After this weekend’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, the top 35 cars in 2009 owner points will be guaranteed a starting spot in each week’s race (for the first five races, the 2008 owner points were used).
That could spell trouble for two marquee drivers: Mark Martin and Ryan Newman.
Martin’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet sits exactly on the top-35 bubble – in 35th place, nine points ahead of the No. 8 Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet driven by Aric Almirola.
Newman enjoys a slightly more comfortable position – 32nd, 38 points ahead of Almirola.
Below are their stats through four races this season:
Avg.
Driver Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR Led
Ryan Newman 27.8 24.1 10 30.3% 62.4 3
Mark Martin 31.8 17.2 31 60.3% 86.4 7
ARP: Average Running Position
FLR: Fastest Laps Run
LT15%: Percentage of Laps in the Top 15
DR: Driver Rating
Click Here To View More NASCAR Photos
The above numbers illustrate the bad luck Martin has encountered this season (whereas Newman’s statistics generally match his standings position). In fact, Martin ranks in the top 15 in most key Loop Data statistics. For instance:
Driver Rating
Driver DR 1. Jeff Gordon 120.5 2. Kurt Busch 108.2 3. Carl Edwards 104.3 4. Jimmie Johnson 104.2 5. Kyle Busch 104.0 13. Mark Martin 86.4
Average Running Position
Driver ARP 1. Jeff Gordon 5.818 2. Jimmie Johnson 8.487 3. Kurt Busch 8.507 4. Carl Edwards 8.583 5. Denny Hamlin 11.389 14. Mark Martin 17.167
Fastest Laps Run
Driver FLR 1. Jeff Gordon 100 2. Kurt Busch 94 3. Greg Biffle 90 4. Jimmie Johnson 81 5. Kyle Busch 59 7. Mark Martin 31
The statistics suggest that sooner or later luck should turn for Martin. But the big question could be this: After a two-year Bristol layoff, how will Martin fare?
| 
|