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Guaranteed automatic, Wild Card berths on the line Sunday night
Related: All about the Chase | Wild Card watch | Sprint Cup Series standings
We’re down to two races left before the field for NASCAR’s postseason is set, and just three drivers have clinched at least a Wild Card berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
That means eight of 10 automatic berths are still up for grabs, along with two Wild Card spots given to drivers ranked 11th-20th based on number of victories.
Jimmie Johnson clinched his spot in the Chase after finishing eighth at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 11, then promptly finished 40th at Michigan and 36th at Bristol. His points cushion has been whittled down to 18, but he still leads the standings.
The man chasing Johnson, Clint Bowyer, is the only other driver to clinch an automatic spot. He finished 14th last week, but has enough of a gap over 11th-place Brad Keselowski to guarantee himself a top-10 spot in the standings.
Matt Kenseth, who is sixth in the standings, hasn’t clinched an automatic berth yet, but his victory in last week’s Irwin Tools Night Race gives him a series-high five wins for the season and guarantees the No. 20 team at least a Wild Card berth.
Four drivers control their own destiny heading into Atlanta. Below is a breakdown of who could qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup this weekend.
Following Sunday night’s race at Atlanta, any driver in the top 10 of the points standings with a 49-point lead over the 11th-place driver will automatically clinch a berth in the Chase. For perspective: Carl Edwards (768 points, third place) currently leads Brad Keselowski (681 points, 11th place) by 87 points.
The top 10 drivers in the standings after the Sept. 7 race at Richmond receive an automatic entry into the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup.
• Carl Edwards. Edwards is in fine shape. In fact, the only way he won’t clinch an automatic bid is if he suffers a catastrophic failure early in the race. Because Edwards’ lead over 11th-place Keselowski is so large, the driver of the No. 99 Ford would clinch an automatic berth in the Chase by finishing 38th-place or better. Edwards would also clinch by finishing 39th and leading at least one lap (for a bonus point), or finishing 40th and leading the most laps (for two bonus points).
It’s a far cry from where Edwards was at this point last season. Following his epic 2011 duel with Tony Stewart in which Smoke claimed this third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, Edwards was outside of the Chase heading into Atlanta in 2012 and was in win-or-nothing mode.
• Kevin Harvick. Harvick is almost in as good a position as Edwards. His consistent stretch midway through the season — coupled with two wins during that time — has the No. 29 driver at fourth in the standings and leading the 11th-place driver by 79 points.
As such, Harvick clinches an automatic, top-10 berth into the postseason if he finishes 31st-place or better. If Harvick leads at least one lap (for one bonus point), he could finish 32nd and still qualify; if he finishes 33rd and leads the most laps of the race (for two bonus points), he would also qualify.
Harvick has finished 25th or better at Atlanta in 9 of the past 10 races. He was 33rd in 2010 after feeling a vibration and ending the race early. Since 2009, he has three top-fives and five top-10s in six races.
• Kyle Busch. Like Edwards, Kyle Busch controls his own destiny for clinching a postseason bid one year removed from not making the final 12-racer field. Busch has three wins to his credit and is currently fifth in the standings, with a 58-point edge over the 11th-place Keselowski.
Therefore, a top-10 finish would guarantee Busch a spot in the field. If Busch leads a lap (for one bonus point), he could finish 11th and still qualify. If he leads the most laps in the race (for two bonus points), he could finish as low as 12th and still earn the automatic bid.
• Matt Kenseth. Yes, the driver with a series-high five wins hasn’t clinched an automatic berth yet. Sure, he’s clinched at least a Wild Card, but remember this — when the field is reset, and NASCAR gives out three bonus points per victory, only those drivers finishing in the top 10 get those bonus points. So if Kenseth somehow slips out of the top 10 after Richmond, he’ll still be in the postseason, but he won’t get the extra 15 points for all of his wins.
That said, Kenseth is the last of four drivers controlling his own destiny. A seventh-place finish or better at Atlanta gives Kenseth an automatic berth; if he finishes eighth with one lap led, or ninth with the most laps led, he also earns a guaranteed top-10 spot.
