NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES 2/26/16

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Daytona Drama: Hamlin Wins Great American Race By Closest Margin In Its History

Denny Hamlin provided viewers more drama in the closing moments of the Daytona 500 than fans have seen in the race’s history. Literally and statistically.

The No. 11 Toyota driver made a move from his fourth position with less than two laps remaining in Sunday’s Daytona 500, dove between Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr., then beat Truex to the start/finish line by 0.010 seconds – the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the history of The Great American Race.

Hamlin’s MOV on Sunday also ranks tied for the seventh closest in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history.

Don’t be surprised to see another tight finish in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (1 p.m. ET on FOX). Two of the top-10 closest finishes in NASCAR history have been recorded at the Georgia track.

On March 11, 2001, Kevin Harvick beat Jeff Gordon to the start/finish line by 0.006 seconds – the fifth-closest margin of victory in the series annals. On March 12, 2000, Dale Earnhardt edged out Bobby Labonte at Atlanta by 0.010 seconds, tied with Hamlin’s Daytona MOV and Matt Kenseth’s Rockingham MOV (2/22/04) for the seventh-closest MOV on the all-time NSCS list.

Hamlin will attempt to join his teammate Matt Kenseth (2009) as only the second driver since 2000 to open a season with two wins. The Daytona 500 champion won at Atlanta in 2012 and claims the fourth-best driver rating there (97.2).

Hamlin’s Daytona victory virtually locks him into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He has three bonus points for the Round of 16 and can gain three more bonus points for each win he accumulates prior to the Chase.

Last season’s Daytona 500 winner, Joey Logano, followed up his victory with a fourth-place finish at Atlanta.

NASCAR Debuts Lower Downforce Aero Package At Atlanta

This weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will debut its much-anticipated lower downforce 2016 aerodynamics package.

The package is similar to the ones used at Kentucky and Darlington last year.

Lowering the downforce on a car makes it harder to drive, which puts more emphasis on driver skill and increases the potential for more passing.

Changes to the car for this season’s aero package include reductions to:

-       Spoiler – 2015: 6” tall, 2016: 3.5” tall

o    Air coming over the top of the car hits the spoiler, which pushes the back of the car down. A shorter spoiler creates less downforce than a taller spoiler.

-       Splitter – 2015: 2” overhang, 2016: .25” overhang

o    The splitter “splits” air and forces it to accelerate under the car, creating a high-pressure zone above the splitter and a low-pressure zone underneath that sucks the car down. Shortening the splitter reduces downforce.

-       Radiator Pan – 2015: 38” wide, 2016: 33” wide

o    The radiator pan is a flat panel that extends behind the splitter and under the car, deflecting air to create more downforce. A narrower panel is less effective in deflecting air, which slows airflow and creates less downforce.

 

Hometown Hero: Elliott To Make Sprint Cup Debut At Atlanta

Following a disappointing Daytona 500 debut where he finished 37th from the pole due to an early race wreck, Sunoco Rookie of the Year Chase Elliott gets to make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at his home track – Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Dawsonville, Georgia native has made two NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at the 1.54-mile track, finishing fifth both times.

Elliott embarks on his Sprint Cup Series career hoping to one day surpass the winningest Georgians in NSCS history – his father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott (44 wins), Jack Smith (21) and Fonty Flock (15).

Five of Bill Elliott’s 44 wins came at AMS.

 

Chasing Earnhardt: Johnson Readies To Repeat At Atlanta, Tie “The Intimidator”

By visiting Victory Lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Jimmie Johnson would not only repeat at the track he won at last year, but tie Dale Earnhardt for seventh on the all-time wins list with 76 career victories.

The six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion leads active drivers with four wins and 13 top fives at Atlanta. He also boasts series bests in average running position (9.0), driver rating (106.2) and average green flag speed (171.845 MPH) there. Additionally, Johnson boasts the second-best average finish among active competitors at Atlanta (10.1).

Joe Gibbs Racing Primed For Stellar Atlanta Showing

Joe Gibbs Racing started the 2016 season exactly how it finished the 2015 campaign – with a win, and a bunch of strong performances.

Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500, Kyle Busch finished third, Carl Edwards placed fifth and Matt Kenseth came in 14th despite leading 40 laps. Martin Truex Jr., of JGR technical partner Furniture Row Racing, finished runner-up.

Don’t expect JGR to slowdown in Atlanta. The organization excelled during the low downforce package races last year (Kentucky and Darlington) and gets to run a similar low downforce package this season beginning in the Peach State.

Last season, all four JGR driver finished in the top four at Kentucky: Busch (first), Hamlin (third), Edwards (fourth) and Kenseth (5th). At Darlington, three of them finished in the top 10: Edwards (first), Hamlin (third) and Busch (seventh).

Edwards is the top JGR driver at Atlanta. In 18 starts at the 1.54-mile track, he has three wins, nine top fives and 11 top 10s. His 100.4 driver rating there ranks second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Not far behind Edwards is Busch, who owns two wins, four top fives and five top 10s in 17 starts at Atlanta. He claims the fourth-best average finish (14.3) and seventh-best driver rating (92.8) there.

