Hamlin Crew Chief Thinks Using No. 24 Pit Crew Took Johnson Out of Hunt

Mike Ford, crew chief for winner Denny Hamlin, says that was likely the move that doomed Johnson's bid for a record sixth championship.

And Ford said he had purposely picked the pit he had for Hamlin so that Hamlin would be pitting right in front of Johnson – so Johnson's crew could perhaps be intimidated, and that Johnson would have to work to avoid getting blocked in. Ford said normally he wouldn't play head games like that, but Ford said Knaus triggered that move by playing it that way himself at Kansas a few weeks ago, handicapping Hamlin.

"If they wanted to win a championship...they just took their team out of it," Ford said of Knaus and Johnson.

"Their team got them to this point (six wins)...and they pulled them out.

"So this is more about trying to win a championship for the company, and not the team.
"We saw them studying us real hard, and when you put your focus on watching other people, you make mistakes....

"That means they are chasing us. And they made mistakes in doing so."

Ford said his attitude about this title, and his team's attitude, now was aggressive. "To be aggressive and get all we can," Ford said. "Guys have tiptoed around them (Knaus and Johnson)...you've watched them play mind game. But I'm completely immune to that.

"I'll be right in their face saying it doesn't matter.

"I think our race team is better than their race team. And I'm not going to tiptoe around them. I'm going to do what it's to going to require for us to win a championship....not that I'm playing dirty, but take what's our.

"I'm not afraid to go toes to toe with them."

From MikeMulhern.net

Lowe's (Charlotte) Motor Speedway Facts

compiled by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media Services

At Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
History
• Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway, as Lowe’s Motor Speedway was then known, in 1959.
• The track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 19, 1960.
• The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race was May 29, 1982.
• The track was repaved midseason in 1994.
• The track name changed from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999.
• The first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at LMS was on May 16, 2003.
• The track was re-paved again before the 2006 season.

Notebook
• There have been 101 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races at Lowe’s 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).
• 37 drivers have posted poles, led by David Pearson with 14.
• Fireball Roberts won the pole for the first race, in 1960.
• David Pearson posted 11 straight poles at Lowe’s from the fall of 1973 through 1978
• Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in poles, with eight.
• Jeff Gordon won five straight poles for the spring races between 1994 and 1998.
• 42 drivers have won races, led by Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip with six each. David Reutimann became a first-time series winner in May after winning the Coca-Cola 600.
• Joe Lee Johnson won the first race, in 1960.
• Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson lead all active drivers in victories, each with five.
• There have been 13 back-to-back victories, including three in-a-row by Fred Lorenzen (fall 1964 and both 1965) and four straight by Jimmie Johnson (both in 2004 and 2005).
• A sweep has occurred eight times, including each season from 2004-2007.
• 13 races have been won from the pole, the last by Jimmie Johnson in the 2004 Coca-Cola 600.
• Jimmie Johnson won the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 from the 37th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.
• Jimmie Johnson is the only driver with more than one LMS race to average top 10 finishes (9.1). He comes just short of the all-time best average finish there, held by Rex White (9.0).
• A number of active drivers earned their first win at LMS: Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears and David Reutimann.

NASCAR in North Carolina
• There have been 509 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in North Carolina.
• 414 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as North Carolina; 342 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
• There have been 42 race winners from North Carolina in NASCAR’s three national series; 28 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

California Auto Club Speedway Facts: Johnson's Average Finish of 6.2 Leads Way

Compiled by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media Services

At Auto Club Speedway:
History
• Groundbreaking for California Speedway, as Auto Club Speedway was originally known, took place in November 1995.
• The first race there was a NASCAR Camping World Series West race won by Ken Schrader on June 21, 1997.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 22, 1997 and won by Jeff Gordon.
• September 2004 was the first night race and that was also the first year there were two races a year for both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series.
• The track name was changed to Auto Club Speedway in February 2008.