• Four more. The four drivers discussed above control their own destiny, but there are four more drivers who could also clinch an automatic spot in the postseason. They are: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle and Joey Logano, the drivers currently ranked seventh-10th in the standings.
Junior leads this group with a 33-point cushion over 11th-place Keselowski, while Kahne has a 20-point gap, Biffle is up 17 points and Logano is up four points over his Penske Racing teammate. Remember, the magic number is 49.
All of these drivers would need strong finishes (likely top-fives), and watch drivers such as Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon (and perhaps Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman) finish toward the back of the field.
Two drivers ranked 11th-20th will receive Wild Card berths into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The drivers with the most wins are selected. If there’s a tie, the spot goes to the driver ranked higher.
• Greg Biffle. Biffle is one of three drivers who can clinch at least a Wild Card spot with a win this week at Atlanta. Biffle is currently ninth in the standings and would certainly prefer an automatic bid, but winning at the 1.54-mile track would put the Biff on the fast track to a Wild Card clinch — although he still needs help from other drivers. Biffle has nine career wins, but none at Atlanta. His best finish there is third in 2005; he finished 15th last year.
• Joey Logano. Logano is currently 10th in the standings with one win this season, at Michigan on Aug. 18. Even though he’s only four points ahead of 11th-place Keselowski, a win at Atlanta — with some help — could put Logano in the Chase for the first time in his Sprint Cup career. His best finish at this track, though, is 18th.
• Martin Truex Jr. When you’re this close to clinching a postseason berth for the second consecutive year … well, you just drive through the pain. Truex Jr. broke his right wrist in a wreck last week at Bristol, but he’s getting a specially fitted cast to allow him to keep driving. Truex currently holds one of two Wild Card spots, but he’s in a dangerous position at 14th in the points standings. Keselowski (11th), Kurt Busch (12th) and Gordon (13th) are all above Truex, but have no wins. A win at Atlanta — and Truex Jr. is good on intermediate tracks — and some help would give the No. 56 team at least a Wild Card berth into the Chase. Then again, Truex has just two wins in 285 career Cup starts.
• Kasey Kahne. We end with Kasey Kahne, who provides the most complex scenario this week. Kahne is in eighth place in the standings and has two victories this season. If Kahne wins at Atlanta, he would clinch at least a Wild Card spot if two of these three drivers finish in the top 10: Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick. If Busch, Kenseth and Harvick all finish in the top 10, Kahne clinches at least a Wild Card spot if any driver other than Greg Biffle, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. or Ryan Newman wins the race.
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Gordon among drivers needing a win at Atlanta
Related: Chase clinching scenarios for Atlanta
If Bob Costas were a NASCAR fan and vehemently against the Wild Card per usual, he’d certainly have some talking points given how the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings look entering Atlanta.
With two races to go, three drivers — Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch — have more points than Wild Card holders Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman, but because they don’t have wins, they wouldn’t qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
In a way it doesn’t seem fair, especially considering Keselowski has 22 more points than Newman, but these are the rules we live by. And instead of being against the system, the opportunity is there to embrace what figures to be a competitive finish.
In what has been one of the closest races to the Chase in years, there’s no telling which direction it will go. If any of the three aforementioned winless drivers manages to find Victory Lane in Atlanta, then the Richmond race could take on epic importance.
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WILD CARD STANDINGS
| Pos | Driver | Wins | Pts Pos | Pts from 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Martin Truex Jr. | 1 | 14th | -22 |
| 2. | Ryan Newman | 1 | 15th | -26 |
| 3. | Tony Stewart | 1 | 19th | -91 |
| 4. | Brad Keselowski | 0 | 11th | -4 |
| 5. | Kurt Busch | 0 | 12th | -6 |
| 6. | Jeff Gordon | 0 | 13th | -11 |
| 7. | Jamie McMurray | 0 | 16th | -38 |
| 8. | Paul Menard | 0 | 17th | -47 |
| 9. | Aric Almirola | 0 | 18th | -69 |
| 10. | Jeff Burton | 0 | 20th | -93 |
| 11. | David Ragan | 1 | 26th | -233 |
It has been fun to track the real-time standings on NASCAR.com as the drama unfolds. It was there where we saw Joey Logano drop out of the top 10 in the standings after bumping into Kyle Busch at Bristol, then work his way back into the top 10 with a fifth-place finish.
It was there where we watched Kurt Busch climb, then fall out of the Chase after a damaged wheel hub doomed his result at Thunder Valley. We also saw the defending champ, yes the Blue Deuce, do the unthinkable and end the night out of the Chase.
What will happen next? Well, we are all scoreboard watchers now. Some will pull for their favorites, while others might be rooting for utter chaos to ensue.
If you fall into the latter category, then you should hope Keselowski, Gordon or Kurt Busch can win this Sunday and tighten the race up even more.
Which one of them has the best chance to do it?
According to NASCAR’s Statistical Services, Kurt Busch has led the most laps (519) over the past 14 races at Atlanta. But during that same time, Gordon is tied with Matt Kenseth for the best average finish at 9.1. And with Bobby Labonte out because of broken ribs, Gordon is now the active driver with the most wins at Atlanta (five).
As for Keselowski, he might have the worst chance of the three if you rely on the historical data. His driver rating of 83.7 at Atlanta ranks 16th, well behind the leader in that category, Jimmie Johnson (108.3).
Although Gordon and Busch have the numbers to back them as potential favorites, they’ll have to contend with Johnson, Carl Edwards, Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr., among others. Edwards has run the most fast laps (341) in this timeframe at Atlanta, while Kenseth has that sparkling average finish. Junior isn’t far behind either of those two in driver rating at Atlanta. And as we mentioned last week, Junior needs a win just as much as anyone else in this dogfight.
Yes, there’s a lot at stake this weekend. Let the scoreboard watching continue.
Ready to pounce: Avid Gordon fans have been waiting for weeks for the No. 24 to end up in Victory Lane. The last time it happened was the 2012 finale at Homestead. But he’s a strong contender again this week, and what a boost it would be to have the four-time champion right in the thick of the Wild Card race.
As it stands, Gordon is smack dab on the fringe, in 13th place with 674 points and 11 points behind Logano in 10th place. Like Keselowski and Kurt Busch, Gordon has double-digit top-10 finishes this season, but only Newman has as many DNFs among the contending drivers (five).
Provided Gordon can stay out of trouble, he should be able to make a good run. Like we said, he has a strong history at Atlanta with five career wins there. And one can make the argument that if you toss out the wreck at Watkins Glen, that Gordon has been racing as well as he has all season.
In danger of falling out: Truex Jr. was in the wrong place at the wrong time at Bristol. With a top-10 finish in his sights, Truex Jr.’s No. 56 got caught in an eight-car wreck that sent him into the infield wall. Truex Jr. suffered a sprained and fractured wrist in the accident and will wear a specially made cast in order to race at Atlanta.
Truex Jr. enters the race in 14th place, but he holds one of the Wild Card spots thanks to his victory earlier this season at Sonoma. However, with three drivers ahead of him in points who aren’t Wild Card-qualified, should any of them win it could make Truex Jr.’s road to Chase tough. That’s especially true if Newman, who is four points behind and holding the other Wild Card spot, jumps past Truex Jr.
Truex Jr. finished fourth last year at Atlanta and ranks fifth with an average place of 11.8 in the past eight years at Atlanta. He’ll need another race like last year to hold tight in his position, and he’ll have to do it while battling that injury.
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Team to debut with Justin Allgaier in No. 51 car for Chicagoland
Harry Scott Jr. didn’t look at Phoenix Racing and see an underfunded NASCAR Sprint Cup Series program with fewer than two dozen employees. He saw potential — and with an infusion of sponsorship, perhaps a lot more than that.
The co-owner of Turner Scott Motorsports has become a NASCAR team owner in his own right with the purchase of Phoenix Racing from James Finch, who founded the organization in 1989. The completed sale was announced Wednesday, and Phoenix will put Turner Scott Nationwide Series mainstay Justin Allgaier in the No. 51 car for three of the season’s final 10 races, beginning at Chicagoland Speedway in two weeks.
The sale included the team’s shop in Spartanburg, S.C., and all its assets. Scott plans to keep the organization’s core intact, with Nick Harrison remaining as crew chief on the No. 51 car, and Finch filling the role of “chairman emeritus.” Phoenix will also maintain its ties with Hendrick Motorsports, from which it obtains engines, as does Turner Scott.
“Anybody’s goal in racing, or most people’s goal, is to get to the Sprint Cup Series,” Scott said. “And this particular opportunity is unique in that it’s a single-car team that has good infrastructure that has a great relationship Hendrick. I already had the relationship with Hendrick through my involvement with Turner Scott Motorsports, so it was easier for me to become the buyer of the team as opposed to somebody who didn’t have that. So it kind of gave me a leg up.”
Allgaier, currently fifth in NASCAR Nationwide Series standings, will also drive the No. 51 at Charlotte and Talladega. Scott said he has a driver in mind for the other seven races remaining in the 2013, adding the team would make another announcement on that front in the coming weeks. Phoenix Racing will remain a single entity and not be merged with Turner Scott, which Scott owns along with Steve Turner, and fields cars on three other NASCAR circuits.
“There are no plans for that to change,” Scott said. “Steve had an opportunity to participate in the Phoenix deal, and he declined because of all his other business obligations. But by the same token, when I came into Turner Motorsports, he had already paid his dues and gotten it to that point. If he were to come to me if we were to be successful and he decided he wanted to be a part of it one day, I’d definitely welcome that. But at this point, there is absolutely no plan for that. They’ll be two separate organizations.”
Finch, who won one Sprint Cup race with Brad Keselowski at Talladega in April of 2009, battled constant sponsorship shortages in his effort to keep Phoenix afloat.
“I just wasn’t going to go broke doing it,” he said last month when the pending sale of the organization was confirmed.
Scott believes all that’s keeping the No. 51 car from being more consistently competitive is sponsorship — and he says the team now has enough to finish out the 2013 season, as well as some already in place for the next two years.
“In my opinion, they’ve been on the cusp. They’ve been competitive at times, so they’ve shown the ability to be competitive. Really what they’ve lacked is sponsorship, and we’ve got some. We’ve been fortunate to team up with some good partners, and that, I think, is going to give us what those guys have needed as far as a little more resources to kind of get them over the hump, to kind of take them to the next level,” Scott said.
“That gives us the ability to plan and invest and know that we’ve got these two years to kind of prove ourselves and attract even more sponsorship. And potentially in ’16, maybe we’ll have two cars. It’s going to give us what we need in order to succeed, in order to be confident you’re making a good investment. We will have time to pay our dues.”
The only sponsor announced thus far for the No. 51 car is Brandt, the agricultural products company that backs Allgaier’s Nationwide car, which will appear on the vehicle for the three Sprint Cup events for which he’s behind the wheel. Scott said the rest would be filled out by a variety of backers, although one company will serve as the team’s primary sponsorship source, and there is inventory remaining on the vehicle going forward.
Allgaier has never made a start in NASCAR’s top level despite a Nationwide career that’s produced three career victories thus far. He tested Sprint Cup cars during his days with Penske Racing, and has experience with high-powered vehicles from his ARCA days. But for the 27-year-old, Chicagoland will mark a long-awaited career first.
“Obviously, it’s huge,” Allgaier said. “Twenty-two years of racing have come down to this point. That was the goal when I started, and it’s great because I know it’s not just one race, it’s three races, and hopefully that goes well and can lead to bigger and better things. At the same time, I can sit back and think about all the people who have helped me along the way … and this makes me really appreciate them and what they’ve done to help me get to this point.”
Allgaier, who said he has nothing in place for next year, knows his three starts could be something of an audition for a ride down the road. But it’s also an opportunity for him to prove that he can do something he’s always believed he could.
“For me, this is more of a personal test, really, to see how I do and if I can get myself comfortable in these three races,” he said. “… It’s going to be tough, you know that up front. But I’ve put so much pressure on myself knowing I can get to that point. Now that I’ve gotten there, its’ just a matter of enjoying what I’ve been able to accomplish, and making the most of it.”
Scott, a native of Raleigh, N.C., who founded a medical billing company and now lives in Hilton Head, S.C., has seen his NASCAR profile increase since becoming co-owner of the rebranded Turner Scott Motorsports earlier this year. A lifelong race fan, he became involved in ownership after meeting Todd Braun at Daytona in 2009, and the next year was a partner on Brian Scott’s Nationwide Series entry. Turner bought Braun’s operation in late 2010, and Scott became a minority partner of the new organization before raising his stake this year.
“Harry has been one of the most real and best people I’ve met in the garage since I started in his sport,” Allgaier said. “He’s been around the sport for a long time, not necessarily in the high profile role he’s in now. But he’s been around a long time. … I’ll say this, if anybody can make this deal work and keep pushing it forward, I think the right guy has gotten involved.”
Scott first became involved in NASCAR when his company sponsored race cars. He’s been driven not only by the competition, but the relationships made along the way.
“It’s very rewarding to be able to work with young guys,” he said. “I’m 47 years old, and the guys I’m working with are half my age. Not only do they keep you young, but you see them grow and see their careers grow. Even the young drivers on the K&N (Pro Series) side and the (Camping World) Trucks. It’s really nice to see them kind of get it. It’s rewarding.”
And now, he has a Sprint Cup team to call his own.
“It’s an honor to be in the club, so to speak, even in a small way,” Scott said, “and to have the opportunity to pay your dues and grow that single-car team into potentially a championship contender.”
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Grammy winner discusses her fondness for NASCAR and what drivers she roots for
Nine-time Grammy Award-winning musician Sheryl Crow says NASCAR races feel a bit like home for her. The Nashville resident played a pre-race concert in the Daytona International Speedway infield in front of a packed house and enthusiastic crowd awaiting the start of the Coke Zero 400 last month.
Before the show Crow stopped by to talk about her love of fast cars, motherhood and a special friendship and kinship she feels with some of Sprint Cup Series’ best.
On her fondness for NASCAR:
I love NASCAR and have followed it for years. I’ve always had a particular fondness for the Earnhardts and had Dale Jr. in my Steve McQueen video. “We love participating in NASCAR events. I was always particularly impressed with how close the families are. The first time I went to a NASCAR event I believe it might have been Talladega, and got to go the prayer service. It has always been an impressive sport to me in that it’s very family oriented. We’re thrilled to be here and been following it all year. “We feel like it’s one of the coolest sports and definitely represents what I love most which is family and prayer.
On the reception in the garage:
I got to meet Carl Edwards who is a home state driver and also from my alma mater, the University of Missouri. He’s also a former substitute school teacher and I’m a former school teacher so we had quite a lot in common and he seems like a great guy.
On who she tends to pull for:
I’m always partial to Dale Jr. and I’d love to see Carl Edwards do well. I’m also pulling for Danica Patrick. I’d love to see her have a great race. I was following a little bit about what Kyle Petty said (earlier in the season) and I saw Tony Stewart stick up for her and I do feel like for someone who didn’t have as many hours behind the wheel on these big NASCAR tracks that she’s done us females proud, real proud.
On performing in this unique venue:
It’s exciting for me to be here because I have followed the sport and I have some good friends in the sport. I know Jeff Gordon and I’ve met Tony Stewart a couple times. It’s always fun to play for big crowds and this for me is a lot like our country fan base. They are very loyal people and country artists show up for their fans and NASCAR fans are similar, they root for their drivers and it’s a big commitment. They show up, they camp out, they party, it’s a big celebration, so it’s always fun to play for audiences like that, that are geared up to have a great time, to be entertained, to be excited.
On the similarities between what motivates her in her career and what drives NASCAR’s stars:
I feel like everyone on the track is in it for more than the trophies, just like I am as a musician. I love what I do and wouldn’t do it if I didn’t. It takes a lot of work to be on the road and being away from home and these guys that are doing it, their families are supporting them. .. they aren’t doing just for the money or the trophies. They are doing it because it’s a lifelong dream they’ve worked hard at. And they feel their best race is right in front of them. That’s how I feel about music.
On her love of speed and passing that down to her sons:
I feel certain that one of my two sons is going to be a fast driver whether I like it or not. I take responsibility for that because I really like to drive fast. I have a 1964 Corvette. I love it. I grew up on motor cross bikes. My first car was a Z28 with headers and cherry bombs all over it. But nobody told me I had to change the oil in it (laughing) and then I had to buy a new short block a year after I drove it in college. What kid in America doesn’t want to own a hot rod and drive fast and I imagine one of my two kids will be that kid. One is a little safer and will probably be a drummer but the other one might be a race car driver.’
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Mike Bliss will ride in the No. 51 entry from Phoenix Racing
Bobby Labonte will miss Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway after suffering three broken ribs in a bicycle accident Wednesday morning near his home in Trinity, N.C.
Labonte, the 2000 series champion in his 21st season of racing at NASCAR’s highest level, suffered no other injuries in the accident, according to a release from his marketing agency. He was held in a local hospital overnight for observation but was released from the hospital on Thursday morning.
Labonte will be replaced by Mike Bliss in the No. 51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet this weekend at what has historically been the Texas native’s best track. Of Labonte’s 21 Sprint Cup wins, six have come on the 1.54-mile Georgia speedway.
Earlier this season, Labonte’s streak of consecutive Sprint Cup starts ended at 704 when he was replaced by AJ Allmendinger in the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota at Kentucky Speedway in June. Since then, he has missed one other race (Aug. 11 at Watkins Glen).
Sunday’s race was scheduled to be Labonte’s second start in the No. 51 Chevrolet. His only other start in the James Finch-owned car was a last-place finish at Michigan in June after an early crash with Jeff Gordon, the active driver with the longest current streak of consecutive Sprint Cup starts — 713.
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Get a sneak peek at the new looks for Atlanta, Canada
SPRINT CUP SERIES PAINT SCHEMES
Jamie McMurray will drive the No. 1 Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet.
SHOP: Jamie McMurray die-casts
Austin Dillon will drive the No. 33 Advocare Chevrolet.
David Ragan will drive the No. 34 Racetrac Hot Boiled Peanuts by Peanut Patch Ford.
SHOP: David Ragan die-casts
AJ Allmendinger will drive the No. 47 Scott Products Toyota.
SHOP: AJ Allmendinger die-casts
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 88 National Guard "Race to Achieve" Chevrolet.
SHOP: Dale Earnhardt Jr. die-casts
NATIONWIDE SERIES PAINT SCHEMES
Austin Dillon will drive the No. 3 Advocare Cherry Spark Chevrolet.
SHOP: Austin Dillon die-casts
Trevor Bayne will drive the No. 6 Cargill/Sam’s Club Ford.
SHOP: Trevor Bayne die-casts
Chris Buescher will drive the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.
Justin Allgaier will drive the No. 31 Wolfpack Energy Services Chevrolet.
Kevin Harvick will drive the No. 33 Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet.
SHOP: Kevin Harvick die-casts
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES PAINT SCHEMES
Ron Hornaday Jr. will drive the No. 9 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet.
Max Papis will drive the No. 14 Sport Clips Chevrolet.
Joey Coulter will drive the No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota.
Ross Chastain will driver the No. 19 Reese Towpower/Parts Source Ford.
Brennan Newberry will drive the No. 24 Qore-24 Chevrolet.
James Buescher will drive the No. 31 Motomaster Eliminator Chevrolet.
Alex Guenette will drive the No. 39 MI IUIMITEES Motorsports Chevrolet.
German Quiroga will drive the No. 77 Otter Box Toyota.
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Vital stats for the AdvoCare 500
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. is 1.54 miles, paved surface, 24 degree banking in all turns. Banking in the frontstretch and backstretch is 5 degrees. The frontstretch is 2,332 feet and the backstretch is 1,800 feet.
Time/TV: AdvoCare 500, 7:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 1. TV: ESPN (coverage starts at 7 p.m. ET), Radio: PRN; SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90.
Trailblazers: The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta was won by Fireball Roberts from the pole on July 31, 1960.
0 times has a driver swept the weekend at Atlanta across all three NASCAR national series.
0.006 is the closest margin of victory since the advent of electronic scoring in a Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta. Kevin Harvick defeated Jeff Gordon by this margin in the March 11, 2001 race. It is the fifth closest finish scored by electronic scoring in the Sprint Cup Series.
2 drivers posted their first career wins at Atlanta. Kevin Harvick (March 11, 2001) and Carl Edwards (March 20, 2005) were the two drivers to earn their first career victories at Atlanta.
3 female drivers have competed at Atlanta: Janet Guthrie, Shawna Robinson and Danica Patrick.
3 is also the number of times there has been a green-white-checkered finish at Atlanta, with the most recent coming in last year’s race.
5 times Sprint Cup Series qualifying at Atlanta has been cancelled due to weather conditions. The most recent occurance of this was in the fall of 2010.
6 is the number of consecutive Coors Light poles that Ryan Newman won at Atlanta from the spring of 2003 through 2005.
6 is also the number of times Bobby Labonte has won at Atlanta, the most among active drivers. Jeff Gordon is second among active drivers with five wins at Atlanta.
7is the number of Coors Light poles that Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman have won at Atlanta. That total is tied for the most among Sprint Cup drivers.
7is also the number of times that the winner of a Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta has come from a starting position outside the top 20.
7.100is the average starting position for Ryan Newman at Atlanta, the best among active drivers.
9 times Dale Earnhardt won at Atlanta, the most all-time among drivers.
11 drivers have posted consecutive wins at Atlanta with Jimmie Johnson being the most recent to accomplish the feat with a sweep in 2007.
11.095 is Jimmie Johnson’s average finishing position at Atlanta, the best among active drivers.
12 is the number of Sprint Cup Series wins that Wood Brothers Racing has at Atlanta, which is the most among teams.
14 times the winner of a Sprint Cup Series race in Atlanta has come from the pole position. Kasey Kahne was the last to do it in 2006.
15 times the winner of a Sprint Cup Series race in Atlanta has started in the fifth position. The most recent to win from this spot was Jeff Gordon in 2011.
22 is the age of the youngest Sprint Cup Series winner at Atlanta. Kyle Busch was 22 years, 10 months and 7 days old when he won at the track on March 9, 2008.
24 is the age of the youngest Coors Light pole winner at Atlanta. Terry Labonte was 24 years, 3 months and 27 days old when he won the pole on March 15, 1981.
26 times the winner of a Sprint Cup Series race in Atlanta has come from the front row.
39 was the starting position for Bobby Labonte when he won the fall race at Atlanta in 2001. This is the deepest starting position for any winner at Atlanta.
43 different Sprint Cup Series have won at Atlanta.
46 is the total number of drivers to win Coors Light poles at Atlanta.
51 is the age of the oldest winner at Atlanta. Morgan Shepherd was 51 years, 5 months and 8 days old when he won at Atlanta on March 20, 1993.
53 is the age of the oldest pole winner at Atlanta. Harry Gant was 53 years, 10 months and 4 days old when he won the pole on November 14, 1993.
55 is the number of starts at Atlanta for Terry Labonte. That total is the most among active drivers. Labonte has never visited Victory Lane in those 55 starts.
60 times the winner of a Sprint Cup Series race in Atlanta has come from a top-five starting position.
65 is the number of starts at Atlanta for Richard Petty, which is the most all-time among drivers.
105 Sprint Cup Series races have been held at Atlanta since 1960. Up until the 2011 season, there had been two races per year except in 1961. This is the third straight season with just one race.
133.870 is the speed at which Fireball Roberts won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Atlanta in 1960.
164 Sprint Cup Series races have been held at 12 different tracks in Georgia. Augusta International Speedway, Lakewood Speedway and Savannah Speedway are the only tracks to host 10 or more races besides Atlanta.
176 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Georgia.
197.478 is the track qualifying record set by Geoffrey Bodine on Nov. 15, 1997.
540 drivers have competed in at one least one Sprint Cup Series event race at Atlanta. 363 drivers have competed in more than one.
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Fellows will be trading his race helment for his "Mayor of Mosports" hat this weekend
Ron Fellows held the unofficial title of “Mayor of Mosport” as a hometown favorite among drivers well before he took the official title of track co-owner two years ago.
