Sonoma Raceway:

Sonoma Raceway:

History

·         The track opened as a 2.52-mile road course and drag strip in 1968.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 11, 1989 – won by Ricky Rudd at a speed of 76.088 mph.

·         The first nine races were 300 kilometers and switched to a 350k format in 1998.

·         The track was reconfigured to 1.949 miles in 1998 with the installation of an 890-foot chute between the original Turns 4 and 7.

·         The track was reconfigured to 2.0 miles in 2001 and re-measured at 1.99 miles in 2002.

Notebook

·         There have been 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma Raceway since the first race there in 1989 – one race per season.

·         184 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Sonoma Raceway; 131 in more than one.

·         Mark Martin and Terry Labonte lead the series in starts at Sonoma with 21 each; followed by Bobby Labonte and Jeff Gordon with 20 each.

·         Rusty Wallace won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Sonoma in 1989 with a speed of 90.041 mph.

·         15 drivers have Coors Light poles at Sonoma, led by Jeff Gordon with five.

·         Two drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Sonoma Ricky Rudd and Jeff Gordon. Ricky Ruddholds the record for most consecutive poles at Sonoma with three; fall 1990 through 1992.

·         Jeff Gordon is the only active driver to have posted consecutive Coors Light poles at Sonoma: 1998-‘99 and 2004-’05.

·         Youngest Sonoma pole winner: Joey Logano (6/26/2011 – 21 years, 1 month, 2 days).

·         Oldest Sonoma pole winner: Rusty Wallace (6/25/2000 – 43 years, 10 months, 11 days).

·         16 different NSCS drivers have won at Sonoma Raceway, led by Jeff Gordon with five wins. Tony Stewart has the second most wins (two) among active drivers at Sonoma.

·         Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in road course wins with nine (Sonoma, five; Watkins Glen, four); Tony Stewart has the second most road course wins all-time with seven (Watkins Glen, five; Sonoma, two).

·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison holds the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series record for the most wins (six) at a single road course track - Riverside International Raceway.

·         Jeff Gordon is the only driver to post consecutive wins (three total) at Sonoma Raceway (1988 and 1989 each from the pole and 2000 from the fifth starting position).

·         Youngest Sonoma winner: Kyle Busch (6/22/2008 – 23 years, 1 month, 20 days).

·         Oldest Sonoma winner: Ricky Rudd (6/23/2002 – 45 years, 9 months, 11 days).

·         Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Sonoma in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with six: Jeff Gordon (five) and Jimmie Johnson (one).

·         Six different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Sonoma; led by Chevrolet with 10 victories; followed by Ford with six.

·         Five of the 24 (20.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Jeff Gordon in 2004. Gordon is the only NSCS driver to win from the pole at Sonoma more than once.

·         The Coors Light pole position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more wins (five) than any other starting position at Sonoma Raceway.

·         Eight of the 24 (33.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from the front row: five from the pole and three from second place.

·         18 of the 24 (75.0%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Two of the 24 (8.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Michigan was 32nd, by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2007.

·         Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Sonoma with four; followed by Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart with three each.

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Sonoma with 12; followed by Ricky Rudd with 10.

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at Sonoma with 16; followed by Mark Martin with 13.

·         Marcos Ambrose leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Sonoma with a 5.000.

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Sonoma with an 8.550. Clint Bowyer (9.714) is the only other active driver with an average finish in the top 10.

·         All but one of the nine active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners at Sonoma Raceway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Juan Pablo Montoya won at Sonoma in his rookie season and his first appearance at the 1.99-mile track, the fewest previous starts among the active NSCS winners.

·         Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin competed at Sonoma Raceway eight times each before visiting Victory in Lane; the longest span of any the nine active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners. Johnson won in 2010 and Martin won in 1997.

·         Terry Labonte leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Sonoma without visiting Victory Lane at 21.

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway was the June 27, 1999 race won by Jeff Gordon over Mark Martin with a MOV of 0.197 second.

·         There have been three NASCAR Sprint Cup races resulting in a green-white-checkered finish at Sonoma Raceway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): 2008 (110/112); 2009 (110/113) and 2012 (110/112).

·         None of the 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions.

·         Qualifying has never been cancelled in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway.   

·         Boris Said posted his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Sonoma Raceway (6/22/2003).

·         Juan Pablo Montoya posted his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Sonoma Raceway (6/24/2007).

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Sonoma with 450 laps led in 20 starts.

·         Danica Patrick will attempt to become the first female driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to compete at Sonoma Raceway.

Michigan International Speedway:

Michigan International Speedway:

History

·         Michigan International Speedway sits on more than 1,400 acres in the “Irish Hills” of Southeastern Michigan. Ground-breaking took place on Sept. 28, 1967.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan was held June 15, 1969 – won by Cale Yarborough at a speed of 139.254 mph.

·         The track was known as Michigan Speedway during the time Roger Penske was the primary owner (1996-99).

·         The two-mile speedway underwent a repave this season.

Notebook

·         There have been 87 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan International Speedway since the first race there in 1969. Other than 1973, which had just one race, there have been two races each season since 1969.

·         The first race was 500 miles in length; the second was scheduled for 600. The track was re-measured to 2.04 miles for the last race in 1970 and both races in 1971 – with the race distance being 402 miles. All other races have been scheduled for 400 miles.

·         363 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway; 266 in more than one.

·         Bill Elliott leads the series in starts at Michigan with 61. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 55 starts; followed by Mark Martin with 54.

·         Donnie Allison won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Michigan in 1969 with a speed of 160.135 mph.

·         43 drivers have Coors Light poles at Michigan, led by David Pearson with 10. Bill Elliott leads all active driverswith six; followed by Jeff Gordon with five.

·         Six drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Michigan. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Michigan with five; fall 1976 through 1978.

·         Four active drivers have posted consecutive Coors Light poles at Michigan: Terry Labonte (1983 sweep), Bill Elliott (1984 sweep and 1988 sweep), Bobby Labonte (2003 sweep), and Brian Vickers (fall 2008 – 2009 sweep).

·         Youngest Michigan pole winner: Jeff Gordon (8/18/1995 – 23 years, 10 months, 14 days).

·         Oldest Michigan pole winner: Mark Martin (8/19/2012 – 53 years, 7 months, 10 days).

·         34 different NSCS drivers have won at Michigan International Speedway, led by David Pearson with nine wins. Bill Elliott leads all active drivers with seven; followed by Mark Martin with five.

·         Eight drivers have posted consecutive wins at Michigan International Speedway, including four consecutive by Bill Elliott (1985 sweep and 1986 sweep).

·         Youngest Michigan winner: Kurt Busch (6/15/2003 – 24 years, 10 months, 11 days).

·         Oldest Michigan winner: Harry Gant (8/16/1992 – 52 years, 7 months, 6 days).

·         Roush Fenway Racing has the most wins at Michigan in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 12: Mark Martin (four), Greg Biffle (three), Carl Edwards (two), Matt Kenseth (two) and Kurt Busch (one).

·         Eight different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Michigan; led by Ford with 32 victories; followed by Chevrolet with 20.

·         16 of the 87 (18.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Brian Vickers in 2009.

·         The Coors Light pole position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (16) than any other starting position at Michigan International Speedway.

·         24 of the 87 (27.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan have been won from the front row: 16 from the pole and eight from second-place.

·         66 of the 87 (75.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Six of the 87 (6.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Michigan have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Michigan was 32nd, by Mark Martin in the spring of 2009.

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in runner-up finishes at Michigan with eight; followed by Darrell Waltrip with seven.

·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough leads the series in top-five finishes at Michigan with 21; Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin lead all active drivers with 18 each.

·         Mark Martin leads the series in top-10 finishes at Michigan with 31; followed by Bill Elliott with 29.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Michigan with a 9.227.

·         Carl Edwards leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Michigan with an 8.235. Matt Kenseth (9.556)is the only other active driver with an average finish in the top 10.

·         All 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners at Michigan International Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Tony Stewart won at Michigan in his third appearance, the fewest previous starts among the active NSCS winners.

·         Kevin Harvick competed at Michigan International Speedway 19 times before winning in the fall of 2010; the longest span of any of the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·         Among the 16 active NSCS Michigan winners Kevin Harvick (19), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (17) Kyle Busch (13), Bill Elliott (13), Jeff Gordon (11) and Brian Vickers (11) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win.

·         Terry Labonte leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Michigan without visiting Victory Lane at 55.

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway was the June 10, 2001 race won by Jeff Gordon over Ricky Rudd with a MOV of 0.085 second.

·         There have been two NASCAR Sprint Cup races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Michigan International Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): fall of 2011 (200/203); and fall of 2012 (200/201).

·         Four of the 87 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan International Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the event on 6/18/2006.    

·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway four times; most recently the spring of 2008 race.   

·         Three drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Coors Light pole at Michigan International Speedway: Jeff Burton (8/18/1996), J.J. Yeley (6/17/2007) and Marcos Ambrose (6/17/2012).      

