Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Super Start Batteries 400

Top 12 Kansas Driver Ratings
Kevin Harvick………………………. 108.7
Matt Kenseth………………………. 103.1
Jimmie Johnson…………………… 102.3
Martin Truex Jr………………………. 99.6
Chase Elliott…………………………. 96.5
Ryan Blaney…………………………. 94.7
Kyle Busch…………………………… 91.8
Brad Keselowski……………………. 91.4
Denny Hamlin……………………….. 88.4
Kurt Busch……………………………. 88.4
Joey Logano…………………………. 87.6
Erik Jones……………………………. 87.6
Note: Driver Ratings are compiled from 2005-2019 races
(24 total) among active drivers at Kansas Speedway.

Kansas Speedway:

HISTORY

• Groundbreaking for Kansas Speedway was held on May 25, 1999.
• The official opening of Kansas Speedway was in 2001, with the first events being an ARCA Menards Series race and a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on the same day – June 2.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race was on Sept. 30, 2001 – won by Hendrick Motorsport’s driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet).
• During the 2012 season, between the April and October events, the 1.5-mile track underwent a repave, adding variable banking in the corners (17-20 degrees).
• There have been 28 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, one event from 2001 – 2010 and two races per year since 2011.

STARTS

• A total of 146 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway; 111 drivers have competed in more than one race at Kansas.
• Three drivers have started all 28 NASCAR Cup Series races and lead the series in starts at Kansas Speedway – Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Newman.
• Four drivers all-time have made their first NASCAR Cup Series career start at Kansas Speedway: Erik Jones (5/09/2015), Ryan Blaney (5/10/2014), Austin Dillon (10/09/2011) and Denny Hamlin (10/09/2005).
• Jason Leffler (three starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Kansas Speedway with a 3.5.
• Brad Keselowski (20 starts) leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Kansas with a 10.5.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Kansas Speedway (All-Time & Active)

POLES

• A total of 16 different drivers have won the pole at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series; eight of the 16 are active this weekend.

• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Kansas Speedway with five (fall 2013, 2014 sweep, spring 2018, spring 2019).
• Jason Leffler won the inaugural series pole at Kansas Speedway in 2001 with a speed of 176.499 mph (Dodge) driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
• Jason Leffler (2001), Ryan Blaney (2017) and Daniel Hemric (2019) are the only drivers to post their first-career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Kansas Speedway.
• Jimmie Johnson (2007-2008) and Kevin Harvick (three-straight: fall of 2013-2014 sweep) are the only two drivers to win consecutive Busch poles at Kansas Speedway.
• Youngest series Kansas pole winner: Ryan Blaney (May 13, 2017 – 23 years, 2 months, 43 days).
• Oldest series Kansas pole winner: Mark Martin (October 4, 2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 25 days).
• Four manufacturers have won poles at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series, led by Chevrolet with 11; followed by Ford (nine), Toyota and Dodge (four each).

WINS

• A total of 15 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Kansas Speedway, 10 of the 15 are active this weekend.

• Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson lead the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Kansas with three victories each –Gordon (2001, 2002, 2014),Harvick (2013, 2016, 2018),  Johnson (2008, 2011, 2015).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon won the first NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway on September 30, 2001. Gordon won the first two series races at Kansas (2001, 2002).
• Youngest series Kansas winner: Chase Elliott (October 21, 2018 – 22 years, 10 months, 23 days).
• Oldest series Kansas winner: Mark Martin (October 9, 2005 – 46 years, 9 months, 0 days).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon is the only series driver to win at Kansas in his first appearance (2001).
• No NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won their first career race at Kansas Speedway.
• Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr. are the only three NASCAR Cup Series drivers that have posted consecutive wins at Kansas Speedway:Jeff Gordon (2001 and 2002) – the first two series events at Kansas, Matt Kenseth (fall 2012, spring 2013), Martin Truex Jr. (2017 sweep)
• A total of six of the 28 (21.4%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the pole or first starting position.
• The first starting position is the most proficient starting spot in the field producing more winners (six) than any other starting position on the grid: Joe Nemechek (2004), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Matt Kenseth (spring 2013), Kevin Harvick (Playoffs 2013), Martin Truex Jr. (Playoffs 2017), Kevin Harvick (spring 2018).

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Kansas Speedway

• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Kansas Speedway is 25th, by Brad Keselowski in the spring of 2011.
• Martin Truex Jr. (17), Kyle Busch (16) and Kevin Harvick (15) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Kansas Speedway.

• Kurt Busch leads the series with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 28.
• A total of eight different organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.
• Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Kansas with seven victories: Jeff Gordon (three: 2001, 2002 and 2014), Jimmie Johnson (three: 2008, 2011 and 2015) and Chase Elliott (Playoffs 2018).
• Four manufacturers have won at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series; led by Chevrolet with 12 victories, Ford with eight, Toyota has six and Dodge has two.

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

• A total of 20 different drivers have finished runner-up in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas.
• Kevin Harvick (2014, 2015, 2016) and Martin Truex Jr. (2012 sweep, 2018) lead the series in runner-up finishes at Kansas with three second-place finishes each.
• Chevrolet leads the series in runner-up finishes at Kansas with 12; followed by Toyota (seven), Ford (seven), Dodge (two).

Top Five Finishes:  

• A total of 36 different drivers have finished in the top-five in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kanas.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway with 11 top fives.
• Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the series in top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway with nine top fives.
• Chevrolet leads the series in top-five finishes at Kansas with 59; followed by Ford (44), Toyota (28) and Dodge (nine).

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 54 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have posted top-10 finishes at Kansas.
• Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-10 finishes at Kansas Speedway with 19 top 10s.
• Chevrolet leads the series in top-10 finishes at Kansas with 122; followed by Ford (87), Toyota (45), Dodge (24) and Pontiac (two).

Average Finish:

• NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace (five starts) leads the series in average finish at Kansas Speedway with an 8.2.
• Kevin Harvick (28 starts) leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway with an average finishing position with a 9.7.

Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Kansas Speedway (All-Time & Active)

LAP LEADERS

• A total of 74 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas.
• Kevin Harvick leads the series in laps led at Kansas Speedway with 855 in 28 starts.

Top 10 in Laps Led at Kansas Speedway

FEMALE COMPETITORS

• Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed at Kansas Speedway in the series:

• Danica Patrick’s seventh-place finish (2014) at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series is the third-highest finish by a female driver in series history. Patrick’s series career-best finish is sixth (Atlanta).
• The best finish by a female driver in the NASCAR Cup Series is Sarah Christian’s fifth-place finish (Heidelberg) in 1949.

TRACK & EVENT SPECIFIC STATS

• Since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway is 0.081-second. The race was held on October 10, 2004 – the inaugural series event – Joe Nemechek beat Ricky Rudd.

Top Five Closest Margins of Victory at Kansas Speedway

• In the 28 series races at Kansas Speedway, only four have resulted in NASCAR Overtime:

• Only one of the 28 series races at Kansas Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions:

• Of the 28 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Kansas Speedway, only the Sept. 30, 2007 event has ended under caution – weather – Greg Biffle won the event.
• Qualifying has never been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.
• The NASCAR Cup Series Kansas race has never been postponed to another date due to weather conditions.

NASCAR IN KANSAS

• There has been a total of 73 NASCAR national series races among two tracks held in the state of Kansas.

NASCAR Tracks in Kansas

• The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Kansas was on July 29, 1995 at Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, Kansas. The event was a NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race and it was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. (Chevrolet) driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Kansas Drivers In NASCAR

• A total of 17 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Kansas.
• Of the 17 Kansas drivers, only two of them have won a NASCAR national series race; both have won in the NASCAR Cup Series.

— NASCAR —