Kenseth has never won at Atlanta, but boasts the top average finish (8.6) and third-best driver rating (97.9) at the Georgia track.

Hamlin won at Atlanta in 2012 and has the fourth best driver rating (97.2) there.

JGR has won 11 of the last NSCS 20 races dating back to Busch’s victory at Kentucky last July.

Ty Dillon To Take Seat For Stewart This Weekend

Ty Dillon will take the wheel of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet in place of driver/owner Tony Stewart this weekend. He is also scheduled to pilot Stewart’s car at Phoenix and Auto Club. Brian Vickers will drive the No. 14 at Las Vegas.

Vickers wheeled the No. 14 in the Daytona 500, finishing 26th. Dillon competed in the season opener for Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing in the No. 95 Chevrolet and placed 25th.

Considered one of the top young drivers in NASCAR’s developmental ranks, Dillon has made his name in the XFINITY Series where he finished third in the final standings last year and fifth the prior season. He has made eight career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts with a high finish of 14th at Michigan in 2015.

Vickers returned to racing in Daytona for the first time since competing at Las Vegas last March. He had to sit out the majority of 2015 due to health problems stemming from blood clots.

Kahne Is Able At Atlanta

One of the more memorable moments spurred by the new Chase format was Kasey Kahne’s “do-or-die” victory in 2014 at Atlanta Motor Speedway – a track at which he excels.

Kahne is definitely a driver to watch for in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at the Georgia track. In 19 Atlanta starts, Kahne has three wins (his second most at any track), seven top fives and nine top 10s.

The No. 5 Chevrolet driver’s 262 fastest laps run at Atlanta rank second among active drivers.

Kahne’s owner, Rick Hendrick, boasts 13 wins at Atlanta – the most of any owner.

Local Legend: Logano Searches For First Cup Win At Facility He Starred At As A Youth

At the age of 9, Joey Logano moved from Connecticut to Georgia with his family to aid his racing aspirations and his sister’s figure skating career.

Logano quickly turned Atlanta Motor Speedway into his personal playground, winning the National Bandolero Bandits’ championship in 1999 and capturing the AMS Bandolero division championship in 2000. At age 12 (in 2002), Logano set a track record with 14 consecutive Legends wins – a mark that still stands. He captured the Young Lions championship the same year.

The No. 22 Team Penske driver is still searching for his first NASCAR national series win at AMS. He has struggled there with only two top 10s in nine starts, but finished fourth last season after winning the pole, and second in 2013.

Logano finished sixth in the Daytona 500.

Kurt Busch Leads Stewart-Haas Racing To Atlanta

Kurt Busch will attempt to tie Jimmie Johnson for the active Atlanta Motor Speedway wins lead when he goes for his fourth victory at the 1.54-mile track in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

In addition to his three wins, Busch claims five top fives and 10 top 10s in 24 Atlanta starts. He owns the fifth-best average finish (14.7) and driver rating (94.3) among active drivers at Atlanta. Busch kicked off the season with a 10th-place showing in the Daytona 500.

Busch’s teammate Kevin Harvick is no slouch in the Peach State either. He has one win, six top fives and 10 top 10s in 25 career starts at Atlanta, including seven top-10 finishes in his last nine starts there. The No. 4 Chevrolet driver has led 311 of 660 laps (47.1%) in the last two races at AMS.

In 2001, Harvick earned his first career win at Atlanta in his third race after replacing the late Dale Earnhardt. He beat Jeff Gordon to the start/finish line by 0.006 seconds – the fifth-closest margin of victory in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history.

SHR’s Danica Patrick posted a career-best sixth-place showing at Atlanta in 2014, tying her with Janet Guthrie for the highest NSCS finish by a female in history.

2016 Daytona 500 Sets Record Social/Digital Consumption Numbers For NASCAR

In addition to the drama that played out on the race track, the 2016 Daytona 500 produced record social/digital consumption numbers for NASCAR. This year’s edition of The Great American Race generated the most NASCAR-related social conversation on any single day since the inception of the NASCAR Fan and Media Engagement Center (FMEC). It also set a record for most impressions generated in one day by NASCAR’s social channels, a 63% increase compared to last year’s Daytona 500.

NASCAR’s digital platform generated 2.1 million unique visitors and 13 million page views.

More Statistical Highlights include:

- Social conversation increased 44% compared to last year’s Daytona 500

- Multiple celebrities tweeted about the race, including Justin Bieber (76 million followers), Ashton Kutcher (17.4 million) and John Cena (7.7 million)

- NASCAR fans spent 2.8 million minutes watching Daytona 500 content on the recently launched NASCAR Drive – an all-time high for NASCAR.com

- The 2016 Daytona 500 was the No. 1 most tweeted-about TV program of the day, generating 66 percent more conversation than the No. 2 event (WWE Fastlane)

- The 2016 Daytona 500 finish is the most-looped Vine in the history of the @NASCAR Twitter account