Analyzing the Sylvania 300

1 - Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.5
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s,
· Led 646 laps
· Average Finish of 13
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, seven top fives, 16 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.810, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.040, 15th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.5, 16th-best
· 3590 Laps in the Top 15 (57.2), 14th-most
· 518 Quality Passes, 10th-most

2 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.4
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, ten top fives, 14 top 10s,
· Led 500 laps
· Average Finish of 13.6
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.684, third-best
· Average Running Position of 11.602, third-best
· Driver Rating of 102.4, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.010, fourth-fastest
· 4131 Laps in the Top 15 (72.7), fifth-most
· 602 Quality Passes, fourth-most

3 - Carl Edwards (No. 19 Sport Clips Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.0
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, four top fives, ten top 10s,
· Led 342 laps
· Average Finish of 15.6
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, six top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.333, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.152, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.0, 14th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.653, 18th-fastest
· 3376 Laps in the Top 15 (53.8), 16th-most
· 446 Quality Passes, 15th-most

4 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 Pedigree Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.7
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, six top fives, ten top 10s,
· Led 659 laps
· Average Finish of 11.2
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.429, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 12.902, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 96.7, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.813, 10th-fastest
· 4264 Laps in the Top 15 (67.9), ninth-most
· 566 Quality Passes, seventh-most

5 - Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.8
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, nine top fives, 15 top 10s,
· Led 765 laps
· Average Finish of 10.6
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, seven top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 17.143, 19th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.020, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.8, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.727, 13th-fastest
· 3793 Laps in the Top 15 (60.4), 12th-most
· 578 Quality Passes, fifth-most

6 - Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 79.9
2015 Rundown
· Three wins, 16 top fives, 21 top 10s,
· Led 863 laps
· Average Finish of 8.5
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, four top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 16.929, 17th-best
· Average Running Position of 18.742, 19th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.9, 19th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.472, 20th-fastest
· 1928 Laps in the Top 15 (46.0), 19th-most
· 211 Quality Passes, 21st-most

7 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.9
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s,
· Led 467 laps
· Average Finish of 12.1
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, ten top fives, 18 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.476, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.614, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 100.9, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.118, second-fastest
· 4813 Laps in the Top 15 (76.7), second-most
· 640 Quality Passes, third-most

8 - Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.5
2015 Rundown
· Five top fives, 13 top 10s,
· Led 19 laps
· Average Finish of 13.5
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, seven top fives, 16 top 10s; seven poles
· Average finish of 14.952, 15th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.335, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.5, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.725, 14th-fastest
· 4486 Laps in the Top 15 (71.4), sixth-most
· 536 Quality Passes, ninth-most

9 - Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.7
2015 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 19 top 10s,
· Led 607 laps
· Average Finish of 11.2
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, five top fives, eight top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 10.250, series-best
· Average Running Position of 12.141, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 98.7, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.927, sixth-fastest
· 2448 Laps in the Top 15 (68.2), eighth-most
· 374 Quality Passes, 17th-most

10 - Dale Earnhardt, Jr (No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.5
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s,
· Led 203 laps
· Average Finish of 10.3
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:· Eight top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.952, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.606, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 97.5, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.070, third-fastest
· 4700 Laps in the Top 15 (74.9), third-most
· 674 Quality Passes, second-most

11 - Martin Truex, Jr (No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.8
2015 Rundown· One win, seven top fives, 17 top 10s,
· Led 536 laps
· Average Finish of 13.2
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:· Three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 14.263, 14th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.386, 14th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.8, 15th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.699, 17th-fastest
· 3376 Laps in the Top 15 (59.4), 13th-most
· 472 Quality Passes, 14th-most

12 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 106.7
2015 Rundown
· Three top fives, 13 top 10s,
· Led 208 laps
· Average Finish of 16
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, 16 top fives, 23 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 10.619, second-best
· Average Running Position of 7.841, series-best
· Driver Rating of 106.7, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.241, series-fastest
· 5526 Laps in the Top 15 (88.0), series-most
· 718 Quality Passes, series-most

13 - Jamie McMurray (No. 1 FLIRR Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 70.8
2015 Rundown
· Two top fives, seven top 10s,
· Led 14 laps
· Average Finish of 15
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Four top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 21.714, 23rd-best
· Average Running Position of 21.084, 22nd-best
· Driver Rating of 70.8, 22nd-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 123.965, 25th-fastest
· 2174 Laps in the Top 15 (34.6), 20th-most
· 271 Quality Passes, 18th-most

14 - Paul Menard (No. 27 Sylvania / Menards Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 61.4
2015 Rundown
· Two top fives, four top 10s,
· Led 1 laps
· Average Finish of 16.7
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Average finish of 23.765, 27th-best
· Average Running Position of 23.316, 27th-best
· Driver Rating of 61.4, 28th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 123.931, 26th-fastest
· 1227 Laps in the Top 15 (24.2), 25th-most
· 236 Quality Passes, 19th-most

15 - Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.6
2015 Rundown
· Two top fives, 11 top 10s,
· Led 8 laps
· Average Finish of 16.7
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, four top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.526, 16th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.104, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.6, ninth-best
· 249 Fastest Laps Run, 42nd-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.783, 11th-fastest
· 3770 Laps in the Top 15 (66.4), 10th-most
· 510 Quality Passes, 12th-most

16 - Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Ditech Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.6
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, 18 top fives, 22 top 10s,
· Led 1460 laps
· Average Finish of 9.0
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, seven top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.238, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 11.931, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.6, eighth-best
· 275 Fastest Laps Run, 48th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.893, seventh-fastest
· 4300 Laps in the Top 15 (68.5), seventh-most
· 510 Quality Passes, 11th-most

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2015 Top 16 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Matt Kenseth	31	0	1	7	16	1	13.1	86.5
2	Denny Hamlin	19	0	2	7	11	0	10.7	102.4
3	Carl Edwards	22	1	0	2	6	0	13.6	87.0
4	Kyle Busch	21	2	2	8	11	0	13.4	96.7
5	Kurt Busch	29	0	3	7	12	1	15.9	88.8
6	Joey Logano	14	0	2	4	6	2	16.9	79.9
7	Jimmie Johnson	27	0	3	10	18	1	10.7	100.9
8	Ryan Newman	27	7	3	7	16	3	13.7	91.5
9	Brad Keselowski	12	3	1	5	8	0	10.2	98.7
10	Dale Earnhardt Jr	32	0	0	8	15	4	15	97.5
11	Martin Truex Jr	19	0	0	3	6	1	14.3	86.8
12	Jeff Gordon	41	4	3	16	23	2	11.3	106.7
13	Jamie McMurray	25	0	0	4	6	3	20.7	70.8
14	Paul Menard	17	0	0	0	0	0	23.8	61.4
15	Clint Bowyer	19	1	2	4	7	1	15.5	92.6
16	Kevin Harvick	29	1	1	7	15	0	13.5	94.6

* – Based on last 21 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (2005 – 2015).

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data Season Race #: 28 of 36 (09-27-15) Track Size: 1.058-mile Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 2 to 7 degrees Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 2 to 7 degrees Banking/Frontstretch: 1 degree Banking/Backstretch: 1 degree Frontstretch Length:  1,500 feet Backstretch Length:  1,500 feet Race Length: 301 laps / 318.46 miles Top 10 Driver Rating at New Hampshire Jeff Gordon.............................. 106.7 Tony Stewart............................. 104.7 Denny Hamlin............................ 102.4 Jimmie Johnson........................ 100.9 Brad Keselowski......................... 98.7 Dale Earnhardt Jr........................ 97.5 Kyle Busch................................. 96.7 Kevin Harvick.............................. 94.6 Clint Bowyer............................... 92.6 Ryan Newman............................. 91.5 Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2015 races (21 total) among active drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Qualifying/Race Data 2014 pole winner: Brad Keselowski, Ford 140.598 mph, 27.090 secs. 09-19-14 2014 race winner: Joey Logano, Ford 98.697 mph, (03:14:53), 09-21-14 Track qualifying record: Brad Keselowski, Ford 140.598 mph, 27.090 secs. 09-21-14 Track race record: Jeff Burton, Ford 117.134 mph, (02:42:35), 07-13-97

New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

History

·         Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway, as New Hampshire Motor Speedway was originally named, was Aug. 13, 1989.

·         The 1.058-mile oval is located on approximately 1,200 acres; the multi-use complex is the largest sports facility in New England.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on July 11, 1993 – won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace.

·         Speedway Motorsports, Inc. agreed to purchase New Hampshire International Speedway from Bob and Gary Bahre on January 11, 2008 and then renamed the track New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Starts

·         There have been 41 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year since.

·         166 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; 130 in more than one.

·         Jeff Gordon has competed in all 41 races at New Hampshire – the only driver to accomplish the feat.

·         14 different drivers have made their first NSCS start at NHMS all-time, but only one of the 14 is an active championship contending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver: Joey Logano (9/14/08).

·         Ryan Newman leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at New Hampshire with a 9.333.

Poles

·         Mark Martin won the inaugural Coors Light pole at New Hampshire in 1993 with a speed of 126.871 mph. 

·         19 drivers have Coors Light poles at New Hampshire, led by Ryan Newman with seven.

·         Four active drivers have multiple poles at New Hampshire: Ryan Newman (seven), Jeff Gordon (four), Brad Keselowski (three) and Kyle Busch (two).

Poles

·         Five drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at New Hampshire: Ken Schrader (1997 sweep); Jeff Gordon (1998-1999); Rusty Wallace (1999-2000); Ryan Newman (twice – 2003-2004 and 2011 sweep); Juan Pablo Montoya (2009-2010).

·         Youngest New Hampshire Coors Light pole winner: Brian Vickers (07/17/2005 – 21 years, 8 months, 23 days).

·         Oldest New Hampshire Coors Light pole winner: Bill Elliott (07/21/2002 – 46 years, 9 months, 13 days).

·         Two drivers (all-time) have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Brad Keselowski (09/19/10) and Patrick Carpentier (06/27/2008).       

Wins

·         24 different drivers have won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, led by Jeff Burton with four.

·         Eight active drivers have multiple wins at NHMS: Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart (each have three); Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano(each have two)

·         Two drivers have posted consecutive wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (2003 sweep) and Kurt Busch (2004 sweep). 

·         Youngest New Hampshire winner: Joey Logano (06/28/2009 – 19 years, 1 month, 4 days).

·         Oldest New Hampshire winner: Mark Martin (09/20/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 11 days).

·         Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at New Hampshire in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with nine; followed by Roush Fenway Racing (seven), Joe Gibbs Racing (seven), Team Penske (six), and Richard Childress Racing (four).

·         Five different manufacturers have won at New Hampshire; led by Chevrolet with 18 victories; followed by Ford(13), Toyota (five), Dodge (three) and Pontiac (two).

·         Jeff Burton is the only driver to win the July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway three consecutive years in a row (1997, ’98 and ’99)

·         Five of the 41 (12.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at New Hampshire have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Ryan Newman in 2011.

·         The Coors Light pole is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (five) than any other starting position at New Hampshire.    

·         Eight of the 41 (19.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at New Hampshire have been won from the front row: five from the pole and three from second-place.

·         23 of the 41 (56%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from a top-10 starting position.

Wins

·         Nine of the 41 (21.9%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at New Hampshire have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at New Hampshire is 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.

·         The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at New Hampshire is 32nd, by Kurt Busch in the summer of 2003.

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at New Hampshire without visiting Victory Lane at 32; followed by Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears (25 starts each).

·         Five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted their first career win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:Ryan Newman (09/15/02), Clint Bowyer (09/16/07), Joey Logano (06/28/09), Robby Gordon (11/23/01) andJoe Nemechek (09/19/99).

Additional Finishing Position Stats 

·         Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are tied for the series lead in runner-up finishes at New Hampshire with five each; followed by Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin (with three each). 

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at New Hampshire with 16; followed by Tony Stewart with 14 and Jimmie Johnson with 10.   

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at New Hampshire with 23; followed by Tony Stewart andJimmie Johnson with 18 each.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at New Hampshire with a 10.250.

·         All 14 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners at New Hampshire Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Ryan Newman and Joey Logano won at New Hampshire in their second appearance.     

Track Specific Stats

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the July 1, 2007 race won by Denny Hamlin over Jeff Gordon with a MOV of 0.068 second.

·         17 of the 34 (50%) NSCS races scored by electronic scoring at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have had a Margin of Victory less than a second.

·         Four of the 41 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races have resulted with a green-white-checkered finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): 2006 (300/308), 2013 (301/302), 2014 (301/302) and the Chase race 2014 (300/303).

·         Four of the 41 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was June 28, 2009 – the race was called on Lap 273, 28 circuits shy of the 301 scheduled laps.   

Track Specific Stats

·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway five times: fall 2001, summer 2003, fall 2004, fall 2008 and summer 2009.  

·         Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at New Hampshire with 1,373 laps led in 41 starts. 

·         Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps completed at New Hampshire with 11,967 laps completed in 41 starts. 

Female Competitor Stats

·         Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Date	Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Driver Rating
7/19/2015	Danica Patrick	20	24	56.7
9/21/2014	Danica Patrick	18	19	79.7
7/13/2014	Danica Patrick	29	22	60.9
9/22/2013	Danica Patrick	21	27	57.1
7/14/2013	Danica Patrick	32	37	47.7
Averages		24.0	25.8	60.4

NASCAR in New Hampshire

·         There have been 41 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.

Track Name	City	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Loudon	41	29	17

·         15 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as New Hampshire; Jamie Aubeis the only one of the 15 to record a victory in NASCAR national series competition. 

·         Aube won in the NASCAR XFINITY Series on July 12, 1987 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, ME; it was his only start that season.

 

Milestones – New Hampshire Motor Speedway

DRIVER	HAS	NEEDS	MILESTONE	DESCRIPTION
Jeff Gordon	788	1	789th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Consecutive Start	This weekend Jeff Gordon will become the all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series leader in consecutive starts with 789, breaking a tie with Ricky Rudd.
Paul Menard	299	1	300th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Consecutive Start	Menard will attempt to post his 300th consecutive NSCS start this weekend; Menard is 13th on the active consecutive NSCS starts list 16 starts behind David Ragan in 12th.
Danica Patrick	99	1	100th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Consecutive Start	Patrick will attempt to post her 100th consecutive NSCS start this weekend; she is ranked 20th on the active consecutive starts list; four starts behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 19th (103).
Josh Wise	124	1	125th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Start	Wise is tied with Charlie Glotzbach for 174th on the NASCAR Sprint Cup all-time starts list, one start behind Larry Thomas and J.T. Putney (125 each) in 172nd/173rd.
Jimmie Johnson	74	2	76th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win	Jimmie Johnson is eighth on the all-time NSCS wins list, two wins behind NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt in seventh (76 wins).
Tony Stewart	48	2	50th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win	Stewart is 12th on the all-time NSCS wins list, two wins behind NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett in 10th (50 wins).
Kyle Busch	124	1	125th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top-Five Finish	Busch will attempt to post his 125th NSCS top-five finish this weekend. Busch is 28th on the all-time list; eight top fives behind Kevin Harvick (132) in 27th.
Tony Stewart	299	1	300th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top-10 Finish	Stewart is 17th on the all-time NSCS top-10 finishes list, two top 10s behind James Hylton in 16th (301 top 10s).
Jeff Gordon	24,872	128	25,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Laps Led	Gordon can become the sixth driver in NSCS history to lead 25,000 laps; joining Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and Bobby Allison.
#43 car	199	1	200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Wins	The No. 43 car is second on the all-time NSCS wins list, five wins behind the No. 11 car in first (205). The last win for the No. 43 car came at Daytona last season.
Chevrolet	749	1	750th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win	Chevrolet will attempt to post the manufacturer's 750th win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this weekend. Chevrolet leads the series in wins.