Road to a Miami Championship

The “Road to a Miami Championship” Heads to Delaware This Weekend

Race 3 in the Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup takes place at Dover before culminating at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20

MIAMI— Tony Stewart may not have captured a win leading up to the Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup, but he is making up for it now. Stewart is two-for-two in NASCAR's “playoffs” after winning at New Hampshire and has taken over the Championship points lead.  In capturing his first two victories of 2011, Stewart became only the second driver to start the Chase with two consecutive wins. The first was in 2008 by Greg Biffle, who went on to finish third in that season’s championship points. Now, can he do the seemingly impossible? Stewart would be the first to open the Chase with three consecutive wins and it would be the first time in his career he has ever won three straight races. The driver of the No. 14 car is stalking a third NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. His championship runs in 2002 and 2005 at Homestead-Miami Speedway make him the only driver to win NASCAR’s biggest prize in both the pre-Chase and Chase era. Stewart is also trying to become the first driver/owner to win the Sprint Cup trophy since Alan Kulwicki accomplished the feat in 1992.

While Chase drivers around him ran out of gas at Loudon, Stewart had the fuel to go the distance and injected the Chase For The Sprint Cup Championship with a dose of dominance that has made him a formidable front-runner and a favorite to end five-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson’s incredible run. Johnson has gotten off to a sluggish start in the Chase, falling to 10th in the standings after the first two Chase races and leading to questions about whether his reign as five-time champion is finally over.

Don’t count Johnson out of the Championship fight just yet. Johnson has overcome large deficits before to win the title, and rallied during the final two races last season to win the Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He has won three of the past five races at Dover and dominated the spring race there in May.

Every point matters and could be huge when it comes down to the Championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20. Here’s a look at some notable Chase drivers and how they have fared on the “Road to a Miami Championship”:

Tony Stewart                     The current Championship points leader heads to Dover with two straight wins. Stewart also has four straight Top 10 finishes with three of those in the Top 5. This torrid pace has made him a legitimate championship contender.

Carl Edwards                      The defending Ford 400 winner at Homestead-Miami Speedway has recorded five consecutive Top 10 finishes to keep his NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship hopes alive.

Brad Keselowski              The reigning NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway has put together an impressive streak of his own lately. Keselowski has eight Top 10 results in his last nine races, and the other finish was 12^th. His runner-up finish last week at Loudon put him in the thick of the Championship race.

Expect these drivers to take this momentum into Delaware this weekend. The drama, excitement and anticipation of NASCAR’s Chase For The Sprint Cup Championship “playoff” system has begun—the winner of which will be crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend for a 10th consecutive season Nov. 18-20.

NASCAR Preseason Thunder,

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR Preseason Thunder, the annual three-day NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test session at Daytona International Speedway in advance of the prestigious season-opening 54th annual Daytona 500, will be held on Jan. 12-14.

All NASCAR Preseason Thunder test sessions begin at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m., weather permitting. Each includes a lunch break from noon until 1 p.m.
Race fans can also rev up their new year at the NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest – the companion event to the January test sessions. Along with watching NASCAR Preseason Thunder track activity from the Sprint FANZONE, fans can enjoy two Fan Fest driver sessions – from 5-9 p.m., on Thursday, Jan. 12 and from 5-7 p.m., on Friday, Jan. 13.

The schedule of driver question-and-answer and autograph sessions will be finalized closer to the event. Tickets for the NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest, which include autograph session wristbands, will be available for purchase at a later date. For fans who would like to be contacted regarding NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest ticket information can sign up online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/thunder

Fans can also watch each day’s testing at no cost from a section of the Oldfield Grandstands.

“NASCAR Preseason Thunder is an important opportunity for teams to acquire vital on-track data as they prepare for the sport’s biggest, richest and most prestigious race of the year – the Daytona 500,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “It’s also exciting time for race fans who are anxious to see their favorite drivers and teams preparing for the new NASCAR season.”

The Roar Before The Rolex 24, the tune-up session for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series teams in advance of the historic 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, is scheduled for Jan. 6-8.

