Martinsville Speedway: History

Martinsville Speedway:

History

·        Opened in September 1947 by H. Clay Earles, Martinsville, originally a dirt track, is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States.

·        The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville was on July 4, 1948.

·        The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was Sept. 25, 1949.

·        The track was paved in 1955.

·        The first 500-lap event at Martinsville was in 1956.

·        Concrete corners were added atop asphalt in 1976.

·        There have been 129 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.

·        591 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville; 372 in more than one.

·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty has the all-time most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Martinsville with 67 starts; Terry Labonte has the most among active drivers with 53.

·        Curtis Turner won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Martinsville Speedway in 1949.

·        57 drivers have Coors Light poles at Martinsville, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip with eight; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with seven.

·        12 drivers have won two or more consecutive Coors Light poles at Martinsville Speedway. Four of the 12 have won three consecutive poles at Martinsville: Glen Wood (Fall of 1959 and 1960 sweep); Darrell Waltrip (1979 sweep and spring 1980); Mark Martin (fall of 1990 and 1991 sweep); Jeff Gordon (2003 sweep and spring 2004).

·        Youngest Martinsville pole winner: Ricky Rudd (4/26/1981 – 24 years, 7 months, 14 days).

·        Oldest Martinsville pole winner: Morgan Shepherd (4/26/1987 – 45 years, 6 months, 14 days).

·        47 different drivers have won at Martinsville Speedway, led by Richard Petty with 15; Jimmie Johnson leads the series among active drivers with eight wins.

·        23 drivers have multiple wins at Martinsville Speedway only five active drivers have multiple wins:  Jimmie Johnson (eight), Jeff Gordon (seven), Denny Hamlin (four), Tony Stewart (three) and Mark Martin (two).

·        Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 20.   

·        21 of 129 races (16.2%) at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole; seven of those 21 wins came from active drivers: Tony Stewart (2000), Jeff Gordon (2003 twice), Jimmie Johnson (2008, 2012, spring 2013) and Denny Hamlin (2010).

·        The Coors Light pole is the most proficient starting spot in the field at Martinsville producing more wins (21) than any other starting position in the field.

·        36 of the 129 (27.9%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the front row: 21 from the pole and 15 from second-place.

·        94 of the 129 (72.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·        Five of the 129 (3.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 36th, by Kurt Busch in the fall of 2002.

·        Youngest Martinsville winner: Richard Petty (4/10/1960 – 22 years, 9 months, 8 days).

·        Oldest Martinsville winner: Harry Gant (9/22/1991 – 51 years, 8 months, 12 days).

·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in runner-up finishes at Martinsville Speedway with seven; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with four, followed by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson with three.

·        Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 30; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 26, followed by Jimmie Johnson with 16.

·        Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 37; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 33, followed by Terry Labonte (27) and Mark Martin (26).

·        Jeff Gordon leads active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Martinsville Speedway with a 7.195. Ryan Newman is the only other active driver with an average starting position at Martinsville in the top 10 (9.087).

·        Three active drivers have a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series average finish in the top at Martinsville: Jimmie Johnson (5.348), Jeff Gordon (6.976) and Denny Hamlin (8.200).

·        There have been five NSCS green-white-checkered finishes at Martinsville Speedway: fall 2007 (500/506), fall 2008 (500/504), fall 2009 (500/501), spring 2010 (500/508), and spring 2012 (500/515).

·        Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions eight times in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway; the most recent was the fall race of 2011.

·        Jeff Gordon has participated in the most NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway without a DNF (41).

·        Tony Stewart (4/18/1999) and Scott Riggs (4/10/2005) won their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Martinsville Speedway.

·        Mike Bliss (9/27/1998), Travis Kvapil (10/24/2004), Michael McDowell (3/30/2008) and Scott Speed (10/19/2008) made their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts at Martinsville Speedway.

·        12 NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers have posted consecutive wins at Martinsville Speedway. Fred Lorenzen won four NSCS races straight (the most) from the fall of 1963 through the spring of 1965.  

·        All 10 active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who have won at Martinsville Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Tony Stewart won at Martinsville with the fewest previous appearances (three).

·        Ryan Newman competed at Martinsville Speedway 20 times before winning in the spring of 2012; the longest span of any the 10 active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners.

·        Four drivers have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Martinsville Speedway: Mark Martin (12); Bobby Labonte (18), Kevin Harvick (19) and Ryan Newman (20).

·        Terry Labonte leads the series with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Martinsville Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 53.

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway is the 4/1/2007 race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.065 second.

·        Danica Patrick is the only female driver to compete at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Danica Patrick	32	12

Talladega Superspeedway:

Talladega Superspeedway:

History

·        Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968.

·        The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 14, 1969 – won by Richard Brickhouse.

·        The name changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989.

·        Fourth repaving completed on Sept. 19, 2006.

 

Notebook

·        There have been 88 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, one NSCS event in 1969 and two races per year since 1970.

·        Talladega Superspeedway is tied with Michigan International Speedway for holding the ninth most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying races (88).

·        431 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega; 294 in more than one.

·        Dave Marcis leads the series in starts at Talladega with 61. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 58 starts; followed by Michael Waltrip with 54.

·        Bobby Isaac won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Talladega in 1969 with a speed of 199.466 mph. Isaac won the first three poles at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.

·        36 drivers have Coors Light poles at Talladega, led by Bill Elliott with eight. Joe Nemechek leads all active drivers with four.

·        10 drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Talladega. Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive poles at Talladega with six (1985-1987).

·        Youngest Talladega pole winner: Jimmie Johnson (4/21/2002 – 26 years, 7 months, 4 days).

·        Oldest Talladega pole winner: Mark Martin (10/23/2012 – 52 years, 9 months, 14 days).

·        43 different drivers have won at Talladega Superspeedway, led by Dale Earnhardt with 10. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six.

·        Richard Childress Racing has the most wins at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 12; followed by Hendrick Motorsports with 11.

·        Nine different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Talladega; led by Chevrolet with 38 victories; followed by Ford with 20.

·        13 of the 88 (14.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from the Coors Light pole. Only two active drivers have been able to accomplish the feat: Bobby Labonte (1998) and Jeff Gordon (2007).

·        The outside front row (second-place) starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Talladega.

·        33 of the 88 (37.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from the front row: 13 from the pole and 20 from second-place.

·        62 of the 88 (70.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·        7 of the 88 (7.9%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Talladega was 36th, by Jeff Gordon in the spring of 2000.

·        Youngest Talladega winner: Bobby Hillin Jr. (7/27/1986 – 22 years, 1 month, 22 days).

·        Oldest Talladega winner: Harry Gant (5/6/1991 – 51 years, 3 months, 26 days).

·        Buddy Baker and Tony Stewart are tied for theseries’ most runner-up finishes at Talladega with six each.

·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-five finishes at Talladega with 23. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 15.

·        Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-10 finishes at Talladega with 27. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 24.

·        Trevor Bayne leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega with a 9.800.

·        Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Talladega with a 12.556.

·        There have been seven NSCS races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Talladega Superspeedway: spring of 2005 (188/194), fall of 2005 (188/190), spring of 2007 (188/192), fall of 2008 (188/190) spring of 2010 (188/200), fall of 2012 (188/189), and spring of 2013 (188/192).

·        Only two of the 87 races at Talladega Superspeedway have been shortened due to weather conditions: spring of 1987 and fall of 1996.

·        Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway four times; most recently spring of 2013.

·        Jamie McMurray (10/6/2002) made his series debut at Talladega Superspeedway.

·        Juan Pablo Montoya (4/26/2009), David Gilliland (10/8/2006) and Travis Kvapil (10/5/2008) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Talladega.

·        2012 series champion Brad Keselowski (4/26/2009), Brian Vickers (10/8/2006) and Ken Schrader (7/31/1988) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Talladega.

·        Nine drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Talladega. Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the series in consecutive wins at Talladega after posting four consecutive wins from the fall of 2001-2003.

·        16 of the 17 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Talladega Superspeedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Brad Keselowski is the only active series driver to winat Talladega in his first appearance.

·        Matt Kenseth competed at Talladega Superspeedway 25 times before winning last fall; the longest span of any the 17 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·        Matt Kenseth (25), Terry Labonte (21), Tony Stewart (19), Kevin Harvick (18), Mark Martin (18) and David Ragan (12) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Talladega.

·        Jeff Burton leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Talladega without visiting Victory Lane at 39.

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway was the (4/17/2011) race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.002 second – the MOV is tied with the 2003 Darlington race as the closest finishes in the NSCS using electronic scoring.

·        Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Talladega with 839 laps led in 40 starts.

·        Three female drivers have competed at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Patty Moise and Danica Patrick.

HOMESTEAD HOST ALL CHAMPIONSHIPS AGAIN IN 2014

HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY TO HOST ALL THREE NASCAR CHAMPIONSHIPS AGAIN IN 2014

 

America’s top spectator sport to conclude in South Florida for 13^th consecutive year;

Tickets still available for next month’s Ford Championship Weekend Nov. 15-17 (2013)

Miami – NASCAR announced Tuesday that Homestead-Miami Speedway will again crown champions in all three of its top national circuits in 2014: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. Next year’s Ford Championship Weekend will take place Nov. 14-16, marking the 13^th consecutive year that Homestead-Miami Speedway will host the championships of America’s No. 1 spectator sport.

 

“It’s a privilege to host the Championship finales for one of the most watched and followed sports in North America,” said Homestead-Miami Speedway President Matthew Becherer. “This is a testament to our facility, the loyal fans we have in South Florida, and to the fans that travel from afar to Ford Championship Weekend.  There’s no better place to be in mid November than greater Miami.”

 

As has been the case since 2002, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season will begin and end in Florida, kicking off at Daytona International Speedway with the 56^th running of the Daytona 500 live on FOX on Feb. 23, and culminating with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16.

 

For the fourth consecutive season, the Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup will start at Chicagoland Speedway (Sept. 14) and conclude live on ESPN on Nov. 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

Since the debut of Ford Championship Weekend in 2002, Homestead-Miami Speedway has played host to historic NASCAR moments.  They include Roush Fenway Racing driver Greg Biffle beating Mark Martin to the finish line by .017 seconds in 2005 to win his second straight Ford 400. In 2011, for the first time in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history, the championship ended in a draw. Tony Stewart ended up tied with Edwards in points but won the championship tiebreaker based on the number of victories including his win at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

Please see next page for the complete 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.

 

 

About Homestead-Miami Speedway

The Speedway has been open since 1995 following an initiative to spur economic recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew.  The 650-acre facility is active more than 280 days per year and will host NASCAR’s championship races during Ford Championship Weekend (November 15-17, 2013) for the 12^th consecutive year.  The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship Ford EcoBoost 400 is broadcast live on TV and radio to 175 countries in 24 languages.  Homestead-Miami Speedway, featuring a 1.5-mile oval and 2.21-mile road course, generates more than $250 million annually for the region.

 

The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion will be crowned Sunday, November 17.  The Ford EcoBoost 400 race winner will receive a custom Bay Boat built by industry icon Contender, a Homestead-based company.