NASCAR Statistical Advance: Analyzing AAA Texas 500

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas going into the AAA Texas 500 on Nov. 4.

TEXAS-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

1 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 109.9

2012 Rundown

· Four wins, 17 top fives, 23 top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 10.1

· Led 24 races for 1,551 laps

Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:

· One win, eight top fives, 13 top 10s

· Average finish of 9.7 in 18 races

· Average Running Position of 11.7, fifth-best

· Driver Rating of 100.6, fourth-best

· 296 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 172.668 mph, sixth-fastest

· 3,662 Laps in the Top 15 (72.9%), fifth-most

· 585 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), sixth-most

2 – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.8

2012 Rundown

· Five wins, 12 top fives, 21 top 10s

· Average finish of 10.3

· Led 19 races for 650 laps

Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Average finish of 25.3 in eight races

· Average Running Position of 23.2, 27th-best

· Driver Rating of 63.2, 28th-best

3 – Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.6

2012 Rundown

· Three wins, nine top fives, 21 top 10s

· Average finish of 10.8

· Led 13 races for 388 laps

Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Three top fives, seven top 10s

· Average finish of 13.3 in 13 races

· Average Running Position of 13.4, ninth-best

· Driver Rating of 90.9, 10th-best

· Average Green Flag Speed of 172.572 mph, ninth-fastest

4 – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrickcars.com/Great Clips Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.0

2012 Rundown

· Two wins, 11 top fives, 18 top 10s; four poles

· Average finish of 12.8

· Led 11 races for 275 laps

Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:

· One win, four top fives, five top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 18.8 in 16 races

· Average Running Position of 16.0, 16th-best

· Driver Rating of 82.8, 16th-best

· 200 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most

· 1,055 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

· 2,759 Laps in the Top 15 (55.0%), 13th-most

· 485 Quality Passes, 12th-most

5 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.1

2012 Rundown

· Five wins, 13 top fives, 16 top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 12.6

· Led 23 races for 1,180 laps

Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Two wins, five top fives, eight top 10s

· Average finish of 10.3 in 14 races

· Average Running Position of 12.6, eighth-best

· Driver Rating of 94.6, seventh-best

· 165 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

· 1,111 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 172.608 mph, eighth-fastest

· 3,085 Laps in the Top 15 (65.8%), ninth-most

· 594 Quality Passes, fourth-most

6 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.6

2012 Rundown

· One win, 10 top fives, 17 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 14.1

· Led 22 races for 554 laps

Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:

· One win, eight top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 16.2 in 23 races

· Average Running Position of 14.0, 10th-best

· Driver Rating of 91.3, ninth-best

· 251 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 172.443 mph, 10th-fastest

· 3,089 Laps in the Top 15 (61.5%), eighth-most

· 524 Quality Passes, ninth-most

7 – Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 Carlyle Tools by NAPA Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.7

2012 Rundown

· Seven top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 11.3

· Led 11 races for 423 laps

Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:

· One top five, seven top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 16.1 in 14 races

· Average Running Position of 15.2, 14th-best

· Driver Rating of 85.0, 13th-best

· 967 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 172.422 mph, 12th-fastest

8 – Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Ford EcoBoost Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.5

2012 Rundown

· Three wins, 12 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 11.1

· Led 21 races for 477 laps

Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Two wins, 11 top fives, 14 top 10s

· Average finish of 8.6 in 20 races

· Series-best Average Running Position of 9.2

· Series-best Driver Rating of 107.2

· 299 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

· 1,073 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 173.004 mph, second-fastest

· Series-high 3,988 Laps in the Top 15 (79.4%)

· 591 Quality Passes, fifth-most

9 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.5

2012 Rundown

· Two wins, 11 top fives, 18 top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 10.5

· Led 16 races for 721 laps

Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Two wins, seven top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 16.2 in 17 races

· Average Running Position of 12.6, seventh-best

· Driver Rating of 103.3, second-best

· Series-high 447 Fastest Laps Run

· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 173.009 mph

· 3,648 Laps in the Top 15 (72.7%), sixth-most

· 604 Quality Passes, third-most

10 – Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.0

2012 Rundown

· Three wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 13.6

· Led 14 races for 420 laps

Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Two wins, five top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 13.1 in 21 races

· Average Running Position of 9.6, second-best

· Driver Rating of 102.5, third-best

· 339 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 172.934 mph, fourth-fastest

· 3,910 Laps in the Top 15 (77.9%), third-most

· 557 Quality Passes, seventh-most

11 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Rheem/Budweiser Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.8

2012 Rundown

· Four top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 12.6

· Led 8 races for 241 laps

Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Three top fives, nine top 10s

· Average finish of 12.7 in 19 races

· Average Running Position of 15.3, 15th-best

· Driver Rating of 84.8, 14th-best

· 1,136 Green Flag Passes, second-most

· 2,895 Laps in the Top 15 (57.7%), 12th-most

· 531 Quality Passes, eighth-most

12 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.6

2012 Rundown

· One win, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 10.7

· Led 13 races for 358 laps

Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:

· One win, three top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 13.9 in 20 races

· Average Running Position of 11.3, third-best

· Driver Rating of 92.8, eighth-best

· 172 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

· 1,103 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 172.649 mph, seventh-fastest

· 3,930 Laps in the Top 15 (78.3%), second-most

· Series-high 650 Quality Passes

 

At Texas Motor Speedway:

History

· Construction began in 1995.

· The first NASCAR race was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on April 5, 1997.

· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on April 6, 1997.

Notebook

· There have been 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, one per season from 1997 through 2004 and two races per year since 2005.

· Four drivers have competed in all 22 Texas races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.

· Jeremy Mayfield was the first pole winner, in 1998. Qualifying for the inaugural race in 1997 was canceled.

· Jeff Burton won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

· 16 drivers have scored poles, led by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr. with two.

· 16 drivers have won races, led by Carl Edwards, with three. Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle each have two wins.

· 17 of 23 races have been won from a top-10 starting position. Only one has been won from the pole – Kasey Kahne in 2006.

· Matt Kenseth started 31st en route to his victory at Texas in 2002, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.

· Both Jeff Burton (1999) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) scored their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Texas, and 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne made his first series start at Texas (11/07/10).

· Martin Truex Jr. (11/04/07) and David Ragan (04/09/11) scored their first series poles at Texas.

· Matt Kenseth (8.6) and Jimmie Johnson (9.7) are the only active drivers to average a top-10 finish at Texas.

· Jimmie Johnson (9.2) is the only active driver to average a top-10 starting position at Texas.

· Roush Fenway Racing leads all owners in victories, with nine. Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have three wins each.

· There has been two season sweeps, by Carl Edwards in 2008 and Denny Hamlin in 2010.

· Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Texas Motor Speedway winner: Ryan Newman (3/30/2003 – 25 years, 3 months, 22 days). Oldest NSCS Texas Motor Speedway winner: Dale Jarrett (4/1/2001 – 44 years, 4 months, 6 days).

· Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Texas Motor Speedway pole winner: Brian Vickers (11/5/2006 – 23 years, 0 months, 12 days). Oldest NSCS Texas Motor Speedway pole winner: Bill Elliott (4/8/2002 – 46 years, 6 months, 0 days).

Texas Motor Speedway Data

Chase Race #: 8 of 10

Season Race #: 34 of 36 (11-04-12)

Track Size: 1.5-mile

Banking/Turns: 24 degrees

Banking/Straights: 5 degrees

Frontstretch Length: 2,250 feet

Backstretch Length: 1,330 feet

Race Length: 334 laps / 501 miles

Top 12 Driver Rating at Texas

Matt Kenseth……………………….. 107.2

Greg Biffle………………………….. 103.3

Tony Stewart……………………….. 102.5

Jimmie Johnson…………………… 100.6

Carl Edwards………………………… 99.2

Kyle Busch…………………………… 96.8

Denny Hamlin……………………….. 94.6

Dale Earnhardt Jr…………………… 92.8

Jeff Gordon………………………….. 91.3

Clint Bowyer…………………………. 90.9

Mark Martin…………………………… 89.0

Kurt Busch……………………………. 89.0

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (15 total) among active drivers at Texas Motor Speedway

Qualifying/Race Data

2011 pole winner:

Greg Biffle, Ford, 193.736 mph, 27.873 sec., 11-04-11

2011 race winner:

Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 152.705 mph, (3:10:51), 11-06-11

Track qualifying record:

Brian Vickers, Chevrolet, 196.235 mph, 27.518 sec., 11-05-06

Track race record:

Greg Biffle, Ford, 160.577 mph, (3:07:12), 04-14-12

NASCAR in Texas

Track Name	City	NSCS
Texas Motor Speedway	Fort Worth	23
Meyer Speedway	Houston	1
Texas World Speedway	College Station	8

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Terry Labonte	22	11	1
Bobby Labonte	21	10	1
A.J. Foyt	7	0	0
Billy Wade	4	0	0
Bobby Hillin Jr	1	2	0
Johnny Rutherford	1	0	0
James Buescher	0	1	4
David Starr	0	0	4
Colin Braun	0	0	1