Information on tickets for both the NASCAR Preseason Thunder and the Roar Before The Rolex 24 will be available online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.

Dover International Speedway:

Dover International Speedway:

History

·         The official opening of Dover International Speedway, then called Dover Downs International Speedway, was in 1969.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on July 6, 1969.

·         The first two races at Dover were 300 miles. The race length was changed to 500 miles in 1971.

·         The track surface was changed to concrete in 1995.

·         The race length was changed to 400 miles beginning with the second race in 1997.

·         The track name was changed to Dover International Speedway in 2002.

 

Notebook

·         There have been 83 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover International Speedway since the track opened in 1969.

·         There was one race in 1969 and 1970. There has been two-a-year since 1971.

·         Richard Petty won the track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         There have been 35 different pole winners, led by David Pearson (six).

·         David Pearson won the first pole in July 1969.

·         Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers, each with four poles.

·         32 different drivers have posted victories led by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty, each with seven.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers, with six victories.

·         Hendrick Motorsports has a series-high 12 wins.

·         50 races at Dover have been won from a top-five starting position; 18 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.

·         13 drivers have won from the pole. The last to do so was Jimmie Johnson, in last season’s September race.

·         The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 37th, by Kyle Petty in 1995.

·         Several active drivers had their first start at Dover, including three past champions: Kurt Busch (18th in 2000), Matt Kenseth (sixth in 1998) and Bobby Labonte (34th in 1991).

·         In addition, Matt Kenseth (2002) and Michael Waltrip (1991) earned their first pole at Dover. Martin Truex Jr. won his first race there (2007).

 

NASCAR in Delaware

·            There have been 83 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Delaware, all at Dover International Speedway.

·            Eight drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Delaware, though none have posted victories.

 

Dover International Speedway Data

Race #: 29 of 36 (10-02-11)

Track Size: 1 mile

·     Banking/Corners: 24 degrees

·     Banking/Straights: 9 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 1,076 feet

·     Backstretch: 1,076 feet

Driver Rating at DoverJimmie Johnson         117.4
Matt Kenseth              110.0
Greg Biffle                  106.9
Carl Edwards             104.9
Kyle Busch                 102.0
Mark Martin                   97.8
Kurt Busch                   95.0
Ryan Newman             93.5
Jeff Burton                   90.4
Martin Truex Jr.           89.7
Jeff Gordon                 89.4
Clint Bowyer               87.9

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Dover.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Jimmie Johnson (155.736 mph, 23.116 seconds)

2010 race winner: Jimmie Johnson (131.543 mph, 09-26-10)

Track qualifying record: Jeremy Mayfield (161.522 mph, 22.288 seconds, 06-04-04)

Track race record: Mark Martin (132.719 mph, 09-21-97)

 

New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

History

·         Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway, as New Hampshire Motor Speedway was originally named, was Aug. 13, 1989.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on July 11, 1993.

·         Renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008.

 

Notebook

·         There have been 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year since.

·         Four drivers have competed in all 33 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.

·         Mark Martin won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole.

·         Rusty Wallace won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         There have been 17 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman (five).

·         20 different drivers have won, led by Jeff Burton (four).

·         Jimmie Johnson (2003) and Kurt Busch (2004) are the only drivers that have posted season sweeps. Those are also the only back-to-back winners.

·         Hendrick Motorsports has won eight races, more than any other organization.

·         The deepest in the field that a New Hampshire race winner started was 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.

·         There have been five winners who started from the pole. The last race winner to win from the pole was Ryan Newman this past July.

·         Jeff Burton led all 300 laps raced in the 2000 fall race.

·         Five drivers got their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at New Hampshire: Joe Nemechek (1999), Robby Gordon (2001), Ryan Newman (2002), Clint Bowyer (2007) and Joey Logano (2009).

·         Two drivers got their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole at New Hampshire: Patrick Carpentier (2008) and Brad Keselowski (2010).

·         The last four races that have not finished under caution have had a margin of victory of less than a second.

 

NASCAR in New Hampshire

·         There have been 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.

