LVH Super Book Updated 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Odds

How about Kevin Harvick at 15-to-1?

2013 SPRINT CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

JIMMIE JOHNSON 3
BRAD KESELOWSKI 12
DENNY HAMLIN 8
KYLE BUSCH 7
KASEY KAHNE 7
MATT KENSETH 5
JEFF GORDON 15
TONY STEWART 40
CLINT BOWYER 12
GREG BIFFLE 30
CARL EDWARDS 15
MARTIN TRUEX JR 30
DALE EARNHARDT JR 20
KEVIN HARVICK 15
JOEY LOGANO 40
RYAN NEWMAN 100
KURT BUSCH 50
MARCOS AMBROSE 200
PAUL MENARD 100
JEFF BURTON 300
JAMIE McMURRAY 60
JUAN MONTOYA 60
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 100
ARIC ALMIROLA 100
DANICA PATRICK 5000
FIELD 500

Updated LVH Super Book odds to win Coca-Cola 600; Kahne and Busch 5-to-1 co-favorites

Kasey Kahne moved to a 5-to-1 co-favorite following stellar practices

COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2013

JIMMIE JOHNSON 6
KYLE BUSCH 5
MATT KENSETH 6
KASEY KAHNE 5
DENNY HAMLIN 6
BRAD KESELOWSKI 15
CARL EDWARDS 15
GREG BIFFLE 20
JEFF GORDON 15
DALE EARNHARDT JR 15
CLINT BOWYER 15
KEVIN HARVICK 15
MARTIN TRUEX JR 20
TONY STEWART 30
JOEY LOGANO 50
MARK MARTIN 40
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 75                                          Final Coca-Cola 600 Driver Ratings  
KURT BUSCH 20
RYAN NEWMAN 100
JUAN MONTOYA 100
JAMIE McMURRAY 60
PAUL MENARD 100
MARCOS AMBROSE 200
ARIC ALMIROLA 100
JEFF BURTON 300
TREVOR BAYNE 300
REGAN SMITH 300
DANICA PATRICK 500
DAVID RAGAN 2000
FIELD 300

2013 Coca-Cola 600 Practice Notes: Kahne Looks Like the Driver to Beat

Won won Coca-Cola 600 last year

There are several angles to approach when searching for who the winning driver will before the green flag drops for Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. You can look at Saturday’s practice times -- where Kasey Kahne was fastest in both sessions, or stay with what has been the winning formula on the previous three 1.5-mile tracks, and simply ride with a Joe Gibbs driver.

You can also look at some past history in the longest race of the year, because it appears that some drivers and crews seem to have an edge at not only the distance, but also the rapidly changing conditions. This race will start with the sun shining, go to dusk, and then finish up at night. In each of those changes, the temperature will drop, which will drastically change the set-up requirements of the car. Those who make the best and quickest changes on the fly, usually win.

Based on what happened during Saturday’s final two practice sessions, it looks as though Kasey Kahne is the driver to beat. Along with being fastest in both sessions, Kahne also had the best 10-consecutive laps average during happy hour. Although the practices were run in morning, and won’t resemble any condition they’ll see during the race, Kahne’s got a lot of success going for him -- both historical and on similar tracks.

Kahne can’t match the three wins Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch have combined for on 1.5-mile tracks, but he’s close. He finished runner-up to Kenseth at Las Vegas and Kansas. And not so coincidentally, he’s using that same chassis from Kansas this week.

All season long on the horsepower tracks, Gibbs Toyota's have dominated with the Gen-6 car, with everyone else trying to play catch-up. But the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Kahne and Jimmie Johnson seem to be bridging the gap between two of the elite teams in NASCAR. Johnson won the All-Star race at Charlotte last week, and Kahne led once for 11 laps in the non-points race. Although the format of the All-Star race is completely different from what we'll see Sunday, it's still a sign that we could see another manufacturer besides a Toyota winning a 1.5-mile points race soon. Another common ground with the All-Star race is that the conditions for the final 100 laps will be similar.

Kahne’s edge over the Gibbs cars this week is also boosted by history where his is great and the Gibbs organization has traditionally been a little behind. Bobby Labonte’s Coca-Cola 600 win in 1995 still remains Joe Gibbs only win in the marathon race. Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin -- second last season -- have been close several times, but don’t have wins in any Charlotte race.

As for Kahne, he’s won four times at Charlotte, including the Coca-Cola 600 three times. He won last years race as well. Everything seems to be pointing Kahne's way this week.

READ MORE HERE.......Final Top-10 Rated Drivers List

Practice 3 Speeds - Kahne fastest again, also best 10-consecutive lap average

Practice 2 Speeds - Kahne Fastest

LVH odds to win 2013 Monaco Grand Prix; Rosberg 10-to-11 favorite

Monaco GP considered one of worlds great races; certainly most beautiful

MONACO GRAND PRIX
CIRCUIT DE MONACO
SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2013

SEBASTIAN VETTEL 4
FERNANDO ALONSO 15
KIMI RAIKKONEN 15
LEWIS HAMILTON 3
MARK WEBBER 12
NICO ROSBERG 10-11
JENSON BUTTON 100
FELIPE MASSA 500
ROMAIN GROSJEAN 200
SERGIO PEREZ 100
ADRIAN SUTIL 100
NICO HULKENBERG 300
PAUL DI RESTA 500
DANIEL RICCIARDO 300
JEAN-ERIC VERGNE 300
PASTOR MALDONADO 300
VALTTERI BOTTAS 1000
ESTEBAN GUTIERREZ 1000
CHARLES PIC 5000
FIELD 500

Kurt Busch Fastest in Thursday's Coca-Cola 600 Practice Session, Hamlin on Pole

Kurt Busch seems to be fast every week with single car team

Kurt Busch was fastest during Thursday's lone practice session at Charlotte Motor Speedway in preparation for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600. Busch, with a fast lap at 190.846 mph, is continuing a strong run this season that has shown everyone a single car team can compete at a high level. Maybe it's just the effects of the Gen-6 car, or maybe it's that Busch -- the 2010 Coca-Cola 600 winner -- is simply a pretty good driver.

Either way, when looking at the No. 78 Furniture Row team regularly coming with strong practice runs and having a few that have transferred over well to race day, it's pretty impressive. It's especially impressive when seeing how slow the Stewart-Haas cars are on a regular basis. You have to wonder how Kevin Harvick is feeling about his move to those sleds next year?    

Most of the drivers ran mock-qualifying runs to get ideally set-up for Thursday's qualifying, where Denny Hamlin eventually came away with the pole with a record setting lap. Joey Logano ran the most laps during the practice session (29) while no driver ran 10 consecutive laps.

Kyle Busch, who is looking for his first Charlotte win, was second fastest in practice with at 190.469 mph, followed by the Hendrick brigade of Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson who both had identical fast laps at 189.660 mph. Aric Almiorla was fifth fastest (189.162) using a chassis that finished sixth at Kansas.

Charlotte Motor Speedway will be dark on Friday, but the Cup teams will return Saturday for two more practice sessions with full race set-ups. Because of the odd 6:00 p.m. ET start time of the race, where the drivers and crews will experience three vastly different type of race conditions, Saturday's practices will be tough to gauge; those who look good Saturday may not necessarily be the drivers to beat on Sunday.

Coca-Cola 600 Practice 1 Speeds


Driver Quotes from Thursday Following Qualifying:

DENNY HAMLIN (POLE WINNER, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota): “We ran real fast. You gotta have a fast car. The crew just gave me an awesome car. We knew we had to improve from where we ran last week. Darian Grubb (crew chief) and the guys stepped up. I’ve got to thank the Joe Gibbs team for giving me cars that are capable of speeds like that. We’re happy about everything. It’s like a victory for me. I normally wouldn’t commit myself to running a lap like that. It’s too dangerous. I would take my fifth or sixth place and kind of move on. We have a mission ahead, and that is to try and make The Chase. The best way to do that is to win races. To win races you have to have every advantage you can. I was really just committed to running the best lap I could. This is a big step for the weekend. It’s a sign of things to come. I think winning would be the validation to being back. Ultimately, getting the trophy would be the validation that you are truly back. For me, it’s going to take some wins and a lot of really good consistency throughout these summer months to have a chance for the championship. That’s what we’re here for. These small victories, though, help build confidence. I am still capable and still able to do the job 100 percent like I should be. Any kind of confidence booster for me is good.”

