Something crazy happened when Kevin Harvick crossed the finish line first in early April. The rarity: someone not named Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch or Denny Hamlin won a short-track race.
The trio had won 15 consecutive short track races – spanning more than two years – prior to Harvick’s victory at Martinsville. Busch had won six (four at Bristol; two at Richmond), Hamlin had won five (three at Martinsville; two at Richmond) and Johnson had won four (two at Martinsville; one each at Richmond and Bristol).
In the past 16 races, the three short-track studs rank in the top three or four in every key Loop Data category.
Check out the categories, and the stats from the past 16 short-track races …
Driver Rating: The trio ranks 1-2-3 in Driver Rating. Johnson’s first with a 115.5.
Average Running Position: Johnson ranks first with an ARP of 7.1. Jeff Gordon’s second at 8.6.
Fastest Laps Run: The trio again ranks 1-2-3, with Johnson again heading the list with 655. Close behind is Hamlin at 648 Fastest Laps Run.
Laps Led: Three drivers have led over 1,000 laps over the last 16 short-track races: Hamlin (1,512), Busch (1,369), Johnson (1,267).
Laps in the Top 15: Johnson leads with a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 90.3%. Gordon is second at 83.0%.
Gordon, for the record, has had 10 top 10s in the last 16 short-track races. His best finish was second, in last season’s May Richmond race.
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