New Hampshire Motorspeedway History and Notes

New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

History
· Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway, as New Hampshire Motor Speedway was originally named, was Aug. 13, 1989.

· The 1.058-mile oval is located on approximately 1,200 acres; the multi-use complex is the largest sports facility in New England.

· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on July 11, 1993 – won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace.

· Speedway Motorsports Inc., agreed to purchase New Hampshire International Speedway from Bob and Gary Bahre on January 11, 2008 and then renamed the track New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Notebook

· There have been 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year since.
· 148 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; 120 in more than one.
· Four drivers have competed in all 37 races at New Hampshire: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.
· Mark Martin won the inaugural Coors Light pole at New Hampshire in 1993 with a speed of 126.871 mph.
· 18 drivers have Coors Light poles at New Hampshire, led by Ryan Newman with six.
· Five drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at New Hampshire: Ken Schrader (1997 sweep); Jeff Gordon (1998-1999); Rusty Wallace (1999-2000); Ryan Newman (twice – 2003-2004 and 2011 sweep); Juan Pablo Montoya (2009-2010).
· Youngest New Hampshire Coors Light pole winner: Brian Vickers (7/17/2005 – 21 years, 8 months, 23 days).
· Oldest New Hampshire Coors Light pole winner: Bill Elliott (7/21/2002 – 46 years, 9 months, 13 days).
· 22 different drivers have won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, led by Jeff Burton with four.
· Two drivers have posted consecutive wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (2003 sweep) and Kurt Busch (2004 sweep).
· Youngest New Hampshire winner: Joey Logano (6/28/2009 – 19 years, 1 month, 4 days).
· Oldest New Hampshire winner: Mark Martin (9/20/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 11 days).
· Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at New Hampshire in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with nine; followed by Roush Fenway Racing with seven.
· Five different manufacturers have won at New Hampshire; led by Chevrolet with 18 victories; followed by Ford with 11 and Toyota with three.
· Jeff Burton is the only driver to win the July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway three consecutive years in a row (1997, ’98 and ’99).

· Five of the 37 (13.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Ryan Newman in 2011.

· The Coors Light pole is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (five) than any other starting position at New Hampshire.
· Eight of the 37 (21.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from the front row: eight from the pole and seven from second place.
· 19 of the 37 (51.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Nine of the 37 (24.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at New Hampshire was 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.
· Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are tied for the series lead in runner-up finishes at New Hampshire with five each.
· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at New Hampshire with 16; followed by Tony Stewart with 14.
· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at New Hampshire with 22; followed by Tony Stewart with 17.
· Ryan Newman leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at New Hampshire with an 8.348.
· Denny Hamlin leads NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at New Hampshire with an 8.800.
· All 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners at New Hampshire Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Ryan Newman and Joey Logano won at New Hampshire in their second appearance.
· Mark Martin competed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway 25 times before winning in 2009; the longest span of any the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
· Bobby Labonte leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at New Hampshire without visiting Victory Lane at 37; followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 28.
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the July 1, 2007 race won by Denny Hamlin over Jeff Gordon with a MOV of 0.068 second.
· 15 of the 30 NSCS races scored by electronic scoring at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have had a Margin of Victory less than a second.
· Two of the 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races have resulted with a green-white-checkered finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): 2006 (300/308) and 2013 (301/302).
· Four of the 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was June 28, 2009 – the race was called on Lap 273, 28 circuits shy of the 301 scheduled laps.
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway four times: 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2009.
· Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series active drivers have made their first career start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Jeff Burton (9/14/93), Joe Nemechek (7/11/93), and Joey Logano (9/14/08).
· Brad Keselowski (9/19/10) is the only active driver to post his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
· Four active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted their first career win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Joe Nemechek (9/19/99), Ryan Newman (9/15/02), Clint Bowyer (9/16/07) and Joey Logano (6/28/09).
· Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at New Hampshire with 1,316 laps led in 37 starts.
· Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

NASCAR in New Hampshire

· There have been 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data

Season Race #: 27 of 36 (9-22-13)

Chase Race #: 2

Track Size: 1.058-mile

Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 2 to 7 degrees

Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 2 to 7 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 1 degree

Banking/Backstretch: 1 degree

Frontstretch Length:  1,500 feet

Backstretch Length:  1,500 feet

Race Length: 300 laps / 317.4 miles

Top 13 Driver Rating at New Hampshire

Tony Stewart............................111.0

Jeff Gordon.............................. 109.4

Jimmie Johnson....................... 105.1

Denny Hamlin...........................103.5

Dale Earnhardt Jr..................... 96.9

Clint Bowyer...............................96.2

Ryan Newman............................93.1

Jeff Burton................................. 92.8

Kevin Harvick.............................92.1

Kasey Kahne.............................. 92.1

Kyle Busch................................. 91.9

Kurt Busch................................. 90.9

Mark Martin...............................88.9

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (17 total) among active drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

 Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 134.911 mph, 28.232 secs. 9-21-12

2012 race winner: Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 116.810 mph, (02:43:02), 9-23-12

Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 135.232 mph, 28.165 secs. 7-15-11

Track race record: Jeff Burton, Ford, 117.134 mph, (02:42:35), 7-13-97

- NASCAR Integrated Marketing

NASCAR This Week on ESPN

The Chase Continues at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup continues this weekend with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. ESPN will have a live telecast of the second race of NASCAR’s playoffs on Sunday, Sept. 22, with NASCAR Countdown at 1 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag at 2:15 p.m. All NASCAR programming on ESPN is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.

Announcers:
Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick; analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree.

Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch.

NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace; Ray Evernham, Brad Daugherty (analysts).

NASCAR Nationwide Series in Prime Time at Kentucky

The NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Kentucky Speedway near Cincinnati on Saturday night, Sept. 21, at the race will air on ESPNEWS and WatchESPN. NASCAR Countdown is at 7 p.m. ET with the race’s green flag at 7:46 p.m. Marty Reid and analyst Ricky Craven will call the race with pit reporters Rick DeBruhl, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake.

NASCAR Now Weekend Wrap-up Show To Review Chase Race No. 2

ESPN’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will review the second race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on Sunday night, Sept. 22, at 11:30 p.m. ET. Studio host Chris Cotter will be joined from the track by NASCAR Now lead reporter Marty Smith. This week’s schedule:

 

Date               Time              Show                 Host                     Network
Wed., Sept. 18   2:30 a.m.   NASCAR Now   Mike Massaro               ESPN2
Thu., Sept. 19    2 a.m.        NASCAR Now   Mike Massaro               ESPN2
Fri., Sept.   20    2 a.m.        NASCAR Now   Jonathan Coachman   ESPN2
Sun., Sept. 22    11:30 p.m.  NASCAR Now   Chris Cotter                  ESPN2

- ESPN Media Zone News

Montoya to Join Team Penske in 2014

Team Penske announced today that Juan Pablo Montoya will join the team in 2014. Montoya will drive the No. 2 Team Penske IndyCar for the full season as he will join Will Power and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves in the team's IZOD IndyCar Series lineup beginning next season.

Montoya, 37, is a native of Colombia and he is one of the most accomplished drivers in the world. His career highlights include race wins in Formula One, NASCAR and the CART Indy Car Series. He is the only driver to produce victories in the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Monaco Grand Prix. Montoya earned 11 IndyCar wins over two seasons as he captured the CART Series title in his rookie season of 1999 followed by a victory in the Indy 500 in 2000.

"I am really excited to join this legendary team beginning next year," said Montoya. "I have had the opportunity to drive for some of the best racing teams in the world and I have always admired Roger Penske and his organization. I consider it an honor to be offered the opportunity to drive for Team Penske."

"Juan is a proven winner at all levels of motorsport," said Roger Penske. "He has won a lot of races and championships and he has an extremely passionate fan base. We look forward to building on his successes together and we believe he will be a great addition to Team Penske."

Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Competing in a variety of disciplines, cars owned and prepared by Penske Racing have produced 377 major race wins, 433 pole positions and 24 National Championships. The team has also earned 15 Indianapolis 500 victories in its storied history.

- Penske Racing News

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Fast Facts and Results - Chicagoland Geico 400

Matt Kenseth won the 13th Annual Geico 400, his 30th victory in 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. He becomes the 22nd driver to reach 30 NASCAR Sprint Cup victories.

This is his sixth victory and 14th top-10 finish in 2013. This sixth win is a single-season career high for Kenseth.

This is his first victory and fifth top-10 finish in 14 races at Chicagoland Speedway.

There were 25 lead changes among 16 different drivers -- both series records at Chicagoland Speedway. 

Kyle Busch (second) posted his fourth top-10 finish in ten races at Chicagoland Speedway. It is his 16th top-10 finish in 2013.

Kevin Harvick (third) posted his eighth top-10 finish in 14 races at Chicagoland Speedway.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (eighth) was the highest finishing rookie. It is his career-best finish.

Matt Kenseth leads the point standings by 8 points over Kyle Busch.

Click for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Unofficial Race Results: RESULTS

Click for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Unofficial Driver Points: RESULTS

NASCAR Announces Decision Following Review Of Race At Richmond

Following a comprehensive review of all available audio and video communications from last Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway, along with interviews with team personnel, NASCAR announced Friday the following decision:

· Both the Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing organizations have been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for violating Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing).

· A 13th car – the No. 24 – would be added to this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

“Based on all of our findings this week, we determined both Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing organizations would be placed on probation for the remainder of this season,” said Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Additionally, based upon the totality of our findings, to be fair and equitable we decided that adding a 13th car to this year’s Chase is the appropriate action.

“Beginning with our decision Monday, which resulted in an unprecedented team penalty, and continuing with further examination of actions involving two other race teams, it is clear to us that attempts to manipulate the results impacted the Chase field.

“The integrity of our sport remains the cornerstone of NASCAR, and our actions this week speak to our commitment to ensure a level playing field for all competitors.”

Additionally, NASCAR will conduct a mandatory meeting with drivers, owners, crew chiefs and other team personnel tomorrow to address this issue moving forward.

- NASCAR Integrated Marketing

NASCAR Chassis Selections - ChicagoLand Speedway GEICO 400

Not all teams announce their weekly race chassis'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the chassis in the teams race preview: 

#2- Brad Keselowski - The No. 2 Miller Lite primary chassis for Chicagoland is PRS-864, it's a brand new chassis. Backup Chassis PRS-838 last raced at Darlington (finished 32nd).

#5- Kasey Kahne - Crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-809 for Sunday’s event at Chicagoland. Kahne drove this car to a third-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. Most recently, he finished seventh while driving this car at Michigan International Speedway in August.

#9- Marcos Ambrose - The No. 9 Deewalt Ford Fusion team will bring new chassis No. 842 this weekend to Chicago. The team last ran this chassis at Pocono Raceway where they started in eighth and finished in the 12th spot.

#10-Danica Patrick - Chassis No. 10-805 was used for the first time in July at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Patrick started 33rd and finished 30th

#14-Mark Martin - Chassis No. 14-707: This car made its first start in May 2012 in the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was an unassuming debut, as Chassis No. 14-707 started ninth and finished a quiet 17th. The car sat idle until late August where it was used for the Labor Day weekend event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It started strong by qualifying on the pole and took the lead from Greg Biffle on lap two and continued to pace the 43-car field for eight laps. But as the race wore on, Chassis No. 14-707 struggled with its handling, leaving it one lap down in 22nd when the race ended. With 2013 Chevrolet SS bodywork covering it, Chassis No. 14-707 was tested March 7 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and April 11 at Texas Motor Speedway. The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway marked the car’s first start of 2013, and it was a solid one, with Chassis No. 14-707 qualifying fifth and finishing fourth. The car returns to action this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, where on Sunday it will make its third points-paying start and its fourth overall.

#16- Greg Biffle -  No. 16 3M Post-it Ford Fusion primary chassis RK-862 was brand new to the track earlier this year at Pocono and earned a 10th-place finish. Backup Chassis: RK-859  Last ran Indianapolis – finished 24th.

#17- Ricky Stenhouse Jr - No. 17 Best Buy Ford Fusion primary chassis RK-860 is the same chassis that the No.17 team ran at Indianapolis, where Stenhouse ran in the top-25 for the majority of the race, but was unable to gain on the leaders as track position was crucial. The backup Chassis RK-815 is a chassis that the No. 17 ran at Darlington finishing 18th and most recently this chassis tested at Atlanta Motor Speedway during the tire test.

#22- Joey Logano - Primary chassis PRS-863 is a brand new chassis. Backup Chassis PRS-839, Last raced as a backup at several races (not raced).

#24- Jeff Gordon - Gordon will race Hendrick Motorsports chassis No. 24-819 at Chicagoland. It's a brand new chassis for the #24 team.

#27- Paul Menard - This Week’s Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet at Chicagoland Speedway … Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 428 at Chicagoland Speedway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS was raced previously this season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Menard drove it to a 12th-place finish and Michigan International Speedway where he finished fourth.

#29- Kevin Harvick - This Week’s Budweiser Designate a Driver Chevrolet SS at Chicagoland Speedway …Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 430 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the GIEICO 400. This Chevrolet is new to the No. 29 team rotation and is scheduled to be on track for the first time this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

#31- Jeff Burton - This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet at Chicagoland Speedway … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 426 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. This No. 31 Chevrolet was utilized earlier this season at Michigan International Speedway in June and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. 

#39- Ryan Newman - Chassis No. 39-733: A workhorse of the No. 39 fleet, Chassis No. 39-733 debuted at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July 2012, when Newman recorded a seventh-place finish. The crew turned the car around in just a couple of days and took it to Pocono Raceway, where it finished sixth. Two weeks later, the chassis was back on track at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where it finished eighth. The chassis earned its first top-five finish at Chicagoland Speedway. The chassis next raced three weeks later at Dover International Speedway. The chassis made its last start of 2012 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City in October, when Newman was involved in an incident that forced him to retire from the event prematurely. Chassis No. 39-733 was outfitted with a new front clip and a Chevrolet SS body over the off season, and saw its first laps of 2013 at Kansas in April, when Newman finished 14th. He then raced this Chevrolet SS to a 10th-place finish at Darlington Raceway in May. Newman again raced Chassis 39-733 at Pocono in June, where he recorded a fifth-place finish. Newman was in contention to score another top-10 finish with Chassis 39-733 at Kentucky Speedway in June, but a late-race restart saw him shuffled to 14th when the checkered flag waved. Then, Newman qualified the car on the pole and led 45 laps en-route to earning his first win of the 2013 season in July’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. A week later, Newman overcame a series of slow stops on pit road at Pocono to record a fourth-place finish. Most recently, Newman fought through an ill-handling condition to finish 13th at Michigan.

#43- Aric Almirola - The No. 43 Ekrich Ford Fusion team has prepared chassis No. 864 for Chicagoland. This is a new chassis that the team tested in Chicago in August.

#48- Jimmie Johnson - Johnson will drive chassis No. 799 at Chicago. No. 799 raced twice this year, finishing 13th at Pocono and 9th at Kentucky. The car raced once in 2012 finishing 22nd at Charlotte. Chassis No. 784 serves as the backup.  No. 784 raced 4 times this year, winning the All Star race and finishing 28th at Michigan, 3rd at Kansas and 12th at California. 

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr -  Crew chief Steve Letarte and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-810 this weekend at Chicago. Earnhardt first raced this chassis at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, and he finished sixth at the 2.5-mile speedway.

#99- Carl Edwards - This week's No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion primary chassis, RK- 854, last ran at Michigan. Backup chassis is RK 831.

- Reported in Team News/Press Release

Richard Childress Racing and Furniture Row Racing Agree to Continue Technical Alliance

Richard Childress Racing and Furniture Row Racing have agreed to continue their successful technical alliance in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition.

The alliance includes technology sharing, engineering, research and development provided to FRR’s No. 78 Chevrolet from RCR. The partnership, which started in 2010, also includes FRR utilizing the highly reliable and powerful engines of ECR Engines.

This season, the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet driven by Kurt Busch qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship on the strength of one pole, seven top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Busch has eight front row starts this season, which is the most he has earned in any year of his career.

Based in Denver, Colorado, FRR started racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2005.

“Barney Visser (FRR owner) is one of the finest and most committed men I have ever dealt with in this sport,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “He has brought a lot to this sport and it’s great to renew this partnership.

“I’m looking forward to working with him and the strong team he has assembled out in Colorado. Seeing them make the Chase for the first time this year shows how successful this partnership has become. I believe we’ll have similar success in 2014 and beyond, and we’re going to do our best to make that happen.”

“We are excited to continue our engineering and technical alliance with RCR, which has a storied history as one of the leading racing organizations in NASCAR,” said Joe Garone, Furniture Row Racing general manager. “The foundation that we’ve built together over the past three years and the team camaraderie that has been established during this time have resulted in a unique and successful partnership.

“The FRR and RCR alliance is dedicated in continuing the pursuit of reaching new performance levels in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.”

- Richard Childress Racing News