KURT BUSCH (QUALIFIED 2nd, No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet) “It was an extremely fast car. Those guys, they keep delivering pole-winning type cars each and every week. I just didn’t quite hit my mark exactly right in (turns) 3 and 4. And I knew we might get beat by somebody. I was just hoping that we might get a gift. But Denny Hamlin laid it down and it was incredible to watch. It was just hugging the line in (turns) 3 and 4 exactly like you would watch cars back in the day. You knew that was going to be a fast lap. I didn’t do my job, but the crew is doing an incredible job. We just have fast cars week in and week out. I told them we had a pole-winning car today. We didn’t have a pole-winning draw in the midrange. It’s part of the game. For us, this is nothing to hang our heads about. We have a front row starting spot for the Coca-Cola 600 and I’m pumped up. I think the race will come to us and we just have to work hard on Saturday to get the car dialed in for 50-lap stints instead of 20-lap stints, which you see in the All-Star Race. Again, my guys give me fast cars and I want to deliver for them.”

MATT KENSETH (QUALIFIED 3rd, No. 20 Home Depot/Husky Toyota) “We really got ready for tonight. We have all day Saturday to get ready for Sunday. So we haven’t been in race trim at all, like most of the people in the garage did. I really like the way this car drives. I’m really encouraged how it responded to all the changes we made to it today, so I feel good about that. It was a good lap and I was pretty happy with that.”

Matt Kenseth talks with media Thursday prior to Coca-Cola 600 practice

Matt Kenseth is considered one of  the favorites to win Sunday at 6-to-1 

MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Home Depot/Husky Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Do you look forward to the 600? “I’m looking forward to the weekend — the 600 is probably my favorite race of the year and favorite event. Looking forward to getting on the track today. Last weekend didn’t go exactly as planned. Look forward to getting out there and hopefully it will stay dry and we can get some laps on this car and hopefully get qualified decent tonight and then start working on the race on Saturday.”

Is the 600 more mentally, physically or emotionally draining?“Maybe mentally, I hope not emotionally. If it’s draining emotionally, then it means you have something going wrong probably. A little bit of both — I actually looked at the weather yesterday and saw it was supposed to be fairly cool on Sunday and I was pretty excited about that. When the race starts and its 90 degrees, you’re solid sweat 100 miles in and you know it’s going to be a long 600 miles and you really have to work hard to stay hydrated and cool and ready for that. I’d say it’s a pretty good combination of both. I think that it’s easier to be mentally weak when you’re getting tired physically or you’ve been sitting there a long time and you’re hot. You start thinking about other things other than focusing on the race. I think it’s probably equal — probably 50-50.”

What is the connection between sporting events and the military? “I don’t know if I can compare it to other sports necessarily. Certainly there has always been that connection. You’ve seen several military sponsorships and a lot of the military members that are race fans that come out and see us race. From our side, I think it’s pretty easy and pretty obvious. Without the military and all the people and all the sacrifices they make and all the things they do, then we wouldn’t have the freedom to be able to go out here and race each and every weekend in front of them. I think it’s a good weekend to try to show your appreciation for the military and all the people and the sacrifices they make. You should do it every day, but certainly this weekend is always good for that.”

How would you describe Jimmie Johnson’s career? “How would I describe his (Jimmie Johnson) career? Do we have that much time? I wasn’t really there in the beginning of it when he started all his stuff in California — I don’t really know a lot about that, his off-road background and all that. The first I heard of him was when he started running ASA and then ran the Nationwide Series against him there a little bit. Obviously, when he moved to Hendrick Motorsports and got hooked up with Chad Knaus (Johnson’s crew chief) — that was the start of his dominance. People can say whatever they want about him, but I don’t know how you can’t say that he’s not the best ever. You look at what he’s done with Chad since they’ve been over here and nobody has ever put up numbers like that. Nobody has ever won five championships in a row and probably never will. They’re amazing. It’s kind of cool to be part of that because I think someday you look back at history and be like, ‘Oh yeah, I raced against him.’ But at the same time it stinks because you get beat so many times. I don’t know how anybody can argue and say them guys aren’t the best of all time.”

What do you plan to work on today for the 600? “I feel really good about this weekend. Honestly, last weekend we were off a little bit. I think we have some ideas maybe with what we missed or what we did wrong. I think that was part of learning. I feel like we learned a lot last weekend. I feel good about it. We hoped to do a little bit better last weekend, but it was a very unique race. The All-Star race is totally different. I don’t think it really means a ton for the 600. I think there’s things you can learn about the track and changes and traffic and so on and so forth, but certainly it’s a very different race — 20 laps was our longest run last Saturday where I would assume we will have several fuel runs during the 600, very different track conditions at least to get started. I feel good about it. I’m anxious to get on track today and see if our car drives better than it drove last weekend. We made some changes and have some different things to come back with that we feel like is going to be better. I’m interested to get on track and see if that holds true.”

Why is Charlotte your favorite track and the 600 your favorite race? “The 600 has always been unique. We have our first win here so maybe that’s part of it. This is the first track that I made my first Nationwide start at and have more miles here at this track than any other on the circuit. You only race a 600-mile race once a year — Memorial Day weekend. Just a lot of different things. The track goes through huge changes, typically it’s very different in the beginning of the race when the sun is still out. It’s usually hot and slick and then at the end of the race, after four hours of racing or four-and-a-half hours of racing, the track is as fast as it’s ever going to be and everybody picks up a second and it’s on. It’s like you wait four hours to run a trophy dash. It’s just a fun event. A lot goes on, you have to pay attention for a long time and really keep up with the adjustments and just one I look forward to and look forward to the challenge.”

How much will the predicted cooler temperature impact the race? “I think it will a little bit. Certainly, the sun has a lot to do with it, but temperature as well. If we don’t get much more or any more rain, then we can get the rubber back on the track and the sun is on it, then I think it will still be really slick when the race starts because it’s supposed to be sunny. Certainly, being cooler will help — the cooler it gets here to a point you have more grip. The hotter it is here when the sun is out, the less grip and the track seems to change a lot.”

Is it tough not to get wrapped up in the early success this season? “I think you basically always try to take it one race at a time. I think if things go good or they go bad when you get done with Monday, going through everything and talking about everything and what you want to work on and what you did good and what you did bad — all that stuff. You try to learn what you can from it and get it behind you and move on to the next week. Whether it was a great week or a terrible week, I think you always have to get focused on what’s coming next and keep working on trying to get better. I think that’s about it. It’s a long season and all of us have been through it for a long time and when things go good and you get a win, you need to enjoy it and you need to learn how to enjoy it. You also have to unfortunately get it behind you by Monday or Tuesday or whatever and really get focused on the next week.”

Is this the point in the season where you have a good feel for Chase chances and contenders? “I think it constantly changes. I think the other teams are always getting better and you have to make sure that you get better along with them. Certainly, you get to Easter break and you have a few races and you kind of look at all the different tracks and kind of get a feel for where you’re at compared to the competition — the All-Star break is another chance for that. Then we have one last off-weekend in July and you can get another snap shot of that. It’s still a long ways from the Chase and you start trying to run for a championship — we feel good about where we’re at today, but there is still a lot of racing to do. I think we’ve done a lot of things really good the first 11 races, but I also think there’s room for improvement and room for us to grow as a team and me to grow as a driver to continue to try to get better.”

How much do you enjoy the next couple of races? “Typically, this is two of my favorite weeks of the whole season — running the 600 and then going to Dover. This is usually been my favorite event or favorite race and Dover’s always been my favorite track. Those are two tracks — two weeks, three weeks really in racing – and even if you went to Darlington, a good month that’s typically been decent for us and one that I always enjoy going to and usually have a good chance of having a good performance. Dover is real unique. It’s one of those tracks you really have to attack, and it’s also one of those tracks that’s difficult to get a fast lap around there by yourself if you’re real on the edge and then when you put everyone else out there and you have to race them at the same time it makes it real interesting. I’ve always really enjoyed that. Whenever you can get a good run at a track you really, really like – you always feel good about that. But, it is one that I look forward to.”

Do you think Brad Keselowski is a leader? “Nah, I don’t think so. I don’t know. If he’s called any meetings to order, I wasn’t invited to them. I don’t know, I don’t know what that all means. Brad (Keselowski) is very, obviously opinionated and he has definitely his own ideas and I’m sure some of his ideas are shared by some, not sure by all necessarily. I think that’s a good thing. I think that’s what makes Brad, Brad. I think everybody is different in this sport and different personalities are important and good. I don’t know what a leader means. I know he’s not my leader. I don’t know if he’s a leader of the drivers. I think being the champion, he’s probably — maybe his opinion carries more weight or more people are listening to what you’re saying because you’re the champion compared to someone who is not.”

