Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, going into the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on March 21 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Atlanta Motor Speedway Data
Season Race #: 6 of 36 (03-21-21)
Track Size: 1.54-miles
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 24 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch Length:  2,332 feet
Backstretch Length:  1,800 feet
Race Length: 325 laps / 500.5 miles
Stage 1 & 2: 105 Laps (each)
Final Stage: 115 Laps

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Atlanta
Kevin Harvick……………………… 102.2
Brad Keselowski……………………. 96.9
Martin Truex Jr……………………… 96.9
Kurt Busch…………………………… 96.7
Denny Hamlin……………………….. 94.7
Kyle Busch…………………………… 94.0
Chase Elliott…………………………. 93.1
Kyle Larson………………………….. 90.2
Joey Logano………………………… 83.6
Ryan Blaney…………………………. 83.6
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2020 races (22 total) among active drivers at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Qualifying/Race Data

2020 pole winner:

None – Due to Pandemic Restrictions

Starting Lineup set by Metric Qualifying;

Chase Elliott started in first.

2020 race winner:

Kevin Harvick, Ford

142.966 mph, (03:30:03), 06-07-20

Track qualifying record:

Geoffrey Bodine, Ford

197.478 mph, 28.074 secs. 11-15-97

Track race record:

Bobby Labonte, Pontiac

159.904 mph, (03:07:48), 11-16-97

Atlanta Motor Speedway Cup Pole Winners

Atlanta Motor Speedway Race Winners

The NASCAR Cup Series 2021 Top 16 in Driver Standings at Atlanta

* – Based on Loop Data from the last 22 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2005 – 2020).

Atlanta Motor Speedway:

HISTORY

• Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5-mile paved speedway.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta was on July 31, 1960, won by Fireball Roberts from the pole position.
• The track was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970.
• It was renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990.
• The track layout was reversed, and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two races in 1997.
• From 1960 – 2010, Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted multiple NASCAR Cup Series races during each season; starting in 2011 the series began only visiting Atlanta once a year (2011-2020). This season marks the first time since 2010, the series will visit the facility more than once a season.
• From 1987 to 2000 Atlanta Motor Speedway held the final championship race of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
• In total, there have been 113 NASCAR Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since the first race there in 1960.

STARTS

• A total of 582 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 393 have competed in more than one at Atlanta.
• Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway with 65; followed by Bill Elliott (62) and Dave Marcis (59).
• Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta with 30 starts; followed by Kurt Busch with 29 and Ryan Newman with 28.
• A total of 67 NASCAR Cup Series drivers have made their series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• Two active NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted their first career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Martin Truex Jr. (10/31/2004) and Cody Ware (3/5/2017).

• The best finish by a driver making their NASCAR Cup Series career debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway was runner-up by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace on March 16, 1980.
• Fred Lorenzen leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 4.105 in 19 starts.
• Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Atlanta with a 7.429 in 28 starts.

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

POLES

• A total of 53 different drivers have won at least one Busch Pole Award at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series, 24 have posted more than one, nine are active this weekend.

• Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman are tied for the NASCAR Cup Series most poles at Atlanta with seven each.
• Fireball Roberts won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Award at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1960 with a speed of 133.870 mph in a Pontiac.
• Youngest Atlanta pole winner: Terry Labonte (03/15/1981 – 24 years, 3 months, 27 days).
• Oldest Atlanta pole winner: Harry Gant (11/14/1993 – 53 years, 10 months, 4 days).
• Winning consecutive poles has happened 10 times at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series, among six different drivers:
  • Fireball Roberts (1960 sweep, 1961 second & third race),
  • Cale Yarborough (1969, 1970, 1978 sweep),
  • Dave Marcis (1975, 1976),
  • Buddy Baker (1979 sweep, 1980),
  • Alan Kulwicki (1989 sweep),
  • Ryan Newman (2003 sweep, 2004 sweep, 2005 sweep).

• Ryan Newman holds the record for most consecutive poles at Atlanta with six; from the spring of 2003 through 2005.
• A total of nine drivers have posted their first NASCAR Cup Series pole at Atlanta.

WINS

• A total of 44 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Atlanta Motor Speedway, 25 have won more than one, and five former Atlanta winners are active this weekend.

• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway with nine victories (1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000).
• Kevin Harvick (2001, 2018, 2020) and Kurt Busch (2002, 2009, 2010) lead all active series winners at Atlanta with three victories each.
• Youngest Cup Series Atlanta winner: Kyle Busch (03/09/2008 – 22 years, 10 months, 7 days).
• Oldest Cup Series Atlanta winner: Morgan Shepherd (03/20/1993 – 51 years, 5 months, 8 days).
• A total of seven different drivers, including one active NASCAR Cup Series driver, have posted their first career win at Atlanta Motor Speedway:

• Four of the five active NASCAR Cup Series winners at Atlanta Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Kevin Harvick is the only active driver to win at Atlanta in his first appearance (2001).
• Denny Hamlin competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway 12 times before winning in the spring of 2012; the longest span of any of the five active NASCAR Cup Series winners.
• Among the five active NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta winners Denny Hamlin (12) is the only driver to have made 10 or more attempts before his first win.
• Ryan Newman leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta without visiting Victory Lane at 28; followed by Martin Truex Jr. at 22.
• No driver has swept the triple header weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway across all three NASCAR national series. Two drivers have won in multiple NASCAR national series races in the same weekend at Atlanta: Carl Edwards (2005, NCS/NXS); (Fall 2008, NCS/NXS),Kyle Busch (Spring 2008, NCS/NCWTS)
• 11 drivers have won consecutive races at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series:

• The most proficient starting position in the field at Atlanta Motor Speedway is the fifth starting position – it has produced more wins (16) than any other starting position.
• A total of 13 of the 113 NASCAR Cup Series races (11.5%) have been won from the Busch Pole.
• 12 different drivers accomplished the feat of winning at Atlanta from the pole, NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty is the only driver to do it twice (1975, 1977).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt is the only driver to start from the first position due to qualifying being cancelled and win in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway (1990).

Wins by Starting Positions at Atlanta Motor Speedway

• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Atlanta is 39th, by Bobby Labonte in the fall of 2001.
• The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Atlanta is 37th, by Jimmie Johnson in 2015.
• In total 41 different owners have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway; eight Atlanta winning organizations are active this weekend.

• The Hendrick Motorsports organization has the most wins at Atlanta in the NASCAR Cup Series with 14 victories: Darrell Waltrip (1989), Ken Schrader (1991), Jeff Gordon (1995, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2011), Jerry Nadeau (2000), Jimmie Johnson (2004, 2007 sweep, 2015, 2016) and Kasey Kahne (2014).
• Nine different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta; led by Chevrolet with 40 victories; followed by Ford (33), Pontiac (11), Dodge (nine), Mercury (eight), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Toyota (three) and Oldsmobile (one).
• The longest consecutive wins streak by a manufacturer in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway is four victories and both Ford and Chevrolet have accomplished the feat three times.
  • Ford – (1964 sweep-1965 sweep), (Nov. 1991, 1992 sweep, Mar. 1993), (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020).
  • Chevrolet – (1983 sweep-1984 sweep), (1995 sweep-1996 sweep), (2003 sweep-2004 sweep),
• Ford has the opportunity this weekend to become the first manufacturer to win five straight at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes

• A total of 54 different drivers have finished runner-up in the NASCAR Cup Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 28 of the 54 have posted multiple runner-up finishes.
• NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt and David Pearson lead the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway with seven each.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with two runner-up finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2009, 2015).

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

Top-Five Finishes

• A total of 112 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-five at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 74 of the 112 Cup drivers with top fives at Atlanta have multiple top-five finishes on the 1.54-mile track.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway with 26; followed by fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough with 23.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top-five finishes at Atlanta with nine.

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

Top-10 Finishes

• A total of 202 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-10 at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 126 of the 202 have multiple top fives at Atlanta in the series.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-10 finishes at Atlanta with 33.
• Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with 15 top-10 finishes at Atlanta each.

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

Average Finishing Position

• Dick Hutcherson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 3.6 in five starts.
• Chase Elliott leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 10.0 in five starts.

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

LAP LEADERS

• A total of 167 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Atlanta Motor Speedway with 3,283 laps led in 47 starts. He is one of just seven drivers all-time to lead more than 3,000 laps at a single track, and the only one to do it on a 1.5-mile speedway.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in laps led at Atlanta with 1,197 in 29 starts.
• The most laps led by the NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Atlanta Motor Speedway was 308 laps led of the scheduled 334 (92.2%) by NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough on March 30, 1969; he started from fifth.
• The most laps led by a NASCAR Cup Series river that did not win the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was 292 laps led of the scheduled 325 (89.8%) by Kevin Harvick on March 5, 2017; he started from the pole.
• The fewest laps led by the NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Atlanta Motor Speedway was one lap – the final lap – of the scheduled 267 by NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson on September 17, 1961; he started the race fifth.

Top 10 NASCAR Cup Series Lap Leaders at Atlanta (All-Time & Active)

TRACK / EVENT SPECIFIC STATS

• Since the advent of electronic scoring (1993), the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway is the March 11, 2001 race won by Kevin Harvick over Jeff Gordon with a margin of victory of 0.006 second – which is the fifth closest finish in series history.
• Atlanta Motor Speedway holds the NASCAR Cup Series record for the two closest finishes on 1.5-mile tracks:
  • 0.006 second – March 30, 2001 – Kevin Harvick beats Jeff Gordon to the finish.
  • 0.010 second – March 12, 2000 – Dale Earnhardt beats Bobby Labonte to the finish.
• Since the advent of electronic scoring (1993), Atlanta Motor Speedway has seen 17 NASCAR Cup Series races conclude with a margin of victory of less than a second; including seven of the last 12 races.

Top 10 NASCAR Cup Series Closest Margins of Victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway

• There have been six NASCAR Cup Series races resulting in a NASCAR Overtime finish at Atlanta:

• Five times the NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta race was shortened due to weather:

• Three-times the NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway has been postponed to another day:
  • Race Scheduled Date: Sept. 4, 2011 – Delayed due to weather – Actual Start Date: Sept. 6, 2011 (Jeff Gordon won)
  • Race Start Date: March 17, 1991 – First 47 laps were run then the event was postponed due to weather – Race Finish Date: March 18, 1991 (remaining 281 laps were run; Ken Schrader won the race)
  • Race Scheduled Date: March 15, 2020 – Delayed due COVID-19 pandemic – Actual Start Date: June 7, 2020.
• Qualifying has been cancelled in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway six times:
  • Due to weather conditions five times: Spring 1973, Spring 1990, Fall 2002, Fall 2006 and Fall 2008.
  • Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions twice: June 7, 2020 and March 21, 2021

FEMALE COMPETITOR STATS

• Three female drivers have competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Shawna Robinson and Danica Patrick.

NASCAR IN GEORGIA

• There has been a total of 230 NASCAR national series races among 14 different tracks in the state of Georgia dating all the way back to 1951.

GEORGIA IN NASCAR

• A total of 187 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Georgia.
• 17 of 187 have won at least once in one of NASCAR’s national series; 11 of the 187 have posted at least one victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.

— NASCAR —