Halfway home, only 13 races remain in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ regular season. A perfect setup to the Chase run, the first 13 races featured two first-time winners (Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith), records in lead changes and leaders, and the resurgence of the sport’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
With his second runner-up finish of the season, at Kansas, Earnhardt moved within one point of second-place. The last time Earnhardt was second this late in the season was after the second Pocono race in 2008.
Here are some of the competitive highlights of the first 13 races:
• 13.7 leaders per race, most through 13 races in history.
• 32.4 lead changes per race, most through 13 races in history.
• 9 different winners in the first 12 races, most since 2003.
• 10 different Coors Light Pole winners in the first 13 races.
• Average of 3,807 passes per race, most through 13 races since the inception of Loop Data in 2005.
• Average of 41 passes for the lead per race (all along the track), second-most through 13 races since the inception of Loop Data in 2005.
• 30 different drivers have scored at least one top 10.
| 
|