NASCAR Charlotte Wednesday, May 20, 2020
NASCAR CUP SERIES CHARLOTTE STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Active Talladega Leaders
| Recent NASCAR Cup Series Crown Jewel Race Winners | ||||||
| Date | Race | No. | Winner | Manufacturer | Crew Chief | Team |
| 2/17/19 | Daytona 500 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | Chris Gabehart | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 5/26/19 | Coca-Cola 600 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | Cole Pearn | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 9/1/19 | Southern 500 | 20 | Erik Jones | Toyota | Chris Gayle | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 9/8/19 | Brickyard 400 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Ford | Rodney Childers | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 2/16/20 | Daytona 500 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | Chris Gabehart | Joe Gibbs Racing |
7 Different winners last 7 races on 1.5-mile tracks
Most cautions last season: 16 Coca-Cola 600
Most caution laps last season: 80 Coca-Cola 600
Longest race time last season: 4:50:09 Coca-Cola 600
All 4 Hendrick Motorsports drivers finished 9th or better 2019 Coca-Cola 600 – 3 of 4 led (82 Laps led)
Joe Gibbs Racing drivers led 216 laps in 2019 Coca-Cola 600
2 Champions winless in Coca-Cola 600 – Brad Keselowski 0 for 10 & Joey Logano 0 for 11
On this date:
5/24/58: Chip Ganassi birthday
5/24/66: Ricky Craven birthday
5/24/90: Joey Logano birthday
1-Kurt Busch last to win All-Star Race & Coca-Cola 600 in same year – 2010
2-Brad Keselowski led 76 of first 203 laps and won Stage 1 & 2 in 2019 Coca-Cola 600 – No laps led rest of race
2-Brad Keselowski 1 Charlotte win (10/13) – Only 2013 win
3-Austin Dillon 2017 Coca-Cola 600 winner – First career win (100-1 Odds into race) & led only final 2 laps
4-Kevin Harvick led 14 laps in first Stage in 2019 Coca-Cola 600 – No laps led final 3 Stages
4-Kevin Harvick 2011 Coca-Cola 600 winner by last lap pass over Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Only 2 total laps led)
4-Kevin Harvick 2013 Coca-Cola 600 winner (Last season with Richard Childress Racing) – 28 Laps led including final 11
6-Ryan Newman 9 Charlotte poles (6 Coca-Cola 600 poles) – Winless
8-Tyler Reddick 2019 Charlotte Xfinity Series winner
9-Chase Elliott 2019 Coca-Cola 600 leader at 500-miles – Finished 4th
10-Aric Almirola 1 top 10 finish in 13 Charlotte races – Finished 10th (10/15)
11-Denny Hamlin:
Winless in 26 Charlotte races – 3 Top 5 finishes last 4 Charlotte races (5 Straight Charlotte races led – 137 Laps led)
11-Denny Hamlin: 5 Straight Charlotte races led – 137 Laps led
14-Clint Bowyer 2 top 5 finishes 26 Charlotte races – 1 Win (10/12)
17-Chris Buescher best finish last season: 6th – Coca-Cola 600
17-Chris Buescher first paycheck earned at Charlotte Motor Speedway racing in the Summer Shootout
when he was 13 or 14 winning around $110
18-Kyle Busch: 2018 Coca-Cola 600 winner
“I’ve dreamt of this race since I was a kid. Being able to come out here and now win the Coca-Cola 600 is just phenomenal.
It’s a little boy’s dreams come true.”
18-Kyle Busch: 3 Straight Coca-Cola 600 top 3 finishes – 2018 Winner
18-Kyle Busch 377 of 400 laps led 2018 Coca-Cola 600 (565.5 Miles)
18-Kyle Busch won Coca-Cola in 15th try (2018) – 2nd most before first win
18-Kyle Busch: 5 Straight Charlotte races led – 542 Laps led
19-Martin Truex Jr.:
2019 Coca-Cola 600 winner – Lap 74 wall contact while leading, Stage 3 winner, 6 times led for 116 laps (Most), 11 pit stops
“I don’t know how we did it honestly. I blew that right-front tire earlier and hit the fence off (Turn) 4.
I thought man, that’s not good. I know this car is pretty banged up. We just fought back from it.”
19-Martin Truex Jr. led only 12 of first 252 laps in 2019 Coca-Cola 600 – Led 104 of final 148 laps
19-Martin Truex Jr.: 2 Wins last 4 Coca-Cola 600s – 4 Straight Coca-Cola 600 top 3 finishes
19-Martin Truex Jr.: 3 Wins last 6 Charlotte races – 6 Top 3 finishes last 7 Charlotte races
19-Martin Truex Jr. only repeat winner last 9 Charlotte races (3 Wins) – 6 Others 1 win each
19-Martin Truex Jr.: 5 Straight Coca-Cola 600 top 5 finishes – All-time longest streak: 6 Straight (David Pearson 1973-’78)
19-Martin Truex Jr.: 4 Straight Charlotte top 3 finishes – 2 Wins
19-Martin Truex Jr. led most laps 4 of last 5 Coca-Cola 600s (131, 392, 233 & 116) – 2 Wins (2016 & ‘19)
19-Martin Truex Jr. all-time record most miles led in a race (588) – 2016 Coca-Cola 600 (392 of 400 laps led)
20-Erik Jones worst finish last season: 40th – Coca-Cola 600 & Charlotte Roval
21-Matt DiBenedetto worst finish last season: 39th – Coca-Cola 600
Wood Brothers Racing: 4 Coca-Cola 600 wins (3 Drivers)
Wood Brothers: 20 Charlotte poles & 6 Charlotte wins
24-William Byron: 2019 Coca-Cola 600 pole – Youngest ever (21-Years-old)
24-William Byron:
Finished 9th in 2019 Coca-Cola 600 – Pole, finished 6th in Stage 1, 5th Stage 2 & 13th Stage 3, 31 laps led, great miss lap 316 crash
41-Cole Custer best Charlotte NXS finish: 2nd (2018) – Brad Keselowski winner
42-Matt Kenseth: 2000 Coca-Cola 600 winner – First career win in first 600 (Only Rookie of the Year contender to win 600)
47-Ricky Stenhouse Jr. best finish last season: 5th – Coca-Cola 600
47-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.:
Finished 5th in 2019 Coca-Cola 600 – Lap 86 spin, avg. running position: 10.6 & first top 5 finish in 74th race on 1.5-mile track
48-Jimmie Johnson: 8 Charlotte wins – Most all-time
48-Jimmie Johnson: 4 Coca-Cola 600 wins – 2nd all-time (Darrell Waltrip: 5 Coca-Cola 600 wins)
48-Jimmie Johnson 7-time champion & 4-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, but never won 600 & championship in same year
48-Jimmie Johnson passed for final lead change 2 of last 4 Coca-Cola 600s
48-Jimmie Johnson only driver to win 3 straight Coca-Cola 600s – 2003, ’04 & ’05 (Last to win 600 back-to-back)
48-Jimmie Johnson won 3 straight Coca-Cola 600s (2003-’05) – Took 9 races to win 4th
88-Alex Bowman finished 7th in 2019 Coca-Cola 600 – finished 2nd in previous 3 races last season (Talladega, Dover & Kansas)
88-Alex Bowman 2 straight Charlotte top 10 finishes – finished 26th or worse previous 5 Charlotte races
95-Christopher Bell best Charlotte NXS finish: 3rd (2018)
95-Christopher Bell best Charlotte NTS finish: 3rd (2017)
34 Different winners in 60 NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 races
Most Coca-Cola 600 wins: Darrell Waltrip 5
17 NASCAR Cup Series champions won Coca-Cola 600 – Brad Keselowski & Joey Logano winless in 600
Joe Gibbs Racing won last 2 Coca-Cola 600s – Kyle Busch 2018 & Martin Truex Jr. 2019
11 Won Coca-Cola 600 from pole including Jimmie Johnson 2014, Martin Truex Jr. 2016 & Kyle Busch 2018
David Pearson: 15 Straight Charlotte front row starts 1972-’80 (14 with Wood Brothers) – 12 Poles including 11-in-a-row
Coca-Cola 600 won from pole 3 of last 6 races – Winless previous 9 races
5 Straight Coca-Cola 600 poles: Jeff Gordon (1994-’98) & David Pearson (1974-’78)
Coca-Cola 600 leader at 500-miles failed to win 26 times
Worst official starting position of 600 winner: 37th – Jimmie Johnson 2003 (Started from rear – Engine change)
Oldest Coca-Cola 600 winner: 46 – Bobby Allison 1984
Youngest Coca-Cola 600 winner: 22 – Jeff Gordon 1994
Most Coca-Cola 600 laps led: 392 – Martin Truex Jr. 2016 (Winner)
2nd most Coca-Cola 600 laps led: 377 – Kyle Busch 2018 (Winner)
Fewest laps led by winner: 2 – Kevin Harvick 2011 & Austin Dillon 2017
Coca-Cola 600 winner led 28 or less laps 7 of last 15 races
Latest point winner took lead for first time in Coca-Cola 600: Lap 399 – Austin Dillon 2017
Most laps led from start of Coca-Cola 600: 77 – Martin Truex Jr. (2016)
Coca-Cola 600 winner led lap 1 nine times
Most consecutive laps led to finish of Coca-Cola 600: 240 – Jim Paschal (1967)
Coca-Cola 600 winner took lead for first time after 500 miles (334 Laps) 5 times
