Indianapolis Motor Speedway Track Facts: 2018 Brickyard 400

NASCAR makes its 25th visit to the Brickyard.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2018 Top 16 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Rank	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Kyle Busch	13	2	2	5	10	1	10.9	106.9
2	Kevin Harvick	17	2	1	5	11	0	9.7	98.0
3	Martin Truex Jr	13	0	0	1	3	2	19.5	81.0
4	Kurt Busch	17	0	0	1	5	3	19.6	76.4
5	Joey Logano	9	0	0	3	6	0	11.7	91.2
6	Brad Keselowski	8	0	0	1	4	0	12.4	89.3
7	Kyle Larson	4	0	0	1	3	1	12.2	96.8
8	Clint Bowyer	12	0	0	2	3	1	14.9	82.1
9	Ryan Blaney	3	0	0	0	0	2	23.7	76.8
10	Denny Hamlin	12	1	0	4	6	0	13.7	91.5
11	Chase Elliott	3	0	0	0	0	1	24.0	59.3
12	Aric Almirola	6	0	0	0	0	0	22.2	64.5
13	Erik Jones	1	0	0	0	0	1	31.0	88.5
14	Jimmie Johnson	16	1	4	6	7	4	15.4	103.6
15	Alex Bowman	2	0	0	0	0	1	41.5	27.2
16	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	5	0	0	0	0	1	26.2	61.0

* – Based on last 13 races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2005 – 2017)

Loop Data Leaders: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Monster Energy Series - Top 3 In Key Loop Data Statistics
Driver Rating		Avg. Running Position		Laps Led
Kyle Busch	106.9	Erik Jones	9.547	Jimmie Johnson	302
Jimmie Johnson	103.6	Kyle Larson	9.855	Kyle Busch	297
Matt Kenseth	99.5	Kyle Busch	10.882	Kasey Kahne	170
Fastest Laps Run		% of Laps in the Top 15		Quality Passes
Kyle Busch	188	Kyle Larson	88.9%	Matt Kenseth	397
Jimmie Johnson	182	Matt Kenseth	80.4%	Kyle Busch	364
Kasey Kahne	105	Kyle Busch	77.4%	Kevin Harvick	358
Loop Data stats are from 2005 - Present

 

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Data Season Race #: 26 of 36 (09-09-18) Track Size: 2.5-miles Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 9 degrees Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 9 degrees Banking/Straights: 0 degrees Frontstretch Length: 3,330 feet Backstretch Length:  3,300 feet Race Length: 160 laps / 400 miles Stages 1 & 2 Length: 50 laps (each) Final Stage Length: 60 laps Top 10 Driver Ratings at Indianapolis Kyle Busch............................... 106.9 Jimmie Johnson........................ 103.6 Matt Kenseth.............................. 99.5 Kevin Harvick............................. 98.0 Kyle Larson................................ 96.8 Kasey Kahne.............................. 94.9 Denny Hamlin............................. 91.5 Joey Logano............................... 91.2 Brad Keselowski......................... 89.3 Erik Jones.................................. 88.5 Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2017 races (13 total) among active drivers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Qualifying/Race Data 2017 pole winner: Kyle Busch, Toyota 187.301 mph, 48.051 secs. 07-21-17 2017 race winner: Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet 114.384 mph, (03:39:00), 07-23-17 Track qualifying record: Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet 188.889 mph, 47.647 secs. 07-25-14 (Set in Round 1 of 3) Track race record: Bobby Labonte, Pontiac 155.912 mph, (02:33:56), 08-05-00

At Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

History

·        Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) has existed since 1909, and is the original "Speedway," the first racing facility to incorporate the word into its name.

·        With a permanent seating capacity for more than 250,000-plus people and infield seating that raises capacity to an approximate 400,000, it is the largest and highest-capacity sporting facility in history.

·        The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was August 6, 1994 – won by Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet).

·        There have been 24 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; one per year from 1994 through 2017.

Starts

·        153 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; 119 in more than one.

·        Jeff Gordon leads the series in start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 23.

·        Matt Kenseth leads all active series drivers in starts at IMS with 18; followed by Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman with 17 each.

