Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Daytona International Speedway Track Facts: 2018 Daytona 500


Ford has won past three races at Daytona. 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2018) – Below is a statistical look at some of the top performers at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida including both the Daytona 500 and the annual July race:

Daytona International Speedway Data
Race #: 1 of 36 (2-18-18)
Track Size: 2.5 miles
Banking/Corners: 31 degrees
Banking/Straights: 3 degrees
Banking/Tri-Oval: 18 degrees

Total Race Length: 500 miles (200 laps)
Stage 1 Length: 150 miles (60 laps)
Stage 2 Length: 150 miles (60 laps)
Final Stage Length: 200 miles (80 laps)


Top 10 Driver Ratings at Daytona
Kyle Busch                   93.4     
Kurt Busch                    90.0
Denny Hamlin               89.0
Jimmie Johnson            87.6
Joey Logano                 86.4
Ryan Blaney                 84.3
Kevin Harvick               82.7
Kasey Kahne                82.5
Jamie McMurray           80.6
Brad Keselowski           80.5
Note: Driver Ratings are compiled from 2005-2017 races (25 total) at Daytona (active drivers only).

Daytona 500 Tidbits
·        The 2018 edition will be the 60th running of the Daytona 500.
·        Although the first Daytona 500 was held in 1959, it has been the season-opener only since 1982.


Starts
·        542 drivers have competed in at least one Daytona 500; 325 in more than one.
·        Dave Marcis leads the series all-time in Daytona 500 starts with 33; followed by NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty (32) and Terry Labonte (32).
·        Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch lead all active MENCS drivers in Daytona 500 starts with 16 each.
·        Chase Elliott leads the series among active drivers with more than one start in the Daytona 500 in average starting position (4.0).
·        12 different manufacturers have made at least one start in the Daytona 500: Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Toyota, Plymouth, Mercury, Chrysler, American Motors Company and Studebaker


Poles
·        41 different drivers have won a pole for the Daytona 500; led by Bill Elliott, Cale Yarborough and Buddy Baker with four each. Alex Bowman won the pole for 2018 Daytona 500.

·        Only 10 drivers have posted more than one pole for the Daytona 500; Jimmie Johnson (two) and Chase Elliott (two) are the only active drivers with more than one Daytona 500 pole.
·        Chase Elliott became the youngest Daytona 500 pole winner at the age of 20 years, 2 months, 17 days with his pole in 2016.
·        Hendrick Motorsports has won 12 Daytona 500 poles, the series most: Ken Schrader (1988, 1989, 1990), Jeff Gordon (1999, 2015), Jimmie Johnson (2002, 2008), Mark Martin (2010), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2011), Chase Elliott (2016, 2017) and Alex Bowman (2018).
·        Seven different manufacturers have won the pole for the Daytona 500, led by Chevrolet with 26; followed by Ford (12), Pontiac (eight), Mercury (five), Dodge (four), Oldsmobile (three), Plymouth (two).


Wins
·        38 different Monster Energy Series drivers have won a Daytona 500.
·        Lee Petty won the inaugural Daytona 500 on Feb. 22, 1959; he led 38 laps and won by 2 feet.
·        Youngest Daytona 500 winner: Trevor Bayne (02/20/2011 - 20 years, 0 months, 1 days)
·        Oldest Daytona 500 winner: Bobby Allison (02/14/1988 - 50 years, 2 months, 11 days)
·        Nine different manufacturers have won the Daytona 500, led by Chevrolet with 23 victories; followed by Ford (15), Dodge (four), Plymouth (four), Buick (three), Mercury (three), Oldsmobile (three), Pontiac (three) and Toyota (one).
·        Seven drivers posted their career-first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory with a win in the Daytona 500.
Drivers
Seasons
Tiny Lund
1963
Mario Andretti
1967
Pete Hamilton
1970
Derrike Cope
1990
Sterling Marlin
1994
Michael Waltrip
2001
Trevor Bayne
2011


·        Three other drivers posted their career-first victory in (points-paying) qualifying races: Johnny Rutherford (1963), Bobby Isaac (1964) and Earl Balmer (1966).
·        Lee Petty, who won the inaugural Daytona 500, and Trevor Bayne, 2011 Daytona 500 champion, are the only two drivers to win the Daytona 500 in their first appearance.


·        11 drivers have won more than one Daytona 500, led by Richard Petty with seven victories.

No. of Wins
Drivers
Seasons






7
Richard Petty
1964
1966
1971
1973
1974
1979
1981
4
Cale Yarborough
1968
1977
1983
1984



3
Bobby Allison
1978
1982
1988
    
3
Dale Jarrett
1993
1996
2000




3
Jeff Gordon
1997
1999
2005
    
2
Bill Elliott
1985
1987





2
Sterling Marlin
1994
1995
     
2
Michael Waltrip
2001
2003





2
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2004
2014
     
2
Jimmie Johnson
2006
2013





2
Matt Kenseth
2009
2012
     

·        A driver has won back-to-back Daytona 500s three times. Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95).

·        The Daytona 500 has been won from the pole position nine times; Bill Elliott (1985, 1987) and Cale Yarborough (1968, 1984) are the only two drivers to accomplish the feat more than once. Dale Jarrett was the most recent driver to win from the pole in 2000.
Season
Driver
1962
Fireball Roberts
1966
Richard Petty
1968
Cale Yarborough
1980
Buddy Baker
1984
Cale Yarborough
1985
Bill Elliott
1987
Bill Elliott
1999
Jeff Gordon
2000
Dale Jarrett

·        The pole position is the most proficient starting position in the Daytona 500 field, producing more winners (nine) than any other position; followed by second-place (seven wins) and fourth-place (seven wins).
·        16 of the 59 Daytona 500s (27.1%) have been won from the front row; nine from the pole position and seven from the second-place position.
·        28 of the 59 Daytona 500s (47.4%) have been won from a top five starting position.
·        43 of the 59 Daytona 500s (72.9%) have been won from a top 10 starting position
·        Five of the 59 Daytona 500s (.08%) have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
·        Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500 from the 39th starting position in 2009, the deepest a race winner has started.

·        Five reigning Monster Energy Cup Series champions have gone on to win the Daytona 500 the season after winning the championship: Lee Petty (1959), Richard Petty (1973), Cale Yarborough (1977), Jeff Gordon (1999) and Dale Jarrett (2000).

Five Drivers Have Won the Daytona 500 and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship
In The Same Season
Drivers
Seasons



Richard Petty
1964
1971
1974
1979
Jimmie Johnson
2006
2013
  
Lee Petty
1959
   
Cale Yarborough
1977
   
Jeff Gordon
1997
   

·        A driver has swept both the Daytona 500 and the July race only five times at Daytona International Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (2013), Bobby Allison (1982), LeeRoy Yarborough (1969), Cale Yarborough (1968) and Fireball Roberts (1962).
·        Eight drivers made 10 or more attempts before their first Daytona 500 victory: Dale Earnhardt (19), Buddy Baker (18), Kurt Busch (16), Darrell Waltrip (16), Bobby Allison (14), Michael Waltrip (14) and Sterling Marlin (12) and Denny Hamlin (11).
·        The driver with the all-time most Daytona 500 starts without a victory is Dave Marcis with 33 races; Kasey Kahne (14) leads all active drivers with the most Daytona 500 starts without a win.  

·        Drivers who have won the Daytona 500 in more than one car manufacturer:
Driver – Manufacturer (Number of wins in that manufacturer)
o   Richard Petty – Plymouth (3), Dodge (2), Oldsmobile (1) and Buick (1)
o   Cale Yarborough – Chevrolet (2), Mercury (1) and Pontiac (1)
o   Bobby Allison – Buick (2) and Ford (1)
o   Dale Jarrett – Ford (2) and Chevrolet (1)

·        Drivers who have won The Clash and the Daytona 500 in the same season:
Driver – (Year)
o   Bobby Allison (1982)
o   Bill Elliott (1987)
o   Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000)
o   Jeff Gordon (1997)
o   Denny Hamlin (2016)

·        Car Numbers that have produced three or more Daytona 500 victories:
Car Number – Drivers – (Years)
o   No. 43 – Richard Petty (1964, ’66, ’71, ’73, ’74, ’79, ‘81)
o   No. 21 – Tiny Lund (1963), Cale Yarborough (1968), A.J. Foyt (1972), David Pearson (1976) and Trevor Bayne (2011)
o   No. 28 – Fred Lorenzen (1965), Buddy Baker (1980), Cale Yarborough (1983 and 1984) and Davey Allison (1992)
o   No. 4 – Ernie Irvan (1991), Sterling Marlin (1994 and 1995)
o   No. 15 – Bobby Allison (1978), Michael Waltrip (2001 and 2003)
o   No. 17 – Darrell Waltrip (1989), Matt Kenseth (2009 and 2012)
o   No. 88 – Bobby Allison (1982), Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2014)
o   No. 24 – Jeff Gordon (1997, 1999 and 2005)
o   No. 11 – Mario Andretti (1967), Cale Yarborough (1977) and Denny Hamlin (2016)

Additional Finishing Positions
·        Dale Earnhardt leads the series in runner-up finishes in the Daytona 500 with five; Kurt Busch leads all active drivers with three.
·        Dale Earnhardt had 12 top fives in his 23 Daytona 500 starts, more than any other driver.
·        Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in Daytona 500 top-five finishes with seven (Johnson is tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer fred Lorenzen for ninth most-all-time).
·        Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty each posted a series leading 16 top 10s in the Daytona 500. Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in Daytona 500 top-10 finishes with eight.
·        Brendan Gaughan leads all active drivers in average finishing position in the Daytona 500 with a 15.0 (two appearances)

Female Competitors
·        Danica Patrick on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2013 became the first female in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history to win a pole for the Daytona 500 posting a speed of 196.434 mph.
·        Janet Guthrie previously held the record for top starting position by a female NASCAR premier series driver, starting ninth twice in 1977 - at Talladega Superspeedway on Aug. 7, 1977 and at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 28, 1977.
 Female Competitors

·        In 2012, Danica Patrick became the third female driver to compete in a Daytona 500 joining Janet Guthrie andShawna Robinson. Below are the previous female driver performances in the Daytona 500.
Race
Season
Driver
Start
Finish
Daytona 500
1977
Janet Guthrie
39
12
Daytona 500
1980
Janet Guthrie
18
11
Daytona 500
2002
Shawna Robinson
36
24
Daytona 500
2012
Danica Patrick
29
38
Daytona 500
2013
Danica Patrick
1
8
Daytona 500
2014
Danica Patrick
27
40
Daytona 500
2015
Danica Patrick
20
21
Daytona 500
2016
Danica Patrick
16
35
Daytona 500
2017
Danica Patrick
12
33


Track / Daytona 500 Specific Stats
·        Denny Hamlin’s 0.001-second margin of victory over Martin Truex Jr. in the 2016 Daytona 500 is the closest Daytona 500 finish and tied with Atlanta (3/12/2000) and ISM Raceway (3/13/2016) as the seventh closest MOV since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993. 
·        Kevin Harvick’s 0.020-second margin of victory over Mark Martin in the 2007 Daytona 500 is the 12th-closest overall since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, and the second closest in Daytona 500 history.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty has led the most laps in a single Daytona 500; leading 184 laps in the 1964 Daytona 500.
·        Among active drivers, Denny Hamlin has led the most laps in a single Daytona 500, when he led 95 laps on his way to victory last season.  
·        Kurt Busch has led the fewest laps in a Daytona 500 and won - in 2017, Busch only led just the final lap on his way to winning the Daytona 500.
·        The 2011 Daytona 500 had the most all-time lead changes with 74; which is 14 more than the race with the second-most lead changes – the 1974 Daytona 500 (60 lead changes).
·        The 1964 Daytona 500 won by Richard Petty had the fewest lead changes with a mere six on record.
·        2011 Daytona 500 had the most all-time leaders with 22.
·        2011 Daytona 500 had the most all-time cautions with 16.
·        1968 and 2011 Daytona 500s had the most all-time Caution Laps with 60 laps each.
·        The Daytona 500 has finished under NASCAR Overtime conditions seven times: 2015, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2007, 2006 and 2005.
·        Due to the overtime rules in NASCAR, the longest Daytona 500 ever run was the 2010 and 2011 Daytona 500 races – both went 208 laps/520 miles – eight laps and 20 miles more than the scheduled distance.
·        The largest field to compete in the Daytona 500 was 68 cars in the 1960 race.

