Roush Fenway Racing Enjoys Home Track Advantage

The apparent home track advantage could most benefit David Ragan, who is struggling coming off a promising 2008 campaign. Ragan has just one top-10 finish after scoring 14 last season. He currently sits 31st in the points standings.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 10, 2009) – Roush Fenway Racing co-owner Jack Roush owns a home and a business about 45 minutes from Michigan International Speedway.

Statistically, the home track advantage is huge. The team’s 11 wins there are tied with the Wood Brothers for most all-time at the 2-mile track. Michigan also is Roush Fenway’s most prolific track, edging out Bristol, where it has 10 wins.

Three of his drivers own multiple wins at Michigan: Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle have two wins apiece. Not surprisingly, the three rank in the top five in practically every key Loop Data statistic since its inception in 2005:

Driver Rating

Driver DR

1. Carl Edwards 115.7

2. Jimmie Johnson 106.9

3. Matt Kenseth 106.4

4. Greg Biffle 105.1

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 101.4

Average Running Position

Driver ARP

1. Carl Edwards 7.0

2. Greg Biffle 9.0

3. Jimmie Johnson 9.4

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10.3

5. Matt Kenseth 11.5

Laps in the Top 15 %

Driver FLR

1. Carl Edwards 90.2%

2. Greg Biffle 84.1%

3. Jimmie Johnson 79.4%

4. Matt Kenseth 79.0%

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 76.7%

Avg. Green Flag Speed

Driver MPH

1. Carl Edwards 174.229

2. Jimmie Johnson 173.986

3. Greg Biffle 173.975

4. Matt Kenseth 173.932

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 173.728

Fastest Laps Run

Driver FLR

1. Carl Edwards 134

2. Jimmie Johnson 114

3. Greg Biffle 98

Dale Earnhardt Jr. 98

5. Kurt Busch 93

The apparent home track advantage could most benefit David Ragan, who is struggling coming off a promising 2008 campaign. Ragan has just one top-10 finish after scoring 14 last season. He currently sits 31st in the points standings.

Some of his best performances have come at Michigan, though. In terms of Driver Rating, Michigan ranks as Ragan’s third-best track behind Homestead and Talladega. He has a Driver Rating of 82.2 at Michigan. In terms of average finish, Ragan’s 12.5 makes it his second-best track behind Kansas.

Below is Ragan’s race-by-race driver log at Michigan (all driver logs can be found on NASCARMedia.com). As the statistics show, he has improved with each visit:

David Ragan at Michigan

Date         Finish         ARP       FLR      LT15%      DR           Led

6/07 21 28.6 0 0 50.3 0

8/07 18 16.1 5 51.2 79.0 0

6/08 8 13.6 0 64 93.4 6

8/08 3 8.4 5 97.5 106.1 3

Total 12.5 16.7 10 53.2 82.2 9