Notebook
• There have been 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup races since the track opened in 1997.
• Four drivers have competed in all 18 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.
• Joe Nemechek won the pole for the inaugural race in 1997.
• There have been 12 different pole winners, led by Kurt Busch (three). Brian Vickers and Jeff Gordon each have two poles.
• 12 different drivers have posted victories. Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth each have won three races.
• Rick Hendrick has won seven races, more than any other car owner.
• Nine of the 18 races were won from starting positions outside the top 10; only one has been won from the pole (Jimmie Johnson in 2008).
• Matt Kenseth won the 2006 spring race from the 31st starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.
• Four active drivers have averaged a top-10 finish: Kyle Busch (9.2), Carl Edwards (6.7), Jimmie Johnson (6.2) and Matt Kenseth (9.0).
• Kyle Busch won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole (2/05) and first race (9/05) at Auto Club Speedway.

NASCAR in California
• There have been 125 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in California:
• 406 NASCAR drivers have their home state recorded as California.
• There have been 32 race winners from California in NASCAR’s three national series.

Kansas Speedway Data

by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media Services

At Kansas Speedway:
History
• Groundbreaking was held on May 25, 1999.
• The official opening of Kansas Speedway was in 2001, with the first events being an ARCA race and a NASCAR Camping World Series West race on the same day – June 2.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was Sept. 30, 2001.

Notebook
• There have been eight NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas
since the track opened in 2001.
• All of the races have been scheduled for 267 laps.
• 13 drivers have competed in all eight races at Kansas.
• Jeff Gordon won the first two NASCAR Sprint Cup races.
• Jason Leffler won the first pole in September 2001.
• Six different drivers have won poles, led by Jimmie Johnson with two.
• Seven different drivers have posted victories, led by Jeff Gordon (two).
• There have been six different winners in the last six races at
Kansas Speedway.
• Five of the eight races have been won from a top-10 start.
• Two drivers have won from the pole: Joe Nemechek in 2004 and Jimmie Johnson last season.
• The furthest back in the field that race winner started was 21st, by Tony Stewart in 2006.
• Denny Hamlin made his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup start at Kansas – a 32nd-place finish in 2005.
• Three drivers with more than one start have averaged a top- 10 finish: Greg Biffle (9.9), Clint Bowyer (7.7) and Jeff Gordon (9.8).
• Jeff Gordon leads all drivers in top fives (five) and top 10s
(six).Gordon’s only two non-top 10s were a 39th in 2006 and
a 13th in 2004.
• Three of the last four races that ended under green had a margin of victory under one second. The 2007 race ended under caution.

NASCAR in Kansas
• There have been eight NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Kansas, all at Kansas Speedway.
• 15 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Kansas, including Jim Roper who won the very first NASCAR Sprint Cup race – Charlotte in 1949.
• There have been two race winners in the top three NASCAR series from Kansas:

Dover Facts

by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media Services

At Dover International Speedway:
History
• The official opening of Dover International Speedway, then called Dover Downs International Speedway, was in 1969.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on July 6, 1969.
• The first two races at Dover were 300 miles. The race length was changed to 500 miles in 1971.
• The track surface was changed to concrete in 1995.
• The race length was changed to 400 miles beginning with the second race in 1997.
• The track name was changed to Dover International Speedway in 2002.

Notebook
• There have been 79 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover International Speedway since the track opened in 1969.
• There was one race in 1969 and 1970. There has been two-a-year since 1971.
• Richard Petty won the track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
• There have been 34 different pole winners, led by David Pearson (six). David Reutimann won his first Dover pole in this season’s May race
• David Pearson won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole in July 1969.
• Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers, each with four poles.
• 32 different drivers have posted victories led by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty, each with seven.
• Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson lead all active drivers, each with four victories.
• Hendrick Motorsports has 11 wins, more than any other car owner.
• 47 races at Dover have been won from a top-five starting position; 17 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.
• The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 37th, by Kyle Petty in 1995.
• In his Dover win earlier this season, Jimmie Johnson scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0. He led 298 laps in May.
• Several active drivers had their first start at Dover, including Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, David Ragan and Tony Raines.
• In addition, Matt Kenseth (2002) and Michael Waltrip (1991) earned their first pole at Dover. Martin Truex Jr. won his first race there (2007).
• Three of the last four races have ended with a margin of victory under one second.

NASCAR in Delaware
• There have been 79 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Delaware, all at Dover International Speedway.
• Eight drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Delaware, though none have posted victories.

New Hampshire Facts

Compiled by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media Services

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
History
• Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway, as New Hampshire Motor Speedway was originally named, was Aug. 13, 1989.
• The official opening was June 5, 1990 with the first race a NASCAR Nationwide Series race on July 15, 1990.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on July 11, 1993.
• The first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race was on Sept. 9, 1996.
• The track was renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008.

Notebook
• There have been 29 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year since.
• Four drivers have competed in all 29 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.
• Mark Martin won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole.
• Rusty Wallace won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
• There have been 15 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman (four).
• 19 different drivers have posted victories, led by Jeff Burton (four).
• In June, Joey Logano became the all-time youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner at 19 years, one month and four days.
• Jimmie Johnson (2003) and Kurt Busch (2004) are the only drivers that have posted season sweeps. Those are also the only back-to-back winners.
• Roush Fenway Racing has won seven races, more than any other organization.
• The deepest in the field that a New Hampshire race winner started was 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.
• The last race winner to win from the pole was Clint Bowyer in 2007.
• There have been nine consecutive different race winners.
• Jeff Burton led all 300 laps raced in the 2000 fall race.
• Clint Bowyer led 222 laps and scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 in the 2007 fall race.

NASCAR in New Hampshire
• There have been 29 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.
• 13 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) are listed as New Hampshire natives.
• There has been one race winner from New Hampshire in NASCAR’s three national series: Jamie Aube. Aube, from Manchester, won a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Oxford Plains Speedway in 1987.

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

• 22 different drivers have made the Chase, including Brian Vickers and Juan Pablo Montoya, who each made their first Chase this season.
• There will be 3,152 laps and 4,095.48 miles run during the 2009 Chase.
• Only one driver has made all six Chases for the NASCAR Sprint Cup: Jimmie Johnson
• Three drivers have made five Chases: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth. Kenseth has made all five previous Chases, but missed this year’s after finishing the regular season 14th in points.
• In the 50 Chase races, Jimmie Johnson has won a series-high 14 races. He’s followed by Carl Edwards (six), Greg Biffle (six), Tony Stewart (four) and Jeff Gordon (three).
• Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to average a top-10 finish in Chase races (8.7).
• In the 50 Chase races, Greg Biffle has an average finish of 14.4. But in the 20 Chase races where he was in contention for the championship, Biffle has an average finish of 9.6.
• Three drivers have notched more than 20 top-five finishes during Chase races: Jimmie Johnson (26), Jeff Gordon (22) and Carl Edwards (20).
• Nine drivers have more than 20 top-10 finishes during Chase races: Jimmie Johnson (36), Jeff Gordon (34), Carl Edwards (29), Tony Stewart (26), Kevin Harvick (25), Kurt Busch (25), Matt Kenseth (23), Greg Biffle (22) and Jeff Burton (22).
• Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, two drivers have a Driver Rating of at least 100.0: Jimmie Johnson (108.8) and Carl Edwards (100.0).
• Ryan Newman’s average starting position in Chase races is 10.9, which ranks second to Jimmie Johnson’s 9.5. But in the 20 Chase races Newman has been in contention for a championship, he has an average starting position of 5.1.

Pep Boys Auto 500 Atlanta Facts

compiled by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media services

At Atlanta Motor Speedway:

History
• Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5-mile paved speedway.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta was on July 31, 1960, won by Fireball Roberts from the pole.
• Jeff Gordon won the first NASCAR Nationwide race at Atlanta held March 14, 1992.
• The first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Atlanta was held March 13, 2004, won by Bobby Hamilton.
• The track was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970.
• It was renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990.
• The track layout was reversed and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two races in 1997.

Notebook
• There have been 100 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Atlanta Speedway, two races per year except 1961, which had three.
• Fireball Roberts won the pole and race for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race in 1960.
• 43 drivers have won a pole, led by Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman, each with seven.
• Six of Newman’s seven poles came in back-to-back races between March 2003 and October 2005.
• 42 drivers have won a race at Atlanta; 21 have won more than once, including Kurt Busch, who won his second Atlanta race earlier this season. In that event, Busch scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0.
• Dale Earnhardt scored nine victories, more than any other driver. Cale Yarborough is second with seven.
• Bobby Labonte has six victories, most among active drivers. Labonte is tied with Richard Petty for third on the all-time win list.
• The Wood Brothers are the most productive car owners with 12 victories. They last won there in 1993 with Morgan Shepherd.
• 14 races have been won from the pole. The last to do so was Kasey Kahne in 2006.
• 57 races at Atlanta have been won from the first five starting positions.
• Bobby Labonte won the 2001 fall race from the 39th starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Atlanta.
• There have been seven season sweeps, most recently by Jimmie Johnson in 2007.
• Kurt Busch’s perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 in March was the eighth perfect rating since the inception of the Loop Data statistic in 2005. There has been one more since then: Jimmie Johnson at Dover International Speedway.
• Jimmie Johnson is the only active driver to average a top-10 finish (9.1).

NASCAR in Georgia
• There have been 159 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Georgia.
• 169 NASCAR national series drivers all-time have their home state recorded as Georgia.
• There have been 14 race winners from Georgia in NASCAR’s three national series:

Bristol Facts

by Mike Forde - NASCAR Media Services

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.
• Bristol held its first NASCAR Sprint Cup race on July 30, 1961.
• 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 first NASCAR Nationwide Series race was held on March 13, 1982.
• The first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol was held on June 23, 1995.
• The track 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.

Notebook
• There have been 97 NASCAR Sprint Cup races since the first race there 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-lap events.
• Fred Lorenzen won the first pole.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was won by Jack Smith (with relief from Johnny Allen).
• There have been 42 different pole winners, led by Cale Yarborough (nine); 19 drivers have more than one. Mark Martin needs one more pole to tie Yarborough’s mark. He won his eighth pole in this season’s March race.
• 37 different drivers have won races at Bristol, led by Darrell Waltrip (12); 16 drivers have more than one victory there.
• The race winner has started from the pole 22 times, the most productive starting position.
• 79 of 97 races have been won from a top-10 starting position, including 51 from the first four spots.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 38th, by Elliott Sadler in 2001.
• There have been seven different pole winners in the past nine races. Qualifying was canceled in the spring of 2006 and 2008.
• Junior Johnson won 21 races, more than any other car owner. His victories came between 1965 and 1986 and were scored by five different drivers, including one himself.
• Only one active driver averages a top-10 finish: Marcos Ambrose. Ambrose finished 10th earlier this season, his only Bristol start thus far.

NASCAR in Tennessee
• There have been 158 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Tennessee.
• 97 drivers all-time in NASCAR’s three national series have their home state recorded as Tennessee.
• There have been 11 race winners from Tennessee in NASCAR’s three national series.

ChicagoLand Facts

compiled by Mike Forde
NASCAR media services

At Chicagoland Speedway:
History
• Construction of the Chicagoland Speedway began in August 1999.
• The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicago was July 14, 2001.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held on July 15, 2001.

Notebook
• There have been eight NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Chicagoland Speedway.
• 14 drivers have competed in all eight races.
• Todd Bodine won the first pole.
• There has been a different pole winner after every qualifying session (qualifying was canceled in 2008).
• Kevin Harvick won the first two races.
• Six different drivers have won races, led by Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart, each with two.
• Kyle Busch won the 2008 race from the pole, the first time a driver won from the pole. It was also the first time a driver had won from a top-five starting position. Kevin Harvick won the 2002 race from the 32nd starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner ever started at Chicago.
• Kevin Harvick has a 7.4 average finish in eight races, the best of any driver with more than one start there.
• One Chicago race has gone beyond the scheduled distance (2006 – 270 laps).

NASCAR in Illinois
• There have been 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Illinois.
• 71 drivers all-time in NASCAR three national series have their home state recorded as Illinois. • There have been four race winners from Illinois in NASCAR’s three national series: