Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Bristol Motor Speedway Track Facts: 2019 Food City 500

Kyle Busch won last spring for his seventh Cup win at Bristol.


Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
 
 
1
Kyle Busch
27
2
7
10
15
4
14.3
101.3
 
2
Denny Hamlin
26
3
1
7
12
2
15.3
90.9
 
3
Kevin Harvick
36
1
2
12
19
3
13.2
96.9
 
4
Joey Logano
20
1
2
5
9
1
15.6
89.3
 
5
Aric Almirola
19
0
0
1
3
5
23.9
65.7
 
6
Brad Keselowski
18
0
2
4
5
0
18.1
86.0
 
7
Martin Truex Jr
26
0
0
2
3
4
21.1
81.9
 
8
Ryan Blaney
7
0
0
0
2
1
21.9
84.7
 
9
Chase Elliott
6
0
0
2
3
0
12.7
92.2
 
10
Kurt Busch
36
1
6
11
18
3
14.7
91.1
 
11
Clint Bowyer
26
0
0
7
13
2
14.6
81.7
 
12
Kyle Larson
10
1
0
2
6
1
14.8
100.7
 
13
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
12
0
0
4
6
0
11.3
81.0
 
14
Daniel Suarez
4
0
0
0
0
0
15.5
74.2
 
15
Jimmie Johnson
34
1
2
12
20
1
13.2
93.7
 
16
Erik Jones
4
1
0
2
2
0
12.5
102.4
 
* – Based on last 28 races at Bristol Motor Speedway (2005 – 2018).

Bristol Motor Speedway Data
Season Race #: 8 of 36 (04-07-19)
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
Stages 1 & 2 Length: 125 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 250 laps

Top 10 Active Driver Ratings at Bristol
Erik Jones................................ 102.4
Kyle Busch............................... 101.3
Kyle Larson.............................. 100.7
Kevin Harvick............................. 96.9
Jimmie Johnson.......................... 93.7
Chase Elliott............................... 92.2
Kurt Busch................................. 91.1
Denny Hamlin............................. 90.9
Joey Logano............................... 89.3
Brad Keselowski......................... 86.0
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2018 races
(28 total) among active drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Top Five Loop Data Leaders:

Bristol Motor Speedway (Loop Data Era: 2005-Present)
Driver Rating
Average Running Position
Laps in The Top 15
Drivers
Driver Rating
Drivers
Avg. Running Pos.
Drivers
Laps in Top 15
Erik Jones
102.4
Erik Jones
8.718
Jimmie Johnson
9,879 (70.4%)
Kyle Busch
101.3
Kyle Larson
11.547
Kevin Harvick
9,734 (69.4%)
Kyle Larson
100.7
Kevin Harvick
11.864
Ryan Newman
9,135 (65.1%)
Kevin Harvick
96.9
Jimmie Johnson
12.711
Kurt Busch
8,961 (63.9%)
Jimmie Johnson
93.7
Chase Elliott
12.834
Kyle Busch
8,819 (65.2%)
Laps Led
Quality Passes
Fastest Laps Run
Drivers
Laps Led
Drivers
Quality Passes
Drivers
Fastest Laps
Kyle Busch
2,233
Kurt Busch
935
Kyle Busch
964 (7.1%)
Jimmie Johnson
886
Ryan Newman
890
Kevin Harvick
762 (5.4%)
Kevin Harvick
655
Jimmie Johnson
885
Jimmie Johnson
691 (4.9%)
Joey Logano
618
Kevin Harvick
876
Denny Hamlin
523 (4.0%)
Denny Hamlin
611
Martin Truex Jr
805
Kurt Busch
483 (3.4%)



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.
·        The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway was on July 30, 1961; Jack Smith won the event (with relief from Johnny Allen).
·        All of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races have been scheduled for 500 laps, except for both races in 1976 and the second in 1977, which were 400 laps each.
·        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.
·        There have been 116 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway since the first race in 1961, two races each season.

STARTS
·        A total of 455 different drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway; 319 have competed in more than one.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Bristol with 60.
·        Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active Monster Energy Series drivers in starts at Bristol with 36 starts each, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman with 34 each.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen (12 starts) and driver Charlie Glotzbach (four starts) are tied for the all-time series lead in average starting position at Bristol with a 3.25 each.
·        William Byron leads all active Monsrter Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers in average starting position at Bristol with a 8.0 in three starts. 
Top Five in Average Starting Positions at Bristol Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Average Start
Starts
Rank
Active Drivers
Average Start
Starts
1
Charlie Glotzbach
3.25
4
1
William Byron
8.0
3
2
Fred Lorenzen
3.25
12
2
Chase Elliott
8.2
7
3
Marvin Panch
3.75
8
3
Joey Logano
8.3
21
4
Fireball Roberts
4.29
7
4
Ryan Blaney
9.7
8
5
Junior Johnson
4.40
10
5
Brad Keselowski
10.2
19


·        Thirty-four drivers have made their first series career start at Bristol Motor Speedway; the most recent was Chad Finchum (April 16, 2018).  

POLES
·        A total of 50 different Monster Energy Series drivers have won Busch poles at Bristol Motor Speedway.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famers Mark Martin and Cale Yarborough lead the series in poles at Bristol with nine each.
·        Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers in Busch poles at Bristol with three each.
·        Fred Lorenzen won the inaugural Busch Pole Award at Bristol in the Monster Energy Series with a speed of 79.225 mph in a Ford.
·        12 different drivers have posted consecutive poles at Bristol Motor Speedway; Mark Martin is the only driver of the 12 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, spring 1982), Geoff Bodine (swept 1986), Mark Martin (swept 1995-1996– all four races; and swept 2009); Rusty Wallace (swept 1998, spring 1999), Jeff Gordon (swept 2002), Denny Hamlin (fall 2013, spring 2014) and Carl Edwards (2016 sweep).
·        Youngest Bristol pole winner: Joey Logano (March 21, 2010 – 19 years, 9 months, 25 days) – his first Monster Energy Series career pole.
·        Oldest Bristol pole winner: Harry Gant (August 27, 1994 – 54 years, 7 months, 17 days) – his last Monster Energy Series career pole.
Monster Energy Series
First-Time Pole Winners
Pole Winner
Date
Tim Richmond
8/28/1982
Rick Wilson
4/10/1988
Ernie Irvan
4/8/1990
Chuck Bown
4/10/1994
Steve Park
3/26/2000
Jeff Green
8/25/2001
Joey Logano
3/21/2010
Erik Jones
8/19/2017
·        Seven different drivers have posted their first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career pole at Bristol. Joey Logano (03/10/2010) and Erik Jones (08/19/2017) are the only active drivers to win their first Monster Energy Series Busch Pole Award at Bristol Motor Speedway.
·        A total of nine different manufacturers have won Busch Pole Awards at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series; led by Chevrolet (38) and followed by Ford (36), Toyota (10), Dodge (8), Pontiac (7), Buick (4), Plymouth (4), Oldsmobile (3) and Mercury (2).



