Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Go Bowling at The Glen

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Watkins Glen
Daniel Suarez……………………… 113.1
Kyle Busch…………………………. 110.7
Brad Keselowski………………….. 102.8
AJ Allmendinger……………………. 97.1
Martin Truex Jr……………………… 95.8
Kurt Busch…………………………… 93.4
Jimmie Johnson…………………….. 93.0
Erik Jones……………………………. 92.2
Chase Elliott…………………………. 91.5
Kevin Harvick……………………….. 89.7
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2017 races (13 total) among active drivers at Watkins Glen International.

History

· After several events were held on the streets of Watkins Glen, a permanent facility was opened in 1956.
· The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen was in 1957, won by Buck Baker (83.064 mph, 08/04/1957).
· After a six-year absence, NASCAR returned to The Glen in 1964 and 1965.
· Then after a 21-year absence, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returned to The Glen, and has run one race a year there since 1986.
· The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen was scheduled for 101.2-miles in 1957, the second race was 161.7-miles (1964) and the third race was 151.8-miles (1965). Every race since has been scheduled for 220.5-miles.
· The famous road course underwent a repave in 2015.
· There have been 35 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Watkins Glen International, one race per season.

Starts

· 274 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen; 167 in more than one.
· Jeff Gordon leads the series all-time in starts at Watkins Glen with 24.
· Matt Kenseth leads all active series drivers in starts at WGI with 18; followed by Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick with 17 each.
· Tony Stewart (16 starts) leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Watkins Glen with a 5.875.
· Kyle Busch (13 starts) leads the series among active drivers in average starting position at WGI with a 7.462.

Poles

· Driver/owner Buck Baker won the inaugural Busch Pole Award at Watkins Glen in 1957 with a speed of 87.071 mph. He went on to win the inaugural race from the pole.
· A total of 20 Monster Energy Series drivers have won Busch poles at Watkins Glen, led by NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon with three each.
· Five drivers have won multiple poles in the Monster Energy Series at WGI -Kyle Busch is the only active driver with multiple WGI poles (two).
· Mark Martin is the only Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver to post consecutive Busch poles at Watkins Glen (three) – 1993, 1994, and 1995.
· Youngest Watkins Glen pole winner: Kyle Busch (08/15/2011 – 26 years, 3 months, 13 days).
· Oldest Watkins Glen pole winner: Morgan Shepherd (08/13/1989 – 47 years, 10 months, 1 day).
· Seven different manufacturers have won at least one Monster Energy Series Busch Pole Award at Watkins Glen; led by Chevrolet with 14 poles, followed by Ford (8), Toyota (three), Dodge, Mercury, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac (one each).

Wins

· A total of 21 different Monster Energy Series drivers have won at Watkins Glen International, led by Tony Stewart with five victories; followed by Jeff Gordon with four.
· Kyle Busch leads all active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers in wins at WGI with two (2008, 2013).
· Jeff Gordon leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in overall road course wins with nine (Sonoma, five; Watkins Glen, four); Tony Stewart has the second most road course wins all-time with eight (Watkins Glen, five; Sonoma, three).
· Kyle Busch leads the MENCS in road course wins among active drivers with four (two at Sonoma – 2008, 2015, and two at Watkins Glen – 2008, 2013).
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison holds the series record for the most wins at a single road course track with six at Riverside International Raceway.
· Four series drivers have posted consecutive wins at Watkins Glen, including three consecutive by Mark Martin (1993, ’94, ’95) and Jeff Gordon (1997, ’98, ’99).
· The other two drivers to win consecutive races at Watkins Glen are Tony Stewart (2004, ’05) and Marcos Ambrose (2011, ’12).
· Youngest Watkins Glen winner: Kyle Busch (08/10/2008 – 23 years, 3 months, 8 days).
· Oldest Watkins Glen winner: Geoff Bodine (08/11/1996 – 47 years, 3 months, 24 days).
· Joe Gibbs Racing leads the series in wins at Watkins Glen International with seven victories – Tony Stewart (four: 2002, ’04, ’05, ’07), Kyle Busch (two: 2008, ’13) and Denny Hamlin (one: 2016).
· Nine of the 35 (26.5%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Watkins Glen have been won from the Busch Pole; the most recent was Kyle Busch in 2008.
· The Busch Pole position (1st) is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (nine) than any other starting position at Watkins Glen.
· None of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Watkins Glen have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Watkins Glen is 18th, by Steve Park in 2000.
· Six different manufacturers have won in the MENCS at Watkins Glen; led by Chevrolet with 17 victories; followed by Ford with eight, Pontiac and Toyota with four and Buick and Mercury each have one.
· Three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers posted their first career win at Watkins Glen: Steve Park (08/13/2000), Marcos Ambrose (08/15/11) and AJ Allmendinger (08/11/14).
· All six of the active series winners at Watkins Glen participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane.
· Martin Truex Jr. (2017) competed at Watkins Glen 11 times before winning; the longest span of any the six active series winners.
· Matt Kenseth lead the series among active drivers with the most Monster Energy Series starts at Watkins Glen without visiting Victory Lane at 18 starts.

Additional Finishing Position Stats

· A total of 25 different drivers have finished runner-up in the Monster Energy Series at Watkins Glen, led by Brad Keselowski and Mark Martin with three runner-up finishes each.
· A total of 74 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished inside the top-five at Watkins Glen, led by Mark Martin with 12 top-five finishes at The Glen; followed by Ricky Rudd and Tony Stewart with eight each. Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in top-five finishes at WGI with five.
· A total of 112 different drivers have finished in the top-10 in the Monster Energy Series at Watkins glen, led by Mark Martin with 16 top-10 finishes at The Glen; followed by Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch with 11 each.
· Scott Pruett leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Watkins Glen with a 5.800.
· AJ Allmendinger leads all active series drivers in average finishing position at WGI with a 9.333.

Track/Event Specific Stats

· Since the advent of electronic scoring (1993) the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen is the 2001 race won by Jeff Gordon over Jeff Burton with a MOV of 0.172 second. Last season’s race was third-closest margin of victory in track history.
· There have been two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races resulting with NASCAR Overtime at Watkins Glen.
· Only one of the 35 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Watkins Glen has been shortened due to weather conditions – the 1992 race – only 51 of the scheduled 90 laps were completed.
· The 8/14/2011 race was the only MENCS race at Watkins Glen that has been postponed to another date due to weather (8/15/2011).
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen six times: 1965, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
· Jeff Gordon leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Watkins Glen with 262 laps led in 24 starts; Kyle Busch leads the series in laps led at WGI among active drivers with 216 in 13 starts.

Female Competitor Stats

· Danica Patrick and Patty Moise are the only two female Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers to compete at Watkins Glen International.

NASCAR in New York

· There has been a total of 100 NASCAR national series races among 15 tracks held in the state of New York.
· The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held in the state of New York was at Monroe County Fairgrounds on 07/02/1950 – Curtis Turner won from the pole.
· 189 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as New York.
· 14 of the 189 (7.4%) have posted at least one victory in NASCAR’s national series.
· 11 of 14 winners have won in the Monster Energy Series; led by Geoff Bodine with 18 wins.
· Only two of the New York natives have won at Watkins Glen International in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – Geoff Bodine (1996) and Steve Park (2000).

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