Texas Motor Speedway: History

Texas Motor Speedway:
History

• Construction on Texas Motor Speedway began in 1995.
• The first NASCAR national series race at TMS was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on April 5, 1997 – won by Mark Martin.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was on April 6, 1997 – won by Jeff Burton.
• The track underwent a repave between the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
• In 2011, the spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was moved from Sunday to Saturday night under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway.
• Texas Motor Speedway hosted its first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on November 6, 2005 – won by Carl Edwards.

Notebook

• There have been 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, one NSCS event from 1997 - 2004 and two races per year since 2005.
• 140 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas; 115 in more than one.
• Jeff Gordon is the only drive to have made all 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway.
• Jeremy Mayfield was the first Coors Light pole winner, in 1998 with a speed of 185.906 mph. The inaugural Coors Light pole at Texas Motor Speedway in 1997 was cancelled due to weather conditions.
• Twenty drivers have Coors Light poles at Texas, led by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and Martin Truex Jr. with two each.
• Two drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Texas Motor Speedway: Bobby Labonte (2003 and 2004) and Ryan Newman (2005 sweep).
• Youngest Texas Coors Light pole winner: Brian Vickers (11/05/2006 – 23 years, 0 months, 12 days).
• Oldest Texas Coors Light pole winner: Bill Elliott (4/08/2002 – 46 years, 6 months, 0 days).

• Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions twice in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway; the inaugural event in 1997 and the spring race of 2007. The actual race has never been rain shortened, but was postponed to Monday last season due to weather.
• 18 different drivers have won at Texas Motor Speedway, led by Jimmie Johnson with four victories.
• Seven drivers have multiple wins at Texas Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (four), Carl Edwards (three), Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart each have two.
• Roush Fenway Racing leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in wins at Texas Motor Speedway with nine; followed by Hendrick Motorsports with six and Joe Gibbs Racing with four.
• Three of the 28 (11.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole; Kasey Kahne (2006), Jimmie Johnson (2012) and Kyle Busch (2013).
• The third-place starting position is the most proficient starting spot in the field at Texas Motor Speedway, producing more wins than any other starting position (six) – most recent: Jimmie Johnson (fall of 2014).
• Six of the 28 (21.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway have been won from the front row: three from the pole and three from second-place.
• 22 of the 28 (78.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Texas Motor Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.
• Four of the 28 (14.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Texas Motor Speedway is 31st, by Matt Kenseth in 2002.
• Youngest Texas winner: Joey Logano (03/30/2003 – 23 years, 10 months, 14 days).
• Oldest Texas winner: Dale Jarrett (04/01/2001 – 44 years, 4 months, 6 days).
• Jimmie Johnson leads the series in runner-up finishes at Texas Motor Speedway with five; followed by Matt Kenseth with four and Jeff Gordon with three.
• Matt Kenseth leads the series in top-five finishes at Texas Motor Speedway with 13; followed by Jimmie Johnson with 11, Jeff Gordon with nine and Greg Biffle with eight.
• Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson lead the series in top-10 finishes at Texas Motor Speedway with 17 each; followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 14.
• Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Texas Motor Speedway with an 8.5. Johnson is the only active driver with an average starting position at Texas in the top 10.
• Two active drivers have a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series average finish in the top 10 at Texas: Matt Kenseth (8.9) and Jimmie Johnson (9.0).
• 
  There have been five NSCS green-white-checker finishes at Texas Motor Speedway: fall 2006 (334/339), spring 2008 (334/339), fall 2012 (334/335), spring 2014 (334/340) and fall 2014 (334/341).
• Casey Mears has participated in the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway without posting a DNF (21).
• Jeff Burton (4/06/1997) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (4/02/2000) won their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career race at Texas Motor Speedway.
• David Ragan (4/09/2011) and Martin Truex Jr. (11/04/2007) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Texas Motor Speedway.  
• 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski (11/02/2008) and Trevor Bayne (11/07/2010) made their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts at Texas Motor Speedway.
• Two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted consecutive wins at Texas Motor Speedway: Carl Edwards (2008 sweep) and Denny Hamlin (2010 sweep). Jimmie Johnson has won the last three consecutive Chase races at Texas Motor Speedway (2012, 2013 and 2014).
• 11 of the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who have won at Texas Motor Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Texas in his first appearance; Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman won in their second appearance at TMS.
• Jeff Gordon competed at Texas Motor Speedway 16 times before winning in the spring of 2009; the longest span of any the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
• Only three of the 12 winning drivers have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Texas Motor Speedway: Jeff Gordon (16) Kyle Busch (15) and Kurt Busch (13).
• Kevin Harvick leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 23.
• Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway was the (4/4/2004) race won by Elliott Sadler with a MOV of 0.028 second ahead of Kasey Kahne.
• Two female drivers have made NSCS starts at Texas Motor Speedway: Shawna Robinson and Danica Patrick