Dover International Speedway:

Dover International Speedway:

History

·         The official opening of Dover International Speedway, then called Dover Downs International Speedway, was in 1969.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on July 6, 1969.

·         The first two races at Dover were 300 miles. The race length was changed to 500 miles in 1971.

·         The track surface was changed to concrete in 1995.

·         The race length was changed to 400 miles beginning with the second race in 1997.

·         The track name was changed to Dover International Speedway in 2002.

Notebook

·         There have been 84 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover International Speedway since the track opened in 1969.

·         There was one race in 1969 and 1970. There has been two-a-year since 1971.

·         Richard Petty won the track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         There have been 35 different pole winners, led by David Pearson (six).

·         David Pearson won the first pole in July 1969.

·         Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers, each with four poles.

·         33 different drivers have posted victories led by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty, each with seven.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers, with six victories.

·         Hendrick Motorsports has a series-high 13 wins.

·         51 races at Dover have been won from a top-five starting position; 18 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.

·         13 drivers have won from the pole. The last to do so was Jimmie Johnson, in the 2010 September race.

·         The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 37th, by Kyle Petty in 1995.

·         Several active drivers had their first start at Dover: David Ragan (finished 42nd in 2006), Kurt Busch (18th in 2000), Matt Kenseth (sixth in 1998) and Bobby Labonte (34th in 1991).

·         In addition, Matt Kenseth (2002) and Michael Waltrip (1991) earned their first pole at Dover. Martin Truex Jr. won his first race there (2007).

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Dover International Speedway winner: Kyle Busch (06/01/2008 – 23 years, 0 months, 30 days).

·         Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Dover International Speedway winner: Harry Gant (05/31/1992 – 52 years, 4 months, 21 days).

 

HARRAKA MAKES DEBUT AT THE MONSTER MILE

HARRAKA MAKES DEBUT AT THE MONSTER MILE WITH WAUTERS MOTORSPORTS

Harraka to use Twitter at Dover to Promote Phoenix International Raceway November NASCAR Weekend

PHOENIX — Paulie Harraka will make his debut at Dover International Raceway in the No. 5 Wauters Motorsports NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford F150 for the running of the Lucas Oil 200 Friday, June 1, 2012.

Harraka, who will make his first start at many of the series’ tracks this season, will promote Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) this Friday, a track he has run at during his NASCAR K&N West Series career.  The No. 5 Ford will carry the PIR logo to spread the word to fans that they can start buying tickets beginning June 1, 2012 for November’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.

As part of the promotion fans can save up to $5 per ticket from June 1 through July 4, during PIR’s value pricing period.  Additionally, fans have an opportunity to have special access to enjoy the November race weekend at PIR by following Harraka on Twitter on this Friday, June 1 during the Lucas Oil 200 at Dover.

If Harraka should win Friday’s race in Dover, any fan who tweeted the hashtag #GoPaulie during the race will qualify to enter a drawing to be randomly selected to win weekend access to the exclusive Octane Club at Phoenix International Raceway this November.

The winner will be able to watch Harraka and team compete in the Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event, as well as the Saturday Nationwide Race and the Sunday Chase for the Sprint Cup Series Race. All three races are the semi-final races of the season in each series.

“I spent four years racing on the West Coast, and can’t wait to get back out there,” Harraka said.  “Phoenix is such a unique track and always makes for great racing action. It’s the perfect combo of short track and speedway, and I know the fans love it. We’ve got an awesome promotion with Phoenix International Raceway going, and I’m excited to be able to bring an opportunity like this to our fans. I appreciate the dedication that PIR’s Bryan Sperber and his team have to giving back to the fans.”

The drawing will be completely random, but fans must be 18 or older to win. Only one entry per person will be accepted.

Team owner, Richie Wauters in his tenure as a crew chief has scored two wins (Kyle Busch 2005, Aric Almirola 2010) and four top-10 finishes in seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events on the Monster Mile concrete race track located in Dover, Delaware.

“I can’t wait for Dover,” Harraka said. “That is one of the coolest racetracks in our sport, and it looks like a ton of fun to drive. Richie (Wauters) and I have talked about it a lot, and I know I’ve got a lot to learn, but really believe my driving style will fit it well.”

For more information on Paulie Harraka and Wauters Motorsports visit www.PaulieHarraka.net, Facebook: Paulie Harraka, Twitter: @PaulieHarraka, www.WautersMotorsports.com, Facebook: Wauters Motorsports and Twitter: @WautersMotors5.

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 106 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).

·         39 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 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race/Coca-Cola 600 sweep has occurred seven times: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Davey Allison (’91), Dale Earnhardt (’93), Jeff Gordon (’97), Jimmie Johnson (2003), Kasey Kahne (’08), Kurt Busch (’10).

·         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.

·         Joey Logano is the only driver with more than two Charlotte races to average top-10 finish (8.2).  

·         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)

Charlotte Motor Speedway Data

Race #: 12 of 36 (05-27-12)

Track Size: 1.5 miles

Race Length: 501.322 miles

·     Banking/Turns: 24 degrees

·     Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees

·     Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 1,980 feet

·     Backstretch: 1,500 feet