Charlotte Motor Speedway Data
Season Race #: 30 of 36 (10-10-15)
Track Size: 1.5-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 24 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 24 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 1,980 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,500 feet
Race Length: 400 laps / 600 miles
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Charlotte
Jimmie Johnson 109.6
Kyle Busch 106.6
Kasey Kahne 100.1
Matt Kenseth 95.6
Denny Hamlin 93.9
Jeff Gordon 91.1
Carl Edwards 90.4
Joey Logano 89.6
Greg Biffle 89.2
Brad Keselowski 88.0
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2015 races (20 total) among active drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Qualifying/Race Data
2014 pole winner:
Kyle Busch, Toyota
197.390 mph, 27.357 secs. 10-09-14
2014 race winner:
Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
145.346 mph, (03:26:49), 10-11-14
Track qualifying record:
Kurt Busch, Chevrolet
198.771 mph, 27.167 secs. 10-09-14
Track race (600 miles) record:
Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet
155.687 mph, (03:51:14), 05-27-12
Charlotte Driver Tale of the Tape
1 - Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.6
2015 Rundown
· Five wins, 12 top fives, 19 top 10s,
· Led 699 laps
· Average Finish of 12.4
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, ten top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.667, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.634, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 95.6, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.531, fifth-fastest
· 5016 Laps in the Top 15 (66.2), fourth-most
· 909 Quality Passes, fourth-most
2 - Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.6
2015 Rundown
· Three wins, 17 top fives, 23 top 10s,
· Led 863 laps
· Average Finish of 8.4
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Four top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 10.231, series-best
· Average Running Position of 13.489, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 89.6, eighth-best
· 2884 Laps in the Top 15 (62.2), eighth-most
· 678 Quality Passes, 14th-most
3 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.9
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s,
· Led 521 laps
· Average Finish of 13.4
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Four top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.200, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.240, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.9, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.484, seventh-fastest
· 5219 Laps in the Top 15 (72.7), third-most
· 833 Quality Passes, seventh-most
4 - Carl Edwards (No. 19 Stanley Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.4
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, five top fives, 11 top 10s,
· Led 361 laps
· Average Finish of 15.2
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, seven top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.762, third-best
· Average Running Position of 14.385, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 90.4, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.282, 16th-fastest
· 4808 Laps in the Top 15 (63.5), sixth-most
· 903 Quality Passes, fifth-most
5 - Martin Truex, Jr (No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 79.8
2015 Rundown
· One win, seven top fives, 18 top 10s,
· Led 536 laps
· Average Finish of 12.9
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, five top 10s
· Average finish of 17.800, 16th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.828, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.8, 17th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 175.930, 21st-fastest
· 4042 Laps in the Top 15 (55.8), 14th-most
· 700 Quality Passes, 12th-most
6 - Kurt Busch (No. 41 State Water Heaters Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.2
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, nine top fives, 15 top 10s,
· Led 765 laps
· Average Finish of 11.2
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 19.571, 20th-best
· Average Running Position of 16.187, 15th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.2, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.147, 18th-fastest
· 4232 Laps in the Top 15 (55.9), 13th-most
· 742 Quality Passes, 10th-most
7 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 3M Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.1
2015 Rundown
· Three top fives, 14 top 10s,
· Led 208 laps
· Average Finish of 15.5
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Five wins, 17 top fives, 24 top 10s; nine poles
· Average finish of 17.190, 14th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.200, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.1, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.622, third-fastest
· 4786 Laps in the Top 15 (63.2), seventh-most
· 857 Quality Passes, sixth-most
8 - Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Detroit Genuine Parts Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.0
2015 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 19 top 10s,
· Led 611 laps
· Average Finish of 11.4
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.000, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.124, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 88.0, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.489, sixth-fastest
· 2467 Laps in the Top 15 (56.0), 12th-most
9 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Pretty In Pink Foundation Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 106.6
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s,
· Led 678 laps
· Average Finish of 12.2
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Ten top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.190, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 9.676, second-best
· Driver Rating of 106.6, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 177.215, second-fastest
· 6008 Laps in the Top 15 (79.3), second-most
· 1074 Quality Passes, series-most
10 - Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 79.0
2015 Rundown
· Five top fives, 14 top 10s,
· Led 19 laps
· Average Finish of 13.6
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Four top fives, 12 top 10s; nine poles
· Average finish of 17.048, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 17.318, 16th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.0, 20th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 175.835, 22nd-fastest
· 3517 Laps in the Top 15 (46.4), 18th-most
· 659 Quality Passes, 16th-most
11 - Dale Earnhardt, Jr (No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.4
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, 13 top fives, 18 top 10s,
· Led 203 laps
· Average Finish of 10.5
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Six top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 20.750, 23rd-best
· Average Running Position of 18.306, 21st-best
· Driver Rating of 82.4, 14th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.290, 15th-fastest
· 3694 Laps in the Top 15 (51.0), 15th-most
· 704 Quality Passes, 11th-most
12 - Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Jimmy John's/ Budweiser Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.2
2015 Rundown
· Three wins, 19 top fives, 23 top 10s,
· Led 2031 laps
· Average Finish of 9.1
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, five top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.429, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 15.879, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.2, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.297, 13th-fastest
· 4651 Laps in the Top 15 (61.4), ninth-most
· 804 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Bank of America 500 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
Holy Harvick!
I'm starting to have a new found appreciation for last year’s Sprint Cup champion like I haven't had for any driver since I was a kid. This guy is one the coolest of competitors under pressure I've ever seen and his win in desperate circumstances Sunday at Dover proved once again that he really might be in his own class.
Now I don't want to take away anything greats of the past have done. I saw Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon do great things in NASCAR. I saw Jimmie Johnson win an incredible five championships in a row, but Kevin Harvick is in a new class in this 10-race Chase era where drivers get eliminated from championship contention every three races.
Last year, Harvick had to win at Phoenix to advance to the Championship race at Homestead and he did it in dominant fashion. And then he went on to win at Homestead and win his first Sprint Cup. This season, in another elimination situation -- do or die -- at a Dover layout he'd never won at before in 29 starts, he went on to lead 355 of the 400 laps en route to the win.
All other past NASCAR Championship formats never had that type of pressure built in so we never had to see that part of the athlete -- yes, the drivers are athletes -- come out in the same way we've seen John Elway, Joe Montana or Madison Bumgarner always rise to the occasion when their team needed them most in crunch situations.
I think Harvick always had that in his DNA. He's a fighter. He never backs down from anyone and he never backs down from any challenge. But he's never had this type of opportunity to show what he's really made of during his career because the situation was never in place to allow him to show off that deep inner strength. Because of NASCAR's ability to quickly make changes for the better and continually tweak its format, we now get to find out what drivers have these special set of skills we admire so much in all other athletes.
While Harvick was being amazing, at the same time we saw Johnson be eliminated from the Chase after a 42nd-place finish. It's a bizarre twist in the Chase, not only because Johnson is a six-time champion and owns almost every track record at Dover, but also because in the first race of the Chase at Chicagoland, Johnson had bumped Harvick into the wall putting Harvick in 42nd-place and in the desperate position he was in at Dover. Karma can be cruel.
Saturday night's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte kicks off the second leg of the Chase called the “Contender Round” where 12 drivers all start with the same amount of points. Win any of the next three races between Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega and it's an automatic ticket into the “Eliminator Round.”
This will be the eighth race this season held on a 1.5-mile track and second of five we'll see during the Chase. A Chevrolet won the first four with Johnson taking three wins and Harvick getting the other. But things started to shift for Chevrolet and Toyota at the Charlotte in May when Denny Hamlin won the All-Star Race and then Carl Edwards won the Coca-Cola 600 the following week. Kyle Busch would win at Kentucky's 1.5-mile layout in July and Hamlin would win at Chicagoland to kick off the Chase.
That's four straight Joe Gibbs Racing wins (All-Star race was non-points event) on 1.5s and they've won 10 of the past 14 races overall coming into this week. Needless to say, they are on a roll and should be considered the favorites to win again this week -- all four of them almost equally as good.
Joey Logano has been the top Ford entry and while he's never won at Charlotte over his young career (13 starts), he does lead all active drivers with a 10.2 average finish. He finished 13th there in May and was fourth in this race last fall.
You can also expect Harvick to give the Gibbs cars a strong run as well. He's a three-time winner at Charlotte including the Chase race last season. He's finished ninth or better at Charlotte in nine of his past 10 starts.
The driver I'd really like to see step up and win a race is Jeff Gordon. I've been waiting all year for it, as have his entire base of fans wanting to see the No. 24 in victory land one more time before he calls it quits at seasons end. This is the track where he really got discovered, or stolen from car owner Bill Davis. Former Charlotte President Humpy Wheeler noticed from his office a car that was attacking turns three and four better than he had seen before. It was Gordon in a Busch series practice. Rick Hendrick noticed too, signed him, and soon a legend was born. Gordon has five wins at Charlotte with the last coming in 2007.
Gordon is currently 20/1 at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook to win the Sprint Cup and after watching Ryan Newman make the Championship race last season without a win on the year, anything is possible.
That certainly would be a nice way to go out. Whether he gets his fifth Sprint Cup title or not -- he never won the title when called “Sprint Cup” -- I'd just like to see his name added to a story line down the stretch which is already building up quite nicely thanks to Harvick's exploits last week.
Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #18 Kyle Busch (7/1)
2) #22 Joey Logano (7/1)
3) #11 Denny Hamlin (9/1)
4) #4 Kevin Harvick (6/1)
5) #20 Matt Kenseth (7/1)
Driver Handicaps: Charlotte
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com
MRN.com's detailed notes and statistics to help you set your fantasy racing lineup for Saturday night's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Who's HOT at Charlotte
• Kevin Harvick has finished in the top 10 in the last five races, including two wins - one coming in this event last year.
• Carl Edwards won the Coca-Cola 600 in May for his fourth straight top 10.
• Brad Keselowski has posted an 8.5 average finish in his last four starts, including a win in this event in 2013.
• Jimmie Johnson has scored seven wins, but has yet to lead a lap in his last two starts. He also has three wins at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Matt Kenseth has finished in the top five in three of the last four races.
• Joey Logano (13 starts) leads all drivers with a 10.2 average finish.
• Kyle Busch has finished in the top 10 in 13 of the last 16 races.
• Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in four of the last five races.
• Kasey Kahne, a four-time winner, has led 299 laps and posted an 8.0 average finish in his last five starts. He finished 13th in May in his first track start with crew chief Keith Rodden.
Who to Keep an Eye On at Charlotte
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. (7.0), Ryan Newman (9.3) and Jeff Gordon (15.1) each rank in the top 10 in average finish among drivers that have races in ALL seven races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. Newman has finished in the top 10 in four of his last five Charlotte starts, while Gordon has finished in the top 10 in three of his last four.
• Martin Truex Jr. led a race-high 131 laps in this year's Coca-Cola 600 and has posted five top 10s at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Kurt Busch has made five starts at 1.5-mile tracks in 2015 and has led 220 laps and posted a 9.0 average finish.
• Charlotte was Greg Biffle's best finish of the season - second.
• Aric Almirola has finished in the top 10 in three of his last four races of the season, including a 10th-place run at Chicagoland last month.
• Kyle Larson is coming off his best finish of the season at a 1.5-mile track with his seventh-place run at Chicagoland.
MRN.com Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Kurt Busch
Pete Pistone: Kyle Busch
Robbie Mays: Matt Kenseth
John Singler: Denny Hamlin
Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish in the Five Races at Charlotte
Kevin Harvick has finished in the top 10 in the last five Charlotte races, including two wins. Harvick won this event last season and has a 4.0 average finish in three track starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. He's also led a combined series-high 288 in that three-race span. Harvick also leads the series in laps led (443) in the seven races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. This weekend, Harvick will return in the same car (chassis No. 945) that he finished fifth with at Darlington Raceway last month.
Carl Edwards had enough fuel to go the distance to win at Charlotte in May for his first win at the track in 21 starts, and first since joining Joe Gibbs Racing. The win was Edwards' seventh top 10 in the last eight Charlotte races. The last three races at 1.5-mile tracks dating back to Charlotte have resulted in top-five finishes.
Kasey Kahne has posted a 7.0 average finish in seven Charlotte starts with Hendrick Motorsports. His first track start with HMS resulted in a win in the 2012 May race. The win was one of four in 23 overall starts. This season, Kahne has only finished in the top 10 once (Texas) and only led six laps in the seven races at 1.5-mile tracks.
Ryan Newman has posted a 9.3 average finish in three Charlotte starts with Richard Childress Racing. His last two outings have resulted in top 10s to push his total to 12 in 20 overall starts at the track. This weekend, Newman will return in the same car (chassis No. 526) that he finished fourth with at Chicagoland Speedway, one of five top 10s at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
Matt Kenseth won the pole, led 26 laps, and finished fourth in May at Charlotte with the same tire combination that will be used this weekend. The top five was his third in five track starts with Joe Gibbs Racing. This season, Kenseth has finished in the top 10 in six of the seven races at 1.5-mile tracks, including top fives in the last three.
Denny Hamlin is the latest winner at a 1.5-mile track, taking the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway. The win was his third consecutive top 10 at a 1.5-mile track this season. Hamlin led 53 laps, but had a loose wheel, and finished eighth in May at Charlotte with the same tire combination that will be used this weekend.
Joey Logano's best finish, and second top five, in five Charlotte starts with Team Penske came in this event last season. Logano leads all drivers with a 6.3 average finish in the seven races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. His worst finish in those races came at Charlotte in May when he started second and finished 13th.
Jamie McMurray finished third in this event last season for his seventh top five in 26 Charlotte starts. He won this event in 2010 for his second win at the track. McMurray's only top 10 at a 1.5-mile track this season came at Texas.
Brad Keselowski is the only driver this season that has posted a top-10 finish in all seven races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. Keselowski finished seventh at Charlotte in May for his third top 10 in the last four races there, which includes a win in this event on 2013.
Jeff Gordon finished second in this event last season for his third top 10 in the last four Charlotte races. His last of five wins at the track came in this event in 2007. Gordon led 41 laps at Chicagoland to kick off the Chase and has posted a 15.1 average finish in the seven races at 1.5-mile tracks this year.
Kyle Busch has finished in the top 10 in 13 of the last 16 races at Charlotte, including a fifth-place finish in this event last year. Busch has combined to lead 284 laps in his last two starts at 1.5-mile tracks this season, which includes a win at Kentucky Speedway.
Martin Truex Jr. led a race-high 131 laps en route to a fifth-place finish in May with the tire combination that will be used this weekend. His streak of five consecutive top 10s this season at 1.5-mile tracks was snapped at Kentucky.
Kurt Busch led 118 laps and finished 10th in May with the same tire combination that will be used this weekend. The finish was one of four top 10s in five starts at 1.5-mile tracks this season. In the last one, Busch led 37 laps and finished third at Chicagoland Speedway. This weekend, Busch will return in the same car he raced at Charlotte and at Kentucky Speedway where he finished 10th.
Jimmie Johnson's last of seven wins at Charlotte came in the 2014 May race. In his last two outings, Johnson has posted a 28.5 average finish. Three of his wins this season have come at 1.5-mile tracks, but his worst finish came at Charlotte in May, 40th.
Greg Biffle scored his best finish of the season in May at Charlotte. The second-place finish was his first top 10 at Charlotte since finishing fourth in this event on 2012. This year's Charlotte finish is Biffle's only top 10 at a 1.5-mile track this season and it came after he had enough fuel to go the distance.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. had enough fuel in May to capture a third-place finish in May at Charlotte. The finish marked his fifth consecutive, and last, top five in the seven races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. In the last race at a 1.5-mile track, Earnhardt finished 12th to kick off the Chase.
Clint Bowyer has posted a 22.8 average finish in his last four Charlotte starts. He won this event in 2012, but has yet to post a finish inside the top 15 in the seven races at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
Paul Menard's only top 10 in nine Charlotte starts with Richard Childress Racing came in the 2014 May race, in eighth. This season, Menard has failed to finish in the top 10 in the seven races at 1.5-mile tracks, but four of them have been 15th or better, including a 14th-place finish at Charlotte in May. This weekend, Menard will return in the same car (chassis No. 480) that he posted his best finish at a 1.5-mile track (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 12th) in 2015 with.
Aric Almirola has yet to finish in the top 10 in seven starts at Charlotte. His 12th-place finish in 2012 is his best in the fall race. Almirola is coming off his first top 10 of the season at a 1.5-mile track at Chicagoland last month.
Tony Stewart has posted a 29.3 average finish in the seven races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. His 21st-place finish at Charlotte in May is his best in those races. His three Charlotte starts with crew chief Chad Johnston have resulted in an average finish of 18.3.
Drivers to Watch - Charlotte
By Sportsbook.ag
The Chase for the Sprint Cup contender round begins when these racers compete at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday.
This track is a 1.5-mile, asphalt track and features 24-degree banking. This has all the makings of an exciting race and a number of the drivers will be looking forward to coming back to Charlotte.
Jimmie Johnson is a four-time winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway and that gives him the most of any of the other drivers that have claimed multiple victories here. With that out of the way, let’s now take a look at who could be coming away with a very crucial victory at this event:
Drivers to Watch
Kevin Harvick (7/2) - It really isn’t exciting to suggest chalk, but Harvick has just been too dominant lately. He is coming off of a must-win victory at Dover and came in ninth place the last time these Sprint Cup drivers were on this track. +350 may not jump off the page as excellent odds, but they really are pretty good for a guy who has been on another level lately.
Matt Kenseth (7/1) - Matt Kenseth won the pole for this race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and he should be taken under extreme consideration as a contender in after coming in fourth at this track earlier in the year. Kenseth has been extremely hot lately, finishing first in two of the past four races. He has not only been racing well lately, but he has also had a spectacular season in general. Kenseth has five victories on the year and at +700, he is a very good choice to place a few units on.
Jimmie Johnson (8/1) - Everybody wants to talk about how poorly Johnson has been as of late, but the guy just knows how to get it done at this track and he strictly can not be counted out. Johnson, as mentioned earlier, has dominated at Charlotte Motor Speedway in his career and will be eager to prove to people that the retirement chatter is premature. At +800, it’s a good idea to take a guy who is hungry to win at a track he owns.
Carl Edwards (10/1) - Carl Edwards is one last guy that should be on the radar this Saturday. Edwards has put together yet another solid season, winning two races and coming in the top five in two of the past three races. Edwards also happens to be excellent at Charlotte Motor Speedway and was the winner at this track when these drivers competed in the Coca Cola 600 earlier in the year.