Below is a look at the top statistical performers at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, going into the Coca-Cola 600 on May 29 (6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Charlotte Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying / Race Data
Track qualifying record:
Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 198.771 mph, 27.167 secs. October 9, 2014
2021 pole winner:
Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 180.282 mph, 29.953 secs. May 29, 2021
Track race record (600 miles):
Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 160.655 mph, (03:44:05), May 29, 2016
2021 Coca-Cola 600 race winner:
Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 150.785 mph, (03:58:45), May 30, 2021
At Charlotte Motor Speedway:
HISTORY
Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) in 1959.The track‘s first NASCAR Cup Series race was held on June 19, 1960 and won by Joe Lee Johnson in a Chevrolet.The track was repaved midseason in 1994.The track name changed from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe‘s Motor Speedway in 1999. It changed back to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2010 season.The track was re-paved again before the 2006 season.In 2018, the Charlotte Motor Speedway introduced the road course configuration (ROVAL) and in the process relinquished the track‘s second event on the oval configuration effectively creating a new road course track on the schedule — the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (ROVAL).There have been 123 NASCAR Cup Series points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, two races per year from when the track opened in 1960 until 2017. Starting in 2018, Charlotte Motor Speedway has hosted just one race on the oval configuration, with the exclusion of the 2020 season due to the pandemic reschedule the series competed in two races on the oval.In 1961, there were two 100-mile qualifying points races held the week before the May race. The first six fall races at Charlotte were 400-mile events (1960-65).
STARTS
A total of 562 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series points-paying race at Charlotte Motor Speedway; 408 have competed in more than one.NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 64.Kurt Busch leads all active drivers in series starts at Charlotte with 40; followed by Kevin Harvick with 39 each.A total of 65 different drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history have made their first series career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway.Two active series drivers have made their first career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Kyle Larson (10/12/13) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (05/29/11).Jack Sprague (two starts) leads the series in average starting position at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a 5.0.William Byron leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a 7.4 in five starts.
Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Charlotte Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversAvg StartRacesRankActive DriversAvg StartRaces1Jack Sprague5.00021William Byron7.40052Fireball Roberts5.200102Tyler Reddick11.00033David Pearson6.391463Chase Elliott11.200104Joe Weatherly6.66794Denny Hamlin11.633305Fred Lorenzen7.056185Kyle Busch11.879336Pete Hamilton7.16766Daniel Suarez12.50047William Byron7.40057Joey Logano12.522238Paul Goldsmith7.88998Christopher Bell14.66739Curtis Turner8.44499Austin Dillon14.9231310Cale Yarborough9.5205010Brad Keselowski15.31823
POLES
A total of 48 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won the pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway.Nine of the 48 NASCAR Cup Series Charlotte Motor Speedway pole winners are active this weekend.Active Pole WinnersPolesSeasonsKyle Busch32018, 2014, 2008Kevin Harvick22017, 2016Denny Hamlin22017, 2013Kyle Larson12021Kurt Busch12020William Byron12019Martin Truex Jr12016Aric Almirola12012Brad Keselowski12011NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 14 poles (1961, 1972, 1973, 1974 sweep, 1975 sweep, 1976 sweep, 1977 sweep, 1978 sweep, 1982).Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in poles at Charlotte Motor Speedway with three (2008, 2014, 2018)Fireball Roberts won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway (World 600) in 1960 with a speed of 133.904 mph.A total of 14 different drivers have won consecutive poles at Charlotte; Kevin Harvick is the most recent driver to post consecutive poles (2016 Playoffs, 2017 May race) at the 1.5-mile track.David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Charlotte with 11-straight from the fall of 1973 through 1978.Youngest Charlotte Cup pole winner: William Byron (May 26, 2019 – 21 years, 4 months, 27 days)Oldest Charlotte Cup pole winner: Bobby Allison (October 11, 1987 — 49 years, 10 months, 8 days).Eight drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway.First-Time Pole Winners at CharlotteDateAric AlmirolaSunday, May 27, 2012Brett BodineSunday, October 7, 1990Dale Earnhardt JrSunday, May 28, 2000Derrike CopeSunday, October 4, 1998Donnie AllisonSunday, May 26, 1968Jeff GordonSunday, October 10, 1993Ryan NewmanSunday, May 27, 2001Ward BurtonSunday, October 9, 1994Wood Brothers Racing leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 20 poles among five drivers: Marvin Panch (1963), Cale Yarborough (1967 sweep, 1969), David Pearson (1972, 1973, 1974 sweep, 1975 sweep, 1976 sweep, 1977 sweep, 1978 sweep), Neil Bonnett (1979 sweep, 1981), and Buddy Baker (1983).Eight different manufacturers have won at least one NASCAR Cup Series pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway, led by Chevrolet with 35 poles, followed by Ford (30), Mercury (14), Dodge (13), Pontiac (10), Toyota (8), Buick (6) and Plymouth (4).
