Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Pocono Raceway Track Facts: 2017 Pocono 400

Kurt Busch is 40/1 to win this week at Pocono Raceway.
Rank
Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
 
 
1
Martin Truex Jr
22
1
1
3
7
1
16.5
82.9
 
2
Kyle Larson
6
1
0
1
3
0
8.8
95.6
 
3
Kevin Harvick
32
0
0
8
13
3
13.7
93.6
 
4
Kyle Busch
24
2
0
4
9
5
18.5
86.4
 
5
Jamie McMurray
28
1
0
0
7
3
19.1
74.1
 
6
Jimmie Johnson
30
3
3
11
19
2
10.6
104.8
 
7
Brad Keselowski
14
1
1
6
7
0
11.3
93.1
 
8
Chase Elliott
2
0
0
1
1
0
18.5
102.7
 
9
Denny Hamlin
22
3
4
9
14
2
12.1
105.6
 
10
Clint Bowyer
22
0
0
2
9
0
15
79.7
 
11
Joey Logano
16
2
1
4
6
1
16.6
93.2
 
12
Matt Kenseth
34
0
1
4
13
1
15.1
89.9
 
13
Ryan Blaney
2
0
0
0
1
0
10.5
87.3
 
14
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
8
0
0
0
0
1
26.1
55.8
 
15
Ryan Newman
30
2
1
9
14
3
12.7
92.5
 
16
Kurt Busch
31
2
3
13
18
5
14.5
105.7
 
* – Based on last 24 races at Pocono Raceway (2005 – 2016).


2017 Stage Winners / Drivers with Playoff Points
Track
Stage 1 Winner
Stage 2 Winner
Stage 3 Winner
Race Winner
 
Following Race #13
Daytona
Kyle Busch
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Kurt Busch
 
Drivers
Points
Atlanta
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Brad Keselowski
 
Martin Truex Jr.
18
Las Vegas
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
N/A
Martin Truex Jr.
 
Jimmie Johnson
15
Phoenix
Joey Logano
Chase Elliott
N/A
Ryan Newman
 
Brad Keselowski
12
Auto Club
Kyle Larson
Martin Truex Jr.
N/A
Kyle Larson
 
Kyle Larson
7
Martinsville
Martin Truex Jr.
Chase Elliott
N/A
Brad Keselowski
 
Ryan Newman
5
Texas
Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney
N/A
Jimmie Johnson
 
Kurt Busch
5
Bristol
Kyle Larson
Martin Truex Jr.
N/A
Jimmie Johnson
 
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
5
Richmond
Matt Kenseth
Brad Keselowski
N/A
Joey Logano
 
Austin Dillon
5
Talladega
Brad Keselowski
Denny Hamlin
N/A
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
 
Kevin Harvick
3
Kansas
Kyle Busch
Ryan Blaney
N/A
Martin Truex Jr.
 
Ryan Blaney
3
Charlotte
Kyle Busch
Martin Truex Jr.
Denny Hamlin
Austin Dillon
 
Kyle Busch
3
Dover
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
N/A
Jimmie Johnson
 
Chase Elliott
2
Pocono




 
Denny Hamlin
2
Michigan
     
Joey Logano
1
Sonoma




 
Matt Kenseth
1
Pocono Raceway Data
Season Race #: 14 of 36 (06-11-17)
Track Size: 2.5-miles
Banking/Turn 1: 14 degrees
Banking/Turn 2: 8 degrees
Banking/Turn 3: 6 degrees
Frontstretch Length:  3,740 feet
Backstretch Length:  3,055 feet
Shortstretch Length:  1,780 feet
Race Length: 160 laps / 400 miles
Stage 1 and 2 Length: 50 Laps (each)
Final Stage: 60 Laps

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Pocono
Kurt Busch............................... 105.7
Denny Hamlin........................... 105.6
Jimmie Johnson........................ 104.8
Chase Elliott............................. 102.7
Kyle Larson................................ 95.6
Dale Earnhardt Jr........................ 93.9
Kevin Harvick............................. 93.6
Joey Logano............................... 93.2
Brad Keselowski......................... 93.1
Ryan Newman............................ 92.5
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2016 races (24 total) among active drivers at Pocono Raceway.

Qualifying/Race Data
2016 pole winner:
Brad Keselowski, Ford
181.726 mph, 49.525 secs, 06-04-16

2016 race winner:
Kurt Busch, Ford
125.490 mph, (03:11:15), 06-06-16

Track qualifying record:
Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
183.438 mph, 49.610 secs, 08-03-14

Track race record:
Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
145.384 mph, (03:26:21), 06-12-11

At Pocono Raceway:
History
·        Opened in 1968 as a three-quarter-mile track, Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile track in 1971.
·        The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was in 1974 – won by Richard Petty, Dodge, 115.593 mph, 08/04/1974.
·        The 2.5-mile track was repaved during the fall of 2011.
·        2012 marked the first season the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono were scheduled for 400 miles.
·        Prior to 2012 all Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races were 500 miles at Pocono Raceway.
·        There have been 78 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Pocono Raceway, one race from 1974 through 1981, and two per year since.

Starts
·        331 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway; 238 in more than one.
·        Ricky Rudd leads the series in starts at Pocono with 55.
·        Matt Kenseth leads all active drivers with 34 starts; followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 33.
·        David Pearson (six starts) leads the series in average starting position at Pocono with a 4.667.
·        Denny Hamlin (22 starts) leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Pocono with a 6.864.
·        A total of 32 drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series made their series debut at Pocono Raceway, none are currently active.

Poles
·        42 drivers have posted Coors Light poles at Pocono, led by Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader with five each.
·        Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin lead all active drivers at Pocono with three Coors Light poles each.


Poles
·        Buddy Baker won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Pocono in 1974 with a speed of 144.122 mph. 
·        Of the 42 Pocono pole winners, only five have won consecutive Coors Light poles: Bill Elliott (1984-85), Mark Martin (1990-91), Ken Schrader (1993 sweep), Denny Hamlin (2006 sweep) and Joey Logano (fall 2011 and spring 2012).
·        Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive poles at Pocono with three; fall 1984 and both races in 1985.
·        Youngest Pocono pole winner: Joey Logano (08/07/2011 – 21 years, 2 months, 14 days).
·        Oldest Pocono pole winner: David Pearson (06/10/1984 – 49 years, 5 months, 19 days).
·        Three drivers have posted their first-career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light pole at Pocono Raceway: Harry Gant (1979), Casey Mears (2004) and Kyle Larson (2014). 
·        Eight different manufacturers have won a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole at Pocono; led by Chevrolet with 33, followed by Ford (16), Dodge (8), Pontiac (6), Toyota (6), Buick (2), American Motors Company and Oldsmobile (each have one).  

Wins
·        35 different MENCS drivers have won at Pocono Raceway, led by Jeff Gordon with six wins.
·        Five active drivers have multiple wins at Pocono: Denny Hamlin (four), Jimmie Johnson (three), Kurt Busch (three), Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (each have two).   
·        Seven drivers have posted consecutive wins at Pocono Raceway, including three consecutive by Bobby Allison (1982 sweep and spring 1983) and Tim Richmond (1986 sweep and spring 1987).
·        Three of the seven drivers to win consecutive races at Pocono are active: Jimmie Johnson (2004 sweep); Denny Hamlin (2006 sweep and 2009 fall and 2010 spring races) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2014 sweep).
·        Youngest Pocono winner: Joey Logano (06/10/2012 – 22 years, 0 months, 17 days).
·        Oldest Pocono winner: Harry Gant (06/17/1990 – 50 years, 5 months, 7 days).
·        Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Pocono with 17: Jeff Gordon (six), Tim Richmond (three), Jimmie Johnson (three), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Kasey Kahne (one), Geoff Bodine (one) and Terry Labonte (one).
·        Eight different manufacturers have won in the MENCS at Pocono; led by Chevrolet with 32 victories; followed by Ford with 22, Dodge (seven), Pontiac (six), Buick (four) Toyota (four), Mercury (two) and Oldsmobile (one).
·        13 of the 78 (16.6%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Joey Logano (June, 2012).
·        Two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono have been won from the first starting position due to Qualifying being cancelled; Tony Stewart (2009) and the most recent was Jimmie Johnson (2013).
·        The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (15) than any other starting position at Pocono Raceway.    
·        24 of the 78 (30.7%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono have been won from the front row: 15 from the first starting position and nine from second starting position.
·        55 of the 78 (70.5%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Pocono have been won from a top-10 starting position.
·        Six of the 78 (6.4%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono have been won from a starting position outside the top 20 – most recent Chris Buescher (Aug., 2016).
·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Pocono is 29th, by Carl Edwards in the spring of 2005.
·        A total of three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted his first career win at Pocono Raceway: Chris Buescher (08/01/16), Denny Hamlin (06/11/06) and Jeremy Mayfield (06/21/98).
·        Denny Hamlin (2006) and Carl Edwards (2005) are the only two active drivers to win at Pocono in their first appearances. 
·        Kevin Harvick leads the series among active drivers with the most Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono without visiting Victory Lane at 32; followed by Jamie McMurray with 28.
·        Seven drivers in series history have swept Pocono in a single season - Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott (1985), Tim Richmond (1986), Bobby Labonte (1999), Jimmie Johnson (2004), Denny Hamlin (2006) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2014).
·        If Jeff Gordon wins in the No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend he will become the eighth different driver to win at Pocono in two or more different car numbers joining Cale Yarborough (Nos. 11, 5); Darrell Waltrip (Nos. 11, 88); Kasey Kahne (Nos. 5, 9); Kurt Busch (Nos. 2, 41); Terry Labonte (Nos. 11, 5); Tony Stewart (Nos. 14, 20); and Geoff Bodine the only driver to win in three different car numbers (11, 5, and 7).

Additional Finishing Position Stats
·        Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Pocono with seven; Kurt Busch leads all active drivers with five; followed by Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr.  with three each.
·        Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon lead the series in top-five finishes at Pocono with 20 each. Kurt Busch leads all active drivers with 13 top fives.
·        Mark Martin leads the series in top-10 finishes at Pocono with 34; Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with 19; followed by Kurt Busch with 18.
·        Kyle Larson leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Pocono with a 8.833.

Track Specific Stats
·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway is the race on July 23, 2000 that was won by Rusty Wallace over Jeff Burton with a MOV of 0.126 second.
·        There have been three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races resulting with NASCAR Overtime at Pocono Raceway:
Scheduled No. Of Laps
Actual No. Of Laps
NASCAR Overtime Laps
Winner
Date
200
204
4
Denny Hamlin
6/6/2010
200
203
3
Kurt Busch
7/24/2005
200
201
1
Carl Edwards
6/12/2005

·        Seven of the 78 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions:
Scheduled Date
Scheduled No. Of Laps
Actual No. Of Laps
No. of Fewer Laps
Winners
7/31/2016
160
138
-22
Chris Buescher
8/5/2012
160
98
-62
Jeff Gordon
6/10/2007
200
106
-94
Jeff Gordon
7/28/2002
200
175
-25
Bill Elliott
7/21/1991
200
179
-21
Rusty Wallace
7/20/1986
200
150
-50
Tim Richmond
8/4/1974
200
192
-8
Richard Petty
   
·        Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway six times:
Date
6/6/1982
6/10/1984
6/9/2002
6/7/2009
8/3/2009
6/9/2013

·        A total of 121 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver have led at least one lap at Pocono; Jeff Gordon leads the series in laps led with 1,040 laps led in 46 starts. Below are the all-time top five lap leaders at Pocono Raceway.
 Driver
Laps Led
Laps Completed
% of Laps Led
Jeff Gordon
1040
8535
12%
Geoff Bodine
809
6799
12%
Rusty Wallace
754
7510
10%
Jimmie Johnson
738
5312
14%
Denny Hamlin
669
3649
18%


Female Competitor Stats
·        Two female drivers have competed at Pocono Raceway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Date
Danica Patrick
26
22
8/1/2016
Danica Patrick
33
32
6/6/2016
Danica Patrick
20
16
8/2/2015
Danica Patrick
22
37
6/7/2015
Danica Patrick
10
30
8/3/2014
Danica Patrick
16
37
6/8/2014
Danica Patrick
34
35
8/4/2013
Danica Patrick
30
29
6/9/2013
Averages
23.9
29.8
 
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Date
Janet Guthrie
21
28
7/27/1980
Janet Guthrie
22
31
7/30/1978
Janet Guthrie
10
11
7/31/1977
Averages
17.7
23.3
 

NASCAR in Pennsylvania
·        There have been 143 NASCAR national series races among 10 tracks in the state of Pennsylvania.
Track Name
City
MENCS
NXS
NCWTS
Total Races
Pocono Raceway
Long Pond
78
1
7
86
Nazareth Speedway
Nazareth
0
17
6
23
Langhorne Speedway
Langhorne
17
0
0
17
Lincoln Speedway
New Oxford
7
0
0
7
Heidelberg Raceway
Pittsburgh
4
0
0
4
Reading Fairgrounds
Reading
2
0
0
2
Bloomsburg Fairgrounds
Bloomsburg
1
0
0
1
New Bradford Speedway
Bradford
1
0
0
1
Pine Grove Speedway
Shippenville
1
0
0
1
Williams Grove Speedway
Mechanicsburg
1
0
0
1
Totals

112
18
13
143
·        The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Pennsylvania was the Monster energy NASCAR Cup Series event held on September 11, 1949 at Langhorne Speedway and won by Curtis Turner (Oldsmobile). 
Pennsylvania Drivers In NASCAR
·        141 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Pennsylvania.
·        Three of the 141 have won in NASCAR’s premiere series.
Driver
MENCS
NXS
NCWTS
Dick Linder
3
0
0
Jimmy Spencer
2
12
1
Mark Donohue
1
0
0


Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Milestones
Drivers
Has
Needs
Milestones
Jimmie Johnson
83
1
Tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for fourth on MENCS all-time wins list
Kyle Busch
38
1
Tie Tim Flock (39) for 18th on all-time MENCS wins list
Matt Kenseth
38
1
Tie Tim Flock (39) for 18th on all-time MENCS wins list
Kevin Harvick
35
2
Tie Bobby Isaac (37) for 21st on MENCS all-time wins list
Kurt Busch
29
3
Tie Dale Jarrett (32) for 24th on all-time MENCS wins list
Denny Hamlin
29
3
Tie Dale Jarrett (32) for 24th on all-time MENCS wins list
Brad Keselowski
23
2
Tie Joe Weatherly, Jim Paschal (25) for 31st on all-time MENCS wins list
Ryan Newman
51
3
Tie Bill Elliott for eighth on the all-time MENCS poles list
Jimmie Johnson
35
1
Tie Rusty Wallace and Rex White for 17th on all-time MENCS poles list
Kasey Kahne
27
1
Break the tie with Terry Labonte to become solely 25th on all-time MENCS poles list
Denny Hamlin
24
1
Break the tie with Alan Kulwicki to become solely 28th on all-time MENCS poles list
Kevin Harvick
48
1
Break the tie with Lee Petty and become solely 10th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Jimmie Johnson
46
2
Tie Lee Petty and Kevin Harvick for 10th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Matt Kenseth
29
1
Tie Ricky Rudd for 25th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Matt Kenseth
174
2
Tie Bill Elliott for 19th on the all-time MENCS top-five finishes list; become 20th driver with 175 or more top fives.
Dale Earnhardt Jr
149
1
To become the 24th driver to post 150 or more MENCS top-five finishes
Kurt Busch
249
1
To become the 25th driver to post 250 or more MENCS top-10 finishes
AJ Allmendinger
49
1
To post his 50th career MENCS top-10 finish
Jimmie Johnson
18,618
382
To become the ninth driver in series history to lead 19,000 or more laps
Kyle Busch
12,960
40
To become the 11th MENCS driver all-time to lead 13,000 or more laps
Kevin Harvick
10,755
245
To become 17th MENCS driver all-time to lead 11,000 or more laps
Kurt Busch
8,867
133
To become 20th MENCS driver all-time to lead 9,000 or more laps
Ryan Newman
4,739
261
To become 40th MENCS driver all-time to lead 5,000 or more laps


No comments: