DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

TRACK RECORDS
Most Wins: 10 – Richard Petty
Most Poles: 12 – Cale Yarborough
Most Top Fives: 28 – Richard Petty
Most Top 10s: 37 – Richard Petty
Most Lead Changes: 74 – 2/2/20/11
Fewest Lead Changes: 6 – 2 times,
most recently 7/16/02 (non-qualifying races)
Most Leaders: 25 – 7/2/11
Fewest Leaders: 1 – 4 times, most recently 2/22/63
Most Cautions: 16 – 2/20/11
Fewest Cautions: 0 – 7 times, most recently 2/18/62
Most Caution Laps: 60 – 2 times, most recently 2/20/11
Fewest Caution Laps: 0 – 7 times, most recently 2/18/62
Most on the Lead Lap: 34 – 7/1/06
Fewest on the Lead Lap: 1 – 8 times,most recently 2/15/76
Most Running at the Finish: 41 – 2 times,most recently 7/7/07
Fewest Running at the Finish: 11 – 7/4/63
Most Laps Led by a Race Winner: 184 – 2/23/64
Fewest Laps Led by a Race Winner: 1 – 4 times,most recently 7/2/94
Most Wins by a Manufacturer: 40 – Chevrolet
Closest Margin of Victory: 0.005 Seconds – 7/7/07
Greatest Margin of Victory: 4.102 Seconds – 7/5/03
Margins of Victory under electronic timing since 1993.
-----------------

STARTING POSITIONS OF RACE WINNERS


Races won from Pos. No. 1...............25

Races won from Pos. No. 2...............19

Races won from Pos. No. 3...............11

Races won from Pos. No. 4...............11

Races won from Pos. No. 5.................4

Races won from Pos. No. 6.................7

Races won from Pos. No. 7.................7

Races won from Pos. No. 8.................6

Races won from Pos. No. 9...............10

Races won from Pos. No. 10...............1

Races won from Pos. No. 11...............2

Races won from Pos. No. 12...............4

Races won from Pos. No. 13...............4

Races won from Pos. No. 14...............1

Races won from Pos. No. 15...............5

Races won from Pos. No. 19...............4

Races won from Pos. No. 21...............1

Races won from Pos. No. 30...............1

Races won from Pos. No. 32...............2

Races won from Pos. No. 33...............1

Races won from Pos. No. 34...............1

Races won from Pos. No. 38...............1

Races won from Pos. No. 39...............1

RACES WON FROM POLE (17 of 106)

Fireball Roberts ..................1959, 1962

Jack Smith ...................................1960

Richard Petty ................................1966

Cale Yarborough........1968, 1981, 1984

David Pearson ..............................1974

Buddy Baker.................................1980

Bill Elliott ............................1985, 1987

Jeff Gordon.........................1999, 2004

Dale Jarrett ..................................2000

Tony Stewart ......................2005, 2009

Kevin Harvick ...............................2010

DAYTONA QUALIFYING RACE (1959-71)

WINS FROM POLE (8 of 23)

Fireball Roberts ..................1961, 1962

Darel Dieringer .............................1965

Cale Yarborough ...........................1970

B. Issac.........................................1969

Junior Johnson.............................1965

Joe Weatherly...............................1961

Jack Smith ...................................1960
Note: From 1959-71 qualifying
event winners were credited with a
points-paying series win. From 1959-
67 qualifying event distance was 100
miles. From 1968-2003 qualifying
event distance was 125 miles. Starting
in 2005 qualifying event distance was150 miles.

Read more...

Danica Patrick’s Impact on 2012 NASCAR Season

Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark Gives His Thoughts on


Danica Patrick’s Impact on 2012 NASCAR Season

HAMPTON, Ga. (Feb. 10, 2012) – With a new NASCAR season preparing to unfold on the Florida coast, many new storylines emerge as compelling elements to the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series campaign.
Arguably the biggest hot-button topic throughout the sport is the arrival of Danica Patrick to the NASCAR ranks. The open-wheel veteran will compete full-time for the Nationwide Series championship with JR Motorsports after running part-time for the past two seasons. She will also begin to dip her toe into the ranks of the Sprint Cup Series by running 10 races for Stewart-Haas Racing.
In recent years, several open-wheel drivers have made the attempt to crossover into NASCAR, with little-to-no success. But Atlanta Motor Speedway President and General Manager Ed Clark thinks that Patrick is setup for success unlike many of those before her.
“Other than the time period that A.J. Foyt drove for the Wood Brothers, I don’t know that there has been another person to come over from the Indy Car ranks to have the caliber of equipment for multiple events that she’s going to have at JR Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing,” Clark said. “She’s got a great opportunity to set some new career marks that other people have not been able to do.”
Aside from the equipment, Patrick will have the added benefit of being surrounded by quality people at Stewart-Haas, with veteran crew chief Greg Zipadelli calling the shots on the No. 10 Chevrolet and team owner Tony Stewart offering valuable input during her journey. Patrick is also guaranteed a starting spot in the upcoming Daytona 500 due to a points-swap with Tommy Baldwin Racing, putting her in an atmosphere designed for success as she gets her Sprint Cup career started.
“She is just one element in one overall operation . . . Other than the pressure she’s putting on herself, it’ll be a stress-free qualifying situation where she can be comfortable and get it all out of the car week-in and week-out,” Clark said.
While Sprint Cup racing will be a growing process with bumps along the way, Patrick has the chance to log some solid runs. While the impact on the competition will be seen on the track, Clark also thinks she will make an impact in the grandstands.
“You take her charisma and intensity and competitive nature and you throw in what she’s been able to accomplish in Indy Cars, and it’s quite a curiosity factor,” Clark said. “People are going to want to pull for their favorite driver and see where they finish and then they’ll want to see where Danica finishes. Anytime you have that kind of added interest, it’s a big plus for the sport.”
Patrick will make her Atlanta Motor Speedway debut this Labor Day weekend when she runs in both the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series races at the 1.54-mile facility. But it won’t be her first trip to the speedway. Atlanta played host to Patrick in January 2010 while she turned test laps in preparation for her initial stock car event, the 2010 Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA race in Daytona. The main focus of the day was practicing getting onto pit road for pit stops, something that brings Clark to remark that “people take that for granted, but if you haven’t done it, it’s a big part of having a good day at the track.
“To have her in both races is going to make the weekend pretty cool. I expect she’ll adapt and do real well here.”
NASCAR night racing returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Day weekend, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2012. Tickets for the AdvoCare 500 go on sale beginning Feb. 20. For more information, call the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (877) 9-AMS-TIX, (770) 946-4211 or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.

Read more...

NHMS Ticket Sales Soaring

NHMS Ticket Sales Soaring in 2012: Surge in Sales for NASCAR Races Sign of Economic Recovery


LOUDON, N.H. (January 23, 2012) - The new year is off to a fast start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. As the deadline for season ticket renewals closed, "The Magic Mile" has seen a spike in sales from 2011 for both the July and September NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2012.
"We haven't seen this level of sales activity this early in quite some time. We are up an average of double digits between the two races," explains Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of the speedway. "Our fans and our families have been struggling for quite a while in this economy. I take this as a sign that the recovery is underway."
According to Susan Colby, the vice president of guest services at NHMS, ticket sales for the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 for July are up 4% from last year. Sales for the SYLVANIA 300 in September are up 19%.
"When times are tight for fans, one of the first things people cut from their budget is vacations and summertime extras. We are thrilled to see them coming back in big numbers," said Colby.Colby noted sales for camping spaces and pre-race pit passes are a good sign that fans have more discretionary funds this year than in the previous few seasons.
The encouraging stats are also a result of the harder work being done at venues like NHMS to attract fans back through the gates. Speedway management ran off-season ticket sales a lot like a campaign, with mailers and email reminders to regular customers, as well as aggressive public relations efforts to keep Loudon in the spotlight for locals and fans.
"Strong sales don't just happen," explains Gappens. "In this environment, you have to work that much harder to bring fans to the speedway. We use every tool at our disposal, from traditional media and mailers to social media. We are thrilled with the results and hopeful the trend continues. I believe we are a barometer for economic activity and this is certainly a hopeful sign of recovery."
While NHMS is pleased with the spike in sales, there are still plenty of tickets for both NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events. If you have a favorite seat, please call the tracks ticket hotline at (603) 783-4931 by Feb. 1 to ensure your spot. After Feb. 1 all seats will be released to the public. Guests can also visit www.nhms.com for tickets and more information.

Read more...