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Bristol was one of Ryan Newman's six Busch Series victories in 2005.By the Numbers: Bristol
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Ryan Newman got shut out last year. He was winless for the first time as a full-time driver in the Nextel Cup Series, and in his six Busch Series starts he never reached Victory Lane.
That doesn't sound abnormal until you look at his 2005 results in the Busch Series: Nine starts, six victories. Newman was the Kevin Harvick of the series on a part-time level. But he hasn't been quite the same since.
Fortunately for him, Bristol will be his 2007 debut.
The average running position for Ryan Newman in the last two fall races at Bristol is 5.255. He led 114 laps and won the 2005 race. In 2006 he started from the pole and led 95 laps before finishing sixth.
"We had a very good run going last August, earning our first pole at the track in the Busch Series and leading so many laps," said Newman, who has the track's highest driver rating at 132.7. "I think if we'd had a few more laps, we could've passed the last five cars and gotten into Victory Lane."
In Saturday's Sharpie Mini 300 (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC), his first of eight scheduled races this season, Newman hopes to end his winless streak. But to do that he'll first have to end the series' current winning streak.
Interesting Fact
49Races since a driver has won three consecutive Busch Series events. Ryan Newman won three in a row in August 2005 (Watkins Glen, Michigan and Bristol). Jeff Burton has won the last two Busch Series races. Burton has one victory at Bristol (April 1997).
Fun Fact
30,000Approximate number of volunteers from Tennessee who showed up when Gov. Aaron V. Brown issued a call for just 2,800 men to battle Santa Ana in the Mexican-American War, securing Tennessee with the nickname "The Volunteer State." Tennessee had previously offered 1,500 soldiers for Gen. Andrew Jackson just 30 years earlier during the War of 1812.
All the Facts
2Drivers entered in the Sharpie Mini 300 who are from Tennessee: Bobby Hamilton Jr. (Nashville) and Brad Teague (Johnson City). There are also two drivers entered who are from outside the United States: Juan Montoya (Colombia) and Marcos Ambrose (Tasmania).
5Drivers entered in the Sharpie Mini 300 with an average running position of 10th or better during the past four races at Bristol: Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer.
6Former Bristol winners entered in the Sharpie Mini 300: Kevin Harvick (4), Morgan Shepherd (4), Matt Kenseth (3), Kyle Busch (1), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1) and Bobby Labonte (1).
7.4Average finish for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his seven Busch races at Bristol, all top-10s with the exception of his 1997 debut there (22nd) and the 1998 fall race (15th). He has completed all but seven laps.
8.2Average starting position for Bristol winners in the Busch Series. Seven races have been won from the pole, most recently by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in August 2004.
24Bristol races that have had 10 or more cautions. Fourteen cautions is the track record, which has occurred five times. The fewest number of cautions on record was two in May 1983. The two races held in 1982 have no record of the number of cautions.
49Busch Series races held at Bristol Motor Speedway. Lowe's Motor Speedway is the only track on the schedule to have held more Busch races (50). Bristol has hosted two races each year since 1982 except for 1984, when only one race was run in August (Morgan Shepherd).
69.06Percent of passes made in the high-banked corners of Bristol, with 38.52 percent of passes being made in Turns 3 and 4.
118Green-flag passes for Kevin Harvick in the last four Bristol races, more than any other driver. Harvick has also clocked the most fastest laps (99) during that span.
188Laps led by Greg Biffle at Bristol, more than any driver who has not won at the track. Biffle's average starting position is 9.7, but his average finish is 18.9.
938Laps Kevin Harvick has led at Bristol, more than twice the amount of any other Busch Series driver in history; Mark Martin is second with 439.
Bristol Motor Speedway
Busch Series Spring Race Winners
| Year | Winner | Make |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Phil Parsons | Pontiac |
| 1983 | Morgan Shepherd | Oldsmobile |
| 1985 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet |
| 1986 | Morgan Shepherd | Buick |
| 1987 | Morgan Shepherd | Buick |
| 1988 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet |
| 1989 | Rick Wilson | Oldsmobile |
| 1990 | L.D. Ottinger | Oldsmobile |
| 1991 | Bobby Labonte | Oldsmobile |
| 1992 | Harry Gant | Buick |
| 1993 | Michael Waltrip | Pontiac |
| 1994 | David Green | Chevrolet |
| 1995 | Steve Grissom | Chevrolet |
| 1996 | Mark Martin | Ford |
| 1997 | Jeff Burton | Ford |
| 1998 | Elliott Sadler | Chevrolet |
| 1999 | Jason Keller | Chevrolet |
| 2000 | Sterling Marlin | Chevrolet |
| 2001 | Matt Kenseth | Chevrolet |
| 2002 | Jeff Green | Chevrolet |
| 2003 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet |
| 2004 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet |
| 2005 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet |
| 2006 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet |
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