Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Charlotte Motor Speedway Track Facts: 2016 Coca-Cola 600

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2016 Top 16 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Rank
Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
 
 
1
Kevin Harvick
30
0
3
6
13
1
15.1
87.7
 
2
Kyle Busch
24
2
0
10
14
5
15.1
106.1
 
3
Kurt Busch
31
0
1
7
9
4
18.6
87.2
 
4
Carl Edwards
22
0
1
7
15
1
10.5
90.8
 
5
Jimmie Johnson
29
4
7
13
17
5
13.3
109.0
 
6
Brad Keselowski
13
1
1
2
5
1
14.5
87.8
 
7
Chase Elliott
1
0
0
0
0
0
18
66.5
 
8
Joey Logano
14
0
1
5
8
0
9.6
93.6
 
9
Martin Truex Jr
21
0
0
2
6
0
17.1
81.1
 
10
Austin Dillon
4
0
0
0
1
0
13
85.3
 
11
Dale Earnhardt Jr
32
1
0
6
12
4
19.2
81.9
 
12
Matt Kenseth
33
2
2
10
17
6
14.2
95.5
 
13
Denny Hamlin
21
1
0
5
13
1
12.8
94.9
 
14
Jamie McMurray
27
0
2
7
10
3
16.5
79.0
 
15
Ryan Blaney
2
0
0
0
0
1
28
76.7
 
16
AJ Allmendinger
16
0
0
1
2
1
22
66.4
 
* – Based on last 21 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway (2005 – 2015).

Charlotte Motor Speedway Data
Season Race #: 13 of 36 (05-29-16)
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 10 Driver Ratings at Charlotte
Jimmie Johnson........................ 109.0
Kyle Busch............................... 106.1
Kasey Kahne.............................. 97.4
Matt Kenseth.............................. 95.5
Denny Hamlin............................. 94.9
Joey Logano.............................. 93.6
Carl Edwards.............................. 90.8
Greg Biffle.................................. 88.0
Brad Keselowski......................... 87.8
Kevin Harvick.............................. 87.7
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2015 races (21 total) among active drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Qualifying/Race Data
2015 pole winner:
Matt Kenseth, Toyota
194.252 mph, 27.799 secs. 05-22-15

2015 race winner:
Carl Edwards, Toyota
147.803 mph, (04:03:34), 05-24-15

Track qualifying record:
Kurt Busch, Chevrolet
198.771 mph, 27.167 secs. 10-09-14

Track race (600 miles) record:
Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet
155.687 mph, (03:51:14), 05-27-12

At Charlotte Motor Speedway:
History
·         Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) 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.
·         There have been 114 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).
Starts
·         532 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying race at Charlotte Motor Speedway; 382 in more than one.
·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Charlotte with 64.
·         Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart lead all active drivers in NSCS starts at Charlotte with 33 each.
·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Charlotte with a 7.793.
·         65 drivers in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history have made their first series career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
·         Five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series active drivers have made their first career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway:Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5/30/99), Jimmie Johnson (10/7/01), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (5/29/11), Brian Scott(10/12/13) and Kyle Larson (10/12/13).
Poles
·         Fireball Roberts won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway (World 600) in 1960 with a speed of 133.904 mph.  

Poles
·         43 drivers have Coors Light poles at Charlotte, led by David Pearson with 14. Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in poles at CMS with nine; followed by Jimmie Johnson with four.
·         13 drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Charlotte. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Charlotte with 11 straight from the fall of 1973 through 1978 – Matt Kenseth swept the poles in Charlotte last season.
·         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).
·         Eight drivers have posted their first career NSCS pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Donnie Allison(5/26/1968), Brett Bodine (10/7/1990), Jeff Gordon (10/10/1993), Ward Burton (10/9/1994), Derrike Cope(10/4/1998); including three active drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5/28/2000), Ryan Newman (5/27/2001) and Aric Almirola (5/27/2012).
Wins
·        
Coca-Cola 600 Active Winners
Active Winners
Coca-Cola 600 Wins
Jimmie Johnson
4
Kasey Kahne
3
Kevin Harvick
2
Carl Edwards
1
Casey Mears
1
Kurt Busch
1
Matt Kenseth
1

48 different drivers have won at Charlotte Motor Speedway, led by Jimmie Johnson with seven wins.  

·         Youngest Charlotte winner: Jeff Gordon (05/29/1994 – 22 years, 9 months, 25 days).
·         Oldest Charlotte winner: Cale Yarborough (10/06/1985 – 46 years, 6 months, 9 days).
·         Nine drivers have posted their first career NSCS win at Charlotte: David Pearson (5/28/1961), Buddy Baker(10/15/1967), Charlie Glotzbach (10/20/1968), Jeff Gordon (5/29/1994), Bobby Labonte (5/28/1995), Matt Kenseth (5/28/2000), Jamie McMurray (10/13/2002), Casey Mears (5/27/2007) and David Reutimann(5/25/2009).
·         Nine drivers have posted consecutive wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including three consecutive by NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen (fall 1964 and both 1965) and four-straight by Jimmie Johnson (2004 and 2005 sweeps).
·         A season sweep at Charlotte has occurred eight times, including each season from 2004-2007.
·         Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Charlotte in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 18: Jimmie Johnson (seven), 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 43 victories; followed by Ford (30), Dodge (15), Pontiac (8), Mercury (7), Buick (4), Plymouth (4) and Toyota (3).
·         15 of the 114 (13.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Charlotte have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Jimmie Johnson in 2014 (Coca-Cola 600).
·         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.    
 
Wins
·         32 of the 114 (28.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Charlotte have been won from the front row: 15 from the pole and 17 from second-place.
·         87 of the 114 (76.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Charlotte have been won from a top-10 starting position.
·         Nine of the 114 (7.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 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 is 37th, by Jimmie Johnson in the Coca-Cola 600 of 2003.
·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Charlotte without visiting Victory Lane at 32; followed by Ryan Newman with 30.
Additional Finishing Positions
·         Richard Petty leads the series in runner-up finishes at Charlotte with nine. Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick andMatt Kenseth lead all active drivers with three each.
·         NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison are tied for the series most top-five finishes at Charlotte with 23 each. Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with 13; followed by Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth with 10 each.  
·         Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Charlotte with 31. Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth lead all active drivers with 17 each.   
·         Joey Logano leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Charlotte with a 9.571.
Track / Event Specific Stats
·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the May 29, 2005 race won by Jimmie Johnson over Bobby Labonte with a MOV of 0.027 second.
·         There have been three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 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 114 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 Motor Speedway twice; the fall race of 2002 and the fall race of 2008.   
·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Charlotte with 1,735 laps led in 29 starts.

Female Competitor Stats
·         Two female drivers have competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Date
Driver Rating
Danica Patrick
24
19
10/11/2015
61.7
Danica Patrick
20
22
5/24/2015
58.4
Danica Patrick
14
26
10/11/2014
61.8
Danica Patrick
4
39
5/25/2014
63.5
Danica Patrick
35
20
10/12/2013
55.2
Danica Patrick
24
29
5/26/2013
49.1
Danica Patrick
40
30
5/27/2012
42.9
Averages
23.0
26.4

56.1
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Date
 
Janet Guthrie
31
35
10/8/1978
 
Janet Guthrie
27
9
10/9/1977
 
Janet Guthrie
26
22
10/10/1976
 
Janet Guthrie
27
15
5/30/1976
 
Averages
27.8
20.3

 

NASCAR in North Carolina
·         There have been 522 NASCAR Sprint Cup races among 28 tracks in North Carolina.
Track Name
City
NSCS
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord
114
North Wilkesboro Speedway
North
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

North Carolina Drivers In NASCAR
·         436 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as North Carolina.
·         49 drivers from North Carolina have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; 29 have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Driver
NSCS
NXS
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
Rex White
28
0
0
Dale Earnhardt Jr
26
24
0
Jim Paschal
25
0
0
Benny Parsons
21
0
0
Speedy Thompson
20
0
0
Buddy Baker
19
0
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
Brian Vickers
3
3
0
Billy Myers
2
0
0
Jimmy Pardue
2
0
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
Austin Dillon
0
7
7
Ryan Blaney
0
4
4
Scott Riggs
0
4
5
Hank Parker Jr
0
2
0
Johnny Rumley
0
2
0
Dennis Setzer
0
2
18
Ed Berrier
0
1
0
Ty Dillon
0
1
3
Justin Labonte
0
1
0
Stephen Leicht
0
1
0
Timothy Peters
0
0
10
Andy Houston
0
0
3
John Hunter Nemechek
0
0
2
William Byron
0
0
1
Ricky Hendrick
0
0
1
Shane Hmiel
0
0
1

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Milestones
    
Drivers
Has
Needs
Milestones
Tony Stewart
48
1
Break the tie with Herb Thomas to become solely 13th on all-time wins list
Kyle Busch
37
1
Break tie with Bobby Isaac and Matt Kenseth to become solely 19th on all-time wins list
Matt Kenseth
37
1
Break tie with Bobby Isaac and Kyle Busch to become solely 19th on all-time wins list
Kevin Harvick
32
1
Tie Fireball Roberts for 22nd on all-time wins list
Denny Hamlin
27
1
Tie Rex White for 25th on all-time wins list
Kurt Busch
27
1
Tie Rex White for 25th on all-time wins list
Carl Edwards
27
1
Tie Rex White for 25th on all-time wins list
Jimmie Johnson
34
1
Tie Ned Jarrett for 19th on all-time poles list
Kasey Kahne
27
1
Break tie with Terry Labonte to become solely 25th on all-time poles list
Denny Hamlin
23
1
Tie Alan Kulwicki for 28th on all-time poles list
Kevin Harvick
46
1
Break the tie with Jimmie Johnson for 10th on all-time 2nd-place finishes list
Tony Stewart
182
1
Break the tie with Terry Labonte to become solely 17th on all-time top-five finishes list
Jimmie Johnson
320
1
Break the tie with Bill Elliott to become solely 13th on all-time top-10 finishes list
Tony Stewart
301
1
Break the tie with James Hylton to become solely 17th on all-time top-10 finishes list
Jimmie Johnson
17,924
76
To become ninth NSCS driver all-time to lead 18,000 laps
Tony Stewart
12,795
205
To become 11th NSCS driver all-time to lead 13,000 laps
Kyle Busch
11,657
343
To become 14th NSCS driver all-time to lead 12,000 laps
Matt Kenseth
10,780
220
To become 16th NSCS driver all-time to lead 11,000 laps
Kurt Busch
8,812
188
To become 20th NSCS driver all-time to lead 9,000 laps
    
Track Specific Milestones

   
Drivers
Has
Needs
Milestones
Ryan Newman
9
1
Break tie with Jeff Gordon (9) for the second-most NSCS poles at Charlotte all-time


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