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Credit: Autostock

By the Numbers: Southern 500

By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
November 12, 2004
10:55 AM EST (15:55 GMT)

To say that an era will end this weekend at Darlington Raceway does not even begin to describe the impact of Sunday's Mountain Dew Southern 500.

NASCAR's oldest superspeedway race and a fixture on the schedule since 1950, the Southern 500 will cease to exist on the Nextel Cup Series schedule following Sunday's event.

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Hendrick Motorsports has the two most recent victories on the track "Too Tough To Tame," as Texas veteran Terry Labonte won the final Labor Day weekend version of the Southern 500, in 2003. His teammate Jimmie Johnson won the spring Carolina Dodge Dealers 400.

The narrow, 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval's final Southern 500 is the 35th of 36 events on the season.

Ryan Newman has an opportunity to tie a Nextel Cup mark if he wins his fifth consecutive Bud Pole Award. Newman has won four consecutive poles, since Lowe's Motor Speedway in October, and can tie the mark established by Bobby Allison and last achieved by Cale Yarborough in 1980.

The following numbers refer to Darlington unless otherwise noted.

  • 0 -- The fewest cautions, in September 1963.

  • .002 -- Ricky Craven's closest margin of victory, in seconds, over Kurt Busch in March 2003.

  • 1 -- The fewest finishers on the lead lap, most recent of 24 times in September 1979.

  • 1 -- The number of times in the last 15 races that the pole winner has won the race, by Dale Jarrett in spring 1997.

  • 2 -- The fewest leaders, in May 1964.

  • 4 -- The fewest lead changes, in September 1950.

  • 4 -- Jimmie Johnson's consecutive top-10 finishes, since Lowe's Motor Speedway in October.

  • 6 -- Jeff Burton's number of consecutive top-15 finishes, since Talladega in October.

  • 6 -- The number of Southern 500s shortened by rain, most recently in 2000.

  • 9 -- The number of times in 45 years of twice-a-year Nextel Cup racing that a sweep has occurred, most recently by Jeff Burton in 1999.

  • 10 -- Hendrick Motorsports and Junior Johnson's leading number of car owner victories.

  • 10 -- David Pearson's leading number of career victories.

  • 12 -- David Pearson's leading number of career pole positions.

  • 12 -- The fewest cars running at the finish, in September 1974.

  • 15 -- The most caution periods, in March 1995.

  • 19 -- The number of 100 Nextel Cup races won from the pole position.

  • 20 -- The most leaders, in September 1994.

  • 22 -- Bill Elliott's leading number of top-five finishes among active drivers.

  • 23 -- The most finishers on the lead lap, in September 2002.

  • 35 -- Bill Elliott's leading number of top-10 finishes among active drivers.

  • 41 -- The most lead changes, in September 1982.

  • 41 -- The most cars running at the finish, in March 1999.

  • 43 -- Johnny Mantz's starting position for the 1950 Southern 500, the furthest back a winner has started in a 500-mile race.

  • 43 -- The number of drivers who have won pole positions.

  • 45 -- The pit road speed limit, in miles per hour. Under caution, the pace vehicle will travel 50 mph.

  • 87 -- The number of 100 Cup races won from starting positions inside the top-

  • 139.958 -- Dale Earnhardt's 500-mile race record average speed, in miles per hour, set in three hours and 54 seconds in March 1993.

  • 173.797 -- Ward Burton's Bud Pole Qualifying record, in miles per hour, set in 28.295 seconds in March 1996.

  • 351 -- The most laps led by a 500-mile race winner, by Johnny Mantz in September 1950.

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