2018 NASCAR Week 2: Atlanta

Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

Atlanta Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

What to Watch For?

This is Where the Season Starts

• The Daytona 500 is great. I mean, come on, its "the great American race" after all. The season technically kicks off with the Daytona 500, but we don't learn a ton at superspeedways, especially the first one of the season. This Sunday, story lines will start to form that we will see play out into mid season. Things such as which drivers look fast and which teams/manufacturers have the early season edge.

Who has the Manufacturer Advantage?

• Speaking of the season getting started, AMS will give us our first real look at which teams and manufacturers have an early season jump on speed at 1.5 mile tracks. Last year Ford started out fast, but Toyota wasn't far behind and by mid season we saw Toyota take off. This year all the talk has been around ALL of the manufacturers. The talk about Toyota is how fast they were in 2017 and if anyone will catch them in 2018? The talk with Chevy is the all new Camaro and if it will push them to the top? The talk with Ford is that they could be trailing behind because the Ford Fusion hasn't got a redesign as recent as Toyota and Chevy. So, what will come true? Our first sign will be at AMS, but the story lines change throughout the season so what is true now may not be true by the ASR.

Driver (current and past) Reactions to the Track Surface

• After the success of the AMS race last year, the track decided to put off the track resurfacing they were planning to be in place for this season. Drivers from current to past chimed in saying how great it was to have a surface that wore tires out and have cars fall off (basically, most of the drivers loved it). It was such a positive response that the resurface never happened. The question is, could it get put off another year? I will be interested to hear what drivers and fans alike have to say all weekend long. One thing in certain, the track does eventually need the resurface before it starts falling apart mid race, but balancing that with how many races they can get out of it before doing it is worth the watch.

Tire Watch 2018

• We have a 100% chance tires will be a story line this weekend at AMS. Why? Well read the above section if you haven't yet and then come back to this one. Back yet? Ok here we go. This track surface is going to eat these Goodyears up and tire strategy will play a large role in Sundays drama. How drivers and teams manage tire ware on Sunday could have a huge effect on where they finish and who takes a trip to victory lane.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Jimmie Johnson - New Camaro, five career AMS wins, two wins in his last three starts here, yeah I have JJ as a favorite this weekend.
• Kurt Busch - Will Ford hold him back? Last year in his first year with Ford at SHR he finished 7th but didn't have winning speed. He has nine top tens (two wins) in his last 13 starts at AMS.
• Kevin Harvick - Another Ford driver which will make the early season manufacturer story lines even more interesting, Harvick has nine top tens in his last eleven AMS races including two runner ups and two pole awards.

The Middle

• Kasey Kahne - Kasey has three AMS wins, including his clutch win in 2014 that got him into the then Chase (AMS was towards the end of the regular season then. However, he is with a new team and also has five finishes of 23rd or worse in his last eight starts.

The Bad

• Clint Bowyer - 17 career starts with just five top tens with his last one being in 2010. On the bright side he did finish 11th here last season.
• Austin Dillon - AD's best finish is 11th at AMS. His other four finishes are 19th or worse here.
• Paul Menard - New team, new number, and new manufacturer, maybe it means new results at AMS? If not, his past track record isn't great. Three top tens in his 16 career starts which his last being in 2012.

Weekend Links:

• Atlanta Motor Speedway Schedule
• Atlanta Motor Speedway Entry List

2017 NASCAR Week 35: Phoenix

Can-Am 500

Phoenix International Raceway

By Richard Tix

What to Watch For?

Can Kevin Harvick go Back-to-Back?

• It was a relatively good thing for a guy like Brad Keselowski that Harvick and not a guy like Hamlin or Elliott won at Texas. Why is that? That's because Harvick is a power at PIR and if Hamlin (for example) would have won Texas it would pit Harvick vs BK at PIR where Harvick is really good. Now, Harvick has a shot to go back to back and if that happens BK is practically a lock for Homestead (as long as BK doesn't completely collapse on Sunday). In the next section we talk about BK, so lest focus on Harvick for a second. It's true, in Harvick's first PIR run in a Ford he didn't seem as dominant as he did with Chevy, in fact Chevy ended up finishing first and second while Kevin finished 6th. But, Harvick is still Harvick and still has Rodney Childers at the helm so a win at PIR is never out of the question. On top of their previous success here they're coming in on a hot streak. If Harvick doesn't win at PIR or Homestead, it would be only the second time he didn't win at least three races in a season since  2010 (2012 he only won one race). 

Can Brad Keselowski Close?

• All season the Ford headline have been about struggling while Toytoa dominates and all that time BK was just riding around towards the front still running strong. BK has been outspoken all year about the advantage Toyota, which was basically him trying to politic as much as possible, because Ford and Chevy were getting beat weekly. But, most of BK's poor runs were ended because of bad luck. Most weeks he was putting up quality finishes, but because of Toyota's dominance and his teammate Joey Logano falling off the map statistically, BK's demise was over exaggerated. It's never been more apparent how overlooked his season has been until now, when BK sits in the drivers seat for the fourth and final spot at Homestead because of a run of quality finishes where he added some extra playoff points. I'll be watching to see if he can cap it off with a shot next week, or if another driver will win there way to Miami by driving right by him.

Ford vs Toyota

• As it stands before PIR, the Championship has two Toyota's and one Ford. I maybe jumping the gun here, but in all likely hood the Championship will either come down to three Toyota's and a Ford, or Two and Two with Chevy being left out. That storyline will be much bigger next week depending on the outcome this weekend. Earlier this year Ryan Newman (Chevy) won and Kyle Larson (Chevy) came in second, but Ford took three spots in the top six (17, 2, and 4) and Toytota finished 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 10th (18, 19, 77, and 11). To top that off Joey Logano (Ford) took the pole and Ryan Blaney (Ford) also started on the front row. So, with the Championship at Homestead next week on the line and a bunch of drivers from both manufacturers trying to seal there spot, which one wins? 

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch
• We all know Kevin Harvicks past here, but he hasn't been as good the last few stops at PIR as he once was. Hamlin and Busch both have exactly one win here (Hamlin in 2011 and Busch in 2005). 

The Middle

• Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Dale Earnhardt Jr
• Larson was runner up to Ryan Newman earlier this year and also has another finish of 3rd to his name. He seems to be taking over where Harvick left of for Chevy, but still hasn't found the win. 

The Bad

• Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Austin Dillon, Paul Menard, and Kasey Kahne
• JJ has lacked consistency here at PIR as of late (two top tens in his last six starts). Same goes for Kenseth who has just two top tens in his last seven PIR starts. Kahne's last top ten came five races ago and has an average finish of 20.25 in the four races since.

About the Track: Phoenix

Track Stats

• Chevy won 10 straight races from 2005-10
• Kevin Harvick has won 6 of the last 10 races
• Alan Kulwicki only started 5 races at PIR, but has 1 win, 3 top 5's, 4 top 10's, and an average finish of 5.2
• Jeff Gordon retired with the most career top 10's of any driver at PIR (24 total)
• Kevin Harvick has the most led laps in PIR Cup history with 1,484 total.
• Ryan Newman still has the most career poles at PIR with 4 total

Track Info

• Surface - Asphalt
• Length - 1 mile
• Banking
• Turns 1/2- 10-11 degrees
• Turn 3- 8 degrees
• Turn 4- 8-9 degrees
• Frontstretch- 3 degrees
• Backstretch- 10 degrees

2017 NASCAR Week 1: Daytona

Daytona 500

Daytona International Superspeedway

By Richard Tix

The day has finally come. No, not Daytona Day -- because as much as I love the publicity for NASCAR, its the Daytona 500 and is the one race in the year that doesn't need a cheesy name attached to it to get peoples attention.

It's finally the Daytona 500 and the start of the 2017 season. Fans have waited 98 days this offseason to see, smell, and hear cars back on the track -- just don't let Denny Hamlin know you were counting down...

A ton has happened in that short amount of time where NASCAR left Homestead and arrived in Daytona, which is weird because they're in the same state.

Monster Energy jumped on board to be NASCAR's title sponsor which to most was exciting news. Monster brings new life and new energy to the sport still trying to find it's way through the old school fan's and new fan's it so desperately desires. 

Along with the possibility of Monster girls, they also brought in a new points system for 2017. Ok, it wasn't just Monster, but rather a mix of them, NASCAR (management, drivers, and teams), and TV partners. The social media meltdown most of us assumed would happen was actually pretty mellow as many fan's took the points idea and ran with it.