On the cusp of the 2.459-mile road course hosting its first NASCAR national series event, the Windsor, Ontario native now finds his mayoral duties to be much broader.
“Yeah, every once in a while I guess you’ve got to stop and smell the coffee,” Fellows said Wednesday during a NASCAR teleconference. “But yes, we’ve made a lot of improvements, but I think we’ll all rest a lot easier when we get to Sunday night and hopefully it’s a great weekend, we get great attendance, and I think that’s when we’ll relax. Yes, we’ve come a long way when you look at the facility, but we want to continue to grow and move forward.”
The big leap forward comes this weekend when Canadian Tire Motorsports Park — as Mosport is now known — hosts the first international event for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Sunday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 (2 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1). In breaking new ground at the Bowmanville, Ontario track, the series also marks its return to road course racing for the first time in 13 years.
Fellows was in the field for the truck series’ most recent road-course event, finishing third behind race winner Greg Biffle and runner-up Kurt Busch at Watkins Glen International on June 24, 2000. In the years that have followed, he’s seen the level of competition among NASCAR regulars on road circuits dramatically improve.
“In the first Cup race I did in I believe it was ’98 in the Caterpillar car for Buz McCall, you could count on one hand pretty much who you were going to have to race against,” Fellows said. “Now you look at certainly in the Cup grid, I’ve been in that two-dozen group, and in Cup it’s easily 26, 28 guys capable. There’s just a lot more emphasis put on the racing in general, whether it’s a road course, a short track, superspeedway, or mile-and-a-half. It just doesn’t seem to matter. If you’re good, you’re going to be good at everything.
“I think that showed up a lot at the Nationwide race, as well, at Mid-Ohio. Yeah, we had a lot of practice; yes, the regulars got an opportunity to really do their thing; but it was painfully obvious that those guys are really good racers. And that’s the way it is now. There’s no weekends off, and a great racer is a great racer.”
When the green flag falls Sunday, Ron Hornaday Jr. will be the only driver in the field who has previously competed in a road-course event in the series. The 55-year-old veteran has done so with a modest dose of success, tying Joe Ruttman for the all-time series lead with three road-course wins.
Now nearly four years removed from the most recent of his record four truck championships and almost 14 years since his most recent road race in the series, Hornaday has his sights set on enjoying the moment, all while showing the road-race newbies a thing or two.
“The trucks haven’t seen it in a while, and it’s a lot of fun,” Hornaday said. “… Now going up to Canada is going to really make it special because we know the fans up therejust love racing. The trucks really put on a great show. When they run over the ripple strips, how heavy the trucks are, the tires come off the ground, just the sparks off the exhaust. It’s just exciting to go to a road course.”
Four Camping World Truck Series regulars — defending champion James Buescher, Jeb Burton, Ty Dillon and Chad Hackenbracht — will be entered in the Sunday preliminary NASCAR Canadian Tire Series event, all as a means to gain more track time. When they get there, they’ll find a circuit that resembles the fast, sweeping nature of Watkins Glen more than it does the intricate, technical Sonoma Raceway.
Series leader Matt Crafton, who carries a 49-point lead over Buescher into the weekend, also took the opportunity to test a Canadian Tire Series car at the track earlier this season. His report from the Great White North: A tough, fast course with little margin for error.
“That track is really, really cool,” Crafton said post-race at Bristol Motor Speedway. “Really look forward to going there. All we’ve got to do is keep all four tires on the black stuff, not on the green stuff — just stay on the blacktop and we’ll be all right.”
The challenges for Fellows will be different this time around at Mosport, just more than an hour northeast of his Toronto-area stomping grounds. Instead of searching for passing zones and getting the most out of a race car this weekend, he’ll be wearing his mayor/promoter hat — watching the weather, hoping for solid attendance and making sure everything goes smoothly.
“There were a few opportunities to race, but I just didn’t feel like it’s the right thing to do,” said Fellows, 53. “I’ve got more races behind me than in front of me, and it seemed like that inside the weekend I’d probably be thinking more about things relative to the promoter side of it rather than the racer side of it, so that was a relatively easy decision to make, and let’s see what some of these young guns can do.”
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