·         Two active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted their first career start at Michigan International Speedway: Carl Edwards (8/22/2004) and Landon Cassill (6/13/2010).

·         Bill Elliott leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Michigan with 1,004 laps led in 61 starts. Jeff Gordon has led the second-most with 954.

·         Three female drivers have competed at Michigan International Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Robin McCall and Shawna Robinson.

Pocono Raceway:

Pocono Raceway:

History

·         Opened in 1968 as a three-quarter-mile track, Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile track in 1971.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was in 1974 – won by Richard Petty, Dodge, 115.593 mph, 08/04/1974.

·         The 2.5-mile track was repaved during the fall of 2011.

Notebook

·         There have been 70 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono Raceway, one race from 1974 through 1981, and two per year since.

·         2012 marked the first season that NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono were scheduled for 400 miles. Prior to 2012 all NASCAR Sprint Cup races were 500 miles at Pocono Raceway.

·         311 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway; 218 in more than one.

·         Ricky Rudd leads the series in starts at Pocono with 55. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 54 starts; followed by Mark Martin with 52.

·         Buddy Baker won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Pocono in 1974 with a speed of 144.122 mph.  

·         39 drivers have Coors Light poles at Pocono, led by Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader with five each; followed by Mark Martin with three.

·         Five drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Pocono. Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive poles at Pocono with three; fall 1984 and both races in 1985.

·         Four active drivers have posted consecutive Coors Light poles at Dover: Mark Martin (fall 1990 and spring 1991), Ken Schrader (1993 sweep), Denny Hamlin (2006 sweep) and Joey Logano (fall 2011 and spring 2012).

·         Youngest Pocono pole winner: Joey Logano (08/07/2011 – 21 years, 2 months, 14 days).

·         Oldest Pocono pole winner: David Pearson (06/10/1984 – 49 years, 5 months, 19 days).

·         31 different drivers have won at Pocono Raceway, led by Jeff Gordon with six wins.  

·         Six drivers have posted consecutive wins at Pocono Raceway, including three consecutive by Bobby Allison (1982 sweep and spring 1983) and Tim Richmond (1986 sweep and spring 1987).

·         Youngest Pocono winner: Joey Logano (6/10/2012 – 22 years, 0 months, 17 days).

·         Oldest Pocono winner: Harry Gant (6/17/1990 – 50 years, 5 months, 7 days).

·         Hendrick Motorsportshas the most wins at Pocono in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 13: Jeff Gordon (six), Tim Richmond (three), Jimmie Johnson (two), Geoff Bodine (one) and Terry Labonte (one).

·         Eight different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Pocono; led by Chevrolet with 26 victories; followed by Ford with 21.

·         14 of the 70 (20.0%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Joey Logano in 2012.

·         The Coors Light pole position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (14) than any other starting position at Pocono Raceway.   

·         23 of the 70 (32.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono have been won from the front row: 14 from the pole and nine from second-place.

·         49 of the 70 (70.0%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Five of the 70 (7.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Pocono was 29th, by Carl Edwards in the spring of 2005.

·         Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Pocono with seven; followed by Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Richard Petty with five each.

·         Mark Martin leads the series in top-five finishes at Pocono with 20; followed by Jeff Gordon with 18.

·         Mark Martin leads the series in top-10 finishes at Pocono with 34; followed by Jeff Gordon with 28.

·         Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Pocono with a 5.571.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Pocono with a 9.0.

·         11 of the 13 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Pocono Raceway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards won at Pocono in their first appearances.

·         Terry Labonte competed at Pocono Raceway 17 times before winning in the fall of 2010; the longest span of any the 13 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·         Among the 13 active NSCS Pocono winners Terry Labonte (17), Greg Biffle (15) and Bobby Labonte (12) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win.

·         Mark Martin leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Pocono without visiting Victory Lane at 52; followed by Jeff Burton with 38.

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Pocono Raceway was the July 23, 2000 race won by Rusty Wallace over Jeff Burton with a MOV of 0.126 second.

·         There has been three NASCAR Sprint Cup races resulting in green-white-checkered finishes at Pocono Raceway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): spring of 2005 (200/201); fall of 2005 (200/203); spring of 2010 (200/204).

·         Six of the 70 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the event on 6/6/2010.

·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Pocono Raceway four times; most recently the fall of 2009 race.

·         Casey Mears (8/1/2004) posted his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Pocono Raceway.

·         One active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver has posted his first career win at Pocono Raceway: Denny Hamlin (06/11/06).

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Pocono with 965 laps led in 40 starts.

·         One female driver has competed at Pocono in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie.