Top 10 Driver Ratings at Indianapolis
Kyle Busch…………………………. 106.9
Jimmie Johnson…………………… 103.6
Matt Kenseth………………………… 99.5
Kevin Harvick……………………….. 98.0
Kyle Larson………………………….. 96.8
Kasey Kahne………………………… 94.9
Denny Hamlin……………………….. 91.5
Joey Logano…………………………. 91.2
Brad Keselowski……………………. 89.3
Erik Jones……………………………. 88.5
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2017 races (13 total) among active drivers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
History
· Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) has existed since 1909, and is the original “Speedway,” the first racing facility to incorporate the word into its name.
· With a permanent seating capacity for more than 250,000-plus people and infield seating that raises capacity to an approximate 400,000, it is the largest and highest-capacity sporting facility in history.
· The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was August 6, 1994 – won by Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet).
· There have been 24 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; one per year from 1994 through 2017.
Starts
· 153 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; 119 in more than one.
· Jeff Gordon leads the series in start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 23.
· Matt Kenseth leads all active series drivers in starts at IMS with 18; followed by Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman with 17 each.
· All-time top three series drivers in average starting position at Indianapolis are David Green (6.0; two starts), Juan P. Montoya (6.625; eight starts) and Erik Jones (9.0; one start).
· Active top three series drivers in average starting position at Indianapolis are Erik Jones (9.0; one start), Ryan Newman (9.235; 17 starts) and Kasey Kahne (11.928; 14 starts).
Poles
· Rick Mast won the inaugural Busch Pole Award at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994 with a speed of 172.414 mph (Ford).
· 19 drivers have won Busch poles at Indianapolis, led by Jeff Gordon with three; followed by Kevin Harvick, Ernie Irvan and Kyle Busch with two each.
· Three drivers have won consecutive Busch poles at Indianapolis: Kyle Busch (2016-17), Jeff Gordon (1995-96) and Ernie Irvan (1997-98).
· Youngest Indianapolis Busch pole winner: Reed Sorenson (07/29/2007 – 21 years, 5 months, 24 days).
· Oldest Indianapolis Busch pole winner: Mark Martin (07/26/2009 – 50 years, 6 months, 17 days).
· Reed Sorenson (07/29/07) is the only driver to post his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· Five different manufacturers have won at least one Busch pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; led by Chevrolet with 10, followed by Ford (six), Toyota (four), Dodge and Pontiac each have two.
Wins
· A total of 14 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, led by Jeff Gordon with five wins.
· Seven of the 14 Indianapolis winners are still active; led by Jimmie Johnson with four victories (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012).
· Kyle Busch is the only other active driver with multiple wins (2015, 2016).
· Jimmie Johnson (2008-09) and Kyle Busch (2015-16) are the only two drivers that have posted consecutive MENCS wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· Youngest Indianapolis winner: Jeff Gordon (08/06/1994 – 23 years, 0 months, 2 days).
· Oldest Indianapolis winner: Bill Elliott (08/04/2002 – 46 years, 9 months, 27 days).
· Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Indianapolis in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with 10; followed by Joe Gibbs Racing (five) and Richard Childress Racing (three).
· Four different manufacturers have won at Indianapolis; led by Chevrolet with 16 victories; followed by Ford (three), Toyota (two), Dodge and Pontiac each have one. Chevrolet won 12-straight from 2003-2014.
· Only four of the 24 (16.6%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis have been won from the Busch pole: Kevin Harvick (2003), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Ryan Newman (2013) and Kyle Busch (2016).
· In 2016, Kyle Busch became the first driver in history to sweep both the NASCAR Xfinity Series race from the pole and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race from the pole in the same weekend.
· The pole position is the most proficient starting positions in the field, producing four winners – more than any other starting positions at Indianapolis.
· Six of the 24 (26.1%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis have been won from the front row: four from the pole and two from second-place.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Indianapolis is 27th, by Jeff Gordon in 2001.
· The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started is 19th, by Kasey Kahne last season.
· All seven active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race winners at Indianapolis Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane.
· Jeff Gordon won the Brickyard 400 in his first start at Indianapolis (inaugural event 1994).
· Ryan Newman competed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway 12-times before winning in 2013; the longest span of any the seven active series winners.
· Matt Kenseth leads the series among active drivers with the most starts at Indianapolis without visiting Victory Lane at 18; followed by Kurt Busch (17).
· Paul Menard (07/31/11) is the only series driver to post his first career MENCS win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Additional Finishing Positions
· A total of 17 different drivers have finished runner up in Monster Energy Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace and Matt Kenseth lead the series in runner-up finishes at Indianapolis with three each; followed by Kyle Busch, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin with two each.
· A total of 42 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished in the top-five at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Indianapolis with 12; followed by Matt Kenseth (nine) and Tony Stewart (seven).
· A total of 62 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished inside the top-10 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at Indianapolis with 17; followed by Matt Kenseth (12), Tony Stewart and Mark Martin with 11 each.
· Daniel Suarez leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Indianapolis with a 7.0 in one start.
Track Specific Stats
· Since the advent of electronic scoring (1993) the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the August 3, 1997 race won by Ricky Rudd over Bobby Labonte with a MOV of 0.183 second.
· Four of the 24 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis have resulted with NASCAR Overtime.
· None of the 24 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.
· Qualifying has not been cancelled due to weather conditions in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· A total of 89 different series drivers have led at least one lap at Indianapolis; led by Jeff Gordon with 528 laps led in 23 starts.
Female Competitor Stats
· Danica Patrick became the first female driver to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013.
· Shawna Robinson (08/05/01) is the only other female driver to attempt to compete in the series at Indianapolis, but she failed to qualify for the event.
NASCAR in Indiana
· A total of 79 NASCAR national series races have been held in the state of Indiana.
· The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Indiana was at Funks Speedway in Winchester on October 15, 1950. The race was won by Lloyd Moore in a Mercury.
Indiana Drivers in NASCAR
· A total of 82 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Indiana.
· 12 of the 82 drivers from Indiana have won a NASCAR national series event; led by Tony Stewart from Columbus, Indiana with 62 NASCAR national series combined wins.
· Tony Stewart (2005, 2007) from Columbus and Ryan Newman (2013) from South Bend are the only two drivers from Indiana to win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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