Homestead-Miami Speedway: History

Homestead-Miami Speedway:

History

·        Groundbreaking for Homestead-Miami Dade Motorsports Complex – as the track was originally named – began Aug. 24, 1993.

·        The first race held at Homestead-Miami Speedway was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Nov. 5, 1995 – won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett.

·        The original configuration was a four-turn, rectangular oval based on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's layout.

·        The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at HMS was held on Nov. 14, 1999 – won by Tony Stewart.

·        2002 was the first season of the “Championship Weekend” at HMS, with all three of NASCAR’s national series holding their season finale at the same track.

Notebook

·        Since the inception of the position-based points system in 1975, only four drivers have made up a points deficit in the season finale: Richard Petty in 1979 (made up two points on Darrell Waltrip), Alan Kulwicki in 1992 (made up 30 points on Davey Allison), Jimmie Johnson in 2010 (made up 15 points on Denny Hamlin) and Tony Stewart in 2011 (made up three points on Carl Edwards). Note: Stewart’s comeback is the only one made under the current one-point-per-position structure.

·        There have been 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, one per season since 1999.

·        110 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at HMS; 87 in more than one.

·        Four drivers have started all 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at HMS: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte.

·        David Green won the first Coors Light pole at Homestead in 1999 with a speed of 155.759 mph (34.669 sec.).

·        There have been 10 different Coors Light pole winners, led by Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne with two each.

·        Youngest HMS pole winner: Joey Logano (11/18/2012 – 22 years, 5 months, 25 days).

 

·        Oldest HMS pole winner: Bill Elliott (11/11/2001 – 46 years, 1 month, 3 days).

·        Jamie McMurray (November 2003) and David Reutimann (November 2008) won their first career Coors Light poles at HMS.

·        There have been nine different NASCAR Sprint Cup race winners at HMS, three have won more than once, led by Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart with three each. Carl Edwards (two)is the only other driver with multiple wins at Homestead.

·        Of the three drivers with multiple wins at HMS, Tony Stewart is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Pontiac (1999, 2000) and Chevrolet (2011).

·        Two of the 14 (14.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at HMS have been won from the Coors Light pole: Bill Elliott (2001) and Kurt Busch (2002).

·        Five of the 14 (35.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at HMS have been won from the front row: two from the pole and three from second place.

·        Nine of the 14 (64.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at HMS have been won from a starting position inside the top 10.

·        Denny Hamlin won the 2009 race from the 38th-place starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

·        Two drivers have won consecutive races at HMS: Tony Stewart (1999, 2000 and 2012) and Greg Biffle (2004-2006).

·        Carl Edwards leads the series in average finish at HMS with a 6.0; only two other drivers have an average finish inside the top 10: Kevin Harvick (7.9) and Martin Truex Jr. (9.8).

·        Roush Fenway Racing leads the series in wins at HMS with seven, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing with four.

·        Youngest HMS winner: Kurt Busch (11/17/2002 – 24 years, 3 months, 13 days).

·        Oldest HMS winner: Bill Elliott (11/11/2001 – 46 years, 1 month, 3 days).

·        Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick lead the series in runner-up finishes at HMS with two each.  

·        Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at HMS with seven; followed by Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick with five each.

·        Eight of the nine NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who have won at HMS participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Tony Stewart (1999) is the only driver to win at the track in his first appearance.

·        Jeff Gordon competed at HMS 13 times before winning (2012); the longest span of any the nine winners.

·        Bobby Labonte and Jeff Burton lead the series with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at HMS without visiting Victory Lane with 14.

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at HMS is the (4/10/2010) race won by Greg Biffle with a MOV of 0.017 seconds.

·        Danica Patrick will have the opportunity to become the first female driver to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at HMS this weekend.

RECORDING ARTIST AND ACTRESS ZENDAYA TO PRESENT ANTHEM

RECORDING ARTIST AND ACTRESS ZENDAYA TO PRESENT ANTHEM 

 AT FORD ECOBOOST 400

Disney Channel star and Dancing with the Stars runner-up to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner”

Miami – Actress and Hollywood Records recording artist Zendaya will present the National Anthem prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship race, the Ford EcoBoost 400, at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 17. Homestead-Miami Speedway President Matthew Becherer made the announcement.

Zendaya recently released her self-titled debut full-length album featuring her hit single “Replay.”  She also stars as Raquel “Rocky” Blue, one half of the comedic duo of young dancers trying to dance her way to stardom, in the hit Disney Channel series “Shake It Up!” Zendaya was the break out star and runner-up on Season 16 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

“One of the hallmarks of a NASCAR event is the entertainment surrounding the race,” said Becherer.  “Zendaya rounds out an already stellar entertainment lineup and will make the day that much more memorable.  I’m sure she’ll give a stirring rendition of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ that our fans will enjoy.”

The Los Angeles resident has performed around the world, including at the White House and in the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  She is currently touring select cities with her Z-Swagg Dancers and Singers. Zendaya is also featured on numerous soundtracks including Shake It Up: Break It Down, Shake It Up: Live 2 Dance and Shake It Up: I <3 dance.="" span="">

The green flag for the season-ending race is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on the 17th.  The race will be broadcast live on ESPN-TV, MRN and the SiriusXM NASCAR Channel.

Tickets are going fast for the Ford EcoBoost 400.  Tickets also remain for the other two championship races that are part of Ford Championship Weekend -- Saturday’s Nationwide Series finale, the Ford EcoBoost 300 (Nov. 16), and Friday’s Camping World Truck Series championship, the Ford EcoBoost 200 (Nov. 15).

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.

HomesteadMiamiSpeedway.com | Facebook.com/HomesteadMiamiSpeedway |@HomesteadMiami | @HMSEspanol |#FordChampWknd

Phoenix International Raceway: History

Phoenix International Raceway:

History

·        Construction was completed in January 1964. The facility consisted of a one-mile oval and a 2.5-mile road course.

·        Alan Kulwicki won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix on Nov. 6, 1988.

·        The first spring race was held on April 23, 2005 (it was also the first night race), won by Kurt Busch.

·        The track underwent its first repave in 2011. Construction began in March and ended in September of that year.

·        The following changes were made during the construction period (March – September 2011):

o   Widened the frontstretch from 52 to 62 feet

o   Reconfigured pit road with the installation of concrete pit stalls

o   Pushed the dog-leg curve between Turn 2 and Turn 3 out 95 feet

o   Tightened the turn radius of the dog-leg from 800 to 500 feet

o   Implemented variable banking to ensure the immediate use of two racing grooves, including 10-11 degree banking between Turn 1 and Turn 2; 10-11 degree banking in the apex of the dog-leg; and 8-9 degree banking in Turn 4

Notebook

·        There have been 34 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix International Raceway, one per season from 1988-2004 and two each season since.

·        185 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix; 135 in more than one.

·        Mark Martin leads series in starts at Phoenix with 33; followed by Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte with 29 each.

·        Geoffrey Bodine won the first pole in 1988 at a speed of 123.203 mph (29.220 sec.)

·        There have been 19 different Coors Light pole winners, led by Ryan Newman with four.

·        Youngest Phoenix pole winner: Kyle Busch (4/22/06 – 20 years, 11 months, 20 days).

·        Oldest Phoenix pole winner: Mark Martin (03/3/13 – 54 years, 1 month, 22 days).

·        Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards are the only drivers to win consecutive poles. Newman won three straight (2002-04), while Gordon won the fall of 2006 and the spring of 2007. Edwards won the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011.

·        Denny Hamlin (November 2005) and AJ Allmendinger (April 2010) won their first career Coors Light poles at Phoenix International Raceway.

·        There have been 23 different NASCAR Sprint Cup race winners at Phoenix, eight have won more than once, led by Jimmie Johnson, with four – (’07 Chase race, ’08 spring race and Chase race, ’09 Chase race).

·        The eight drivers who have won more than once at Phoenix: Jimmie Johnson (four), Kevin Harvick (three), Davey Allison (two), Jeff Burton (two), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Jeff Gordon (two) Carl Edwards (two) and Mark Martin (two).

·        Of the eight drivers with multiple wins at Phoenix International Raceway, Mark Martin is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Ford (1993) and Chevrolet (2009).

·        Four of the 34 (11.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix have been won from the Coors Light pole: Jeff Gordon (spring 2007), Jimmie Johnson (fall 2008), Mark Martin (spring 2009) and Carl Edwards (fall 2010).

·        Seven of the 34 (20.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Phoenix have been won from the front row: four from the pole and three from second place.

·        16 of the 34 (47%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Phoenix have been won from a starting position inside the top 10.

·        Ricky Rudd won the 1995 race from the 29th-place starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

·        Matt Kenseth won the 2002 race from the 28th-place starting position, the furthest back an active race winner has started.

·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in average finish at Phoenix with a 6.4; the only other driver with an average finish inside the top 10 is Mark Martin with a 9.4.

·        Five drivers have won consecutive races at Phoenix: Davey Allison (1991,1992); Jeff Burton (2000, 2001); Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003, 2004); Kevin Harvick (swept 2006); Jimmie Johnson is the only one of the five to win three consecutive races (fall 2007, swept 2008).

·        Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Phoenix with nine, followed by Roush Fenway Racing with seven.

·        Two perfect Driver Ratings of 150.0 have been recorded at Phoenix, Kurt Busch in April 2005 and Kevin Harvick in November 2006.

·        Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Phoenix International Raceway winner: Kyle Busch (11/13/2005 – 20 years, 6 months, 11 days).

·        Oldest NSCS Phoenix International Raceway winner: Mark Martin (4/18/2009 – 50 years, 3 months, 9 days).

·        Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Phoenix with five; followed by Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart with three each.

·        Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson lead the series in top-five finishes at Phoenix with 12 each.

·        Alan Kulwicki (11/6/1988) and Bobby Hamilton (10/27/1996) are the only two drivers to post their first NASCAR Sprint Cup career wins at Phoenix International Raceway.

·        21 of the 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who have won at Phoenix participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Alan Kulwicki (11/6/1988) and Tony Stewart (11/7/1999) are the only two drivers to win at Phoenix in their first appearance.

·        Jeff Gordon competed at Phoenix International Raceway 16 times before winning (4/21/2007); the longest span of any the 23 winners.

·        Six drivers have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Phoenix: Jeff Gordon (16), Ryan Newman (15), Kasey Kahne (14), Denny Hamlin (13), Carl Edwards (12) and Rusty Wallace (11).

·        Bobby Labonte leads the series (active drivers) with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Phoenix without visiting Victory Lane with 29.

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Phoenix was the (4/10/2010) race won by Ryan Newman with a MOV of 0.13 seconds.

·        Two drivers have won at Phoenix and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the same season: Jimmie Johnson (2007, 2008 sweep and 2009); Dale Earnhardt (1990).

·        Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has made a NASCAR Sprint Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway.

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Danica Patrick	37	17	11/11/2012
Danica Patrick	40	39	3/3/2013

·        Car numbers that have produced three or more Phoenix wins: