Statistical Advance: Analyzing The New Hampshire 125 At The “Magic Mile”
Daytona Beach, FL — The penultimate race of the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season will take place on Friday, Sept. 17 with the New Hampshire 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
At New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
History
• Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway was Aug. 13, 1989.
• The official opening was June 5, 1990 and the first NASCAR event was a NASCAR Nationwide Series race on July 15, 1990.
• The first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race was held on Sept. 2, 1990.
• The track was renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008.
• The largest racing oval – and the largest sports facility overall – in New England.
Notebook
• There have been 53 NKNPS East races all-time at NHMS, more than at any other track.
• There have been 23 different race winners, led by Brad Leighton’s eight.
• There have been 27 different pole winners, led by Kelly Moore’s six.
• Eddie MacDonald has won three of the last five NKNPS East races at NHMS, and is the defending race and pole winner of this event.
• Ryan Truex earned his first NHMS win this past June while Brett Moffitt captured the pole.
• Among all entrants for the 2010 New Hampshire 125, only MacDonald (3) and Truex (1) have won at NHMS.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data
Race: #9 of 10 overall, #2 of 2 at NHMS
Track Layout: 1.058-mile oval
Banking: Variable between 2-7 degrees in the turns
Race Length: 125 laps/132.25 miles
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Eddie MacDonald (127.079 mph, 29.972 sec.)
2009 race winner: Eddie MacDonald (80.296 mph, 1:18.16)
Track qualifying record: Brian Hoar (127.141 mph, 28.892 sec., 7-18-02)
Up to Speed:
• Darrell Wallace Jr. won the season-opener at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway on March 27.
• Max Gresham was victorious on April 3 at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and in the East/West combination race at Iowa Speedway on May 23 in Newton, Iowa.
• Brett Moffitt was the winner of the inaugural stand-alone NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on June 6.
• Defending champion Ryan Truex captured his first win of 2010 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 25 in Loudon, N.H.
• Andrew Ranger earned his first NKNPS East pole and race wins in the K&N 100 at Lime Rock Park on July 3 in Lakeville, Conn.
• Wallace reached Victory Lane in the first race for the NKNPS East at Lee (N.H.) USA Speedway since 2004 … Kevin Swindell earned his first career pole prior to the race.
• Ty Dillon registered his first career win last time out as the NKNPS East made its inaugural visit to Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga.
• Truex leads Wallace in the season standings by 66 points.
• The 2010 NKNPS East season will close on Friday, Sept. 24 with the Sunoco 15 in Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Selected Driver Highlights:
Michael Cherry (No. 8 Changing Lanes Chevrolet)
• Made NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut last time out at Gresham Motorsports Park and registered a fourth-place finish.
• Has taken over the seat of the No. 8 Revolution Racing Chevrolet – previously driven by Mackena Bell – for the balance of the season.
• Part of the Drive for Diversity program, he was competing in Revolution Racing’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model program prior to the promotion.
Ty Dillon (No. 3 Mom ‘N’ Pops Country Ham Chevrolet)
• Has a win and six top 10s in nine career NKNPS East starts.
• Earned first career win last time out at GMP.
• Has four top 10s in six starts this year.
• Has finishes of 17th and sixth in two career starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Ryan Gifford (No. 2 Changing Lanes Chevrolet)
• Has seven top fives in 12 career NKNPS East starts … Best career finish is second, twice.
• Won his first career Coors Light Pole Award at Martinsville Speedway to become the first African-American driver in NKNPS East history to earn a pole.
• Is fifth in points with four top fives in eight starts this year.
• Has finished fourth in both of his previous starts at NHMS.
• Is competing out of the Revolution Racing garage as part of the Drive for Diversity program.
Max Gresham (No. 18 Gresham & Associates Toyota)
• Has two wins, a pole and five top 10s in 11 career NKNPS East starts.
• Won the second and third races this year at South Boston Speedway and Iowa Speedway.
• Is seventh in points … Has three podium efforts, but the other five finishes are 12th or worse.
• Has finishes of ninth and 21st in two previous starts at NHMS.
