Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Charlotte Playoff Track Facts: 2018 Bank of America ROVAL 400

Four drivers to be eliminated from championship contention Sunday at Charlotte. 
Monster Energy Playoff Fast Facts Race #3: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
·        This is the first season the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff’s third race has been held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.  
·        The Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course is the fourth different track to host the third race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs; joining Dover International Speedway (2011 – 2017), Kansas Speedway (2006 - 2010) and Talladega Superspeedway (2004-2005).
·        When Dover International Speedway hosted the third race in the Monster Energy Series Playoffs (from 2011 – 2017), two drivers won the event and went on to win the title later that season.
o   In 2012, Brad Keselowski won Dover’s Playoff race, and went on to win his first MENCS title. It was Keselowski’s lone win during the 2012 Playoffs. 
o   In 2013, Jimmie Johnson won Dover’s Playoff race, and went on to win his sixth MENCS title. It was his first of two Playoff wins that season (Dover-2, Texas-2).
·        When Kansas Speedway hosted the third race in the Monster Energy Series Playoffs (from 2006 – 2010), only one driver won the event and went on to win the title later that season.
o   In 2008, Jimmie Johnson won Kansas’ Playoff race, and went on to win his third consecutive title. It was his first of three Playoff wins that season (Kansas, Martinsville-2, ISM Raceway-2).
·        When Talladega Superspeedway hosted the third race in the Monster Energy Series Playoffs (from 2004 – 2005), no drivers that won the event went on to win the title later that season.
·        The worst finish by a driver in the third Playoff race that went on to win the title was:  
o   At Dover (2011-2017):
§  In 2011, Tony Stewart finished 25th at Dover International Speedway – the third race of the 2011 Playoffs – and went on to win the title later that season.
§  Last season’s champion, Martin Truex Jr. finished fourth in the third race of the 2017 Playoffs at Dover.
o   At Kansas (2006-2010):
§  In 2006, Jimmie Johnson finished 14th at Kansas Speedway – the third race of the 2006 Playoffs - and went on to win the title later that season.
o   At Talladega (2004-2005):
§  In 2004, Kurt Busch finished fifth at Talladega Superspeedway – the third race of the 2005 Playoffs – and went on to win the title later that season.
·        No non-Playoff driver ever won the third Monster Energy Series Playoff race at Dover International Speedway (2011 – 2017).
·        Two non-Playoff drivers won the third race in the Monster Energy Series Playoffs when held at Kansas Speedway (2006 - 2010) – Tony Stewart was ranked 11th in points when he won the 2006 Kansas Playoff race and Greg Biffle was ranked 14th in points when he won the 2007 Kansas Playoff race.
·        Only one non-Playoff driver won the third race in the Playoffs when held at Talladega Superspeedway (2004-2005) – NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett was 14th in points when he won the 2005 Talladega Playoff race.
·        Since the inception of the elimination-style format in the Playoffs in 2014, the deepest seeded driver entering the Playoffs to go on and win the title was Kevin Harvick, 2014 (seventh seed); the remaining champions all started within the top five: Kyle Busch, 2015 (No. 1 seed); Jimmie Johnson, 2016 (fifth seed); Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 seed).

Season
Track
Winner
2017
Dover
Kyle Busch
2016
Dover
Martin Truex Jr
2015
Dover
Kevin Harvick
2014
Dover
Jeff Gordon
2013
Dover
Jimmie Johnson
2012
Dover
Brad Keselowski
2011
Dover
Kurt Busch
2010
Kansas
Greg Biffle
2009
Kansas
Tony Stewart
2008
Kansas
Jimmie Johnson
2007
Kansas
Greg Biffle
2006
Kansas
Tony Stewart
2005
Talladega
Dale Jarrett
2004
Talladega
Dale Earnhardt Jr



At Charlotte Motor Speedway:
History
·       Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) in 1959.

·        The track’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was held on June 19, 1960 – won by Joe Lee Johnson in a Chevrolet.
·        The track was repaved midseason in 1994.
·        The track name changed from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999. It changed back to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2010 season.
·        The track was re-paved again before the 2006 season.
·        In 2017, the track underwent renovations to add what is now known as the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (ROVAL) a 2.28-mile, 17-turn, multi-elevational road course.  
·        There have been 119 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, two races per year since the track opened in 1960.
·        In 1961, there were two 100-mile qualifying points races held the week before the May race. The first six fall races at Charlotte were 400-mile events (1960-65).
·        A total 543 different drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points-paying race at Charlotte Motor Speedway; 391 in more than one.


NASCAR in North Carolina
·        There have been 812 NASCAR national series races held in the state of North Carolina among 31 different tracks.
·        The very first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race all-time was held in the state of North Carolina at Charlotte Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 19, 1949. The track is a 0.75-mile dirt track and the race was won by Jim Roper in a Lincoln. 
·        Charlotte Motor Speedway has hosted the most NASCAR national series races in the state of North Carolina with 281.


Tracks in North Carolina
     
Track Name
City
Monster Energy
Xfinity
Camping World
Total Races
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord
119
73
16
281
Rockingham Speedway
Rockingham
78
42
2
122
North Wilkesboro Speedway
North
93
4
2
99
Hickory Speedway
Hickory
35
42
0
77
Asheville-Weaverville Speedway
Weaverville
34
0
0
34
Occoneechee Speedway
Hillsboro
32
0
0
32
Bowman Gray Stadium
Winston-Salem
29
0
0
29
Orange County Speedway
Rougemont
0
27
0
27
Southern States Fairgrounds
Charlotte
17
0
0
17
Charlotte Speedway
Charlotte
12
0
0
12
Concord Speedway
Concord
12
0
0
12
Wilson Speedway
Wilson
12
0
0
12
New Asheville Speedway
Asheville
8
0
0
8
Dog Track Speedway
Moyock
7
0
0
7
Raleigh Speedway
Raleigh
7
0
0
7
Cleveland County Fairgrounds
Shelby
6
0
0
6
Champion Speedway
Fayetteville
4
0
0
4
Caraway Speedway
Asheboro
0
3
0
3
Greensboro Agriculture Fairgrounds
Greensboro
3
0
0
3
North Carolina State Fairgrounds
Raleigh
3
0
0
3
Tar Heel Speedway
Randleman
3
0
0
3
Forsyth County Fairgrounds
Winston-Salem
2
0
0
2
Harris Speedway
Harris
2
0
0
2
Jacksonville Speedway
Jacksonville
2
0
0
2
Tri-City Speedway
High Point
2
0
0
2
Asheville Speedway
Asheville
0
1
0
1
Gastonia Fairgrounds
Gastonia
1
0
0
1
Harnett Speedway
Spring Lake
1
0
0
1
McCormick Field
Asheville
1
0
0
1
Salisbury Super Speedway
Salisbury
1
0
0
1
Star Lite Speedway
Monroe
1
0
0
1
Totals

527
192
20
812


North Carolina Drivers In NASCAR
·        A total of 458 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as North Carolina.
·        52 drivers from North Carolina have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; 31 have won in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.




 
Drivers From North Carolina
   
 
Driver
Monster Energy
Xfinity
Camping World
Total
1
Richard Petty
200
0
0
200
2
Dale Earnhardt
76
21
0
97
3
Lee Petty
54
0
0
54
4
Ned Jarrett
50
0
0
50
5
Junior Johnson
50
0
0
50
6
Herb Thomas
48
0
0
48
7
Buck Baker
46
0
0
46
8
Bobby Isaac
37
0
0
37
9
Dale Jarrett
32
11
0
43
10
Rex White
28
0
0
28
11
Dale Earnhardt Jr
26
24
0
50
12
Jim Paschal
25
0
0
25
13
Benny Parsons
21
0
0
21
14
Speedy Thompson
20
0
0
20
15
Buddy Baker
19
0
0
19
16
Harry Gant
18
21
0
39
17
Bob Welborn
9
0
0
9
18
Kyle Petty
8
0
0
8
19
Morgan Shepherd
4
15
0
19
20
Brian Vickers
3
3
0
6
21
Bill Blair
3
0
0
3
22
Gwyn Staley
3
0
0
3
23
Jimmy Pardue
2
0
0
2
24
Austin Dillon
2
9
7
18
25
Billy Myers
2
0
0
2
26
Phil Parsons
1
2
0
3
27
Ryan Blaney
1
7
4
12
28
Donald Thomas
1
0
0
1
29
Richard Brickhouse
1
0
0
1
30
Buddy Shuman
1
0
0
1
31
Leon Sales
1
0
0
1
32
Jack Ingram
0
31
0
31
33
Tommy Houston
0
24
0
24
34
Sam Ard
0
22
0
22
35
Robert Pressley
0
10
2
12
36
Scott Riggs
0
4
5
9
37
William Byron
0
4
7
11
38
Dennis Setzer
0
2
18
20
39
Hank Parker Jr
0
2
0
2
40
Johnny Rumley
0
2
0
2
41
Ronnie Silver
0
2
0
2
42
Ty Dillon
0
1
3
4
43
Ed Berrier
0
1
0
1
44
Stephen Leicht
0
1
0
1
45
Justin Labonte
0
1
0
1
46
John Settlemyre
0
1
0
1
47
Timothy Peters
0
0
10
10
48
John Hunter Nemechek
0
0
6
6
49
Andy Houston
0
0
3
3
50
Shane Hmiel
0
0
1
1
51
Austin Cindric
0
0
1
1
52
Ricky Hendrick
0
0
1
1
 