WINS
A total of 53 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Charlotte Motor Speedway.Nine of the 53 NASCAR Cup Series Charlotte Motor Speedway winners are active this weekend.Active Race WinnersWinsSeasonsKevin Harvick32014, 2013, 2011Martin Truex Jr32019, 2017, 2016Brad Keselowski22020, 2013Austin Dillon12017Chase Elliott12020Joey Logano12015Kurt Busch12010Kyle Busch12018Kyle Larson12021Jimmie Johnson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway with eight victories (2003 summer, 2004 sweep, 2005 sweep, 2009 Playoffs, 2014 summer, 2016 Playoffs).Youngest Charlotte winner: Jeff Gordon (May 29, 1994 — 22 years, 9 months, 25 days).Oldest Charlotte winner: Cale Yarborough (October 6, 1985 — 46 years, 6 months, 9 days).10 drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.First-Time Cup Winners at CharlotteDateAustin DillonSunday, May 28, 2017David ReutimannMonday, May 25, 2009Casey MearsSunday, May 27, 2007Jamie McMurraySunday, October 13, 2002Matt KensethSunday, May 28, 2000Bobby LabonteSunday, May 28, 1995Jeff GordonSunday, May 29, 1994Charlie GlotzbachSunday, October 20, 1968Buddy BakerSunday, October 15, 1967David PearsonSunday, May 28, 1961Nine drivers have posted consecutive wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including three consecutive by NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen (fall 1964 and both 1965) and four-straight by Jimmie Johnson (2004 and 2005 sweeps).A total of 27 different starting positions on the grid have led to wins in the 123 NASCAR Cup Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (18) than any other starting position at Charlotte Motor Speedway — a winning percentage of 14.63%.18 of the 123 NASCAR Cup Series races at Charlotte (14.6%) have been won from the pole or first starting position; the most recent was Kyle Larson in the 2021 Coca-Cola 600.
NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Starting PositionWinsWinning %Starting PositionWinsWinning %11814.63%1532.44%21713.82%1632.44%31512.20%1732.44%4108.13%1821.63%586.50%1910.81%654.07%2021.63%786.50%2121.63%821.63%2232.44%964.88%2310.81%1021.63%2510.81%1110.81%2710.81%1221.63%2810.81%1332.44%3710.81%1421.63%StatsWinning %WinsWinning from the First Starting Position:14.63%18Winning from the Front Row:28.46%35Winning from a Top-Five Starting Position:55.28%68Winning from a Top-10 Starting Position:73.98%91Winning After Starting Outside the Top 20:8.13%10The deepest in the field that a NASCAR Cup Series race winner has started at Charlotte is 37th, by Jimmie Johnson in the Coca-Cola 600 of 2003. A total of 10 races have been won from outside the top-20 (8.13%).Denny Hamlin leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Charlotte without visiting Victory Lane at 30; followed by Michael McDowell with 22 starts without a win and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with 17.A total of 35 different drivers have won the Coca-Cola 600 in the NASCAR Cup Series.Seven of the 35 NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 winners are active this weekend.Active Race WinnersCoke 600 WinsSeasonsMartin Truex Jr22019, 2016Kevin Harvick22013, 2011Kyle Larson12021Brad Keselowski12020Kyle Busch12018Austin Dillon12017Kurt Busch12010NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip leads the series in Coca-Cola 600 wins with five victories (1978, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1989).Kevin Harvick (2011, 2013) and Martin Truex Jr. (2016, 2019) lead all active drivers in Coca-Cola 600 wins with two victories each.A total of 38 different organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway.Eight of 38 winning organizations at Charlotte Motor Speedway are entered this weekend.RankActive OrganizationsCharlotte Cup Wins1Hendrick Motorsports212Richard Childress Racing83RFK Racing84Joe Gibbs Racing75Wood Brothers Racing66Team Penske47Stewart-Haas Racing1Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 21 victories among nine drivers: Jimmie Johnson (eight), Jeff Gordon (five), Darrell Waltrip (two), Ken Schrader (one), Terry Labonte (one), Casey Mears (one), Kasey Kahne (one), Chase Elliott (one), and Kyle Larson (one).Eight different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte; led by Chevrolet with 47 victories; followed by Ford (31), Dodge (15), Pontiac (8), Mercury (7), Toyota (7), Buick (4) and Plymouth (4).
ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS
Runner-Up Finishes:
A total of 56 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished runner-up at Charlotte Motor Speedway; 26 of 56 have finished runner-up at Charlotte multiple times.NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in runner-up finishes at Charlotte with nine second-place finishes.Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in runner-up finishes at Charlotte with four (2001, 2014, 2015, 2016).
Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversRunner-UpsRankActive DriversRunner-Ups1Richard Petty91Kevin Harvick42Bobby Allison62Chase Elliott33Bobby Labonte63Denny Hamlin34Cale Yarborough54Kyle Busch35Bill Elliott45Joey Logano1Darrell Waltrip4Kurt Busch1David Pearson4Martin Truex Jr1Donnie Allison4Harry Gant4Kevin Harvick4Matt Kenseth4Rusty Wallace4
Top-Five Finishes:
A total of 122 different drivers have finished in the top-five in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway; 82 of the 122 have finished in the top-five multiple times.NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison are tied for the series most top-five finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 23 each.Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with 15 top-five finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversTop FivesRankActive DriversTop Fives1Bobby Allison231Kyle Busch152Richard Petty232Denny Hamlin103Darrell Waltrip193Kevin Harvick94David Pearson184Kurt Busch85Mark Martin185Martin Truex Jr7
Top-10 Finishes
A total of 211 different drivers have finished in the top-10 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Charlotte with 31.Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top-10 finishes at Charlotte with 19 each.
Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversTop 10sRankActive DriversTop 10s1Richard Petty311Kevin Harvick202Darrell Waltrip292Kyle Busch203Ricky Rudd273Denny Hamlin194Bobby Allison264Kurt Busch155David Pearson265Martin Truex Jr13
Average Finish
Johnny Beauchamp (two starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Charlotte with a 7.0.Tyler Reddick (three starts) leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Charlotte with a 10.3.
Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Charlotte Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversAvg FinishRacesRankActive DriversAvg FinishRaces1Johnny Beauchamp7.00021Tyler Reddick10.33332Rex White9.000102Chase Elliott11.900103Don White10.33333Denny Hamlin12.300304Tyler Reddick10.33334Joey Logano12.435235Carl Edwards10.917245Daniel Suarez12.50046Dick Hutcherson11.20056Brad Keselowski13.500237Chase Elliott11.900107Martin Truex Jr14.133308Denny Hamlin12.300308Kyle Busch14.333339Joey Logano12.435239Kevin Harvick14.8463910Daniel Suarez12.500410Austin Dillon16.07713
LAP LEADERS
A total of 183 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway.NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison leads the series in laps led at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 2,339 laps led in 43 starts.Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 1,450 laps led 33 starts.Martin Truex Jr. holds the record for the most laps led in in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway after he led 392 of the scheduled 400 laps (98%) in the 2016 Coca-Cola 600 — he started from the pole.The fewest laps led by the NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway was two laps led — it happened twice — 2017 Austin Dillion‘s win, 2011 Kevin Harvick‘sThe most laps led by a NASCAR Cup Series driver at Charlotte Motor Speedway that did not win was 289 of the scheduled 400 laps (72%) by NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson on June 2, 1963 — he finished second after starting from the pole.
Top 10 in Laps Led at Charlotte Motor Speedway (All-time & Active)
RankAll-Time Lap LeadersRacesLedCompleted% Led1Bobby Allison432,33912,49319%2Jimmie Johnson371,93612,83915%3Richard Petty641,70218,2369%4David Pearson461,66212,75313%5Cale Yarborough501,63313,03013%6Dale Earnhardt481,52315,37010%7Kyle Busch331,45011,31413%8Bill Elliott631,33719,5397%9Buddy Baker571,20214,0179%10Mark Martin581,18518,4296%RankActive Lap LeadersRacesLedCompleted% Led1Kyle Busch331,45011,31413%2Martin Truex Jr301,05910,70810%3Kurt Busch4067813,1035%4Kevin Harvick3960513,2765%5Denny Hamlin3038010,5454%6Kyle Larson123474,1888%7Joey Logano233318,1594%8Brad Keselowski233227,5544%9Chase Elliott102463,2258%10Alex Bowman102283,3207%
TRACK / EVENT SPECIFIC STATS
Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the May 29, 2005, race won by Jimmie Johnson over Bobby Labonte with a MOV of 0.027 second.
Top Five Closest NASCAR Cup Series Margin of Victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Margin of VictoryDateRace WinnerRunner-Up0.027Sunday, May 29, 2005Jimmie JohnsonBobby Labonte0.293Sunday, May 24, 2020Brad KeselowskiChase Elliott0.309Saturday, October 15, 2005Jimmie JohnsonKurt Busch0.330Sunday, May 26, 2019Martin Truex Jr.Joey Logano0.350Sunday, October 13, 2002Jamie McMurrayBobby LabonteFour NASCAR Cup Series races have resulted in NASCAR Overtime at Charlotte Motor Speedway.DateScheduled LapsActual LapsOvertimeRace WinnersSunday, May 24, 20204004055Brad KeselowskiSunday, October 8, 20173343373Martin Truex JrSunday, May 29, 20114004022Kevin HarvickSaturday, October 13, 20073343373Jeff GordonSaturday, October 15, 20053343362Jimmie JohnsonFive NASCAR Cup Series races have been shortened due to weather conditions at Charlotte Motor Speedway; four of the five were the Coca-Cola 600s:DateScheduled LapsActual LapsFewer LapsRace Winners5/25/2009400227173David Reutimann5/25/2003400276124Jimmie Johnson5/25/199740033367Jeff Gordon10/10/197133423896Bobby Allison5/26/1968400255145Buddy BakerQualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway twice – the October race of 2002 and the October race of 2008.Qualifying was cancelled due to the pandemic in 2020.
