Record Numbers, Competitive Balance Highlight First Half

Record Numbers, Competitive Balance Highlight

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series First Half

Leader, Lead Change Numbers All-Time Highs Through 18 Races

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 13, 2011) – Trevor Bayne opened the story of 2011, a surprise winner in the biggest race of them all – an event which featured a track-record number of leaders and lead changes.

Acting as the perfect table-setter, the 53rd Annual Daytona 500 set a tone for the entire first half, one that featured three first-time winners – Bayne, Regan Smith and David Ragan – and the highest leader and lead change numbers in the 63-year history of the series.

"I would say that parity is really the first thing that comes to mind [when thinking about the first half],” said five-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson. “There have been some guys that have flexed muscle at times, but no one consistently has just schooled everybody. It's been very, very equal this year and unpredictable, if you will. A lot of first-time winners, which is great to have, and no runaways right now so it's been an exciting time for the fans I believe. And then also, we've been acting like fools out there at times so that's always spicing things up."

Intriguing storylines join the robust statistics, a combination that will soon usher in NASCAR’s playoffs – the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which begins Sept. 18 at Chicagoland Speedway. Some of those first-half storylines:

· Jeff Gordon makes history. At Pocono Raceway in June, Gordon nabbed his 84th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory, tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison and NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Darrell Waltrip for third on the all-time list.

· The new Wild Card rule ratchets up intensity. After race number 26 at Richmond International Raceway, the top-10 drivers earn berths in the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Spots 11 and 12 go to those outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20. Currently, David Ragan holds the first Wild Card spot, thanks to his Coke Zero 400 win at Daytona. Brad Keselowski and Regan Smith both have wins, but need to vault into the top 20 for Chase consideration.

· Kyle Busch nears triple-digit victory numbers. Winning two-of-three at Kentucky Speedway last weekend, Busch tallied NASCAR national series career victories 98 and 99. The win breakdown: 22 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, 48 in NASCAR Nationwide Series and 29 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. With his next victory, Busch will join NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and David Pearson as the only drivers in NASCAR history with 100 or more national series wins.

· Dale Earnhardt Jr. enjoys a resurgent season. Though Earnhardt has fallen from third to eighth in the points standings over the last three races, his numbers in 2011 already match those of 2010. Through 18 races this season, he has three top fives and eight top 10s – the exact same figures he amassed in all 36 races last season.

· Serious candidates emerge to end five-time champion Jimmie Johnson’s reign. Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have combined to lead the points after 16 of the 18 races. Harvick

and Busch lead the series in victories, with three apiece. Busch has led 1,060 laps – compared to Johnson’s 473, which ranks second.

· A feud is lit, and simmers. At Darlington, Harvick and Busch engaged in a juicy post-race fracas. Both were put on four-race probation – a penalty that has since expired. The animosity is fascinating for two reasons: 1) Neither shies away from a skirmish; and 2) They’re both legitimate championship contenders.

· April’s race at Talladega Superspeedway tied two major NASCAR records. Its MOV of .002 seconds tied the record for closest MOV since the inception of electronic timing and scoring in 1993. Also, there were 88 lead changes, which tied the record for most lead changes in series history. Additionally, lead change records were set at Phoenix and Martinsville and tied at Infineon Raceway during the first half.

In some cases, the first half boasted numbers previously unseen in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history. Here are some of the statistics gleaned from the first 18 races:

· 12 different winners. Last time there were more through 18 races was 2003. Last year, there were seven different first-half winners.

· 12 different Coors Light Pole winners

· An average of 14 different leaders per race, most through 18 races in history

· An average of 31 lead changes per race, most through 18 races in history

· 44 different drivers have led at least one lap

· 30 drivers have scored at least one top 10

· Average Margin of Victory of 1.552 seconds

· 9 races with an MOV under one second

· Average of 3,940 passes per race, the most through 18 races since the inception of Loop
Data in 2005.

· Average of 39 green flag passes for the lead (all around the track), second-highest total through 18 races since the inception of Loop Data in 2005.