Statistical Advance: Analyzing The Edge Hotel 150 at Adirondack International Speedway

By admin July 29, 2009 Adirondack, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

Daytona Beach, FL — The NASCAR Camping World Series East will head to Adirondack International Speedway for the eighth year in a row for The Edge Hotel 150 presented by Casella Waste Systems on Saturday, August 1.

At Adirondack International Speedway:

Opened in 2002.
Has held NASCAR Camping World Series East races every year since it opened.
In the inaugural NCWSE race, Kelly Moore won the pole and Andy Santerre took the checkered flag.
Matt Kobyluck has won three of the seven all-time races at AIS, including last year.
The winner of three of the previous seven events has gone on to capture the series title that season, including Kobyluck last year and Joey Logano in 2007 … Santerre also did it in 2002.
Runs four divisions in their regular Saturday night program.

Up to Speed:

Brian Ickler won the NASCAR Camping World Series East season-opener at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway on April 11 … Rookie Brett Moffitt became the youngest driver in NCWSE history to earn a 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light at the event.
Matt DiBenedetto was victorious on April 25 at Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, N.C., in just his second start … Rookie Alan Tardiff earned his first career Coors Light Pole Award at the event.
Kyle Busch made his NCWS debut in the East/West combination race at Iowa Speedway on May 17 in Newton, Iowa … He set the series’ track qualifying record and went on to lead 168 of 200 laps to capture the race win.
Moffitt became the youngest race winner in series history at South Boston (Va.) Speedway on May 30 … Ryan Truex also earned his first career 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light.
Truex earned his first career win at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on June 6 … DiBenedetto earned his first career 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light … Both accomplished those feats in their first road course events.
DiBenedetto emerged victorious at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., on June 26 from a last-lap battle with Truex for his second win in just four starts … Truex captured his second 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light on the year.
Truex won last time out at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway on July 11 … With the win, he took the points lead for the first time this year … Steve Park earned his first NCWSE career Coors Light Pole Award at TIS.
The No. 18 Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing and J.D. Gibbs is atop the current owner standings … The team has registered three wins and top-10 finishes in each of the first seven races.

Selected Driver Highlights:

Ty Dillon (No. 3 Chevrolet)

Finished eighth at South Boston Speedway in his NCWSE debut … This will be his second race.
Is the younger brother of Austin Dillon, the 2008 NCWSE Sunoco Rookie of the Year and current part-time NASCAR Nationwide Series competitor.
Will drive the No. 3 RCR Chevrolet for his grandfather, Richard Childress.

Max Gresham (No. 18 Toyota)

First-year driver for Joe Gibbs Racing that splits time in the car with Matt DiBenedetto.
Finished fifth in his NCWSE debut at South Boston Speedway … This will be his second race.
Is scheduled to start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the NASCAR Camping World Series West race at Iowa Speedway following this race.
No. 18 has the lead in the owner standings by 27 points.

Jesus Hernandez (No. 12 Dodge)

Splits time in the Troy Williams Motorsports entry with Antonio Perez.
Has made five starts in 2009 with a best finish of fifth (among East competitors) at the Iowa combination race.
Has 10 top fives and 16 top 10s in 30 career NCWSE starts.
Finished seventh at Adirondack International Speedway in 2008.

Matt Kobyluck (No. 40 Chevrolet)

The 2008 NCWSE champion … Has seven poles, 16 wins and 89 top 10s in 164 career NCWSE starts … Has won at 11 different tracks, including at AIS in 2004, 05 and 08.
Won the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown for the second time in his career in January.
Has one top five and five top 10s in seven 2009 starts … Is fourth in points – 50 behind leader Ryan Truex – and has completed 943 of 944 laps so far this year, the most among all drivers.

Jody Lavender (No. 88 Chevrolet)

Has 10 top 10s in 21 career NCWSE starts, including four in seven 2009 outings.
Has led in points the majority of the season, but dropped from first to third with an 11^th place finish last time out at Thompson International Speedway.
Has the best start-to-finish improvement rate of any full-time competitor with an average of +6.
Registered best career finish of second in the season opener at Greenville Pickens Speedway.
Registered first career top-five finish at AIS in 2008.

Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Chevrolet)

Has five wins and 45 top 10s in 117 career NCWSE starts.
Is currently second in points, just nine behind leader Ryan Truex … Has registered six top 10s in seven starts and has completed all but two laps.
Finished third at AIS last year, the best result of his career at the track.
Won the prestigious TD Banknorth Oxford 250 – an open Late Model race – on July 19.

Brett Moffitt (No. 44 Chevrolet)

Has four top fives in seven starts in his rookie season … Is fifth in overall points and second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.
Became youngest driver in NCWSE history – surpassing Joey Logano – to earn a pole when he accomplished the feat in the season opener at GPS … Also surpassed Logano by becoming the youngest race winner in series history at SBS.
Held the series points lead for one race after a third-place effort at Watkins Glen International.

Steve Park (No. 35 Chevrolet)

Has two wins and 20 top 10s in 33 career NCWSE starts … Earned first career pole last time out at TIS.
Is currently sixth in points with a best finish of second at TIS.
Has wins and poles in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, Camping World Truck Series and Whelen Modified Tour in addition to the Camping World Series East.
Finished 14^th at AIS in 2008.

Alan Tardiff (No. 38 Chevrolet)

Has five top 10s in 10 career NCWSE starts.
All five top 10s have come in six 2009 starts … Is eighth in points despite missing a race.
Earned first career Coors Light Pole Award at Tri-County Motor Speedway.

Ryan Truex (No. 00 Toyota)

Has eight career NCWSE starts … Made his series debut at Stafford Motor Speedway in 2008.
Is a Michael Waltrip Racing development driver.
Took the overall points lead for the first time at TIS on the strength of four-straight top-five finishes … Is also currently leading in Sunoco Rookie of the Year points.
Earned his first career pole at SBS … Second pole came at NHMS.
First race win came at WGI … Joined father, Martin Sr., and brother, Martin Jr., on the NCWSE all-time wins list in the process.
Captured second career win last time out at TIS … Joined his brother on the TIS wins list.

Miscellaneous

The seven races to-date have produced five-different winners and six-different pole winners.
Four of the seven races have featured a margin of victory of less than one second.
Ryan Truex currently leads Eddie MacDonald by just nine points in the season standings … The last time the lead was single digits was when Mike Stefanik led Matt Kobyluck by seven points following the sixth race of the 2005 season at Adirondack International Speedway.
There have been 944 laps completed … No driver has completed every lap, but Kobyluck is just one short and MacDonald is down two.
Despite competing in just two races, Brian Ickler still paces all drivers in laps led with 145.
Truex is looking to become just the second driver in NCWSE history to earn the championship and rookie of the year in the same year, joining Joey Logano in 2007.
Of the 25 competitors in last year’s race at Adirondack, six have starts in either the NASCAR Nationwide Series or Camping World Truck Series this year.

Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR CWSE PR