·        All-time top three series drivers in average starting position at Indianapolis are David Green (6.0; two starts), Juan P. Montoya (6.625; eight starts) and Erik Jones (9.0; one start).

·        Active top three series drivers in average starting position at Indianapolis are Erik Jones (9.0; one start), Ryan Newman (9.235; 17 starts) and Kasey Kahne (11.928; 14 starts).

Poles

·        Rick Mast won the inaugural Busch Pole Award at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994 with a speed of 172.414 mph (Ford).  

·        19 drivers have won Busch poles at Indianapolis, led by Jeff Gordon with three; followed by Kevin Harvick, Ernie Irvan and Kyle Busch with two each.

·        Three drivers have won consecutive Busch poles at Indianapolis: Kyle Busch (2016-17), Jeff Gordon (1995-96) and Ernie Irvan (1997-98).

·        Youngest Indianapolis Busch pole winner: Reed Sorenson (07/29/2007 – 21 years, 5 months, 24 days).

·        Oldest Indianapolis Busch pole winner: Mark Martin (07/26/2009 – 50 years, 6 months, 17 days).

·        Reed Sorenson (07/29/07) is the only driver to post his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

·        Five different manufacturers have won at least one Busch pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; led by Chevrolet with 10, followed by Ford (six), Toyota (four), Dodge and Pontiac each have two.       

Wins

·        A total of 14 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, led by Jeff Gordon with five wins.

·        Seven of the 14 Indianapolis winners are still active; led by Jimmie Johnson with four victories (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012).

·        Kyle Busch is the only other active driver with multiple wins (2015, 2016).

·        Jimmie Johnson (2008-09) and Kyle Busch (2015-16) are the only two drivers that have posted consecutive MENCS wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.   

·        Youngest Indianapolis winner: Jeff Gordon (08/06/1994 – 23 years, 0 months, 2 days).

·        Oldest Indianapolis winner: Bill Elliott (08/04/2002 – 46 years, 9 months, 27 days).

·        Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Indianapolis in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with 10; followed by Joe Gibbs Racing (five) and Richard Childress Racing (three).

·        Four different manufacturers have won at Indianapolis; led by Chevrolet with 16 victories; followed by Ford(three), Toyota (two), Dodge and Pontiac each have one. Chevrolet won 12-straight from 2003-2014.

·        Only four of the 24 (16.6%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis have been won from the Busch pole: Kevin Harvick (2003), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Ryan Newman (2013) and Kyle Busch (2016).

·        In 2016, Kyle Busch became the first driver in history to sweep both the NASCAR Xfinity Series race from the pole and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race from the pole in the same weekend.  

·        The pole position is the most proficient starting positions in the field, producing four winners - more than any other starting positions at Indianapolis.    

·        Six of the 24 (26.1%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis have been won from the front row: four from the pole and two from second-place.

·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Indianapolis is 27th, by Jeff Gordon in 2001.  

·        The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started is 19th, by Kasey Kahne last season. 

·        All seven active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race winners at Indianapolis Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane.

·        Jeff Gordon won the Brickyard 400 in his first start at Indianapolis (inaugural event 1994).      

·        Ryan Newman competed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway 12-times before winning in 2013; the longest span of any the seven active series winners.

·        Matt Kenseth leads the series among active drivers with the most starts at Indianapolis without visiting Victory Lane at 18; followed by Kurt Busch (17).

·        Paul Menard (07/31/11) is the only series driver to post his first career MENCS win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

Additional Finishing Positions

·        A total of 17 different drivers have finished runner up in Monster Energy Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace and Matt Kenseth lead the series in runner-up finishes at Indianapolis with three each; followed by Kyle Busch, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin with two each.   

·        A total of 42 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished in the top-five at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Indianapolis with 12; followed by Matt Kenseth (nine) and Tony Stewart (seven).     

·        A total of 62 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished inside the top-10 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at Indianapolis with 17; followed by Matt Kenseth (12), Tony Stewart and Mark Martin with 11 each.