Tony Stewart, Brian Scott, and Carl Edwards....Yes, Carl Edwards... They all up and left the sport after the 2016 season. We knew about Smoke (announcing before the year) and Scott was surprising, but not as shocking as Twitter-less Carl taking the year off. It left fans with a ton of question's to start the season about why?

However, one door closing just gave another driver a door to open wide open. That driver is Daniel Suarez who will take over the No. 19 and compete head to head to head with fellow Toyota (JGR development driver) driver Erik Jones and RCR driver Ty Dillon. 

Young guns always bring optimism to the sport as does a fresh slate. So, as the haulers rolled into Daytona and fresh rubber gets laid down on the high banks, everyone has a bright new outlook on the season ahead. 

So, as the sun rises over a dark track on Sunday morning while the haziness starts to pass, fan flags start to rise and the seats start to fill, cars will roll off pit road while the crowd intensifies and everyone will have a grand new plan on how the 2017 season will go -- oh and it wouldn't hurt if Hans Zimmer was playing in your head, hello Days of Thunder. 

So, lets drop the hammer on 2017 and kick it off with a bang. I thank all of you who check Behind the Wall out weekly for continuing to do so. I do this because I love the sport and its a fun hobby, but it means so much more than that because I get to interact with so many other fan's because of it. So, I look forward to continuing that in 2017!

As in years past, every preview will have an intro to the week. Sometimes it is a opinion on a topic of the week that gets stuck in my head, sometimes it's just an intro on the track, and sometimes it's both. As always, I will do a short write up on the "Good, Middle, and Bad" drivers at each track. 

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Denny Hamlin- Well, it's not a huge shock to see the 2016 Daytona 500 champ on this list, but the question is can he go back to back in 500 wins? Before his 17th place finish in the Firecracker his 500 win marked five straight top ten's and three straight top fives.
• Joey Logano- You can not go wrong with either Penske driver at Daytona as both navigate the crowd very well. JoLo last won the 2015 Daytona 500 and since has finishes of 22nd, 6th, and 4th.
• Austin Dillon- Don't overlook Austin when thinking about Daytona. He is one of the most consistent drivers here in the last six races (seven career starts). He has a top five and five top ten's in those siz races and it wouldn't shock me if he competed for a win.

The Middle

• Dale Earnhardt Jr- If we just rolled all of 2016 into a ball and threw out the numbers, Junior would be in the group above. However, He was 100% healthy (to our knowledge) to start last season, He got caught up in a wreck with "Amelia" in the 500 and finished 36th. But, we all know he know's how to navigate DIS so he has just as good of chance as any to win the 2017 Daytona 500.

The Bad

• Danica Patrick- I hate talking about the "Bad" drivers at tracks especially superspeedways like Daytona. But, Danica's track record here isn't amazing past two very quality 8th place finishes. The biggest isue is she has an average running position of 20th or more in six of her nine attempts. Meaning? Well, the middle of the pack at Daytona is the worst spot to be in which leads to tough results.
• Paul Menard- Eight straight races at Daytona without a top 15 and the last time he did it was 14th. Menard has shown in the past he can run up front, but he hasn't done that much lately leading to some poor finishes.
• Kasey Kahne- The last eight for Kahen haven't been pretty either. He does have a top ten and two top 15's in that time, but that's where the feel good runs out. He has five finishes of 30th or worse in those eight which include a handful of crashes. 

2016 NASCAR Week 21 Preview: Pocono

Pennsylvania 400

Pocono Raceway

By Richard Tix

Last time NASCAR took a trip to Pocono Raceway the weather forced them to move the rained out race to Monday. Coincidentally, I also started my new position at work that same Monday which meant I caught none of the race. Nothing. Not on TV, not on the radio, not on twitter, not on any racing app, nothing. 

But, sometimes weather and more importantly life gets in the way of our favorite hobby's and passions. These things tend to happen more and more over the Summer months or weekend Saturday night races for many fans.

The night race in NASCAR started as a nice switch up, it was something of a spectical for fans used to daytime NASCAR racing. A few spots on the calendar a year made it a special event worth tuning into. Just like when NASCAR was booming and added a bunch of 1.5 mile tracks during its heyday, the night race was over expanded and lost its luster. All of this being much the same as the luster of Indy has worn off, things need to be looked at to make night racing more significant again. Taking a few off the schedule might be the start of things. 

