FORD PERFORMANCE: NASCAR CHARLOTTE 2 NOTES
The Contender Round in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins this weekend with Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski has one Chase victory at the speedway after winning this event in 2013 while Joey Logano has seven top-10 finishes in 13 career starts at the 1.5-mile facility.
THE FIRST TIME…Ford went to victory lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway was on Oct. 16, 1960 when Speedy Thompson won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series fall race in track history. The race, which was the second event overall at CMS, was called the National 400 and featured Thompson making his first start for the Wood Brothers in the No. 21 Ford. He qualified third behind pole-winner Fireball Roberts, who quickly grabbed the lead and was the dominant car. Roberts led 197 of the first 232 laps, but blew a tire that took him out of the race and handed the lead over to Thompson. That was the break he needed and the result was Thompson winning the race by one lap over second-place Richard Petty. The win was the first on a superspeedway for the Wood Brothers and the first of two straight for Thompson, who also won a week later at Richmond.
THE LAST TIME…Ford won at Charlotte Motor Speedway was in this event two years ago when Brad Keselowski captured the Bank of America 500. That victory snapped a 37-race winless drought for Keselowski and marked his first with Ford after Team Penske switched from Dodge following the 2012 season. Keselowski won the race after a back-and-forth battle with Kasey Kahne. He took the lead with nine laps remaining and held on for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win on the 1.5-mile track.
IN BETWEEN…Ford has won a total of 29 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway with Fred Lorenzen being first on the list with four. The NASCAR Hall of Famer won for the first time in 1963 when he captured the World 600 and then won three straight after winning the National 400 in 1964 and both races in 1965. Donnie Allison won consecutive Charlotte events when he won the National 500 in 1969 and the World 600 in 1970. Overall, Ford has had 17 different drivers win a NSCS race at CMS.
FORD NASCAR SPRINT CUP WINNERS AT CHARLOTTE
1960 – Speedy Thompson (2)
1962 – Nelson Stacy (1)
1963 – Fred Lorenzen (1)
1964 – Fred Lorenzen (2)
1965 – Fred Lorenzen (Sweep)
1969 – Donnie Allison (2)
1970 – Donnie Allison (1)
1978 – Bobby Allison (2)
1982 – Neil Bonnett (1)
1984 – Bill Elliott (2)
1985 – Cale Yarborough (2)
1987 – Kyle Petty and Bill Elliott
1990 – Davey Allison (2)
1991 – Davey Allison and Geoffrey Bodine
1992 – Mark Martin (2)
1993 – Ernie Irvan (2)
1995 – Mark Martin (2)
1996 – Dale Jarrett (1)
1997 – Dale Jarrett (2)
1998 – Mark Martin (2)
1999 – Jeff Burton (1)
2000 – Matt Kenseth (1)
2001 – Jeff Burton (1)
2002 – Mark Martin (1)
2011 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2013 – Brad Keselowski (2)
