Race 2 Win: Sharpie 500

Nextel Cup Series

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Sharpie 500 - Race Notes

Bristol Motor Speedway

Track data:
Race #: 24 of 36 (8-27-05)
Event: Sharpie 500
Location: Bristol, TN
Track Size: 0.533 Miles
Number of Laps: 500
Length of Event: 266.5 Miles
Length of Front Stretch: 650 Feet
Length of Back Stretch: 650 Feet
Degree of Banking in Corners: 36 degrees
Degree of Banking on Straights: 16 degrees

Qualifying/Race data:
Last year's event pole winner: Jeff Gordon 128.520 mph 8-27-04 14.930 seconds
Last year's event winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr. 88.538 mph 8-28-04 3 hrs, 0min, 36 sec
Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman 128.709 mph 3-21-03 14.908 seconds
Track race record: Charlie Glotzbach 101.075 mph 7-11-71 2 hrs, 38min, 12 sec

Historical data:
Previous winners at Bristol
Darrell Waltrip (12) Cale Yarborough (9) Dale Earnhardt (9) Rusty Wallace (9) David Pearson (5) Jeff Gordon (5) Bobby Allison (4) Kurt Busch (4) Fred Lorenzen (3) Richard Petty (3) Alan Kulwicki (2) Terry Labonte (2) Mark Martin (2) Davey Allison (1) Donnie Allison (1) Bill Elliott (1) Charlie Glotzbach (1) Paul Goldsmith (1) Dick Hutcherson (1) Ernie Irvan (1) Ned Jarrett (1) Bobby Johns (1) Junior Johnson (1) Benny Parsons (1) Jim Paschal (1) Fireball Roberts (1) Jack Smith (1) Joe Weatherly (1) Dale Jarrett (1) Elliott Sadler (1) Tony Stewart (1) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1) Kevin Harvick (1)
Races won from the pole: 20 of 89 events (22%)
Races won from in top 10: 73 of 89 events (82%)
Races won from outside top 10: 16 of 89 events (18%)

Track Milestones

Fred Lorenzen won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series pole at Bristol in 1961.

Jack Smith won the inaugural NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Bristol in 1961.

The track was re-configured to 36-degree banking, the most acute on the current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule, and re-measured at .533 miles for the 1969 Volunteer 500.

The first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup night race at Bristol was the 1978 Volunteer 500.

The track surface was switched from asphalt to concrete for the 1992 Bud 500 (fall race).

The track name was changed from Bristol International Speedway to Bristol International Raceway in 1978 and then to Bristol Motor Speedway in the fall of 1996.

A race at Bristol has been shortened by rain on only two occasions (fall 1983 and spring 1996).

There has been only one caution-free race at Bristol: the 1971 Volunteer 500, won by Charlie Glotzbach.

Track Update
Four of the six NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Bristol between 1991 and 1993 were won from the Bud Pole. In the 23 races since, Rusty Wallace (spring 1999 and fall 2000) and Jeff Gordon (fall 2002) are the only drivers to win at Bristol from the Bud Pole.

Qualifying Update
Elliott Sadler won the Bud Pole for the Food City 500 in April 2005 and became the first driver other than Jeff Gordon (four) and Ryan Newman (two) to score a Bud Pole at Bristol since 2001.

Manufacturer Update
Chevrolet and Ford each won one race at Bristol in each of the four seasons between 1996 and 1999. Ford won seven of the 11 Bristol races since 2000 with Chevrolet claiming three and Pontiac one. The last victory by a Dodge at Bristol was when Richard Petty won the 1975 Volunteer 500.

Pit Road Rules
Beginning with the 2002 spring race at Bristol, NASCAR instituted a change in the yellow-flag pit road procedures at the Tennessee short track. The pace car will pick up the field in turn three (as opposed to turn one). All lead car laps will enter pit road at the turn-two entrance (regardless of front or backstretch pits). Cars pitting on the front will drive the backstretch pit road then on the apron to the front stretch pit entrance in turn four. Cars pitting on the back will follow the same path and all cars will exit pit road using the exit in turn one.

So Who Owns Bristol Now?

Rusty Wallace won his career-first race at Bristol Motor Speedway, winning there in the spring of 1986, in his fifth race at the Tennessee track. In his 38 races at Bristol since, he has posted eight more victories, including three of the last 13 races. Wallace has also led at least one lap in 28 of his 43 races at Bristol and has led 3,734 laps there, more than any other active driver.

Kurt Busch has won four of the last seven races at Bristol and led in five of the seven. Busch has only competed in nine career races at Bristol.

Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth have both scored top 10 finishes in six of the last seven races at Bristol.

The Money
Purse $5,928,193
NASCAR NEXTEL Leader Bonus $20,000
MBNA Mid-Race Leader Bonus $10,000

Tire/Fuel Data
Goodyear Tire Codes: Left-side — D-6852; Right-side -- D-6854
Other Tracks With This Same Tire Combination: California, Chicago, Kansas
Estimated Pit Window: Every 48-52 laps, based on fuel mileage

Track Tidbits

The field will consist of 43 cars. Two timed laps will be used to determine starting positions, with the adjustments made afterward as required.

There have been 89 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Bristol since the track opened in 1961.

Jeff Gordon is the defending Bud Pole winner for the Sharpie 500.

Thirty-eight drivers have posted Bud Poles at Bristol; 19 have scored more than one.

Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin lead all active drivers, each with seven Bud Poles at Bristol.

Retired driver Cale Yarborough leads all drivers with nine Bud Poles at Bristol.

The race has been won from the Bud Pole on 20 occasions at Bristol, the most of any starting position. Ten of those have come in the spring race; 10 in the fall.

Tony Stewart won the Bud Pole for the Goody's Headache Powder 500 in the fall of 1999, breaking a streak of five consecutive Bud Poles by the Wallace family. Kenny won the Bud Pole for the 1997 Goody's Headache Powder 500 and Rusty won the other four.

Mark Martin scored four consecutive Bud Poles at Bristol (1995-1996).

Forty-eight races at Bristol have been won from the first four starting positions (54 percent).

Only 16 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 10, including six of the past nine.

The furthest back in the field that a race winner has started was 38th by Elliott Sadler in the 2001 Food City 500.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., is the defending champion of the Sharpie 500.

Thirty-two different drivers have won a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Bristol since 1961; 13 have won more than once.

Darrell Waltrip won 12 races at Bristol, more than any other driver.

Rusty Wallace leads all other active drivers with nine victories at Bristol.

In the 44 years of twice-yearly NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing at Bristol (1961 to 2004), a sweep of both races in the same year has occurred 14 times, most recently by Kurt Busch in 2003.

Kevin Harvick finished 24th in his first race at Bristol, the 2001 Food City 500 yet led 137 of the 500 laps raced. Harvick finished second in his return to Thunder Valley in 2001 in the Sharpie 500 but did not lead a lap. Harvick won botht he NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series race at Bristol in April 2005.

Cale Yarborough led all 500 laps of the 1973 Southeastern 500.

Would You Believe?
Kurt Busch has won three of the past four spring races at Bristol and four of the last seven races there overall. He finished 35th there this past spring.

Back-to-Back at Bristol
There have been 12 back-to-back victories posted at Bristol since 1980, including seven consecutive races by Darrell Waltrip and three straight by Kurt Busch. Waltrip's seven consecutive Bristol victories tied the NASCAR record for consecutive wins at one track set by Richard Petty at Richmond in 1970-73.

Darrell Waltrip Spring 1981 through spring 1984 (six)

Dale Earnhardt Both races 1985 and 1987 (two)

Alan Kulwicki Fall 1991 and spring 1992 (one)

Rusty Wallace Both races in 2000 (one)

Kurt Busch Both races in 2003 and Spring 2004 (two)

Bristol Milestones

Ricky Rudd is expected to make his 56th career start at Bristol Motor Speedway, just four behind Richard Petty who had 60 starts at Bristol.

Jeff Gordon is expected to make his 425th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Defending NEXTEL Cup Champion at Bristol Motor Speedway
Kurt Busch has competed in nine races at Bristol Motor Speedway, scoring four victories and six top-10 finishes. His other three Bristol finishes were all 25th or worse.

Point Leader at Bristol Motor Speedway
Tony Stewart has competed in 13 races at Bristol posting one victory (August 2001) and four top-10 finishes. Stewart has posted only one top-10 finish in his last seven races at Bristol. The other six finishes were 15th or worse.

