Below is a look at how the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field performs at New Hampshire Motor Speedway going into the SYLVANIA 300 on Sept. 19.
1 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.9
2010 Rundown
· Six wins, 10 top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.2
· Led 15 races for 918 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 8.2 in nine races
· Average Running Position of 10.6, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 99.8, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.124 mph, fifth-fastest
· 2,063 Laps in the Top 15 (77.4%), ninth-most
· 321 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), sixth-most
2 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 107.4
2010 Rundown
· Five wins, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.5
· Led 18 races for 1,083 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, six top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 9.0 in 17 races
· Average Running Position of 9.4, second-best
· Driver Rating of 107.9, second-best
· 284 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.160 mph, fourth-fastest
· 2,830 Laps in the Top 15 (86.7%), second-most
· 369 Quality Passes, third-most
3 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.8
2010 Rundown
· Three wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s
· Average finish of 9.8
· Led 11 races for 230 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.3 in 19 races
· Average Running Position of 13.1, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.0, ninth-best
· 130 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 123.928 mph, ninth-fastest
· 2,078 Laps in the Top 15 (63.6%), eighth-most
4 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.4
2010 Rundown
· Three wins, eight top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 12.5
· Led 14 races for 978 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 15.2 in 11 races
· Average Running Position of 14.8, 15th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.1, 11th-best
· 110 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 550 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· 1,903 Laps in the Top 15 (58.3%), 10th-most
· 284 Quality Passes, eighth-most
5 - Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.1
2010 Rundown
· Two wins, eight top fives, 15 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.4
· Led 14 races for 817 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, seven top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.7 in 19 races
· Average Running Position of 12.9, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.6, eighth-best
· 122 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.007 mph, seventh-fastest
· 2,245 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7%), seventh-most
· 349 Quality Passes, fourth-most
6 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.7
2010 Rundown
· One win, seven top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.0
· Led 15 races for 332 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, 12 top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.9 in 23 races
· Average Running Position of 9.7, third-best
· Series-best Driver Rating of 114.1
· Series-high 305 Fastest Laps Run
· 549 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 124.439 mph
· 2,578 Laps in the Top 15 (78.9%), third-most
7 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.6
2010 Rundown
· One win, five top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.3
· Led 9 races for 258 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 17.4 in 16 races
· Average Running Position of 15.4, 16th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.8, 14th-best
· 569 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· 257 Quality Passes, 11th-most
8 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.7
2010 Rundown
· 10 top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.1
· Led 14 races for 813 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, 14 top fives, 17 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 11.2 in 31 races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.3
· Driver Rating of 107.9, second-best
· 264 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.420 mph, second-fastest
· Series-high 2,961 Laps in the Top 15 (90.7%)
9 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.9
2010 Rundown
· Six top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.9
· Led 6 races for 133 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, two top 10s
· Average finish of 14.8 in 12 races
· Average Running Position of 14.8, 14th-best
· Driver Rating of 85.9, 16th-best
· 102 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
· 501 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
10 - Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.3
2010 Rundown
· Five top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.7
· Led 12 races for 390 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Four wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.5 in 31 races
· Average Running Position of 12.1, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 94.0, seventh-best
· 116 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· 539 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 123.895 mph, 10th-fastest
· 2,276 Laps in the Top 15 (69.7%), sixth-most
· 269 Quality Passes, 10th-most
11 - Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.4
2010 Rundown
· Five top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.6
· Led 6 races for 35 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Five top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.7 in 21 races
· Average Running Position of 17.1, 17th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.6, 19th-best
· Series-high 630 Green Flag Passes
12 - Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.4
2010 Rundown
· Four top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.7
· Led 11 races for 163 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, one top five, three top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 17.8 in nine races
· Average Running Position of 14.2, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 90.7, 12th-best
· 121 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.002 mph, eighth-fastest
· 1,725 Laps in the Top 15 (64.7%), 12th-most
· 251 Quality Passes, 12th-most
At New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
History
· Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway, as New Hampshire Motor Speedway was originally named, was Aug. 13, 1989.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was July 11, 1993.
· Renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008.
Notebook
· There have been 31 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year since.
· Four drivers have competed in all 31 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.
· Mark Martin won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole.
· Rusty Wallace won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
· There have been 16 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman (four).
· 20 different drivers have won, led by Jeff Burton (four).