While I miss many Saturday night races, this weekend is a Sunday day race and I will be in Northern Minnesota. I will pop in and out to catch some of the race, but again life is going to get in the way of racing and I am ok with that. 

Hopefully you'all enjoy the race and this time around we don't get rained out. Unlike Indy, Pocono has made a nice comeback as of late and put on some good shows so this weekend I have an optimistic outlook. Pocono always has the possibility of being a fuel mileage ending, but it always seems to catch your attention (unless you're that fan that always has to complain unless its a win by less then 0.5 sec. Don't be that guy!). So, strap in and forget that we normally turn left four times, its the "Tricky Triangle."

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Kyle Larson- Larson has already been running better in the second half of this 26 regular season stretch, now he gets one of his better tracks in Pocono. In his five starts he has one top 5, two top 10's, and average finish of 9.4, and no finishes higher then 12th. Could this weekend be his first NASCAR Cup win?
• Jeff Gordon- Welcome back to the review Gordon! Filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr again this week, Gordon brings in a career of accomplishment at Pocono to the No. 88. Six wins, 20 top 5's, and 32 top 10's in 46 career starts.
• Brad Keselowski- I am not sure any current driver has been better then BK has at Pocono in the last few stops here without winning (he has one win here in 2011). He has come close (losing to Junior after running out of fuel late) but he hasn't closed. This weekend might finally be the time to get another Pocono win.

The Middle

• Denny Hamlin- Chance to be a front runner? Check. Chance to finish 15th-20th? Also check. Denny was much better at Pocono earlier in his career then he has been lately, but anything is possible with how strong JRG has been.

The Bad

• Kasey Kahne- Not many times does a driver with two wins at a specific track get on my "bad" list, but somehow bad luck follows Kahne at Pocono. Wrecking more often then winning in his last 14 races, Kahne is the dark horse in this group to pull out a top 5.
• Jamie McMurray- 27 career Pocono starts, zero top 5's and seven top 10's. Not numbers to go crazy over if you're a JMac fan this weekend.
• Paul Menard- Just like JMac Menard has yet to finish in the top 5 at Pocono in his career. 22 starts and only two top 10's means it could be another rough weekend for the No. 27.

About the Track: Pocono Raceway

Track Stats

• Of current drivers (full time), Denny Hamlin has the most wins (4). Gordon is filling in and has 6.
• Of current drivers (full time),  Kurt Busch has the most top 5's (12)
• Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin have the most Pole's of current drivers (3)
• Jeff Gordon has the most career Pocono wins (6) followed by Bill Elliott (5)
• Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon have the most career Pocono top 5's (20)
• Ricky Rudd has the most career Pocono starts (55) followed by Mark Martin (54)
• Of drivers with at least 10 Pocono starts, Davey Allison has the best average finish (9.8 in 13 starts).
• A Pocono race has been won from the Pole 15 times in 76 Cup races
• Chevy has won the last 7 of 8 races 8 of the last 11. Including Dale Earnhardt Jr sweeping in 2014.
• The furthest back anyone has started and won was 29th in 2005 when Carl Edwards won in the first Pocono stop of the year

Track Info

• Surface: Asphalt
• Length: 2.5 Miles
• Banking
• Turn 1: 14 degrees
• Turn 2: 8 degrees
• Turn 3: 6 degrees

2016 NASCAR Week 16 Preview: Sonoma

Toyota / Save Mart 350

Sonoma Raceway

By Richard Tix

NASCAR gets a week off this season for fathers day so all the drivers can enjoy some time away from the track (some will and some won't). No matter what the 40 drivers do, they won't be running in a Sprint Cup points race until we get to Sonoma Raceway.

Sonoma will provide the first chance for a driver to shake up the Chase outlook. Sure, any given week any driver can win a race, but most weeks that driver will come from a top 16 driver anyways. But, tracks like Sonoma and Watkin's Glen, plus superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega, give underdogs a real shot. Two years ago it was A.J. Allmendinger at WG and this year it could be anyone.

Maybe Tony Stewart can use his great MIS finish to gain speed towards the Chase with a Sonoma win? He has won here and road courses are the great equalizer.