How thin is the margin of error in this weekend’s race and the difficulty to win? “Well, there all really hard to win. I haven’t been to one that’s been easy. They’re all hard, certainly an extra hundred miles adds a different dynamic to the race. It depends on how your car is driving, it depends what the weather conditions are. To me, especially, you’re probably assuming there’s going to be some long green flag runs, so it’s always a challenge to get your car good enough in the beginning of the race to stay on the lead lap and to stay in a decent position up front somewhere and still have your car where it needs to be at the end of the race to try to challenge for a win when the track is dark and when it’s nine-o-clock at night. It’s time to go grab the win. It’s tough to balance that. There’s been times here when we started off just awful during the day and had a hard time hanging on the lead lap and been really good at the end, and there’s been times we’ve done it the other way around. It’s just hard to find that balance to be reasonable enough in the beginning to be competitive and have a car that can have a shot at the win at the end.”

What do you think about during the 600? “There’s occasions during the race, where maybe your mind will wonder and you think about different things depending on the situation that you’re in. The main thing I always try to do is try to look ahead, especially in this race and try to stay on top of the track changes, what your car is handling like in traffic, what it’s doing in this run. Trying to report as often as you can what’s going on with your car – just all the aspects of it — really, just try to keep your mind focused on that and what you need to do next. As far as car changes, try to focus on what everybody is doing on the race track for their lines and how to get the most speed out of the car. Really, I don’t have to try that hard, but keep your mind on the race and all things on the race so you can always know what’s going on and you feel like you’re plugged into that.”

How much do want to be aware of during the race? “Well, there’s been times I’ve been told that maybe I worry about more than I should necessarily. I just like to always know what’s going on. I like information, I always have and I just like knowing pretty much everything that is going on in the race. Maybe not everything, but I like knowing — I’d rather err on knowing too much than not enough just so I can feel like I have a sense for how the race is going, what the trends are and what’s kind of happening around me.”

Are you on a hot streak at this point in the season? “Well, I think the main thing you hit there was its early in the year. I think we could talk about it again at the beginning of August, late August and kind of get a better feel for where we’re at, at that point compared to where everyone else is at. Hopefully we’ll be able to win some more races before that and hopefully we’ll be able to run like we did to start this year off or improve a little bit and we can be in that conversation and be one of those guys. Man, here in May before the 600 to talk about who is going to run for the championship, there’s a lot that can happen here in the next three-and-a-half, four months before it gets time.”

- Toyota Racing

Las Vegas has "70 percent chance" of getting Charlotte's October NASCAR date in 2014

Las Vegas might get Charlotte's October date in 2014

Charlotte Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith, who is suing the county in which the track is located for more than $80 million in incentives promised to him, told a Charlotte television station that he is considering moving the October race from Charlotte to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

As chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., Smith can request to NASCAR that it move a race from one of his tracks to another one of his tracks.

SMI owns four tracks that have two Sprint Cup points races (Charlotte, Bristol, New Hampshire and Texas) and four that have one race (Atlanta, Kentucky, Las Vegas and Sonoma).

NASCAR has never stopped a realignment request since adopting the policy more than 10 years ago, but moving another race from out of the Southeast and backyard of most race teams shops would be hurdles for Smith to overcome if he makes that request.

In a statement, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Operations Steve O’Donnell said Smith has not asked for realignment.

"Tracks have the ability to request realignment,” he said. “We review and always decide based on the best interest of the entire sport of NASCAR. We’re beginning the 2014 process now and have not had any formal requests to realign."

Smith told WBTV in Charlotte that he was seriously considering a move to Las Vegas. He has campaigned for a second race at Vegas for several years as the track has enjoyed solid attendance while attendance at other tracks has dropped considerably.

Read More Here......Sporting News

Brad Keselowski thinks he can win Coca-Cola 600 this week

Brad Keselowski finished fifth in the 2012 Coca-Cola 600 

Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion, held a Q&A session at Charlotte Motor Speedway and discussed a variety of topics prior to qualifying for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600.

BRAD KESELOWSKI – No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion – WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR YOU TO WIN THE COCA-COLA 600? “You’re right, this is a huge weekend for NASCAR, it’s a huge weekend for all of motorsports. Obviously, there are other races going on, but, for me personally, I think for the point of this discussion I feel like this is a big race and this is one of those races with the events of last night with the Hall of Fame, you can see that and what people think of race winners from this event. They think of them as people that have a spot potentially in the Hall of Fame and receive some kind of accolades from winning this event, so I think that signifies, at least to me, how big a win this would really be for me or any driver and how important this event can be to your career. I really personally enjoy this. It means a lot to me to race on Memorial Day Weekend and the patriotism that’s shown in this sport. Obviously, there are a lot of cars with special paint schemes and a lot of different things that the track does as well to really embrace what it means to race on Memorial Day Weekend, and what the weekend means in general. That’s something I hold in the highest regard and just proud to be a participant.”

HAS THE TWITTER INCIDENT AFTER TALLADEGA CHANGED YOU AT ALL? “I don’t think so, no. Look, I’m not perfect. I know that, and I don’t pretend to be, but I think what makes Twitter great is it’s a way to really reach out to our fans and really express how we feel and they have access to that. Some people aren’t gonna like what I have to say and what also makes Twitter great is if they don’t like it, they don’t have to follow it, but that’s how I felt in that moment and, like any human being, I have the right to change my mind about it and I did. But I think that’s part of Twitter and that’s what makes the experience great for me is you have an opportunity, whether it’s yourself or for someone else that you’re following, to really read into how they feel about things that maybe you wouldn’t have had the opportunity with before, whether it was with the media or just being able to get that close to the action, so I think you have to take the good with the bad. Was that the brightest moment? Certainly not, but there are other things that happen that are obviously very impactful and very strong that have made fans happy, whether it was the moment at Daytona or something else. So I think that you take the good with the bad and move on.”

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE RACING HERE LAST YEAR AND WILL THE GEN-6 CAR AMP THINGS UP A BIT THIS YEAR? “I’m not sure exactly what the expectation is. With any mile-and-a-half race track you’re never gonna have as close of action as you would at a short track, and if the expectation is to have the same kind of racing at a short track to a mile-and-a-half, then just point to the basic rule that there is more room and there’s gonna be more distance between cars – whether that was Generation 6, Generation 5 or all the way down the list. There is just more room at these tracks and you’re gonna have less side-by-side racing because of that. That said, in comparison to last year, it’s hard to really say what’s gonna play out. We’re still very early on in learning these cars. We’re not obviously fresh, we’ve got a dozen races or so under our belt, but this track has always been a bit unique, specifically the 600 with the transition from daytime to nighttime and different cars and comers and goers and so forth. So that lends itself to more passing, whether or not that will work out to create the type of finish that fans want, I couldn’t tell you. That’s why you have to watch. Some races it might and others it won’t, but I think this track has produced some compelling races. Looking back to two years ago with what happened with Dale Jr. and Kevin Harvick, I thought that was a pretty strong race. Not every race is gonna be that way, so we certainly would like it to be that way and maybe some fans would like the finish to turn out differently, but, obviously, mile-and-a-halves are just gonna be more spread out. That’s just part of the deal.”

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR FOCUS IN THE MIDDLE PART OF THE RACE WHERE YOU’RE JUST KIND OF MAKING LAPS AND NOT REALLY FIGHTING FOR FIRST PLACE OR WHATEVER? “You can’t win the race at mile marker 300, but you can sure as heck lose it in those segments – whether that’s blowing through your pit stop and having a loose wheel, or any of those things. So you can’t win it in those segments, but you can definitely lose it – missing a shift, blowing a tire – anything like that. So at some point you have to put yourself into that protection mode of, ‘Hey, I need to just get through this segment of the race and not lose it right here,’ which isn’t all that much fun for me personally. I’d much rather play offense than defense, but that’s part of it because I think what makes racing special to me compared to other sports or really anything is you look at what it takes to be successful as a race car driver and you have to be good on short tracks, you have to be good onroad courses, you have to be good on mile-and-a-halves, good on superspeedways. You go through all those genre’s of tracks and they’re all drastically different and then you add to it and you have to be good on restarts, you have to be good on short runs, you have to be good on long runs, you have to be good on short races, you have to be good on long races. There are all these different things that you have to be good at across the board, so, basically, it’s saying as a race car driver you have to be able to play defense and you have to be able to play offense. And in a long 600-mile race, that middle section you’re referring to is essentially your time to play defense and you have to get through that. Although you can’t win the game playing defense, you can certainly lose it.”

IS THIS RACE GOING TO COME DOWN TO THE LAST PIT STOP AND WHO COMES OFF PIT ROAD FIRST?“If you can get the lead and be within a tenth, maybe a tenth-and-a-half speed-wise of other cars in the field, the reality is you’ll probably win the race and that will shape itself out via the last pit stop or the last pit sequence. That’s really your largest chance for that to shake up. Certainly there are other variables that couldshake it up – lap traffic, yellows, who knows. There is always something else that could shake it up, but, realistically, that will be the last shake up of the running order and if you can get the lead and be within a tenth-and-a-half speed-wise of everyone else, you have the winning hand.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING ROUGHLY HALFWAY TO THE CHASE AND NOT HAVING A WIN YET?“I’d like to have one, and I feel like this is the week to get it done. I feel like we’ve been very, very fast and very under the radar because we haven’t, one, qualified well, or, two, executed in the race. I think if you sat in my right side seat, which I know there isn’t one, but if there was a right side seat in my car and you rode with me through the last two or three mile-and-a-halves, you’d go, ‘Damn, we’re the fastest car out here.’ Unfortunately, we haven’t produced those results and that’s on us to get right. There are a number of reasons for that. I’m not gonna sit here and make excuses, but I know the speed is there and speed is building block one of winning the race, and then you obviously have to have execution and luck and we haven’t put two and three together to really build the house that it takes to win. I feel like this weekend, along with any other weekend, could be that chance and that opportunity.”

DO YOU WORRY YOU’RE LOSING CHANCES TO WIN ONE BECAUSE YOU’VE HAD TO RALLY FROM SOMETHING ALMOST EVERY WEEK? “Yeah, rallying is certainly not an optimal situation. I’d love to just start on the pole and lead every lap, but that’s not realistic either. You have to be in position. You have to have the speed. It wouldn’t bother me if I started 43rd come Sunday knowing I have as fast a race car as I’ve had over the last few weeks because I feel that confident that if we can just execute, we could overcome that deficit.”

AT WHAT POINT IN YOUR CAREER DID YOU BEGIN A WORKOUT ROUTINE? “I’ve never really been big into the whole workout routine thing. I’ve always felt like if you’re strong enough mentally, that you can damn near overcome anything. I don’t know if you ever read any of these stories about people that can pick up a car and save someone, I feel like if you have mental strength, that you can do anything. That doesn’t mean you can jump off this building an fly, but it does mean that you can overcome pain and you can essentially turn off your body’s sensitivity to it. So, quite honestly, I’ve spent all of my focus on being as mentally strong as possible once I get behind the wheel. And once you can do that, the rest doesn’t matter.”

AS A CHAMPION, DO YOU BECOME A TARGET FOR MORE CRITICISM THAN BEFORE? “I would assume so. When you’re in the position that I am in, which is being the reigning champion, it’s a good position to be in, but there are some small downsides and certainly everyone wants to beat me, but they have to essentially have to beat 41 other teams as well. If they lose sight of that, they’ll be in trouble as well, so I can’t say I’ve been spending a lot of time. I notice it, but I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about it. I know at the end of the day if we go out and do our jobs, execute, have speed in our cars, and I don’t make any mistakes, that I can continue to win and be successful in this sport. That’s what really concerns me.”

BRUTON SAID THERE’S A 70 PERCENT CHANCE THE CHARLOTTE OCTOBER RACE COULD GO TO VEGAS. WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN TO YOU? “I think it would be important to recognize that we would still have two races. I think it’s more about what it would mean to the fans and I think it’s more a fan question than a driver question. For me personally, it would obviously be another trip to the west coast. The turnout and attendance in that area has been very strong the last few years. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it would be again, but I’m assuming that Bruton and his team would have researched all that and have a pretty good idea of how successful it would be. I’m an open-minded person, and I’m not necessarily sure if Bruton means that or not, but I don’t really have any strong feelings either way on it.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR FOUNDATION EVENT ON MONDAY AND WHY THAT’S SO IMPORTANT TO YOU? “We’ve had a few of them this year and had one this past weekend that could have gone a little better with the rain and breaking down on lap one, but, either way, having those events, to me, whether it’s at the track here with the Race to Recovery rides or this Monday, where we just have our Memorial Day celebration, is a great chance to really reflect on how lucky we are to be in this sport, whether it’s as a driver or participant or really even for you guys – media and so forth – and putting into perspective some of the other sacrifices that are being made. It’s pretty damn inspiring for me and makes a bad day not seem so bad, I can tell you that. So I feel lucky to get to do them, to be quite honest.”

DOES THE MENTAL CHALLENGE OF COMPLETING THIS RACE TRUMP PHYSICAL WEAR AND TEAR?“Yeah, I believe mental strength overcomes all and will always be your strongest asset, so, yes. I don’t know how to add anymore to that, but, yes.”

DID YOU DIAGNOSE WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK AND DID THAT SHORT RUN HAMPER YOUR PREPARATION FOR THIS WEEKEND? “Yes, we found a broken driveshaft. That knocked us out last week. It’s hard to say exactly why, whether it was a faulty part or just from fatigue from the qualifying competition, but, certainly we would have like to have had that additional track time to be better prepared. Fortunately, we had a teammate who ran pretty well with Joey Logano, so we’ll have some information to decipher, but, obviously not an optimal situation.”

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE JIMMIE JOHNSON’S CAREER? “It’s pretty damn good so far (laughing). I guess that’s about all you could really say. It’s been pretty good. I know there are a lot of people that would like to have it.”

HALFWAY THROUGH YOUR REIGN AS DEFENDING CHAMPION, HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS WHERE YOU ARE, WHAT YOU’VE DONE AND YOUR ROLE AS BEING A CHAMPION? “It’s still very early six months in. I would certainly like to be in a better position than where I’m at right now, and I would like to see the sport continue to grow and be stronger than where it is right now. It’s hard to really say that I’m happy with where I’m at because I’m not, but I’m not unhappy either. Winning a championship is step one to have that opportunity to become a leader, but there are several other steps. I’m a big believer, by the way, that anything you really want, you need to go out and really reach for it, and I’m the type of guy that reaches sometimes a little further than what I have for length in my arms. But if I could win another championship, win some more big races, do some other great things, certainly that goal of being a leader of the garage is obtainable. But step one is making sure that everybody knows what that goal is, and I hope that it’s known. But I’m smart enough to realize that I still have steps to go.”

SO DO YOU NOT FEEL LIKE A LEADER IN THE GARAGE? “Certainly there are other drivers that have been around longer and have a stronger reign and deservedly so have a stronger voice, but I would like to be with them, absolutely.”

SO IF YOU DON’T WORK OUT PHYSICALLY AND BELIEVE MORE IN THE MENTAL ASPECT, HOW DO YOU WORK OUT MENTALLY? “Mentally, you’ve either got it or you don’t. The big chunk of what it takes mentally to be successful in this sport, I think, really doesn’t come from training it comes from the experiences you’ve had growing up – good or bad – and I think that’s why you look at drivers – one of the first ones that steps out in my mind is Tony Stewart. You look at where he’s come up and how he’s come up in the sport and how he’s had to fight, dig and claw every step of the way, and that experience, I think, builds you tougher more so than anything else. I’m 29 years old and I didn’t get my first opportunity to really run in Cup until I was 27. At that same time I was watching other drivers – the Kyle Buschs and Joey Loganos who had their first Cup opportunities in their early twenties and I think at least one of them at least at 19, and you see that and it makes you madder than hell because you feel like you could do it if you had the opportunity and you didn’t get it. I think that fuels some of your mental strength and fuels your drive to have something to prove. When those moments come that we all have, where you’re starting to break down mentally, that’s in the back of your head, that’s in the back of your mind, and gives you the fuel it takes to keep going and keep burning. That, to me, is what the mental strength of this sport is all about. Where do you find that extra bit of fuel for the fire? For me, that’s not the only place it comes from, but that’s one of the places. But to answer your question about how do you ascertain that, I don’t know if you can necessarily find that all on your own. I don’t think you can really find any of it on your own. I think you find it through those experiences and you can use those to self-destruct or you can use them in those moments where you need that extra bit, and that’s where I feel like I use them.”

- PCGCampbell for Ford Racing

Kyle Busch, Kenseth and Johnson 6-to-1 co-favorites to win 2013 Coca-Cola 600

Kyle Busch won at Charlotte's sister-track at Texas in April

LAS VEGAS -- Jimmie Johnson, who proved in last week’s Sprint All-Star Race that someone other than a Joe Gibbs driver can win on a 1.5-mile track, has been installed by the LVH SuperBook as the 6-to-1 co-favorite to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday night.

