DODGE AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
· Dodge has one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Bill Elliott – 2001).
· Former Dodge driver Bill Elliott (2001) and current Dodge driver Kurt Busch (2002) are the only two Sprint Cup winner’s at HMS to start from the pole. Busch also started from the pole in 2004.
· Kurt Busch clinched the 2004 Sprint Cup championship at HMS. It was the first year of the Chase format and came before he joined Penske Racing in 2006.
CHASE FAST FACTS
· This is the eighth year of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
· Dodge’s Brad Keselowski qualified 12th and finished 18th at Phoenix. He is fourth in the Chase standings, 65 points behind the leader. His average finish in the nine Chase races is 12.111.
· Dodge’s Kurt Busch qualified 17th and finished 22nd at Phoenix. He is eighth in the Chase standings, 107 points behind the leader. His average finish in the Chase is 17.444.
· The last time two Penske Racing Dodges qualified for the Chase was 2005 (Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman).
· Dodge has not won a Sprint Cup championship since the Chase format was introduced in 2004.
· Dodge drivers have won four Sprint Cup championships: David Pearson (1966), Bobby Isaac (1970), Richard Petty (1974, 1975).
2011 CHASE for the Sprint Cup Standings (After 35 of 36 Events) 1. Carl Edwards 2,359 7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -102 2. Tony Stewart -3 8. Kurt Busch -107 3. Kevin Harvick -51 9. Ryan Newman -107 4. Brad Keselowski -65 10. Denny Hamlin -110 5. Jimmie Johnson -68 11. Jeff Gordon -112 6. Matt Kenseth -70 12. Kyle Busch -135
FROM THE DODGE ENGINEER: “Trying to engineer for Homestead-Miami Speedway is like trying to hit a moving target, literally. For the third year in a row, the Sprint Cup finale will have yet another different starting time. This year the green flag for the race should drop about 3:15 p.m., which means we’ll finish the race after 6:30 p.m. The race will start in the full sunshine of the South Florida afternoon and finish well after dark, two completely different racing conditions. As if engineers don’t have enough to worry about already trying to solve this fast, variable-banked track, now they’ve got to calculate the changes that will occur as the race and 2011 season finishes into the Homestead night.” Howard Comstock, Dodge Engineering
DODGE IN THE CHASE AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI · 2004: Two Dodge drivers earned Chase berths – Ryan Newman and Jeremy Mayfield. Newman started third and led 72 laps before finishing 30th. Mayfield started 20th and finished 35th. · 2005: Dodge was represented by three drivers in the Chase – Ryan Newman, Rusty Wallace and Jeremy Mayfield. Newman started second and finished seventh, Mayfield 10th and Wallace 13th. · 2006: Kasey Kahne started from the pole, led five times for 90 laps and finished fourth. · 2007: Kurt Busch started fifth, led 34 laps and finished second. · 2008: There were no Dodges in the 2008 Chase field. · 2009: Kurt Busch started 12th, led five times for 43 laps and finished fourth. Kasey Kahne started 25th and finished 17th. · 2010: Kurt Busch, the only Dodge driver in the Chase, qualified 15th and finished 18th.
THE DODGE BOYS · Dodge has 212 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories. · Dodge has five victories this season, three by Brad Keselowski and two by Kurt Busch. Dodge’s most recent win came at Dover. Busch led five times for 90 of the 400 laps. · Dodge teams have recorded 52 victories since the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001 after being out of the sport since 1977.
2011 SPRINT CUP SERIES SEASON BEST · Kurt Busch Start: 1st (Kansas1, Pocono1 & Michigan1) Finish: 1st (Infineon, Dover2) · Brad Keselowski Start: 1st (Charlotte1) Finish: 1st (Kansas1, Pocono2, Bristol2) · Robby Gordon Start: 20th (Phoenix2) Finish: 16th (Daytona1)
HOMESTEAD-MIAM SPEEDWAY STATS OF THE WEEK · Kurt Busch will be making his 400th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts this weekend at HMS. His first Sprint Cup start came at the fall Dover event (9/24/00). He qualified 10th and finished 18th. · Brad Keselowski has set NSCS personal bests this season in poles, wins, top fives, top 10s, average start, average finish and laps led. · Kurt Busch is the youngest pole winner at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Busch earned the pole at the 2002 event at the age of 24 years, 13 months, 3 days.
DODGE QUOTES “This has definitely been a dream season for me in my first year driving the ‘Blue Deuce.’ We were able to show progression as the year went along and that was one of the most important things for me. This was basically a new team and for us to compete for the championship in our first year together really bodes well for our future. With the success that we had this year, it changes the goal and expectations for 2012. Now we want to fire out of the box strong next season, compete for wins early, and show everyone that we are going to be a legitimate team for years to come. I’ll take a little time to myself over the off-season, but I’m already excited about going to Daytona next year.” Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
“The intermediate tracks have been up and down for us this year, but I feel like we can go to Homestead this weekend and have a strong finish to the season. The key to running well at Homestead – and this is true of almost any track we visit – is keeping your car turning well in the middle of the corners while maintaining good drive on corner exit. It’s been a great year.” Paul Wolfe, crew chief, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
DODGE MOTORSPORTS QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Your last race out is the one that’s freshest on your mind and you certainly hope it’s memorable for all the right reasons. Closing out your season with a competitive weekend at Homestead is just that important. If you come out of there with great results, it gives all the team members, the sponsors, the media – everyone out there – a super calling card to remember you by. It works to instill optimism and grow the level of confidence through all those cold and dreary winter days.” Kurt Busch, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger
