Dickies 500
NASCAR heads to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for the eight race of the Chase.
Here is a quick run down of trivial facts and statistics for this weekend’s Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, TX.
Texas Motor Speedway History
- Construction on Texas Motor Speedway began in 1995.
- The original configuration called for an unusual dual banking system that had 24 degrees of banking for stock cars and eight degrees for open-wheel cars.
- The first NASCAR race at Texas was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on April 5, 1997.
- The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas was on April 6, 1997.
- In 1998, Turn 4 at Texas was reshaped to ease the transition from the turns to the front straightaway.
- A second renovation started after the 1998 race and eliminated the dual banking and gave the track its current configuration.
Track Numbers
- NASCAR Cup Series Races: 15
- Pole Winners: 10
- Race Winners: 13
- There have been 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, one per season 1997 through 2004 and two races per year since 2005.
- Four drivers have competed in all 15 Texas races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.
- Jeremy Mayfield won the first timed qualifying on April 4, 1998. Qualifying for the inaugural race in 1997 was canceled.
- Jeff Burton won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
- Ten drivers have scored poles at Texas, led by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte and Ryan Newman with two each.
- Thirteen drivers have won races, led by Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards, each with two.
- 12 of 15 races have been won from a top-10 starting position. Only one has been won from the pole.
- Matt Kenseth started 31st en route to his victory at Texas in 2002, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.
- There have been two green-white-checkered finishes: fall 2006 (339/334) and spring 2008 (339/334).
Hot Fact
Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in five of his six races at Texas. His 83% top-10 rate is the best of any driver with more than two Texas starts.
Track Records
- Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers (196.235 mph, 27.518 seconds, 11-3-06)
- Track race record: Carl Edwards (151.055 mph, 11-6-05)
Qualifying/Race Data
- 2007 pole winner: Martin Truex Jr. (193.105 mph, 27.964 secs.)
- 2007 race winner: Jimmie Johnson (131.219 mph, 11-4-07)
Texas Race Day Data
- Estimated Pit Window: Every 50-55 laps, depending on fuel mileage.
- #34 of 36 (11-2-08)
- Track Size: 1.5 miles
- Race Length: 501 miles
- Banking/corners: 24 degrees
- Banking/straights: 5 degrees
- Frontstretch: 2,250 feet
- Backstretch: 1,330 feet