Final lead change came with 10 or fewer laps to go 15 times in Coca-Cola 600
6 Won Coca-Cola 600 & championship in same year – Last 2 by Jeff Gordon (1997 & ’98)
6 Won Daytona 500 & Coca-Cola 600 in same year – Last: Jeff Gordon 1997
7 Won All-Star race & Coca-Cola 600 in same year – Last: Kurt Busch 2010
Coca-Cola 600 first career win for 7 drivers – 4 Became champions
5 Shortened Coca-Cola 600 races
Only 1 Overtime finish in Coca-Cola 600 – 2011
2 Charlotte races settled by last lap pass – 2005 & ’11 Coca-Cola 600s
Drivers won first race of season 31 times at Coca-Cola 600 including 5 of last 8 years
First win of season for 4 of last 6 Coca-Cola 600 winners
12 Scored their only win of season at Coca-Cola 600
Chevrolet leads all with 24 Coca-Cola 600 wins including 5 of last 9
Ford: 12 Coca-Cola 600 wins – Winless last 17 races (2002 Mark Martin)
Toyota won Coca-Cola 600 five times including 4 of last 5 years – 2009, ’15, ’16, ’18 & ‘19
2 Won Coca-Cola 600 in first try – Joe Lee Johnson & Matt Kenseth
Mark Martin won Coca-Cola 600 in 19th try (2002) – Most of all drivers
3 Scored their first win with Hendrick Motorsports in Coca-Cola 600 – Jeff Gordon, Casey Mears & Kasey Kahne
6 Coca-Cola 600 wins by car #3 – Dale Earnhardt (3), Buddy Baker (1), Austin Dillon (1) & David Pearson (1)
Coca-Cola 600 largest margin-of-victory: 4 Laps – 1960 Joe Lee Johnson & 1964 Jim Paschal
Last time only winner finished on lead lap in Coca-Cola 600: 1987 Kyle Petty
Stage 3 winner won last 2 Coca-Cola 600s – Kyle Busch (2018) & Martin Truex Jr. (2019)
Brad Keselowski won Stage 1 & 2 in 2019 Coca-Cola 600 – Finished 19th
Chase Elliott finished 4th in 2019 Coca-Cola 600 – Lap 50 pit road speeding penalty
6 Speeding penalties by 6 drivers in 2019 Coca-Cola 600
16 Cautions in 2019 Coca-Cola 600 – 2nd most all-time
Stewart-Haas Racing: Winless in Coca-Cola 600
Active Talladega Leaders
Most wins: 2 Joey Logano (Only top 10 finishes this season)
Most top 5 finishes: 3 Kevin Harvick
Top 10 finish all 5 races: Kevin Harvick
Most races led: 4 Brad Keselowski (No laps led at Las Vegas)
Most laps led: 318 Kevin Harvick (297 Laps led first 16 races last season)
Most laps complete: All 1285 Denny Hamlin & Kevin Harvick
Winner pit stops & lap last race: Kevin Harvick (9 Stops) 33, 93, 112, 126, 157, 174, 188, 215, 255
Top 5 Stage 1 & 2 last race: Kevin Harvick (4th & 4th), Alex Bowman (3rd & 2nd), Brad Keselowski (5th & 1st)
Speeding last race: Chase Elliott (Finished 4th), Ryan Newman, Quin Houff, J.J. Yeley
Rear of field last race: Kyle Busch (Finished 26th)
Best HMS last race: 2nd Alex Bowman
Best JGR last race: 5th Denny Hamlin
Best SHR last race: Winner Kevin Harvick
Best TPR last race: 13th Brad Keselowski
1-Kurt Busch: Finished 6th or better last 3 races – 2 3rd-place finishes
2-Brad Keselowski: 2 Stage wins this season (Won Stage 2 last 2 races) – No race wins
2-Brad Keselowski passed for final lead change last 3 races
4-Kevin Harvick: Darlington winner – Only Stewart-Haas Racing driver finishing in top 10
4-Kevin Harvick best Stewart-Haas Racing finisher 4 of 5 races this season
4-Kevin Harvick: Best Ford finisher 1 race this season – Darlington winner
8-Tyler Reddick best Rookie finisher 3 of last 4 races including Darlington
9-Chase Elliott: 3 Stage wins this season (Leads all drivers) – No race wins
9-Chase Elliott: Finished 7th or better last 3 races – 2 4th-place finishes
12-Ryan Blaney: Finished outside top 10 last 4 races
18-Kyle Busch: Finished 26th at Darlington – Rest of Joe Gibbs Racing finished 8th or better
19-Martin Truex Jr.: 1 Top 10 finish this season – Finished 6th at Darlington
22-Joey Logano: 2 Wins last 4 races
48-Jimmie Johnson: 100 Races since last win – Dover 6/17
4 Different winners from 4 different teams in 5 races this season
Stage 1 winner went on to win only 1 of 5 races this season – Alex Bowman (Auto Club)
Stage 2 winner finished outside top 10 last 4 races
Toyota: Only 1 Stage win this season – Daytona 500 (Denny Hamlin)
Joe Gibbs Racing: Inspection issues each race this season
Driver starting first finished outside top 5 all 5 races this season
Team Penske driver passed for final lead change last 4 races
No Toyota leaders at Darlington
