Top 10 Driver Ratings at Indianapolis
Jimmie Johnson...................... 105.7
Kyle Busch.............................. 105.5
Kyle Larson............................. 104.8
Matt Kenseth............................ 98.3
Kevin Harvick............................ 97.1
Kasey Kahne............................ 95.0
Denny Hamlin............................ 92.4
Joey Logano............................. 90.1
Brad Keselowski........................ 88.3
Clint Bowyer.............................. 82.4
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2016 races (12 total) among active drivers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
History
· Indianapolis Motor Speedway has existed since 1909, and is the original "Speedway," the first racing facility to incorporate the word into its name.
· With a permanent seating capacity for more than 250,000-plus people and infield seating that raises capacity to an approximate 400,000, it is the largest and highest-capacity sporting facility in history.
· The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was August 6, 1994 - won by Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet).
· There have been 23 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; one per year from 1994 through 2016.
Starts
· 145 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; 118 in more than one.
· Jeff Gordon is the only driver that has competed in all 23 races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· Matt Kenseth leads all active MENCS drivers in starts at IMS with 17.
· Juan Pablo Montoya leads the series in average starting position at Indianapolis with a 6.625.
· Ryan Newman leads the series among active drivers in average starting position at Indianapolis with a 9.313.
Poles
· Rick Mast won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Indianapolis in 1994 with a speed of 172.414 mph (Ford).
· 19 drivers have won Coors Light poles at Indianapolis, led by Jeff Gordon with three; followed by Kevin Harvick with two.
· Two drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Indianapolis: Jeff Gordon (1995-96) and Ernie Irvan (1997-98).
· Youngest Indianapolis Coors Light pole winner: Reed Sorenson (07/29/2007 - 21 years, 5 months, 24 days).
· Oldest Indianapolis Coors Light pole winner: Mark Martin (07/26/2009 - 50 years, 6 months, 17 days).
· Reed Sorenson (07/29/07) is the only driver to post his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· Five manufacturers have won at least one Coors Light pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; led by Chevrolet with 10, followed by Ford (six), Toyota (three), Dodge and Pontiac each have two.
Wins
· 13 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, led by Jeff Gordon with five wins.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active series drivers in wins with four.
· Jimmie Johnson (2008-09) and Kyle Busch (2015-16) are the only two drivers that have posted consecutive MENCS wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· Youngest Indianapolis winner: Jeff Gordon (08/06/1994 - 23 years, 0 months, 2 days).
· Oldest Indianapolis winner: Bill Elliott (08/04/2002 - 46 years, 9 months, 27 days).
· Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Indianapolis in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with nine; followed by Joe Gibbs Racing (five) and Richard Childress Racing (three).
· Four different manufacturers have won at Indianapolis; led by Chevrolet with 16 victories; followed by Ford (three), Toyota (two), Dodge and Pontiac each have one. Chevrolet won 12-straight from 2003-2014.
· Four of the 23 (17.4%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis have been won from the Coors Light pole: Kevin Harvick (2003), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Ryan Newman (2013) and Kyle Busch (2016).
· In 2016, Kyle Busch became the first driver in history to sweep both the NASCAR XFINITY Series race from the pole and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race from the pole in the same weekend.
· The Coors Light pole is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing four winners - more than any other starting position at Indianapolis.
· Six of the 23 (26.1%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis have been won from the front row: four from the pole and two from second-place.
· 12 of the 23 (52.2%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis have been won from a top-five starting position.
· 15 of the 23 (65.2%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Indianapolis have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Three of the 23 (13%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Indianapolis is 27th, by Jeff Gordon in 2001.
· The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started is 16th, by Jimmie Johnson in 2009.
· All six active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race winners at Indianapolis Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane.
· Jeff Gordon won the Brickyard 400 in his first start at Indianapolis (inaugural event 1994).
· Ryan Newman competed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway 12 times before winning in 2013; the longest span of any the six active series winners.
· Matt Kenseth leads the series among active drivers with the most starts at Indianapolis without visiting Victory Lane at 17; followed by Kurt Busch (16) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (16).
· Paul Menard (07/31/11) is the only series driver to post his first career MENCS win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Additional Finishing Positions
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace and Matt Kenseth lead the series in runner-up finishes at Indianapolis with three each; followed by Kyle Busch, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin with two each.
· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Indianapolis with 12.
· Matt Kenseth leads all active drivers in top-five finishes at IMS with eight.
· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at Indianapolis with 17; followed by Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart and Mark Martin with 11 each.
· Kyle Busch leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Indianapolis with a 9.000.
Track Specific Stats
· Since the advent of electronic scoring (1993) the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the August 3, 1997 race won by Ricky Rudd over Bobby Labonte with a MOV of 0.183 second.
· Three of the 23 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis have resulted with NASCAR Overtime:
· None of the 23 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.
· Qualifying has not been cancelled due to weather conditions in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· A total of 79 different series drivers have led at least one lap at Indianapolis; led by Jeff Gordon with 528 laps led in 23 starts.
Female Competitor Stats
· Danica Patrick became the first female driver to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013.
· Shawna Robinson (08/05/01) is the only other female driver to attempt to compete in the series at Indianapolis, but she failed to qualify for the event.
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