DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Richmond International Raceway going into Saturday night’s race – the Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400.
"47 different drivers have posted victories at Richmond, led by Richard Petty (13). Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Terry Labonte (three) lead active race winners."
RICHMOND-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
Clint Bowyer (No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet)
· One win, one top five, five top 10s
· Average finish of 9.8
· Average Running Position of 10.9, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 96.6, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.443 mph, eighth-fastest
· 3,076 Laps in the Top 15 (76.7%), ninth-most
· 309 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), sixth-most
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· One win, nine top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.4
· Average Running Position of 14.9, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.7, 11th-best
· 542 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.276 mph, 12th-fastest
· 3,171 Laps in the Top 15 (65.9%), seventh-most
· 291 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Kurt Busch (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge)
· One win, three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 17.8
· Average Running Position of 13.5, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.1, seventh-best
· 269 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 537 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.562 mph, fifth-fastest
· 3,114 Laps in the Top 15 (64.7%), eighth-most
· 323 Quality Passes, third-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 Pedigree Toyota)
· Two wins, 10 top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 5.3
· Average Running Position of 7.4, third-best
· Driver Rating of 113.8, second-best
· 368 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.875 mph, second-fastest
· 4,253 Laps in the Top 15 (88.4%), second-most
· 332 Quality Passes, second-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
· Three wins, eight top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.1
· Average Running Position of 15.7, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 85.6, 13th-best
· 263 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· 609 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.266 mph, 13th-fastest
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger/AARP Chevrolet)
· Two wins, 14 top fives, 23 top 10s; five poles
· Average finish of 14.1
· Average Running Position of 13.1, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 97.8, fourth-best
· 247 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.445 mph, seventh-fastest
· 3,194 Laps in the Top 15 (66.4%), sixth-most
· 252 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)
· Two wins, five top fives, six top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 8.0
· Series-best Average Running Position of 5.4
· Series-best Driver Rating of 119.8
· Series-high 440 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 116.967 mph
· 3,815 Laps in the Top 15 (95.1%), fourth-most
· 288 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)
· One win, five top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.0
· Average Running Position of 7.3, second-best
· Driver Rating of 112.1, third-best
· 358 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.834 mph, third-fastest
· Series-high 4,425 Laps in the Top 15 (92.0%)
· Series-high 379 Quality Passes
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)
· Three wins, five top fives, six top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 16.9
· Average Running Position of 15.7, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.9, 10th-best
· 170 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.325 mph, 10th-fastest
· 2,743 Laps in the Top 15 (57.0%), 11th-most
· 268 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Kasey Kahne (No. 4 Red Bull Toyota)
· One win, two top fives, five top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 19.0
· Driver Rating of 85.9, 12th-best
· 235 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 571 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.292 mph, 11th-fastest
· 2,582 Laps in the Top 15 (53.7%), 12th-most
· 254 Quality Passes, 10th-most
Mark Martin (No. 5 Quaker State/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet)
· One win, 17 top fives, 27 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 12.2
· Average Running Position of 13.8, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.6, ninth-best
· 145 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.445 mph, sixth-fastest
· 2,865 Laps in the Top 15 (59.6%), 10th-most
Ryan Newman (No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· One win, five top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.4
· Average Running Position of 11.1, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.4, eighth-best
· 527 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.425 mph, ninth-fastest
· 3,868 Laps in the Top 15 (80.4%), third-most
· 318 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)
· Three wins, nine top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.1
· Average Running Position of 11.6, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 97.4, fifth-best
· 196 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 557 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.627 mph, fourth-fastest
· 3,525 Laps in the Top 15 (73.3%), fifth-most
· 319 Quality Passes, fourth-most
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 at Richmond International Raceway
Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating*
1
13
1
0
1
5
1
16.9
81.7
2
Jimmie Johnson
18
2
3
5
6
1
16.9
89.9
3
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
23
0
3
8
10
1
14.1
85.6
4
Kevin Harvick
20
1
1
5
13
0
12.0
112.1
5
Kurt Busch
20
0
1
3
6
1
17.8
94.1
6
Kyle Busch
12
1
2
10
10
0
5.3
113.8
7
Ryan Newman
18
1
1
5
11
0
11.4
93.4
8
22
0
1
3
9
1
16.8
79.7
9
Juan P. Montoya
8
0
0
0
3
1
21.4
79.3
10
Clint Bowyer
10
0
1
1
5
0
9.8
96.6
11
8
0
0
0
0
0
27.3
50.6
12
Tony Stewart
24
0
3
9
15
2
11.1
97.4
* – Based on last 12 Richmond International Raceway races.
Chase Contenders
The Top 10 Following Race 8 of 36
Rank Season
Last Driver
Driver Points Wins Poles Week Rating
1. Carl Edwards 295 1 2 1 97.6
2. Jimmie Johnson 290 1 0 4 97.7
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 276 0 1 6 89.6
4. Kevin Harvick 268 2 0 9 86.9
5. Kurt Busch 267 0 0 5 95.5
6. Kyle Busch 257 1 0 2 111.6
7. Ryan Newman 253 0 0 7 93.4
8. Matt Kenseth 252 1 1 3 92.1
9. Juan P. Montoya 246 0 1 8 82.7
10. Clint Bowyer 245 0 0 12 97.0
___________________________________________________
ADDITIONAL DRIVERS
11. Paul Menard 242 30. Regan Smith 142
12. Tony Stewart 240 31. Robby Gordon 128
13. Jeff Gordon 234 32. Casey Mears 116
14. Mark Martin 226 33. Dave Blaney 105
15. AJ Allmendinger 226 34. Bill Elliott 100
16. Greg Biffle 221 35. Andy Lally 98
17. Denny Hamlin. 195 36. Tony Raines 81
18. Kasey Kahne 194 37. Ken Schrader 44
19. Martin Truex Jr. 192 38. Terry Labonte 40
20. David Ragan 191 39. J.J. Yeley 26
21. Marcos Ambrose 188 40. Michael McDowell 25
22. Jeff Burton 185 41. Michael Waltrip 20
23. Jamie McMurray 181 42. Brian Keselowski 3
24. Joey Logano 179 43. Steve Park 2
25. Bobby Labonte 178
26. David Reutimann 174
27. Brad Keselowski 171
28. Brian Vickers 155
29. David Gilliland 149
Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 10 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season.
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.
· 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.
· Track was re-measured to a half-mile in April 1969; then to .542-mile in September.
· 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 109 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond since the track opened in 1953.
The current 400-lap race length was established on the .542-mile measurement in March 1976.
Buck Baker won the pole in 1953.
Lee Petty won the first race in April 1953.
There have been 48 different pole winners, led by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty (eight).
Jeff Gordon (five) leads active drivers with five poles.
47 different drivers have posted victories at Richmond, led by Richard Petty (13).
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Terry Labonte (three) lead active race winners.
Car owner Richard Petty has won 15 races at Richmond, more than any other team.
63 of 109 races have been won from the top five starting positions, including 22 from the pole.
The last driver to win from the pole was Kyle Busch in May 2010.
13 of the past 16 races have been won from the top 10, but three of the last six have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.
The furthest back in the field a race winner has started was 31st, by Clint Bowyer in 2008’s spring race.
Kyle Petty became the first third-generation NASCAR race winner when he won his first race, at Richmond, on Feb. 23, 1986. Richard Petty posted his first Richmond victory in 1961 and Lee won the very first Richmond race in 1953.
Three active drivers have a finish inside the top 10: Kyle Busch (5.2), Denny Hamlin (8.0) and Clint Bowyer (9.8).
Five of the last six races have had a margin of victory less than one second.
NASCAR in Virginia
There have been 271 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Virginia.
161 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Virginia.
There have been 18 race winners from Virginia in NASCAR’s three national series:
Driver
NSCS
NNS
NCWTS
Joe Weatherly
25
0
0
23
1
0
Jeff Burton
21
27
0
Curtis Turner
17
0
0
Denny Hamlin
16
10
0
5
4
0
Glen Wood
4
0
0
3
5
1
Emanuel Zervakis
2
0
0
Lennie Pond
1
0
0
Wendell Scott
1
0
0
Tommy Ellis
0
22
0
0
9
2
Rick Mast
0
9
0
0
2
0
Elton Sawyer
0
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
Richmond International Raceway Data
Race # 9 of 36 (4-30-11)
Track Size: .75 miles
· Banking/Corners: 14 degrees
· Banking/Frontstretch: 8 degrees
· Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees
· Frontstretch: 1,290 feet
· Backstretch: 860 feet
Driver Rating at Richmond
Denny Hamlin 119.8
Kyle Busch 113.8
Kevin Harvick 112.1
Jeff Gordon 97.8
Tony Stewart 97.4
Clint Bowyer 96.6
Kurt Busch 94.1
Ryan Newman 93.4
Mark Martin 91.6
Jimmie Johnson 89.9
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2010 races (12 total) at Richmond.
Qualifying/Race Data
2010 pole winner: Kyle Busch (127.077 mph, 21.247 seconds)
2010 race winner: Kyle Busch
(99.567 mph, 05-01-10)
Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers (129.983, 20.772 seconds, 05-14-04)
Track race record: Dale Jarrett (109.047 mph, 09-06-97)