2 of 5 races this season ended in Overtime – Daytona 500 & Phoenix March
Youngest winner: Alex Bowman – 26
Oldest winner: Kevin Harvick – 44
No Team Penske driver finished top 10 at Darlington
No Joe Gibbs Racing leaders at Darlington
Active Talladega Leaders
Martinsville Active Leaders:
Wins: 9 Jimmie Johnson
Top 5 finishes: 19 Jimmie Johnson
Top 10 finishes: 24 Jimmie Johnson
Laps led: 2862 Jimmie Johnson
Average start: 8.2 Joey Logano
Average finish: 9.3 Jimmie Johnson
Lead lap finishes: 30 Jimmie Johnson
Poles: 5 Joey Logano
3 Finished top 5 each Martinsville race last season: Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin & Brad Keselowski
5 Finished top 10 each Martinsville race last season: Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski & Martin Truex Jr.
1-Kurt Busch: 2 Martinsville wins – 1 in Roush Ford (10/02) & 1 in Stewart-Haas Chevrolet (3/14)
1-Kurt Busch: 2 Martinsville wins – 24-Years-old 10/02 & 35-Years-old 3/14
2-Brad Keselowski led 446 of 500 laps at Martinsville 3/19
2-Brad Keselowski led 319 consecutive laps at Martinsville 3/19 – Laps 6-324
2-Brad Keselowski: 3 Straight Martinsville top 5 finishes
2-Brad Keselowski: 8 Straight Martinsville top 10 finishes – 7 Top 5 finishes last 8 Martinsville races
2-Brad Keselowski only repeat winner last 7 Martinsville races (2 Wins) – 5 Others 1 win each
2-Brad Keselowski: Martinsville 3/19 winner – Last to win back-to-back Martinsville spring races: Rusty Wallace 1993-‘96
4-Kevin Harvick: 5 Straight Martinsville top 10 finishes – No laps led last 7 Martinsville races
4-Kevin Harvick: Finished 7th at Martinsville 10/19 – Rest of Stewart-Haas Racing finished 31st or worse
9-Chase Elliott: Finished 2nd at Martinsville 3/19 – Only Hendrick Motorsports top 10 finisher
10-Aric Almirola worst finish last season: 37th – Bristol April & Martinsville Oct.
11-Denny Hamlin:
Finished 4th at Martinsville 10/19 (2nd of Playoff drivers) – Pole, led first 30 laps, 43 to go run-in with Logano followed by post-race fight
11-Denny Hamlin: 5 Martinsville wins – Tied for most wins at a track (Pocono)
11-Denny Hamlin: 4 Top 10 finishes last 5 Martinsville races – 3 Top 5 finishes
11-Denny Hamlin: 3 Straight Martinsville top 5 finishes – Finished 12th or better last 5 Martinsville races (4 Top 10 finishes)
11-Denny Hamlin finished 2nd at Martinsville in Rookie season (10/06)
12-Ryan Blaney: Only driver to finish top 5 in Stage 1, Stage 2 & race at Martinsville in each race last year
14-Clint Bowyer: 1 Martinsville win (3/18) – First Martinsville win in 25th try & ended career-long 190-race winless streak
18-Kyle Busch only driver to win Martinsville NTS & NCS races in same weekend (4/16)
19-Martin Truex Jr. led 464 of 500 laps at Martinsville 10/19 – Most laps led at Martinsville since Richard Petty led 480 10/70
19-Martin Truex Jr. led final 241 laps at Martinsville 10/19 – Laps 260-500
19-Martin Truex Jr.: 464 Laps led at Martinsville 10/19 – 262 Laps led previous 27 Martinsville races
19-Martin Truex Jr.: Finished 8th or better last 5 Martinsville races – 4 Top 5 finishes
19-Martin Truex Jr.: Martinsville 10/19 winner – Last to win back-to-back Martinsville races: Jimmie Johnson 10/12 & 4/13
19-Martin Truex Jr. won Martinsville for first time in 28th try (10/19)
20-Erik Jones: Martinsville 1 of 2 tracks without a top 10 finish (Charlotte Roval)
22-Joey Logano:
Finished 8th at Martinsville 10/19 (5th of Playoff drivers) – Finished top 5 in Stage 1 & 2, 43 to go run-in with Hamlin followed by post-race fight
22-Joey Logano: 5 Martinsville poles (Leads active drivers) – Won 5 of last 8 Martinsville poles with qualifying
22-Joey Logano started top 10 last 14 Martinsville races – Front row 7 races
22-Joey Logano: Paul Wolfe Martinsville 3/19 winning crew chief
24-William Byron best non-Playoff finisher 2019 Martinsville Playoff race – Finished 2nd
24-William Byron: Finished 2nd at Martinsville 10/19 – Rest of Hendrick Motorsports finished 30th or worse
42-Matt Kenseth: 0 for 37 at Martinsville – Most races at a track without a win
48-Jimmie Johnson 9 Martinsville wins – Tied for 3rd all-time (Jeff Gordon)
48-Jimmie Johnson 9 Martinsville wins – 2nd most of all tracks (11 at Dover)
53 Different winners in 142 NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville races
5 Different winners last 5 Martinsville races – Kyle Busch, Bowyer, Logano, Keselowski & Truex Jr.
24 NASCAR Hall of Fame drivers won Martinsville races
25 of the 33 NASCAR Cup Series champions won at Martinsville (91 Total wins)
Martinsville 10/19: Most consecutive laps led to end of race last season – 241 Martin Truex Jr.
8 Champions with no Martinsville wins
Most laps ever led in a Martinsville race: 493 – Fred Lorenzen 9/64
Martin Truex Jr. led 464 laps 10/19 – 5th most laps led in a Martinsville race
Brad Keselowski led 446 laps 3/19 – 6th most laps led in a Martinsville race
Last 3 Martinsville winners led 309 or more laps
Brad Keselowski (3/19) & Martin Truex Jr. (10/19) won Martinsville Stage 1, Stage 2 & Race
Winner of Stage 2 won last 3 Martinsville races
Martinsville speeding penalties – 3/19: 4 Drivers & 6 Penalties / 10/19: 7 Drivers & 7 Penalties
Most tries before first Martinsville win: 30 – Dale Jarrett (4/01) & Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10/14)
4 Won Martinsville in first try – Red Byron (9/49), Dick Rathmann (4/52), Earl Ross (9/74) & Morgan Shepherd (4/81)
Driver starting first failed to win last 13 Martinsville races – Last to win from pole: Jimmie Johnson 4/13
Martinsville 3/19 winner Brad Keselowski pitted in stall 6 (Started 3rd)
2019 Martinsville Playoff race winner Martin Truex Jr. pitted in stall 12 (Started 3rd)
Last to win from pit stall 1: Jimmie Johnson 10/12 & 4/13
Driver pitted in stall 1 winless last 13 Martinsville races
Driver starting 1st won 21 of 142 Martinsville NASCAR Cup Series races
13 Won first career pole at Martinsville
3 of 142 Martinsville races settled by last lap pass (9/87, 10/17 & 10/18)
2 of last 5 Martinsville races settled by last lap pass
2 of last 3 Martinsville Playoff races settled by last lap pass
6 Martinsville Overtime finishes – Jeff Gordon lost last 2 after leading at scheduled distance (3/10 & 4/12)
Leader at scheduled distance lost 3 Martinsville Overtime races
Longest Martinsville race: 515 laps (4/12)
Last Rookie of the Year contender to finish top 10 at Martinsville: Juan Pablo Montoya finished 8th 10/21/07
12 Won first career race at Martinsville – Last: Ricky Craven (10/15/01)
Morgan Shepherd scored first career win in 15th career NASCAR Cup Series race (4/81)
Harry Gant finished 2nd in 10 races before first career win at Martinsville (4/82)
Harry Gant won Martinsville 9/91 at age of 51 years, 8 months, 12 days (The final of 4 straight wins)
Geoff Bodine won first career race & first race for Hendrick Motorsports (4/84)
Hendrick Motorsports: 24 Martinsville wins – Most all-time by a team at a single track
All 3 Team Penske drivers finished 8th or better at Martinsville 10/19
All 4 Stewart-Haas Racing drivers finished top 10 at Martinsville 3/19
Earl Ross was 2nd driver to win a race born outside United States – Martinsville 9/29/74
*Mario Andretti 1967 Daytona 500
2 Rookie of the Year candidates won Martinsville – Earl Ross (9/74) & Morgan Shepherd (4/81)
22 Won first short track race at Martinsville
Fred Lorenzen only driver to win 4 straight Martinsville races
18 Martinsville win streaks (Drivers winning consecutive Martinsville races)
11 Different car makes won Martinsville races
Chevrolet leads all with 56 Martinsville wins – Winless last 6 Martinsville races
Only 1 Chevrolet finished top 10 at Martinsville 3/19 – Chase Elliott finished 2nd
Ford: 4 Wins last 6 Martinsville races – Winless previous 28 races
8 Toyota wins at Martinsville – 5 by Denny Hamlin
4/26/81: First Pontiac to win a race since 10/27/63
#11 Won 16 Martinsville NASCAR Cup Series races
2 Drivers didn’t compete in the Martinsville race for which they won the pole
Donnie Allison (5/31/70) & Jimmy Hensley (9/24/89)
5/19/57: Buck Baker won Martinsville, but did not lead final lap
*5/19/57 race ended when car crashed through fence & injured spectators
Active Talladega Leaders
Wins: 5 Brad Keselowski
Most Talladega top 3 finishes: 6 Clint Bowyer
Most Talladega top 10 finishes: 20 Kurt Busch (Winless)
Most Talladega laps led: 472 Jimmie Johnson
Most Talladega DNFs: 13 Martin Truex Jr.
3 Finished top 10 in each Talladega race last season: Aric Almirola, Chase Elliott & Ryan Newman
2 Finished top 5 in Stage 1 & 2 at Talladega 10/19 – Brad Keselowski & Joey Logano
2 Champions winless at Talladega – Kurt Busch 0 for 38 & Martin Truex Jr. 0 for 30
1-Kurt Busch: 2004 Champion – Winless in 38 Talladega races (5 Top 3 finishes)
2-Brad Keselowski: 5 Talladega wins – Leads active drivers
“Maybe I have just been lucky five times. I think there is a luck factor to Talladega that will always be there and there is a skill factor that seems to always be a moving target with different tactics and techniques based on the rules, regulations and competitors. You have to adapt to that and that is a big challenge when you have something you are successful with.”
2-Brad Keselowski won 3 of last 11 Talladega races
2-Brad Keselowski won 2 Talladega races after starting rear of field (4/09 & 10/14)
2-Brad Keselowski: 5 Talladega wins – 3 Wins by last lap pass (Most all-time)
2-Brad Keselowski 3-0 in Talladega races settled by last lap pass – Most wins of all drivers
2-Brad Keselowski: 8 Straight Talladega races led (248 Laps led) – Longest current streak
2-Brad Keselowski: Jeremy Bullins Talladega 10/19 winning crew chief
4-Kevin Harvick: 1 Talladega win (4/10) – Ended career-long 115-race winless streak
4-Kevin Harvick: Finished 17th at Talladega 10/19 – Followed with 5 straight top 10 finishes to end of season
6-Ryan Newman best finish last season: 2nd – Talladega Oct. (Closest finish last season)
8-Tyler Reddick: Daniel Hemric finished 5th at Talladega 4/19 in #8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
8-Tyler Reddick: 2019 Talladega Xfinity Series winner
9-Chase Elliott:
Talladega 4/19 winner – Started 11th, finished 4th in Stage 1 & Stage 2 winner, lap 14 pit road speeding penalty, 45 laps led (most) including final 4
“I was blown away by the people and how fired up everybody was. That was an unbelievable experience.
We are close to home, so that’s cool, and they made me feel that way. I couldn’t ask for much more there.”
