<pre> Richmond International Raceway Track data: Race #: 26 of 36 (9-8-01) Track Size: .75 Mile Event: Chevy Monte Carlo 400 Number of Laps: 400 Location: Richmond, VA Length of Event: 300 Miles Length of Front Stretch: N/A Degree of Banking in Corners: 14 Length of Back Stretch: 860 Ft. Degree of Banking on Straights: 8 Front/2 Back Qualifying/Race data: Last year's event pole winner: Jeff Burton 125.780 mph 9-8-00 (21.466 seconds) Last year's event winner: Jeff Gordon 99.871 9-9-00 (3 hr, 00 min, 14 sec) Event qualifying record: Jeff Burton 125.780 mph 9-8-00 (21.466 seconds) Event race record: Dale Jarrett 109.047 mph 9-6-97 (2hr, 45min, 04sec) Track qualifying record: Jeff Gordon 126.499 mph 5-15-99 (21.344 seconds) Track race record: Dale Jarrett 109.047 mph 9-6-97 (2hr, 45min, 04sec)
Historical data: Previous winners at Richmond (since 1961):
Richard Petty (13) Bobby Allison (7) David Pearson (6) Darrell Waltrip (6) Rusty Wallace (6) Dale Earnhardt (5) Cale Yarborough (3) Joe Weatherly (3) Terry Labonte (3) Benny Parsons (2) Neil Bonnett (2) Dave Marcis (2) Davey Allison (2) Ernie Irvan (2) Dale Jarrett (2) Jeff Gordon (2) Tony Stewart (2) Mark Martin (1) Harry Gant (1) Bill Elliott (1) James Hylton (1) Ned Jarrett (1) Kyle Petty (1) Ricky Rudd (1) Junior Johnson (1) Cotton Owens (1) Rex White (1) Tim Richmond (1) Jeff Burton (1) D. Earnhardt, Jr.(1)
Races won from the pole: 16 of 81 events (20%) Races won from the top 10: 65 of 81 events (80%) Races won from outside top 10: 16 of 81 events (20%)
Modern Era Event Victories by Car Make (1972 - Present): Chevy Ford Olds Pontiac Buick Dodge Mercury Plymouth Matador 24 16 2 7 2 6 0 2 0
Track Milestones
* Buck Baker won the first NASCAR Winston Cup pole at Richmond International Raceway in 1953.
* Lee Petty won the first NASCAR Winston Cup race at Richmond in April 1953.
* In 1968 the track surface changed from dirt to asphalt.
* Kyle Petty became the first third-generation NASCAR Winston Cup race winner when he won his first NASCAR Winston Cup race on February 23, 1986, the Miller High Life 400 at Richmond. Richard posted his first Richmond victory in 1961 and Lee won the very first Richmond race in 1953.
* Davey Allison won the first 3/4-mile race at Richmond, the 1988 Miller High Life 400, after the track was increased in distance from one-half mile between the two races that season.
* 1999 marked the first season that both Richmond races were held at night.
Manufacturer Update
Ford has dominated victory lane at Richmond since the track was re-constructed to its current configuration in 1988. Ford has 11 victories in the 26 NASCAR Winston Cup races there since the fall of 1988, including five of the last 10. Chevrolet has eight victories in the 26-race span; Pontiac has six. The other victory in the 26 -race period was by Harry Gant in an Oldsmobile.
Qualifying Update
There has been a different Bud Pole winner in the each of the past five races at Richmond. Track Update
Rusty Wallace has a 6.77 average finish in the 26 races run at Richmond since the track was changed to a 3/4-mile facility in the fall of 1988, the best of drivers with more than five starts on the current configuration. Tony Stewart has a 6.20 average finish in five Richmond races.
NASCAR Winston Cup First and Last at This Track First Start Atwood, Casey 9/9/00 Burton, Ward 3/6/94 First Pole Labonte, Bobby 9/9/93 Marcis, Dave 3/7/71 First Victory Petty, Kyle 2/23/86 Stewart, Tony 9/11/99 Last Pole Burton, Jeff 9/8/00 Martin, Mark 5/4/01 Last Victory Marcis, Dave 2/21/82
Last Victory at This Track in a Chevrolet Jeff Gordon 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 in a Dodge Neil Bonnett 1977 Capital City 400 in a Ford Dale Jarrett 1999 Pontiac Excitement 400 in a Pontiac Tony Stewart 2001 Pontiac Excitement 400 Car Owner Victories at This Track Petty Engineering 13 Junior Johnson 9 Bud Moore 7 Rick Hendrick 6 Cotton Owens 5 DiGard Racing 5 Richard Childress 5 Robert Yates 5 Roger Penske 4 Blue Max 2 Holman-Moody 2 Jack Roush 2 Joe Gibbs 2 Wood Brothers 1 Hylton Engineering 1 Rahmoc 1 Ranier Racing 1 L. G. DeWitt 1 Mario Rossi 1 Nord Krauskopf 1 Bondy Long 1 Bobby Allison 1 Louis Clements 1 Jim Stacy 1 Dave Marcis 1 Leo Jackson 1 Dale Earnhardt 1 TOTALS 81
Tire/Fuel Data Goodyear Tire Group: Short Track Group 2 Tire Codes: Left-side -- D6348; Right-side -- D-6350 Other Winston Cup Tracks With Same Tire Combination: New Hampshire , Phoenix
Estimated Pit Window: Every 115-125 laps, based on fuel mileage Track Tidbits
* The posted awards for the 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 are $3,302,971.
* The NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus is worth $40,000 for the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400.
* The field at Richmond will consist of 43 cars: the fastest 36 cars plus seven provisionals based upon current NASCAR Winston Cup owner points. The 43rd position is reserved for a past NASCAR Winston Cup champion, if needed. If unused by a past champion, it will go to the next eligible car owner.
* The faster of two qualifying laps will be used to determine the first 36 starting positions, with the provisionals added afterward as required.
* There have been 81 NASCAR Winston Cup races at Richmond since 1961. There were nine NASCAR races, including three convertible events, held at Richmond prior to 1961.
* There have been 26 races at Richmond since the track was converted from 1/2 to a 3/4-mile track in the fall of 1988.
* Jeff Burton is the defending Bud Pole winner for the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400.
* Retired driver Richard Petty leads all drivers with eight Bud Poles at Richmond.
* Jeff Gordon, Bill Elliott, and Rusty Wallace lead all drivers, each with three Bud Poles on the 3/4-mile track.
* NASCAR Winston Cup races at Richmond have been won from the pole 16 times since 1961, the most of any starting position (20 percent).
* In the 81 races at Richmond since 1961, the winner has started third or better in 39 races (48 percent).
* The furthermost back in the field that a Richmond race winner has started on the 3/4-mile configuration was 24th by Terry Labonte in the 1995 Pontiac Excitement 400.
* Jeff Gordon is the defending champion of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400.
* Retired driver, Richard Petty has 13 victories at Richmond, the most of all drivers.
* Rusty Wallace leads all active drivers with six victories at Richmond, all occurring on the 3/4-mile configuration.
* There have been six different race winners in the last seven races at Richmond International Raceway. Only Tony Stewart has repeated since 1998. Stewart won this race in 1999 and in May 2001.
* In the modern era of NASCAR Winston Cup racing at Richmond (1972 to 2000), a sweep has occurred four times. Rusty Wallace (1989) was the most recent driver to win both Richmond races in the same year.
* Richard Petty won seven consecutive races at Richmond International Raceway, winning the fall race in 1970 and then sweeping 1971, 1972 and 1973.
* Between 1964 and 1975 Richard Petty won 12 of 24 races and David Pearson won six, giving them 75 percent of the wins at Richmond in the 12-year period.
Would You Believe?
Rusty Wallace posted a DNF in his first race on the new 3/4-mile
configuration at Richmond, completing just 18 laps. From that inaugural race
thru the spring race in 2000, he had completed all but five of the 9,200
laps raced in those 23 races at the Virginia track. He posted his second DNF
on the current configuration in this race in 2000, completing 313 of 400
laps after suffering engine failure. Wallace completed all 400 laps in the
Pontiac Excitement in May, giving him a total of 10,290 completed of the
10,400 laps raced on the 3/4-mile configuration (98.9 percent). Manufacture
Qualifying
Ford swept both Bud Poles at Richmond in 2000. Chevrolet swept both Bud Poles at Richmond in 1999 and split with Ford in 1998. The last Pontiac Bud Pole at Richmond was posted by Rusty Wallace in the 1991 Miller 400.
Track Update of the Week
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has finished 13th or better, including a victory in
the 2000 Pontiac Excitement 400, in all four of his NASCAR Winston Cup races
at Richmond.
Selected Modern Era Performance at this Track (All records reflect the 26 races since the track was re-configured to 3/4-mile in 1988.)
* Rusty Wallace has the best overall performance at the Richmond International Raceway posting three Bud Poles and six victories in 26 NASCAR Winston Cup races there. He scored 18 top-fives and 22 top-10 finishes in those 26 races, both more than any other driver.
* Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace have each scored three Bud Poles on the new configuration at Richmond, more than any other drivers.
* Dale Jarrett has posted 10 top-five finishes, including two victories, in 25 races at Richmond.
* Terry Labonte has posted seven top-five finishes, including three victories, in 26 races at Richmond.
* Mark Martin has posted nine top-five finishes, including one victory, in 26 races at Richmond.
