Charlotte Motor Speedway:

Charlotte Motor Speedway:

History

·         Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1959.

·         The track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 19, 1960.

·         The track was repaved midseason in 1994.

·         The track name changed from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999. It changed back to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2010 season.

·         The track was re-paved again before the 2006 season.

Notebook

·         There have been 107 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, two races per year since the track opened in 1960. In 1961, there were two 100-mile qualifying points races held the week before the May race. The first six fall races at Charlotte were 400-mile events (1960-65).

·         40 drivers have posted poles, led by David Pearson with 14.

·         Fireball Roberts won the pole for the first race, in 1960.

·         David Pearson posted 11 straight poles at Charlotte from the fall of 1973 through 1978.

·         Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in poles, with nine. Jeff Gordon has eight.

·         Jeff Gordon won five straight poles for the spring races between 1994 and 1998.

·         44 drivers have won races, led by Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip and Jimmie Johnson, with six each.

·         Joe Lee Johnson won the first race, in 1960.

·         There have been 13 back-to-back victories, including three consecutive by Fred Lorenzen (fall 1964 and both 1965) and four straight by Jimmie Johnson (both in 2004 and 2005).

·         A sweep has occurred eight times, including each season from 2004-2007.

·         14 races have been won from the pole, the last by Jimmie Johnson (October, 2009).

·         Jimmie Johnson won the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 from the 37th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

·         A number of active drivers earned their first win at CMS: Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears and David Reutimann. Inactive drivers David Pearson, Buddy Baker and Charlie Glotzbach also got their first series win at Charlotte.

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Charlotte Motor Speedway winner: Jeff Gordon (10/10/1993 – 22 years, 2 months, 6 days).

·         Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Charlotte Motor Speedway winner: Cale Yarborough (10/06/1985 – 46 years, 6 months, 9 days).

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.

·         The name changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989.

·         Fourth repaving completed on Sept. 19, 2006.

Notebook

·         There have been 86 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega Superspeedway since the track opened in 1969; two a year every year except the inaugural season, which had just one.

·         Richard Brickhouse won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         Bobby Isaac won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole in September 1969. Isaac won the first three poles there.

·         35 different drivers have won poles. Bill Elliott leads all drivers with eight poles.

·         41 different drivers have posted victories, led by Dale Earnhardt Sr. (10). Twenty-one drivers have won more than once.

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in victories, with six. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is second among active drivers with five.

·         Richard Childress Racing has won more than any other organization at Talladega with 12 wins.

·         33 of 86 races have been won from a top-two starting positions, including 13 from the pole; 24 have been won from a starting position outside the top 10. The most recent driver to win from the pole was Jeff Gordon in 2007 (spring).

·         The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 36th, by Jeff Gordon in 2000.

·         Brad Keselowski leads the series among active drivers in average finishing position at Talladega with a 13.0. Trevor Bayne leads the series among active drivers in average starting position with an 8.6.

·         Mark Martin’s pace in the 1997 spring race set an all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup record for the fastest race ever. He won the caution-free race with an average speed of 188.354 mph and covered the 500-mile distance in two hours, 39 minutes and 18 seconds.

·         The 2010 spring race set the all-time and track records for lead changes (88) and lap leaders (29). Last season’s spring race tied the 2010 record for most lead changes with 88 (amongst 26 lap leaders). The previous highs were 75 lead changes (set on May 6, 1984) and 28 lap leaders (set on Oct. 5, 2008). Both previous records also were set at Talladega.

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. had four consecutive victories (October 2001 through April 2003), the most ever by a driver at Talladega Superspeedway. Buddy Baker (three – May 1975 through May 1976) is the only other driver to win more than two consecutive races there.

·         Since the inception of electronic scoring in 1993, every race that has ended under green has had a margin of victory under half a second.

·         The 2011 spring race tied the 03/16/2003 Darlington race won by Ricky Craven for the all-time record of the closest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish (0.002 seconds) since the inception of electronic scoring.

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Talladega Superspeedway winner: Bobby Hillin Jr. (07/27/1986 – 22 years, 1 month, 22 days).

·         Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Talladega Superspeedway winner: Harry Gant (05/06/1991 – 51 years, 3 months, 26 days)

 

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY SIGNS HISTORIC AGREEMENT

PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY SIGNS HISTORIC AGREEMENT

TO HOST FIRST EVER NASCAR MEXICO TOYOTA SERIES RACE IN THE UNITED STATES

(Phoenix, Ariz.) -  Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan R. Sperber, NASCAR and OCESA announced today that the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series will make its United States debut at PIR during the March, 2013 race weekend. 

The landmark international event will run on Friday, March 1, as part of the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at PIR.  The race will be televised in the United States, Mexico and Latin America. 

“This is a truly significant day in the history of Phoenix International Raceway, we are both humbled and excited to play host to the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series’ first race in the United States,” said Sperber.  “We look forward to welcoming the Series’ great drivers, teams and fans to Phoenix and eagerly anticipate a great event.”

"NASCAR is proud to make this historic announcement with Phoenix International Raceway and OCESA. It represents the next step in the growth of the sport and the international impact NASCAR is making. This is a terrific opportunity to expose our fans in the United States to our exciting series from Mexico and continue to help the series and its impressive array of drivers reach new fans," said Brian France, NASCAR CEO and Chairman.

The 75-lap event will feature a format that includes a scheduled break after the first 50-laps followed by a 25-lap sprint to the finish.  A full field of drivers from the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series is expected to participate in this history making race, including current points leader Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 3 Equipo TELCEL.

“After 10 years of tremendous efforts, NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series has achieved a points race in the U.S. market,” said Federico Alaman, Managing Director of the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series.  “All of our competitors, series officials and partners are delighted to showcase our sport at a venue as prestigious as Phoenix International Raceway and bring the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series to an American audience.”

“This is an important day for Toyota Mexico and the Series to showcase our teams, drivers and partners to a new audience,” said Ana Maria Vallarino, Director of Marketing for Toyota Mexico. “We look forward to kicking off the season at Phoenix International Raceway.”

The NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series will kick off its 10th season overall and seventh under the NASCAR banner at Phoenix International Raceway on March 1, 2013, followed by 14 races at eight different tracks throughout Mexico.