Catchfence

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visits Chicagoland Speedway for 19th Race of Season – Only Eight Races
Until the Series Returns to Richmond International Raceway in September for 26th Race of the Season

RICHMOND, VA (July 9, 2009) – With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series reaching the half-way point of the season, drivers are focusing their attention on the “Road to Richmond,” which passes through Chicago, Illinois this weekend.

As the drivers prepare for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400–“One Last Race to Make The Chase,” the cutoff race at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009, the first step is conquering Chicagoland Speedway.

Drivers to be on the lookout for this weekend in Chicago include:

Matt Kenseth With a driver rating (explained below) of 120.4 at Chicagoland, Kenseth has two top-fives and four top-10s in eight starts.

Kyle Busch A driver rating of 115.3, Busch has an average finish of 7.8 with one win, two top-
fives and two top-10s in only four starts.

Kevin Harvick Third highest driver rating at 114.9, Harvick won the first two races at Chicagoland and has a series-best average finish of 7.4.

Tony Stewart Also has two wins at Chicagoland with a driver rating of 114.3. Stewart has been on a roll, winning at Daytona last weekend.

Jimmie Johnson With five top-fives, six top-10s and one pole, Johnson is ranked as the fifth best with a driver rating of 109.3.

All five drivers know the path to Gatorade Victory Lane at Richmond International Raceway, with Busch being the most recent driver to take home a trophy in the May Crown Royal Presents The Russ Friedman 400 Sprint Cup Series race, as well as the Lipton Tea 250 Nationwide Series race the previous night.

When NASCAR returns to Richmond for the doubleheader weekend September 11-12, drivers will be battling it out to be one of the top 12 in The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. With a 15th place finish at Daytona International Speedway last Saturday night, Kasey Kahne is currently sitting in the 12th position in the points standings. When the checkered flag flies in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, will Kahne be locked into the top-12? In 2005, Kahne won the Chevy American Revolution 400 so he, too, knows his way to Gatorade Victory Lane at Richmond International Raceway.

Anything can happen on the “Road to Richmond!” Get your tickets now to see the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers battle it out “under the lights” for “One Last Race to Make The Chase.” Tickets for the Saturday, September 12, 2009 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 start at $40 and can be purchased by calling the Richmond International Raceway ticket office at 866-455-RACE (7223) or by logging on to www.rir.com. Additionally, tickets are also available for Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Tickets start at $35 and include WRIC-TV8 Pole Qualifying and practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series, as well as Fas Mart Pole Qualifying and practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

What is a Driver Rating?

A driver rating is a Loop Data statistic, provided by NASCAR, which is based on several statistical components including:

· Primary Statistics

o The most important to the formula – and therefore awarded the most points.

o The points assigned to each “Primary Statistic” are based on the point structure in place from 2004-2006. The formula still uses the old points structure, even though the point structure was changed in 2007.

o The first place driver earns 180 points and the 43rd-place driver earns 34, with the increments in between the same as NASCAR’s points distribution scale. Each statistic is then “multiplied” or “weighted” depending on its importance to the formula. All ties are broken by finishing position.

· Fixed Bonus Points

o Bonus points are given for reaching certain goals including wins, top-15 finishes, leading the most laps, finishing on the lead lap, and average running position better than 10th.

· Variable Bonus Points

o Dependent on two statistics a driver earns in a given race – green flag laps led and green flag fastest laps.

o The two stats are added together and then divided by the total green flag laps the driver has run in the race. The resulting number is then multiplied by 100.

o The maximum number of points a driver get can in this section is 100.

When all three sections are tallied, the points from each section are added together (the maximum number possible is 900 points) and then adjusted by dividing by six, which makes a perfect Driver Rating 150.0.

Driver Rating Example: Jeff Gordon at Darlington, 2008

Below is the formula used to tabulate Jeff Gordon’s Driver Rating at Darlington this season.

Gordon, who finished third, scored a Driver Rating of 116.5, which was third-best in the race.

Primary Statistics Value Rank Pnts Factor Total Points

Finish 3 3 165 1 165

Average Running Position 1 4.381 4 160 2 320

Average Speed 165.394 mph 3 165 1 165

Fastest Lap 172.166 mph 9 138 1/9 15.3

Total for Section: 665.3

1 Average Running Position while on the lead lap and under a green flag.

Fixed Bonus Points Achieved? Pts Worth Points Earned

Win No 20 0

Top-15 Finish Yes 10 10

Leading Most Laps No 10 0

Lead Lap Finish Yes 5 5

Average Running Position better than 10.0 Yes 5 5

Average Running Position better than 6.0 Yes 5 5

Average Running Position better than 2.0 No 5 0

Total Points for Section: 25

Variable Bonus Points

(GF Fast Laps + GF Laps Led) / GF Laps X 100

Gordon’s Number:

Green Flag Fastest Laps: 11

Green Flag Laps Led: 18

Green Flag Laps on Track: 326

Formula: (11 + 18) / 326 X 100 = 8.9 Total Points for Section: 8.9

When sections are added together:

665.3 + 25 + 8.9 = 699.2

Then divide by 6, per the formula:

699.2 / 6 = 116.5

GORDON’S DRIVER RATING IS 116.5

- Richmond International Raceway, Press Release