Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Bristol Motor Speedway going into the Jeff Byrd 500 presented by Food City on March 20.
BRISTOL-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
· Six top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.8
· Average Running Position of 11.5, third-best
· Driver Rating of 99.5, second-best
· 245 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· 426 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.407 mph, second-fastest
· 4,574 Laps in the Top 15 (76.1%), third-most
· 274 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), third-most
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· One win, eight top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 17.9
· Driver Rating of 87.5, 12th-best
· 219 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· 532 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.176 mph, 11th-fastest
· 3,659 Laps in the Top 15 (60.9%), ninth-most
· 285 Quality Passes, second-most
Kurt Busch (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge)
· Five wins, six top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.0
· Average Running Position of 12.7, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 95.9, fifth-best
· 475 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.336 mph, fifth-fastest
· 4,219 Laps in the Top 15 (70.2%), fourth-most
· 260 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
· Four wins, six top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 9.3
· Average Running Position of 12.5, fourth-best
· Series-best Driver Rating of 106.0
· Series-high 481 Fastest Laps Run
· 462 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 114.469 mph
· 3,945 Laps in the Top 15 (65.6%), fifth-most
· 244 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet)
· One win, seven top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.5
· Average Running Position of 14.3, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 88.7, 10th-best
· Series-high 615 Green Flag Passes
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.200 mph, 10th-fastest
· 3,606 Laps in the Top 15 (60.0%), 10th-most
· 243 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Scotts Ford)
· Two wins, three top fives, five top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.3
· Average Running Position of 14.3, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.4, ninth-best
· 235 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 447 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· 3,878 Laps in the Top 15 (64.5%), eighth-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Pepsi MAX Chevrolet)
· Five wins, 14 top fives, 20 top 10s; five poles
· Average finish of 11.7
· Series-best Average Running Position of 9.5
· Driver Rating of 98.7, third-best
· 189 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.337 mph, fourth-fastest
· Series-high 4,899 Laps in the Top 15 (81.5%)
· 267 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
· Three top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 14.6
· Driver Rating of 91.8, seventh-best
· 262 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 488 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.371 mph, third-fastest
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)
· One win, nine top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.3
· Average Running Position of 13.9, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 89.8, eighth-best
· 185 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
· 552 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.285 mph, seventh-fastest
· 3,544 Laps in the Top 15 (58.9%), 11th-most
· 192 Quality Passes, 13th-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Ford)
· Two wins, eight top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.6
· Average Running Position of 11.0, second-best
· Driver Rating of 97.7, fourth-best
· 253 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.309 mph, sixth-fastest
· 4,848 Laps in the Top 15 (80.6%), second-most
· Series-high 297 Quality Passes
Mark Martin (No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet)
· Two wins, 16 top fives, 23 top 10s; nine poles
· Average finish of 13.2
· Average Running Position of 14.6, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.4, 13th-best
· 160 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.174 mph, 13th-fastest
Ryan Newman (No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet)
· One top five, 10 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 17.6
· Driver Rating of 87.9, 11th-best
· 452 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
· 3,906 Laps in the Top 15 (65.0%), sixth-most
· 250 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet)
· One win, six top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.9
· Average Running Position of 14.2, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.8, sixth-best
· 277 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 114.270 mph, eighth-fastest
· 3,476 Laps in the Top 15 (57.8%), 12th-most
· 230 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 100 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 44 different pole winners, led by Cale Yarborough and Mark Martin (nine). Martin swept both poles at Bristol in 1995, 1996 and 2009.
· 38 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.
· 80 of 100 races have been won from a top-10 starting position, including 52 from the first four spots.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started is 38th, by Elliott Sadler in 2001. Prior to this year’s Daytona 500, that race was the last win by legendary owners, the Wood Brothers.
· Only one active driver averages a top-10 finish: Kyle Busch with a 9.3 average finish in 12 starts.
· Five of the last six Bristol races had a margin of victory under one second.
Bristol Motor Speedway Data
Race #: 4 of 36 (3-20-11)
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
Kyle Busch 106.0 Greg Biffle 99.5 Jeff Gordon 98.7 Matt Kenseth 97.7 Kurt Busch 95.9 Tony Stewart 93.8 Denny Hamlin 91.8 Kevin Harvick 89.8 Carl Edwards 89.4 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 88.7
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2010 races (12 total) at Bristol.
Qualifying/Race Data
2010 pole winner: Joey Logano, 124.630 mph, 15.396 seconds
2010 race winner: Jimmie Johnson, 79.618 mph, 3-21-10)
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)
NASCAR in Tennessee
•There have been 161 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Tennessee.
•103 drivers all-time in NASCAR’s three national series have their home state recorded as Tennessee.
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