• Is a teammate to Brett Moffitt at Joe Gibbs Racing.
Matt Kobyluck (No. 40 Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino Chevrolet)
• The 2008 NKNPS East champion.
• Has seven poles, 16 wins and 95 top 10s in 176 career NKNPS East starts.
• Has wins at 11-different tracks, but still seeks his first at NHMS.
• Is sixth in points after eight races with four top 10s and a best finish of fourth at Martinsville.
• Has nine top 10s, an average finish of 21st and a best finish of third in 29 career starts at NHMS.
Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 NEMO/Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two poles and 54 top 10s in 129 career NKNPS East starts.
• Is ninth in points after eight races with best finish of fourth at Lee USA Speedway.
• Has won three of the last five races at NHMS, including this event last year … Has eight top 10s and an average finish of 19th in 20 career starts at NHMS.
• Will also attempt his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at NHMS, as well as defend his 2009 win in the ACT Invitational.
Corey LaJoie (No. 07 LaJoie Auto Wrecking Ford)
• Will look to make his third start of the year, and sixth of his career overall.
• Has finishes of 31st and eighth in two starts at NHMS.
• Best career finish was third last year at Dover International Speedway.
Brett Moffitt (No. 20 Game Plan for Life Toyota)
• Has three wins, two poles and 14 top 10s in 19 career NKNPS East starts.
• Is fourth in points with five top 10s this year.
• Has finishes of 27th, second and fifth in three career starts at NHMS.
• Competes as a teammate to Max Gresham in the JGR development program.
Sergio Pena (No. 4 Changing Lanes Chevrolet)
• Is 11th in points with two top 10s in eight starts as a rookie this year.
• Best career finish – sixth – came last time out at GMP.
• Is competing out of the Revolution Racing garage as part of the Drive for Diversity program.
Andrew Ranger (No. 35 Waste Management Recycling Chevrolet)
• Has a win and three top fives in five NKNPS East starts during his rookie season.
• Finished ninth in his debut at NHMS in June.
• Was the 2007 and 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 champion.
• Has three wins and top 10s in all five NCATS starts this year … Has 12 wins in 42 career races.
D.J. Shaw (No. 60 Precision JLM Chevrolet)
• Has four top 10s in 10 career starts … Debuted in the series with two starts at NHMS in 2009.
• Is eighth in points with four top 10s and a best finish was fifth in the season opener.
• Has finishes of 24th, 21st and 13th in three career starts at NHMS.
Kevin Swindell (No. 9 Curb Records/NOS Energy Drink Chevrolet)
• Has two poles and five top 10s in 13 career starts.
• Is 10th in points with three top 10s.
• Has finishes of third, 10th and second in three career starts at NHMS … Runner-up effort this past June is his best career finish overall.
• Has made three NASCAR Nationwide Series starts in 2010 for Baker-Curb Racing.
Ryan Truex (No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota)
• The 2009 NKNPS East titlist … Has four wins, two poles and 15 top 10s in 20 career starts.
• Leads Darrell Wallace Jr. by 66 points atop the standings … Has six top fives in eight races.
• Has a win (June 2010), a pole (June 2009) and podium finishes in each of his three NHMS starts.
• A development driver for Michael Waltrip Racing … Has three NNS starts for MWR this year.
Darrell Wallace Jr. (No. 6 Revolution Racing Chevrolet)
• Trails Ryan Truex by 66 points in the standings … Has two wins and six top 10s in eight races.
• With his win at Greenville Pickens Speedway, he became the youngest race winner in series history, and also became the first African-American driver to win in the series’ 24 years.
• Is the leading candidate for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.
• Competes out of the Revolution Racing garage as part of the Drive for Diversity program.
Cole Whitt (No. 84 Red Bull Toyota)
• Has six top 10s in eight starts in the series and is third in points as a rookie.
• Has finished second three times – South Boston, Lime Rock and Gresham.
• Earned the pole and finished third in his debut at GPS … Also won the East pole at Iowa.
• A highly-decorated open wheel racer, he is a development driver for Red Bull Racing.
Sources: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East PR