Track Name
City
NSCS
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol
108
Nashville Speedway
Lebanon
42
Smokey Mountain Raceway
Maryville
12
Kingsport Speedway
Kingsport
3
Chattanooga International Raceway
Chattanooga
2
Tennessee-Carolina Speedway
Newport
2

Tennessee Drivers In NASCAR
·         105 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Tennessee.
·         14 drivers from Tennessee have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series.
Driver
NSCS
NXS
NCWTS
Darrell Waltrip
84
13
0
Sterling Marlin
10
2
0
Bobby Hamilton
4
1
10
Joe Lee Johnson
2
0
0
Trevor Bayne
1
2
0
Paul Lewis
1
0
0
Bobby Hamilton Jr
0
5
0
Jeff Purvis
0
4
0
L.D. Ottinger
0
3
0
Mike Alexander
0
2
0
Casey Atwood
0
2
0
Brad Teague
0
1
0
Chad Chaffin
0
0
2
John King
0
0
1

·         Darrell Waltrip, from Franklin, Tennessee, was inducted into the 2012 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Waltrip is the only Tennessee native driver to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. 
·         Only two of the 14 drivers from Tennessee have won at least one race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at a track located in the state of Tennessee: Darrell Waltrip (Bristol, 12 wins; Nashville eight wins) and Joe Lee Johnson (Nashville, one win).

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