·         14 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) are listed as New Hampshire natives.

·         There has been one race winner from New Hampshire in NASCAR’s three national series: Jamie Aube. Aube, from Manchester, won a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Oxford Plains Speedway in 1987.

 

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data

Race #: 28 of 36 (9-25-11)

Track Size: 1.058 miles

Race Length: 317.4 miles (300 laps)

Banking/Corners: Variable at 2 & 7 degrees

Banking/Straights: 1 degree

Driver Rating at New Hampshire

Tony Stewart                 114.0

Jeff Gordon                   107.3

Jimmie Johnson            105.8

Denny Hamlin                100.5

Dale Earnhardt Jr.          97.1

Kurt Busch                     95.4

Jeff Burton                   95.0

Ryan Newman               94.6

Clint Bowyer                  94.5

Kevin Harvick                91.1

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at New Hampshire.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Brad Keselowski, 133.572 mph, 28.515 seconds

2010 race winner: Clint Bowyer, 106.769 mph, 09-19-10)

Track qualifying record: Brad Keselowski (133.572 mph, 28.515 sec., 09-19-10)

Track race record: Jeff Burton (117.134 mph, 7-13-97)

Chicagoland Speedway:

History

·         Construction began in August 1999.

·         The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race was July 14, 2001.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held on July 15, 2001.

·         This weekend marks the first time Chicagoland Speedway will be included in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – Sept. 18, 2011.

Notebook

·         There have been 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Chicagoland Speedway.

·         12 drivers have competed in all 10 races.

·         Todd Bodine won the first pole.

·         There has been a different pole winner after every qualifying session (qualifying was canceled in 2008).

·         Kevin Harvick won the first two races; six drivers have won races, led by Harvick and Tony Stewart, each with two.

·         Kyle Busch won the 2008 race from the pole, the first time a driver won from the pole. It was also the only time a driver had won from a top-five starting position. 

·         Kevin Harvick won the 2002 race from the 32nd starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner ever started at Chicago.

·         Only one starting position has multiple wins: 14th. Mark Martin won from the 14th starting position in 2009, as did Ryan Newman in 2003.

·         Jeff Gordon (8.6), Jimmie Johnson (10.0), Tony Stewart (9.5) and Brian Vickers (8.8) are active drivers who average a top-10 finish.

·         Five of the last six races have ended with a margin of victory under one second.

NASCAR in Illinois

·         There have been 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Illinois.

·         74 drivers all-time in NASCAR three national series have their home state recorded as Illinois.

·         There have been four race winners from Illinois in NASCAR’s three national series:

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Fred Lorenzen	26	0	0
Tom Pistone	2	0	0
Justin Allgaier	0	2	0
Bobby Dotter	0	1	0
Erik Darnell	0	0	2

Chicagoland Speedway Data

Race #: 26 of 36 (9-18-11)

Track Size: 1.5 miles

Race Length: 400.5 miles (267 laps)

Banking/Corners: 18 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees

Banking/Tri-Oval: 11 degrees

CHICAGO TRACK FACT'S N DATA

TRACK FACTS
Track Length: 1.5 Miles (267 laps = 400 miles)
Race Length: 400 Miles
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 75,000
First Race: July 15, 2001 – Tropicana 400
Banking in Turns: 18 degrees
Banking on tri-oval: 11 degrees
Banking on Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch: 2,400 feet
Backstretch: 1,700 feet
QUALIFYING & RACE RECORDS
Qualifying: Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 188.147 mph (28.701 sec.);
July 8, 2005
Race: David Reutimann, Toyota, 145.138 mph (2:45:34);
July 10, 2010

Darlington off 2012 schedule:Trucks

Darlington off 2012 schedule: NASCAR's trucks won't return to Darlington Raceway next season, but the departure apparently has nothing to do with Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina. Darlington spokesman Jake Harris said Wednesday that while the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series would run on Mother's Day weekend next season, the Camping World Truck Series would not. Harris said the track worked with the truck series to find a useable date. Harris said Darlington would seek to bring the trucks back, if possible, in 2013.(USAToday.com)(9-8-2011)

Richmond International Raceway:

Richmond International Raceway:

History

·         Originally known as the Atlantic Rural Exposition Fairgrounds, Richmond International Raceway held its first race in 1946 as a half-mile dirt track.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was April 19, 1953.