Remember, though, that the All-Star race was a 90-lap series of sprints – and, of course, a non-points race.

The two other co-favorites, Gibbs drivers Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, have gobbled up all the points-race wins on 1.5-mile tracks this season.

Johnson has six career wins at Charlotte, but he's no longer the dominant force at this track he once was. His success has been better in the fall race, but his last top-10 finish in the Memorial Day weekend race was in 2007. He'll be using a brand new chassis this week and attempting to do what he did in 2003: sweep the All-Star race and Coca-Cola 600 in back-to-back weeks.

Busch has never won at Charlotte, but he's been very close. He's finished in the top five in eight of his last 11 starts there, including his last three. Kenseth won at Charlotte in the fall of 2011 and also won his first career race in the 2000 Coca-Cola 600 as a rookie. Busch – who won at Texas, Charlotte's sister track and the one runs the most similar – appears to have somewhat of an edge this week.

Kasey Kahne is a strong candidate to upset the favorites. He won this race last season and has three other Charlotte wins over his career. He also finished second to Kenseth at the 1.5-mile tracks at Las Vegas and Kansas.

Another driver to look at this week is Greg Biffle. He's never won at Charlotte, but did finish fourth in both races last season. Biffle will be using his chassis from Texas, site of his only top five finish of the season.

Read More Here........LVH Charlotte Odds to Win

Jimmie Johnson Going for Seventh Charlotte Win Sunday

Johnson won the All-Star race and Coca-Cola 600 back-to-back in 2003 

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 21, 2013) –“Our house is a very, very, very fine house.” Graham Nash wasn’t referring to Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway when he wrote the song “Our House” (CF Note: It was actually a song about Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash’s relationship at the time). But Jimmie Johnson would agree that the track, which is quickly becoming like home, is a very fine one, indeed.

Johnson won a record fourth Sprint All-Star Race Saturday evening. The victory in the non-points-paying event made him the all-time winningest driver in the event, breaking a tie with the legendary Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. A win in this weekend’s 600-mile event would be his seventh overall at the track, making him its all-time winningest driver and breaking a tie at six wins apiece with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.

Johnson has three wins in the Memorial Day-weekend race, including his last win in the 600-mile event in 2005. The only time he has swept the All-Star Race and 600 was in 2003. While he owns the best driver rating among current drivers and has the best average running position, Johnson hasn’t scored a top-10 finish in the Memorial Day-weekend event since 2007.

A recent repave at Charlotte may have slowed Johnson’s dominance, a fact the five-time champion acknowledges. “We knew, literally, what time in the afternoon, what adjustment needed to be made to the car, and it was like clockwork, didn’t matter the year, just every single time. It’s not that way anymore.”

Saturday’s win was certainly a step in the right direction and, while Johnson may not have “two cats in the yard,” he would most surely agree that Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway is a “very, very, very fine house,” one he may own by the time he gets finished wheeling his No. 48 Lowe’s “Patriotic” Chevrolet SS 600 miles Sunday evening.

Johnson’s 600-Miler Quick Stats:
· Six wins (May 2003, 2004 season sweep, October 2005 and 2009) in 23 starts.
· Three poles (May 2002 and 2004, October 2009).
· 11 top-five finishes (47.8 percent) and 15 top-10s (65.2 percent) in 23 starts.
· Average start of 7.3. Average finish of 11.4.
· Four DNFs (did not finish) – October 2001, May 2008, May and October 2011.
· 7,865 of 8,118 laps completed (96.9 percent) and 1,439 laps led.
· Sprint Cup’s best driver rating (111.7 average of a possible 150 points).
· Sprint Cup’s best average running position – 7.9.
  Sprint Cup’s best in fastest laps run (544).
· Sprint Cup’s best in most laps in the top-15 with 4,932 (86.4 percent).
· Sprint Cup’s best green-flag speed of 176.653 mph.
· Sprint Cup’s second-best in quality passes with 825.

Driver, Team and Sponsor Notes

Lowe’s to Donate $1 Million To Help Communities Affected by Tornados

* Lowe’s announced it will donate $1 million to support disaster relief and rebuilding efforts in communities affected by the recent tornados in Oklahoma, Texas and across the Midwest. Lowe’s is working with its national nonprofit partners to provide both immediate and long-term support to local communities.

* As part of the $1 million pledge, Lowe’s will donate $500,000 to the American Red Cross and will match the earnings of five-time Sprint Cup champion Johnson from Sunday’s NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway with an additional donation to the Red Cross. Lowe’s will use the remainder of its $1 million commitment to fund local projects in areas of greatest need as identified by its national nonprofit partners.

* Johnson will drive the No. 48 Lowe’s “Patriotic” Chevrolet SS in Sunday’s 600-mile race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The car will be painted red, white and blue and ringed in stars.

* Lowe’s and its No. 48 team have a long history of supporting the military and honoring the nation over the years. In 2001,Johnson’s first Sprint Cup race came at Charlotte in the Lowe’s Chevrolet, which was specially painted to honor the country. In 2009, crew chief Chad Knaus helped create a patriotic-themed car that carried the names of more than 12,000 Lowe’s employees who are military veterans or reservists.

* Johnson will draw the final two charities, compiled from media submissions, for the Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope program Saturday at Charlotte. Ten charities – Against Abuse, Inc., Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Chelsea’s Hope, Me Fine Foundation, Denver Kids, Inc., Miracle League of Pensacola, International FOP Association, Inc., Ruth’s Reusable Resources, Peach’s Neet Feet and MISS Foundation – have been selected thus far.

* This year’s campaign began April 12 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and culminates at Charlotte. Johnson has drawn two charities each week for a total of 13 charities. At the kickoff announcement, Make-A-Wish Iowa was selected.

* The Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope program, which began in 2008, allows fans, consumers and media members across the country to nominate their favorite charity to receive a $10,000 grant, a Blue Bunny ice cream party, and special recognition on Johnson’s race helmet. Nominations are currently being accepted at www.HelmetOfHope.org.

* To date, the program has contributed more than $430,000 to 61 different charities.

JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES:,

Do you think your triathlon training will be an advantage for a long endurance race like the 600?
“Oh yeah, it all helps for sure from the physical side. I think the mental side of not feeling good and being uncomfortable for long periods of time is good. Then, nutrition and hydration – I feel like I’m a lot smarter now with nutrition and hydration than I was. My body is programmed to live in that environment and deal with those things. The 600 should be pretty good for me, fitness-wise.”

What are your thoughts on how the Chevrolet SS is going to perform for 600 miles in the longest race of the year?
“I think it’s proven to be a fun car to drive, a reliable car. I think some of the components on the car, like pieces of the body, are a little fragile, at times. So, on a short track, I’m most concerned that just casual contact will really create a problem. We won’t have that in the 600. I don’t know why I’m really bringing it up, other than the car is so durable. On short tracks, I have a little bit more concern about the Gen-6 car and being able to hurt it easier than you would expect to. On a bigger track like this, I don’t see any problems. The car has been very durable, very fun to drive and fast.”

Can you talk about it being the biggest day in motorsports with the running of the 600 and the Indianapolis 500?
“I think it’s a race fan’s ultimate day. I know there is always competition amongst NASCAR and IndyCar as to whose show is better, but just as a pure fan you’ve got six, seven hours of just racing that you get to watch. That is awesome. I always looked forward to Memorial Day weekend and Memorial Day watching both races.”

You are going to be running a special patriotic paint scheme for the second weekend in a row at Charlotte. What does that mean to you?
“I’m just the fortunate, lucky guy who gets to talk about what Lowe’s is doing. They want to pay tribute to the men and women who serve our country. I am so thankful they do. My grandparents served, my father served, so it’s part of the life I knew and grew up in, that environment. Happy to carry the colors on our car and hopefully take them to victory lane.”

- True Speed Communication for Team Lowe’s Racing

2013 Coca-Cola 600 Driver Chassis Selections: Kahne Bringing Solid Kansas Ride

Kasey Kahne using chassis this week that finished second at Kansas

#2-Brad Keselowski: Primary Chassis for the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte is PRS-843, which last raced at Auto Club Speedway and finished 23rd. The backup chassis is PRS-847 which has never been races but has been a backup at several races.

#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-793 for Sunday's 600-mile event at Charlotte. Kahne drove this car to a second-place finish at Kansas Speedway in April.

#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 DeWalt team has prepared chassis No. 847 for the Coca-Cola 600. The team brought this chassis to Texas Motor Speedway earlier this season. Ambrose drove the chassis to a third starting spot but a late race incident relegated the team to a 19th-place finish.

#10-Danica Patrick will pilot chassis 10-794 which is a new car that has not been on-track previously. It was tested in the wind tunnel May 1.