However, in recent years the "ringer" drivers have been left in the dust and Cup regulars have started to focus more on these two tracks especially given the Chase circumstances.

So, will someone make a bid to splash the Chase party with a trip to victory lane at Sonoma? Or will business go on as usual?




**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Kurt Busch- In Kurt Busch's last five races at Sonoma he has been a front runner. He has a win and four top 5's in that time. Coming into Sonoma during a 2016 where he has been one of the most consistent drivers means he should factor into Sundays race.
• Clint Bowyer- It will be a one year stint for Bowyer with HScott, but he has a shot to have one of his better runs of the year at Sonoma. Clint has a win, four top 5's, and five top 10's in the last five races.
• Carl Edwards- The 2014 Sonoma winner, Carl got caught up in a wreck last year and finished 40th. He should bounce back this year and brings back to back quality runs at Michigan and Pocono to Sonoma. 

The Middle

• Kasey Kahne- Kasey Kahne actually has three straight top 10's at Sonoma coming into week 16. Over his last five races he has an average finish of 10.8.

The Bad

• Denny Hamlin- Hamlins last five races at Sonoma Raceway havent yielded pretty results. IN fact, in that time he hasn't finished in the top 15 once. To top that off he only has one top 20 in the last five races.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr- As I said last year in this preview, Ricky has a small sample size at Sonoma to really judge. He led those comments up with a 20th place finish. On the outside that looks like a poor result, but it was actually his best finish in three attempts.
• Matt Kenseth- Another JGR driver who has struggled at Sonoma lately, Kenseth and Hamlin look to get things turned around this year. He only has two top 15's in his last five Sonoma races.

About the Track: Sonoma

Track Stats

• 9 current drivers have a win at Sonoma. However, only two have multiple wins (Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart).
• 18 total drivers have won a Cup race at Sonoma. Only six have multiple wins (Gordon, Stewart, Busch, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, and Ernie Ervan).
• Of those six, only one has more than 2 wins (Jeff Gordon- 5)
• Gordon also has the most top 5's (14) and top 10's (18) in a career
• Gordon has the most career poles (5) and Ricky Rudd the second most (4)
• Gordon has the best career average finish (8.3) followed by Dale Earnhardt (8.6)
• Rusty Wallace had an average start position of 6.9 over 17 career starts
• A Chevy has only won once (2010- Johnson) in the last 9 races. Dodge has won three times since then and has been out of the sport since after 2012. 
• Before that, Chevy had won 7 of 9 races.
• Sonoma has been won by the Pole 5 times in 27 Cup races
• The last Pole win was 2004- Jeff Gordon (11 races ago)

Track Info

• Surface
• Asphalt
• Length
• 1.99 miles
• Turns
• 12

2016 NASCAR Week 15 Preview: Michigan

FireKeepers Casino 400

Michigan International Speedway

By Richard Tix

This week NASCAR heads to one of the fastest tracks on the schedule. Last time NASCAR stopped at MIS they tried the "high drag" package and it lived up to its name, it was a major drag. The disappointing race (as well as how well Darlington went) was most likely a main reason NASCAR went with the lower downforce package.

So, finally MIS gets it's justice with the lower downforce package, will it pay dividends?

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Matt Kenseth- Kenseth is a three time winner, won here the last time we were at MIS, and has back to back top 5's in Michigan. He hasn't had the longest stretch of dominating performances, but last time around he ran so well here it looks like it might continue.
• Joey Logano- Six straight top 10's. That's how well JoLo has done here lately. Joey is the new Roush at MIS (RFR used to dominate MIS). JoLo adds in a win and three top 5's during that same stretch.
• Kevin Harvick- One of the most interesting/crazy stats you will read today: In Harvick's last six races at MIS he has five, five runner up finishes. Seriously, five 2nd place finishes in six races? That's remarkable. Even crazier is he only lead laps in two of those five races he finished second. Maybe this time he gets a win?

The Middle

• Ryan Newman- in 29 MIS starts Newman has 12 finishes between 10th and 20th. Not much more says "stuck in the middle" as that stat does. In his last eight races here he finished between 11th and 18th six times. The other two finishes were 8th. Bad? Not really. Good? Not really. Ok then, right in the middle.

