Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Bristol Motor Speedway going into the Food City 500 on March 21.
BRISTOL-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
Marcos Ambrose (No. 47 Kingsford/Scott Branded Products Toyota)
· One top five, two top 10s
· Average finish of 6.5
· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.5
· Series-best Driver Rating of 108.2
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 114.396 mph
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
· Five top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 11.5
· Average Running Position of 11.6, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 99.3, fourth-best
· 216 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.255 mph, fourth-fastest
· 3,956 Laps in the Top 15 (78.9%), third-most
· 205 Quality Passes, second-most
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
· Five wins, five top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.8
· Average Running Position of 13.9, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.7, ninth-best
· 146 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· 382 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.096 mph, ninth-fastest
· 3,241 Laps in the Top 15 (64.7%), seventh-most
· 174 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
· Three wins, five top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 10.2
· Average Running Position of 12.6, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 105.6, second-best
· Series-high 397 Fastest Laps Run
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.338 mph, third-fastest
· 3,394 Laps in the Top 15 (67.7%), fourth-most
· 202 Quality Passes, third-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy Drink/National Guard Chevrolet)
· One win, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.7
· Average Running Position of 14.3, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.0, 11th-best
· Series-high 456 Green Flag Passes
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.048 mph, 10th-fastest
· 2,970 Laps in the Top 15 (59.2%), 10th-most
· 180 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
· Two wins, three top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.1
· Average Running Position of 14.7, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.2, 12th-best
· 220 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 113.984 mph, 13th-fastest
· 3,196 Laps in the Top 15 (63.8%), eighth-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
· Five wins, 14 top fives, 20 top 10s; five poles
· Average finish of 11.6
· Average Running Position of 9.3, second-best
· Driver Rating of 100.1, third-best
· 166 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.202 mph, seventh-fastest
· Series-high 4,076 Laps in the Top 15 (81.3%)
· 194 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
· Three top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 11.6
· Average Running Position of 13.3, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 98.9, fifth-best
· 238 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· 359 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.367 mph, second-fastest
· 2,815 Laps in the Top 15 (70.1%), 13th-most
· 162 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
· One win, nine top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.3
· Average Running Position of 12.7, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.5, eighth-best
· 179 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 373 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.204 mph, sixth-fastest
· 3,317 Laps in the Top 15 (66.2%), fifth-most
· 166 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Ford)
· Two top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 20.0
· Driver Rating of 87.5, 13th-best
· 152 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 325 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Ford)
· Two wins, seven top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.1
· Average Running Position of 11.2, third-best
· Driver Rating of 97.5, sixth-best
· 228 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.143 mph, eighth-fastest
· 4,020 Laps in the Top 15 (80.2%), second-most
· 190 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Mark Martin (No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet)
· Two wins, 16 top fives, 23 top 10s; nine poles
· Average finish of 12.4
· Average Running Position of 13.9, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 89.5, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.002 mph, 11th-fastest
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)
· One win, five top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 17.1
· Average Running Position of 14.2, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 94.7, seventh-best
· 226 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.240 mph, fifth-fastest
· 2,852 Laps in the Top 15 (56.9%), 12th-most
· 159 Quality Passes, 10th-most
At Bristol Motor Speedway:
History
· Groundbreaking for Bristol International Speedway, as Bristol Motor Speedway was originally known, took place in 1960. The track was an exact half-mile.
· First NASCAR Sprint Cup race was July 30, 1961.
· In the fall of 1969, the track was reshaped and re-measured to .533-miles.
· The name changed to Bristol International Raceway in 1978.
· The first night race was held in the fall of 1978.
· The surface was changed from asphalt to concrete in 1992.
· The name changed to Bristol Motor Speedway in May 1996.
· The track was resurfaced between races in 2007.
Notebook
· There have been 98 NASCAR Sprint Cup races since the first race there in 1961, two races each season.
· All races have been scheduled for 500 laps, except for both races in 1976 and the second in 1977, which were 400 laps.
· Fred Lorenzen won the first pole.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was won by Jack Smith (with relief from Johnny Allen).
· There have been 42 different pole winners, led by Cale Yarborough and Mark Martin (nine). Martinswept both poles at Bristol last season.
· 37 different drivers have won, led by Darrell Waltrip (12).
· Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon each have five wins, most among active drivers.
· The race winner has started from the pole 22 times, the most productive starting position. The last driver to win from the pole was Carl Edwards in the night race of 2008.
· 79 of 97 races have been won from a top-10 starting position, including 51 from the first four spots. But both races last season – swept by Kyle Busch –were won from a starting position outside the top 10.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started is 38th, by Elliott Sadler in 2001.
· Only one active driver averages a top-10 finish: Marcos Ambrose. Ambrose, who has an average finish of 6.5, has run two races at Bristol, both last season.
· Last year’s night race had a margin of victory of .098 seconds, the second-closest MOV at Bristol since the advent of electronic scoring in May of 1993.
· Three of the last four Bristol races had a margin of victory under one second.
Bristol Motor Speedway Data
Race #: 5 of 36 (3-21-10)
Track Size: .533 miles
· Race Length: 500 laps/266.5 miles
· Banking/Corners: 26 to 30 degrees
· Banking/Straights: 4 to 9 degrees
Driver Rating at Bristol
Marcos Ambrose 108.2 Kyle Busch 105.6 Jeff Gordon 100.1 Greg Biffle 99.3 Denny Hamlin 98.9 Matt Kenseth 97.5 Tony Stewart 94.7 Kevin Harvick 93.5 Kurt Busch 91.7 Mark Martin 89.5
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2009 races (10 total) at Bristol.
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Mark Martin, 125.773 mph, 15.256 seconds
2009 race winner: Kyle Busch, 92.139 mph, 3-22-09)
Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman (128.709 mph, 14.908 seconds, 3-21-03)
Track race record: Charlie Glotzbach (101.074 mph, 7-11-71)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 120-130 laps, based on fuel mileage.
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