Statistical Look At Daytona International Speedway

History
·        Groundbreaking for Daytona International Speedway was Nov. 25, 1957. The soil underneath the banked corners was dug from the infield of the track and the hole filled with water. It is now known as Lake Lloyd.
·        The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona was a 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20, 1959.
·        Richard Petty won his 200th career race on July 4, 1984 at Daytona.
·        Lights were installed in the spring of 1998. However, the July race was delayed until October that year due to thick smoke from wildfires. The second Daytona race has been scheduled for under the lights ever since.
·        The track underwent a repave in 2010.
·        2016 marked the next phase in the existence of Daytona International Speedway as the DAYTONA Rising project was completed, ushering in the first ‘motorsports stadium,’ a 400-million-dollar project.

Notebook
·        There have been 141 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races since the track hosted its first race in 1959: 59 have been 500 miles, 55 were 400 miles and four 250 miles. There were also 23 qualifier races that were point races.
·        Fireball Roberts won the inaugural pole at Daytona in a Pontiac with a speed of 140.121 mph.
·        Bob Welborn won the first race at Daytona, the 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500.
·        Fireball Roberts won the first 400-mile race at Daytona, the 1963 Firecracker 400.
·        60 drivers have posted poles at Daytona. 
·        Six active drivers that won their first career pole at Daytona – Chase Elliott (2016), Austin Dillon (2014), Danica Patrick (2013), Paul Menard (2008), Kevin Harvick (2002), Jimmie Johnson (2002).
·        Cale Yarborough leads all drivers with 12 poles at Daytona.
·        Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott and David Gilliland lead all active drivers with two poles each at Daytona.
·        62 different drivers have won at Daytona International Speedway; led by Richard Petty with 10 points-paying victories at Daytona.
·        The Wood Brothers have won 15 races at Daytona, more than any other organization.
·        18 full-length races at Daytona have been won from the pole; most recent Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2015).

NASCAR in Florida
·        There have been 377 NASCAR national series races among 10 tracks held in the state of Florida.
Track Name
City
MENCS
NXS
NCWTS
Total Races
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach
141
52
18
275
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead
19
23
22
70
Daytona Beach & Road Course
Daytona Beach
10
0
0
10
Palm Beach Speedway
W. Palm Beach
7
0
0
7
Speedway Park
Jacksonville
6
0
0
6
Volusia County Speedway
Barberville
0
4
0
4
Walt Disney World Speedway
Orlando
0
0
2
2
Five Flags Speedway
Pensacola
1
0
0
1
Golden Gate Speedway
Tampa
1
0
0
1
Titusville-Cocoa Speedway
Titusville
1
0
0
1
TOTAL

186
79
42
377

·        181 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series have their home state recorded as Florida.
·        There have been 11 race winners with their home state recorded as Florida in NASCAR’s three national series:
 
Driver
MENCS
NXS
NCWTS
1
Fireball Roberts
33
0
0
2
LeeRoy Yarbrough
14
0
0
3
Marshall Teague
7
0
0
4
Joe Nemechek
4
16
0
5
Bobby Johns
2
0
0
6
David Reutimann
2
1
1
7
Aric Almirola
1
3
2
8
Shorty Rollins
1
0
0
9
Rick Wilson
0
2
0
10
Joey Coulter
0
0
1
11
Ben Kennedy
0
0
1

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