Statistical Advance: Analyzing the GEICO 500

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Talladega
Chase Elliott ………………………… 94.1
Joey Logano…………………………. 90.6
Kurt Busch…………………………… 90.4
Brad Keselowski……………………. 89.3
Ryan Blaney…………………………. 89.0
Matt Kenseth………………………… 86.9
Jimmie Johnson…………………….. 86.4
Ricky Stenhouse Jr………………… 84.4
Denny Hamlin……………………….. 82.8
Kyle Busch…………………………… 82.2
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2019 races

Talladega Superspeedway:

HISTORY

• Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968.
  
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega was held on Sept. 14, 1969 – won by Richard Brickhouse (Dodge).
  
• The name of the facility changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989.
  
• Fourth repaving completed on Sept. 19, 2006.
  
• There have been 101 NASCAR Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, one series event in 1969, and two races per year since 1970.

STARTS

• A total of 467 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway; 324 have competed in more than one.
  
• Dave Marcis and Terry Labonte lead the series in starts at Talladega with 61 starts each.
  
• Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active drivers in starts at Talladega with 38 each.
  
• A total of 71 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have made their first career start at Talladega. The most recent was Justin Haley in this event last season.
  
• Bobby Isaac (eight starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega Superspeedway with a 3.6.
  
• Chase Elliott (eight starts) leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega Superspeedway with a 4.6.

Top 10 in Average Starting Positions at Talladega Superspeedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank	All-Time Drivers	Avg Start	Races	Rank	Active Drivers	Avg Start	Races
1	Bobby Isaac	3.6	8	1	Chase Elliott	4.6	8
2	Chase Elliott	4.6	8	2	Jimmie Johnson	10.6	36
3	Davey Allison	5.3	15	3	Ryan Blaney	12.1	11
4	Pete Hamilton	5.4	5	4	Brad Keselowski	12.5	22
5	Sam Sommers	6.3	3	5	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	12.5	14
6	David Pearson	6.4	25	6	William Byron	13.3	4
7	Gordon Johncock	7.5	2	7	Daniel Suarez	13.8	6
8	Cale Yarborough	8.1	34	8	Ryan Newman	14.9	36
9	Rob Moroso	9.5	2	9	Austin Dillon	15.7	13
10	Dale Earnhardt	10.2	44	10	Erik Jones	16.0	6

POLES

• A total of 44 different drivers have won at least one Busch Pole Award at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Cup Series; 23 of the pole winners have won more than one. Seven of the 44 Talladega pole winners are active this weekend.
  

NASCAR Cup Series
Talladega Pole Winners
Active Pole Winners (7)	Poles
Chase Elliott	2
Kevin Harvick	2
Austin Dillon	1
Jimmie Johnson	1
Kurt Busch	1
Martin Truex Jr	1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr	1

• NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Talladega Superspeedway with eight (1985 sweep, 1986 sweep, 1987 sweep, spring 1990 and fall 1993).
  
• Kevin Harvick (2005, 2018) and Chase Elliott (2016, 2019) lead all active drivers in Busch Pole Awards at Talladega with two poles each.
  
• Bobby Isaac won the inaugural Busch Pole Award at Talladega Superspeedway in 1969 with a speed of 199.466 mph. In fact, Isaac won the first three poles at the 2.66-mile superspeedway !969, 1970 sweep).
  
• 11 drivers have won consecutive Busch Pole Awards at Talladega – none are currently active.
  
• Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive poles at Talladega with six-straight from 1985 – 1987.
  
• Youngest Talladega pole winner: Chase Elliott (May 1, 2016 – 20 years, 5 months, 3 days).
  
• Oldest Talladega pole winner: Mark Martin (October 23, 2011 – 52 years, 9 months, 14 days).
  
• Six drivers have posted their first NASCAR Cup Series Busch pole at Talladega – Brian Scott (05/04/2014); Juan Pablo Montoya (04/26/2009), Travis Kvapil (10/5/2008), David Gilliland (10/8/2006), Stacy Compton (04/22/2001) and Jeremy Mayfield (07/28/1996).
  
• A total of eight different manufacturers have won the pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Speedway; led by Chevrolet with 37 poles; followed by Ford (29), Dodge (12), Mercury (five), Oldsmobile (five), Pontiac (three), Toyota (three) and Buick (two).   

WINS

NASCAR Cup Series
Talladega Race Winners
Active Race Winners (12)	Wins
Brad Keselowski	5
Joey Logano	3
Clint Bowyer	2
Jimmie Johnson	2
Aric Almirola	1
Chase Elliott	1
Denny Hamlin	1
Kevin Harvick	1
Kyle Busch	1
Matt Kenseth	1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr	1
Ryan Blaney	1

• A total of 49 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Talladega Superspeedway; 23 of the 49 have won multiple times at the 2.66-mile track. 12 of the 49 are active this weekend.
  
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in wins at Talladega Superspeedway with 10 victories (1983, 1984, 1990 sweep, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1999 sweep, 2000).
  
• Brad Keselowski leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with five wins (2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017).
• Youngest series Talladega winner: Bobby Hillin Jr. (July 27, 1986 – 22 years, 1 month, 22 days).
  
• Oldest series Talladega winner: Harry Gant (May 6, 1991 – 51 years, 3 months, 26 days).
  
• 10 of the 47 series winners at Talladega are active this weekend; four of them have multiple wins.
  
• A total of 11 different drivers have won their first NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (5/7/2017), Brad Keselowski (04/26/2009), Brian Vickers (10/08/2006), Ken Schrader (07/31/1988), Phil Parsons (05/01/1988), Davey Allison (04/30/1987), Bobby Hillin Jr. (07/27/1986), Ron Bouchard (08021981), Lennie Pond (08/06/1978), Dick Brooks (08/12/1973) and Richard Brickhouse (09/14/1969).
  
• A total of seven different drivers have won consecutive races at Talladega in the NASCAR Cup Series – Pete Hamilton (1970 sweep), Buddy Baker (1975 sweep, 1976), Darrell Waltrip (1982 sweep), Dale Earnhardt (1990, 1993-94, 1999 sweep), Sterling Marlin (1995-96), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2001-2003), Jeff Gordon  (2007 sweep).
  
• 14 of the 101 (13.8%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway have been won from the pole or first starting position.
  
• 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 (19.8%). 

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Talladega Superspeedway

Starting Position	Wins	Winning %	Starting Position	Wins	Winning %
1	14	13.86%	14	1	0.99%
2	20	19.80%	15	2	1.98%
3	7	6.93%	16	3	2.97%
4	9	8.91%	17	1	0.99%
5	5	4.95%	18	2	1.98%
6	4	3.96%	19	1	0.99%
7	3	2.97%	20	1	0.99%
8	1	0.99%	22	2	1.98%
9	6	5.94%	24	1	0.99%
10	3	2.97%	27	1	0.99%
11	4	3.96%	34	3	2.97%
12	2	1.98%	36	1	0.99%
13	4	3.96%
Additional Stats				Winning %	Wins
Winning from the first starting position:				13.86%	14
Winning from the front row:				33.66%	34
Winning from a top five starting position:				54.46%	55
Winning from a top 10 starting position:				71.29%	72
Winning after starting outside the top 20:				7.92%	8

• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Talladega is 36th, by Jeff Gordon in the 2000 spring race.
  
• The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Talladega is 34th, by Denny Hamlin in the 2014 spring race.
  
• Kevin Harvick (18), Aric Almirola (17), Denny Hamlin (16), Joey Logano (13) and Ryan Blaney (10) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Talladega.
  
• Kurt Busch leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega without visiting Victory Lane at 38; followed by Ryan Newman with 36.
  
• A total of 29 different owners have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway.
  

NASCAR Cup Series
Top Five In Owner Wins At Talladega
Rank	Winning Car Owners	Wins
1	Hendrick Motorsports	13
2	Richard Childress Racing	12
3	Team Penske	8
4	Dale Earnhardt Inc.	6
	Ranier Racing	6

• Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins by an organization at Talladega in the NASCAR Cup Series with 13 victories.
  
• Nine different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway; led by Chevrolet with 41 victories; followed by Ford with 29, Mercury (seven), Buick (six), Oldsmobile (six), Dodge (four), Plymouth (three), Toyota (three) and Pontiac (two).

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes

• A total of 48 different drivers have finished runner-up in the series at Talladega Superspeedway.
  
• Buddy Baker and Tony Stewart lead the series in runner-up finishes at Talladega with six second-place finishes each.
  
• Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick lead all active drivers with three runners-up finishes each at Talladega.
  

Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Talladega Superspeedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank	All-Time Drivers	Runner-Ups	Rank	Active Drivers	Runner-Ups
1	Buddy Baker	6	1	Jimmie Johnson	3
	Tony Stewart	6		Kevin Harvick	3
3	Dale Earnhardt Jr	5	3	Clint Bowyer	2
	Dale Jarrett	5		Kyle Busch	2
	Darrell Waltrip	5		Ryan Newman	2

Top-Five Finishes

• A total of 115 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished in the top-five at Talladega.
  
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top fives with 23 top-five finishes.
  
• Joey Logano and Kurt Busch lead all active series drivers in top fives at Talladega with eight each. 

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Talladega Superspeedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank	All-Time Drivers	Top Fives	Rank	Active Drivers	Top Fives
1	Dale Earnhardt	23	1	Joey Logano	8
2	Jeff Gordon	16		Kurt Busch	8
3	Buddy Baker	15	3	Brad Keselowski	7
4	Cale Yarborough	14		Clint Bowyer	7
	Darrell Waltrip	14		Denny Hamlin	7
	Terry Labonte	14		Jimmie Johnson	7
				Kevin Harvick	7
				Ryan Newman	7

Top-10 Finishes

• A total of 195 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished in the top-10 at Talladega.
  
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top 10s at Talladega with 27.
  
• Kurt Busch leads all active series drivers in top 10s at Talladega with 20.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Talladega Superspeedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank	All-Time Drivers	Top 10s	Rank	Active Drivers	Top 10s
1	Dale Earnhardt	27	1	Kurt Busch	20
2	Mark Martin	24	2	Kevin Harvick	15
3	Terry Labonte	23		Ryan Newman	15
4	Bill Elliott	22	4	Clint Bowyer	13
5	Buddy Baker	20		Jimmie Johnson	13
	Jeff Gordon	20
	Kurt Busch	20

Average Finishes

• Pete Hamilton (five starts) leads the  NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Talladega with a 5.600.
  
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (11 starts) leads all active drivers in the  NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Talladega with a 11.400.
  

Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Talladega Superspeedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank	All-Time Drivers	Avg Finish	Races	Rank	Active Drivers	Avg Finish	Races
1	Pete Hamilton	5.6	5	1	Ryan Preece	10.5	2
2	Bruce Jacobi	10.0	2	2	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	11.6	13
3	Ryan Preece	10.5	2	3	Chase Elliott	13.3	8
4	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	11.6	13	4	Ty Dillon	13.5	6
5	Bobby Isaac	12.4	8	5	Aric Almirola	15.4	20
6	Dale Earnhardt	12.4	44	6	Kurt Busch	15.5	38
7	David Ray Boggs	12.5	2	7	Brad Keselowski	16.0	22
8	Davey Allison	12.7	15	8	Kevin Harvick	16.1	38
9	Daniel Hemric	13.0	2	9	Joey Logano	16.2	22
10	Chase Elliott	13.3	8	10	Clint Bowyer	16.3	28

LAPS LEADERS

• A total of 193 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have led at least one lap at Talladega Superspeedway.
  
• Dale Earnhardt leads the series in laps led at Talladega with 1,377 in 44 starts.
  
• Matt Kenseth leads all active drivers in laps led at Talladega with 524 in 37 starts.
  

Top 10 Series Lap Leaders at Talladega Superspeedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank	All-Time Drivers	Led	Completed	% Led	Rank	Active Drivers	Led	Completed	% Led
1	Dale Earnhardt	1377	7199	19%	1	Matt Kenseth	524	6509	8%
2	Buddy Baker	1137	6161	18%	2	Jimmie Johnson	472	6453	7%
3	Dale Earnhardt Jr	967	6134	16%	3	Joey Logano	319	4068	8%
4	Jeff Gordon	902	7963	11%	4	Denny Hamlin	302	4953	6%
5	Bobby Allison	703	5267	13%	5	Brad Keselowski	293	4036	7%
6	Darrell Waltrip	666	8071	8%	6	Kurt Busch	282	6916	4%
7	Cale Yarborough	593	4731	13%	7	Kevin Harvick	260	6774	4%
8	Bill Elliott	526	9594	5%	8	Kyle Busch	245	5090	5%
9	Matt Kenseth	524	6509	8%	9	Chase Elliott	126	1486	8%
10	Jimmie Johnson	472	6453	7%	10	Clint Bowyer	123	4843	3%

TRACK/EVENT SPECIFIC STATS

• There have been 14 NASCAR Cup Series races resulting in NASCAR Overtime at Talladega:

Date	Scheduled No. Of Laps	Actual No. Of Laps	NASCAR Overtime	Race Winners
10/14/2018	188	193	5	Aric Almirola
5/7/2017	188	191	3	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
10/23/2016	188	192	4	Joey Logano
10/25/2015	188	196	8	Joey Logano
10/19/2014	188	194	6	Brad Keselowski
5/5/2013	188	192	4	David Ragan
10/7/2012	188	189	1	Matt Kenseth
5/6/2012	188	194	6	Brad Keselowski
4/25/2010	188	200	12	Kevin Harvick
11/1/2009	188	191	3	Jamie McMurray
10/5/2008	188	190	2	Tony Stewart
4/29/2007	188	192	4	Jeff Gordon
10/2/2005	188	190	2	Dale Jarrett
5/1/2005	188	194	6	Jeff Gordon

• Only two of the 101 series races at Talladega have been shortened due to weather conditions:

Date	Scheduled No. Of Laps	Actual No. Of Laps	Fewer Laps	Race Winners
7/28/1996	188	129	-59	Jeff Gordon
4/30/1987	188	178	-10	Davey Allison

• Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway five times: fall of 2002, fall of 2009, spring of 2010, spring and fall of 2013.
  
• Prior to this weekend, only one NASCAR Cup Series race held at Talladega Superspeedway was not run on its scheduled date. The April 27, 1997, race was postponed due to inclement weather to May 10, 1997 – Mark Martin won the event.
  
• Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway is the April 17, 2011 race won by Jimmie Johnson over second-place Clint Bowyer with a MOV of 0.002 second – the MOV is tied with the 2003 Darlington race as the closest finishes in the series using electronic scoring.
  

Top 10 Closest Margin of Victory in the NCS at Talladega Superspeedway

Rank	Margin of Victory	Winner	Runner-Up	Date
1	0.002	Jimmie Johnson	Clint Bowyer	Sunday, April 17, 2011
2	0.005	Dale Earnhardt	Ernie Irvan	Sunday, July 25, 1993
3	0.007	Ryan Blaney	Ryan Newman	Sunday, October 13, 2019
4	0.011	Kevin Harvick	Jamie McMurray	Sunday, April 25, 2010
5	0.018	Clint Bowyer	Jeff Burton	Sunday, October 23, 2011
6	0.025	Jimmy Spencer	Bill Elliott	Sunday, July 24, 1994
7	0.050	Sterling Marlin	Dale Jarrett	Sunday, July 23, 1995
8	0.052	Tony Stewart	Paul Menard	Sunday, October 5, 2008
9	0.060	Dale Earnhardt	Ernie Irvan	Sunday, May 1, 1994
	0.060	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Michael Waltrip	Sunday, April 21, 2002

FEMALE COMPETITOR STATS

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

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Danica Patrick	13	21	10/15/2017
Danica Patrick	31	38	5/7/2017
Danica Patrick	30	20	10/23/2016
Danica Patrick	37	24	5/1/2016
Danica Patrick	20	27	10/25/2015
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
Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Patty Moise	36	33	7/30/1989
Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
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 164 NASCAR national series races held in the state of Alabama among seven different tracks.

Tracks in Alabama
Track Name	City	Cup	Xfinity	Truck	Total	First Year
Talladega Superspeedway	Talladega	101	28	14	145	1969
Birmingham International Raceway	Birmingham	8	0	0	8	1958
Chisholm Speedway	Montgomery	1	0	0	1	1956
Dixie Speedway	Birmingham	1	0	0	1	1960
Huntsville Speedway	Huntsville	1	0	0	1	1962
Lakeview Speedway	Mobile	2	0	0	2	1951
Montgomery Motor Speedway	Montgomery	6	0	0	6	1955
Total		120	28	14	164

• The very first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Alabama was a NASCAR Cup Series event held at Lakeview Speedway (Mobile) in 1951 – the race was won by Alabama native Tim Flock (Oldsmobile).

• The first race held at Talladega Superspeedway was in 1969 – the event was won by Richard Brickhouse (Dodge).

ALABAMA IN NASCAR

• A total of 74 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Alabama.

• 11 drivers from Alabama have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series combining to a total of 202 victories; six of the 11 winners have won in the NASCAR Cup Series.

	Race Winners From Alabama
	Driver	Cup	Xfinity	Gander Truck	Combined
1	Bobby Allison	84	2	0	86
2	Tim Flock	39	0	0	39
3	Davey Allison	19	0	0	19
4	Neil Bonnett	18	1	0	19
5	Donnie Allison	10	0	0	10
6	Red Byron	2	0	0	2
7	Steve Grissom	0	11	0	11
8	Bubba Wallace	0	0	6	6
9	Rick Crawford	0	0	5	5
10	Grant Enfinger	0	0	4	4
11	Cale