Daytona International Speedway
Track data:
Race #: 17 of 36 (7-2-05) Track Size: 2.5 Miles
Event: Pepsi 400 Number of Laps: 160
Location: Daytona Beach, FL Length of Event: 400 Miles
Length of Front Stretch: 3,800 Feet
Length of Back Stretch: 3,000 Feet
Degree of Banking in Corners: 31 degrees
Degree of Banking on Back Stretch: 3 degrees
Degree of Banking on Tri-Oval: 18 degrees
Qualifying/Race Data:
Last year's pole winner: Jeff Gordon 188.659 mph 7-1-04 47.705 seconds
Last year's race winner: Jeff Gordon 145.117 mph 7-3-04 2 hrs, 45 min, 23 sec
Track qualifying record: Bill Elliott 210.364 mph 2-9-87 42.783 seconds
Track 400-mile race record: Bobby Allison 173.473 mph 7-4-80 2 hr, 18 min, 21 sec
Track qualifying record (RP): Ken Schrader 198.823 mph 2-7-88 46.434 seconds
Track 400-mile race record (RP): Ernie Irvan 170.457 mph 7-4-92 2 hrs, 20 min, 48 sec
Historical Data:
Previous winners at Daytona (Excluding 23-125-mile qualifiers)
Richard Petty (10) Cale Yarborough (8) David Pearson (6) Bobby Allison (6) Jeff Gordon (6)
Fireball Roberts (4) Bill Elliott (4) Dale Jarrett (4) A.J. Foyt (3) Sterling Marlin (3)
Dale Earnhardt (3) Michael Waltrip (3) Davey Allison (2) Ernie Irvan (2) Buddy Baker (2)
LeeRoy Yarbrough (2) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2) Donnie Allison (1) Mario Andretti (1) Benny Parsons (1)
Pete Hamilton (1) Bobby Isaac (1) Junior Johnson (1) Fred Lorenzen (1) Tiny Lund (1)
Marvin Panch (1) Sam McQuagg (1) Jack Smith (1) Lee Petty (1) Neil Bonnett (1)
Greg Sacks (1) Geoffrey Bodine (1) Tim Richmond (1) Darrell Waltrip (1) Derrike Cope (1)
Jimmy Spencer (1) John Andretti (1) Jeff Burton (1) Ward Burton (1) Greg Biffle (1)
Races won from the pole: 14 of 93 events (15%)
Races won from the top 10: 71 of 93 events (76%)
Races won from outside the top 10: 22 of 93 events (24%)
The Money
Purse $5,972,320
NASCAR NEXTEL Leader Bonus $50,000
MBNA Mid-Race Leader Bonus $5,000
Tire/Fuel Data
Goodyear Tire Codes: Left-side — D-6838; Right-side -- D-6842
Other Tracks With This Same Tire Combination: None
Estimated Pit Window: Every 34 -38 laps, based on fuel mileage
Daytona Milestones
Ricky Rudd is expected to make his 58th start at Daytona moving him out of a tie with Cale Yarborough for
fourth all-time in Daytona starts behind Richard Petty (74), Dave Marcis (67) and Buddy Baker (64).
Joe Nemechek is expected to make his 375th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at Daytona.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is expected to make his 200th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at Daytona.
Defending NEXTEL Cup Champion at Daytona
Kurt Busch has competed in nine races at Daytona International Speedway scoring four top-10 finishes. He scored
top-five finishes in his last two races there, including a second-place finish in the 2005 Daytona 500.
Point Leader at Daytona
Greg Biffle has competed in five races at Daytona scoring just one top-10 finish: his career-first NASCAR NEXTEL
Cup victory which came in this race in 2003.
Starting Up Front is not the Only way to Victory at Daytona
Four of the last eight races at Daytona have been won from a top-10 starting position. The other four were won from
starting positions of 13th or worse.
Winners Galore
There have been four different race winners in the last four races at Daytona.
Gordon Leads All Active Drivers
Jeff Gordon has scored six victories at Daytona International Speedway, two more than any other active driver at
this track. Richard Petty leads all drivers with 10 Daytona victories.
Track Milestones
Bob Welborn won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup (Grand National) race at Daytona International
Speedway, the 100-mile qualifying race for the inaugural Daytona 500 on Feb. 22, 1959.
Lee Petty won the inaugural Daytona 500 on Feb. 22, 1959.
Fireball Roberts won the first 400-mile race at Daytona, the 1963 Firecracker 400.
The 125-mile qualifying races changed from points to non-points races in 1972.
Richard Petty won his 200th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Daytona International Speedway on July 4,
1984.
Qualifying Update
There has been a different Bud Pole winner in each of the past nine NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races at
Daytona.
Track Update
The last season sweep at Daytona was by Bobby Allison in 1982. However, there have been four back-toback
victories since that time: Bobby Allison (1987 Firecracker 400 and 1988 Daytona 500): Jeff Gordon (1998
Pepsi 400 and 1999 Daytona 500), Dale Jarrett (1999 Pepsi 400 and 2000 Daytona 500), Michael Waltrip (2002
Pepsi 400 and 2003 Daytona 500) and Jeff Gordon (2004 Pepsi 400 and 2005 Daytona 500).
Manufacturer Update
Chevrolet has won 14 of the last 21 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Daytona (67 percent). Ford won six
races while Dodge claimed the other victory.
Daytona Milestones
Ricky Rudd is expected to make his 58th start at Daytona moving him out of a tie with Cale Yarborough
for fourth all-time in Daytona starts behind Richard Petty (74), Dave Marcis (67) and Buddy Baker (64).
Joe Nemechek is expected to make his 375th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at Daytona.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is expected to make his 200th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at Daytona.
Starting Up Front is not the Only way to Victory at Daytona
Four of the last eight races at Daytona have been won from a top-10 starting position. The other four were
won from starting positions of 13th or worse.
Winners Galore
There have been four different race winners in the last four races at Daytona.
Gordon Leads All Active Drivers
Jeff Gordon has scored six victories at Daytona International Speedway, two more than any other active
driver at this track. Richard Petty leads all drivers with 10 Daytona victories.
Bud Pole Leader
Bill Elliott has scored five Bud Poles at Daytona International Speedway, the most among active drivers.
Cale Yarborough scored nine, more than any other driver at Daytona.
Chevy Strong at Daytona
A Chevrolet has won six of the last eight races at Daytona International Speedway. Ford won at Daytona in
the 2003 Pepsi 400 ( Greg Biffle) and Dodge scored a victory there the 2002 Daytona 500 (Ward Burton).
And the Beat Goes On for Many
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been running at the finish in all 11 of his races at Daytona. Other drivers without
DNFs at Daytona Kurt Busch (nine races); Jimmie Johnson (seven races); Casey Mears and Greg Biffle (five
each) and Mike Bliss (four races).
Starting and Finishing Up Front at Daytona
Jimmie Johnson has a 9.3 starting average and an 8.0 average finish in seven races at Daytona
International Speedway, the best among all drivers with more than one start there.
Leading The Way at Daytona
Bill Elliott has led 599 laps in 54 races at Daytona International Speedway, the most among active drivers.
Dale Earnhardt led 1,286 laps in his 46 races at Daytona, the most of all drivers.
Would you Believe?
Jeff Gordon finished first; Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished third and Mark Martin sixth in each of the last two
races at Daytona.
Latest Dominators at Daytona International Speedway
Dale Earnhardt Jr., has finished seventh or better, including one victory, in his last four races at Daytona.
Jeff Gordon has posted top 10 finishes, including two victories, in each of his last three races at Daytona.
Jimmie Johnson has competed in seven races at Daytona International Speedway, scoring five top-10
finishes. He has scored top-five finishes in his last three races there. His best Daytona finish, second, came in
this race one year ago.
Tony Stewart has posted three straight top-10 finishes at Daytona.
“Last-Timers” at Daytona International Speedway
Rusty Wallace has scored 17 top-10 finishes in his 44 races at Daytona International Speedway but has never
won there. He has an 18.4 average finish at the Florida superspeedway.
Mark Martin has scored 15 top-10 finishes in his 40 races at Daytona International Speedway. He has a 17.3
average finish at Daytona. Like Wallace, he has never won at Daytona
Restrictor-Plate History (All are NASCAR records)
Rusty Wallace, Ken Schrader, Michael Waltrip, Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin have each competed in all
70 restrictor-plate races.
Sterling Marlin scored seven Bud Poles in 69 restrictor-plate races.
Dale Earnhardt scored 11 career restrictor-plate victories.
Dale Earnhardt scored 32 top-five restrictor-plate finishes.
Dale Earnhardt scored 40 top-10 restrictor-plate finishes
Dale Earnhardt led 2,135 laps in 53 restrictor-plate races.
WHO'S HOT Heading to Daytona International Speedway
Greg Biffle has won five races in 2005, more than any other driver. Biffle has scored seven top-15 finishes in the last
eight races and moved into the point lead after Infineon for the first time in his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup career.
Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to score 11 top-10 finishes in 16 races in 2005.
Tony Stewart finished second and first in his last two races.
Mark Martin has scored four straight top -15 finishes.
Rusty Wallace has finished 11th or better in his last five races. Four of those finishes were top-10s.
Roush Racing drivers have won eight of the 16 races in 2005. Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won five while
Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Evernham Motorsports each have one victory.