#15-Clint Bowyer: primary chassis No. 773 finished 18th in the Sprint All-Star Race. Backup chassis No. 724 served backup duty at Las Vegas, Fontana, Texas, Kansas, Darlington and the Sprint All-Star Race, but has yet to see the track this season. Bowyer will make his eighth start in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. In seven previous attempts Bowyer has one top-10 (seventh in 2010) and three top-15s. He led three laps in 2010. On average he starts 21st and finishes 21st.

#16-Greg Biffle: and the Matt Puccia led #16 Fastenal Ford team will bring primary chassis RK-849 was brand new when it hit the track in Texas and went on to earn Biffle's one top-five finish so far this season. Backup chassis is RK-803 which last ran Bristol and finished 11th. Biffle has 20 starts in the Cup series at Charlotte, but a win has eluded him. He has finished in the top-five five times and has eight top-10 finishes.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: and the #17 Fastenal Racing team will be using primary chassis RK-827 is the same chassis that the #17 team ran in Texas cutting a left rear tire early in the race resulting in a 40th-place finish. The backup Chassis RK-791 was a chassis that the #99 ran numerous times in 2012.

#21-Trevor Bayne: Crew chief Donnie Wingo also is hoping the weather works out in the team's favor, as he and driver Trevor Bayne are looking forward to getting the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion back into Sprint Cup action. "We're taking the same Ford Fusion we ran at Texas and Las Vegas," Wingo said. "It was our best chassis last year, and we've done a lot of work on it since."

#22-Joey Logano: Primary Chassis for the Coca Cola 600 race at Charlotte is PRS-854 which is a new chassis. Backup Chassis is PRS-844, which has been a backup in a few races, but not raced.

#27-Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 418 in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This #27 Menards / Serta Chevrolet SS raced at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this season. Menard has 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His best start of fifth and best finish of eighth both came in 2010. The Wisconsin native has completed 4,044 of 4,246 laps attempted (95.5 percent) at the 1.5-mile track.

#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot chassis No. 425 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Coca-Cola 600. This #29 Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet SS is new to the #29 team lineup and will make its first competitive laps this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This Sunday's race marks Harvick's 24th points-paying Sprint Cup Series start at the Concord, N.C.-based facility. In addition to his 2011 Coca-Cola 600 victory, the California native has collected two top-five and seven top-10 finishes, completed 97.3 percent of the laps contested and led six laps.

#31-Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 372 this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600. This #31 Cheerios Chevrolet was utilized earlier this season at Bristol Motor Speedway. The 2013 Coca-Cola 600 marks Burton's 39th start at the 1.5-mile facility and his 667th-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Burton notched his last Sprint Cup Series victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October 2008. Throughout the years, he has amassed three wins, eight top-five and 15 top-10 finishes at the track, leading 435 laps.

#39-Ryan Newman Chassis No. 39-748 will pilot Chassis No. 39-748 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in this weekend's Coca-Cola 600. This chassis debuted at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth last November, when Newman was able to overcome his starting position of 36th and a loose right-front wheel that dropped him from the top-10 to 25th with just 110 laps remaining to record a 12th-place finish. Since then, Chassis No. 39-748 was outfitted with a new front clip and a Chevrolet SS body, and saw its first laps of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season at Auto Club Speedway. There, Newman overcame a late-race pit road speeding penalty to finish 10th. Most recently, Newman raced this Chevrolet SS to another 10th-place finish at Texas last month.

#43-Aric Almirola:: The #43 Air Force has prepared chassis No. 848 for the Coca-Cola 600. Almirola drove the chassis at Kansas Speedway in April where he started eighth and finished sixth.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: will drive chassis No. 799, a new chassis, for the 600 Miler at Charlotte. Chassis No. 720 serves as the backup.

#55-Mark Martin: is running Chassis 765 which finished 14th at Texas with Martin behind wheel. Backup-720 has not raced.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.:crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 crew will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-726. Earnhardt most recently raced this chassis in April at Texas Motor Speedway, where he was the second-fastest Chevrolet SS to qualify. He started the event sixth.

#99-Carl Edwards the #99 Fastenal team will be bringing chassis RK 821 which ran last weekend at the All- Star race, where Edwards started from the pole. Backup chassis is RK 826 which was last used as a backup at Texas. Edwards enters the Coca-Cola 600 second in the series points' standings and will return to Charlotte Motor Speedway for his 17th Sprint Cup career start. In his previous starts, Edwards has five top-five and ten top-10 finishes. His average start is 18.2 and average finish is 12.0.

- compiled by Jayski.com

Fireball Roberts Among Five Voted into Class of 2014 NASCAR Hall of Fame

Fireball Roberts gets elected into the NASCAR Hall of Fame

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 22, 2013) – NASCAR announced today the inductees who will comprise the 2014 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The five-person group – the fifth in NASCAR Hall of Fame history – consists of Tim Flock, Jack Ingram, Dale Jarrett, Maurice Petty and Fireball Roberts. Next year’s Induction Day is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014, broadcast on Fox Sports 1 from Charlotte, N.C.

The 54-member NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel met today in a closed session in Charlotte, N.C., to vote on the induction class of 2014. NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France made the announcement this evening in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s “Great Hall.”

Next year’s class was determined by votes cast by the Voting Panel, which included representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, retired competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders and a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com – which counted for the 55th and final vote. The accounting firm of Ernst & Young presided over the tabulation of the votes.

Voting for next year’s class was as follows: Tim Flock (76%), Maurice Petty (67%), Dale Jarrett (56%), Jack Ingram (53%) and Fireball Roberts (51%).

The next top vote getters were Jerry Cook, Joe Weatherly and Wendell Scott.

Results for the NASCAR.com Fan Vote, in alphabetical order, were Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Dale Jarrett, Benny Parsons and Fireball Roberts.

The five inductees came from a group of 25 nominees that included:

Red Byron, Richard Childress, Jerry Cook, H. Clay Earles, Tim Flock, Ray Fox, Anne Bledsoe France, Rick Hendrick, Jack Ingram, Bobby Isaac, Dale Jarrett, Fred Lorenzen, Raymond Parks, Benny Parsons, Maurice Petty, Larry Phillips, Les Richter, Fireball Roberts, T. Wayne Robertson, Wendell Scott, Ralph Seagraves, O. Bruton Smith, Curtis Turner, Joe Weatherly and Rex White.

Class of 2014 Inductees:

Tim Flock
A two-time NASCAR premier series champion, Flock was one of the sport’s first dominant drivers. In 187 starts, Flock had 39 victories, a total that still ranks 18th on the all-time wins list. Flock won his first series title in 1952 while driving Ted Chester’s Hudson Hornet, and his second in 1955 driving Carl Kiekhaefer’s Chrysler. He dominated that season, posting 18 wins, 32 top fives and 18 poles in 39 races. Flock’s 18 wins stood as a single-season victory record until Richard Petty surpassed it with 27 wins in 1967.

Jack Ingram
The NASCAR Nationwide Series has had a variety of incarnations through the years but when considered collectively, an argument can be made that Jack Ingram is the series’ all-time greatest driver. Before the formation of the series, Ingram won three consecutive championships, from 1972-74, in its precursor – the Late Model Sportsman Division. When the NASCAR Busch Series was formed, he won the inaugural title in 1982 and again in ’85. In his 10 years of competition in what was called the NASCAR Busch Series, Ingram had 31 wins, a record that stood until Mark Martin broke it in 1997. All but two of Ingram’s 31 wins came on short tracks.

Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett personified big-stage performances. A three-time Daytona 500 winner and two-time winner of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jarrett excelled under NASCAR’s brightest spotlights. His 32 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories – 21st all-time – also include the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jarrett won the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, and recorded six additional top-five championship finishes. With father Ned, the Jarretts are only the second father-son combination with NASCAR premier series championships after NASCAR Hall of Famers Lee and Richard Petty. Ned Jarrett was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in May 2011. Ned and Dale Jarrett become the third father-son duo selected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, following Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr., and Lee and Richard Petty.

Maurice Petty
The chief engine builder at Petty Enterprises, Maurice Petty becomes the fourth member of the dynasty to be chosen for membership in the NASCAR Hall of Fame – following his older brother Richard, father Lee and his cousin Dale Inman. The man simply called “Chief” supplied the horsepower that propelled Richard Petty to a majority of his record 200 NASCAR victories, plus his seven NASCAR premier series championships and seven Daytona 500 victories. Lee Petty, Buddy Baker, Jim Paschal and Pete Hamilton were also among those who won with his engines. Petty had a brief driving career – 26 premier series races with seven top-five and 16 top-10 finishes between 1960 and 1964 – but was satisfied to work behind the scenes as one of the top engine builders ever seen in the sport.

Fireball Roberts
Glenn Roberts, who got his legendary nickname from his days as a hard-throwing pitcher in high school, is perhaps the greatest driver never to win a NASCAR title. He was arguably stock car racing’s first superstar, an immensely popular prototype for some of today’s competitors who are stars on and off the track. During his career he often came up big in the biggest events, winning the Daytona 500 in 1962 and the Southern 500 in 1958 and ’63. Overall, he won seven races at Daytona International Speedway, starting with the Firecracker 250 in the summer of 1959 – the year the speedway opened.

About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, one local grassroots series, three international series and GRAND-AM Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, both known for competition on road courses. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information, visit www.nascar.com and follow NASCAR at www.facebook.com/NASCAR and Twitter: @NASCAR.

About the NASCAR Hall of Fame
Conveniently located in Uptown Charlotte, N.C., the 150,000-square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive, entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, opened May 11, 2010, and includes artifacts, hands-on exhibits, 278-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop and NASCAR Media Group-operated broadcast studio. The venue is open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. seven days a week and has an attached parking garage on Brevard Street. The five-acre site also includes a privately developed 19-story office tower and 102,000-square-foot expansion to the Charlotte Convention Center, highlighted by a 40,000 square-foot ballroom. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.www.nascarhall.com

- NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications

2013 Coca-Cola 600 Storylines

Kyle Busch looking for his first Charlotte win Sunday 

Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 will be as different as night and day.

That’s because the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ longest – and, perhaps, most grueling – event begins in the late afternoon heat and ends in darkness. The 600-mile race comprised of 400 laps around Charlotte Motor Speedway’s 1.5-mile layout is an exercise in strategy.

Run fast enough to keep track position when the sun shines but be able to adjust when night falls. The extra 100 miles is taxing on both engines and driver concentration.

Kasey Kahne and his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team stood tall a year ago. Kahne won the Coca-Cola 600 for the third time, matching the 600 records of teammates Jimmie Johnson (2003-04-05) and Jeff Gordon (1994, 1997-98). Hendrick is Charlotte’s defining organization with 17 points-paying victories – more than twice the number of its closest pursuers.

Johnson rides into 600 week savoring his record fourth NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race victory. He, along with Kahne, is an obvious favorite but Kyle Busch – who never has won at Charlotte – captured two of the first four All-Star Race segments and can’t be discounted.

Sprint Cup champions have ruled the Coca-Cola 600 for two decades. One notable non-winner is three-time titleholder Tony Stewart, who has managed just a single top-10 finish in his eight most recent Coca-Cola 600 starts. Stewart, outside the top 20 in current points standings, needs a victory to kick his season into a higher gear.

The Coca-Cola 600 isn’t without first-time winners. NASCAR Hall of Fame member David Pearson was the first in 1961. Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Bobby Labonte also minted first victories in the season’s longest race. So did Casey Mears and David Reutimann.

Saturday’s History 300 marks the beginning of NASCAR Nationwide Series races on 21 consecutive weekends. Elliott Sadler, who made the move to Joe Gibbs Racing to enhance his championship hopes, looks to burnish a solid Charlotte Motor Speedway resume that contains a Coors Light Pole and four top-five and five top-10 finishes. Sadler ranks third, 42 points behind leader Regan Smith.

The series’ two leading Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman, will race at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the first time. They stand 10th and ninth in overall Nationwide standings, respectively.

After Kyle Busch won at Charlotte Motor Speedway to complete the 2013 NASCAR national series trifecta, NASCAR Camping World Truck teams take a one-week break before moving to Dover International Speedway for the May 31 Lucas Oil 200. Matt Crafton continues as the points leader.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES – COCA-COLA 600, SUNDAY, MAY 26, 6 P.M. EDT ON SPEED

Defending Winner Kahne Chasing Fourth Coca-Cola 600 Victory
The defending winner of the Coca-Cola 600, Kasey Kahne looks for his fourth victory in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing’s longest race. Kahne’s Charlotte statistics are impressive: four victories overall, a sweep of spring/fall races in 2006 and leader of six of the nine Coca-Cola 600 events in which he’s competed. Kahne ranks sixth in series points standings with a victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. He finished fourth in Saturday’s night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

Johnson-Busch Battle Seems Likely In NASCAR’s Longest Race
Consider Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race a preview of Coca-Cola 600 things to come – a battle between a champion whose Charlotte dominance is unquestioned and another who’s red-hot in 2013 but has yet to win at the 1.5-mile speedway. Jimmie Johnson, a three-time 600 winner, won his record fourth All-Star Race. Kyle Busch, whose Charlotte Driver Rating of 107.7 ranks second only to Johnson’s 111.7, was the third-place All-Star finisher after winning two of the four 20-lap segments. Busch finished third in last year’s 600.

Coca-Cola 600 Favors Sprint Cup Champions
Charlotte’s Coca-Cola 600 is a race for champions. All but three NASCAR Sprint Cup titleholders from 1993 through the present have a least one victory in the season’s longest race. Among the missing – surprisingly – is three-time champion Tony Stewart, whose only Charlotte victory came in the track’s 2003 fall race. Stewart has just one Coca-Cola 600 top-10 finish – sixth in 2007 – in his most recent eight races. His best finish, third, came in 2001. Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski also searches for his first Coca-Cola 600 victory. Keselowski finished fifth a year ago in his third 600 start. Terry Labonte, the 1996 series champion, is the third. He won the fall 1996 race at Charlotte, but never the 600-miler.

Gordon’s March Into Sprint Cup History Began With 600 Victory
Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 is a special for Jeff Gordon. This year’s marks the 20th anniversary of his first Coca-Cola 600 start in 1993 (he finished second to Dale Earnhardt). Gordon recorded the first of his 87 NASCAR Sprint Cup victories in the following year’s race. He won back-to-back races in 1997-98 – the most recent seasons in which the Coca-Cola 600 winner also was the Sprint Cup champion.

Several Past Coca-Cola 600 Winners Nabbed First Sprint Cup Victory
Gordon isn’t the only Coca-Cola 600 starter to win for the first time in Charlotte’s spring race. The list of current drivers includes Sprint Cup champions Matt Kenseth (2000) and Bobby Labonte (1995); and Casey Mears (2007) and David Reutimann (2009). NASCAR Hall of Fame member David Pearson scored the first of his 105 Sprint Cup victories in the second running of the Coca-Cola 600 in 1961. Jamie McMurray’s first Sprint Cup victory came in Charlotte’s 2002 fall race.

Pole Winners Most Have Struck Out In Recent 600s
A Coors Light Pole will get a driver attention – and a spot in next year’s Sprint Unlimited at Daytona – but it’s hardly a ticket to the Coca-Cola 600’s Victory Lane. Beginning in 1998 just two pole winners – Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson (2004) have won the 600. Other winners have come from throughout the starting field including Johnson’s all-time deepest-in-the-field start of 37th in 2003.

- NASCAR Media Services

Charlotte Track Facts: 2013 Coca-Cola 600

Jimmie Johnson has won six times at Charlotte Motor Speedway

At Charlotte Motor Speedway:

History

·         Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1959.

·         The track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 19, 1960 – won by Joe Lee Johnson.

·         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.

Notebook

·         There have been 108 NASCAR Sprint 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).

·         517 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying race at Charlotte Motor Speedway; 364 in more than one.

·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Charlotte with 64. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 57 starts; followed by Mark Martin with 56.

·         Fireball Roberts won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Charlotte in 1960 with a speed of 133.904 mph.

·         41 drivers have Coors Light poles at Charlotte, led by David Pearson with 14. Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in poles, with nine, followed by Jeff Gordon with eight.

·         12 drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Charlotte. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Charlotte with 11; from the fall of 1973 through 1978.

·         Jeff Gordon won five straight poles for the spring races at Charlotte between 1994 and 1998.

·         Youngest Charlotte pole winner: Jeff Gordon (10/10/1993 – 22 years, 2 months, 6 days).

·         Oldest Charlotte pole winner: Bobby Allison (10/11/1987 – 49 years, 10 months, 8 days).

·         45 different drivers have won at Charlotte Motor Speedway, led by Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison and Jimmie Johnson with six wins each.

·         Nine drivers have posted consecutive wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including three consecutive by Fred Lorenzen (fall 1964 and both 1965) and four straight by Jimmie Johnson (both in 2004 and 2005).

·         A season sweep at Charlotte has occurred eight times, including each season from 2004-2007.