WINS
·        A total of 42 different Monster Energy Series drivers have won at Bristol Motor Speedway.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip leads the series in wins at Bristol with 12 victories; including eight straight (1978, 1979, 1981 sweep, 1982 sweep, 1983 sweep, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1992). 
·        Kyle Busch leads the series among active drivers in wins at Bristol with seven (Spring 2007, 2009 sweep, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2017, Spring 2018).
·        Jack Smith (with relief from Johnny Allen) won the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on July 30, 1961 in a Pontiac.
·        12 drivers have won consecutive MENCS races at Bristol; led by Darrell Waltrip with eight consecutive victories from 1979-1984.
·        The other 11 drivers with consecutive wins 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 and Fall 2017-Spring 2018) and Brad Keselowski (Fall 2011-Spring 2012).
·        Youngest Bristol winner: Kyle Busch (March 25, 2007 – 21 years, 10 months, 23 days).
·        Oldest Bristol winner: Dale Earnhardt (August 28, 1999 – 48 years, 3 months, 30 days).
·        Five drivers have posted their first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career win at Bristol Motor Speedway: Dale Earnhardt (04/01/1979), Rusty Wallace (04/06/1986), Ernie Irvan (03/25/1990), Elliott Sadler (03/25/2001) and Kurt Busch (03/24/2002).
·        The race winner has started from the pole 25 times (21.7%) - the most productive starting position in the field. The last driver to win from the pole was Kyle Busch (Spring 2018).
MENCS Wins by Starting Positions at Texas Motor Speedway
Starting Position
Wins
Winning %
Starting Position
Wins
Winning %
Starting Position
Wins
Winning %
1
25
21.55%
9
6
5.17%
19
3
2.59%
2
13
11.21%
10
2
1.72%
20
1
0.86%
3
9
7.76%
11
1
0.86%
24
2
1.72%
4
9
7.76%
12
5
4.31%
26
1
0.86%
5
10
8.62%
13
4
3.45%
27
1
0.86%
6
9
7.76%
14
2
1.72%
30
1
0.86%
7
1
0.86%
15
1
0.86%
38
1
0.86%
8
7
6.03%
18
2
1.72%



Stats
Winning %
Wins
   
Winning from the First Starting Position:
21.55%
25
   
Winning from the Front Row:
32.76%
38
   
Winning from a Top-Five Starting Position:
56.90%
66
   
Winning from a Top-10 Starting Position:
78.45%
91
   
Winning After Starting Outside the Top 20:
5.17%
6
   


·        Six drivers have won from the pole position multiple times: Bobby Allison (1972 twice), Cale Yarborough (1973, 1977 twice, 1980), Darrell Waltrip (1981 twice, 1982), Rusty Wallace (1991, 1993, 1999, 2000), Matt Kenseth (2005, 2015) and Carl Edwards (2008, 2016).
·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started is 38th, by Elliott Sadler in 2001.
Top Five Bristol Owner Winners
Race Winners
Wins
Junior Johnson & Assoc.
16
Team Penske
12
Joe Gibbs Racing
11
Hendrick Motorsports
11
Roush Fenway Racing
11
·        Junior Johnson leads the series in car owner wins at Bristol with 16. Roger Penske leads the series among active car owners with the most wins at Bristol with 12; followed by Jack Roush, Joe Gibbs and Rick Hendrick with 11 each.
·        Eight different manufacturers have won in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol; led by Chevrolet with 45 victories; followed by Ford (36), Toyota (10), Dodge (8), Pontiac (8), Buick (4), Plymouth (3) and Oldsmobile (1).

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS STATS
·        A total of 51 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished runner-up at Bristol Motor Speedway, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty with 10 second-place finishes.
·        Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in runner-up finishes at Bristol with five.
Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Runner-Ups
Rank
Active Drivers
Runner-Ups
1
Richard Petty
10
1
Kevin Harvick
5
2
Rusty Wallace
7
2
Kyle Busch
3
3
Bobby Allison
6
3
Jimmie Johnson
2
4
Dale Earnhardt
6
4
Kyle Larson
2
5
Mark Martin
6
5
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
2

·        A total of 115 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished in the top-five at Bristol, led by NASCAR Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty with 26 top-five finishes each.
·        Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson lead all active drivers in top fives at Bristol with 12 each.  
Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Top Fives
Rank
Active Drivers
Top Fives
1
Darrell Waltrip
26
1
Jimmie Johnson
12
2
Richard Petty
26
2
Kevin Harvick
12
3
Bobby Allison
23
3
Kurt Busch
11
4
Rusty Wallace
22
4
Kyle Busch
10
5
Dale Earnhardt
20
5
Clint Bowyer
7
   