· Last season, Joey Logano became the all-time youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner at 19 years, one month and four days.
· Jimmie Johnson (2003) and Kurt Busch (2004) are the only drivers who have posted season sweeps. Those are also the only back-to-back winners. Johnson, who won the June race, looks to repeat the feat.
· Hendrick Motorsports has won eight races, more than any other organization.
· The deepest in the field that a New Hampshire race winner started was 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.
· There have been four winners who started from the pole. The last race winner to win from the pole was Clint Bowyer in 2007. He scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 that event.
· There have been 11 consecutive different race winners.
· Jeff Burton led all 300 laps raced in the 2000 fall race.
· Five drivers got their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at New Hampshire: Joe Nemechek (1999), Robby Gordon (2001), Ryan Newman (2002), Clint Bowyer (2007) and Joey Logano (2009).
NASCAR in New Hampshire
· There have been 31 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.
· 13 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) are listed as New Hampshire natives.
· There has been one race winner from New Hampshire in NASCAR’s three national series: Jamie Aube. Aube, from Manchester, won a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Oxford Plains Speedway in 1987.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data
Race #: 27 of 36 (9-19-10)
Track Size: 1.058 miles
Race Length: 317.4 miles (300 laps)
Banking/Corners: Variable at 2 & 7 degrees
Banking/Straights: 1 degree
Driver Rating at New Hampshire
Tony Stewart 114.1 Jeff Gordon 107.9 Jimmie Johnson 107.9 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 99.8 Denny Hamlin 99.8 Mark Martin 95.5 Jeff Burton 94.0 Kurt Busch 93.6 Kevin Harvick 93.0 Ryan Newman 91.2
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2010 races (11 total) at New Hampshire.
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Juan Pablo Montoya (133.431 mph, 28.545 sec.)
2009 race winner: Mark Martin, 100.753 mph, 9-20-09)
Track qualifying record: Juan Pablo Montoya (133.431 mph, 28.545 sec., 9-20-09)
Track race record: Jeff Burton (117.134 mph, 7-13-97)
Estimated Pit Window: 70-78 laps
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
· 22 different drivers have made the Chase. All 12 drivers in this year’s field have made a prior Chase.
· In the 60 Chase races, Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with 18 Chase wins. Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle are tied for second, with six.
· Champion’s wins during each Chase:
o 2004: Kurt Busch, one win
o 2005: Tony Stewart, no wins
o 2006: Jimmie Johnson, one win
o 2007: Jimmie Johnson, four wins
o 2008: Jimmie Johnson, three wins
o 2009: Jimmie Johnson four wins
· Champion’s average finish during each Chase:
o 2004: Kurt Busch, 8.9
o 2005: Tony Stewart, 8.7
o 2006: Jimmie Johnson, 10.8
o 2007: Jimmie Johnson, 5.0
o 2008: Jimmie Johnson, 5.7
o 2009: Jimmie Johnson, 6.8
· Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to make all seven Chases for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
· Three drivers have made six Chases: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth. Gordon missed in 2005; Stewart in 2006; Kenseth in 2009.
· Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to average a top-10 finish in Chase races (8.4).
· Three drivers have 20 or more top-five finishes during Chase races: Jimmie Johnson (33), Jeff Gordon (26), Carl Edwards (20) and Matt Kenseth (20).
· 12 drivers have more than 20 top-10 finishes during Chase races: Jimmie Johnson (45), Jeff Gordon (41), Carl Edwards (32), Kurt Busch (32), Tony Stewart (31), Kevin Harvick (29), Matt Kenseth (26), Greg Biffle (26), Jeff Burton (26), Mark Martin (24), Denny Hamlin (23) and Kyle Busch (20).
· Jimmie Johnson has the most laps led during the Chase (3,190). Matt Kenseth is second with 1,642.
· Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, two drivers have a Chase Driver Rating of at least 100.0: Jimmie Johnson (110.5) and Jeff Gordon (100.5).
· Jimmie Johnson’s average start during the Chase is 9.0. He has eight poles in the 60 Chase races, second only to Ryan Newman’s nine.
· There have been 12 races won by drivers who did not qualify for the Chase. The last to do so was Jamie McMurray, at Talladega last year.
· Eight qualifying sessions in the Chase have been canceled due to weather.
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