Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, going into the Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart on July 10 at 3 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Atlanta Motor Speedway Data
Season Race #: 19 of 36 (07-10-22)
Track Size: 1.54-miles
Banking/Turns: 28 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch & Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch Length:  2,332 feet
Backstretch Length:  1,800 feet
Race Length: 260 laps / 400.4 miles
Stage 1: 60 Laps
Stage 2 and Final Stage : 100 Laps (each)

Track qualifying record:

Geoffrey Bodine, Ford, 197.478 mph, 28.074 secs. November 15, 1997

Track race record:

Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 159.904 mph, (03:07:48), November 16, 1997

2021 Pole Winner (July Race):

None – Starting Lineup was set by Metric Qualifying – Chase Elliott started from first.

2021 Race Winner (July Race):

Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 141.207 mph, (02:50:08), July 11, 2021

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). Last season marked the first time since 2010, the series visited 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 2021, Atlanta Motor Speedway underwent a transformation starting shortly after the checkered flag on July 11. Over the course of five months, the speedway was reconfigured, sporting steeper 28-degree banked corners, new drainage technology, and brand-new asphalt.
• In total, there have been 116 NASCAR Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since the first race there in 1960

STARTS

• A total of 592 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 404 have competed in more than one at Atlanta.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer 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 33 starts; followed by Kurt Busch with 32.
• A total of 67 NASCAR Cup Series drivers have made their series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• Three active NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted their first career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Martin Truex Jr. (10/31/2004), Ty Dillon (8/31/2015) 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.
• Kyle Larson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Atlanta with a 9.444 in nine starts.

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

POLES

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

• Buddy Baker (1968, 1971, 1976, 1979 sweep, 1980, 1984) and Ryan Newman (2003 sweep, 2004 sweep, 2005 sweep, 2007) are tied for the NASCAR Cup Series most poles at Atlanta Motor Speedway with seven each.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in Atlanta Motor Speedway poles with two (2014, 2017).
• Fireball Roberts won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1960 with a speed of 133.870 mph in a Pontiac.
• Youngest Cup Series Atlanta pole winner: Terry Labonte (03/15/1981 – 24 years, 3 months, 27 days).
• Oldest Cup Series Atlanta pole winner: Harry Gant (11/14/1993 – 53 years, 10 months, 4 days).
• Ryan Newman holds the record for most consecutive poles at Atlanta with six; from the spring of 2003 through 2005.
• 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).
• A total of nine drivers have posted their first NASCAR Cup Series pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

• A total of 40 different organizations have won a NASCAR Cup Series pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• Seven of the 40 organizations that have won a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta are active this weekend.

• Wood Brothers Racing and Team Penske lead the series in poles at Atlanta with nine each.
  • Wood Brothers Racing: Marvin Panch (1963, 1965); Cale Yarborough (1967, 1969, 1970); A.J. Foyt (1971); David Pearson (1972, 1974); Buddy Baker (1984).
  • Team Penske: Rusty Wallace (1993), Ryan Newman (2003 sweep, 2004 sweep, 2005 sweep, 2007), Joey Logano (2015).
• A total of nine different manufacturers have won a NASCAR Cup Series pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway, led by Ford with 30 poles; followed by Chevrolet (25), Dodge (18), Pontiac (16), Mercury (7), Oldsmobile (5), Toyota (3), Buick (2) and Plymouth (1).

WINS

• A total of 46 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Atlanta Motor Speedway, 25 have won more than one at Atlanta.
• Seven of the 46 NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta Motor Speedway race 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).
• Kurt Busch (2002, 2009, 2010, 2021) leads all active NASCAR Cup Series winners at Atlanta Motor Speedway with four victories.
• 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 six different drivers, including one active NASCAR Cup Series driver, have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Atlanta Motor Speedway:

• Four of the seven 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 seven active NASCAR Cup Series winners.
• Among the seven active NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta winners Denny Hamlin (12) is the only driver to have made 10 or more attempts before his first win.
• Martin Truex Jr. leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta without visiting Victory Lane at 25 starts; followed by Joey Logano at 17 starts.

WINS

• 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)

• 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 (13.79%).
• A total of 14 of the 116 NASCAR Cup Series races (12.07%) have been won from the pole or first starting position.
• 13 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).
• Kasey Kahne is the most recent driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race from the pole at Atlanta (3/19/2006).
• 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 19th, by Brad Keselowski in 2019.
• 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 Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series with 15 victories: Darrell Waltrip (1989), Ken Schrader (1991), Jeff Gordon (1995, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2011), Jerry Nadeau (2000), Jimmie Johnson (2004, 2007 sweep, 2015, 2016), Kasey Kahne (2014) and William Byron (2022).
• Nine different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta; led by Chevrolet with 42 victories; followed by Ford (34), Pontiac (11), Dodge (nine), Mercury (eight), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Toyota (three) and Oldsmobile (one).

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes

• A total of 55 different drivers have finished runner-up in the NASCAR Cup Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 30 of the 55 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 (2009, 2015), Kyle Busch (2020, 2021) and Kyle Larson (2017, 2021) lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with two runner-up finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway each.

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

Top-Five Finishes

• A total of 117 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-five at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 77 of the 117 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 and Kurt Busch lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top-five finishes at Atlanta with nine each.

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

 Top-10 Finishes

• A total of 211 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished inside the top-10 at Atlanta Motor Speedway; 130 of the 209 have multiple top 10s at Atlanta in the series.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-10 finishes at Atlanta with 33.
• Kurt Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with 17 top-10 finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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.
• Ryan Blaney leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 12.429 in seven starts.

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Average Finishing Position

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

LAP LEADERS

• A total of 178 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 1,359 in 33 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 driver 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 and finished ninth.
• 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 in fifth.

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

LAP LEADERS

Top 10 NASCAR Cup Series Lap Leaders at Atlanta (Active)

 TRACK / EVENT SPECIFIC STATS

• Since the advent of electronic scoring in 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.

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 nine times:
  • Due to weather conditions six times: Spring 1973, Spring 1990, Fall 2002, Fall 2006, Fall 2008, Spring 2022.
  • Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions three times: June 7, 2020, March 21, 2021 and July 11, 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 238 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 192 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Georgia.
• 19 of 191 drivers have won at least once in one of NASCAR’s national series; 11 of the 192 have posted at least one victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.

— NASCAR —