Kasey Kahne’s 15th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway last Saturday night was enough to vault him back into the top 12 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings. His entry inside the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cutoff made it seven different teams in the top 12, the most after 18 races since the Chase field was increased to 12 in 2007. Here’s the breakdown:
2007: Five (Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc.);
2008: Five (JGR, HMS, RCR, RFR and Gillett-Evernham Motorsports);
2009: Seven (Stewart-Haas Racing, HMS, Penske Racing, RFR, JGR, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports).
One marquee team is surprisingly absent from the 2009 list: Richard Childress Racing. After putting three of its teams in the Chase last season, all four of its cars are outside the top 12 at the midpoint of 2009.
Most surprising of the four drivers might be Kevin Harvick, who sits 26th in the points.
Harvick has suffered 14 consecutive finishes outside the top 10, including three straight outside the top 25.
But a race at Chicagoland Speedway may cure any ills for Harvick. He won the first two races there – in 2001-02 – and has a series-best average finish of 7.4.
Harvick’s last three Chicagoland finishes have been inside the top five, and over the last four he has a Driver Rating of 114.9 (third-best) and a series-best Average Running Position of 5.6.
Selected Driver Highlights
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Chicagoland Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last four races at Chicagoland. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• One top five, one top 10
• Average finish of 12.8
• Average Running Position of 12.6, ninth-best
• Driver Rating of 98.2, seventh-best
• 39 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
• Series-high 271 Green Flag Passes
• Average Green Flag Speed of 167.539 mph, seventh-fastest
• 713 Laps in the Top 15 (66.6%), eighth-most
• 114 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota)
• One win, two top fives, two top 10s
• Average finish of 7.8
• Average Running Position of 6.6, third-best
• Driver Rating of 115.3, second-best
• 72 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 168.135 mph, fifth-fastest
• 959 Laps in the Top 15 (89.5%), fourth-most
• 142 Quality Passes, third-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy Drink/National Guard Chevrolet)
• One win, two top fives, three top 10s
• Average finish of 15.3
• Average Running Position of 11.5, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 95.0, eighth-best
• 55 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
• 226 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 167.422 mph, eighth-fastest
• 787 Laps in the Top 15 (73.5%), seventh-most
• 121 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• One win, four top fives, five top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 10.1
• Average Running Position of 11.8, eighth-best
• Driver Rating of 93.4, ninth-best
• 56 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• 232 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
• 802 Laps in the Top 15 (74.9%), sixth-most
• 146 Quality Passes, second-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• Two wins, five top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 7.4
• Series-best Average Running Position of 5.6
• Driver Rating of 114.9, third-best
• 37 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 168.173 mph, fourth-fastest
• Series-high 1,031 Laps in the Top 15 (96.3%)
• 111 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet)
• Five top fives, six top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 8.1
• Average Running Position of 8.6, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 109.3, fifth-best
• 87 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 168.193 mph, third-fastest
• 923 Laps in the Top 15 (86.2%), fifth-most
• 141 Quality Passes, fourth-most
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