·         The spring 1964 race was run on a Tuesday night under temporary lighting.

·         The track name changed to Virginia State Fairgrounds in 1967.

·         The track surface was changed from dirt to asphalt between races in 1968.

·         The track name changed to Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in 1969.

·         The track was re-measured to .542-mile for 1970.

·         The track was rebuilt as a three-quarters-mile D-shaped oval following the Feb. 21, 1988 race.

·         The first race under permanent lights was Sept. 7, 1991.

·         The first season with both races as night races was 1999.

 

Notebook

·         There have been 110 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond since the track opened in 1953.

·         The current 400-lap race length was established on the .542-mile measurement in March 1976.

·         BuckBaker won the pole in 1953.

·         LeePetty won the first race in April 1953.

·         There have been 49 different pole winners, led by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty (eight).

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with five poles.

·         47 different drivers have posted victories at Richmond, led by Richard Petty (13).

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Terry Labonte and Jimmie Johnson (three) lead active race winners.

·         Petty Enterprises has won 15 races at Richmond, more than any other team.

·         63 of 110 races have been won from the top five starting positions, including 22 from the pole.

·         The last driver to win from the pole was Kyle Busch in 2010.

·         The furthest back in the field a race winner has started was 31st, by Clint Bowyer in the 2008 spring race.

·         Kyle Busch (4.9), Denny Hamlin (7.5) and Clint Bowyer (9.5) are the only active drivers with an average finish in the top 10.

·         KylePetty became the first third-generation NASCAR race winner when he won his first race at Richmond, on Feb. 23, 1986. Richard Petty posted his first Richmond victory in 1961 and Leewon the very first Richmond race in 1953.

·         Three of the last four races have had a margin of victory less than one second.

·         Four drivers have come from outside the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cut-off to make the Chase at Richmond:

o    Jeremy Mayfield in 2004 made up a 55-point deficit

o    Ryan Newman in 2005 made up a one-point deficit

o    Kasey Kahne in 2006 made up a 30-point deficit

o    Brian Vickers in 2009 made up a 20-point deficit

 

NASCAR in Virginia

·         There have been 272 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Virginia.

·         162 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Virginia.

·         There have been 18 race winners from Virginia in NASCAR’s three national series:

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Joe Weatherly	25	0	0
Ricky Rudd	23	1	0
Jeff Burton	21	27	0
Curtis Turner	17	0	0
Denny Hamlin	17	11	0
Ward Burton	5	4	0
Glen Wood	4	0	0
Elliott Sadler	3	5	1
Emanuel Zervakis	2	0	0
Lennie Pond	1	0	0
Wendell Scott	1	0	0
Tommy Ellis	0	22	0
Jimmy Hensley	0	9	2
Rick Mast	0	9	0
Hermie Sadler	0	2	0
Elton Sawyer	0	2	0
Stacy Compton	0	0	2
Jon Wood	0	0	2

 

Richmond International Raceway Data

Race # 26 of 36 (9-10-11)

Track Size: .75 miles

·     Banking/Corners: 14 degrees

·     Banking/Frontstretch: 8 degrees

·     Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 1,290 feet

·     Backstretch: 860 feet

Driver Rating at Richmond
Denny Hamlin	120.4
Kyle Busch	116.0
Kevin Harvick	110.2
Clint Bowyer	97.9
Jeff Gordon	97.8
Tony Stewart	95.9
Ryan Newman	92.6
Mark Martin	92.2
Kurt Busch	91.2
Jimmie Johnson	88.7

 

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Richmond.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Carl Edwards (127.762 mph, 21.133 seconds)

2010 race winner: Denny Hamlin (104.096 mph, 9-11-10)

Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers (129.983, 20.772 seconds, 5-14-04)

Track race record: Dale Jarrett (109.047 mph, 9-6-97)