·         Seven times from seven different drivers has the winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race gone on to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Davey Allison (1991), Dale Earnhardt(1993), Jeff Gordon (1997), Jimmie Johnson (2003), Kasey Kahne (2008) and Kurt Busch (2010).

·         Youngest Charlotte winner: Jeff Gordon (5/29/1994 – 22 years, 9 months, 25 days).

·         Oldest Charlotte winner: Cale Yarborough (10/6/1985 – 46 years, 6 months, 9 days).

·         Hendrick Motorsportshas the most wins at Charlotte in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 17: Jimmie Johnson (six), Jeff Gordon (five), Darrell Waltrip (two), Ken Schrader (one), Terry Labonte (one), Casey Mears (one) and Kasey Kahne (one).  

·         Eight different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Charlotte; led by Chevrolet with 40 victories; followed byFord with 28.

·         14 of the 108 (12.9%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Charlotte have been won from the Coors Light pole; the two most recent were Jimmie Johnson in 2004 and 2009.

·         The second-place starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (17) than any other starting position at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

·         31 of the 108 (28.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Charlotte have been won from the front row: 14 from the pole and 17 from second-place.

·         83 of the 108 (76.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Charlotte have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Eight of the 108 (7.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Charlotte have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Charlotte was 37th, by Jimmie Johnson in the Coca-Cola 600 of 2003.

·         Richard Petty leads the series in runner-up finishes at Charlotte with nine. Bobby Labonte leads all active drivers in second-place finishes at Charlotte with six; followed by Matt Kenseth with three.

·         NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison are tied for the series’ most top-five finishes at Charlotte with 23. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 18, followed by Jeff Gordon with 16.

·         Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Charlotte with 31. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 24.

·         Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Charlotte with a 6.917.

·         Joey Logano leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Charlotte with a 10.125.

·         14 of the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners at Charlotte Motor Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Jamie McMurray won in his first appearance at Charlotte Motor Speedway.Jeff Gordon won in his second appearance at CMS.     

·         Terry Labonte competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway 36 times before winning in the fall of 1996; the longest span of any the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners.

·         Among the 16 active NSCS Charlotte winners Bobby Labonte (36), Kevin Harvick (20), Kurt Busch (19), Mark Martin (15), Clint Bowyer (13), Ken Schrader (10) and Jeff Burton (10) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win.

·         Joe Nemechek leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Charlotte without visiting Victory Lane at 33; followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 26.

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte was the May 29, 2005 race won by Jimmie Johnson over Bobby Labonte with an MOV of 0.027 second.

·         There have been three NASCAR Sprint Cup races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but only once for the Coca-Cola 600 (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): fall of 2005 (334/336), fall of 2007 (334/337) and the 2011 Coca-Cola 600 (400/402).

·         Five of the 108 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 won by David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip Racing. Four of the five races shortened were the 600-mile events (1968, 1997, 2003 and 2009).   

·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte twice; the fall race of 2002 and the fall race of 2008.

·         Seven NASCAR Sprint Cup active drivers have made their first career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway:Michael Waltrip (5/26/85), Elliott Sadler (5/24/98), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5/30/99), Jimmie Johnson (10/7/01),Brian Vickers (10/11/03), David Reutimann (10/15/05) and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (5/29/11).

·         Four active drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Jeff Gordon (10/10/93), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5/28/00), Ryan Newman (5/27/01) and Aric Almirola(5/27/12). Almirola’s pole last season was the first time since May 22, 1966 that the No. 43 car had won the Coors Light pole at CMS.

·         Six active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers have posted their first career win at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Jeff Gordon (5/29/94), Bobby Labonte (5/28/95), Matt Kenseth (5/28/00), Jamie McMurray (10/13/02), Casey Mears (5/27/07) and David Reutimann (5/25/09).

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Charlotte with 1,439 laps led in 23 starts. 826 of Johnson’s 1,439 laps led at CMS were in the Coca-Cola 600; the most of any active NSCS driver.

Charlotte Motor Speedway Data

Season Race #: 12 of 36 (5-26-13)

Track Size: 1.5-miles

Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 24 degrees

Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 24 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees

Frontstretch Length: 1,980 feet

Backstretch Length: 1,500 feet

Race Length: 400 laps / 600 miles

Top 12 Driver Rating at Charlotte
Jimmie Johnson	111.7
Kyle Busch	107.7
Kasey Kahne	98.0
Matt Kenseth	94.4
Greg Biffle	94.1
Denny Hamlin	92.1
Carl Edwards	89.0
Joey Logano	88.4
Mark Martin	88.2
Jeff Gordon	87.3
Aric Almirola	84.8
Tony Stewart	83.4

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (16 total) among active drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner:

Aric Almirola, Ford, 192.940 mph, 27.988 secs. 05-25-12

 

2012 race winner:

Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 155.687 mph, (03:51:14), 5-27-12

 

Track qualifying record:

Greg Biffle, Ford, 193.708 mph, 27.877 secs. 10-11-12

 

Track race record:

Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 155.687 mph, (03:51:14), 5-27-12

 

·         Two female drivers have competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.

Date	Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Race Name
5/27/2012	Danica Patrick	40	30	Coca-Cola 600
10/8/1978	Janet Guthrie	31	35	NAPA National 500
10/9/1977	Janet Guthrie	27	9	NAPA National 500
10/10/1976	Janet Guthrie	26	22	National 500
5/30/1976	Janet Guthrie	27	15	World 600

NASCAR in North Carolina

·         There have been 516 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in North Carolina.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Charlotte Motor Speedway	Concord	108
North Wilkesboro Speedway	North Wilkesboro	93
Rockingham Speedway	Rockingham	78
Hickory Speedway	Hickory	35
Asheville-Weaverville Speedway	Weaverville	34
Occoneechee Speedway	Hillsboro	32
Bowman-Gray Stadium	Winston-Salem	29
Southern States Fairgrounds	Charlotte	17
Charlotte Speedway	Charlotte	12
Concord Speedway	Concord	12
Wilson Speedway	Wilson	12
New Asheville Speedway	Asheville	8
Dog Track Speedway	Moyock	7
Raleigh Speedway	Raleigh	7
Cleveland County Fairgrounds	Shelby	6
Champion Speedway	Fayetteville	4
Greensboro Agriculture Fairgrounds	Greensboro	3
North Carolina State Fairgrounds	Raleigh	3
Tar Heel Speedway	Randleman	3
Forsyth County Fairgrounds	Winston-Salem	2
Harris Speedway	Harris	2
Jacksonville Speedway	Jacksonville	2
Tri-City Speedway	High Point	2
Gastonia Fairgrounds	Gastonia	1
Harnett Speedway	Spring Lake	1
McCormick Field	Asheville	1
Salisbury Super Speedway	Salisbury	1
Star Lite Speedway	Monroe	1

NASCAR in North Carolina

·         428 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as North Carolina.

·         46 drivers from North Carolina have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; 28 have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Richard Petty	200	0	0
Dale Earnhardt	76	21	0
Lee Petty	54	0	0
Ned Jarrett	50	0	0
Junior Johnson	50	0	0
Herb Thomas	48	0	0
Buck Baker	46	0	0
Bobby Isaac	37	0	0
Dale Jarrett	32	11	0
Jim Paschal	25	0	0
Benny Parsons	21	0	0
Speedy Thompson	20	0	0
Buddy Baker	19	0	0
Dale Earnhardt Jr	19	23	0
Harry Gant	18	21	0
Bob Welborn	9	0	0
Kyle Petty	8	0	0
Morgan Shepherd	4	15	0
Bill Blair	3	0	0
Gwyn Staley	3	0	0
Billy Myers	2	0	0
Jimmy Pardue	2	0	0
Brian Vickers	2	3	0
Richard Brickhouse	1	0	0
Phil Parsons	1	2	0
Leon Sales	1	0	0
Buddy Shuman	1	0	0
Donald Thomas	1	0	0
Jack Ingram	0	31	0
Tommy Houston	0	24	0
Sam Ard	0	22	0
Robert Pressley	0	10	2
Scott Riggs	0	4	5
Austin Dillon	0	2	4
Hank Parker Jr	0	2	0
Johnny Rumley	0	2	0
Dennis Setzer	0	2	18
Ed Berrier	0	1	0
Justin Labonte	0	1	0
Stephen Leicht	0	1	0
Timothy Peters	0	0	5
Andy Houston	0	0	3
Ryan Blaney	0	0	1
Ty Dillon	0	0	1
Ricky Hendrick	0	0	1
Shane Hmiel	0	0	1