* Ricky Rudd has posted nine top-five finishes in 26 races at Richmond but has yet to score a victory there.
* Jeff Gordon has posted nine top-five finishes, including two victories, in 16 races at Richmond.
* Jeff Gordon (6.882) has the best average start of all drivers with more than 10 races at Richmond.
* Rusty Wallace (6.77) has the best average finish of all drivers with more than 10 races at Richmond.
* Rusty Wallace has completed more laps on the current track configuration than any other driver (10,290). He has also led more laps than any other driver (2,657 of 10,400 laps raced - 26 percent). Jeff Burton ranks second in laps led at Richmond with 861.
Youthful Success
* Tony Stewart scored his first NASCAR Winston Cup victory at Richmond in his 25th career NASCAR Winston Cup start, winning the 1999 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400..
* Dale Earnhardt Jr., posted his career-first top-10 finish when he finished 10th in the 1999 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400, his fourth career race. On his next visit to the Virginia track, he scored a victory, winning the 2000 Pontiac Excitement 400 in his 32nd career start.
Headaches
* Bill Elliott has just three top-10 finishes in the 18 Richmond races since he last won there in March 1992.
* Brett Bodine and Michael Waltrip lead all drivers, each with seven DNFS at Richmond since the track size changed. Bodine has posted four top-10 finishes while Waltrip has yet to post a top-10 at the Virginia track.
* Jimmy Spencer has finished ninth twice, his best finishes in 23 races at Richmond.
* Robert Pressley has a 31.83 average and has yet to post a top-10 finish in 12 races at Richmond.
* Todd Bodine has an average finish of 30.27 and has yet to post a top-0 finish in 11 races at Richmond.
* Jeremy Mayfield has an average finish of 25.07 and has posted just two top-10 finishes in 15 races at Richmond.
* Mike Skinner has posted just one top-10 finish in nine races at Richmond.
How Important is Track Position?
Thirty-nine of the 81 NASCAR Winston Cup races run at Richmond since
1961, have been won from the top-three starting positions (48 percent).
However, only nine of the 26 races run on the current configuration have
been won from third or better. Nine races on the new configuration have been
won from a starting position outside the top 10, including five of the last
10 races.
Recent Track Standouts
* Rusty Wallace has finished seventh or better, including six victories, in 22 of the last 25 races at Richmond.
* Jeff Gordon has scored 12 top-10 finishes, including two victories, in his 17 races at Richmond
* Dale Jarrett has finished fourth or better, including two victories, in nine of the past 12 races at Richmond.
* Jeff Burton has finished seventh or better, including one victory in seven of the past 11 races at Richmond.
* Mark Martin has finished ninth or better in 12 of the past 18 races at Richmond.
* Bobby Hamilton has finished in the top 10 in eight of the past 13 races at Richmond.
* Terry Labonte has finished ninth or better, including three victories, in 10 of the past 16 races at Richmond.
Joe Gibbs Racing Richmond Success
* Tony Stewart has two victories and four top-10 finishes in his five races at Richmond.
* Prior to the 1999 Pontiac Excitement at Richmond, Bobby Labonte had led only a total of 32 laps in his 46 NASCAR Winston Cup short-track races. In that Richmond race he equaled that number of laps led on two separate occasions and led for a total of 71 laps, more than doubling his previous total.
* Bobby Labonte has posted five top-10 finishes in his past nine races at Richmond. Labonte followed teammate Tony Stewart across the finish line in the 1999 Exide Batteries Select 400. His second-place finish in that race remains his career-best short-track finish. Patience is a Virtue
Seven of the 10 races at Richmond between 1990 and 1995 were won by the driver that led the most laps. In the 11 races since 1995, only twice has the race winner also led the most laps in that race : Jeff Burton (September 1998) and Tony Stewart (September 2000).
Quick Facts Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 Statistics: Last Year Most Fewest Leaders: 9 11 - 1998* 6 - 3X's Lead Changes: 16 24 - 1998(1) 9 - 1989 Cautions: 8 14 - 1989* 3 - 1997, 1992 Caution Laps: 57 76 - 1989* 16 - 1997 Cars in Lead Lap: 12 12 - 2000(2) 3 - 1989* Race Time: 3:00:14 3:24 - 1989 2:45 - 1997 Average Speed: 99.871 109.047 - 1997* 88.380 - 1989*
The last time the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 was won by the Reigning Champion: 1987 by Dale Earnhardt. The last Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 won by the Driver who became that Season's Champion: 1990 by Dale Earnhardt. The winner of the Chevy has not gone on to Victory the championship in the last ten seasons.
