Statistical Advance: Analyzing the AdventHealth 400

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, going into the AdventHealth 400 on Sunday, May 5 at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Kansas Speedway Stats & Tidbits:
Season Race #: 12 of 36 (05-05-24)
Purse: $7,894,315
Track Size: 1.5-miles
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 17 to 20 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 17 to 20 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 10 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch Length:  2,685 feet
Backstretch Length:  2,207 feet
Race Length: 267 laps / 400 miles
Stage 1 Length: 80 laps
Stage 2 Length: 85 laps (Ends Lap 165)
Final Stage Length: 102 laps (Ends Lap 267)

Qualifying & Race Record Data

Track Qualifying Record:
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, 197.773 mph, 27.304 secs., October 3, 2014

Track Race Record:
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 152.057 mph (2:38:02); Oct. 21, 2018

2023 Pole Winner:
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 179.206 mph, 30.133 secs., May 6, 2023

2023 Race Winner:
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 117.564 mph, (03:24:24), May 7, 2023

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 an ARCA Menards Series West race on the same day – June 2.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race was on September 30, 2001. The event was 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 36 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, one event from 2001 – 2010 and two races per year since 2011.

STARTS

• A total of 167 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway; 131 drivers have competed in more than one Cup Series race at Kansas.
• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Kansas Speedway with 36 starts – the only driver to make all 36 starts at the track.
• A total of six drivers all-time have made their first NASCAR Cup Series career start at Kansas Speedway:

• Of the six drivers that have made their first career Cup start at Kansas, Austin Dillon posted the best finish in his series debut with a 26th-place result.
• Jason Leffler leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Kansas Speedway with a 3.5 in three starts.
• Ryan Blaney leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Kansas with a 10.313 in 16 starts.

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

POLES

• A total of 19 different drivers have won the pole at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series; seven of the 19 have posted multiple poles at Kansas.
• Jason Leffler won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series pole at Kansas Speedway in 2001 with a speed of 176.499 MPH (Dodge) driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
• A total of nine of the 19 NASCAR Cup Series pole winners 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).
• Jimmie Johnson leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in poles at Kansas Speedway with three (2003, 2007, 2008).
• 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 poles at Kansas Speedway.
• Youngest Cup Series Kansas pole winner: Ryan Blaney (May 13, 2017 – 23 years, 2 months, 43 days).
• Oldest Cup Series Kansas pole winner: Mark Martin (October 4, 2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 25 days).
• A total of 13 different organizations have won a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway; seven of the 13 are active this weekend.

• Hendrick Motorsports leads the Cup Series in poles at Kansas Speedway with six poles among four drivers – Jimmie Johnson (2003, 2007, 2008), Mark Martin (2009), Kasey Kahne (2012) and William Byron (2023).
• Four manufacturers have won poles at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series, led by Chevrolet with 13; followed by Ford (nine), Toyota (six) and Dodge (four).

WINS

• A total of 19 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Kansas Speedway; 11 of 19 have won multiple times at the 1.5-mile track.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon won the first NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway on September 30, 2001. Gordon actually won the first two NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway (2001, 2002).
• A total of 10 of the 19 NASCAR Cup Series winners at Kansas Speedway are active this weekend.

• Denny Hamlin (2012, 2019, 2020, 2023) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Kansas Speedway with four victories.
• Youngest Cup Series Kansas winner: Chase Elliott (October 21, 2018 – 22 years, 10 months, 23 days).
• Oldest Cup Series Kansas winner: Mark Martin (October 9, 2005 – 46 years, 9 months, 0 days).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon is the only Cup 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 (2001, 2002), Matt Kenseth (2012, 2013), Martin Truex Jr. (2017 sweep) and Denny Hamlin (2019, 2020) are the four NASCAR Cup Series drivers that have posted consecutive wins at Kansas Speedway.
• A total of 18 different starting positions on the grid have led to victories in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.
• The first starting position is the most proficient starting spot in the field producing more winners (seven) than any other starting position on the grid (a winning percentage of 19.44%).
• Seven different drivers have won a NASCAR Cup Series race from the pole or first starting position at Kansas Speedway – Joe Nemechek (2004), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Matt Kenseth (spring 2013), Kevin Harvick (Playoffs 2013), Martin Truex Jr. (Playoffs 2017), Kevin Harvick (spring 2018), Kyle Larson (Playoffs 2021).
• A total of seven of the 36 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway (19.44%), have been won from the pole or first starting position; the most recent driver to accomplish the feat was Kyle Larson (2021).
• A total of nine of the 36 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway (25%), have been won from the front row.

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.
• Michael McDowell leads the NASCAR Cup Series among active drivers with the most starts at Kansas Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 25; followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (22) and Austin Dillon (21).
• A total of nine different organizations have won a race in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.

• Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing are tied for the lead in NASCAR Cup Series wins at Kansas Speedway with eight victories each:
  • Hendrick Motorsports: Jeff Gordon (three: 2001, 2002 and 2014), Jimmie Johnson (three: 2008, 2011 and 2015), Chase Elliott (one: Playoffs 2018) and Kyle Larson (one: Playoffs 2021).
  • Joe Gibbs Racing: Tony Stewart (2006), Denny Hamlin (2012, 2019, 2020, 2023), Matt Kenseth (2013), Kyle Busch (2016, 2021).

• Three organizations have won consecutive Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway – Hendrick Motorsports (2001-2002), Furniture Row Racing (2017 sweep), Joe Gibbs Racing (2019-2020), 23XI Racing (2022 sweep).
• Four manufacturers have won at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series; led by Chevrolet with 13 victories, Toyota has 12, Ford with nine, and Dodge has two. Toyota can tie Chevrolet for series-most wins at Kansas this weekend.
• The most consecutive NASCAR Cup Series wins by a manufacturer at Kansas Speedway is four straight wins by Toyota (currently active) from 2022 (sweep) and 2023 (sweep).

 ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

• A total of 20 different drivers have finished runner-up in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.
• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Kansas Speedway with five second-place finishes (2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021).
• Denny Hamlin (2015, 2022, 2023), Martin Truex Jr. (2012 sweep, 2018) and Kyle Larson (2014, 2022, 2023) are tied for the series-most runner-up finishes at Kansas with three each.

Top Five in Second-Place Finishes at Kansas Speedway (All-Time & Active)

 Top Five Finishes:  

• A total of 41 different drivers have finished in the top-five in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kanas Speedway.
• Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway with 13 top fives.

Top Five in Top Fives at Kansas Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 61 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have posted top-10 finishes at Kansas.
• Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick lead the NASCAR Cup Series in top-10 finishes at Kansas Speedway with 19 top 10s each.

Top Five in Top 10s at Kansas Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Average Finish

• NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finish at Kansas Speedway with an 8.2 in five starts.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway with an average finishing position with a 9.882 in 34 starts.

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

LAP LEADERS

• A total of 78 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.
• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Kansas Speedway with 949 in 36 starts.
• Martin Truex Jr. leads all active drivers in laps led at Kansas with 906 in 31 starts.

Top 10 Lap Leaders in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway (All-Time & Active)

• The most laps led by the winner of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway was 197 of the scheduled 272 laps (72.4%) on October 9, 2011 by Jimmie Johnson. He started the race in 19th.
• The most laps led by a driver that did not win a NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway was 173 of the scheduled 267 (64.7%) on April 22, 2012 by Martin Truex Jr.; he ultimately finished the race runner-up after Denny Hamlin passed Truex with 37 laps to go and went on to win.
• The fewest laps led by the winner of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway is two laps of the actual 268 on September 10, 2023 by 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick. He took the lead over Daniel Suarez on Lap 267 and led the final two laps to win.

FEMALE COMPETITORS

• Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup 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

 Top Five Largest Margins of Victory at Kansas Speedway

• In the 36 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, only five have resulted in NASCAR Overtime (13.8%):

• Only one of the 36 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions:

• Of the 36 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 events from 2019-2021 have had their qualifying sessions cancelled due to the pandemic.
• The NASCAR Cup Series Kansas race has never been postponed to another date due to weather conditions.

 NASCAR IN KANSAS

• There have been a total of 92 NASCAR national series races among two tracks held in the state of 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 CRAFTSMAN 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 18 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Kansas.
• Of the 18 Kansas drivers, only two of them have won a NASCAR national series race; both have won in the NASCAR Cup Series.

— NASCAR —