A look at some of the top statistical performers at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, going into the Pocono 400 on Sunday, June 2.
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Pocono
Denny Hamlin……………………… 104.0
Chase Elliott……………………….. 103.2
Kurt Busch…………………………. 102.8
Jimmie Johnson…………………… 100.4
Erik Jones………………………….. 100.2
Kevin Harvick……………………….. 97.7
Brad Keselowski……………………. 94.7
Kyle Larson………………………….. 94.3
Kyle Busch…………………………… 92.7
Ryan Newman………………………. 89.6
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2018 races
(28 total) among active drivers at Pocono Raceway.
At Pocono Raceway:
History
- Opened in 1968 as a three-quarter-mile track, Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile track in 1971.
- The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was in 1974 – won by Richard Petty, Dodge, 115.593 mph, on August 4, 1974.
- The 2.5-mile track was repaved during the fall of 2011.
- 2012 marked the first season the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono were scheduled for 400 miles.
- Prior to 2012, all Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races were 500 miles at Pocono Raceway.
- There have been 82 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway, one race from 1974 through 1981, and two per year since.
Starts
- A total of 343 different drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway; 246 have competed in more than one.
- Ricky Rudd leads the Monster Energy Series in starts at Pocono with 55.
- Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in the series with 36 starts at Pocono.
- A total of 33 different drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series have made their series debut at Pocono Raceway, the most recent and only active driver to make his debut at Pocono is Bubba Wallace (June 11, 2017).
- David Pearson (six starts) leads the Monster Energy Series in average starting position at Pocono Raceway with a 4.667.
- Denny Hamlin (26 starts) leads all active series drivers in average starting position at Pocono with a 7.115.
Poles
- A total of 44 different drivers have won the Busch Pole Award at Pocono; 11 of the 44 are active this weekend.
- NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott (1984, 1985 sweep, 1995 and 2002) and Ken Schrader (1989, 1992, 1993 sweep and 1995) lead the series in poles at Pocono Raceway with five each.
- Kyle Busch leads all active drivers at Pocono Raceway with four poles (Spring 2010, Fall 2015, 2017 sweep).
- Buddy Baker won the inaugural Buch Pole Award at Pocono Raceway in 1974 with a speed of 144.122 mph.
- Of the 44 pole winners at Pocono, only six have won consecutive Busch poles: Bill Elliott (1984-85), Mark Martin (1990-91), Ken Schrader (1993 sweep), Denny Hamlin (2006 sweep), Joey Logano (fall 2011 and spring 2012) and Kyle Busch (2017 sweep).
- Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive poles at Pocono with three; fall 1984 and both races in 1985.
- Youngest series Pocono pole winner: Joey Logano (August 7, 2011 – 21 years, 2 months, 14 days).
- Oldest series Pocono pole winner: David Pearson (June 10, 1984 – 49 years, 5 months, 19 days).
- Four drivers have posted their first-career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch pole at Pocono Raceway: Harry Gant (1979), Casey Mears (2004), Kyle Larson (2014) and Daniel Suarez (2018).
- Eight different manufacturers have won a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole at Pocono; led by Chevrolet with 33, followed by Ford (17), Toyota (9), Dodge (8), Pontiac (6), Buick (2), American Motors Company and Oldsmobile (each have one).
Wins
- A total of 37 different Monster Energy Series drivers have won at Pocono Raceway, 10 are entered this weekend.
- NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the Monster Energy Series in wins at Pocono with six victories (1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2011 and 2012).
- Denny Hamlin leads all active series drivers in wins at Pocono with four victories (2006 sweep, 2009 and 2010).
- 24 different drivers have multiple series wins at Pocono Raceway; including five active drivers: Denny Hamlin (four), Jimmie Johnson (three), Kurt Busch (three), Kyle Busch (two) and Martin Truex Jr. (two).
- Seven drivers have posted consecutive wins at Pocono Raceway, including three consecutive by Bobby Allison (1982 sweep and Spring 1983) and Tim Richmond (1986 sweep and spring 1987).
- Two of the seven drivers to win consecutive races at Pocono are active: Jimmie Johnson (2004 sweep) and Denny Hamlin (2006 sweep and 2009 fall and 2010 spring races).
- Seven drivers in series history have swept Pocono in a single season – Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott(1985), Tim Richmond (1986), Bobby Labonte (1999), Jimmie Johnson (2004), Denny Hamlin (2006) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2014).
- Youngest series Pocono winner: Joey Logano (June 10, 2012 – 22 years, 0 months, 17 days).
- Oldest series Pocono winner: Harry Gant (June 17, 1990 – 50 years, 5 months, 7 days).
- 14 of the 82 (17.5%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono have been won from the Busch pole; the most recent was Kyle Busch in 2017.
- Two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono have been won from the first starting position after qualifying was cancelled; Tony Stewart (2009) and the most recent was Jimmie Johnson (2013).
- The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (16) than any other starting position at Pocono Raceway – a 19.5% winning percentage.
Monster Energy Series Wins by Starting Positions at Pocono Raceway
- The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Pocono is 29th, by Carl Edwards in the spring of 2005.
- A total of four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted their first career win at Pocono Raceway: Ryan Blaney (06/11/2017), Chris Buescher (08/01/16), Denny Hamlin (06/11/06) and Jeremy Mayfield (06/21/98).
- Denny Hamlin (2006) is the only active driver to win at Pocono in his first appearance.
- Kevin Harvick leads the series among active drivers with the most Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono without visiting Victory Lane at 36.
- A total of 26 different organizations have won in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway.
- Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Pocono with 17: Jeff Gordon (six), Tim Richmond (three), Jimmie Johnson (three), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Kasey Kahne (one), Geoff Bodine (one) and Terry Labonte (one).
- Eight different manufacturers have won in the Monster Energy Series at Pocono; led by Chevrolet with 32 victories; followed by Ford with 23, Toyota (seven), Dodge (seven), Pontiac (six), Buick (four), Mercury (two) and Oldsmobile (one).
Additional Finishing Position Stats
- A total of 36 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished runner-up at Pocono Raceway.
- NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Pocono with seven second-place finishes.
- Kurt Busch leads all active drivers in runner-up finishes at Pocono with five.
- A total of 74 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished in the top-five at Pocono Raceway.
- NASCAR Hall of Famers Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon lead the series in top fives at Pocono with 20 each.
- Kurt Busch leads all active Monster Energy Series drivers in top fives at Pocono with 14.
- A total of 121 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished in the top-10 at Pocono Raceway.
- NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin leads the series in top-10 finishes at Pocono Raceway with 34 top 10s.
- Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch lead all active Monster Energy Series drivers with 20 top-10 finishes each at Pocono.
- Davey Allison leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Pocono with a 9.769 in 13 starts.
- Erik Jones leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Pocono with a 11.250 in four starts.
Track Specific Stats
- Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway is the race on July 23, 2000, that was won by Rusty Wallace over Jeff Burton with a MOV of 0.126 second.
- There have been four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races resulting with NASCAR Overtime at Pocono Raceway.
- Seven of the 82 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions.
- Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway six times; twice the driver who started first after qualifying was cancelled won from the first starting position.
- A total of 127 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at Pocono Raceway.
- NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the series in laps led with 1,040 laps led in 46 starts.
- Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in laps led at Pocono Raceway with 740 laps led in 34 starts.
Top 10 Lap Leaders at Pocono Raceway (All-Time & Active)
- Most laps led in a single Monster Energy Series race at Pocono Raceway was 175 of 200 scheduled laps (87.5%) by race winner Kurt Busch on August 5, 2007.
- Most laps led in a single Monster Energy Series race at Pocono Raceway by a non-race winner was 154 of the scheduled 200 laps (77%) on June 9, 1985 by Geoff Bodine; he finished fourth.
- Since reducing the race length to 400-miles in 2012, the most laps led in a single Monster Energy Series race at Pocono Raceway is 128 of 160 scheduled laps (80%) on June 9, 2013 by race winner Jimmie Johnson.
- Since reducing the race length to 400-miles in 2012, the most laps led in a single Monster Energy Series race at Pocono Raceway by a non-race winner is 100 of 160 scheduled laps (62.5%) on June 11, 2017 by Kyle Busch; he finished ninth.
Female Competitor Stats
- Two female drivers have competed at Pocono Raceway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.
NASCAR in Pennsylvania
- There have been 151 NASCAR national series races among 10 tracks in the state of Pennsylvania.
- The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Pennsylvania was the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event held on September 11, 1949 at Langhorne Speedway and won by Curtis Turner(Oldsmobile).
Pennsylvania Drivers In NASCAR
- 147 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Pennsylvania.
- Three of the 147 Pennsylvania drivers have won in NASCAR’s premiere series.
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