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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, by the numbers

History
— The first NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race won by Ken Schrader on Nov. 2, 1996.
— The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held on March 1, 1998, won by Mark Martin.
— In 2006, the track was reconfigured to include progressive banking.

Notebook
— There have been 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
— Four drivers have participated in all 14 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.
— Dale Jarrett won the inaugural pole.
— 10 drivers have poles at LVMS, led by Dale Jarrett, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Bobby Labonte (two each).
— Eight different drivers have won, led by Jimmie Johnson (four). Three other drivers have multiple wins at Las Vegas: Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards and 2012 Daytona 500 champion Matt Kenseth (two each).
— Only six of the 14 races have been won from a top-10 starting position.
— Las Vegas-native Kyle Busch became the first driver to win from the pole, in 2009.
— Four of the 14 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
— The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 25th, by Matt Kenseth in 2004.
— There has been one green-white-checkered finish at Las Vegas: 2006 (270/267).
— Kyle Busch made his first start and Kasey Kahne won his first pole at Las Vegas, in the same event (2004). Aric Almirola also made his first NASCAR Sprint Cup career start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
— Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Las Vegas Motor Speedway winner: Kyle Busch (03/01/2009 – 23 years, 9 months, 27 days)
— Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Las Vegas Motor Speedway winner: Sterling Marlin (03/03/2002 – 44 years, 7 months, 32 days)

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Data
Race #3 of 36 (3-11-12)
Track Size: 1.5 miles
— Race Length: 267 laps/400.5 miles
— Banking/Corners: 20 degrees
— Banking/Frontstretch: 9 degrees
— Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees

Driver Rating at Las Vegas
Jeff Gordon — 117.0
Jimmie Johnson — 116.4
Kyle Busch — 108.0
Greg Biffle — 103.8
Tony Stewart — 98.7
Carl Edwards — 96.0
Matt Kenseth — 95.9
Jeff Burton — 95.6
Mark Martin — 94.7
Kevin Harvick — 92.2
Kurt Busch — 86.7
Joey Logano — 85.5
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (7 total) at Las Vegas.

Qualifying/Race Data
2011 pole winner: Matt Kenseth (188.884 mph, 28.589 seconds)
2011 race winner: Carl Edwards (135.508 mph, 3-6-11)
Track qualifying record: Matt Kenseth (188.884 mph, 28.589 seconds, 3-4-11)
Track race record: Mark Martin (146.554 mph, 3-1-98)

NASCAR in Nevada
— There have been 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in Nevada, one at Las Vegas Park Speedway in 1955 and the rest at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1996-Present).
— 21 drivers all-time in NASCAR’s three national series have their home state as Nevada.
— There have been three race winners from Nevada totaling a combined 143 victories in NASCAR’s three national series

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