Though only 15 races old, the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard has produced a number of statistics befitting a track as historic as Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Already, Indianapolis has become a house of NASCAR champions. Of the 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, 13 have been won by series champions.
The only Brickyard winners who are not also series champions are Ricky Rudd (1997) and Kevin Harvick (2003).
Also, “Kissing the Bricks” – the traditional celebration of the winning team – often foreshadows a series championship. Seven winners in the 15-race history of the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard went on to win the series championship in the same year, including three of the last four. They are Jimmie Johnson, 2006 and 2008; Tony Stewart, 2007; Jeff Gordon, 1998 and 2001; Bobby Labonte, 2000; and Dale Jarrett, 1999.
Though not past champions, Juan Pablo Montoya and Mark Martin are two drivers who come to Indy with momentum – and should be considered favorites.
Montoya won the Indianapolis 500 in 2000, and immediately adapted to stock car racing at Indy. In his first trip to IMS for the Brickyard race in 2007, Montoya finished second. Last year, though, he finished 39th due to an accident.
Martin has often threatened at Indy, finishing in the top 10 in nine of his 15 starts. Along with a sixth-best Driver Rating of 98.8, Martin has finished on the lead lap 13 times, which ties him with Jeff Gordon for the all-time high.
Montoya has finished in the top 10 in five of the last six races, while Martin comes to Indianapolis after a dominating win at Chicagoland Speedway, his series-high fourth on the season.
Selected Driver Highlights
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last three races at Indianapolis. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.
AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Hunt Brothers Pizza Dodge)
One top 10
Average finish of 10.0
Series-best Average Running Position of 9.4
Driver Rating of 98.4, seventh-best
Average Green Flag Speed of 169.692 mph, fourth-fastest
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
One top five, four top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 17.7
Average Running Position of 10.3, third-best
Driver Rating of 100.6, third-best
33 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 169.326 mph, seventh-fastest
482 Laps in the Top 15 (75.3%), fourth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
One top five, three top 10s
Average finish of 9.0
Average Running Position of 11.1, fifth-best
Driver Rating of 98.9, fifth-best
169 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 169.346 mph, sixth-fastest
485 Laps in the Top 15 (75.8%), third-most
112 Quality Passes, second-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
One top five, two top 10s
Average finish of 10.3
Average Running Position of 14.3, 10th-best
Driver Rating of 91.6, 11th-best
39 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
193 Green Flag Passes, third-most
99 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Patriot Academy Chevrolet)
Four wins, nine top fives, 12 top 10s; three poles
Average finish of 8.6
Average Running Position of 14.7, 12th-best
Driver Rating of 97.5, eighth-best
19 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
195 Green Flag Passes, second-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 169.454 mph, fifth-fastest
111 Quality Passes, third-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
One top five, two top 10s
Average finish of 11.7
Average Running Position of 11.2, sixth-best
Driver Rating of 101.2, second-best
25 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 169.825 mph, second-fastest
100 Quality Passes, fifth-most
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