There's one guarantee in this year's voting for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver Awards: Fans will crown a new winner.

 

With Danica Patrick, last year's NASCAR Nationwide Series winner, moving to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nelson Piquet Jr., last year’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner, racing in the Nationwide Series, this year's vote – like the eventual winner’s driving style – is wide open.

 

For the sixth consecutive year, fans can vote online for the Most Popular Driver Award in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (Twitter hashtags: #NNSMPD, #NCWTSMPD).

 

Each series has a dedicated site on NASCAR.com for voting. For the NASCAR Nationwide Series, fans can go to www.NASCAR.com/nnsmpd and for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to www.NASCAR.com/ncwtsmpd. Fans are encouraged to vote once per day leading up to the deadline.

 

Voting is open and runs through Friday, Nov. 15 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Saturday, Nov. 16 for the NASCAR Nationwide Series, prior to the respective season finale races at Homestead-Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend.

 

To be eligible to receive votes, drivers must have selected either the NASCAR Nationwide Series or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to receive 2013 championship driver points. Additionally, drivers must have attempted at least half of each series’ races this season.

 

The winners will be announced at the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Awards. The combined post-season gala will once again take place in South Florida at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel on Monday, Nov. 18.

David Ragan, driver of the No. 34 Taco Bell Ford Fusion, gave Front Row Motorsports its first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory when he won the Aaron’s 399 at Talladega Superspeedway in May.  As the circuit prepares to head back to Talladega for this weekend’s race, Ragan reflected on that victory with Ford Racing.

WHAT KIND OF THOUGHTS DO YOU HAVE ABOUT GOING BACK TO TALLADEGA AFTER WINNING THE LAST TIME THERE?  “It’s cool going back as the defending champion and fun to go back to a track where you’ve recently won a Sprint Cup race.  I certainly feel like we have a lot of confidence going back to Talladega.  We know that if we play our cards right, if everyone executes their job with no mistakes, we’ll have a shot to win again.  But it’s easier said than done.  Talladega is a very, very hard track to run 500 miles at with no mistakes.  Even if you do that with no mistakes and you have a shot to win, it’s hard to do it, but it can be done and we’re looking forward to going back for sure.”

DO PEOPLE STILL COME UP TO YOU ON A REGULAR BASIS AND TALK ABOUT THAT WIN?  “I get it a lot.  Obviously, a couple of weeks after the Talladega win that was what most everyone talked about, but even six months later I still get fans, friends and guys on the team who relive that day and that moment.  That’s good because there are a lot of struggles in the world of Sprint Cup racing.  Your winning percentage is not anywhere near 50, 40, 30 percent, so it is a tough sport and it’s fun to go back and relive that moment, and it’s neat that a lot of people were watching that evening and enjoyed the win as much as we did.”

WHEN YOU DRIVE FOR JACK ROUSH YOU’RE EXPECTED TO WIN RACES BECAUSE IT’S A BIG ORGANIZATION WITH A LOT OF RESOURCES, BUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS ISN’T LIKE THAT.  DID THAT MAKE WINNING AT TALLADEGA MORE SATISFYING FOR YOU BECAUSE OF THE SITUATION YOUR CURRENT TIME IS IN?  “Yeah, no question the win with Front Row Motorsports meant a little bit more than the win that we had with Roush Fenway.  Both wins were incredible days and big wins, and even the top teams that have won hundreds of races and championships over the year, they still are really, really pumped up when they win a Sprint Cup race.  But I think this will always mean more because it was our team’s first win.  This is a building organization with a lot of potential for the future and they’ve only been around for a few years, so to get that first win you’ve got to start with one before you get to two before you get to three, so that’s something that you’ll always remember.  You always remember your first win and you always remember your most recent win.  A lot of the ones in the middle you don’t always remember, but to see Bob Jenkins and Jerry Freeze and Jay Guy after the race was a fun time for everyone and we’ve certainly enjoyed keeping it fresh in our memories.”

