A statistical look ahead to the final race of the Contender Round
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. –Below is a look at the 12 Chase Contenders – and beyond – at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama going into the GEICO 500 on October 19 (2 p.m. ET on ESPN).
TALLADEGA-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
1 - Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 107.2
2014 Rundown
· Five wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.5
· Led 20 races for 916 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 20.7 in 11 races
· Average Running Position of 16.5, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 81.7, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.205 mph, 10th-fastest
2 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.9
2014 Rundown
· One win, eight top fives, 14 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 16.3
· Led 15 races for 453 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 21.4 in 19 races
· Average Running Position of 18.8, 19th-best
· Driver Rating of 81.1, 13th-best
· 88 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 6,094 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· 1,782 Laps in the Top 15 (49.3%), sixth-most
· 3,705 Quality Passes, sixth-most
3 - Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 110.2
2014 Rundown
· Three wins, 11 top fives, 16 top 10s; eight poles
· Average finish of 13.5
· Led 23 races for 1,815 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.9 in 27 races
· Average Running Position of 18.9, 21st-best
· Driver Rating of 78.0, 21st-best
· 80 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 6,423 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· 1,594 Laps in the Top 15 (44.1%), 10th-most
· 3,382 Quality Passes, ninth-most
4 - Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.9
2014 Rundown
· Two top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.5
· Led 6 races for 31 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Four top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 21.5 in 25 races
· Average Running Position of 22.2, 34th-best
· Driver Rating of 69.1, 30th-best
5 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Subway Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.8
2014 Rundown
· Two wins, seven top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.3
· Led 11 races for 135 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 21.1 in 20 races
· Average Running Position of 23.7, 40th-best
· Driver Rating of 67.3, 32nd-best
· 77 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
6 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 110.3
2014 Rundown
· Four wins, 12 top fives, 20 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 9.8
· Led 22 races for 740 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Six wins, 15 top fives, 19 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 16.7 in 43 races
· Average Running Position of 18.9, 20th-best
· Driver Rating of 80.6, 15th-best
· 1,644 Laps in the Top 15 (45.5%), ninth-most
7 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx One Rate/Deliverminator Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.9
2014 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 15.0
· Led 13 races for 217 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 19.1 in 17 races
· Average Running Position of 17.7, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 83.1, ninth-best
· 70 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· 5,604 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· 1,543 Laps in the Top 15 (47.8%), 11th-most
· 3,443 Quality Passes, eighth-most
8 - Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.6
2014 Rundown
· One win, three top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.5
· Led 11 races for 206 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, five top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 21.5 in 21 races
· Average Running Position of 21.7, 32nd-best
· Driver Rating of 70.0, 29th-best
· 5,877 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· 3,170 Quality Passes, 12th-most
9 - Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.2
2014 Rundown
· 11 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.9
· Led 17 races for 467 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· One win, five top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 18.3 in 29 races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 14.0
· Driver Rating of 90.9, second-best
· 6,129 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· Series-high 2,361 Laps in the Top 15 (65.4%)
· 4,531 Quality Passes, third-most
10 - Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Wicked Apple Ale Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 103.9
2014 Rundown
· Five wins, 13 top fives, 16 top 10s; five poles
· Average finish of 13.3
· Led 25 races for 1,506 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Two wins, three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 16.4 in 11 races
· Average Running Position of 20.1, 24th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.7, 17th-best
11 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.6
2014 Rundown
· Three wins, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.4
· Led 15 races for 1,035 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Two wins, six top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 17.2 in 25 races
· Average Running Position of 16.6, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 85.9, seventh-best
· 1,881 Laps in the Top 15 (52.1%), fifth-most
· 3,768 Quality Passes, fifth-most
12 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.6
2014 Rundown
· Three wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.2
· Led 14 races for 269 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Five wins, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.0 in 29 races
· Average Running Position of 14.8, third-best
· Driver Rating of 90.3, third-best
· 78 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· 6,487 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 193.225 mph, ninth-fastest
· 2,155 Laps in the Top 15 (59.7%), third-most
· 4,160 Quality Passes, fourth-most
13 - AJ Allmendinger (No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 70.8
2014 Rundown
· One win, two top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 20.1
· Led 5 races for 68 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· One top five, one top 10
· Average finish of 23.4 in nine races
· Average Running Position of 24.1, 44th-best
· Driver Rating of 61.5, 42nd-best
14 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 79.0
2014 Rundown
· Three top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.8
· Led 6 races for 109 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 18.7 in 23 races
· Average Running Position of 20.3, 25th-best
· Driver Rating of 76.8, 22nd-best
· 74 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
15 - Kurt Busch (No. 41 HAAS Automation Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.7
2014 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 19.8
· Led 12 races for 183 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Six top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 17.3 in 27 races
· Average Running Position of 14.9, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 87.1, fifth-best
· 7,181 Green Flag Passes, second-most
· 2,262 Laps in the Top 15 (62.6%), second-most
· Series-high 4,905 Quality Passes
16 - Aric Almirola (No. 43 Smithfield Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 72.9
2014 Rundown
· One win, two top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 21.0
· Led 5 races for 23 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· One top 10
· Average finish of 19.1 in nine races
· Average Running Position of 18.6, 17th-best
· Driver Rating of 81.7, 12th-best
The 12 Contenders at Talladega Superspeedway
|
Driver |
Races |
Poles |
Wins |
Top Fives |
Top 10s |
DNFs |
Average Finish |
Driver Rating |
|
1 |
Joey Logano |
11 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
20.7 |
81.7 |
|
2 |
Kyle Busch |
19 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
21.4 |
81.1 |
|
3 |
Kevin Harvick |
27 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
11 |
2 |
15.9 |
78.0 |
|
4 |
Ryan Newman |
25 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
9 |
8 |
21.5 |
69.1 |
|
5 |
Carl Edwards |
20 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
6 |
21.1 |
67.3 |
|
6 |
Jeff Gordon |
43 |
3 |
6 |
15 |
19 |
9 |
16.7 |
80.6 |
|
7 |
Denny Hamlin |
17 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
19.1 |
83.1 |
|
8 |
Kasey Kahne |
21 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
21.5 |
70.0 |
|
9 |
Matt Kenseth |
29 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
9 |
4 |
18.3 |
90.9 |
|
10 |
Brad Keselowski |
11 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
1 |
16.4 |
79.7 |
|
11 |
Jimmie Johnson |
25 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
10 |
8 |
17.2 |
85.9 |
|
12 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
29 |
0 |
5 |
10 |
14 |
5 |
15.0 |
90.3 |
* – Based on last 19 races at Talladega Superspeedway (2005 – 2014).
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 90 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 (90).
· 438 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega; 299 in more than one.
· Dave Marcis leads the series in starts at Talladega with 61. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 43 starts; followed by Joe Nemechek with 38.
· 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.
· 37 drivers have Coors Light poles at Talladega, led by Bill Elliott with eight. Joe Nemechek leads all active drivers with four; followed by Jeff Gordon with three.
· 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: Brian Scott (05/04/2014 – 26 years, 3 months, 22 days).
· Oldest Talladega pole winner: Mark Martin (10/23/2011 – 52 years, 9 months, 14 days).
· 44 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 39 victories; followed by Ford with 20 and Toyota with three.
· 13 of the 90 (14.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from the Coors Light pole. Jeff Gordon (2007) is the only active driver to be able to accomplish the feat.
· The outside front row (second-place) starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Talladega.
· 33 of the 90 (36.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from the front row: 13 from the pole and 20 from second-place.
· 62 of the 90 (68.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· 8 of the 90 (8.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· 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. (07/27/1986 – 22 years, 1 month, 22 days).
· Oldest Talladega winner: Harry Gant (05/06/1991 – 51 years, 3 months, 26 days).
· Buddy Baker and Tony Stewart are tied for the series’ 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.
· Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-10 finishes at Talladega with 27. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 19.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega with a 10.520.
· Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Talladega with a 15.000.
· There have been seven 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), fall of 2012 (188/189) and spring of 2013 (188/192).
· Only two of the 90 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 Series at Talladega Superspeedway five times; most recently fall of 2013.
· Jamie McMurray (10/06/2002) made his series debut at Talladega Superspeedway.
· Brian Scott (05/04/2014), David Gilliland (10/08/2006) and Travis Kvapil (10/05/2008) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Talladega.
· 2012 series champion Brad Keselowski (04/26/2009) and Brian Vickers (10/08/2006) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 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 straight from the fall of 2001 – 2003.
· Brad Keselowski is the only active series driver to win at Talladega in his first appearance.
· Matt Kenseth competed at Talladega Superspeedway 25 times before winning the fall of 2012; the longest span of any the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
· Matt Kenseth (25), Tony Stewart (19), Kevin Harvick (18), and David Ragan (12) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Talladega.
· Joe Nemechek leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega without visiting Victory Lane at 38; followed by Kurt Busch with 27.
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway was the (04/17/2011) race 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.
· Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Talladega with 844 laps led in 43 starts.
· Three female drivers have competed at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Patty Moise and Danica Patrick.
Driver |
Starting Position |
Finishing Position |
Date |
Danica Patrick |
7 |
22 |
5/4/2014 |
Danica Patrick |
23 |
33 |
10/20/2013 |
Danica Patrick |
23 |
33 |
5/5/2013 |
Patty Moise |
36 |
33 |
7/30/1989 |
Janet Guthrie |
12 |
29 |
8/6/1978 |
Janet Guthrie |
9 |
34 |
8/7/1977 |
Janet Guthrie |
13 |
32 |
5/1/1977 |
NASCAR in Alabama
· There have been 109 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among seven different tracks in Alabama.
Track Name |
City |
NSCS |
Talladega Superspeedway |
Talladega |
90 |
Birmingham International Raceway |
Birmingham |
8 |
Montgomery Motor Speedway |
Montgomery |
6 |
Lakeview Speedway |
Mobile |
2 |
Chisholm Speedway |
Montgomery |
1 |
Dixie Speedway |
Birmingham |
1 |
Huntsville Speedway |
Huntsville |
1 |
· 70 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Alabama.
· Nine drivers from Alabama have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; five have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Driver |
NSCS |
NNS |
NCWTS |
Bobby Allison |
84 |
2 |
0 |
Davey Allison |
19 |
0 |
0 |
Neil Bonnett |
18 |
1 |
0 |
Donnie Allison |
10 |
0 |
0 |
Red Byron |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Steve Grissom |
0 |
11 |
0 |
Rick Crawford |
0 |
0 |
5 |
Darrell Wallace Jr |
0 |
0 |
3 |
Cale Gale |
0 |
0 |
1 |
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