Through 15 races this season, there has been the unlikely mix of dominance – especially on the qualifying front – and competitive balance.
Take Kurt Busch’s Coors Light Pole win at Michigan, for example. He has now won three consecutive Coors Light Poles (the first two at Kansas and Pocono). The last driver to win four straight: Ryan Newman in 2004. The record for consecutive poles is five, by Bobby Allison (1972), Cale Yarborough (1980) and Bill Elliott (1985).
But then add Denny Hamlin’s race win at Michigan to the mix. He became the 10th different winner in the 15 races this season, the most since 2003.
Some other statistical bullets from this season…
• Average of 13 different leaders per race, the most through 15 races in series history
• Average 31 lead changes per race, the most through 15 races in series history
• Average of 3,756 passes this season, the most through 15 races since the inception of Loop Data in 2005
• 42 different drivers have led at least one lap
One other key note on the qualifying front – it’s a major component of success at Infineon Raceway. At the road course, 17 of the 22 winners have started seventh or better, and 20 of the 22 started 13th or better.
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