9-Chase Elliott: Talladega 4/19 winner – First of 3 wins last season
9-Chase Elliott won last Talladega spring race – Last to win consecutive Talladega spring races: Jeff Gordon 2004 & ‘05
9-Chase Elliott: 64 Talladega laps led last season (45 April & 19 Oct.) – Most
10-Aric Almirola: Talladega 10/18 winner – Ended career-long 149-race winless streak (2nd win came 1561 days after 1st)
10-Aric Almirola: 7 Straight Talladega top 10 finishes – Longest current streak
10-Aric Almirola: Best Stewart-Haas Racing finisher last 3 Talladega races
11-Denny Hamlin: Talladega 5/14 winner – 300th career race
11-Denny Hamlin started rear of field each Talladega race last season – Finished 36th & 3rd
11-Denny Hamlin worst finish last season: 36th – Talladega April (Only DNF last season – Crash)
11-Denny Hamlin finished 3rd at Talladega 10/19 – best Toyota finisher (Next best Toyota: 15th – 96-Parker Kligerman)
12-Ryan Blaney: Talladega 10/19 winner – Only win last season
12-Ryan Blaney won last Talladega race – Last to win consecutive Talladega races: Jeff Gordon 4/07 & 10/07
12-Ryan Blaney:
Talladega 10/19 winner – Started 9th, finished top 10 in Stage 1 & 2, 35 laps led including final 7, lap 34 pit road speeding penalty
(Great miss lap 182 crash)
13-Ty Dillon: Talladega 4/19 Stage 1 winner – Finished 17th
14-Clint Bowyer: 2 Talladega wins (10/10 & 10/11) – Both by last-lap pass in Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
14-Clint Bowyer: Talladega 10/11 winner – 100th Richard Childress Racing win
14-Clint Bowyer: Talladega 10/19 Stage 2 winner – Finished 23rd
18-Kyle Busch: 1 Talladega win (4/08) – Winless last 22 Talladega races
18-Kyle Busch April 2018: “It’s easier to win the Powerball than to win at Talladega”
19-Martin Truex Jr.: 2017 Champion – Winless in 30 Talladega races
19-Martin Truex Jr.: 60 Races at Daytona (30) & Talladega (30) – Winless
19-Martin Truex Jr.: Finished 20th or worse last 7 Talladega races – Average finish: 27.6
19-Martin Truex Jr.: 2 Talladega top 5 finishes – 13 Talladega DNFs (10 Due to crashes)
19-Martin Truex Jr.: Failed to finish 13 of 30 Talladega races (43%) – 10 Due to crashes
20-Erik Jones: Finished 33rd or worse 4 of 6 Talladega races – Failed to finish all 4 due to crashes
20-Erik Jones: 1 Talladega top 10 finish – 4 Talladega DNFs (All due to crashes)
22-Joey Logano won 3 of last 9 Talladega races
22-Joey Logano: 4 Top 5 finishes last 5 Talladega races – Finished 11th (10/19)
24-William Byron: Talladega 10/19 Stage 1 winner – Finished 33rd (Crash)
24-William Byron: Finished 20th or worse all 4 Talladega races – 32 Total laps led in 3 of 4 Talladega races
32-Corey LaJoie finished 7th at Talladega 10/19
34-Michael McDowell finished 5th at Talladega 10/19
37-Ryan Preece: Finished 3rd at Talladega 4/19 – Average running position: 21st
43-Bubba Wallace: Finished 39th at Talladega 4/19 – Lap 11 crash while running 3rd
“I tried not to wreck my buddy, Ryan, and it cost our day and some others. I apologize.”
47-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Talladega 5/17 winner – First win in 158th career race & closest 2017 finish (.095 Seconds ahead of Jamie McMurray)
47-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 109 Laps led last season – 66 Laps led at Daytona & Talladega
48-Jimmie Johnson: 2 Talladega wins – Both by last lap pass (Only 3 laps led 5/06 & .002 second margin-of-victory 4/11)
48-Jimmie Johnson worst finish last season: 38th – Talladega Oct. & Martinsville Oct.
88-Alex Bowman: Finished 2nd at Talladega 4/19 – Started 9th, finished 2nd in Stage 1 & 2, 7 laps led (First laps led in 2019)
“I’m glad to kind of turn things around. It’s been a rough start to the year and these guys deserve way better
than the finishes they’ve had. So, to come home second is not a win, but it’s headed in the right direction.”
88-Alex Bowman finished 2nd at Talladega 4/19 – first of 3 straight 2nd-place finishes last season
95-Christopher Bell: Best Talladega NTS finish: 2nd (2017) – Parker Kligerman winner
TALLADEGA TEAM FINISHES
| Talladega | 4/18 Finishes | 10/18 Finishes | 4/19 Finishes | 10/19 Finishes |
| Hendrick Motorsports | 3rd, 8th, 12th, 29th | 7th, 20th, 31st, 33rd | 1st, 2nd, 21st, 33rd | 8th, 33rd, 37th, 38th |
| Joe Gibbs Racing | 10th, 13th, 14th, 39th | 4th, 8th, 16th, 26th | 10th, 19th, 20th, 36th | 3rd, 19th, 26th, 34th |
| Stewart-Haas Racing | 2nd, 4th, 7th, 31st | 1st, 2nd, 14th, 28th | 9th, 12th, 29th, 38th | 4th, 17th, 23rd, 32nd |
| Team Penske | 1st, 18th, 33rd | 5th, 27th, 29th | 4th, 13th, 15th | 1st, 11th, 25th |
49 Different winners in 101 NASCAR Cup Series Talladega races
7 Different pole winners last 7 Talladega races
6 Different winners last 6 Talladega races – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Aric Almirola, Chase Elliott & Ryan Blaney
Hendrick Motorsports: First win last season – Talladega April (10th race of season)
Only 1 of last 25 Talladega races won from first starting position – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. 5/17
14 of 101 Talladega races won from first starting position
Driver starting first failed to finish 26 of 101 Talladega races
Drivers starting first failed to finish more Talladega races than they won
13 Failed to finish Talladega 4/19 & 15 failed to finish Talladega 10/19
Team Penske won 6 of last 9 Talladega races – 7 Wins last 11 Talladega races
Ford won 8 of last 9 Talladega races – Chevrolet won 4/19 (Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports)
4 Fords finished in top 5 at Talladega 10/19 – Denny Hamlin 3rd in Toyota & Austin Dillon 6th in Chevrolet
5 Chevrolets finished in top 6 at Talladega 4/19 – Joey Logano 4th in Ford & Ryan Newman 7th in Ford
4 Failed to finish both Talladega races last season: Chris Buescher, Matt DiBenedetto, Kyle Larson & David Ragan
6 Won pole in first try at Talladega
6 Won first career pole at Talladega
Worst official starting position to win: 36th – Jeff Gordon 4/00
3 Won from 34th starting position including Denny Hamlin 5/14
*4/03 Dale Earnhardt Jr. won after taking green from 43rd starting position after starting from the rear of field
*4/09 Brad Keselowski won after starting from the rear of the field
*10/14 Brad Keselowski won after starting from the rear of the field
11 Won first career race at Talladega – Only win for 6 drivers
Dale Earnhardt last career win: Talladega 10/15/00
Michael Waltrip last career win: Talladega 9/28/03
Dale Jarrett last career win: Talladega 10/2/05
Jamie McMurray last career win: Talladega 10/20/13
2 Failed to defend previous Talladega win – Dale Earnhardt 10/00 winner & Brian Vickers 10/06 winner
10 Talladega win streaks – Drivers winning consecutive races
Toyota won only 3 Talladega races – Winless last 11 Talladega races
26 Talladega races settled by last lap pass
9 of 16 Talladega Playoff races settled by last lap pass
Brad Keselowski passed Ryan Newman on final lap 2 Talladega wins – 2014 Playoff race & 2017 Playoff race
First win of season for last 4 Talladega winners – Joey Logano (4/18), Aric Almirola (10/18), Chase Elliott (4/19) & Ryan Blaney (10/19)
Drivers won first race of season at Talladega 46 times
First win of season for 10 of last 11 Talladega spring winners
Only win of season for 8 of 16 Talladega Playoff race winners including Ryan Blaney last season
1 Won Daytona 500 & both Talladega races in same year – Pete Hamilton 1970
1 Multi-day Talladega race (10/13-14/19) – First 57 laps run 10/13
14 Talladega Overtime finishes
Leader at scheduled distance failed to win 7 of last 9 Talladega Overtime races
4 Won Talladega in first try – Donnie Allison, Richard Brickhouse, Pete Hamilton & Brad Keselowski
Michael Waltrip won Talladega for first time in 36th try – Most of all drivers
Most laps led by Talladega winner: 153 – Pete Hamilton 8/70
Most laps led by Talladega spring race winner: 139 – Jeff Gordon 5/05
Fewest laps led by Talladega winner: 1 – Jeff Gordon 10/07, Brad Keselowski 4/09 & Aric Almirola 10/18
8 Talladega crashes involved 20 or more
Ryan Blaney over Ryan Newman by .007 seconds in 2019 Talladega Playoff race – Closest finish last season
Driver starting 1st at Talladega led first lap in only 41 of 101 races
Pole failed to lead 1st lap in 60 of 101 Talladega races
Most consecutive laps led from start at Talladega: 50 – Ricky Rudd (7/26/92)
Most consecutive laps led to end of Talladega: 71 – Davey Allison (5/3/92)
Most laps led by Talladega non-winner: 142 – Matt Kenseth (5/5/13)
Most consecutive Talladega laps led: 82 – Pete Hamilton (8/23/70)
Leader of most laps failed to win 15 of last 20 Talladega races
Pole failed to lead first lap 12 of last 21 Talladega races
Pole failed to lead any laps in 15 of 101 Talladega races
Richard Childress Racing: 100th win – Talladega 10/23/11 (Clint Bowyer)
Hendrick Motorsports leads all teams with 13 Talladega wins – 7 Drivers
Richard Childress Racing: 12 Talladega wins – Most of all tracks
Team Penske: 8 Talladega wins
Stewart-Haas Racing: 1 Talladega win – Aric Almirola 10/18
Only 1 driver won Stage 2 & Talladega race – Chase Elliott 4/19
Talladega Stage 1 winner finished outside top 10 last 4 Talladega races