A stats-based look ahead to the ninth race of the Sprint Cup season
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 20, 2015) – Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia going into the Toyota Owners 400 on April 25.
Clint Bowyer (No. 15 AAA Insurance Toyota)
· Two wins, four top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.5
· Average Running Position of 10.5, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 99.6, fourth-best
· 210 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.176 mph, sixth-fastest
· 5,632 Laps in the Top 15 (78.0%), fifth-most
· 499 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most
Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· One win, five top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 17.1
· Average Running Position of 14.4, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.5, ninth-best
· 379 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.156 mph, seventh-fastest
· 4,779 Laps in the Top 15 (59.6%), eighth-most
· 477 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet)
· Three wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.5
· Average Running Position of 14.5, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.9, 12th-best
· 347 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 1,026 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· 4,515 Laps in the Top 15 (56.3%), 12th-most
· 454 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Carl Edwards (No. 19 ARRIS Toyota)
· One win, four top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.9
· Average Running Position of 15.1, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.1, 10th-best
· 299 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 1,031 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.026 mph, 11th-fastest
· 4,634 Laps in the Top 15 (57.8%), 10th-most
· 472 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet)
· Two wins, 18 top fives, 28 top 10s; six poles
· Average finish of 13.6
· Average Running Position of 12.8, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 99.3, fifth-best
· 461 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.237 mph, fourth-fastest
· 5,283 Laps in the Top 15 (65.9%), sixth-most
· 470 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)
· Two wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 10.4
· Average Running Position of 7.5, second-best
· Series-best Driver Rating of 110.7
· Series-high 598 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 116.498 mph
· 5,821 Laps in the Top 15 (85.5%), fourth-most
· 448 Quality Passes, 12th-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Jimmy John's/Budweiser Chevrolet)
· Three wins, eight top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.0
· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.5
· Driver Rating of 110.3, second-best
· 511 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 903 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.466 mph, third-fastest
· Series-high 7,415 Laps in the Top 15 (92.5%)
· Series-high 657 Quality Passes
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Pro Services Chevrolet)
· Three wins, five top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 17.5
· Average Running Position of 15.7, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.8, 11th-best
· 291 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.030 mph, 10th-fastest
· 4,662 Laps in the Top 15 (58.2%), ninth-most
Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford)
· One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.9
· Average Running Position of 13.6, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.6, eighth-best
· 252 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.016 mph, 12th-fastest
Ryan Newman (No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet)
· One win, six top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.2
· Average Running Position of 11.4, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.5, seventh-best
· 1,017 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.118 mph, eighth-fastest
· 6,137 Laps in the Top 15 (76.6%), third-most
· 625 Quality Passes, second-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet)
· Three wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.2
· Average Running Position of 12.8, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.0, sixth-best
· 281 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 945 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.224 mph, fifth-fastest
· 5,067 Laps in the Top 15 (66.5%), seventh-most
· 492 Quality Passes, fifth-most
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2015 Top 16 at Richmond International Raceway
Rank |
Driver |
Races |
Poles |
Wins |
Top Fives |
Top 10s |
DNFs |
Average Finish |
Driver Rating |
|
1 |
28 |
1 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
0 |
11.0 |
110.3 |
||
2 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
15.4 |
80.2 |
||
3 |
18 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
22.1 |
79.6 |
||
4 |
26 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
9 |
1 |
17.5 |
88.8 |
||
5 |
11 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
16.9 |
91.6 |
||
6 |
31 |
1 |
3 |
9 |
13 |
1 |
13.5 |
86.9 |
||
7 |
22 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
2 |
17.7 |
86.7 |
||
8 |
30 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
13 |
1 |
16.3 |
85.0 |
||
9 |
44 |
6 |
2 |
18 |
28 |
7 |
13.6 |
99.3 |
||
10 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
17.8 |
73.1 |
||
11 |
17 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
9 |
0 |
10.4 |
110.7 |
||
12 |
24 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
4 |
21.3 |
76.7 |
||
13 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
27.3 |
48.4 |
||
14 |
16 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
24.1 |
59.5 |
||
15 |
21 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
11 |
1 |
13.9 |
89.1 |
||
16 |
26 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
16 |
0 |
11.2 |
92.5 |
* – Based on last 20 races at Richmond International Raceway. 2015 Chase Grid Outlook |
||||
Pos. |
Drivers |
Wins |
Points |
Chase Bonus Pts |
1 |
2 |
314 |
6 |
|
2 |
2 |
258 |
6 |
|
3 |
1 |
284 |
3 |
|
4 |
1 |
255 |
3 |
|
5 |
1 |
236 |
3 |
|
6 |
1 |
223 |
3 |
|
7 |
0 |
281 |
0 |
|
8 |
0 |
241 |
0 |
|
9 |
0 |
237 |
0 |
|
10 |
0 |
227 |
0 |
|
11 |
0 |
226 |
0 |
|
12 |
0 |
223 |
0 |
|
13 |
0 |
211 |
0 |
|
14 |
0 |
210 |
0 |
|
15 |
0 |
203 |
0 |
|
16 |
0 |
201 |
0 |
|
Outside Looking In |
||||
17 |
0 |
200 |
0 |
|
18 |
0 |
197 |
0 |
|
19 |
0 |
186 |
0 |
|
20 |
0 |
180 |
0 |
|
21 |
0 |
177 |
0 |
|
22 |
0 |
174 |
0 |
|
23 |
0 |
173 |
0 |
|
24 |
0 |
172 |
0 |
|
25 |
Aj Allmendinger |
0 |
171 |
0 |
26 |
0 |
162 |
0 |
|
27 |
0 |
154 |
0 |
|
28 |
0 |
145 |
0 |
|
29 |
0 |
145 |
0 |
|
30 |
0 |
136 |
0 |
|
|
Green = Locked into the Chase, provided they attempt to qualify for the remaining regular season races |
|||
|
Orange = No wins, Inside the current Chase Grid's top 16 - Currently in the Chase, not locked in |
|||
|
Red = Inside the current top 30 in points, outside of the Chase cutoff |
|||
Richmond International Raceway Data Season Race #: 9 of 36 (04-25-15) Track Size: 0.75-miles Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 14 degrees Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 14 degrees Banking/Frontstretch: 8 degrees Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees Frontstretch Length: 1,290 feet Backstretch Length: 860 feet Race Length: 400 laps / 300 miles
Denny Hamlin............................ 110.7 Kevin Harvick............................ 110.3 Clint Bowyer............................... 99.6 Jeff Gordon................................ 99.3 Tony Stewart............................... 94.0 Ryan Newman............................. 92.5 Brad Keselowski......................... 91.6 Kurt Busch.................................. 91.5 Carl Edwards.............................. 89.1 Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2014 races (20 total) among active drivers at Richmond International Raceway.
2014 pole winner: None - Due To Inclement Weather Joey Logano, Ford 93.369 mph, (03:12:47), 04-26-14 Track qualifying record: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 130.599 mph, 20.674 secs. 09-04-13 Track race record: Dale Jarrett, Ford 109.047 mph, (02:45:04), 09-06-97 |
At Richmond International Raceway:
History
· Originally known as the Atlantic Rural Exposition Fairgrounds, Richmond International Raceway held its first race in 1946 as a half-mile dirt track.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was April 19, 1953 won by Lee Petty.
· The spring 1964 race was run on a Tuesday night under temporary lighting.
· The track name changed to Virginia State Fairgrounds in 1967.
· The track surface was changed from dirt to asphalt between races in 1968.
· The track name changed to Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in 1969.
· The track was re-measured to .542-mile for 1970.
· The track was rebuilt as a three-quarters-mile D-shaped oval following the Feb. 21, 1988 race.
· The first race under permanent lights was Sept. 7, 1991.
· The first season with both races as night races was 1999.
Notebook
· There have been 117 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond International Raceway, one NSCS event from 1953 - 1958 and two races per year since 1959.
· 477 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond; 313 in more than one.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Richmond with 63. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 44 starts.
· Buck Baker won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Richmond in 1953 with a speed of 48.465 mph.
· 53 drivers have Coors Light poles at Richmond, led by Richard Petty and Bobby Allison with eight each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six.
· Seven drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Richmond. Bobby Allison holds the record for most consecutive Coors Light poles at Richmond with five (1972 - 1974).
· Youngest Richmond pole winner: Brian Vickers (05/15/2004 – 20 years, 6 months, 21 days).
· Oldest Richmond pole winner: Mark Martin (04/28/2012 – 53 years, 3 months, 19 days).
· 50 different drivers have won at Richmond International Raceway, led by Richard Petty with 13. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart lead all active drivers in wins at RIR with three each (*Kyle Busch who is inactive has four).
· Petty Enterprises has the most wins at Richmond in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 15; followed by Hendrick Motorsports with 10, Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing each have nine.
· Nine different manufacturers have won at Richmond. Chevrolet leads the series in wins at Richmond with 36 victories; followed by Ford with 31 and Toyota with seven.
· 23 of the 117 (19.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond International Raceway have been won from the Coors Light pole. Only four active drivers have been able to accomplish the feat: Kasey Kahne (2005), Jimmie Johnson (2007), Kyle Busch (2010) and Brad Keselowski (2014).
· The pole starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners than any other starting position at Richmond (23).
· 36 of the 117 (30.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond have been won from the front row: 23 from the pole and 13 from second-place.
· 91 of the 117 (77.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond International Raceway have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· 13 of the 117 (11.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond International Raceway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Richmond International Raceway was 31st, by Clint Bowyer in the spring of 2008.
· Youngest Richmond winner: Richard Petty (04/23/1961 – 23 years, 9 months, 21 days).
· Oldest Richmond winner: Harry Gant (09/07/1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 28 days).
· Bobby Allison and Richard Petty are tied for the lead in runner-up finishes at Richmond with nine each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with eight.
· Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Richmond with 34; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 18.
· Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Richmond with 41. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 28.
· Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Richmond International Raceway with a 7.909.
· Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Richmond International Raceway with a 10.412.
· There have been two NSCS races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Richmond International Raceway: spring of 2008 (400/410) and spring of 2013 (400/406).
· Only four of the 115 races at Richmond International Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions: spring of 1962, spring of 1977, spring of 1982 and spring of 2003.
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond International Raceway seven times; most recently the fall of 2014.
· Bobby Labonte (09/11/1993) and Brian Vickers (05/15/2004) posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Richmond.
· Tony Stewart (09/11/1999) and Kasey Kahne (05/14/2005) posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Richmond.
· Eight drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Richmond International Raceway. Richard Petty leads the series in consecutive wins at Richmond after posting seven consecutive wins from the fall of 1970 – 1973. Jimmie Johnson (2007 sweep) is the only active driver with consecutive wins at Richmond.
· All of the 15 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Richmond International Raceway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart won at Richmond in their second appearance.
· Joe Nemechek competed at Richmond International Raceway 18 times before winning in 1994; the longest span of any the 15 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
· Greg Biffle leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond without visiting Victory Lane at 25.
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond International Raceway was the (09/12/1998) race won by Jeff Burton with a MOV of 0.051 second.
· Two female drivers have competed at Richmond in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:
Driver |
Starting Position |
Finishing Position |
Date |
13 |
16 |
9/6/2014 |
|
35 |
34 |
4/26/2014 |
|
36 |
30 |
9/7/2013 |
|
30 |
29 |
4/27/2013 |
|
Janet Guthrie |
14 |
12 |
9/11/1977 |
Janet Guthrie |
13 |
12 |
2/27/1977 |
NASCAR in Virginia
· There have been 287 NASCAR Sprint Cup races among nine tracks in Virginia.
Track Name |
City |
NSCS |
Martinsville |
133 |
|
Richmond |
117 |
|
South Boston Speedway |
South Boston |
10 |
Langley Field Speedway |
Hampton |
9 |
Old Dominion Speedway |
Manassas |
7 |
Southside Speedway |
Richmond |
4 |
Starkey Speedway |
Roanoke |
4 |
Norfolk Speedway |
Norfolk |
2 |
Princess Anne Speedway |
Norfolk |
1 |
· 173 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Virginia.
· 127 of the 173 (73.4%) drivers with their home state as Virginia have made at least one start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; led by Ricky Rudd with 906 starts.
· 19 drivers from Virginia have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; 11 have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; led by Denny Hamlin and Joe Weatherly with 25 each.
Driver |
NSCS |
NXS |
NCWTS |
25 |
11 |
2 |
|
Joe Weatherly |
25 |
0 |
0 |
Ricky Rudd |
23 |
1 |
0 |
21 |
27 |
0 |
|
Curtis Turner |
17 |
0 |
0 |
Ward Burton |
5 |
4 |
0 |
Glen Wood |
4 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
10 |
1 |
|
Emanuel Zervakis |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Wendell Scott |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Lennie Pond |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Tommy Ellis |
0 |
22 |
0 |
Rick Mast |
0 |
9 |
0 |
Jimmy Hensley |
0 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
Elton Sawyer |
0 |
2 |
0 |
Stacy Compton |
0 |
0 |
2 |
Jon Wood |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Milestones – richmond
DRIVER |
HAS |
NEEDS |
MILESTONE |
549 |
1 |
550th NSCS Start - Earnhardt Jr. is 30th on the all-time NSCS starts list, three starts behind Matt Kenseth in 29th (552). |
|
299 |
1 |
300th NSCS Start - Menard is 87th on the all-time NSCS starts list, three starts behind Tiny Lund in 86th (302). |
|
274 |
1 |
275th NSCS Top-10 Finish - Kenseth is 19th on the all-time NSCS Top 10s list, nine starts behind Benny Parsons in 18th (283). |
|
149 |
1 |
150th NSCS Top-10 Finish – Kahne is 49th on the all-time NSCS Top 10s list, one top-10 finish behind Dick Brooks in 48th (150). |
|
124 |
1 |
125th NSCS Top-10 Finish - McMurray is tied with Ernie Irvan for 56th on the all-time NSCS Top 10s list; three top 10s behind John Sears in 55th (127). |
|
24,778 |
222 |
25,000 NSCS Laps Led - Gordon can become the sixth driver in NSCS history to lead 25,000 laps. |
|
950 |
50 |
1,000 Laps Led In First Nine Races - Harvick can become the eighth driver in series history to lead 1,000 laps or more in the first nine races of a season. |
|
#43 car |
199 |
1 |
200 NSCS Wins - The No. 43 car is second on the all-time NSCS wins list, five wins behind the No. 11 car in first (204). |
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