·        Daniel Suarez leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Indianapolis with a 7.0 in one start. Below are the top five MENCS drivers (all-time and active) in average finish at IMS:

All-Time Drivers	Avg. Finish	Starts		Active Drivers	Avg. Finish	Starts
Daniel Suarez	7.000	1		Daniel Suarez	7.000	1
Kevin Harvick	9.706	17		Kevin Harvick	9.706	17
Tony Stewart	9.722	18		Kyle Busch	10.923	13
Morgan Shepherd	10.000	4		Chris Buescher	11.500	2
Jeff Gordon	10.043	23		Joey Logano	11.667	9

Track Specific Stats

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring (1993) the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the August 3, 1997 race won by Ricky Rudd over Bobby Labonte with a MOV of 0.183 second.

·        Below are the series’ top five closest margins of victory at IMS:

Date	Margin of Victory	Race Winner	Runner-Up
8/3/1997	0.183	Ricky Rudd	Bobby Labonte
7/27/2008	0.332	Jimmie Johnson	Carl Edwards
7/26/2015	0.332	Kyle Busch	Joey Logano
8/5/1995	0.370	Dale Earnhardt	Rusty Wallace
7/26/2009	0.400	Jimmie Johnson	Mark Martin

·        Four of the 24 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis have resulted with NASCAR Overtime:

Date	Scheduled No. of Laps	Actual No. of Laps	NASCAR Overtime Laps	Race Winner
7/23/2017	160	167	7	Kasey Kahne
7/24/2016	160	170	10	Kyle Busch
7/26/2015	160	164	4	Kyle Busch
8/8/2004	160	161	1	Jeff Gordon

·        None of the 24 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.     

·        Qualifying has not been cancelled due to weather conditions in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.     

·        A total of 89 different series drivers have led at least one lap at Indianapolis; led by Jeff Gordon with 528 laps led in 23 starts.

·        Below are the top 10 active series lap leaders at IMS:

Drivers	Led	Completed	% Led	Starts
Jimmie Johnson	302	2,383	12.7%	16
Kyle Busch	297	1,996	14.9%	13
Kevin Harvick	181	2,730	6.6%	17
Kasey Kahne	170	2,140	7.9%	14
Brad Keselowski	99	1,301	7.6%	8
Denny Hamlin	75	1,923	3.9%	12
Matt Kenseth	60	2,699	2.2%	18
Ryan Newman	59	2,588	2.3%	17
Joey Logano	55	1,445	3.8%	9
Jamie McMurray	48	2,401	2.0%	15

Female Competitor Stats

·        Danica Patrick became the first female driver to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013.

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Driver Rating	Date
Danica Patrick	23	11	62.3	7/23/2017
Danica Patrick	24	22	57.8	7/24/2016
Danica Patrick	15	27	76.0	7/26/2015
Danica Patrick	14	42	67.0	7/27/2014
Danica Patrick	33	30	48.5	7/28/2013
Averages	21.8	26.4	62.3

·        Shawna Robinson (08/05/01) is the only other female driver to attempt to compete in the series at Indianapolis, but she failed to qualify for the event.

 

NASCAR in Indiana

·        A total of 79 NASCAR national series races have been held in the state of Indiana.

	Tracks in Indiana
	Track Name	City	MENCS	NXS	NCWTS	Total Races
1	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway	24	6	0	30
2	Lucas Oil Raceway	Indianapolis	0	30	17	47
3	Funks Speedway	Winchester	1	0	0	1
4	Playland Park Speedway	South Bend	1	0	0	1
	Totals		26	36	17	79

·        The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Indiana was at Funks Speedway in Winchester on October 15, 1950. The race was won by Lloyd Moore in a Mercury.

Indiana Drivers in NASCAR

·        A total of 82 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Indiana.

·        12 of the 82 drivers from Indiana have won a NASCAR national series event; led by Tony Stewart from Columbus, Indiana with 62 NASCAR national series combined wins.  