The Bad

• Kyle Busch- Kyle's last MIS top 10 was the first stop at Michigan in 2013. That was six races ago. His first, last, and only win at MIS was nine races ago and since it has all been bad news. He has only one top 10 and three top 15's in that time.
• Aric Almirola- Aric has eight career starts at MIS and has yet to notch a top 10 and only has one top 15. The top 15 rate really should be higher for Aric, but he isn't downright terrible here.
• Kurt Busch- Three career wins at MIS. Three and he makes this list.. He also has 12 finishes of 30th or higher and 15 of 20th or higher in 30 career races. He could win the race or he could finish 28th, its a huge roll of the dice.

About the Track: Michigan

Track Stats

• Cale Yarborough won the first race at MIS in 1969 and also two of the first three.
• The furthest back a driver has started a race from and won was 32nd in 2009 by Mark Martin.
• A MIS race has been won 19 times from the Pole position including the last race in 2015 at MIS by Matt Kenseth
• Most cautions was 10 in 2006 and the race was won by Matt Kenseth. This is also the only MIS race that had double digit cautions in 89 races.
• David Pearson has the most career MIS wins with 9. Cale Yarborough follows with 8
• Cale Yarborough has the most top 5 finishes with 21 followed by Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon (19).
• Mark Martin has the most career top 10's with 31, followed by Bill Elliott with 29.
• David Pearson has 10 career Poles at MIS (Cup leading)

Track Info

• Length: 2 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 18 degrees
• Start/Finish: 12 degrees
• Backstretch: 5 degrees