YOUR 250^TH CAREER SPRINT CUP START WILL BE THIS WEEKEND AT TALLADEGA.  WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?  “That’s a lot of consecutive starts and something I don’t take for granted.  I’m very fortunate to have a full-time ride in the Sprint Cup Series.  There are thousands of men and women out there that would love to be in my shoes, so I do take it serious and we work as hard as we can to try to get better.  It would mean the world to me to help Front Row Motorsports continue to get better and continue to prosper.  We’ve made a lot of good friends with everyone in the garage over the years, but one of the best is Bob Jenkins and his family and everyone here at Front Row.  So it really has been a good ride and we hope to keep it going.  I’m only 27 years old and I feel like I’ve got a lot of time left in this sport.  I feel like I’m a smarter driver today than I was a year ago, and we’re gonna keep working hard and I guarantee we’re gonna win some more races.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – 2nd IN STANDINGS:
“Honestly, I’ll be anxious to get out of there (laughs). I’m just ready for it to happen; and go on, and race from there.  But last year, I don’t think we finished a restrictor plate race; and this year we’ve had two wins; and I think the other was in the top 5. So, I hope this trend of top 5 finishes stays alive in Talladega. That’s what we’re going to need. After Talladega, at that point, you can really race individuals. I think up until Talladega, you’re still racing the field and anything can happen and anybody has a chance. But leaving Talladega, you can really narrow-in on who is left and what that spread is in points.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – 3rd IN STANDINGS:
“Don’t wreck. That’s the perfect strategy. How you do that I don’t know, but I’m hoping we have the luck we need to make sure that we don’t have any major issues this weekend at Talladega (Superspeedway).”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS – 4th IN STANDINGS:
"You have to go into this race with a positive attitude. With the big-pack racing, there is always the chance of the 'big one.' But you have to approach this race with a positive attitude; fight to avoid whatever may occur and hope that you come out of it with a race car. It doesn't even need to be in one piece. It just needs to get across the (finish) line with a decent finish.

"That was a crazy race for us and I couldn't believe we almost got a top-10 with a car that damaged, but that just shows you anything can happen here and you have to battle all the way to the checkered flag. A lot can and will happen during the race this Sunday and it could very well shake up the standings."

KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW/WONDER BREAD CHEVROLET SS – 7th IN STANDINGS:
"It's shake and bake time -- I am so excited to drive the Wonder Bread car that will have a similar look to what Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) drove in the movie Talladega Nights. It's going to be a lot of fun. Regarding this weekend, it's so difficult to predict Talladega. You can ride around in the back, charge up front all day and either way your day can end with your car on the hook, like we did in the Talladega spring race.  You just hope to have Lady Luck guide you to a top-10 finish.  Restrictor plate races have turned into this pattern that it is hard to have any type of strength over any other team. It just comes down to being in the right place at the right time."  

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 MOUNTAIN DEW/XBOX ONE CHEVROLET SS – 9th IN STANDINGS:

“I’ve really have had a lot of success at Talladega, a lot of great runs. I feel confident when we go there that we are going to have a good car, going to know how to use it. Hendrick Motorsports has done a great job with this car at Daytona and Talladega. Our confidence level is real good, real high. Hopefully, we get an opportunity to have a good race on Sunday and go to Victory Lane. We really feel like we have a good shot at it and feel like it is about that time for us to win one at Talladega.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 WIX FILTERS CHEVROLET SS – 12th IN STANDINGS:
“I wouldn’t say I dread going to Talladega. It’s not my favorite racetrack, but I don’t say I dread it. I love doing what I do. I love driving a racecar, even at Talladega. I think the difference is there’s more potential to get involved in something not of your making there, and that’s frustrating to me. But that’s not just me. Everyone hopes they can avoid the big crash there. And, to be honest, when you’re up front at Talladega, it’s great. When you’re not, it can be miserable. When you’re the recipient of somebody else’s lack of judgment, then it’s not easy to talk about it. And that’s pretty much it. It’s just that there is way more potential for that than there is at most other racetracks. So, I don’t think I’m any different than anybody else. I’d love to win the race but, when I’m the recipient of somebody else’s misjudgment, that’s even more aggravating to me.”

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – 13th IN STANDINGS:
(ON CARRYING MOMENTUM AFTER THE NO. 5 TEAM’S SECOND-PLACE FINISH AT CHARLOTTE.): “It was nice having a great race at Charlotte. That track always gives us a good boost, and we always leave there with such confidence. Hopefully we can run pretty strong the rest of the year because I don't want to finish last in the (Chase) point standings.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS – 15th IN STANDINGS:
“I guess that the most you can say about a place like Talladega is I hope we can be lucky.  That is what it seems to usually come down to at Talladega, you need to be in the right place at the right time.  We had a really good car at the Spring Talladega race, but we got caught up in a late race accident that spoiled our hopes of a good finish.  We seem to always have really good speedway cars, so I expect this weekend to be no exception.  Hopefully we can find some of that luck and bring our Cessna Chevy SS home with a strong finish.”

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 DURACELL/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – 17th IN STANDINGS:

“Racing at Talladega (Superspeedway) is always a crap shoot. The biggest thing about racing there is trying to avoid the inevitable ‘Big One’. We had a good run going for us last fall and then we got caught up in a final lap melee. If we can avoid trouble and keep our No. 27 Duracell/Menards Chevrolet clean this weekend, I think we’ll have a good shot to run up front on Sunday. With the Gen-6 car it’s harder to make moves and passes in restrictor-plate races. We’re going to have to use strategy to our advantage and try and start up front and stay up front.”

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – 20th IN STANDINGS:
“The biggest thing is the new cars draft differently, but that’s about it. My concern at Talladega Superspeedway is missing the big wreck and getting to the end of the race with a clean car and a good finish. It’s been a horrendous restrictor-plate year for the No. 31 team. Last year, luck was on our side and we had a top-five average finishing position at places like Daytona (International Speedway) and Talladega and this year, there hasn’t been a restrictor-plate race where we haven’t been involved in a wreck. It’s really frustrating, but the fans like to see pack racing so we will figure out a strategy before the race and go with it.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – 21st IN STANDINGS:
“Talladega is unpredictable. To tell you the truth, you don’t know how things are going to go until the very last lap. You play on strategy and decide if you’re going to hang back or run up with the pack but that’s the only thing you’re in control of when racing there. The Target Chevy was good the last time we raced at Talladega and we opted to run with the pack. Unfortunately an electrical issue happened and we weren’t able to get the finish I think we deserved.”

DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY BREAST CANCER AWARENESS CHEVROLET SS – 28th IN STANDINGS:

“I feel more comfortable. I felt really comfortable at Daytona in general, but I think that I’m realizing how important it is throughout the race to try things and practice taking runs and thing like that and being a little bit more brave with not worrying about what happens as a result; and knowing that as long as you don’t lose the draft, you can be set up for the end of the race. I’ve lost the draft and that’s not good either.

“But I was ready at the beginning. I think as a race car driver when you get to this level, you’re ready for anything that comes at you. But as I said at the beginning of the season coming from Daytona that you have to at least know what your car do and get a run and get by somebody. I’m more apt to practice that now in practice and in the race.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 14 BASS PRO SHOPS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS – INTERIM DRIVER FOR THE INJURED TONY STEWART:
“Steve Addington and all of the guys at Stewart-Hass racing have been great to work with. I really enjoyed racing with them at Michigan International Speedway in August. I have a ton of respect for Tony Stewart and I am thankful for this opportunity to drive equipment other than my grandfathers. I think that’s the ultimate honor – to know that there are car owners in the garage area other than my grandfather that think highly enough of me as a driver that they would put me in their equipment.”

JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 BRANDT CHEVROLET SS –
“I’m looking forward to racing at Talladega. I will have a new crew chief this weekend on Sprint Cup side, Jimmy Elledge. He was my Nationwide crew chief the past two seasons at Turner Scott Motorsports, and I’m looking forward to working with him again.  The Phoenix Racing team has won at Talladega before, so that gives me a little extra confidence going into the weekend. Overall, I just need to be there at the end and we should have a shot at winning.”

2014 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES SCHEDULE

 

Date	Site	Network
2/15	Daytona International Speedway (Sprint Unlimited)	FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM
2/16	Daytona International Speedway (Daytona 500 Qualifying)	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
2/20	Daytona International Speedway (Duels)	FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM
2/23	Daytona 500	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
3/2	Phoenix International Raceway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
3/9	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
3/16	Bristol Motor Speedway	FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
3/23	Auto Club Speedway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
3/30	Martinsville Speedway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
4/6	Texas Motor Speedway	FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
4/12	Darlington Raceway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
4/26	Richmond International Raceway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
5/4	Talladega Superspeedway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
5/10	Kansas Speedway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
5/17	Charlotte Motor Speedway (NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race)	FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM
5/25	Charlotte Motor Speedway	FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
6/1	Dover International Speedway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
6/8	Pocono Raceway	TNT, MRN, SiriusXM
6/15	Michigan International Speedway	TNT, MRN, SiriusXM
6/22	Sonoma Raceway	TNT, PRN, SiriusXM
6/28	Kentucky Speedway	TNT, PRN, SiriusXM
7/5	Daytona International Speedway	TNT, MRN, SiriusXM
7/13	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	TNT, PRN, SiriusXM
7/27	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	ESPN, IMS, SiriusXM
8/3	Pocono Raceway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
8/10	Watkins Glen International	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
8/17	Michigan International Speedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
8/23	Bristol Motor Speedway	ABC, PRN, SiriusXM
8/31	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ESPN, PRN, SiriusXM
9/6	Richmond International Raceway	ABC, MRN, SiriusXM
9/14	Chicagoland Speedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
9/21	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	ESPN, PRN, SiriusXM
9/28	Dover International Speedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
10/5	Kansas Speedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
10/11	Charlotte Motor Speedway	ABC, PRN, SiriusXM
10/19	Talladega Superspeedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
10/26	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
11/2	Texas Motor Speedway	ESPN, PRN, SiriusXM
11/9	Phoenix International Raceway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
11/16	Homestead-Miami Speedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM

History

·        Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968.

