Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Richmond International Raceway going into the Air Guard 400 on Sept. 11.
RICHMOND-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Hamburger Helper Chevrolet)
· 12th in points entering Richmond
· One win, one top five, four top 10s
· Average finish of 10.2
· Average Running Position of 11.8, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.7, ninth-best
· 511 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.616 mph, 10th-fastest
· 2,676 Laps in the Top 15 (74.1%), 10th-most
· 295 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), third-most
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Sixth in points
· One win, nine top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.4
· Average Running Position of 15.1, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.8, 13th-best
· 495 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· 2,884 Laps in the Top 15 (65.4%), seventh-most
· 270 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite/Vortex Dodge)
· Eighth in points
· One win, three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 17.8
· Average Running Position of 13.5, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 95.4, sixth-best
· 262 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 495 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.817 mph, fifth-fastest
· 2,810 Laps in the Top 15 (63.7%), ninth-most
· 293 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 Doublemint Toyota)
· Third in points
· Two wins, nine top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 5.5
· Average Running Position of 7.2, third-best
· Driver Rating of 114.1, second-best
· 336 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 117.104 mph, second-fastest
· 3,937 Laps in the Top 15 (89.3%), second-most
· 309 Quality Passes, second-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
· 19th in points
· Three wins, eight top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.2
· Average Running Position of 14.3, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.8, 10th-best
· 252 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· 591 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.621 mph, ninth-fastest
· 2,358 Laps in the Top 15 (53.5%), 12th-most
· 243 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
· Second in points
· Two wins, 14 top fives, 23 top 10s; five poles
· Average finish of 14.2
· Average Running Position of 12.6, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 99.5, fourth-best
· 239 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.679 mph, seventh-fastest
· 3,138 Laps in the Top 15 (71.2%), sixth-most
· 235 Quality Passes, 12th-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
· 10th in points
· One win, four top fives, five top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 8.8
· Series-best Average Running Position of 5.5
· Series-best Driver Rating of 117.4
· Series-high 354 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 117.171 mph
· 3,445 Laps in the Top 15 (95.4%), fourth-most
· 265 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
· NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader
· One win, five top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.1
· Average Running Position of 6.8, second-best
· Driver Rating of 114.0, third-best
· 353 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 117.093 mph, third-fastest
· Series-high 4,130 Laps in the Top 15 (93.7%)
· Series-high 355 Quality Passes
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
· Seventh in points
· Three wins, four top fives, five top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 17.8
· Driver Rating of 87.0, 12th-best
· 137 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 2,343 Laps in the Top 15 (53.1%), 13th-most
· 246 Quality Passes, 10th-most
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Ford)
· 18th in points
· One win, two top fives, five top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 18.2
· Average Running Position of 16.4, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.4, 11th-best
· 234 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 548 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.606 mph, 11th-fastest
· 2,539 Laps in the Top 15 (57.6%), 11th-most
· 251 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Mark Martin (No. 5 CARQUEST Auto Parts Chevrolet)
· 15th in points
· One win, 17 top fives, 27 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 12.0
· Average Running Position of 13.1, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.9, seventh-best
· 144 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.710 mph, sixth-fastest
· 2,864 Laps in the Top 15 (64.9%), eighth-most
Ryan Newman (No. 39 Wix Filters Chevrolet)
· 13th in points
· One win, five top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.4
· Average Running Position of 10.9, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.8, eighth-best
· 3,618 Laps in the Top 15 (82.0%), third-most
· 292 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)
· Fourth in points
· Three wins, nine top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.9
· Average Running Position of 11.7, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 98.2, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.874 mph, fourth-fastest
· 3,175 Laps in the Top 15 (72.0%), fifth-most
· 288 Quality Passes, sixth-most
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.
· 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 108 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.
· BuckBaker won the pole in 1953.
· LeePetty won the first race in April 1953.
· There have been 47 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 and Jimmie Johnson (three) lead active race winners.
· Petty Enterprises has won 15 races at Richmond, more than any other team.
· 63 of 108 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, earlier this season.
· 13 of the past 15 races have been won from the top 10.
· The furthest back in the field a race winner has started was 31st, by Clint Bowyer in the 2008 spring race.
· KylePetty 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 Leewon the very first Richmond race in 1953.
· Two active drivers have an average finish inside the top 10: Kyle Busch (5.5) and Denny Hamlin (8.8). Tony Stewart averages a finish just outside the top 10 (10.9).
· Four of the last five races have had a margin of victory less than one second.
· Four drivers have come from outside the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint cut-off to make the Chase at Richmond:
o Jeremy Mayfield in 2004 made up a 55-point deficit
o Ryan Newman in 2005 made up a one-point deficit
o Kasey Kahne in 2006 made up a 30-point deficit
o Brian Vickers in 2009 made up a 20-point deficit
NASCAR in Virginia
· There have been 268 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Virginia.
· 159 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 Ricky Rudd 23 1 0 Jeff Burton 21 27 0 Curtis Turner 17 0 0 Denny Hamlin 13 10 0 Ward Burton 5 4 0 Glen Wood 4 0 0 Elliott Sadler 3 5 1 Emanuel Zervakis 2 0 0 Lennie Pond 1 0 0 Wendell Scott 1 0 0 Tommy Ellis 0 22 0 Jimmy Hensley 0 9 2 Rick Mast 0 9 0 Hermie Sadler 0 2 0 Elton Sawyer 0 2 0 Stacy Compton 0 0 2 Jon Wood 0 0 2
Richmond International Raceway Data
Race # 26 of 36 (9-11-10)
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 117.4 Kyle Busch 114.1 Kevin Harvick 114.0 Jeff Gordon 99.5 Tony Stewart 98.2 Kurt Busch 95.4 Mark Martin 93.9 Ryan Newman 93.8 Clint Bowyer 93.7 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 88.8
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2010 races (11 total) at Richmond.
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Mark Martin (126.808 mph, 21.292 secs.)
2009 race winner: Denny Hamlin (96.601 mph, 9-12-09)
Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers (129.983, 20.772 seconds, 5-14-04)
Track race record: Dale Jarrett (109.047 mph, 9-6-97)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 85-95 laps, based on fuel mileage
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