Starting Position of Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 Winners: Starting Position Races on 3/4 mile All 40 Races 1st 1 8 2nd 1 8 Front Row 2 16 - 40% 3rd - 5 4 9 Top Five 6 - 50% 25 - 63% 6th - 10th 3 8 Top Ten 9 33 - 83% 11th - 20th 3 4 21st + 1 3 Total 13 40
Margin of Victory (last five Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 races): Year M.O.V. (In Seconds) 2000 0.744 1999 1.115 1998 0.051 1997 1.802 1996 0.100
Car Counts for this Event: Last Five Years: 2000 47 cars showed up, 4 did not race 1999 48 cars showed up, 5 did not race. 1998 47 cars showed up, 4 did not race. 1997 47 cars showed up, 5 did not race. 1996 43 cars showed up, 3 did not race.
Most Races at Richmond Without at Least One: Victory - Ken Schrader - 33 races Pole - Dave Marcis - 53 Top five - Jimmy Spencer - 23 Top ten - Michael Waltrip - 31 Lap led - Brett Bodine - 27 Did Not Finish - Jeff Burton - 14
Richmond Miscellaneous Stats: Most Cars Starting a Race: 43 Most DNFs in a Race: 19, 9/89 Fewest DNFs in a Race: 3, four races Most Cars Finishing a Race: 39, three races Fewest Cars Finishing a Race: 17, 9/89 Most Laps Led by Winner: 348 by Bill Elliott, 3/92 Most Laps Led by a Non-Winner: 276 by Rusty Wallace, 5/01 Fewest Laps Led by Winner: 15 laps by Jeff Gordon, 9/00 Years Top 5 All The Same Make: none Driver With Most DNFs: Derrike Cope - 9 Driver With Most Starts in Top 5: Rusty Wallace - 11 Average Finish of Pole Winner: 13.5
Richmond Performance Leaders (Active Drivers) Races Wins Poles Dave Marcis - 53 Rusty Wallace - 6 Bill Elliott - 3 Terry Labonte - 46 Terry Labonte - 3 Jeff Gordon - 3 Ricky Rudd - 45 Three drivers - 2 Rusty Wallace - 3 Mark Martin - 3 Top Fives Top 10s Rusty Wallace - 19 Terry Labonte - 26 Ricky Rudd - 18 Rusty Wallace - 25 Terry Labonte - 13 Ricky Rudd - 25 Races Led Laps Led Rusty Wallace - 23 Rusty Wallace -- 2,748 Terry Labonte - 18 Ricky Rudd - 687 Ricky Rudd - 14 Terry Labonte - 615
Performance Leaders At Richmond on the 3/4-mile: Wins Rusty Wallace - 6 Poles Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace - 3 Top Fives Rusty Wallace - 18 Top Five % Rusty Wallace - 70% Top Tens Rusty Wallace - 22 Top Ten % Rusty Wallace - 85% Races Led Rusty Wallace - 20 (77%) Laps Led Rusty Wallace 2658 (24% of all race laps)
Leading Drivers on the 3/4-mile Track: (Based on average finish, five or more races) Driver Average Finish Races Victories Tony Stewart 6.2 5 2 Rusty Wallace 6.8 26 6 Dale Earnhardt 9.5 25 2 Mark Martin 11.5 26 1 Jeff Gordon 11.8 17 2
Performance Leaders - Last 10 Richmond Races: Points Earned Dale Jarrett (1513) Rusty Wallace (1493) Jeff Burton (1336)
Wins Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewart - 2
Top Fives Dale Jarrett - 7 Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon - 6
Top Tens Rusty Wallace - 8 Dale Jarrett - 7 Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon - 6
Races Led Mark Martin - 8 Dale Jarrett -- 7, Jeff Gordon - 7
Laps Led Rusty Wallace - 858 Jeff Burton - 819 Tony Stewart -- 500* Average Finish - Tony Stewart - 6.2* Dale Jarrett - 7.9 Rusty Wallace - 8.3
- Only five races
Laps Completed (Five or more races): Driver Laps Completed Races Tony Stewart 99.9% 5 Bobby Labonte 98.5% 20 Steve Park 98.1% 6 Mike Skinner 97.7% 9 Kevin Lepage 96.8% 7
Current Consecutives At Richmond: Category Driver - Current Streak Races competed in - Terry Labonte - 46 Top five starts - Rusty Wallace - 4 Top ten starts - Rusty Wallace - 6 Bobby Labonte - 6 Top five finish - Steve Park, Jeff Gordon - 2 Top ten finish - Tony Stewart - 4 Races finished in the lead lap - Tony Stewart - 4 Races led - Tony Stewart - 4 Races running at the end - Ricky Rudd - 25 (started 3/89)
Never Led at Richmond (more than five races): Driver Races Best Finish Brett Bodine 27 5th Ricky Craven 10 14th Kevin Lepage 7 13th Jeremy Mayfield 15 6th Jerry Nadeau 7 10th Robert Pressley 12 16th Kenny Wallace 16 11th
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