·        Tony Stewart (2005, 2007) from Columbus and Ryan Newman (2013) from South Bend are the only two drivers from Indiana to win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  

	Drivers From Indiana
	Driver	MENCS	NXS	NCWTS	Totals
1	Tony Stewart	49	11	2	62
2	Ryan Newman	18	7	1	26
3	Darel Dieringer	7	0	0	7
4	Charlie Glotzbach	4	0	0	4
5	John Andretti	2	0	0	2
6	Earl Balmer	1	0	0	1
7	Larry Frank	1	0	0	1
8	Dick Passwater	1	0	0	1
9	Tony Raines	0	0	4	4
10	Chase Briscoe	0	0	2	2
11	Justin Haley	0	0	2	2
12	Kenny Irwin Jr	0	0	2	2
	Totals	83	18	13	114

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
9/16/2018	Las Vegas
9/22/2018	Richmond
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 NASCAR Cup Series - Milestones
STARTS
Driver: Paul Menard	Has	Needs
Milestone:	424	1
Will become the 58th driver to make 425 or more Monster Energy Series starts.
Driver: Michael McDowell	Has	Needs
Milestone:	274	1
Will become the 100th driver to make 275 or more Monster Energy Series starts.
Driver: Grey Gaulding	Has	Needs
Milestone:	49	1
Will become the 288th driver to make 50 or more Monster Energy Series starts.
WINS
Driver: Jimmie Johnson	Has	Needs
Milestone:	83	1
Tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for fourth on the all-time series wins list.
Driver: Kyle Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	49	1
Tie Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for 11th on the all-time Monster Energy Series wins list.
Driver: Kevin Harvick	Has	Needs
Milestone:	44	2
Tie Buck Baker (46) for 16th on the all-time MENCS wins list.
Driver: Denny Hamlin	Has	Needs
Milestone:	31	1
To tie Dale Jarrett for 24th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
BUSCH POLES
Driver: Ryan Newman	Has	Needs
Milestone:	51	3
Tie Bill Elliott for eighth on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
Driver: Jimmie Johnson	Has	Needs
Milestone:	35	1
To tie Rusty Wallace and Rex White for 18th on the all-time series poles list.
Driver: Kyle Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	30	2
To tie Fonty Flock for 23rd on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
Second-Place Finishes
Driver: Kevin Harvick	Has	Needs
Milestone:	53	3
Tie Buck Baker for ninth on the all-time series second-place finishes list.
Driver: Jimmie Johnson	Has	Needs
Milestone:	46	2
Tie Lee Petty for 11th on the all-time series second-place finishes list.
Driver: Kyle Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	44	2
Tie Jimmie Johnson for 12th on the all-time series second-place finishes list.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series - Milestones
Top Fives
Driver: Jimmie Johnson	Has	Needs
Milestone:	224	1
To become the 11th series driver all-time to post 225 or more top fives
Top 10s
Driver: Jimmie Johnson	Has	Needs
Milestone:	349	1
To become the 11th driver all-time to post 350 top-10 finishes in the series.
Driver: Kurt Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	274	1
To become the 21st driver all-time to post 275 top-10 finishes in the series.
Laps Led
Driver: Jimmie Johnson	Has	Needs
Milestone:	18,692	308
To become the ninth driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 19,000 laps.
Driver: Kyle Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	15,469	531
To become the 10th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 16,000 laps.
Driver: Kevin Harvick	Has	Needs
Milestone:	12,289	711
To become the 12th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 13,000 laps.
Driver: Matt Kenseth	Has	Needs
Milestone:	11,751	249
To become the 16th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 12,000 laps.
Driver: Kurt Busch	Has	Needs
Milestone:	9,335	665
To become the 18th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 10,000 laps.
Driver: Denny Hamlin	Has	Needs
Milestone:	9,113	887
To become the 18th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 10,000 laps.
Driver: Martin Truex Jr.	Has	Needs
Milestone:	7,225	775
To become the 26th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 8,000 laps.

Odds to win 2018 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis

Kyle Busch has won two of the past three seasons at Indy.

WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERBOOK

BIG MACHINE VODKA 400 AT THE BRICKYARD
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2018 - 2:20 PM ET

Kevin HARVICK 5/2
Kyle BUSCH 5/2
Martin TRUEX JR 9/2
Kyle LARSON 6/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 12/1
Ryan BLANEY 15/1
Joey LOGANO 15/1
Chase ELLIOTT 20/1
Erik JONES 20/1
Clint BOWYER 25/1
Kurt BUSCH 25/1
Denny HAMLIN 20/1
Aric ALMIROLA 40/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 50/1
Daniel SUAREZ 60/1
Alex BOWMAN 80/1
Austin DILLON 100/1
Ryan NEWMAN 100/1
Jamie McMURRAY 100/1
Paul MENARD 100/1
William BYRON 300/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 300/1
Matt KENSETH 300/1
Chris BUESCHER 500/1
Kasey KAHNE 500/1
Darrell WALLACE JR 1000/1
AJ ALLMENDINGER 1000/1
Michael McDOWELL 2000/1
TY DILLON 2000/1
FIELD (all others) 500/1

Furniture Row Racing to close shop after 2018 season

Four wins this year, Cup Championship last year and now closing.

DENVER, Colo. (Sept. 4, 2018) – Due to a lack of necessary funding to field a competitive team, Furniture Row Racing has been left with no reasonable option but to cease operations following the completion of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

“This is not good for anybody,” said team owner Barney Visser. “The numbers just don’t add up. I would have to borrow money to continue as a competitive team and I’m not going to do that. This was obviously a painful decision to arrive at knowing how it will affect a number of quality and talented people.

“We’ve been aggressively seeking sponsorship to replace 5-hour ENERGY and to offset the rising costs of continuing a team alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing but haven’t had any success. I feel that it’s only proper to make the decision at this time to allow all team members to start seeking employment for next year. I strongly believe that all of our people have enhanced their careers by working at Furniture Row Racing.”

Martin Truex Jr., who joined Furniture Row Racing in 2014 as the driver of the No. 78 car, said, “While I am saddened by today’s announcement, I totally understand the decision. Barney Visser, Joe Garone and the entire Furniture Row Racing team took me in while my career was in a bad place, and together we reached the pinnacle of the sport. I will forever be grateful to each and every one of them, and also to Furniture Row, Denver Mattress and the Visser family.

“But make no mistake this is not the immediate end. We still have unfinished business to attend to and that’s to give everything we have to successfully defend our Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. Right now that is foremost on my mind as it is with the entire team.”

Based in Denver, Colo. and the only NASCAR Cup Series team headquartered west of the Carolinas, Furniture Row Racing started its NASCAR program in 2005 — first as a Xfinity team and later in the same year as a Cup team. (see team career Cup record below).

While the team had its share of struggles in the early years it refused to listen to the naysayers that a single-car team based in Denver, Colorado could not be competitive in NASCAR’s elite series.

But with the combination of Visser’s positive vision and team-building skills of President Joe Garone, Furniture Row Racing grew into a competitive team. It has qualified for the post-season playoffs in five of the last six years with the No. 78 car, including winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2017 with driver Martin Truex Jr. and crew chief Cole Pearn.

A second full time car was fielded by Furniture Row Racing in 2017 – the No. 77 Toyota driven by Erik Jones, who won the NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors.

After the first 25 races of the current season, Furniture Row Racing’s career NASCAR Cup Series statistics include 18 wins, 70 top fives, 126 top 10s, 15 poles and 6,142 laps led.

The team’s first victory was by driver Regan Smith in the 2011 Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Truex scored the other 17 Furniture Row Racing wins, all coming since the 2015 season.

Both Visser and Garone have made it crystal clear that the team will be provided with the best equipment as it competes for a repeat championship in the upcoming playoffs.

Visser, a 69-year-old Denver native and Vietnam veteran, is the owner of Furniture Row Companies, one of the largest family-owned specialty home furnishings and bedding retailers in the country.

As a race team owner Visser never wavered in his belief that Furniture Row Racing would develop into a championship contender.

“I’ve always felt that we could be a competitive team and run for a championship even when it seemed like a pipe dream to many racing insiders,” Visser noted. “But to be successful in any business you need to assemble the right people and make a strong commitment to succeed. We achieved what we set out to do and feel like we climbed Mount Everest. To continue with anything less than a competitive team would not be acceptable.”

