 |  | | Mark Martin's outlook on restrictor-plate racing is rather grim, but he hasn't been too bad in his career at Talladega. Credit: Autostock |
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
April 27, 2006
08:41 PM EDT (00:41 GMT)
The year was 1988 -- Valentine's Day in Daytona, where drivers were getting buckled in for a new kind of racing on the beach, one that would slow them rather than speed them up. It was the first restrictor-plate race following NASCAR's rule change. It was also Race No. 1 for Mark Martin and his streak that would follow. He was 29 years old. For perhaps a clearer picture, he was J.J. Yeley's age. Martin lasted just 19 laps that day at Daytona, parking Jack Roush's No. 6 Ford early because of an overheating problem. In the 18 years since, Martin has won 35 races (two at Talladega), finished in the top 10 in points for 15 years and retired once. He also hasn't missed a race, having entered 589 consecutive starts. Prior to that, Martin scattered 57 starts over seven years. But Martin and restrictor-plate racing have never made up from that bad first impression. "I think that my feelings regarding Talladega as a restrictor-plate race are pretty widely know," Martin said heading into Sunday's Aaron's 499 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX) at Talladega. "I'm not a big fan of that type of racing at all, but I know that the fans love it and it's the next race." What you didn't know
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21 -- Top-10 finishes for Mark Martin in 40 starts at Talladega, more than any active driver. He has only one top-10, however, in the last five starts at the superspeedway. |
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Driver Rating: Aaron's 499
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109.4 -- Tony Stewart, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet. Stewart led 67 laps in the two Talladega races last season and finished second both times. He has never won at the superspeedway. |
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NASCAR's driver rating combines the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15s, average lead-lap running position, average speed under green, fastest lap, led most laps and lead-lap finish. Statistics based on current and past year at track. Maximum rating: 150 points. Numerology Sunday will be the 74th race at Talladega's 2.66-mile superspeedway. It's the longest track. It's the steepest track (33 degrees) aside from Bristol. It's a roomy 48 feet wide with 12 feet of apron, and its straightaways are both longer than 4,000 feet. There have been 33 winners at the track, but less than a fourth of them remain active.
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0 -- Times Kasey Kahne has qualified in the top 10, led a lap or finished in the top 10 at Talladega. He has only finished on the lead lap once in four races there. |
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3 -- Talladega races that have gone caution-free: 1997 spring (Mark Martin), 2001 spring (Bobby Hamilton) and 2002 fall (Dale Earnhardt Jr.). |
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3 -- Drivers with average running positions inside the top 10: Matt Kenseth (8.336), Jamie McMurray (8.724) and Tony Stewart (9.672). |
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3 -- Consecutive top-10 finishes at Talladega for Kurt Busch, Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart, the longest current streaks. |
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4 -- Winners in 73 Talladega races that started worse than 20th. |
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8 -- Races in the last 12 at Talladega that have been won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon. |
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11 -- Times that Michael Waltrip had the fastest car in last year's Aaron's 499, more than any other driver. |
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13 -- Winners in the last 14 Talladega races have driven a Chevrolet, although the most recent winner, Dale Jarrett, took a Ford to Victory Lane. |
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15 -- Positions in the standings that Kevin Harvick has improved in the last five races. He was 23rd following the Atlanta race and now sits eighth after last week's victory at Phoenix. |
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18 -- Talladega races that have been won from the second starting position, including both races in 2005. The average starting position for winners is 6.81. |
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24 -- Laps of the fastest 25 last year at Talladega that were run in the Aaron's 499, with Greg Biffle clocking the best at 196.750 mph. |
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34.62 -- Percent of passes made on the frontstretch last year at Talladega, by far the most popular place to pass. The worst places for passing last year were Turn 2 (9.73 percent) and Turn 4 (9.94). |
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48 -- Starts at Talladega for Kyle Petty without a victory, more than any active driver. |
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71.65 -- Percent of laps led by Jeff Gordon in last year's Aaron's 499 (139 of 194). |
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159 -- Laps led by Jimmie Johnson at Talladega, the most by a driver without a victory. Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with 640 laps led. |
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192 -- Laps that Jeff Gordon ran in the top 15 during last year's Aaron's 499 of the 194 total. |
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193.667 -- Jeff Gordon's average speed from last year's race, in miles per hour, through Turn 1, the fastest portion of the speedway. |
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1976 -- Last time a Dodge went to Victory Lane at Talladega, when Dave Marcis won the Talladega 500 on Aug. 8, 1976. |
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21,868 -- Green-flag passes in last year's two races at Talladega, with Martin Truex Jr. (who wasn't a full-time driver) leading everyone with 833 passes. |
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Of the eight active drivers who have gone to Talladega's Victory Lane, all have led more than 150 laps. In fact, there is only one other active driver who has been up front for that long -- Jimmie Johnson (159).
| Talladega Threats |
| Active drivers who have won at Talladega |
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Races |
Wins |
T5 |
T10 |
Led |
Avg. St. |
Avg. Fin. |
| D. Earnhardt Jr. |
12 |
5 |
7 |
8 |
492 |
14.2 |
10.7 |
| J. Gordon |
26 |
4 |
11 |
14 |
640 |
11.3 |
15.2 |
| D. Jarrett |
38 |
2 |
11 |
16 |
231 |
15.7 |
16.1 |
| S. Marlin |
45 |
2 |
10 |
17 |
437 |
12.8 |
18.6 |
| M. Martin |
40 |
2 |
10 |
21 |
313 |
14.1 |
15.2 |
| B. Labonte |
26 |
1 |
6 |
10 |
150 |
17.4 |
16.3 |
| K. Schrader |
42 |
1 |
6 |
12 |
155 |
20.2 |
20.8 |
| M. Waltrip |
40 |
1 |
7 |
13 |
188 |
19.3 |
19.3 |
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