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 87 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 (87).  

·         429 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 57 starts; followed by Michael Waltrip with 53.

·         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).

·         47 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 19.

·         13 of the 87 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 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.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega with a 10.182.

·         Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Talladega with a 12.250.

·         There have been six 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) and fall of 2012 (188/189).

·         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 at Talladega Superspeedway three times; most recently spring of 2010.

·         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 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 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.

·         15 of the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup 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 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners.

·         Matt Kenseth (25), Terry Labonte (21), Tony Stewart (19), Kevin Harvick (18) and Mark Martin (18) 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 38.

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway was the race on April 17, 2011 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.

·         Two female drivers have competed at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series–

o    Janet Guthrie made three Talladega starts:

§ (5/1/1977) - starting 13th and finishing 32nd

§ (8/7/1977) - starting ninth and finishing 34th

§ (8/6/1978) – starting 12th and finishing 29th

 

o    Patty Moise made one Talladega start:

§ (7/30/1989) - starting 13th and finishing 32nd

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

 

Richmond International Raceway:

Richmond International Raceway:

History

·         Originally known as the Atlantic Rural Exposition Fairgrounds, Richmond International Raceway held its first race in 1946 as a half-mile dirt track.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was April 19, 1953 won by Lee Petty.

·         The spring 1964 race was run on a Tuesday night under temporary lighting.

·         The track name changed to Virginia State Fairgrounds in 1967.

·         The track surface was changed from dirt to asphalt between races in 1968.

·         The track name changed to Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in 1969.

·         The track was re-measured to .542-mile in 1970.

·         The track was rebuilt as a three-quarter-mile D-shaped oval following the Feb. 21, 1988 race.

·         The first race under permanent lights was Sept. 7, 1991.

·         The first season with both races as night races was 1999.

Notebook

·         There have been 113 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond International Raceway, one NSCS event from 1953-1958 and two races per year since 1959.

·         467 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond; 304 in more than one.

·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Richmond with 63. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 55 starts; followed by Mark Martin with 54.

·         Buck Baker won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Richmond in 1953 with a speed of 48.465 mph.

·         51 drivers have Coors Light poles at Richmond, led by Richard Petty and Bobby Allison with eight each. Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin lead all active drivers with five each.

·         Seven drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Richmond. Bobby Allison holds the record for most consecutive poles at Richmond with five (1972 - 1974).

·         Youngest Richmond pole winner: Brian Vickers (5/15/2004 – 20 years, 6 months, 21 days).

·         Oldest Richmond pole winner: Mark Martin (4/28/2012 – 53 years, 3 months, 19 days).

·         47 different drivers have won at Richmond International Raceway, led by Richard Petty with 13. Kyle Busch leads all active drivers with four.

·         Petty Enterprises has the most wins at Richmond in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 15; followed by Hendrick Motorsports with 10 and Joe Gibbs Racing with nine.

·         Chevrolet leads the series in wins at Richmond with 35 victories; followed by Ford with 28 wins.

·         22 of the 113 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond International Raceway have been won from the Coors Light pole. Only three active drivers have been able to accomplish the feat: Kasey Kahne (2005), Jimmie Johnson (2007) and Kyle Busch (2010).

·         The pole starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing the most winners than any other starting position at Richmond (22).

·         35 of the 113 (30.9%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond have been won from the front row: 22 from the pole and 13 from second-place.

·         90 of the 113 (79.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond International Raceway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         11 of the 113 (9.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond International Raceway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Richmond International Raceway was 31st, by Clint Bowyer in the spring of 2008.

·         Youngest Richmond winner: Richard Petty (4/23/1961 – 23 years, 9 months, 21 days).

·         Oldest Richmond winner: Harry Gant (9/7/1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 28 days).

·         Bobby Allison and Richard Petty are tied for thelead in runner-up finishes at Richmond with nine each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six.

·         Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Richmond with 34. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 18; followed by Jeff Gordon with 16.

·         Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Richmond with 44. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 30; followed by Terry Labonte with 28.

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Richmond International Raceway with a 7.925.

·         Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Richmond International Raceway with a 5.438.

·         Three active drivers have a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series average finish in the top 10 at Richmond: Kyle Busch (5.4), Denny Hamlin (8.0) and Clint Bowyer (9.5).

·         There has been one NSCS race resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Richmond International Raceway: spring of 2008 (400/410).

·         Only four of the 113 races at Richmond International Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions: spring of 1962, spring of 1977, spring of 1982 and spring of 2003.

·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond International Raceway six times; most recently fall of 2008.

·         Kevin Harvick has participated in the most NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond without posting a DNF (24).

·         Bobby Labonte (9/11/1993) and Brian Vickers (5/15/2004) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Richmond.

·         Tony Stewart (9/11/1999) and Kasey Kahne (5/14/2005) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup wins at Richmond.

·         Eight drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Richmond International Raceway. Richard Petty leads the series in consecutive wins at Richmond after posting seven consecutive wins from the fall of 1970 – 1973. Terry Labonte (1994-1995) and Jimmie Johnson (2007 sweep) are the only two active drivers with consecutive wins at Richmond.

·         All of the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners at Richmond International Raceway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart won at Richmond in their second appearance.

·         Terry Labonte competed at Richmond International Raceway 32 times before winning in 1994; the longest span of any of the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·         Terry Labonte (32), Joe Nemechek (18), Kevin Harvick (11) and Jimmie Johnson (10) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Richmond International Raceway.

·         Bobby Labonte leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Richmond without visiting Victory Lane at 40.

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond International Raceway was the Sept. 12, 1998 race won by Jeff Burton with an MOV of 0.051 of a second.

·         Janet Guthrie is the only female driver to have competed at Richmond in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series(twice) – (2/27/1977) starting 13th and finishing 12th; 9/11/1977 - starting 14th and finishing 12th.

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Richmond with 1,415 laps led in 40 starts.

Kansas Speedway:

Kansas Speedway:

History

·         Groundbreaking was held on May 25, 1999.

·         The official opening of Kansas Speedway was in 2001, with the first events being an ARCA race and a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on the same day – June 2.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was on Sept. 30, 2001 – won by Jeff Gordon.

·         During the 2012 season, between the April and October events the 1.5-mile track underwent a repave adding variable banking in the corners.

Notebook

·         There have been 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, one NSCS event from 2001 - 2010 and two races per year since 2011.

·         108 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas; 79 in more than one.

·         Nine drivers have made all 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway – Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart.

·         Jason Leffler won the inaugural Coors Light Pole Award at Kansas Speedway in 2001 with a speed of 176.499 mph.

·         10 drivers have Coors Light poles at Kansas, led by Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne with three each.

·         Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to win consecutive Coors Light poles at Kansas Speedway (2007 and 2008).

·         Youngest Kansas pole winner: Jason Leffler (09/30/2001 – 26 years, 0 months, 14 days).

·         Oldest Kansas pole winner: Mark Martin (10/04/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 25 days).

·         10 different drivers have won at Kansas Speedway, led by Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson with two each.

·         Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports are tied for the most wins at Kansas in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with four each; followed by Joe Gibbs Racing and Penske Racing with two each.

·         Chevrolet leads the series in wins at Kansas with seven victories; followed by Ford with four wins.

·         Two of the 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the pole; Joe Nemechek (2004) and Jimmie Johnson (2008).  

·         Three starting positions have produced multiple wins at Kansas Speedway: the pole, fifth and 19th each have two wins.  

·         Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the front row: two from the pole and one from second-place.

·         Eight of the 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Two of the 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Kansas Speedway was 25th, by Brad Keselowski in the spring of 2011.

·         Youngest Kansas winner: Ryan Newman (10/05/2003 – 25 years, 9 months, 27 days).

·         Oldest Kansas winner: Mark Martin (10/09/2005 – 46 years, 9 months, 0 days).

·         Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman are tied for thelead in runner-up finishes at Kansas Speedway with two each.   

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway with eight; followed by Greg Biffle with seven.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-10 finishes at Kansas Speedway with 11; followed by Jeff Gordon (10).

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Kansas Speedway with a 10.615.

·         Two active drivers have a NASCAR Sprint Cup average finish better than 10.0 at Kansas: Jimmie Johnson (8.0) and Brad Keselowski (9.8).

·         There has been one NSCS race resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Kansas Speedway: fall of 2011 (267 scheduled laps/272 actual laps).

·         Only one of the 14 races at Kansas Speedway has been shortened due to weather conditions: fall of 2007 (267 scheduled laps/210 actual laps).

·         Qualifying has never been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.

·         Jason Leffler (09/30/2001) is the only driver to post his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Kansas Speedway.

·         2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Austin Dillon (10/09/2011) and Denny Hamlin (10/09/2005) made their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts at Kansas Speedway.

·         Jeff Gordon is the only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver to have posted consecutive wins at Kansas Speedway (2001 and 2002 – the first two NSCS events at Kansas).  

·         Nine of the 10 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Kansas Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Jeff Gordon won at Kansas in his first appearance.   

·         Matt Kenseth competed at Kansas Speedway 13 times before winning last fall; the longest span of any of the 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Kansas.

·         Matt Kenseth is the only driver to have made 10 or more attempts before his first win at Kansas Speedway.

·         Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch and Bobby Labonte lead the series with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Kansas Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 14.

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway was the (10/10/2004) race won by Joe Nemechek with a MOV of 0.081 second.

·         Danica Patrick is the only female driver to have competed at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series(10/21/2012) – starting 40th and finishing 32nd.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Kansas Speedway with 547 laps led in 13 starts.