Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Coca-Cola 600

Below is a look at the top statistical performers at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, going into the Coca-Cola 600 on May 30 .

Charlotte Motor Speedway Data
Season Race #: 15 of 36 (05-30-21)
Track Size: 1.5-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 24 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 24 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch Length:  1,980 feet
Backstretch Length:  1,500 feet
Race Length: 400 laps / 600 miles
Stage Length: 100 laps each

Top 12 Driver Ratings at Charlotte
Kyle Busch…………………………. 105.9
Chase Elliott…………………………. 96.5
Denny Hamlin……………………….. 95.0
Martin Truex Jr……………………… 92.0
Kevin Harvick……………………….. 90.8
Joey Logano………………………… 90.3
Kurt Busch…………………………… 88.5
Brad Keselowski……………………. 87.9
Tyler Reddick……………………….. 87.8
Kyle Larson………………………….. 86.8
Ryan Blaney…………………………. 86.7
William Byron……………………….. 83.2
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2020 races (30 total) among active drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

At Charlotte Motor Speedway:

HISTORY

• Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) in 1959.
• The track’s first NASCAR Cup Series race was held on June 19, 1960 and won by Joe Lee Johnson in a Chevrolet.
• The track was repaved midseason in 1994.
• The track name changed from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999. It changed back to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2010 season.
• The track was re-paved again before the 2006 season.
• In 2018, the Charlotte Motor Speedway introduced the road course configuration (ROVAL) and in the process relinquished the track’s second event on the oval configuration effectively creating a new road course track on the schedule – the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (ROVAL).
• There have been 122 NASCAR Cup Series points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, two races per year from when the track opened in 1960 until 2017. Starting in 2018, Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted just one race on the oval configuration, with the exclusion of last year with the pandemic reschedule the series competed in two races on the oval.
• In 1961, there were two 100-mile qualifying points races held the week before the May race. The first six fall races at Charlotte were 400-mile events (1960-65).

STARTS

• A total of 557 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series points-paying race at Charlotte Motor Speedway; 404 have competed in more than one.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Charlotte with 64.
• Kurt Busch leads all active drivers in series starts at Charlotte with 39; followed by Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman with 38 each.
• A total of 65 different drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history have made their first series career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Two active series drivers have made their first career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Kyle Larson (10/12/13) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (05/29/11).
• Jack Sprague (two starts) leads the series in average starting position at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a 5.0.
• William Byron leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a 8.250 in four starts.

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

POLES

• A total of 47 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won the Busch Pole Award at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Nine of the 47 NASCAR Cup Series Charlotte Motor Speedway pole winners are active this weekend.

• NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 14 poles (1961, 1972, 1973, 1974 sweep, 1975 sweep, 1976 sweep, 1977 sweep, 1978 sweep, 1982).
• Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in poles at Charlotte Motor Speedway with nine (2001, 2003 sweep, 2004, 2005, 2007 sweep, 2009 and 2010).
• Fireball Roberts won the inaugural Busch Pole Award at Charlotte Motor Speedway (World 600) in 1960 with a speed of 133.904 mph.
• A total of 14 different drivers have won consecutive poles at Charlotte; Kevin Harvick is the most recent driver to post consecutive poles (2016 Playoffs, 2017 May race).
• David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Charlotte with 11-straight from the fall of 1973 through 1978.
• Youngest Charlotte Cup pole winner: William Byron (May 26, 2019 – 21 years, 4 months, 27 days)
• Oldest Charlotte Cup pole winner: Bobby Allison (October 11, 1987 – 49 years, 10 months, 8 days).
• Eight drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

• Eight different manufacturers have won at least one NASCAR Cup Series pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway, led by Chevrolet with 34 poles, followed by Ford (30), Mercury (14), Dodge (13), Pontiac (10), Toyota (8), Buick (6) and Plymouth (4).

WINS

• A total of 52 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Eight of the 52 NASCAR Cup Series Charlotte Motor Speedway winners are active this weekend.

