There have been 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
A look at some of the top statistical performers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire going into the SYLVANIA 300 on Sept. 23.
NEW HAMPSHIRE-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
1 – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
- Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.3
2012 Rundown
- Four wins, 11 top fives, 16 top 10s
- Average finish of 11.1
- Led 15 races for 485 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
- Two top fives, three top 10s; one pole
- Average finish of 15.3 in six races
- Average Running Position of 17.9, 20th-best
- Driver Rating of 78.8, 19th-best
2 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
- Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 109.3
2012 Rundown
- Three wins, 13 top fives, 18 top 10s; two poles
- Average finish of 11.0
- Led 18 races for 1,205 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
- Three wins, seven top fives, 14 top 10s
- Average finish of 9.9 in 21 races
- Average Running Position of 10.0, third-best
- Driver Rating of 105.1, third-best
- 357 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
- 760 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
- Average Green Flag Speed of 124.406 mph, fourth-fastest
- 3,646 Laps in the Top 15 (81.6%), second-most
- 496 Quality Passes, second-most
3 – Tony Stewart (No. 14 Mobil 1 / Office Depot Chevrolet)
- Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.4
2012 Rundown
- Three wins, 10 top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
- Average finish of 13.1
- Led 12 races for 381 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
- Three wins, 14 top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
- Average finish of 11.6 in 27 races
- Average Running Position of 9.5, second-best
- Series-best Driver Rating of 112.0
- 386 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
- Average Green Flag Speed of 124.563 mph, second-fastest
4 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota)
- Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.4
2012 Rundown
- Four wins, 11 top fives, 13 top 10s; two poles
- Average finish of 12.7
- Led 19 races for 900 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
- One win, six top fives, nine top 10s
- Average finish of 8.5 in 13 races
- Average Running Position of 10.7, fourth-best
- Driver Rating of 101.4, fourth-best
- Average Green Flag Speed of 124.394 mph, fifth-fastest
5 – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet)
- Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.0
2012 Rundown
- Two wins, eight top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
- Average finish of 13.9
- Led 7 races for 252 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
- One win, two top fives, seven top 10s
- Average finish of 16.8 in 17 races
- Average Running Position of 15.4, 17th-best
- Driver Rating of 90.3, 11th-best
6 – Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota)
- Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.8
2012 Rundown
- Two wins, six top fives, 16 top 10s
- Average finish of 11.5
- Led 8 races for 191 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
- Two wins, three top fives, five top 10s; one pole
- Average finish of 15.9 in 13 races
- Average Running Position of 12.5, sixth-best
- Driver Rating of 96.0, sixth-best
7 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew / National Guard Chevrolet)
- Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.2
2012 Rundown
- One win, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole
- Average finish of 9.9
- Led 12 races for 340 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
- Seven top fives, 11 top 10s
- Average finish of 16.2 in 26 races
- Average Running Position of 11.6, fifth-best
- Driver Rating of 97.8, fifth-best
- 218 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
- 826 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
8 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M / GE Appliances Ford)
- Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.9
2012 Rundown
- Two wins, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s; two poles
- Average finish of 9.8
- Led 14 races for 634 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
- One win, five top fives, eight top 10s
- Average finish of 16.3 in 20 races
- Average Running Position of 14.5, 13th-best
- Driver Rating of 87.9, 14th-best
9 – Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)
- Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.8
2012 Rundown
- Six top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
- Average finish of 11.2
- Led 11 races for 423 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
- Three top fives, five top 10s
- Average finish of 14.8 in 13 races
- Average Running Position of 14.5, 14th-best
- Driver Rating of 86.2, 16th-best
10 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)
- Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.6
2012 Rundown
- Four top fives, 11 top 10s
- Average finish of 12.0
- Led 7 races for 229 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
- One win, five top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
- Average finish of 13.8 in 23 races
- Average Running Position of 12.9, ninth-best
- Driver Rating of 92.4, eighth-best
11 – Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Zest Ford)
- Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.7
2012 Rundown
- One win, 10 top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
- Average finish of 10.6
- Led 17 races for 364 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
- Five top fives, 12 top 10s
- Average finish of 14.0 in 25 races
- Average Running Position of 17.6, 19th-best
- Driver Rating of 78.0, 20th-best
- Series-high 919 Green Flag Passes
12 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet)
- Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.6
2012 Rundown
- One win, seven top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
- Average finish of 15.6
- Led 16 races for 443 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
- Three wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s; three poles
- Average finish of 10.7 in 35 races
- Series-best Average Running Position of 7.4
- Driver Rating of 109.3, second-best
- Series-high 395 Fastest Laps Run
- 753 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
- Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 124.653 mph
- Series-high 4,033 Laps in the Top 15 (90.3%)
- Series-high 539 Quality Passes
Chase Contenders
The Top 12
Following Race 27 of 36
Rank Season
Last Driver
Driver Points Wins Poles Week Rating
1. Brad Keselowski 2,056 4 0 4 97.3
2. Jimmie Johnson 2,053 3 2 2 109.3
3. Tony Stewart 2,048 3 1 3 88.4
4. Denny Hamlin 2,041 4 2 1 101.4
5. Kasey Kahne 2,041 2 2 11 94.0
6. Clint Bowyer 2,041 2 0 6 92.8
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2,039 1 1 7 99.2
8. Greg Biffle 2,037 2 2 5 101.9
9. Martin Truex Jr. 2,035 0 1 10 97.8
10. Kevin Harvick 2,032 0 0 9 91.6
11. Matt Kenseth 2,030 1 1 8 101.7
12. Jeff Gordon 2,009 1 1 12 95.6
___________________________________________________________
ADDITIONAL DRIVERS
13. Kyle Busch 814 36. Brian Vickers 177
14. Ryan Newman 773 37. J.J. Yeley 138
15. Carl Edwards 772 38. Michael McDowell 127
16. Paul Menard 760 39. Josh Wise 115
17. Marcos Ambrose 752 40. Ken Schrader 111
18. Joey Logano 715 41. Stephen Leicht 97
19. Jeff Burton 667 42. Scott Speed 79
20. Jamie McMurray 664 43. Michael Waltrip 75
21. Juan Pablo Montoya 629 44. Tony Raines 67
22. Aric Almirola 615 45. Terry Labonte 66
23. Regan Smith 576 46. Brendan Gaughan 50
24. Bobby Labonte 575 47. Scott Riggs 50
25. Mark Martin 522 48. Boris Said 34
26. Kurt Busch 511 49. Bill Elliott 14
27. Casey Mears 470 50. Hermie Sadler III 13
28. David Gilliland 467 51. Robby Gordon 11
29. David Ragan 460 52. Mike Skinner 10
30. Travis Kvapil 447 53. Tomy Drissi 6
31. Landon Cassill 436 54. Stacy Compton 5
32. AJ Allmendinger 400 55. David Mayhew 4
33. Dave Blaney 349 56. Kelly Bires 2
34. David Reutimann 316 57. Patrick Long 2
35. David Stremme 189
Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season. After race No. 26, the top 10 earn a berth in the Chase. Spots 11 and 12 – the Wild Cards – will go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2012 Top 12 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
| Driver |
Races |
Poles |
Wins |
Top Fives |
Top 10s |
DNFs |
Average Finish |
Driver Rating |
||
|
1 |
Brad Keselowski |
6 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
15.3 |
78.8 |
|
|
2 |
Jimmie Johnson |
21 |
0 |
3 |
7 |
14 |
0 |
9.9 |
105.1 |
|
|
3 |
Tony Stewart |
27 |
1 |
3 |
14 |
16 |
2 |
11.6 |
112.0 |
|
|
4 |
Denny Hamlin |
13 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
9 |
0 |
8.5 |
101.4 |
|
|
5 |
Kasey Kahne |
17 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
7 |
3 |
16.8 |
90.3 |
|
|
6 |
Clint Bowyer |
13 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
15.9 |
96.0 |
|
|
7 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
26 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
11 |
4 |
16.2 |
97.8 |
|
|
8 |
Greg Biffle |
20 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
8 |
2 |
16.3 |
87.9 |
|
|
9 |
Martin Truex Jr. |
13 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
14.8 |
86.2 |
|
|
10 |
Kevin Harvick |
23 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
12 |
0 |
13.8 |
92.4 |
|
|
11 |
Matt Kenseth |
25 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
12 |
1 |
14.0 |
78.0 |
|
|
12 |
Jeff Gordon |
35 |
3 |
3 |
15 |
20 |
2 |
10.7 |
109.3 |
* – Based on last 15 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
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 on July 11, 1993.
- Renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008.
Notebook
- There have been 35 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 35 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 18 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman (six).
- 21 different drivers have won, led by Jeff Burton (four).
- Jimmie Johnson (2003) and Kurt Busch (2004) are the only drivers that have posted season sweeps. Those are also the only back-to-back winners.
- Hendrick Motorsports has won nine 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 five winners who started from the pole. The last race winner to win from the pole was Ryan Newman last season (7-17-11).
- Jeff Burton led all 300 laps raced in the 2000 fall race.
- Four drivers got their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at New Hampshire: Joe Nemechek (1999), Ryan Newman (2002), Clint Bowyer (2007) and Joey Logano (2009).
- Two drivers got their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole at New Hampshire: Patrick Carpentier (2008) and Brad Keselowski (2010).
- Denny Hamlin (8.4) and Jimmie Johnson (9.9) are the only two active drivers with an average finish at NHMS in the top 10.
- Jeff Gordon has led the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series laps all-time at New Hampshire at 1,309.
- Last season’s fall event (9/25/11) at NHMS tied the records for most all-time leaders (15), and fewest laps led by the winner (2) – Tony Stewart won the race.
- Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner: Joey Logano (06/28/2009 – 19 years, 1 month, 4 days).
- Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner: Mark Martin (09/20/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 11 days).
NASCAR in New Hampshire
- There have been 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.
- 14 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
Chase Race #: 2 of 10
Season Race #: 28 of 36 (09-23-12)
Track Size: 1.058-mile
Variable Banking/Turns: 2 & 7 degrees
Banking/Straights: 1 degree
Frontstretch Length: 1,500 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,500 feet
Race Length: 300 laps / 317.4 miles
Top 12 Driver Rating at NHMS
Tony Stewart……………………….. 112.0
Jeff Gordon………………………… 109.3
Jimmie Johnson…………………… 105.1
Denny Hamlin………………………. 101.4
Dale Earnhardt Jr…………………… 97.8
Clint Bowyer…………………………. 96.0
Ryan Newman……………………….. 94.8
Kevin Harvick………………………… 92.4
Jeff Burton…………………………… 92.4
Kurt Busch……………………………. 91.7
Kasey Kahne………………………… 90.3
Kyle Busch…………………………… 89.3
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2012 races (15 total) at New Hampshire.
Qualifying/Race Data
2011 pole winner:
Ryan Newman, Chevrolet (135.002 mph, 28.213 sec., 09-23-11)
2011 race winner:
Tony Stewart, Chevrolet (116.679 mph, 2:43:13, 09-25-11)
Track qualifying record:
Ryan Newman, Chevrolet (135.232 mph, 28.165 sec., 07-15-11)
Track race record:
Jeff Burton, Ford (117.134 mph, 2:42:35, 07-13-97)
source: nascar.com