Analyzing the CampingWorld.com 500

Cars will be bunched up in plate racing this week and playing it a little safe
early on.

1 - Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 79.3
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, 18 top fives, 24 top 10s,
· Led 1090 laps
· Average Finish of 8.1
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 20.923, 26th-best
· Average Running Position of 18.028, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.3, 14th-best
· 1203 Laps in the Top 15 (48.6), ninth-most
· 2876 Quality Passes, 17th-most

2 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.5
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, 12 top fives, 16 top 10s,
· Led 521 laps
· Average Finish of 13.1
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 18.474, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 17.743, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 83.5, seventh-best
· 1731 Laps in the Top 15 (48.0), 10th-most
· 3851 Quality Passes, sixth-most

3 - Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.3
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, ten top fives, 16 top 10s,
· Led 765 laps
· Average Finish of 10.9
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Six top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 18.190, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.631, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 88.3, fifth-best
· 2537 Laps in the Top 15 (63.5), second-most
· 5620 Quality Passes, series-most

4 - Carl Edwards (No. 19 Subway Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 66.4
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, five top fives, 12 top 10s,
· Led 362 laps
· Average Finish of 14.9
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 20.571, 24th-best
· Average Running Position of 23.472, 35th-best
· Driver Rating of 66.4, 32nd-best
· 1213 Laps in the Top 15 (30.4), 31st-most
· 2631 Quality Passes, 20th-most

5 - Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Budweiser / Jimmy John's Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 79.9
2015 Rundown
· Three wins, 20 top fives, 24 top 10s,
· Led 2031 laps
· Average Finish of 8.9
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.810, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 18.373, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.9, 11th-best
· 1841 Laps in the Top 15 (46.1), 16th-most
· 3820 Quality Passes, seventh-most

6 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 3M Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 79.2
2015 Rundown
· Three top fives, 15 top 10s,
· Led 209 laps
· Average Finish of 15.3
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Six wins, 15 top fives, 19 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 20.048, 17th-best
· Average Running Position of 18.843, 16th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.2, 15th-best
· 1805 Laps in the Top 15 (45.2), 17th-most
· 3347 Quality Passes, 13th-most

7 - Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.2
2015 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 20 top 10s,
· Led 611 laps
· Average Finish of 11.3
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Three wins, four top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 15.615, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 18.751, 14th-best
· Driver Rating of 83.2, eighth-best
· 1160 Laps in the Top 15 (46.8), 13th-most
· 2697 Quality Passes, 19th-most

8 - Martin Truex, Jr (No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 79.6
2015 Rundown
· One win, eight top fives, 19 top 10s,
· Led 536 laps
· Average Finish of 12.6
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 20.476, 21st-best
· Average Running Position of 17.801, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.6, 12th-best
· 1985 Laps in the Top 15 (49.7), eighth-most
· 4309 Quality Passes, fourth-most

9 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Halloween Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 78.6
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s,
· Led 682 laps
· Average Finish of 12.6
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 22.350, 32nd-best
· Average Running Position of 19.820, 21st-best
· Driver Rating of 78.6, 17th-best
· 1784 Laps in the Top 15 (46.9), 12th-most
· 3707 Quality Passes, ninth-most

10 - Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 68.1
2015 Rundown
· Five top fives, 14 top 10s,
· Led 19 laps
· Average Finish of 13.6
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Five top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 20.476, 22nd-best
· Average Running Position of 22.812, 33rd-best
· Driver Rating of 68.1, 31st-best
· 1166 Laps in the Top 15 (29.2), 33rd-most
· 2498 Quality Passes, 22nd-most

11 - Dale Earnhardt, Jr (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.8
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, 13 top fives, 18 top 10s,
· Led 203 laps
· Average Finish of 11.1
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· Six wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 18.762, 15th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.956, second-best
· Driver Rating of 92.8, series-best
· 2496 Laps in the Top 15 (62.5), fourth-most
· 4616 Quality Passes, third-most

12 - Matt Kenseth (No. 20 DeWalt Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.2
2015 Rundown
· Five wins, 12 top fives, 19 top 10s,
· Led 771 laps
· Average Finish of 13.4
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, ten top 10s
· Average finish of 17.429, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.557, third-best
· Driver Rating of 89.2, second-best
· 2527 Laps in the Top 15 (63.3), third-most
· 4897 Quality Passes, second-most

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Contender 12 at Talladega Superspeedway

Rank	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Joey Logano	13	0	0	2	4	4	20.9	79.3
2	Denny Hamlin	19	0	1	4	7	3	18.5	83.5
3	Kurt Busch	29	0	0	6	14	7	16.8	88.3
4	Carl Edwards	22	0	0	2	5	6	21.5	66.4
5	Kevin Harvick	29	1	1	6	13	2	15.3	79.9
6	Jeff Gordon	45	4	6	15	19	9	17.3	79.2
7	Brad Keselowski	13	0	3	4	7	1	15.6	83.2
8	Martin Truex Jr	21	0	0	2	7	9	20.5	79.6
9	Kyle Busch	20	0	1	4	5	5	22.4	78.6
10	Ryan Newman	27	0	0	5	11	8	20.4	68.1
11	Dale Earnhardt Jr	31	0	6	11	15	5	15.1	92.8
12	Matt Kenseth	31	0	1	6	10	4	18	89.2

* – Based on last 21 races at Talladega Superspeedway (2005 – 2015).

Talladega Superspeedway Data Season Race #: 32 of 36 (05-03-15) Track Size: 2.66-miles Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 33 degrees Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 33 degrees Banking/Frontstretch: 16.5 degrees Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees Frontstretch Length:  4,300 feet Backstretch Length:  4,000 feet Race Length: 188 laps / 500 miles Top 10 Driver Ratings at Talladega Dale Earnhardt Jr. ...................... 92.8 Matt Kenseth.............................. 89.2 Jimmie Johnson.......................... 89.0 Ryan Blaney............................... 88.5 Kurt Busch.................................. 88.3 Denny Hamlin............................. 83.5 Brad Keselowski......................... 83.2 Kyle Larson................................ 80.5 Jamie McMurray.......................... 80.1 Kevin Harvick.............................. 79.9 Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2015 races (21 total) among active drivers at Talladega Superspeedway. Qualifying/Race Data 2014 pole winner: Brian Vickers, Toyota 196.129 mph, 48.825 secs. 10-17-14 2014 race winner: Brad Keselowski, Ford 160.302 mph, (03:13:09), 10-19-14 Track qualifying record: Bill Elliott, Ford 212.809 mph, 44.998 secs. 04-30-87 Track race record: Mark Martin, Ford 188.354 mph, (02:39:18), 05-10-97

Talladega Superspeedway:

History

·         Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 14, 1969 – won by Richard Brickhouse.

·         The name changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989.

·         Fourth repaving completed on Sept. 19, 2006.

Starts

·         There have been 92 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, one NSCS event in 1969 and two races per year since 1970.

·         Talladega Superspeedway is tied with Michigan International Speedway for holding the ninth most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying races (92).  

·         441 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega; 304 in more than one.

·         Dave Marcis and Terry Labonte lead the series in starts at Talladega with 61 each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 45 starts; followed by Tony Stewart with 32.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega with a 10.0.

·         Jamie McMurray (10/06/2002) made his series debut at Talladega Superspeedway.

Poles

·         Bobby Isaac won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Talladega in 1969 with a speed of 199.466 mph.  Isaac won the first three poles at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.

·         38 drivers have Coors Light poles at Talladega, led by Bill Elliott with eight. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with four.

·         10 drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Talladega. Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive poles at Talladega with six (1985 - 1987).

Poles

·         Youngest Talladega pole winner: Brian Scott (05/04/2014 – 26 years, 3 months, 22 days).

·         Oldest Talladega pole winner: Mark Martin (10/23/2011 – 52 years, 9 months, 14 days).

·         Brian Scott (05/04/2014), David Gilliland (10/08/2006) and Travis Kvapil (10/05/2008) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Talladega.   

Wins

·         44 different drivers have won at Talladega Superspeedway, led by Dale Earnhardt with 10. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. lead all active drivers with six.

·         Richard Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports for the most wins at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 12.  

·         Nine different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Talladega; led by Chevrolet with 40 victories; followed by Ford with 21 and Toyota with three.

·         13 of the 92 (14.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from the Coors Light pole.Jeff Gordon (2007) is the only active driver to be able to accomplish the feat.  

·         The outside front row (second-place) starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Talladega. 

·         33 of the 92 (35.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from the front row: 13 from the pole and 20 from second-place.

·         64 of the 92 (69.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         8 of the 92 (8.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Talladega was 36th, by Jeff Gordon in the spring of 2000.

·         Youngest Talladega winner: Bobby Hillin Jr. (07/27/1986 – 22 years, 1 month, 22 days).

·         Oldest Talladega winner: Harry Gant (05/06/1991 – 51 years, 3 months, 26 days).

·         2012 series champion Brad Keselowski (04/26/2009) and Brian Vickers (10/08/2006) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Talladega.   

·         Nine drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Talladega; Dale Earnhardt Jr.leads the series in consecutive wins at Talladega after posting four straight from the fall of 2001 – 2003.  

·         Brad Keselowski is the only active series driver to win at Talladega in his first appearance.   

·         Matt Kenseth competed at Talladega Superspeedway 25 times before winning the fall of 2012; the longest span of any the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

Wins

·         Matt Kenseth (25), Tony Stewart (19), Kevin Harvick (18), and David Ragan (12) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Talladega.

·         Kurt Busch leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega without visiting Victory Lane at 29; followed by Ryan Newman with 27.

Additional Finishing Positions

·         Buddy Baker and Tony Stewart are tied for the series’ most runner-up finishes at Talladega with six each.

·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-five finishes at Talladega with 23. Jeff Gordonleads all active drivers with 15. 

·         Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-10 finishes at Talladega with 27. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 19.

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Talladega with a 15.065.

Track / Event Specific Stats

·         There have been eight NSCS races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Talladega Superspeedway: spring of 2005 (188/194), fall of 2005 (188/190), spring of 2007 (188/192), fall of 2008 (188/190) spring of 2010 (188/200), fall of 2012 (188/189), spring of 2013 (188/192) and fall of 2014 (188/194).

·         Only two of the 92 races at Talladega Superspeedway have been shortened due to weather conditions: spring of 1987 and fall of 1996.

·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway five times; most recently fall of 2013. 

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway was the (04/17/2011) race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.002 second – the MOV is tied with the 2003 Darlington race as the closest finishes in the NSCS using electronic scoring. 

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Talladega with 899 laps led in 31 starts.

Female Competitor Stats

·         Three female drivers have competed at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Patty Moise and Danica Patrick.

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Danica Patrick	25	21	5/3/2015
Danica Patrick	27	19	10/19/2014
Danica Patrick	7	22	5/4/2014
Danica Patrick	23	33	10/20/2013
Danica Patrick	23	33	5/5/2013
Averages	21.0	25.6
Inactive Female Competitors
Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Patty Moise	36	33	7/30/1989
Janet Guthrie	12	29	8/6/1978
Janet Guthrie	9	34	8/7/1977
Janet Guthrie	13	32	5/1/1977

NASCAR in Alabama

·         There have been 111 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among seven different tracks in Alabama.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Talladega Superspeedway	Talladega	92
Birmingham International Raceway	Birmingham	8
Montgomery Motor Speedway	Montgomery	6
Lakeview Speedway	Mobile	2
Chisholm Speedway	Montgomery	1
Dixie Speedway	Birmingham	1
Huntsville Speedway	Huntsville	1

·         70 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Alabama.

·         Nine drivers from Alabama have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; five have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Driver	NSCS	NXS	NCWTS
Bobby Allison	84	2	0
Davey Allison	19	0	0
Neil Bonnett	18	1	0
Donnie Allison	10	0	0
Red Byron	2	0	0
Steve Grissom	0	11	0
Rick Crawford	0	0	5
Darrell Wallace Jr	0	0	5
Cale Gale	0	0	1

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES MILESTONES – TALLADEGA

DRIVER	HAS	NEEDS	MILESTONE	DESCRIPTION
Jimmie Johnson	499	1	500th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Consecutive Start	Johnson will attempt to post his 500th consecutive NSCS start this weekend, he is tied with Newman for third on the active consecutive starts list.
Ryan Newman	499	1	500th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Consecutive Start	Newman will attempt to post his 500th consecutive NSCS start this weekend, he is tied with Johnson for third on the active consecutive starts list.
Casey Mears	174	1	175th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Consecutive Start	Mear will attempt to post his 175th consecutive NSCS start this weekend, he is tied with Johnson for third on the active consecutive starts list.
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).
Jeff Gordon	323	2	325th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top-Five Finish	Gordon needs just two more top-five finishes in the NSCS to reach 325 NSCS top-five finishes all-time. Gordon is third on the all-time list; 13 top fives behind NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison (336) in second.
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	24,873	127	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.
Kevin Harvick	2,052	186	Most Laps Led in a Single Season During Chase Era (2004-2015)	Harvick can lead the most laps in a single season in the NSCS during the Chase Era if he leads 207 or more laps in the final seven races. If he accomplishes the feat he will surpass current record holder Jimmie Johnson (2,238 laps led in a single Chase Era season).
#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 (July) last season.
#20 Car	48	2	50 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Wins	The No. 20 car is 19th on the NSCS all-time wins list, four wins behind the No. 27 and 18 cars in 17th/18th (with 52 each).