Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Pocono Raceway going into the Good Sam RV Insurance 500 on Aug. 7.
POCONO-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Seven top fives, 17 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.0
· Average Running Position of 14.1, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.5, 12th-best
· 65 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· 1,045 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· 1,578 Laps in the Top 15 (62.8%), 11th-most
· 492 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), eighth-most
Kurt Busch (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge)
· Two wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.1
· Average Running Position of 11.1, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 104.1, third-best
· 271 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.159 mph, third-fastest
· 1,838 Laps in the Top 15 (73.1%), fifth-most
· 481 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 SCOTTS ORTHO Ford)
· Two wins, five top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 14.3
· Driver Rating of 97.7, sixth-best
· 155 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.845 mph, seventh-fastest
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet)
· Five wins, 17 top fives, 26 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 10.3
· Average Running Position of 9.8, second-best
· Driver Rating of 101.3, fourth-best
· 87 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· 984 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.983 mph, fourth-fastest
· 1,931 Laps in the Top 15 (76.8%), second-most
· 563 Quality Passes, third-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota)
· Four wins, seven top fives, eight top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 9.2
· Series-best Average Running Position of 8.6
· Series-best Driver Rating of 118.6
· Series-high 390 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 159.626 mph
· 1,771 Laps in the Top 15 (83.9%), seventh-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)
· Five top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 14.0
· Average Running Position of 13.8, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 92.0, ninth-best
· Series-high 1,121 Green Flag Passes
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.636 mph, 10th-fastest
· 1,588 Laps in the Top 15 (63.2%), 10th-most
· 560 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
· Two wins, seven top fives, 13 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 9.3
· Average Running Position of 10.0, third-best
· Driver Rating of 106.4, second-best
· 188 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.192 mph, second-fastest
· Series-high 2,000 Laps in the Top 15 (79.6%)
· 566 Quality Passes, second-most
Kasey Kahne (No. 4 Red Bull Toyota)
· One win, three top fives, five top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 16.3
· Average Running Position of 13.9, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.1, 10th-best
· 157 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 1,084 Green Flag Passes, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.759 mph, eighth-fastest
· 1,605 Laps in the Top 15 (63.8%), ninth-most
· 541 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Ford)
· Three top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 14.1
· Average Running Position of 13.6, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 88.6, 13th-best
· 954 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.657 mph, ninth-fastest
· 1,558 Laps in the Top 15 (62.0%), 12th-most
· 538 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Mark Martin (No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet)
· 19 top fives, 33 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 11.2
· Average Running Position of 11.9, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 93.8, eighth-best
· 78 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.879 mph, sixth-fastest
· 1,797 Laps in the Top 15 (71.5%), sixth-most
· 479 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Ryan Newman (No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet)
· One win, six top fives, eight top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.1
· Average Running Position of 11.5, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.2, seventh-best
· 1,007 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.603 mph, 13th-fastest
· 1,852 Laps in the Top 15 (73.7%), fourth-most
· Series-high 578 Quality Passes
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)
· Two wins, nine top fives, 18 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.9
· Average Running Position of 11.4, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 100.7, fifth-best
· 78 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 1,028 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 158.902 mph, fifth-fastest
· 1,915 Laps in the Top 15 (76.2%), third-most
· 562 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota)
· Four top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 14.9
· Average Running Position of 13.0, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.0, 11th-best
· 72 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
At Pocono Raceway:
History
· Opened in 1968 as a three-quarter-mile track, Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile track in 1971.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was in 1974.
Notebook
· There have been 67 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono Raceway.
· There was one race from 1974 through 1981, and two per year since.
· All NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono have been scheduled for 500 miles.
· Buddy Baker won the first pole.
· There have been 37 different pole winners, including David Pearson who won the pole there in June 1984 but did not race; 16 drivers have more than one pole there.
· The pole has been swept just three times: Bill Elliott (1985), Ken Schrader (1993), Denny Hamlin (2006).
· Richard Petty won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono.
· 29 different drivers have won races at Pocono, led by Bill Elliott and Jeff Gordon, each with five victories; 20 drivers have won more than once there.
· There have been six season sweeps at Pocono, the last by Denny Hamlin in 2006.
· Bobby Allison (1982, ’83) and Tim Richmond (1986, ’87) each won three consecutive races at Pocono.
· 47 of 67 Pocono races have been won from a top-10 start.
· The June 2005 race was won by Carl Edwards from the 29th starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.
· 13 of 67 races have been won from the pole, Bill Elliott (1985, 2002) and Denny Hamlin (2006 sweep) are the only drivers to have done it twice. Tony Stewart is the most recent driver to win from the pole in 2009.
· Rick Hendrick leads all car owners with 12 Pocono victories.
· Mark Martin leads all drivers in top fives (19) and top 10s (33), but has yet to win at Pocono. His best finish was second, six times (most recently in August 2004).
· Denny Hamlin (9.1) and Jimmie Johnson (9.2) are the only active drivers to average a top-10 finish.
Pocono Raceway Data
Race #: 21 of 36 (8-7-11)
Track Size: 2.5 mile (200 laps/500miles)
· Banking/Turn 1: 14 degrees
· Banking/Turn 2: 8 degrees
· Banking/Turn 3: 6 degrees
· Frontstretch: 3,740 feet
· Backstretch: 3,055 feet
· Shortstretch: 1,780 feet
Driver Rating at Pocono
Denny Hamlin 118.6 Jimmie Johnson 106.4 Kurt Busch 104.1 Jeff Gordon 101.3 Tony Stewart 100.7 Carl Edwards 97.7 Ryan Newman 94.2 Mark Martin 93.8 Kevin Harvick 92.0 Kasey Kahne 91.1
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Pocono.
Qualifying/Race Data
2010 pole winner: Tony Stewart (171.393 mph, 52.511 seconds)
2010 race winner: Greg Biffle, (132.346 mph, 8-01-10)
Track qualifying record: Kasey Kahne (172.533 mph, 52.164 seconds, 6-11-04)
Track race record: Rusty Wallace (144.892 mph, 7-21-96)
NASCAR in Pennsylvania
· There have been 101 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Pennsylvania.
· 138 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Pennsylvania.
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