In winning the first two races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Matt Kenseth joined an exclusive list.
Previously, a driver had opened with two consecutive wins only four times, most recently in 1997 when Jeff Gordon won the Daytona 500 and followed it up with a victory at Rockingham.
No driver has started a season with three straight victories.
Marvin Panch came close. He opened the 1957 season (which actually began in November of 1956) with two consecutive wins, but finished third in race No. 3 at Titusville-Cocoa (Fla.) Speedway.
Bob Welborn began the 1959 season (which started in November 1958) with two wins and finished 41st in the third race – which happened to be the inaugural Daytona 500.
In 1976, David Pearson opened the season with back-to-back wins, but finished 29th in the third race, held at Rockingham.
And, in 1997, Gordon finished fourth in race No. 3, at Richmond.
Among the previous four, only Gordon won the championship in the season that he opened with two consecutive wins.
Kenseth has a serious chance to become the first driver ever to open a season with three consecutive wins. He already has two wins at Las Vegas (2003-2004) and has led 438 laps there, more than any other driver.
Additionally, since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, at Las Vegas, Kenseth has a Driver Rating of 107.8, an Average Running Position of 10.8 and 90 Fastest Laps Run. All those rank in the top five in the series.
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• One top five, three top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 14.6
• Average Running Position of 10.7, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 100.2, fifth-best
• 48 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 164.480 mph, sixth-fastest
• 795 Laps in the Top 15 (74.2%), fourth-most
• 100 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), 10th-most
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
• Two wins, four top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 10.5
• Average Running Position of 10.5, third-best
• Driver Rating of 95.4, seventh-best
• 268 Green Flag Passes, second-most
• 866 Laps in the Top 15 (80.9%), third-most
• 171 Quality Passes, third-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• Two top fives, three top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 13.2
• Series-best Average Running Position of 6.8
• Driver Rating of 109.8, third-best
• 64 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 164.674 mph, second-fastest
• 997 Laps in the Top 15 (93.1%), second-most
• 174 Quality Passes, second-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
• One win, two top 10s
• Average finish of 11.8
• Average Running Position of 15.4, 12th-best
• Driver Rating of 92.3, ninth-best
• 65 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
• Series-high 283 Green Flag Passes
• 111 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• One win, five top fives
• Average finish of 14.9
• Average Running Position of 7.4, second-best
• Driver Rating of 111.4, second-best
• 81 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• 252 Green Flag Passes, tied for fourth-most
• Series-fastest Average Green Flag Speed of 165.015 mph
• Series-high 1,001 Laps in the Top 15 (93.5%)
• Series-high 186 Quality Passes
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Three wins, four top 10s
• Average finish of 9.3
• Average Running Position of 11.6, sixth-best
• Series-best Driver Rating of 112.0
• Series-high 149 Fastest Laps Run
• 233 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 164.583 mph, fourth-fastest
• 752 Laps in the Top 15 (70.2%), sixth-most
• 148 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• Two wins, four top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 9.0
• Average Running Position of 10.8, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 107.8, fourth-best
• 90 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 164.605 mph, third-best
• 745 Laps in the Top 15 (69.6%), seventh-most
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