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Martin Truex Jr. drove the No. 8 to Victory Lane three times at Talladega, now he hopes to take the No. 11 there.By the Numbers: Talladega
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As the longest oval track on the schedule, Talladega is anything but a junior circuit on the junior circuit. But with the winners it's produced lately in the Busch Series, it's obvious that winning at the track is no junior achievement.
Nine of the last 13 restrictor-plate races have been won by a DEI driver, and the last four races at Talladega have ended up with DEI taking the trophy home with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. They're both entered in Saturday's Aaron's 312 (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Even though the drivers don't participate in the Busch Series full time anymore, something about the restrictor plates brings out the Juniors when the green flies ... and the checkers.
Interesting Fact
1.0Average finish for Martin Truex Jr. in his three races at Talladga. Truex has won the last three races at the track. His driver rating is 113.4.
Fun Fact
10.9Percent of races at Talladega (Truck, Busch and Cup) that have been won by a driver with the suffix "Jr." or 10 of 91 races. There are four drivers entered in Saturday's race with the "Jr." suffix attached to their name, in addition to Robert Richardson II.
All the Facts
2Former Talladega winners entered in Saturday's race: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr.
2Drivers who have an average running position of better than 10th in the last two races at Talladega: Martin Truex Jr. (7.336) and Kevin Harvick (9.965).
2.7Average starting position for Clint Bowyer in his three Talladega races. His average finish is 15.3, seventh among drivers entered who have more than one start at the track.
3Drivers who ran all 117 laps of last year's race inside the top 15: Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers and Carl Edwards. Only Vickers is not entered in Saturday's race.
8The winning car number for the last four Talladega races, all of which were a DEI car. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 2003 event, while Martin Truex Jr. took the last three. Earnhardt will drive No. 8 on Saturday while Truex will be in the No. 11.
9Laps during the past two Talladega races in which Kevin Harvick had the fastest car, the most among drivers entered in Saturday's race. Harvick also leads in green-flag passes the past two years with 407.
11Victories for Chevrolet in 15 Talladega races. Ford has three victories, and Pontiac has one.
11.2Average starting position for Talladega winners.
13Victories by Chevrolet in the last 14 restrictor-plate races. The only race in that span that was not won by a Chevrolet driver was Daytona in July 2004, won by Mike Wallace in a Ford.
17Car number for Danny O'Quinn Jr. in Saturday's race. This will be his third race of 2007, but the first with Roush Fenway since winning rookie of the year last season.
18.1Average number of lead changes in a Busch Series race at Talladega. On average, there are 9.07 different leaders per race and 4.8 cautions.
28Lead changes in last year's Talladega race. The most lead changes in a Busch Series race at the track was 30 in 1994.
36Laps led by Tony Stewart at Talladega, the most by a driver entered in Saturday's race who has not previously won at the track. Stewart's best finish in four races there is 20th (2005).
10,289Total number of passes made in the last two Talladega races. The most popular place to pass is on the frontstretch, where 3,735 passes have occurred in the last two races.
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Talladega Superspeedway
Former Winners
| Year | Winner | Started | Make |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Ernie Irvan | 2 | Chevrolet |
| 1993 | Dale Earnhardt | 22 | Chevrolet |
| 1994 | Ken Schrader | 17 | Chevrolet |
| 1995 | Chad Little | 7 | Ford |
| 1996 | Greg Sacks | 7 | Chevrolet |
| 1997 | Mark Martin | 23 | Ford |
| 1998 | Joe Nemechek | 1 | Chevrolet |
| 1999 | Terry Labonte | 16 | Chevrolet |
| 2000 | Joe Nemechek | 35 | Chevrolet |
| 2001 | Mike McLaughlin | 14 | Pontiac |
| 2002 | Jason Keller | 12 | Ford |
| 2003 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 3 | Chevrolet |
| 2004 | Martin Truex Jr. | 3 | Chevrolet |
| 2005 | Martin Truex Jr. | 4 | Chevrolet |
| 2006 | Martin Truex Jr. | 12 | Chevrolet |
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