FEMALE COMPETITORS
Two female drivers have competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.DriverStarting PositionFinishing PositionDateDanica Patrick123810/8/2017Danica Patrick15255/28/2017Danica Patrick131010/9/2016Danica Patrick19215/29/2016Danica Patrick241910/11/2015Danica Patrick20225/24/2015Danica Patrick142610/11/2014Danica Patrick4395/25/2014Danica Patrick352010/12/2013Danica Patrick24295/26/2013Danica Patrick40305/27/2012Averages20.025.4 DriverStarting PositionFinishing PositionDateJanet Guthrie313510/8/1978Janet Guthrie27910/9/1977Janet Guthrie262210/10/1976Janet Guthrie27155/30/1976Averages27.820.3
NASCAR in North Carolina
There have been 757 NASCAR national series races among 32 tracks in the state of North Carolina.Track NameCityCupXfinityTruckTotalFirst YearCharlotte Motor SpeedwayConcord12376192181960Rockingham SpeedwayRockingham784221221965North Wilkesboro SpeedwayNorth9342991949Hickory SpeedwayHickory35420771953Asheville-Weaverville SpeedwayWeaverville3400341951Occoneechee SpeedwayHillsboro3200321949Bowman Gray StadiumWinston-Salem2900291958Orange County SpeedwayRougemont0270271983Southern States FairgroundsCharlotte1700171954Charlotte SpeedwayCharlotte1200121949Concord SpeedwayConcord1200121956Wilson SpeedwayWilson1200121951Charlotte Motor Speedway Road CourseConcord44082018New Asheville SpeedwayAsheville80081962Dog Track SpeedwayMoyock70071962Raleigh SpeedwayRaleigh70071953Cleveland County FairgroundsShelby60061956Champion SpeedwayFayetteville40041958Caraway SpeedwayAsheboro03031982Greensboro Agriculture FairgroundsGreensboro30031957North Carolina State FairgroundsRaleigh30031955Tar Heel SpeedwayRandleman30031963Forsyth County FairgroundsWinston-Salem20021955Harris SpeedwayHarris20021964Jacksonville SpeedwayJacksonville20021957Tri-City SpeedwayHigh Point20021953Asheville SpeedwayAsheville01011982Gastonia FairgroundsGastonia10011958Harnett SpeedwaySpring Lake10011953McCormick FieldAsheville10011958Salisbury Super SpeedwaySalisbury10011958Star Lite SpeedwayMonroe10011966Totals53519923757
North Carolina Drivers In NASCAR
A total of 469 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as North Carolina. 58 of the 469 have won in a NASCAR national series race.DriverCupXfinityTruckCombinedRichard Petty20000200Dale Earnhardt7621097Lee Petty540054Ned Jarrett500050Junior Johnson500050Herb Thomas480048Buck Baker460046Bobby Isaac370037Dale Jarrett3211043Rex White280028Dale Earnhardt Jr2624050Jim Paschal250025Benny Parsons210021Speedy Thompson200020Buddy Baker190019Harry Gant1821039Bob Welborn9009Kyle Petty8008Ryan Blaney77418William Byron44816Morgan Shepherd415019Bill Blair3003Austin Dillon39719Gwyn Staley3003Brian Vickers3306Billy Myers2002Jimmy Pardue2002Richard Brickhouse1001Austin Cindric113115Phil Parsons1203Leon Sales1001Buddy Shuman1001Donald Thomas1001Jack Ingram031031Tommy Houston024024Sam Ard022022Robert Pressley010212Ty Gibbs0707Harrison Burton0404Scott Riggs0459John H. Nemechek021214Hank Parker Jr0202Johnny Rumley0202Dennis Setzer021820Ronnie Silver0202Ed Berrier0101Ty Dillon0134Daniel Hemric0101Justin Labonte0101Stephen Leicht0101John Settlemyre0101Myatt Snider0101Timothy Peters001111Andy Houston0033Todd Gilliland0022Tate Fogleman0011Ricky Hendrick0011Shane Hmiel0011Totals804249791132
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