TOTALS
792
221
68
1081



2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Results
Date
Track
Busch Pole
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Race Winner
OEM
2/18/2018
Daytona
Alex Bowman
Kurt Busch
Ryan Blaney
N/A
Austin Dillon
Chevrolet
2/25/2018
Atlanta
Kyle Busch
Kevin Harvick
Brad Keselowski
N/A
Kevin Harvick
Ford
3/4/2018
Las Vegas
Ryan Blaney
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Kevin Harvick
Ford
3/11/2018
ISM
Martin Truex Jr
Kyle Busch
Kurt Busch
N/A
Kevin Harvick
Ford
3/18/2018
Auto Club
Martin Truex Jr
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
N/A
Martin Truex Jr
Toyota
3/26/2018
Martinsville
None-Weather
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney 
N/A
Clint Bowyer 
Ford 
4/8/2018
Texas
Kurt Busch
Kevin Harvick
Kyle Busch
N/A
Kyle Busch
Toyota
4/15/2018
Bristol
Kyle Busch
Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski
N/A
Kyle Busch
Toyota
4/21/2018
Richmond
Martin Truex Jr.
Joey Logano
Joey Logano
N/A
Kyle Busch
Toyota
4/29/2018
Talladega
Kevin Harvick
Brad Keselowski
Paul Menard
N/A
Joey Logano
Ford
5/6/2018
Dover
Kyle Larson
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Kevin Harvick
Ford
5/12/2018
Kansas
Kevin Harvick
Ryan Blaney
Kyle Larson
N/A
Kevin Harvick
Ford
5/19/2018
All-Star Open
N/A
Alex Bowman
Daniel Suarez
N/A
AJ Allmendinger
Chevrolet
5/19/2018
All-Star Race
Matt Kenseth
Kevin Harvick
Kyle Busch
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
Ford
5/27/2018
Charlotte
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Toyota
6/3/2018
Pocono
Ryan Blaney
Martin Truex Jr
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Martin Truex Jr
Toyota
6/10/2018
Michigan
Kurt Busch
Ryan Blaney
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Clint Bowyer 
Ford
6/24/2018
Sonoma
Kyle Larson
AJ Allmendinger
Denny Hamlin
N/A
Martin Truex Jr
Toyota
7/1/2018
Chicagoland
Paul Menard
Aric Almirola
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Kyle Busch
Toyota
7/7/2018
Daytona
Chase Elliott
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
N/A
Erik Jones
Toyota
7/14/2018
Kentucky
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
N/A
Martin Truex Jr.
Toyota
7/22/2018
New Hampshire
Kurt Busch
Martin Truex Jr.
Chase Elliott
N/A
Kevin Harvick
Ford
7/29/2018
Pocono
Daniel Suarez
Chase Elliott
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Kyle Busch
Toyota
8/5/2018
Watkins Glen
Denny Hamlin
Martin Truex Jr.
Chase Elliott
N/A
Chase Elliott
Chevrolet
8/12/2018
Michigan
Denny Hamlin
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Kevin Harvick
Ford
8/18/2018
Bristol
Kyle Larson
Ryan Blaney
Joey Logano
N/A
Kurt Busch
Ford
9/2/2018
Darlington
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson
N/A
Brad Keselowski
Ford
9/9/2018
Indianapolis
N/A
Clint Bowyer
Matt Kenseth
N/A
Brad Keselowski
Ford
9/16/2018
Las Vegas
Erik Jones
Martin Truex Jr.
Brad Keselowski
N/A
Brad Keselowski
Ford
9/22/2018
Richmond
Kevin Harvick
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
N/A
Kyle Busch
Toyota
9/30/2018
Charlotte






10/7/2018
Dover






10/14/2018
Talladega






10/21/2018
Kansas






10/28/2018
Martinsville






11/4/2018
Texas






11/11/2018
ISM






11/18/2018
Homestead









Monster Energy Series - Achievable Milestones
  
Starts






       
Jamie McMurray

Has:
574

Needs:
1
To become the 32nd driver all-time in the Monster Energy Series to make 575 starts or more.
       
Wins






       
Jimmie Johnson

Has:
83

Needs:
1
Tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for fourth on the all-time series wins list.
       
Kevin Harvick

Has:
44

Needs:
2
Tie Buck Baker (46) for 16th on the all-time MENCS wins list.
       
Denny Hamlin

Has:
31

Needs:
1
To tie Dale Jarrett for 24th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
       
Busch Poles






       
Ryan Newman

Has:
51

Needs:
3
Tie Bill Elliott for eighth on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
       
Jimmie Johnson

Has:
35

Needs:
1
To tie Rusty Wallace and Rex White for 18th on the all-time series poles list.
       
Kyle Busch

Has:
30

Needs:
2
To tie Fonty Flock for 23rd on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
       
Laps Led






       
Jimmie Johnson

Has:
18,692

Needs:
308
To become the ninth driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 19,000 laps.
       
Kyle Busch

Has:
15,589

Needs:
411
To become the 10th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 16,000 laps.
       
Kevin Harvick

Has:
12,365

Needs:
635
To become the 12th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 13,000 laps.
       
Matt Kenseth

Has:
11,756

Needs:
244
To become the 16th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 12,000 laps.
       
Kurt Busch

Has:
9,354

Needs:
646
To become the 18th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 10,000 laps.
       
Denny Hamlin

Has:
9,151

Needs:
849
To become the 18th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 10,000 laps.
       
Martin Truex Jr.

Has:
7,484

Needs:
516
To become the 26th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 8,000 laps.


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