Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Atlanta Track Facts: 2020 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

Crowds expected back at races soon.
The NASCAR Cup Series 2020 Top 16 in Driver Standings at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Rk.
Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
 
 
1
Kevin Harvick
29
2
2
8
14
4
16.3
100.5
 
2
Joey Logano
13
1
0
2
4
0
17.2
83.2
 
3
Chase Elliott
4
0
0
1
3
0
10.5
89.2
 
4
Brad Keselowski
11
0
2
4
7
3
15.1
96.6
 
5
Alex Bowman
4
0
0
0
0
0
23.2
57.9
 
6
Martin Truex Jr
21
1
0
4
9
4
16.9
95.2
 
7
Denny Hamlin
20
1
1
4
7
3
18.0
94.2
 
8
Ryan Blaney
4
0
0
0
0
0
19.2
78.9
 
9
Kyle Busch
21
1
2
5
8
1
14.4
92.7
 
10
Kurt Busch
28
1
3
7
14
3
14.9
96.9
 
11
Aric Almirola
9
1
0
0
2
0
17.3
69.3
 
12
Clint Bowyer
19
0
0
2
7
2
19.6
82.6
 
13
Matt DiBenedetto
4
0
0
0
0
0
28.5
41.9
 
14
Erik Jones
3
0
0
0
1
0
10.7
80.1
 
15
Jimmie Johnson
28
0
5
14
16
2
12.0
100.5
 
16
Austin Dillon
7
0
0
0
0
0
22.9
65.5
 
* – Based on Loop Data from the last 21 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2005 – 2019).



Atlanta Motor Speedway:

HISTORY
·        Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5-mile paved speedway.
·        The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta was on July 31, 1960, won by Fireball Roberts from the pole position.
·        The track was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970.
·        It was renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990.
·        The track layout was reversed, and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two races in 1997.
·        From 1960 – 2010, Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted multiple NASCAR Cup Series races during each season; starting in 2011 the series began only visiting Atlanta once a year (2011-Present).
·        From 1987 to 2000 Atlanta Motor Speedway held the final championship race of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.  
·        In total there have been 112 NASCAR Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since the first race there in 1960.

STARTS
·        A total of 574 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 389 have competed in more than one at Atlanta.
·        Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway with 65; followed by Bill Elliott (62) and Dave Marcis (59).

NASCAR Cup Series
First-Time Starters at Atlanta since 1990
Drivers
First Start Date
Harrison Rhodes
February 25, 2018
Cody Ware
March 5, 2017
Jeb Burton
March 1, 2015
Ty Dillon
August 31, 2014
Erik Darnell
September 6, 2009
Bill Lester
March 19, 2006
Reed Sorenson
October 30, 2005
Mike Garvey
March 20, 2005
Martin Truex Jr
October 31, 2004
Scott Wimmer
November 20, 2000
Buckshot Jones
November 16, 1997
Gary Bradberry
November 13, 1994
Jeff Gordon
November 15, 1992
Wally Dallenbach Jr
March 18, 1991
Steve Grissom
November 18, 1990
·        Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth lead all active drivers with 29 starts each at Atlanta; followed by Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch with 28 each.

·        A total of 67 NASCAR Cup Series drivers have made their series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

·        Six active NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted their first career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Martin Truex Jr. (10/31/2004), Reed Sorenson (10/31/2005), Ty Dillon (8/31/2014), Jeb Burton (3/1/2015), Cody Ware (3/5/2017) and Harrison Rhodes (2/25/2018).

·        Fred Lorenzen leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 4.105 in 19 starts.

·      Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Atlanta with a 7.074 in 27 starts; followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with an 9.143 in 12 starts.


Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Atlanta (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Avg Start
Starts
Rank
Active Drivers
Avg Start
Starts
1
Fred Lorenzen
4.105
19
1
Ryan Newman
7.074
27
2
Fireball Roberts
4.500
10
2
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
9.143
12
3
Cotton Owens
5.000
2
3
Daniel Suarez
10.000
8
4
Earl Balmer
5.500
4
4
Jimmie Johnson
11.179
33
5
Dick Hutcherson
5.800
5
5
Kyle Busch
11.429
26
6
Banjo Matthews
6.500
6
6
Denny Hamlin
11.850
25
7
Joe Weatherly
7.000
9
7
Kurt Busch
15.179
34
8
Ryan Newman
7.074
27
8
Martin Truex Jr
15.619
26
9
Nelson Stacy
7.500
6
9
Brad Keselowski
15.818
16
10
Junior Johnson
8.385
13
10
Erik Jones
16.000
8

POLES
NASCAR Cup Series
Active Busch Pole Winners at Atlanta
Active Pole Winners (9)
Poles
Ryan Newman
7
Kevin Harvick
2
Aric Almirola
1
Denny Hamlin
1
Joey Logano
1
Kurt Busch
1
Kyle Busch
1
Martin Truex Jr
1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
1
·        A total of 53 different drivers have won at least one Busch Pole Award at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series, 24 have posted more than one, nine are active this weekend.
·        Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman are tied for the NASCAR Cup Series most poles at Atlanta with seven each. 
·        Fireball Roberts won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Award at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1960 with a speed of 133.870 mph in a Pontiac.
·        Youngest Atlanta pole winner: Terry Labonte (03/15/1981 – 24 years, 3 months, 27 days).
·        Oldest Atlanta pole winner: Harry Gant (11/14/1993 – 53 years, 10 months, 4 days).
·        Winning consecutive poles has happened 10 times at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series, among six different drivers:
o   Fireball Roberts (1960 sweep, 1961 second & third race),
o   Cale Yarborough (1969, 1970, 1978 sweep),
o   Dave Marcis (1975, 1976),
o   Buddy Baker (1979 sweep, 1980),
o   Alan Kulwicki (1989 sweep),
o   Ryan Newman (2003 sweep, 2004 sweep, 2005 sweep).

·        Ryan Newman holds the record for most consecutive poles at Atlanta with six; from the spring of 2003 through 2005.
·        A total of nine drivers have posted their first NASCAR Cup Series pole at Atlanta.  

NCS Drivers with First Pole at Atlanta
Drivers
Date
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
9/1/2013
Kevin Lepage
11/21/1999
Kenny Irwin Jr
11/8/1998
Robby Gordon
3/9/1997
Johnny Benson
3/10/1996
Rick Mast
11/15/1992
Terry Labonte
3/15/1981
Sam Sommers
11/6/1977
Cale Yarborough
4/2/1967

WINS
·        A total of 44 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Atlanta Motor Speedway, 25 have won more than one, and six former Atlanta winners are active this weekend.

NASCAR Cup Series
Active Race Winners at Atlanta
Race Winners (6)
Wins
Jimmie Johnson
5
Kurt Busch
3
Brad Keselowski
2
Kevin Harvick
2
Kyle Busch
2
Denny Hamlin
1
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway with nine victories (1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000).

·        Jimmie Johnson leads all active series winners at Atlanta with five victories (2004, 2007 sweep, 2015, 2016).

·        Youngest Atlanta winner: Kyle Busch (03/09/2008 – 22 years, 10 months, 7 days).

·        Oldest Atlanta winner: Morgan Shepherd (03/20/1993 – 51 years, 5 months, 8 days).

·        A total of seven different drivers, including one active NASCAR Cup Series driver, have posted their first career win at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
First-Time Winner
Season
Carl Edwards
2005
Kevin Harvick
2001
Jerry Nadeau
2000
Jim Hurtubise
1966
Bob Burdick
1961
Bobby Johns
1960

·        11 drivers have won consecutive races at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series:

 
Drivers
Seasons
1
Marvin Panch
1965 Sweep



2
Bobby Allison
1972 Sweep



3
David Pearson
1973 Sweep



4
Richard Petty
1974 Fall
1975 Spring


5
Cale Yarborough
1980 Fall
1981 Spring


6
Bill Elliott
1985 Sweep
1992 Sweep


7
Dale Earnhardt
1989 Fall
1990 Spring
1995 Fall
1996 Spring
8
Bobby Labonte
1997 Fall
1998 Spring


9
Jeff Gordon
1998 Fall
1999 Spring


10
Carl Edwards
2005 Sweep



11
Jimmie Johnson
2007 Sweep
2015, 2016



·        The most proficient starting position in the field at Atlanta Motor Speedway is the fifth starting position – it has produced more wins (16) than any other starting position.

·        A total of 13 of the 112 NASCAR Cup Series races (11.6%) have been won from the Busch Pole. 12 different drivers accomplished the feat, NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty is the only driver to do it twice (1975, 1977).

·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt is the only driver to start from the first position due to qualifying being cancelled and win in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway (1990).

Wins by Starting Positions at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Starting Position
Wins
Winning %
Starting Position
Wins
Winning %
1
14
12.50%
14
2
1.79%
2
12
10.71%
15
1
0.89%
3
10
8.93%
17
2
1.79%
4
10
8.93%
18
1
0.89%
5
16
14.29%
19
3
2.68%
6
4
3.57%
20
2
1.79%
7
6
5.36%
21
2
1.79%
8
6
5.36%
22
1
0.89%
9
7
6.25%
31
1
0.89%
10
2
1.79%
35
1
0.89%
11
4
3.57%
37
2
1.79%
12
1
0.89%
39
1
0.89%
13
1
0.89%

  
Stats
Winning %
Wins
 
Winning from the Pole:
12.50%
14
 
Winning from the Front Row:
23.21%
26
 
Winning from a Top-5 Starting Position:
55.36%
62
 
Winning from a Top-10 Starting Position:
77.68%
87
 
Winning After Starting Outside the Top 20:
7.14%
8
 


·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Atlanta is 39th, by Bobby Labonte in the fall of 2001.

·        The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Atlanta is 37th, by Jimmie Johnson in 2015.

·        Five of the six active NASCAR Cup Series winners at Atlanta Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Kevin Harvick is the only active driver to win at Atlanta in his first appearance (2001).

·        Denny Hamlin competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway 12 times before winning in the spring of 2012; the longest span of any of the six active NASCAR Cup Series winners.

·        Among the six active NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta winners Denny Hamlin (12) is the only driver to have made 10 or more attempts before his first win.

·        Matt Kenseth leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta without visiting Victory Lane at 29; followed by Ryan Newman (27), Martin Truex Jr. (21).
 
·        No driver has swept the triple header weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway across all three NASCAR national series. Two drivers have won in multiple NASCAR national series in the same weekend at Atlanta:
o   Carl Edwards (2005, NCS/NXS); (Fall 2008, NCS/NXS)
o   Kyle Busch (Spring 2008, NCS/NGROTS)

Active Organization Winners
Wins
Hendrick Motorsports
14
Wood Brothers Racing
12
Joe Gibbs Racing
11
Richard Childress Racing
9
Roush Fenway Racing
6
Team Penske
5
Richard Petty Motorsports
2
Stewart-Haas Racing
2
·        In total 41 different owners have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway; eight Atlanta winning organizations are active this weekend.

·        The Hendrick Motorsports organization has the most wins at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series with 14 victories:

·        Nine different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta; led by Chevrolet with 40 victories; followed by Ford (32), Pontiac (11), Dodge (nine), Mercury (eight), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Toyota (three) and Oldsmobile (one).

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes
·        A total of 53 different drivers have finished runner-up in the NASCAR Cup Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway; five of the 53 are active this weekend.
·        Dale Earnhardt and David Pearson lead the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway with seven each.
·        Jimmie Johnson leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with four runner-up finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2005, 2006, 2008, 2011).

Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Atlanta (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Runner-Ups
Rank
Active Drivers
Runner-Ups
1
Dale Earnhardt
7
1
Jimmie Johnson
4

David Pearson
7
2
Kevin Harvick
2
3
Richard Petty
6
3
Brad Keselowski
1
4
Dale Jarrett
5

Joey Logano
1
 
Jeff Gordon
5
 
Martin Truex Jr
1

Top-Five Finishes
·        A total of 111 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-five at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
·        Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway with 26; followed by Cale Yarborough with 23.
·        Jimmie Johnson leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top-five finishes at Atlanta with 14.    

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Atlanta (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Top Fives
Rank
Active Drivers
Top Fives
1
Dale Earnhardt
26
1
Jimmie Johnson
14
2
Cale Yarborough
23
2
Matt Kenseth
11
3
Richard Petty
22
3
Kevin Harvick
8
4
Darrell Waltrip
18
4
Kurt Busch
7
5
Bobby Allison
17
5
Kyle Busch
5

Buddy Baker
17



 
David Pearson
17
   


Top-10 Finishes
·        A total of 201 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-10 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
·        Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-10 finishes at Atlanta with 33.
·        Matt Kenseth leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with 17 top-10 finishes.


Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Atlanta (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Top 10s
Rank
Active Drivers
Top 10s
1
Richard Petty
33
1
Matt Kenseth
17
2
Dale Earnhardt
30
2
Jimmie Johnson
16
3
Cale Yarborough
29
3
Kevin Harvick
14
4
Darrell Waltrip
28
4
Kurt Busch
14
5
Bobby Allison
27
5
Martin Truex Jr
9

Buddy Baker
27

Ryan Newman
9


Average Finishing Position
·        Dick Hutcherson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 3.6 in five starts.
·        Chase Elliott leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 10.5 in four starts.

Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Atlanta (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Avg Finish
Races
Rank
Active Drivers
Avg Finish
Races
1
Dick Hutcherson
3.600
5
1
Chase Elliott
10.500
9
2
Lee Petty
7.000
2
2
Erik Jones
10.667
8
3
Troy Ruttman
7.000
2
3
Matt Kenseth
11.931
29
4
Speedy Thompson
8.000
2
4
Jimmie Johnson
12.036
33
5
Dale Earnhardt
9.543
46
5
Kyle Busch
14.429
26
6
Billy Wade
10.250
4
6
Kurt Busch
14.893
34
7
Bob Welborn
10.286
7
7
Brad Keselowski
15.091
16
8
Rex White
10.455
11
8
Daniel Suarez
15.333
8
9
Chase Elliott
10.500
9
9
Kevin Harvick
16.276
34
10
Erik Jones
10.667
8
10
Martin Truex Jr
16.905
26

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