Denny Hamlin
7



ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS STATS
·        A total of 198 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished inside the top-10 at Bristol Motor Speedway, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty with 37 top-10 finishes.
·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series among active drivers in top-10 finishes at Bristol with 20.
Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Top 10s
Rank
Active Drivers
Top 10s
1
Richard Petty
37
1
Jimmie Johnson
20
2
Terry Labonte
33
2
Kevin Harvick
19
3
Darrell Waltrip
32
3
Kurt Busch
18
4
Ricky Rudd
31
4
Ryan Newman
18
5
Dale Earnhardt
30
5
Kyle Busch
15

·        Dick Hutcherson leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing postion with a 2.4 in five starts.  
·        Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads the series among active drivers in average finishing position at Bristol with a 11.3 in 12 series starts.
Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Bristol Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Average Finish
Starts
Rank
Active Drivers
Average Finish
Starts
1
Dick Hutcherson
2.4
5
1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
11.3
12
2
Junior Spencer
5.5
2
2
Erik Jones
12.5
4
3
Jimmy Hensley
6.5
2
3
Chase Elliott
12.7
6
4
Joe Weatherly
6.7
6
4
Kevin Harvick
13.2
36
5
Janet Guthrie
8.5
2
5
Jimmie Johnson
13.2
34
6
Benny Parsons
8.6
27
6
Kyle Busch
14.3
27
7
Gene Black
9.0
3
7
Clint Bowyer
14.6
26
8
Dale Earnhardt
9.3
43
8
Kurt Busch
14.7
36
9
Rusty Wallace
9.6
44
9
Kyle Larson
14.8
10
10
Cale Yarborough
10.5
29
10
Denny Hamlin
15.3
26

TRACK/EVENT SPECIFIC STATS
·        Since the advent of electronic scoring (1993) the closest margin of victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway is the March 25, 2007 race won by Kyle Busch with a MOV of 0.064 second over Jeff Burton.
Top Five Closest Margins of Victory in the Monster Energy Series at Bristol:
Rank
Margin of Victory
Winner
Runner-Up
Date
1
0.064
Kyle Busch
Jeff Burton
3/25/2007
2
0.098
Kyle Busch
Mark Martin
8/22/2009
3
0.102
Dale Jarrett
Mark Martin
8/23/1997
4
0.140
Mark Martin
Rusty Wallace
8/28/1993
5
0.160
Rusty Wallace
Mark Martin
8/27/1994
 
0.160
Terry Labonte
Dale Earnhardt
8/26/1995

·        Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway four times: 3/26/2006, 3/16/2008, 8/25/2012 and 04/24/2017. 
·        Two of the 116 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.
Scheduled No. of Laps
Actual No. of Laps
No. of Fewer Laps
Race Winner
Date
500
342
158
Jeff Gordon
3/31/1996
500
419
81
Darrell Waltrip
8/27/1983

·        There have been five NASCAR Overtime finishes at Bristol:
Scheduled No. of Laps
Actual No. of Laps
NASCAR Overtime Laps
Race Winner
Date
500
511
11
Matt Kenseth
4/19/2015
500
503
3
Carl Edwards
3/16/2014
500
503
3
Kyle Busch
3/22/2009
500
506
6
Jeff Burton
3/16/2008
500
504
4
Kyle Busch
3/25/2007


·        A total of 166 different drivers have led at least one lap in the Monster Energy Series at Bristol Motor Speedway.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough leads the series in laps led at Bristol with 4,305 laps led in 29 starts.
·        Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Bristol with 2,233 in 27 starts.
Top Five Laps Leaders in the Monster Energy Series at Bristol Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Laps Led
Laps Completed
% Led
Rank
Active Drivers
Laps Led
Laps Completed
% Led
1
Cale Yarborough
4,305
10,878
39.6%
1
Kyle Busch
2,233
12,743
17.5%
2
Dale Earnhardt
3,751
20,038
18.7%
2
Kurt Busch
1,086
17,179
6.3%
3
Rusty Wallace
3,743
20,474
18.3%
3
Jimmie Johnson
914
16,713
5.5%
4
Darrell Waltrip
3,436
22,964
15.0%
4
Kevin Harvick
884
17,657
5.0%
5
Jeff Gordon
2,730
22,525
12.1%
5
Joey Logano
618
9,915
6.2%
6
Bobby Allison
2,316
17,253
13.4%
6
Denny Hamlin
611
12,333
5.0%
7
Kyle Busch
2,233
12,743
17.5%
7
Kyle Larson
579
4,827
12.0%
8
Richard Petty
2,212
23,815
9.3%
8
Brad Keselowski
566
8,781
6.4%
9
David Pearson
1,616
6,660
24.3%
9
Erik Jones
260
1,993
13.0%
10
Matt Kenseth
1,583
17,058
9.3%
10
Clint Bowyer
257
12,414
2.1%


FEMALE COMPETITORS
·        Two female drivers have made Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Driver Rating
Date
Danica Patrick
24
25
44.5
8/19/2017
Danica Patrick
29
36
38.5
4/24/2017
Danica Patrick
29
22
43.3
8/20/2016
Danica Patrick
33
27
45.7
4/17/2016
Danica Patrick
32
27
55.8
8/22/2015
Danica Patrick
26
9
72.6
4/19/2015
Danica Patrick
24
27
45.2
8/23/2014
Danica Patrick
36
18
55.6
3/16/2014
Danica Patrick
22
26
46.2
8/24/2013
Danica Patrick
41
28
41.4
3/17/2013
Danica Patrick
43
29
46.3
8/25/2012
Averages
30.8
24.9
48.6
 
     
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Date
 
Janet Guthrie
9
6
8/28/1977
 
Janet Guthrie
21
11
4/17/1977
 
Averages
15
8.5
  

NASCAR IN TENNESSEE
·        There has been a total of 334 NASCAR national series races among eight tracks in the state of Tennessee.
Track Name
City
Monster Energy
Xfinity
Gander Outdoors
Total Races
First Year
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol
116
73
21
210
1961
Nashville Speedway
Lebanon
42
9
5
56
1958
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville
0
21
13
34
2001
Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis
0
11
12
23
1998
Smokey Mountain Raceway
Maryville
12
0
0
12
1965
Kingsport Speedway
Kingsport
3
0
0
3
1969
Chattanooga Intl. Raceway
Chattanooga
2
0
0
2
1962
Tennessee-Carolina Speedway
Newport
2
0
0
2
1956
Totals
 
177
114
51
342
 

·        The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held in Tennessee was at Tennessee-Carolina Speedway on 10/07/1956 and won by Fireball Roberts.


TENNESSEE DRIVERS IN NASCAR
·        A total of 107 different 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; totaling 150 wins across all three series.

Tenessee Drivers In NASCAR with Wins
 
Driver
Monster Energy
Xfinity
Gander Outdoors
Combined
1
Darrell Waltrip
84
13
0
97
2
Sterling Marlin
10
2
0
12
3
Bobby Hamilton
4
1
10
15
4
Joe Lee Johnson
2
0
0
2
5
Trevor Bayne
1
2
0
3
6
Paul Lewis
1
0
0
1
7
Bobby Hamilton Jr
0
5
0
5
8
Jeff Purvis
0
4
0
4
9
L.D. Ottinger
0
3
0
3
10
Mike Alexander
0
2
0
2
11
Casey Atwood
0
2
0
2
12
Brad Teague
0
1
0
1
13
Chad Chaffin
0
0
2
2
14
John King
0
0
1
1
 
Totals
102
35
13
150


·        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 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. 
·        Only two of the 14 drivers from Tennessee have won at least one race in the Monster Energy NASCAR 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).

No comments: