Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Kentucky Speedway Track Facts: 2015 Quaker State 400

This will be the fifth Cup race held at Kentucky Speedway; Brad Keselowski has won twice including last season. 
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2015 Top 16 at Kentucky Speedway

Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
 
 
1
Kevin Harvick
4
0
0
0
2
0
11
95.2
 
2
Dale Earnhardt Jr
4
1
0
2
2
0
12.8
90.7
 
3
Jimmie Johnson
4
1
0
1
4
0
7
116.6
 
4
Joey Logano
4
0
0
1
2
0
12.2
94.7
 
5
Martin Truex Jr
4
0
0
0
2
0
13
84.0
 
6
Jamie McMurray
4
0
0
1
1
1
22.5
76.5
 
7
Brad Keselowski
4
1
2
2
3
0
10.5
116.1
 
8
Kurt Busch
4
0
0
0
2
0
11.5
89.4
 
9
Matt Kenseth
4
0
1
2
4
0
4.5
107.2
 
10
Jeff Gordon
4
0
0
1
4
0
7.2
95.4
 
11
Kasey Kahne
4
0
0
1
2
0
8.5
98.9
 
12
Denny Hamlin
4
0
0
1
1
2
22.8
85.2
 
13
Paul Menard
4
0
0
0
0
0
20.2
74.5
 
14
Ryan Newman
4
0
0
2
2
1
13.8
90.2
 
15
Clint Bowyer
4
0
0
1
1
1
19.2
83.3
 
16
Aric Almirola
3
0
0
0
0
1
26.7
67.4
 
* – Based on last four races at Kentucky Speedway.






Kentucky Speedway Data
Season Race #: 18 of 36 (07-11-15)
Track Size: 1.5-miles
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 14 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 14 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 8 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 8 degrees
Frontstretch Length:  1,662 feet
Backstretch Length:  1,600 feet
Race Length: 200 laps / 300 miles

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Kentucky
Kyle Busch............................... 124.3
Jimmie Johnson........................ 116.6
Brad Keselowski....................... 116.1
Matt Kenseth............................. 107.2
Kasey Kahne.............................. 98.9
Jeff Gordon................................ 95.4
Kevin Harvick.............................. 95.2
Joey Logano.............................. 94.7
Dale Earnhardt Jr........................ 90.7
Ryan Newman............................. 90.2
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2014 races (four total) among active drivers at Kentucky Speedway.

Qualifying/Race Data
2014 pole winner:
Brad Keselowski, Ford
188.791 mph, 28.603 secs. 06-28-14

2014 race winner:
Brad Keselowski, Ford
139.723 mph, (02:51:59), 06-29-14

Track qualifying record:
Brad Keselowski, Ford
188.791 mph, 28.603 secs. 06-28-14

Track race record:
Brad Keselowski., Dodge
145.607 mph, (02:45:02), 06-30-12


At Kentucky Speedway:
History
·         In 1998, the track broke ground in Sparta, Kentucky, and opened as a 1.5-mile speedway in 2000.
·         The original owners, Jerry Carroll and four other investors owned the track until 2008, when current owners, Speedway Motorsports Inc. purchased the facility.
·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held in 2011 – won by Kyle Busch.

Starts
·         There have been four NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kentucky Speedway since the first race in 2011 – one race per season.
·         60 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway; 45 in more than one.
·         28 different drivers have made all four series starts at Kentucky Speedway.
·         Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in Average Starting Position at Kentucky with a 5.75; followed by Kyle Busch with a 6.25.

Poles
·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying at Kentucky was cancelled due to weather. The starting line-up was set per the Rule Book – Kyle Busch started from first.
·         Brad Keselowski (2014), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2013) and Jimmie Johnson (2012) are the three drivers that have won Coors Light poles at Kentucky.
·         Youngest Kentucky pole winner: Brad Keselowski (06/28/2014 – 30 years, 4 months, 16 days).
·         Oldest Kentucky pole winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (06/30/2013 – 38 years, 8 months, 20 days).

Wins
·         Three different NSCS drivers have won at Kentucky Speedway: Kyle Busch (07/09/2011), Brad Keselowski(06/30/2012 and 6/28/2014) and Matt Kenseth (6/30/2013).
·         Brad Keselowski leads the series in wins at Kentucky with two.  
·         Youngest Kentucky winner: Kyle Busch (07/09/2011 – 26 years, 2 months, 7 days).
·         Oldest Kentucky winner: Matt Kenseth (06/30/2013 – 41 years, 3 months, 20 days).
·         Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske are tied for the series lead in wins at Kentucky with two each: Joe Gibbs Racing (2011, 2013); Team Penske (2012, 2014).
·          Three different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Kentucky: Toyota (2011, 2013), Dodge (2012) and Ford(2014).
·         Brad Keselowski is the only driver to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky from the Coors Light poles (2014).
·         Kyle Busch won the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky from the first starting position. Due to the qualifying session being cancelled for the 2011 race, it was not from the Coors Light pole.
·         Two of the four (50.0%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kentucky have been won from the front row – both from the first starting position (2011, 2014).
·         Three of the four (75%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kentucky have been won from a top-10 starting position.
·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Kentucky is 16th, by Matt Kenseth in 2013.
·         The fewest laps led in a single race by an eventual NSCS winner at Kentucky is 38 laps by Matt Kenseth in 2013.
·         The most laps led in a single race by an eventual NSCS winner at Kentucky is 199 laps by Brad Keselowski in 2014.
  
Additional Finishing Position Stats
·         Four different drivers have posted NSCS runner-up finishes at Kentucky:  David Reutimann (2011), Kasey Kahne (2012), Jamie McMurray (2013) and Kyle Busch (2014).
·         14 different drivers have posted top-five finishes at Kentucky led by Kyle Busch with three; followed by Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Ryan Newman with two each.    
·         19 different drivers have posted top-10 finishes at Kentucky led by Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnsonand Matt Kenseth with four each.
·         Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch are tied for the series among active drivers in Average Finishing Position at Kentucky with a 4.5 each. Jimmie Johnson (7.0), Jeff Gordon (7.2), and Kasey Kahne (8.5) are the other active drivers with an average finish in the top 10.


Track Event Stats
·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kentucky Speedway was the July 9, 2011 race won by Kyle Busch over David Reutimann with a MOV of 0.179 second.
·         None of the four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kentucky Speedway have resulted with a green-white-checkered finish.
·         None of the four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kentucky Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.     
·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kentucky Speedway once; the 2011 race.
·         The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky produced the most lead changes (20) at the 1.5-mile track. The fewest lead changes were in the 2013 race at Kentucky (11).  
·         The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky produced the most different leaders (12) at the 1.5-mile speedway. The fewest leaders in a NSCS event at Kentucky were last season’s race with three.   
·         Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Kentucky with 346 laps led in four starts.

Female Competitor Stats
·         Danica Patrick is the only female driver to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kentucky Speedway.

Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Date
Danica Patrick
29
23
6/30/2013
Danica Patrick
10
21
6/28/2014
Averages
19.5
22.0



NASCAR in Kentucky
·         There have been five NASCAR Sprint Cup races among two tracks in Kentucky.
Track Name
City
NSCS
Kentucky Speedway
Sparta
4
Corbin Speedway
Corbin
1
·         42 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Kentucky; three have posted wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Driver
NSCS
NNS
NCWTS
Jeremy Mayfield
5
0
0
Michael Waltrip
4
11
1
Tommy Thompson
1
0
0
Jeff Green
0
16
0
David Green
0
9
0


Milestones – Kentucky Speedway
 
HAS
NEEDS
MILESTONE
DESCRIPTION
DRIVER
Michael McDowell
174
1
175th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Career Start
McDowell is 145th on the all-time NSCS career starts list, two starts behind Walter Ballard and Regan Smith (176 each) in 143rd.
Danica Patrick
99
1
100th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Career Start
Patrick is 191st on the all-time NSCS career starts list, one start behind Bruce Hill (100) in 190th.
Jimmie Johnson
74
2
76th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win
Jimmie Johnson is eighth on the all-time NSCS wins list, two wins behind NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt in seventh (76 wins).
Tony Stewart
48
2
50th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win
Stewart is 13th on the all-time NSCS wins list, two wins behind NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett in 12th (50 wins).
Matt Kenseth
32
1
33rd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win
Kenseth is tied with Dale Jarrett for 22nd on the all-time NSCS wins list, one win behind Fireball Roberts in 21st (33 wins).
Carl Edwards
24
1
25th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win
Edwards is 31st on the all-time NSCS wins list, one win behind Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joe Weatherly and Denny Hamlin tied for 28th (25 wins).
Jeff Gordon
24,826
174
25,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Laps Led
Gordon can become the sixth driver in NSCS history to lead 25,000 laps; joining Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and Bobby Allison.
Matt Kenseth
9,598
402
10,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Laps Led
Kenseth can become the 16th driver in series history to lead 10,000 or more laps. 
Kevin Harvick
7,788
212
8,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Laps Led
Kevin Harvick can become the 24th driver in series history to lead 8,000 or more laps. 
#43 car
199
1
200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Wins
The No. 43 car is second on the all-time NSCS wins list, five wins behind the No. 11 car in first (204). The last win for the No. 43 car came at Daytona last season.


No comments: