A stats-based look ahead to the preseason, non-points race
Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida going into the Sprint Unlimited on Feb. 14. A total of 25 drivers are eligible to participate in the annual preseason, non-points race.
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Sprint Unlimited at Daytona
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Eligible Driver’s Performances
Aric Almirola – No. 43 Smithfield Ford – (Richard Petty Motorsports)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2013 6 8 43 75 Running
Greg Biffle – No. 16 Ortho Ford – (Roush Fenway Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2005 5 2 16 70 1 44 Running
2007 13 5 16 70 Running
2008 20 17 16 48 Accident
2009 17 26 16 72 Accident
2010 15 5 16 74 2 5 Accident
2011 5 11 16 75 Running
2012 6 7 16 82 3 17 Running
2013 2 4 16 75 1 2 Running
Clint Bowyer – No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota – (Michael Waltrip Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2008 14 21 07 70 Running
2011 9 7 33 75 2 4 Running
2012 8 17 15 82 Running
Kurt Busch – No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet – (Stewart-Haas Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2002 14 1 97 70 1 3 Running
2003 11 3 97 70 1 11 Running
2005 6 6 97 70 Running
2007 3 19 2 70 2 6 Running
2008 18 1 2 70 Running
2009 9 12 2 78 Running
2010 23 22 2 32 Accident
2011 1 17 22 75 3 3 Running
2012 17 6 51 82 Accident
2013 13 18 78 15 Accident
2014 14 10 41 35 Accident
Kyle Busch – No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota – (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2006 15 14 5 72 2 4 Running
2007 7 6 5 70 3 39 Running
2009 10 10 18 78 2 6 Running
2010 4 17 18 76 Running
2011 16 21 18 41 2 2 Accident
2012 1 2 18 82 2 3 Running
2013 16 13 18 14 Accident
2014 3 4 18 75 1 6 Running
Austin Dillon – No. 3 DOW Chevrolet – (Richard Childress Racing)
2015 will be Austin Dillon’s first appearance in the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet – (Hendrick Motorsports)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2001 6 10 8 70 Running
2002 2 16 8 70 1 20 Running
2003 1 19 8 70 4 13 Running
2004 2 19 8 70 Running
2005 7 12 8 70 Running
2006 2 19 8 72 1 1 Running
2007 14 17 8 70 Running
2008 1 7 88 70 7 47 Running
2009 18 9 88 64 4 23 Accident
2010 11 11 88 76 Running
2011 19 1 88 27 3 4 Accident
2012 20 8 88 54 2 12 Accident
2013 8 16 88 75 Running
2014 9 14 88 65 1 7 Accident
Carl Edwards – No. 19 Toyota – (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2006 16 11 99 71 Running
2008 12 20 99 70 1 1 Running
2009 7 11 99 78 2 11 Running
2010 17 1 99 74 2 42 Accident
2011 21 3 99 33 Accident
2012 9 11 99 82 Running
2013 12 1 99 75 Running
2014 13 7 99 35 Accident
Jeff Gordon – No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet – (Hendrick Motorsports)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
1994 1 6 24 20 1 2 Running
1995 4 5 24 20 Running
1996 9 7 24 20 Running
1997 1 3 24 20 Running
1998 14 5 24 25 Engine
1999 15 8 24 25 Running
2000 2 6 24 25 Running
2001 11 6 24 70 Running
2002 3 22 24 70 Running
2003 2 18 24 70 2 31 Running
2004 5 2 24 70 2 16 Running
2005 3 11 24 70 Running
2006 19 10 24 23 Accident
2007 21 11 24 31 Electrical
2008 4 22 24 70 1 1 Running
2009 4 28 24 78 2 2 Running
2010 6 23 24 76 Running
2011 6 12 24 75 1 1 Running
2012 15 14 24 73 3 16 Accident
2013 17 7 24 14 Accident
2014 12 13 24 35 Accident
Denny Hamlin – No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota – (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2006 1 15 11 72 3 16 Running
2007 17 21 11 70 Running
2008 9 12 11 70 Running
2009 13 5 11 78 2 4 Running
2010 5 24 11 76 Running
2011 12 4 11 75 Running
2012 5 16 11 82 Running
2013 15 5 11 14 Accident
2014 1 1 11 75 6 27 Running
Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet – (Stewart Haas Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2003 9 16 29 70 Running
2004 3 5 29 70 2 10 Running
2006 20 18 29 15 Engine
2007 5 20 29 70 2 11 Running
2009 1 27 29 78 1 1 Running
2010 1 2 29 76 5 21 Running
2011 7 18 29 75 Running
2012 22 22 29 54 3 4 Accident
2013 1 17 29 75 3 37 Running
2014 5 6 29 75 2 6 Running
Jimmie Johnson – No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet – (Hendrick Motorsports)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2003 7 2 48 70 1 4 Running
2004 9 17 48 70 Running
2005 1 17 48 70 1 16 Running
2006 5 2 48 72 3 12 Running
2007 4 8 48 70 Running
2008 3 18 48 70 Running
2009 14 21 48 77 1 2 Accident
2010 13 16 48 76 Running
2011 4 23 48 75 2 7 Running
2012 14 18 48 74 1 1 Accident
2013 14 11 48 14 Accident
2014 17 18 48 28 Accident
Kasey Kahne – No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet – (Hendrick Motorsports)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2005 9 13 9 70 Running
2006 18 5 9 35 Accident
2007 15 15 9 70 Running
2008 10 8 9 70 Running
2009 6 14 9 78 1 2 Running
2010 2 19 9 76 Running
2011 24 5 9 7 Engine
2012 13 19 4 79 Running
2013 7 3 5 75 Running
Matt Kenseth – No. 20 Dollar General Toyota – (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2003 3 5 17 70 3 6 Running
2006 6 16 17 72 Running
2009 8 25 17 78 1 1 Running
2010 16 8 17 74 Accident
2011 13 19 17 74 Running
2012 21 23 17 54 Accident
2013 5 12 20 75 2 25 Running
2014 10 16 20 35 Accident
Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Ford – (Team Penske)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2012 4 3 2 82 Running
2014 2 5 2 75 3 8 Running
Kyle Larson – No. 42 Target Chevrolet – (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)
2015 will be Kyle Larson’s first appearance in the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona
Joey Logano – No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford – (Team Penske)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2009 28 19 20 3 Accident
2010 7 21 20 76 Running
2011 18 22 20 27 Accident
2012 18 10 20 54 1 1 Accident
2013 3 9 22 75 Running
2014 4 11 22 75 2 11 Running
Casey Mears – No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet – (Germain Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2005 13 18 41 70 1 2 Running
2008 6 24 5 70 Running
2009 15 24 07 77 Accident
Paul Menard – No. 27 PEAK / Menards Chevrolet – (Richard Childress Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2009 12 1 98 78 1 2 Running
2012 23 24 27 8 Accident
Jamie McMurray – No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet – (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2004 17 3 42 69 2 8 Accident
2006 8 17 26 72 1 1 Running
2008 22 4 26 24 Accident
2009 2 15 26 78 4 16 Running
2010 3 9 1 76 2 2 Running
2011 2 14 1 75 Running
2012 16 4 1 73 5 11 Accident
2014 6 2 1 75 2 10 Running
Ryan Newman – No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet – (Richard Childress Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2002 15 8 12 70 Running
2003 4 15 12 70 Running
2004 16 16 12 69 1 4 Accident
2005 2 7 12 70 1 4 Running
2006 17 7 12 68 Accident
2007 20 9 12 46 Engine
2008 23 17 12 70 Running
2010 19 4 39 74 Accident
2011 3 8 39 75 3 18 Running
2012 7 13 39 82 Running
2014 8 17 31 75 Running
Danica Patrick – No. 10 GoDaddy/TaxACT Chevrolet – (Stewart Haas Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2014 16 12 10 35 Accident
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 17 Fastenal Ford – (Roush Fenway Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2014 15 3 17 35 Accident
Tony Stewart – No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet – (Stewart Haas Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2000 4 3 20 25 Running
2001 1 7 20 70 Running
2002 1 3 20 70 2 31 Running
2003 15 12 20 70 Running
2004 7 18 20 70 Running
2005 4 8 20 70 Running
2006 3 3 20 72 3 7 Running
2007 1 14 20 70 2 11 Running
2008 2 10 20 70 2 9 Running
2009 3 6 14 78 1 4 Running
2010 9 13 14 76 2 6 Running
2011 11 2 14 75 3 4 Running
2012 2 15 14 82 1 7 Running
2013 4 15 14 75 2 5 Running
2014 11 9 14 35 Accident
Martin Truex Jr. – No. 87 Furniture Row Chevrolet – (Furniture Row Racing)
Times Laps
Year Fin St Car Laps Led Led Status
2008 21 9 1 47 Accident
2012 19 1 56 54 2 7 Accident
2013 9 6 56 75 1 2 Running
The Sprint Unlimited Tidbits
· The number of participants has ranged from a low of seven in 1981 to a high of 28 in 2009 (25 are eligible for this year’s event).
· The drivers with the most Sprint Unlimited appearances:
o Mark Martin (24)
o Bill Elliott (23)
o Jeff Gordon (21)
o Ken Schrader (19)
o Rusty Wallace (19)
· Jeff Gordon has appeared in the most consecutive Sprint Unlimited races, competing in 21 consecutive events from 1994-2014.
· There have been nine multiple winners in the Sprint Unlimited:
o Dale Earnhardt won six events, most all-time (1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995).
o Dale Jarrett won in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
o Kevin Harvick won in 2009, 2010 and 2013.
o Tony Stewart won in 2001, 2002 and 2007.
o Other multiple winners: Neil Bonnett (1983-1984), Ken Schrader, (1989-1990), Jeff Gordon (1994 and 1997), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003 and 2008) and Denny Hamlin (2006 and 2014).
o Bonnett, Schrader, Stewart and Harvick are the only drivers to win back-to-back Sprint Unlimited races. No driver has won three consecutive Sprint Unlimited events.
· Buddy Baker (1979), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994), Dale Jarrett (1996) and Denny Hamlin (2006) all won the first Sprint Unlimited in which they competed.
· Only five times in the 32-year history of the race has the winner gone on to win the Daytona 500:
Bobby Allison (1982)
Bill Elliott (1987)
Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000)
Jeff Gordon (1997)
· There have been four winners from the pole: Darrell Waltrip (1981), Bill Elliott (1987), Ken Schrader (1989) and Denny Hamlin (2014).
· Two drivers have swept the Sprint Unlimited, Daytona 500 pole and Daytona 500 from 1979-2014: Dale Jarrett (2000) and Bill Elliott (1987)
· One driver has swept the Sprint Unlimited, Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400 from 1979-2014: Bobby Allison (1982).
· Seven drivers have won the Sprint Unlimited (1979-2014) and the championship in the same season. Dale Earnhardt is the only one to have accomplished it multiple times (four times).
Tony Stewart (2002)
Jeff Gordon (1997)
Dale Earnhardt (1993)
Dale Earnhardt (1991)
Dale Earnhardt (1986)
Darrell Waltrip (1981)
Dale Earnhardt (1980)
· Four drivers have won consecutive Sprint Unlimited races (1979-2014). None went on to win that year’s Daytona 500.
Kevin Harvick (2009-10)
Tony Stewart (2000-01)
Ken Schrader (1990-91)
Neil Bonnett (1983-84)
· The format for The Sprint Unlimited has changed 13 times since its inception into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 1979. |
· Danica Patrick is the only female driver to have competed in the Sprint Unlimited (1979 – 2014) – she started 12th and finished 16th last season.
The Sprint Unlimited Manufacturer Recap
Manufacturer Victories Last Victory – Driver
Chevrolet 20 2013 – Kevin Harvick
Ford 7 2004 – Dale Jarrett
Toyota 2 2014 – Denny Hamlin
Buick 2 1982 – Bobby Allison
Oldsmobile 2 1980 – Dale Earnhardt
Pontiac 2 2002 – Tony Stewart
Dodge 1 2011 – Kurt Busch
· This season 14 Chevrolets, six Toyotas and five Fords are entered into the Sprint Unlimited
By the Numbers: The Sprint Unlimited
.013 – Margin of victory in seconds by Kyle Busch over Tony Stewart in 2012, the closest margin in Sprint Unlimited history
.058 – Margin of victory in seconds by Kurt Busch over Jamie McMurray in 2011, the second closest margin in Sprint Unlimited history
.08 – Margin of victory in seconds by Dale Earnhardt over Sterling Marlin in 1995, the third closest margin in Sprint Unlimited history
1 – Laps led by Rusty Wallace (1998), Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Dale Jarrett (2000 and 2004) and Kevin Harvick (2009) in the Sprint Unlimited races they won
2.75 – Average finish by Dale Earnhardt, best by any driver with multiple starts
5 – Drivers who have won the event in their first appearance (Buddy Baker, 1979; Dale Earnhardt, 1980; Jeff Gordon, 1994; Dale Jarrett, 1996; Denny Hamlin, 2006)
6 – Number of Sprint Unlimited wins by Dale Earnhardt, the series leader
7 – Number of fewest starters in the field for the Sprint Unlimited (1981)
10 – Number of races led, the most since race began in 1979 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.)
11 – Number of starts before winning, most since race began in 1979 (Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin)
14 – Number of different leaders in the 2009 event, most since race began in 1979
20 – Number of wins by Chevrolet in the Sprint Unlimited, leads all manufacturers
21 – Most consecutive starts in the Sprint Unlimited by Jeff Gordon (1994-2014).
27 – Kevin Harvick’s starting position in 2009, the lowest by a race winner in the event’s history
28 – Number of lead changes in the 2011 event, highest number since race began in 1979
44 – Laps led by Greg Biffle in 2005, the most by a driver who did not win the event
47 – Laps led by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008, the most in a single Sprint Unlimited was the 2013 event won by Kyle Busch.
197.802 mph – The fastest average speed of the race for the Sprint Unlimited was in 1987 won by Bill Elliott.