• Jimmie Johnson leads the series in wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway with eight victories – 2003 summer, 2004 sweep, 2005 sweep, 2009 Playoffs, 2014 summer, 2016 Playoffs.
• Youngest Charlotte winner: Jeff Gordon (May 29, 1994 – 22 years, 9 months, 25 days).
• Oldest Charlotte winner: Cale Yarborough (October 6, 1985 – 46 years, 6 months, 9 days).
• 10 drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

• Nine drivers have posted consecutive wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including three consecutive by NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen (fall 1964 and both 1965) and four-straight by Jimmie Johnson (2004 and 2005 sweeps).
• 17 of the 122 NASCAR Cup Series races at Charlotte (13.9%) have been won from the pole or first starting position; the most recent was Kyle Busch in the 2018 Coca-Cola 600.
• The first and second starting positions are the most proficient starting positions in the field, producing more winners (17 each) than any other starting position at Charlotte Motor Speedway – combining to win 27.87% of the races.
• The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in Coca-Cola 600 field, producing 11 victories – most recent – Kyle Busch in 2018.

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Charlotte Motor Speedway

• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Charlotte is 37th, by Jimmie Johnson in the Coca-Cola 600 of 2003.
• Ryan Newman leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Charlotte without visiting Victory Lane at 38; followed by Denny Hamlin with 29 starts without a win.
• A total of 34 different drivers have won the Coca-Cola 600 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Six of the 34 NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 winners are active this weekend.

• NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip leads the series in Coca-Cola 600 wins with five victories (1978, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1989).
• Kevin Harvick (2011, 2013) and Martin Truex Jr. (2016, 2019) lead all active drivers in Coca-Cola 600 wins with two victories each.
• A total of 38 different organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Eight of 38 winning organizations at Charlotte Motor Speedway are entered this weekend.

• Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Charlotte in the NASCAR Cup Series with 20 victories among eight drivers: Jimmie Johnson (eight), Jeff Gordon (five), Darrell Waltrip (two), Ken Schrader (one), Terry Labonte (one), Casey Mears (one), Kasey Kahne (one) and Chase Elliott (one).
• Eight different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte; led by Chevrolet with 46 victories; followed by Ford (31), Dodge (15), Pontiac (8), Mercury (7), Toyota (7), Buick (4) and Plymouth (4).

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

• A total of 56 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished runner-up at Charlotte Motor Speedway; 26 of 55 have finished runner-up at Charlotte multiple times.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in runner-up finishes at Charlotte with nine second-place finishes.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in runner-up finishes at Charlotte with four (2001, 2014, 2015, 2016).

Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Top-Five Finishes:

• A total of 120 different drivers have finished in the top-five in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison are tied for the series most top-five finishes at Charlotte with 23 each.
• Kyle Busch leads all active series drivers with 14 top-five finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Top-10 Finishes

• A total of 211 different drivers have finished in the top-10 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Charlotte with 31.
• Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top-10 finishes at Charlotte with 19 each.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Average Finish

• Johnny Beauchamp (two starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Charlotte with a 7.0.
• Tyler Reddick (two starts) leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Charlotte with an 11.0.

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

LAP LEADERS

• A total of 180 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison leads the series in laps led at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 2,339 laps led in 43 starts.
• Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in the series in laps led at Charlotte with 1,449 laps led 32 starts.
• Martin Truex Jr. holds the record for the most laps led in in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway after he led 392 of the scheduled 400 laps (98%) in the 2016 Coca-Cola 600 – he started from the pole.
• The fewest laps led by the NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Charlotte was two – it happened twice – 2017 Austin Dillion’s win, 2011 Kevin Harvick’s win.
• The most laps led by a NASCAR Cup Series driver at Charlotte Motor Speedway that did not win was 289 of the scheduled 400 laps (72%) by NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson on June 2, 1963 – he finished second after starting from the pole.

Top 10 in Laps Led at Charlotte Motor Speedway (All-time & Active)

TRACK / EVENT SPECIFIC STATS

• Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the May 29, 2005, race won by Jimmie Johnson over Bobby Labonte with a MOV of 0.027 second.

Top Five Closest NASCAR Cup Series Margin of Victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway

• Four NASCAR Cup Series races have resulted in NASCAR Overtime at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

• Five NASCAR Cup Series races have been shortened due to weather conditions at Charlotte Motor Speedway; four of the five were the Coca-Cola 600s:

• Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway twice – the October race of 2002 and the October race of 2008.
• Last season’s second race determined the starting lineup by inverting the field. Qualifying was cancelled due to the Pandemic protocols.

FEMALE COMPETITORS

• Two female drivers have competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.

NASCAR in North Carolina

• There have been 752 NASCAR national series races among 32 tracks in the state of North Carolina.

North Carolina Drivers In NASCAR

• A total of 464 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as North Carolina. 56 of the 464 have won in a NASCAR national series race.

— NASCAR —