·        The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 14, 1969 – won by Richard Brickhouse.

·        The name changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989.

·        Fourth repaving completed on Sept. 19, 2006.

Talladega Superspeedway Data

Season Race #: 32 of 36 (10-20-13)

Chase Race #: 6

Track Size: 2.66-miles

Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 33 degrees

Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 33 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 16.5 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees

Frontstretch Length:  4,300 feet

Backstretch Length:  4,000 feet

Race Length: 188 laps / 500 miles

Top 13 Driver Rating at Talladega

Matt Kenseth.............................. 91.5

Dale Earnhardt Jr....................... 89.9

Jeff Burton................................. 89.3

Brian Vickers............................. 87.3

Kurt Busch................................. 86.8

Brad Keselowski......................... 85.7

David Ragan.............................. 85.0

Aric Almirola.............................. 83.9

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.................... 83.9

Jimmie Johnson......................... 83.1

Jeff Gordon................................ 81.8

Denny Hamlin............................. 81.6

Jamie McMurray........................ 81.5

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (17 total) among active drivers at Talladega Superspeedway.

Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner: Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 191.455 mph, 50.017 secs. 10-5-12

2012 race winner: Matt Kenseth, Ford, 171.194 mph, (02:56:12), 10-7-12

Track qualifying record: Bill Elliott, Ford, 212.809 mph, 44.998 secs. 4-30-87

Track race record: Mark Martin, Ford, 188.354 mph, (02:39:18), 5-10-97

Notebook

·        There have been 88 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, one NSCS event in 1969 and two races per year since 1970.

·        Talladega Superspeedway is tied with Michigan International Speedway for holding the ninth most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying races (88).

·        431 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega; 294 in more than one.

·        Dave Marcis leads the series in starts at Talladega with 61. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 58 starts; followed by Michael Waltrip with 54.

·        Bobby Isaac won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Talladega in 1969 with a speed of 199.466 mph.  Isaac won the first three poles at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.

·        36 drivers have Coors Light poles at Talladega, led by Bill Elliott with eight. Joe Nemechek leads all active drivers with four.

·        10 drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Talladega. Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive poles at Talladega with six (1985-1987).

·        Youngest Talladega pole winner: Jimmie Johnson (4/21/2002 – 26 years, 7 months, 4 days).

·        Oldest Talladega pole winner: Mark Martin (10/23/2012 – 52 years, 9 months, 14 days).

·        43 different drivers have won at Talladega Superspeedway, led by Dale Earnhardt with 10. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six.

·        Richard Childress Racing has the most wins at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 12; followed by Hendrick Motorsports with 11.

·        Nine different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Talladega; led by Chevrolet with 38 victories; followed by Ford with 20.

·        13 of the 88 (14.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from the Coors Light pole. Only two active drivers have been able to accomplish the feat: Bobby Labonte (1998) and Jeff Gordon (2007).

·        The outside front row (second-place) starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Talladega.

·        33 of the 88 (37.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from the front row: 13 from the pole and 20 from second-place.

·        62 of the 88 (70.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·        7 of the 88 (7.9%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Talladega was 36th, by Jeff Gordon in the spring of 2000.

·        Youngest Talladega winner: Bobby Hillin Jr. (7/27/1986 – 22 years, 1 month, 22 days).

·        Oldest Talladega winner: Harry Gant (5/6/1991 – 51 years, 3 months, 26 days).

·        Buddy Baker and Tony Stewart are tied for the series’ most runner-up finishes at Talladega with six each.

·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-five finishes at Talladega with 23. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 15.

·        Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-10 finishes at Talladega with 27. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 24.

·        Trevor Bayne leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega with a 9.800.

·        Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Talladega with a 12.556.

·        There have been seven NSCS races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Talladega Superspeedway: spring of 2005 (188/194), fall of 2005 (188/190), spring of 2007 (188/192), fall of 2008 (188/190) spring of 2010 (188/200), fall of 2012 (188/189), and spring of 2013 (188/192).

·        Only two of the 87 races at Talladega Superspeedway have been shortened due to weather conditions: spring of 1987 and fall of 1996.

·        Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway four times; most recently spring of 2013.

·        Jamie McMurray (10/6/2002) made his series debut at Talladega Superspeedway.

·        Juan Pablo Montoya (4/26/2009), David Gilliland (10/8/2006) and Travis Kvapil (10/5/2008) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Talladega.

·        2012 series champion Brad Keselowski (4/26/2009), Brian Vickers (10/8/2006) and Ken Schrader (7/31/1988) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Talladega.

·        Nine drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Talladega. Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the series in consecutive wins at Talladega after posting four consecutive wins from the fall of 2001-2003.

·        16 of the 17 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Talladega Superspeedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Brad Keselowski is the only active series driver to win at Talladega in his first appearance.

·        Matt Kenseth competed at Talladega Superspeedway 25 times before winning last fall; the longest span of any the 17 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·        Matt Kenseth (25), Terry Labonte (21), Tony Stewart (19), Kevin Harvick (18), Mark Martin (18) and David Ragan (12) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Talladega.

·        Jeff Burton leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Talladega without visiting Victory Lane at 39.

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway was the (4/17/2011) race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.002 second – the MOV is tied with the 2003 Darlington race as the closest finishes in the NSCS using electronic scoring.

·        Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Talladega with 839 laps led in 40 starts.

·        Three female drivers have competed at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Patty Moise and Danica Patrick.

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date	Race Name
Janet Guthrie	13	32	5/1/1977	Winston 500
Janet Guthrie	9	34	8/7/1977	Talladega 500
Janet Guthrie	12	29	8/6/1978	Talladega 500
Patty Moise	36	33	7/30/1989	Talladega Diehard 500
Danica Patrick	23	33	5/5/2013	Aaron's 499

NASCAR in Alabama

·        There have been 107 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among seven different tracks in Alabama.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Talladega Superspeedway	Talladega	88
Birmingham International Raceway	Birmingham	8
Montgomery Motor Speedway	Montgomery	6
Lakeview Speedway	Mobile	2
Chisholm Speedway	Montgomery	1
Dixie Speedway	Birmingham	1
Huntsville Speedway	Huntsville	1

·        68 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Alabama.

·        Eight drivers from Alabama have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; five have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Bobby Allison	84	2	0
Davey Allison	19	0	0
Neil Bonnett	18	1	0
Donnie Allison	10	0	0
Red Byron	2	0	0
Steve Grissom	0	11	0
Rick Crawford	0	0	5
Cale Gale	0	0	1

Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup: Talladega Superspeedway

·        Talladega Superspeedway has been one of the 10 tracks of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since the playoff’s inception in 2004.

·        The best finish in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings by the Chase race winner at Talladega is second in the points by Jeff Gordon in 2007. The winner of the Talladega Superspeedway Chase race has never gone on to win the championship.

·        Clint Bowyer leads the series with the most Chase race wins at Talladega with two (2010 and 2011).

·        The worst finish by the eventual series champion at Talladega Superspeedway is 26th, by Jimmie Johnson in 2006. Johnson was eighth in the standings following the 2006 Talladega Chase race.

·        Chase Contenders have won five of the nine Chase races at Talladega Superspeedway. The four drivers that were not Chase Contenders that won the Chase race at Talladega were NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett (2005), Brian Vickers (2006), Jamie McMurray (2009) and Clint Bowyer (2011).

Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup: Talladega Superspeedway

·        Four of the 2013 Chase Contenders are former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase race winners at Talladega Superspeedway: Clint Bowyer (2), Jeff Gordon (1), Matt Kenseth (1) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1).

·        The average finish by the eventual series champion at Talladega Superspeedway is 7.9. The last three series champions all finished seventh in the Chase race at Talladega.

·        Chevrolet leads the series in Chase wins at Talladega with five followed by Ford with three and Toyota with one.

·        The most dominant performance by a Chase race winner at Talladega Speedway is Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s victory in 2004. He led 78 of the 188 laps (41% of his laps completed) - most by a Chase race winner at Talladega.

Eventual champion’s points position and point deficit to the standings leader following the fifth Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race:

Season	Champion	Points Back From Leader	Points Position Following Fifth Chase Race
2004	Kurt Busch	0	1st
2005	Tony Stewart	0*	2nd
2006	Jimmie Johnson	-146	7th
2007	Jimmie Johnson	-68	2nd
2008	Jimmie Johnson	0	1st
2009	Jimmie Johnson	0	1st
2010	Jimmie Johnson	0	1st
2011	Tony Stewart	-24	5th
2012	Brad Keselowski	0	1st

Note: 2011 and 2012 are under the current points per finish system

* - Tony Stewart was tied with Jimmie Johnson in points following the fifth Chase race in 2005. Johnson was seeded first due to the tie-breaker (wins).