Starting Up Front at Bristol is Not Important
Six of the last nine races at Bristol have been won from a starting position of 13th or worse.

Bristol Dominators

Jeff Gordon (four) and Ryan Newman (two) have won six of the last seven Bud Poles at Bristol. Elliott Sadler broke their hold on the Bud Pole award when he won the Bud Pole for the Food City 500 this past April.

Kurt Busch has won four of the last seven races at Bristol. His last Bristol victory came in the 2004 Food City 500.

Hot at Bristol

Kevin Harvick has scored seven top-10 finishes in his last eight races at Bristol. Harvick swept both the Busch and Cup races at Bristol in April.

Matt Kenseth has scored six top-10 finishes in his last seven races at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Kurt Busch has scored six top-10 finishes in his last seven races at Bristol Motor Speedway. No Manufacturer Domination at Bristol A Chevrolet and a Ford have each won three of the last six races at Bristol.

“Last-Timers” at Bristol

Mark Martin has scored 20 top-10 finishes in his 37 races at Bristol Motor Speedway; however he has not scored a top-10 finish in his last nine races at Bristol, since August 2000 (third).

Rusty Wallace has scored nine victories in his 43 races at Bristol, the most of any full time driver. Wallace is tied with Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough for second in wins at Bristol behind Darrell Waltrip (12).

And the Beat Goes On
Kevin Harvick has been running at the finish in all nine of his races at Bristol the longest current streak.

Owner Domination at Bristol
Junior Johnson is the all-time winning car owner at Bristol Motor Speedway, posting 21 victories.

Starting and Finishing Up Front at Bristol

Jeff Gordon has a 4.8 starting average and a 11.9 finishing average in 25 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. His starting average is the best among active drivers.

Kevin Harvick has a 17.1 starting average and an 8.5 finishing average in nine races at Bristol Motor Speedway. His finishing average is the best among active drivers.

Top 10 Lap Leaders at Bristol Motor Speedway
Driver Races Laps Led
1.Yarborough, Cale 29 4,306
2. Earnhardt, Dale 43 3,748
3. Wallace, Rusty 43 3,734
4. Waltrip, Darrell 52 3,536
5. Gordon, Jeff 25 2,358
6. Allison, Bobby 44 2,216
7. Petty, Richard 60 2,212
8. Pearson, David 20 1,616
9. Parsons, Benny 27 1,221
10.Johnson, Junior 10 1,178

Would you Believe?
A Dodge has not won a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Bristol since Richard Petty won the 1975 Volunteer 500.

Bristol May Spell Trouble for Some of the Top 10

Tony Stewart has posted only one top-10 finish in his last seven races at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Mark Martin has not posted a top-10 finish in his last nine races at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Carl Edwards has finished 33rd and 26th in his two races at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Winning Tougher than Ever in 2005
After 23 races in 2005, there are six drivers who won in 2004 that have not won in 2005: Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler, Rusty Wallace and Joe Nemechek.

Manufacturer Dominance
Chevrolet has won 12 of the 23 races in 2005. Ford has won nine races and Dodge has two victories.

Streaks
Rusty Wallace has been running at the finish in 36 consecutive races - since Bristol last fall, the longest current streak.

Get Those Bonus Points

Greg Biffle is the only driver to lead at least one lap in 15 of the 23 races in 2005. He has led 1,015 laps this season and is second behind Tony Stewart who has led 1,190, the most of all drivers. No other drivers have led more than 550 laps.

Tony Stewart has led the most laps in eight of the 23 races this season, including six of the last nine. He has earned 95 bonus points in the first 23 races, the most of all drivers and five more than closest competitor Greg Biffle.

Maintaining a Top-10 Standard
Jimmie Johnson is the only driver that has ranked in the top 10 in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings after every race in 2005. He has ranked among the top-10 drivers since Atlanta in March 2004, 56 straight races, the longest current streak.

2005 Success

Greg Biffle ranked 18th in the point standings after 23 races one year ago. This year he is third.

Rusty Wallace ranked 19th in the point standings after 23 races one year ago. This year he is fourth.

Mark Martin ranked 12th in the point standings after 23 races one year ago. This year he is fifth. 2005 Struggles

Jeff Gordon ranked first in the point standings after 23 races one year ago. This year he is 12th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., ranked third in the point standings after 23 races one year ago. This year he is 16th.

Matt Kenseth ranked fifth in the point standings after 23 races one year ago. This year he is 15th.

Bobby Labonte ranked ninth in the point standings after 23 races one year ago. This year he is 24th.

Jeff Burton has not scored a top-10 finish in his last 14 races.

Bobby Labonte leads all drivers with nine DNFs in 23 races.

Elliott Sadler has finished 12th or worse in his last seven races.

Dale Jarrett has finished 14th or worse in his last six races.

Kevin Harvick has finished 15th or worse in eight of his last nine races.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., has led only 17 laps in 2005. One year ago he had led 587.

Dale Jarrett has led only two laps in 2005.

Jamie McMurray has led only one lap in 2005.

Streak Leaders
Ricky Rudd has competed in 775 conseuctive races, the all-time record for consecutive races.
Rusty Wallace has been running at the finish in 36 consecutive races, the longest current streak.
Jimmie Johnson has ranked in the top-10 of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings for 56 consecutive races, the longest current streak.

Who's Hot

Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart have each scored 15 top-10 finishes in 2005.

Tony Stewart has scored nine straight top-10 finishes, including five victories, in the last nine races.

Jeremy Mayfield has scored eight straight top-20 finishes. His past three finishes have been 11th or better, including his season-first victory.

Brian Vickers has scored six straight top-15 finishes. His last three finishes were top-10s.

Roush Racing drivers have won nine of the 23 races in 2005. Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won five and Joe Gibbs Racing also has five victories. Evernham Motorsports has two and Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Richard Childress Racing each have one.

Top 10 in 2005 Points

First
Tony Stewart finished fifth in the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway and remained first in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings, adding 21 points to his lead over second-place Jimmie Johnson. Stewart continued his remarkable pace during the last nine races scoring all but 124 of the 1,710 championship driver points available in those races. This is the third straight week that Stewart has sat atop of the point standings. Stewart has scored nine top-10 finishes, including five victories, in his last nine races. He has scored 15 top-10 finishes this season. He leads second-place Jimmie Johnson by 126 points. Stewart was 380 points behind Johnson after race No. 14 at Pocono in June. He made up 455 points in the seven races (Michigan in June thru Indianapolis), climbing from 10th to first in the point standings. Stewart ranked fourth in the point standings after 23 races one year ago. He has competed in 13 races at Bristol Motor Speedway, scoring one victory and four top-10 finishes. Stewart has finished outside the top 10 in six of his last seven races there. He finished 19th in this race one year ago and third there in April, his best finish and only top 10 since his victory there in August 2001. Stewart has a 17.2 average finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Second
Jimmie Johnson finished 10th in the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway and remained second in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Johnson led the point standings after 16 of the 23 races this season. He has scored two victories in 2005 (Las Vegas and Charlotte). He and Tony Stewart are the only drivers to score 15 top-10 finishes in 2005. Johnson ranked second after 23 races one year ago, 68 points behind first-place Jeff Gordon. One year later he is 126 points behind first-place Tony Stewart. He has ranked among the top-10 drivers since Las Vegas in March 2004, 56 straight races. Johnson has competed in seven races at Bristol Motor Speedway scoring five top-10 finishes. He has finished in the top-10 in four of his last five races at Bristol Motor Speedway. He finished third in this race one year ago, his best finish at Bristol and sixth there in April. Johnson has an 11.31 average finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Third
Greg Biffle finished sixth in the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway and remained third in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Biffle has ranked among the top-five in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings since race No. 2 at California. He trails second-place Jimmie Johnson by 126 points and is 252 behind point leader Tony Stewart. Biffle ranked 18th in the point standings after 23 races one year ago. He has scored five victories in 2005, tied with Tony Stewart for the most of all drivers. He has scored 12 top-10 finishes in the first 23 races, three less than Stewart and Johnson. Biffle has competed in just five races at Bristol Motor Speedway finishing in the top-15 in four of his five races there. Bifffle finished 11th in this race one year ago and ninth there in April. He has led in just two of his five races at Bristol. Biffle has an 11.8 average finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Fourth
Rusty Wallace finished 13th the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway and remained fourth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He is 289 points behind first-place Tony Stewart and trails third-place Greg Biffle by just 37 points. Wallace was 14th in the point standings after race No. 10 at Darlington. He has scored 18 top-15 finishes this season, tied with Johnson for the most among all drivers. Wallace ranked 19th in the point standings after 23 races one year ago. Wallace has competed in 43 races at Bristol Motor Speedway scoring nine victories and 28 top-10 finishes. He has led 3,734 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway, ranking third all-time in laps led at the Tennessee short track. He is just 14 laps behind Dale Earnhardt (3,748) for second and 572 behind top-ranked Cale Yarborough (4,306) in all-time laps led at Bristol. He finished 26th in this race one year ago and 13th there in April. Wallace has led 19,931 laps during his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup career and is just 69 laps shy of cracking the 20,000 mark. He has led an average of 87 laps per race at Bristol. Wallace has a 9.7 average finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Fifth
Mark Martin finished 17th the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway and remained fifth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 369 points and is 80 points behind fourth-place Rusty Wallace. Martin ranked 12th in the point standings after 23 races one year ago. He has posted 12 top-10 finishes in 2005. Martin has competed in 37 races at Bristol Motor Speedway scoring two victories and 20 top-10 finishes. He has failed to score a top-10 finish in his last nine races at Bristol. Martin has led 957 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway and ranks 12th all-time. Martin finished 13th in this race one year ago and 31st there in April. Martin has a 12.5 average finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Sixth
Jeremy Mayfield won the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway and climbed from seventh to sixth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Mayfield has scored just six top-10 finishes but has 15 top-15 finishes in 23 races in 2005. He has climbed from a low of 26th in the point standings after race No. 3 at Las Vegas to a season high sixth-place ranking. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 399 points and is just 30 points behind fifth-place Mark Martin. Mayfield ranked 11th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings after 23 races one year ago. He has competed in 21 races at Bristol Motor Speedway scoring five top-10 finishes. He finished 22nd in this race one year ago and 17th there in April. He has scored only one top-10 finish in his last eight races at Bristol. Mayfield has an 18.7 average finish at Bristol.

Seventh
Kurt Busch finished seventh in the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway and dropped from sixth to seventh in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 420 points and is 21 points behind sixth-place Jeremy Mayfield. Busch ranked sixth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings after 23 races one year ago. He has scored 12 top-10 finishes in 23 races this season. Busch has competed in nine races at Bristol Motor Speedway scoring four victories and six top-10 finishes. He finished eighth in this race one year ago and 35th there in April, ending a six-race streak of top-10 finishes that dated to March 2002. Busch has a 13.3 average finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Eighth
Ryan Newman finished 12th in the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Newman remained eighth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 495 points and is 75 points behind seventh-place Kurt Busch. He ranked 13th in the point standings after 23 races one year ago. Newman has scored 15 top-15 finishes including 10 top-10 finishes in 2005. Newman has competed in seven races at Bristol Motor Speedway, scoring three top-10 finishes. His other four Bristol finishes are all 22nd or worse. He finished second in this race one year ago, his best Bristol finish and 30th there in April. Newman has a 20.0 average finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Ninth
Carl Edwards finished fourth in the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway and climbed from 10th to ninth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Edwards has scored 13 top-15 finishes in 23 races in 2005. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 510 points and is just 15 points behind eighth-place Ryan Newman. Edwards has scored nine top-10 finishes in 2005. He has finished 26th or worse in both of his races at Bristol Motor Speedway. He finished 33rd in this race one year ago and 26th there in April.

10th
Jamie McMurray finished 20th in the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway and dropped from ninth to 10th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. McMurray trails point leader Tony Stewart by 566 points and is 56 points behind ninth-place Carl Edwards. McMurray ranked 15th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings after 23 races one year ago. He has scored seven top-10 finishes in 23 races this season. He has competed in just five races at Bristol, scoring three top-10 finishes. He finished seventh in this race one year ago and 24th there in April, his worst Bristol finish and only Bristol finish worse than 11th. McMurray has a 10.6 average finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. McMurray leads 11th-place Dale Jarrett by 51 points.

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