Visser added, “I had a wake-up call last year (heart attack) and while I feel great I need to make the best decisions that will have an impact on myself and my family. My wife Carolyn and the entire Visser family have been supportive of our racing journey and it’s been one incredible ride for all of us.

“There are so many people I want to thank because without them winning a championship and being competitive would never have happened: Joe Gibbs Racing for our technical alliance, Toyota and TRD (Toyota Racing Development), Bass Pro Shops, 5-hour ENERGY, Auto-Owners Insurance, Furniture Row and Denver Mattress.

“A heartfelt thank you to Joe Garone, Martin Truex Jr, Cole Pearn and all of our team members for their talent, dedication and sacrifices they made along the way. To the Furniture Row and Denver Mattress employees I want to express a special thank you for always having my back from the early years of our race team to our championship run.

“I also want to thank the fans, the Denver community, NASCAR, International Speedway Corporation (ISC), Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) and independent track owners for providing and maintaining the venues that we compete at. A special tip of the hat to the media and to NASCAR’s broadcast partners – FOX, NBC, Motor Racing Network (MRN), Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM Radio. We’ve always been treated fairly by members of the media and I appreciate their hard work in one of the most demanding schedules in major league sports.”

Brad Keselowski grabs first Darlington win for first 2018 win

Brad Keselowski was 18/1 to win at Darlington.

Flawless execution on pit road propels Brad Keselowski to Darlington win

September 2, 2018
By Reid Spencer

DARLINGTON, S.C. – By a matter of inches, Brad Keselowski won the race off pit road under the final caution in Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

That narrow margin was all the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford needed to secure a stunning victory in one of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ marquee races.

On the flip side, Keselowski’s first victory of the season left Kyle Larson bitterly disappointed. Larson led 284 of the 367 laps in addition to winning the first and second stages of the race. But the work of Keselowski’s pit crew proved decisive.

Keselowski controlled the final restart on Lap 348 and pulled away, as Larson faded to third and had to fend off a determined charge by Kevin Harvick to hold that position. It was Joey Logano who passed Larson for second on Lap 352, giving team Team Penske a 1-2 finish and the organization its first win at Darlington since 1975.

"The 42 (Larson) was really strong," said Keselowski, who picked up his first victory at the 1.366-mile track and the 25^thof his career in a No. 2 Ford sporting a throwback paint scheme reminiscent of the Miller Genuine Draft machine Rusty Wallace drove during his tenure at Team Penske. "I felt like whoever came off pit road first at the end was going to win the race.

"My team nailed the last pit stop… We stayed in position the whole race with great strategy to keep us from falling back. We didn’t have the long-run speed we wanted, but the short runs were great, and we were there when it counted."

Keselowski, who also won Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event, came off pit road on Lap 345 three-wide with Larson and Logano, less than a foot ahead of Larson.

"It’s always important to come out the leader off pit road to be the control car on the restart," Larson said. "I felt like, if I had been in clean air, I would have been all right. I was just loose that last run and allowed Joey to get by.

"I knew the only weakness we would have throughout the race was a short run, and that’s what it kind of came down to… It stings, for sure. I want to win every race, but I want to win the Southern 500 really bad. It would have been cool to do that, but at the same time, to bring a (dominant) car to the race track like we did this weekend is something to be proud of and a big confidence booster."

Chase Elliott ran fifth behind Harvick. Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Jamie McMurray and pole winner Denny Hamlin completed the top 10. Kyle Busch retained the series lead by 39 points over Harvick.

Jeffrey Earnhardt spun in Turns 1 and 2 to cause the sixth caution on Lap 344, and that was the yellow that gave Keselowski the opportunity to grab the victory. The only serious incident of the race occurred on Lap 312 when Clint Bowyer plowed into Ryan Newman near the apex of Turns 3 and 4.

Newman was trying to get to pit road, and neither Bowyer nor his spotter saw a signal to that effect.

