Matt Kenseth has conquered two consecutive Bristol Motor Speedway night races, dominating the field in the process. Based on the races’ combined statistics, Kenseth stands well above the competition.
Below are the top three drivers in a number of statistical categories over those two races, proof of Kenseth’s Bristol night race prowess:
Driver Rating
1. Kenseth, 141.3
2. Jeff Burton, 114.2
3. Jeff Gordon, 111.7
Average Running Position
1. Kenseth, 2.1
2. Gordon, 6.5
3. Burton, 7.3
Laps Led
1. Kenseth, 532
3. Burton, 263
3. Gordon, 68
Fastest Laps Run
1. Kenseth, 146
2. Burton, 75
3. Biffle, 54
Laps in the Top 15
1. Kenseth, 999
2. Gordon, 893
3. Elliott Sadler, 855
But with three races remaining until the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup field is set, the story continues to focus on the “bubble” drivers. Look for a strong run from Michigan winner Kurt Busch – he won four out of five Bristol races from 2002-04 and again in 2006.
Selected Driver Highlights – Bristol-specific
Note: All statistics below are from Bristol Motor Speedway. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005. Thus, Loop Data statistics in this release cover the last five races at Bristol.
Greg Biffle (No. 16 Dish Network Ford)
• Three top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 10.3
• Driver Rating of 105.4, third-best
• Average Running Position of 10.9, fifth-best
• 158 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• 143 Green Flag Passes, third-most
• Second-fastest Green Flag Speed
• 1,823 Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
• 86 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Five wins, eight top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 15.2
• Driver Rating of 89.8, 11th-best
• Average Running Position of 15.4, 10th-best
• 74 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
• 131 Green Flag Passes, tied for seventh-most
• 1,454 Laps in the Top 15, 10th-most
• 694 Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
• 66 Quality Passes, tied for ninth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
• One win, two top fives, three top 10s
• Average finish of 14.4
• Average Running Position of 17.8, 11th-best
• Driver Rating of 90.3, 10th-best
• 96 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
• 124 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
• Ninth-fastest Green Flag Speed
• 75 Quality Passes, tied for fifth-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet)
• One win, five top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 12.1
• Average Running Position of 12.9, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 94.2, eighth-best
• Series-high 182 Green Flag Passes
• 1,764 Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most
• 79 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Five wins, 12 top fives, 18 top 10s; five poles
• Average finish of 11.5
• Driver Rating of 104.8, third-best
• Average Running Position of 8.5, second-best
• 108 Fastest Laps Run, tied for fourth-most
• 2,079 Laps in the Top 15, second-most
• 84 Quality Passes, third-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet)
• One top 10 – in three starts
• Average finish of 11.3
• Average Running Position of 12.6, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 98.9, sixth-best
• Sixth-fastest Green Flag Speed
• 69% of his laps in the top 15 (1,043 total), seventh-highest percentage of any driver
• 45 Quality Passes for an average of 15 per race, tied for fifth-best average per race
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• One win, seven top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 10.1
• Average Running Position of 10.8, third-best
• Driver Rating of 102.5, fourth-best
• 108 Fastest Laps Run, tied for fourth-most
• 149 Green Flag Passes, second-most
• Third-fastest Green Flag Speed
• 1,939 Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
• 88 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• Two wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 10.7
• Series-best Average Running Position of 5.3
• Series-best Driver Rating of 119.6
• Series-high 204 Fastest Laps Run
• Fastest Green Flag Speed
• Series-high 2,364 Laps in the Top 15
Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet)
• One win, four top fives, five top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 17.7
• Driver Rating of 98.7, seventh-best
• Average Running Position of 13.0, eighth-best
• 125 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• Eighth-fastest Green Flag Speed
• 1,539 Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
• 75 Quality Passes, tied for fifth-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 and held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961.
• In the fall of 1969 the track was reshaped and re-measured to .533-mile with the turns banked at 36 degrees.
• The name changed to Bristol Motor Raceway in 1978.
• The first night race was held in the fall of 1978.
• The track surface was changed from asphalt to concrete in 1992.
• The track was resurfaced this year, after the track’s spring race.
Notebook
• There have been 93 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Bristol Motor Speedway since the first race there in 1961, two races each season.
• All but three Bristol races have been scheduled for 500 laps – both races in 1976 and the second in 1977 were 400-lap events.
• Fred Lorenzen won the first Bud Pole at Bristol.
• The first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Bristol was won by Jack Smith (with relief from Johnny Allen).
• There have been 40 different Bud Pole winners; 19 drivers have more than one.
• There have been 35 different race winners, led by Cale Yarborough (nine); 14 drivers have more than one victory there.
• The race winner has started from the Bud Pole 21 times, the most productive starting position.
• Seventy-six of 93 races at Bristol have been won from a top-10 starting position, including 51 from the first four spots. However, four of the past seven race winners have started outside the top 10.
• The deepest in the field a Bristol race winner has started was 38th by Elliott Sadler in 2001.
• Junior Johnson won 21 races at Bristol – more than any other car owner. His victories came between 1965 and 1986 and were scored by five different drivers, including one himself.
• There has been one extended race at Bristol (March 2005 – 504 laps).
• Richard Childress, Jack Roush and Roger Penske are tied for the leading active car owner at Bristol, each with eight victories.
• There have been five different Bud Pole winners in the past seven Bristol races. Jeff Gordon, who won three of four there in 2002 and 2003, is the only repeat Bud Pole winner since. Qualifying was canceled once.
In Tennessee…
• There have been 154 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races in Tennessee:
Active
Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol 93 1961 - Present
Inactive
Boyd Speedway Chattanooga 2 1962, 1964
Kingsport Speedway Kingsport 3 1669-71
Nashville Speedway Nashville 42 1958-84
Newport Speedway Newport 2 1956-57
Smoky Mountain Raceway Maryville 12 1965-71
• 97 NASCAR drivers have their home state recorded as Tennessee.
(Note: Over the years many drivers have not provided or have changed their home of record).
• There have been 12 race winners from Tennessee at NASCAR’s national series level.
Driver NNCS NBS NCTS
Darrell Waltrip 84 13 0
Sterling Marlin 10 2 0
Bobby Hamilton 4 1 10
Joe Lee Johnson 2 0 0
Paul Lewis 1 0 0
Bobby Hamilton, Jr 0 5 0
Jeff Purvis 0 4 0
L.D. Ottinger 0 3 0
Mike Alexander 0 2 0
Casey Atwood 0 2 0
Brad Teague 0 1 0
Chad Chaffin 0 0 2
Bristol Motor Speedway Data
Race #: 24 of 36 (8-25-07)
Track Size: .533 mile
• Race Length: 500 laps/266.5 miles
• Banking/Corners: 24 to 30 degrees
• Banking/Straights: 4 to 9 degrees
Driver Rating at Bristol
Matt Kenseth 119.6
Greg Biffle 105.4
Jeff Gordon 104.8
Kevin Harvick 102.5
Elliott Sadler 99.5
Denny Hamlin 98.9
Tony Stewart 98.7
Dale Earnhardt 94.2
Jeff Burton 91.2
Kyle Busch 90.3
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2007 races (5 total) at Bristol.
Qualifying/Race Data
2006 pole winner: Kurt Busch (124.906 mph, 15.362 seconds)
2006 race winner: Matt Kenseth, 90.025 mph, 8-26-06)
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.