Dodge Motorsports NSCS Race Advance Jeff Byrd 500 presented by Food City Bristol Motor Speedway Sunday, March 20, 2011
DODGE AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
• Dodge has six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Bristol: David Pearson, Bobby Allison (2), Richard Petty (2) and Kurt Busch.
• Dodge has earned eight poles at BMS: Bobby Isaac, Neil Bonnett, Ryan Newman (2), Kasey Kahne, David Pearson, Richard Petty and Kurt Busch.
• Richard Petty provided Dodge with its only sweep at BMS, claiming the win in both events during the 1975 season at what was then a .500-mile track.
• Kurt Busch has more Bristol Motor Speedway wins (five) than all other drivers currently in the top 10 in the 2011 driver standings combined.
• Dodge holds the track qualifying record at BMS, set by Ryan Newman in 2003 (14.908 sec. 128.709 mph).
THE DODGE BOYS
• Dodge has 207 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories.
• Dodge’s most recent win came at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kurt Busch led 252 of 400 laps en route to victory in the Coca-Cola 600.
• Dodge claimed two Sprint Cup victories in 2010.
• Dodge teams have posted 47 wins since the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001 after being out of the sport since 1977.
• Dodge has posted wins each season since it’s return in 2001 including seven wins twice (2002 and 2006).
DODGE NEWS AND NOTES
• Kurt Busch posted his first career victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Bristol. It came in the 2002 spring race, his sophomore season. Busch also has the most recent Dodge win at BMS. He won the 2006 spring event. He is currently tied with Jeff Gordon with most wins (five) among active drivers.
• Kurt Busch is currently tied with Tony Stewart in Sprint Cup driver point standings – each with 113. Stewart is considered the “point leader” based on the NASCAR tie-breaker of best finish – his runner-up result in Las Vegas.
• Bobby Allison drove a Dodge to victory in the last race on the old .500-mile configuration (3/23/69); the track was reshaped and re-measured to .533-mile for second race.
DODGE HISTORICAL DATA
• First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win: Lee Petty, 2/1/53, West Palm, Fla., 100 miles, .5-mile track.
• First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Win At BIR: David Pearson, 3/19/67, led 70 of 500 laps. 2011 NSCS Season’s Best
• Kurt Busch Start: 2nd – Phoenix Finish: 5th – Daytona • Brad Keselowski Start: 9th – Phoenix Finish: 15th – Phoenix • Robby Gordon Start: 30th – Daytona Finish: 16th – Daytona
DID YOU KNOW?
• Kurt Busch is the only Sprint Cup driver to record top-10 finishes in the first three races of the year.
• Robby Gordon career-best BMS start was at the 2002 spring race where he started on the outside pole.
• Brad Keselowski will be making his third Sprint Cup start at BMS.
• Kurt Busch has led 840 laps at BMS (15th most).
• Dodge is an Official Passenger Car of NASCAR.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Kurt Busch has recorded five wins, six top fives and 12 top 10s in 20 starts at Bristol Motor Speedway.
• It takes just under 15 seconds to complete one qualifying lap around the .533-mile BMS oval.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• Dodge’s Kurt Busch has won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race every year since 2002.
DODGE MOTORSPORTS QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Jeff really poured his heart and soul into the track for so many years and it’s great for the Food City folks to remember him this way. Bristol is voted year in and year out as the race fans’ favorite track and Jeff Byrd is due so much credit for that. I know it certainly adds to how much I want to win the race this weekend and hold up that trophy in his honor in Victory Lane.” Kurt Busch on Sunday’s race being named in honor of former BMS track president Jeff Byrd
FROM THE ENGINEER “Bristol used to be about who’s the baddest of the bad. It was all about drivers and how they could burst their way through the field and end up as the last man standing. Well, it’s certainly not that way anymore. With the new cars, nearly everybody finishes at Bristol now and with the new double-file restart rule, you could have half the field still on the lead lap when it’s all over. So how do you beat everybody else? Tires. Tires and tire management have been the key part of every Bristol win since the track was reconfigured and resurfaced in 2007. Whether to take two or four tires on the final pit stop versus how many laps are left and where you are in the running order will be the toughest decision the crew chief will have to make all weekend. Tires and tire decisions will no doubt play a large part in which driver we see in Victory Lane on Sunday.” Howard Comstock, Dodge Motorsports Engineering
FROM THE CREW CHIEF “As a crew chief you look forward to going to Bristol because you don’t have to worry about aerodynamics or ‘dirty air.’ It’s all about finding mechanical grip and forward bite. If you can do that your driver can be successful.” Paul Wolfe, crew chief, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
DODGE QUOTES “Having cars as strong as ours was there last March is something you dream about. Not being able to capitalize on it and make it to Victory Lane was a real bitter pill to swallow.
“We’re heading back into Bristol with a ton of confidence that we can get our sixth win there this weekend. We just hope that we can have a Shell-Pennzoil Dodge that’s close to being as strong as our car was in this race last year. We’d love to have that kind of opportunity to win again at Bristol.” Kurt Busch, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T
“Short track racing and restrictor-plate racing are very similar in that you can get caught up in a wreck that you had nothing to do with. Bristol is a very aggressively-paced race. You have to stay tuned in to what’s going on the entire time if you want stay out of trouble. Penske Racing was able to win the 50th Daytona 500 and it would be great to pick up a win in the 50th anniversary year of Bristol.” Brad Keselowski, No 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T
“I am really looking forward to our first half-mile race this weekend. We had a decent run last spring, so I am looking forward to returning with the SPEED Energy Dodge Charger R/T. We are excited to have a new partner, Food City, on board for this weekend’s race!” Robby Gordon, No. 7 SPEED Energy Dodge Charger R/T