Michigan International Speedway
Race	Date	Cars	Winner(s)	St	Make / Model
1969-24	6/15/1969	38	Cale Yarborough	4	'69 Mercury
1969-37	8/17/1969	44	David Pearson	1	'69 Ford
1970-19	6/7/1970	40	Cale Yarborough	4	'69 Mercury
1970-34	8/16/1970	40	Charlie Glotzbach	1	'69 Dodge
1971-23	6/13/1971	40	Bobby Allison	1	'69 Mercury
1971-36	8/15/1971	40	Bobby Allison	2	'69 Mercury
1972-14	6/11/1972	40	David Pearson	3	'71 Mercury
1972-22	8/20/1972	40	David Pearson	4	'71 Mercury
1973-16	6/24/1973	40	David Pearson	2	'71 Mercury
1974-15	6/16/1974	36	Richard Petty	4	'74 Dodge
1974-22	8/25/1974	36	David Pearson	1	'73 Mercury
1975-15	6/15/1975	36	David Pearson	3	'73 Mercury
1975-20	8/24/1975	36	Richard Petty	4	'74 Dodge
1976-15	6/20/1976	36	David Pearson	8	Mercury
1976-20	8/22/1976	36	David Pearson	1	Mercury
1977-15	6/19/1977	36	Cale Yarborough	4	Chevrolet
1977-20	8/22/1977	36	Darrell Waltrip	3	Chevrolet
1978-15	6/18/1978	36	Cale Yarborough	3	Oldsmobile
1978-20	8/20/1978	36	David Pearson	1	Mercury
1979-16	6/17/1979	36	Buddy Baker	3	Chevrolet
1979-21	8/19/1979	36	Richard Petty	5	Chevrolet
1980-16	6/15/1980	37	Benny Parsons	1	Chevrolet
1980-21	8/17/1980	37	Cale Yarborough	2	Chevrolet
1981-16	6/21/1981	37	Bobby Allison	4	Buick
1981-21	8/16/1981	36	Richard Petty	7	Buick
1982-15	6/20/1982	37	Cale Yarborough	4	Buick
1982-20	8/22/1982	38	Bobby Allison	10	Buick
1983-15	6/19/1983	37	Cale Yarborough	9	Chevrolet
1983-20	8/21/1983	37	Cale Yarborough	7	Chevrolet
1984-15	6/17/1984	40	Bill Elliott	1	Ford
1984-20	8/12/1984	40	Darrell Waltrip	7	Chevrolet
1985-14	6/16/1985	37	Bill Elliott	1	Ford
1985-18	8/11/1985	40	Bill Elliott	1	Ford
1986-14	6/15/1986	41	Bill Elliott	8	Ford
1986-19	8/17/1986	42	Bill Elliott	3	Ford
1987-14	6/28/1987	41	Dale Earnhardt	5	Chevrolet
1987-19	8/16/1987	40	Bill Elliott	3	Ford
1988-14	6/26/1988	41	Rusty Wallace	5	Pontiac
1988-19	8/21/1988	42	Davey Allison	4	Ford
1989-14	6/25/1989	40	Bill Elliott	2	Ford
1989-19	8/20/1989	40	Rusty Wallace	2	Pontiac
1990-14	6/24/1990	40	Dale Earnhardt	5	Chevrolet
1990-19	8/19/1990	41	Mark Martin	5	Ford
1991-14	6/23/1991	41	Davey Allison	4	Ford
1991-19	8/18/1991	40	Dale Jarrett	11	Ford
1992-14	6/21/1992	41	Davey Allison	1	Ford
1992-19	8/16/1992	41	Harry Gant	24	Oldsmobile
1993-14	6/20/1993	41	Ricky Rudd	2	Chevrolet
1993-20	8/15/1993	41	Mark Martin	12	Ford
1994-14	6/19/1994	42	Rusty Wallace	5	Ford
1994-21	8/21/1994	41	Geoffrey Bodine	1	Ford
1995-14	6/18/1995	42	Bobby Labonte	19	Chevrolet
1995-21	8/20/1995	42	Bobby Labonte	1	Chevrolet
1996-14	6/23/1996	40	Rusty Wallace	18	Ford
1996-21	8/18/1996	41	Dale Jarrett	11	Ford
1997-14	6/15/1997	43	Ernie Irvan	20	Ford
1997-21	8/17/1997	43	Mark Martin	2	Ford
1998-14	6/14/1998	43	Mark Martin	7	Ford
1998-21	8/16/1998	43	Jeff Gordon	3	Chevrolet
1999-14	6/13/1999	43	Dale Jarrett	6	Ford
1999-22	8/22/1999	43	Bobby Labonte	19	Pontiac
2000-14	6/11/2000	43	Tony Stewart	28	Pontiac
2000-22	8/20/2000	43	Rusty Wallace	10	Ford
2001-14	6/10/2001	43	Jeff Gordon	1	Chevrolet
2001-23	8/19/2001	43	Sterling Marlin	15	Dodge
2002-15	6/16/2002	43	Matt Kenseth	20	Ford
2002-23	8/18/2002	43	Dale Jarrett	8	Ford
2003-15	6/15/2003	43	Kurt Busch	4	Ford
2003-23	8/17/2003	43	Ryan Newman	2	Dodge
2004-15	6/20/2004	43	Ryan Newman	4	Dodge
2004-23	8/22/2004	43	Greg Biffle	24	Ford
2005-15	6/19/2005	43	Greg Biffle	25	Ford
2005-23	8/21/2005	43	Jeremy Mayfield	11	Dodge
2006-15	6/18/2006	43	Kasey Kahne	1	Dodge
2006-23	8/20/2006	43	Matt Kenseth	3	Ford
2007-15	6/17/2007	43	Carl Edwards	12	Ford
2007-23	8/21/2007	43	Kurt Busch	15	Dodge
2008-15	6/15/2008	43	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	3	Chevrolet
2008-23	8/17/2008	43	Carl Edwards	27	Ford
2009-15	6/14/2009	43	Mark Martin	32	Chevrolet
2009-23	8/16/2009	43	Brian Vickers	1	Toyota
2010-15	6/13/2010	43	Denny Hamlin	7	Toyota
2010-23	8/15/2010	43	Kevin Harvick	8	Chevrolet
2011-15	6/19/2011	43	Denny Hamlin	10	Toyota
2011-23	8/21/2011	43	Kyle Busch	17	Toyota
2012-15	6/17/2012	43	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	17	Chevrolet
2012-23	8/19/2012	43	Greg Biffle	13	Ford
2013-15	6/16/2013	43	Greg Biffle	19	Ford
2013-23	8/18/2013	43	Joey Logano	1	Ford
2014-15	6/15/2014	43	Jimmie Johnson	7	Chevrolet
2014-23	8/17/2014	43	Jeff Gordon	1	Chevrolet
2015-15	6/14/2015	43	Kurt Busch	24	Chevrolet
2015-23	8/16/2015	43	Matt Kenseth	1	Toyota