"I hit the 31 (Newman) really hard," Bowyer said. "I guess he was pitting or something, and it’s a product of this place… I didn’t see him wave, but like I said, when you come off (Turn) 2 and you pass 37 lapped cars and you get your bearings and everything else—maybe he waved, maybe he didn’t—I didn’t see it."

The Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets of Jimmie Johnson and William Byron retired from the race with engine issues. Johnson finished 39^th with what he believed was an oil pump problem, but that came after the No. 48 Chevrolet suffered a loose wheel, and after Johnson was penalized for a subsequent commitment line violation.

Accordingly, there’s a mathematical possibility the seven-time champion could miss the Playoffs when the field is set next Sunday at Indianapolis.

"I don’t want to be in this position," Johnson said. "We have been around this spot (14^th in the standings) for a while. We’ve seen it coming. We just need to transfer, and, honestly, I think our cars are capable of running in the top five. 

"If we can just start minimizing mistakes, my own included, we’ll be much better off and have a shot."
 

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race - Bojangles' Southern 500

Darlington Raceway

Darlington, South Carolina

Sunday, September 2, 2018

 

               1. (13) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 367.

               2. (8) Joey Logano, Ford, 367.

               3. (2) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 367.

               4. (22) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 367.

               5. (11) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 367.

               6. (9) Kurt Busch, Ford, 367.

               7. (5) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 367.

               8. (7) Erik Jones, Toyota, 367.

               9. (31) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 367.

               10. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 367.

               11. (3) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 367.

               12. (25) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 367.

               13. (19) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 367.

               14. (12) Aric Almirola, Ford, 367.

               15. (21) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 367.

               16. (18) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 367.

               17. (14) Paul Menard, Ford, 366.

               18. (23) David Ragan, Ford, 366.

               19. (6) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 366.

               20. (26) Michael McDowell, Ford, 365.

               21. (28) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 365.

               22. (24) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 365.

               23. (4) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 365.

               24. (29) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 364.

               25. (15) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 364.

               26. (27) Bubba Wallace #, Chevrolet, 363.

               27. (34) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 360.

               28. (33) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 360.

               29. (16) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 358.

               30. (35) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 357.

               31. (32) * JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 350.

               32. (37) BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, 347.

               33. (38) * Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 346.

               34. (40) * Jeffrey Earnhardt, Toyota, 344.

               35. (10) William Byron #, Chevrolet, Engine, 329.

               36. (17) Clint Bowyer, Ford, Accident, 309.

               37. (36) * Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, Engine, 268.

               38. (30) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, Rear End, 254.

               39. (20) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Oil Pump, 227.

               40. (39) Joey Gase(i), Toyota, Accident, 120.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  131.408 mph.

Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 48 Mins, 54 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.224 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  6 for 35 laps.

Lead Changes:  7 among 5 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   D. Hamlin 1-11; K. Larson 12-129; M. Truex Jr. 130-159; K. Larson 160-258; B. Keselowski 259-260; J. Logano 261-278; K. Larson 279-345; B. Keselowski 346-367.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Larson 3 times for 284 laps; M. Truex Jr. 1 time for 30 laps; B. Keselowski 2 times for 24 laps; J. Logano 1 time for 18 laps; D. Hamlin 1 time for 11 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 42,20,78,22,2,4,11,41,18,9

Stage #2 Top Ten: 42,2,22,9,20,41,31,18,1,4

This Austin Dillon car, wow! GM Goodwrench Dale Sr memories

Denny Hamlin sits on his first Southern 500 pole at Darlington

Denny Hamlin wins his first pole at Darlington.

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Defending Southern 500 winner Denny Hamlin will start Sunday’s race from the pole after posting a lap of 173.571 mph.

It is Hamlin’s 29th career pole and his third of the season.

Kyle Larson will start second after a lap of 173.411 mph. It is his best starting spot for this race. He was followed by Martin Truex Jr. (173.204 mph), Alex Bowman (173.155) and Kyle Busch (173.064).

Truex scores consecutive top-five starts at Darlington. Bowman had not qualified better than 34th at this track before Saturday. Busch will make his seventh consecutive top-10 start at this track.

READ MORE HERE.......NBC SPORTS

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