NASCAR Drivers, Teams Chase Career Milestones This Summer

 

NASCAR Drivers, Teams Chase Career Milestones This Summer

Busch Wins Media Poll; Gordon Tops in Fan Vote

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 21, 2011) – Kyle Busch locked up milestone win No. 100 in NASCAR national series competition last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which begs the question: What’s next on the milestone marker?

 

NASCAR drivers and teams are stalking a number of major milestones, some of which could be achieved in short order. But which one will be reached first? NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications asked media and fans that very question in a recent NASCARMedia.com and Facebook poll. Here are the “nominees,” and the results …

 

Jeff Gordon grabs NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win No. 85

The Info: Gordon, who posted his 84th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory last month at Pocono Raceway, matched NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison and NHOF inductee Darrell Waltrip for third on the all-time series wins list.

 

The “Odds”: Gordon’s two wins suggest this milestone will be reached sooner than later. Gordon has a combined 20 victories at the next five tracks: Indianapolis, Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan and Bristol. If it does happen at Indy, Gordon would tie the record for most wins at the historic venue, at five.

 

The Results: Gordon garnered 17% of the media vote, but was the top vote-getter in the fan vote at 45%.

 

Mark Martin hits the 50-win mark in the NASCAR Nationwide Series

The Info: Mark Martin needed 21 seasons and 232 races to record his 49th NASCAR Nationwide victory, a mark Busch equaled in New Hampshire. Busch required eight seasons and 215 starts to catch his rival.

 

The “Odds”: The 52-year-old Martin proved his winning mettle, taking his 49th victory earlier this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But the path to 50 is a difficult one. First, he needs more starts. His most recent race at Kentucky Speedway, where Martin finished 14th, was his final scheduled start of 2011.

 

The Results: Astute voters took note of Martin’s bare NASCAR Nationwide schedule. This milestone took only 2% of the media vote and 3% of the fan vote.

 

Kyle Busch reaches 50-win mark in the NASCAR Nationwide Series

The Info: Win No. 50 would seem just a formality for Busch, who posted a record 13 wins a year ago to erase Sam Ard’s 1983 single-season mark of 10 victories. He’s won six times in 2011 and never fewer than nine times a year from 2008-2010.

 

The “Odds”: This one’s tougher than it looks. True, His 2011 win percentage is at a stunning 40%. But, he’ll sit out the next three NASCAR Nationwide races. His next start isn’t until Watkins Glen on Aug. 13.

 

The Results: Media have covered a Kyle Busch win far too many times to stray away from this one – it got a whopping 66% of the media vote, compared to 16% of the fan vote.

 

 

Hendrick Motorsports notches win No. 200 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

The Info: Hendrick Motorsports is hands-down the most successful current NASCAR Sprint Cup team, matching Petty Enterprises’ record 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup driver titles in 2010. With 197 victories, Hendrick Motorsports nears the magic No. 200.

 

The “Odds”: HMS has enjoyed a good start with just over half the season complete: Gordon’s two wins and another by Johnson. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a pair of second-place finishes and Martin added a runner up performance as well. The team has averaged nine wins per season over the last three years.

 

The Results: Fans rallied behind Hendrick, to the tune of 26% of the vote. This one got only 10% from the media.

 

Wood Brothers Racing reaches 100 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins

The Info: Wood Brothers Racing hopes to become the next team to win 100 NASCAR Sprint Cup races. Glen Wood, who will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012, won the team’s first race in 1960. Its last triumph, of course, came via Trevor Bayne’s storybook victory in the Daytona 500. The Wood Brothers’ 98th win marked the sixth consecutive decade in which the team has a victory.

 

The “Odds”: The team’s partial schedule, combined with Bayne’s growing pains, make this milestone a tough one. In his nine starts since the Daytona 500, Bayne’s best finish was 16th at Michigan.

 

The Results: The lowest vote getter, this milestone earned 1% of the ballots in both the fan and media polls.

 

Richard Childress Racing reaches 100 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins

The Info: It’s been a banner year for RCR’s Kevin Harvick, who has recorded all three of the team’s 2011 victories taking it from 94 to 97 wins.

 

The “Odds”: If teammates Clint Bowyer, with two trips to Victory Lane in 2010, Jeff Burton and Paul Menard step up in the season’s second half, the road to 100 seems inevitable.

 

The Results: Media stayed far away from this one, giving it only 1%. Fans felt a little more optimistic (8%).

 

Ron Hornaday Jr. reaches 50 wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

The Info: Hornaday, at age 53, can be seen as the heart and soul of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He won the series’ first pole for the 1995 inaugural race at Phoenix International Raceway and scored the first of his 48 victories in the very next event.

 

The “Odds”: The series’ only four-time champion won at least one race in 13 of his 14 seasons. His wins often come in bunches, proven by his 2009 season when he became the first NASCAR national series driver in more than three decades to win five consecutive races.

 

The Results: No love for the four-time champ. Media gave this milestone 3% of the vote; fans just 1%.