· Two wins, three top fives, six top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.273, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 11.393, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 102.9, fifth-best
· 309 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.104, fifth-fastest
· 2784 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7), eighth-most
· 347 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
· One win, two top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 13.000, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 9.212, third-best
· Driver Rating of 105.2, third-best
· 236 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.304, fourth-fastest
· 3448 Laps in the Top 15 (85.1), third-most
· 423 Quality Passes, series-most
Carl Edwards (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
· One win, four top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 12.000, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 14.174, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 92.4, 11th-best
· 176 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.796, 12th-fastest
· 2433 Laps in the Top 15 (60.1), 12th-most
· 323 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)
· Seven wins, 19 top fives, 23 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 8.182, second-best
· Average Running Position of 7.742, series-best
· Driver Rating of 111.2, series-best
· 264 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.582, series-fastest
· 3702 Laps in the Top 15 (91.4), series-most
· 355 Quality Passes, second-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
· One win, five top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 6.500, series-best
· Average Running Position of 8.439, second-best
· Driver Rating of 107.8, second-best
· 207 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.381, second-fastest
· 3202 Laps in the Top 15 (87.0), second-most
· 348 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS)
· One win, five top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.273, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.697, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 95.9, seventh-best
· 201 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.034, seventh-fastest
· 2898 Laps in the Top 15 (71.5), seventh-most
· 308 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)
· Three wins, nine top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 9.727, third-best
· Average Running Position of 10.305, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 104.4, fourth-best
· 258 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.342, third-fastest
· 3050 Laps in the Top 15 (75.3), fourth-most
· 329 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)
· Three top fives, four top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 17.000, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 11.575, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 96.1, sixth-best
· 232 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.890, 11th-fastest
· 2709 Laps in the Top 15 (66.9), 10th-most
· 249 Quality Passes, 12th-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
· One win, three top fives, ten top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.091, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.791, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.4, 13th-best
· 127 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.681, 13th-fastest
· 2422 Laps in the Top 15 (59.8), 13th-most
· 281 Quality Passes, 10th-most
Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion)
· Two top fives, three top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.571, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.675, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 92.2, 12th-best
· 75 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.897, 10th-fastest
· 1552 Laps in the Top 15 (60.2), 11th-most
· 173 Quality Passes, 13th-most
Ryan Newman (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet SS)
· Seven top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.455, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.984, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.2, eighth-best
· 64 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.996, eighth-fastest
· 2913 Laps in the Top 15 (71.9), sixth-most
· 278 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Martin Truex Jr (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry)
· One top five, four top 10s
· Average finish of 12.700, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.370, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.6, 10th-best
· 129 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.077, sixth-fastest
· 2520 Laps in the Top 15 (68.5), ninth-most
· 325 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Rank
|
Driver
|
Races
|
Poles
|
Wins
|
Top Fives
|
Top 10s
|
DNFs
|
Average Finish
|
Driver Rating
| |
1
|
Kevin Harvick
|
19
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
8
|
1
|
16.4
|
95.9
| |
2
|
Brad Keselowski
|
7
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
3
|
0
|
12.6
|
92.2
| |
3
|
Carl Edwards
|
12
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
8
|
1
|
11.6
|
92.4
| |
4
|
Kurt Busch
|
19
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
6
|
1
|
17.3
|
84.8
| |
5
|
Joey Logano
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
20.3
|
83.6
| |
6
|
Kyle Busch
|
11
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
7
|
0
|
13.0
|
105.2
| |
7
|
Denny Hamlin
|
10
|
0
|
1
|
5
|
8
|
0
|
6.5
|
107.8
| |
8
|
Martin Truex Jr
|
10
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
12.7
|
93.6
| |
9
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
17
|
0
|
3
|
9
|
12
|
1
|
9.1
|
104.4
| |
10
|
Matt Kenseth
|
22
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
10
|
1
|
16.3
|
91.4
|
* – Based on last 11 races at Darlington Raceway (2005 – 2015).
Darlington Raceway Data
Season Race #: 25 of 36 (09-04-15)
Track Size: 1.366-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 25 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 23 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 6 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 6 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 1,229 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,229 feet
Race Length: 367 laps / 501.3 miles
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Darlington
Jeff Gordon............................... 111.2
Denny Hamlin........................... 107.8
Kyle Busch............................... 105.2
Jimmie Johnson........................ 104.4
Greg Biffle................................ 102.9
Kasey Kahne.............................. 96.1
Kevin Harvick.............................. 95.9
Ryan Newman............................ 94.2
Martin Truex Jr............................ 93.6
Carl Edwards.............................. 92.4
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2015 races (11 total) among active drivers at Darlington Raceway.
Qualifying/Race Data
2015 pole winner:
Brad Keselowski, Ford
178.874 mph, 27.492 secs. 08-05-15
2015 race winner:
Carl Edwards, Toyota
111.993 mph, (04:28:35), 08-06-15
Track qualifying record:
Aric Almirola, Ford
184.145 mph, 26.705 secs. 04-11-14
Track race record:
Matt Kenseth, Toyota
141.383 mph, (03:32:45), 05-11-13
|
At Darlington Raceway:
History
· Darlington Raceway was built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-1950.
· Darlington Raceway hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on Sept. 4, 1950 – 75 cars competed in the event - Curtis Turner won the pole at 82.034 mph, and the race was won by Johnny Mantz (Plymouth, 75.250 mph, 6:38:40).
· The track was re-measured to 1.375 miles in 1953.
· The track was re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race in 1970.
· The track was repaved in 1995.
· The 2005 race was the first Saturday night race at Darlington.
· The track was repaved again prior to the 2008 season.
Starts
· There have been 112 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway. The 1.366-mile track has hosted the fifth-most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying races.
· 715 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway; 434 in more than one.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Darlington with 65. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 35 starts; followed by Tony Stewart with 23.
· Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Darlington with a 6.771.
· Jeff Gordon (6.8), Ryan Blaney (9.0), Ryan Newman (9.5), Kasey Kahne (9.6) and Denny Hamlin (9.7) all have an average starting position inside the top 10.
· 124 different drivers have made their NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career debut at Darlington Raceway.
· Curtis Turner won the inaugural Coors Light Pole Award at Darlington in 1950 in an Oldsmobile with a speed of 82.034 mph.
· 49 drivers have won at least one Coors Light pole at Darlington, led by David Pearson with 12. Kasey Kahneleads all active drivers with four.
· Nine drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Darlington. Kasey Kahne is the only active driver with consecutive poles (2005-2006).
· David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Darlington with five (1975 - 1977).
· Youngest Darlington pole winner: Kurt Busch (09/02/2001 – 23 years, 0 months, 29 days).
· Oldest Darlington pole winner: David Pearson (09/06/1982 – 47 years, 8 months, 15 days).
· Eight drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup pole at Darlington Raceway: Cotton Owens(1957), Fred Lorenzen (1961), Bill Elliott (1981), Ken Schrader (1987), John Andretti (1995), Kurt Busch(2001), Elliott Sadler (2003) and Clint Bowyer (2007).
Wins
· 48 different drivers have won at Darlington Raceway, led by David Pearson with 10. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with seven wins; followed by his teammate Jimmie Johnson with three.
· Six drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Darlington Raceway: Johnny Mantz (1950), Nelson Stacy (1961), Larry Frank (1962), Terry Labonte (1980), Lake Speed (1988) and Regan Smith (2011).
· Youngest Darlington winner: Kyle Busch (05/10/2008 – 23 years, 0 months, 8 days).
· Oldest Darlington winner: Harry Gant (09/01/1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 22 days).
·
|
· 11 different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Darlington; led by Chevrolet with 41 victories; followed byFord with 28 and Toyota has four.
· 20 of the 112 (17.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Kevin Harvick in 2015.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson has won from the pole four times at Darlington – the series-most.
· The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Darlington. The outside front row (second-place) has produced the second-most wins (17).
· 37 of the 112 (33%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington have been won from the front row: 20 from first-place and 17 from second-place.
· 96 of the 112 (85.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Darlington have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Six of the 112 (5.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Darlington is 43rd by Johnny Mantz in 1950 – the inaugural NSCS event.
· 13 drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Darlington; Dale Earnhardt(1989-1990) and Jeff Gordon (1995-1996) are tied for the series-most in consecutive wins at Darlington with three each.
· All nine active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Darlington Raceway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Among active drivers, Kyle Busch won at Darlington in the fewest previous appearances (three).
· Matt Kenseth competed at Darlington Raceway 19 times before winning in 2013; the longest span of any the nine active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
· Tony Stewart leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington without visiting Victory Lane at 23.
Additional Finishing Position Stats
· Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty are tied for the series most runner-up finishes at Darlington with eight each.Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in second-place finishes at Darlington with four.
· Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Darlington with 25. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 19; followed by Jimmie Johnson with nine.
· Bill Elliott leads the series in top-10 finishes at Darlington with 35. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 23; followed by Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart with 12 each.
· Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Darlington with a 6.500.
· Three active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers have an average finish in the top 10 at Darlington: Denny Hamlin(6.5), Kyle Larson (9.0) and Jimmie Johnson (9.1).
Track/Event Specific Stats
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington Raceway is the (03/16/2003) race won by Ricky Craven with a MOV of 0.002 second over Kurt Busch – the MOV is tied with the 2011 Talladega race as the closest finishes in the NSCS using electronic scoring.
· There have been four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Darlington Raceway: 2005 (367/370), 2011 (367/370), 2012 (367/368) and 2014 (367/374).
Additional Finishing Position Stats
· Eight of the 112 races at Darlington Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the fall race of 2000.
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington Raceway five times; most recently was the fall race of 2004.
· Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Darlington with 1,744 laps led in 35 starts.
Female Competitor Stats
· Three female drivers have competed at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:
Active Drivers
|
Starting Position
|
Finishing Position
|
Date
|
Danica Patrick
|
38
|
31
|
5/12/2012
|
Danica Patrick
|
40
|
28
|
5/11/2013
|
Danica Patrick
|
33
|
22
|
4/12/2014
|
Danica Patrick
|
30
|
42
|
9/6/2015
|
Averages
|
35.3
|
30.8
| |
Inactive Drivers
|
Starting Position
|
Finishing Position
|
Date
|
Janet Guthrie
|
26
|
16
|
9/5/1977
|
Shawna Robinson
|
42
|
42
|
3/17/2002
|
NASCAR in South Carolina
· There have been 222 NASCAR Sprint Cup races among 10 tracks in South Carolina.
Track Name
|
City
|
NSCS
|
Darlington Raceway
|
Darlington
|
112
|
Columbia Speedway
|
Columbia
|
43
|
Greenville-Pickens Speedway
|
Greenville
|
29
|
Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds
|
Spartanburg
|
22
|
Rambi Race Track
|
Myrtle Beach
|
9
|
Coastal Speedway
|
Myrtle Beach
|
2
|
Lancaster Speedway
|
Lancaster
|
2
|
Gamecock Speedway
|
Sumter
|
1
|
Hartsville Speedway
|
Hartsville
|
1
|
Newberry Speedway
|
Newberry
|
1
|
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held in the state of South Carolina was at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 4, 1950 – the event was won by Johnny Mantz in a Plymouth.
NASCAR In South Carolina
· 134 drivers that have made at least one NASCAR national series start have their home state recorded as South Carolina.
· 117 of the 134 (87.3%) South Carolina drivers have competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
· 10 drivers from South Carolina have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; seven have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Driver
|
NSCS
|
NXS
|
NCWTS
|
David Pearson
|
105
|
1
|
0
|
Cale Yarborough
|
83
|
0
|
0
|
Cotton Owens
|
9
|
0
|
0
|
Tiny Lund
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
James Hylton
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
Johnny Allen
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Joe Eubanks
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Larry Pearson
|
0
|
15
|
0
|
Jason Keller
|
0
|
10
|
0
|
Butch Lindley
|
0
|
6
|
0
|
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Milestones
| |||
Active Full-Time and Part-Time Drivers this Season
| |||
Drivers
|
Has
|
Needs
|
Milestones
|
Josh Wise
|
149
|
1
|
Become the 161st driver in series history to make 150 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts.
|
Kyle Larson
|
99
|
1
|
Become the 196th driver in series history to make 100 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts.
|
Tony Stewart
|
49
|
1
|
Tie NASCAR Hall of Famers Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for 11th on all-time NSCS wins list
|
Kyle Busch
|
38
|
1
|
Tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Tim Flock for 18th on all-time NSCS wins list
|
Matt Kenseth
|
38
|
1
|
Tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Tim Flock for 18th on all-time NSCS wins list
|
Kevin Harvick
|
33
|
1
|
Break tie with Fireball Roberts to become solely 22nd on all-time wins list
|
Kurt Busch
|
28
|
1
|
Break the tie with Rex White and Denny Hamlin to become solely 25th on all-time NSCS wins list
|
Denny Hamlin
|
28
|
1
|
Break the tie with Rex White and Denny Hamlin to become solely 25th on all-time NSCS wins list
|
Carl Edwards
|
27
|
1
|
Tie Rex White, Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin for 25th on all-time NSCS wins list
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
35
|
1
|
Tie Rusty Wallace and Rex White for 17th on all-time NSCS poles list
|
Kasey Kahne
|
27
|
1
|
Break the tie with Terry Labonte to become solely 25th on all-time NSCS poles list
|
Denny Hamlin
|
23
|
1
|
Tie Alan Kulwicki for 28th on all-time NSCS poles list
|
Kevin Harvick
|
47
|
1
|
Tie Lee Petty (48) for 10th on all-time NSCS second-place finishes list
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
46
|
1
|
Tie Kevin Harvick for 11th on all-time NSCS second-place finishes list
|
Dale Earnhardt Jr
|
148
|
1
|
Tie Jim Paschal for 22nd on the all-time NSCS top-five finishes list.
|
Kevin Harvick
|
148
|
1
|
Tie Jim Paschal for 22nd on the all-time NSCS top-five finishes list.
|
Matt Kenseth
|
300
|
1
|
Tie James Hylton (301) for 18th on all-time NSCS top-10 finishes list
|
Kurt Busch
|
238
|
1
|
Tie NASCAR HOFer Ned Jarrett for 25th on the all-time NSCS top-10 finishes list
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
324
|
1
|
Become the 13th driver in the NSCS to post 325 or more top-10 finishes
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
17,975
|
25
|
To become ninth NSCS driver all-time to lead 18,000 laps
|
Tony Stewart
|
12,818
|
182
|
To become 11th NSCS driver all-time to lead 13,000 laps
|
Matt Kenseth
|
10,859
|
141
|
To become 16th NSCS driver all-time to lead 11,000 laps
|
Kevin Harvick
|
9,854
|
146
|
To become 17th NSCS driver all-time to lead 10,000 laps
|
Kurt Busch
|
8,857
|
143
|
To become 20th NSCS driver all-time to lead 9,000 laps
|
Track Specific Milestones
| |||
Active Full-Time and Part-Time Drivers this Season
| |||
Drivers
|
Has
|
Needs
|
Milestones
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
3
|
1
|
Tie Harry Gant for eighth on the NSCS all-time wins list at Darlington Raceway
|
Kasey Kahne
|
4
|
1
|
Tie Bill Elliott for fourth on the NSCS all-time pole winners list at Darlington Raceway
|
Richard Childress
|
8
|
1
|
Tie Junior Johnson for second-most NSCS car owner wins at Darlington Raceway
|
