The three points separating David Reutimann in 13th place and Jeff Burton in 12th is the closest margin at the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cutoff after 15 races.
The previous closest margin after 15 races was four points, in 2005, when the Chase field was 10 drivers. Then, Jamie McMurray in 11th trailed Kevin Harvick in 10th.
The two combatants currently on the Chase bubble – Burton and Reutimann – have vastly different experiences at Infineon Raceway, site of Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350.
Reutimann’s Infineon Raceway experience consists of a single race, and the story is a short one. He started 42nd, finished 40th and advanced only as high as 28th in that race last year. His average running position was 38.2.
Burton’s Infineon career is certainly more prolific, scoring five top 10s in 15 career starts. His best finishes have come recently, with two top 10s in the last three races – including a third-place run in 2007. Over the last four races, he has posted a seventh-best Driver Rating of 96.5.
So, statistically speaking, 12th and 13th may not swap this weekend.
But 12th and 14th might.
In 14th-place sits the dangerous Juan Pablo Montoya, who won in his first visit to Infineon Raceway in 2007. Last season, he finished sixth. In his two Infineon races, Montoya has scored a Driver Rating of 113.2, an Average Running Position of 9.6, seven Fastest Laps Run and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 82.4%.
Montoya has two top-10 finishes in a row (eighth at Pocono and sixth at Michigan), the first time in his career he has strung together two consecutive finishes inside the top 10.
Selected Driver Highlights
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Infineon Raceway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last four races at Infineon Raceway. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
• One top five, five top 10s
• Average finish of 18.9
• Average Running Position of 11.6, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 96.5, seventh-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 89.805 mph, eighth-fastest
• 349 Laps in the Top 15 (79.0%), second-most
• 89 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Three top fives, three top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 19.1
• Average Running Position of 11.4, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 102.6, fourth-best
• 13 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 89.936 mph, fifth-fastest
• 328 Laps in the Top 15 (74.2%), fourth-most
• 73 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• One win, one top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 15.0
• Average Running Position of 16.3, 13th-best
• Driver Rating of 104.8, third-best
• 37 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 89.964 mph, fourth-fastest
• 268 Laps in the Top 15 (60.6%), eighth-most
• 63 Quality Passes, 13th-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Five wins, 10 top fives, 12 top 10s; five poles
• Average finish of 9.3
• Average Running Position of 13.2, eighth-best
• Driver Rating of 100.1, sixth-best
• 35 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
• 172 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 89.756 mph, 10th-fastest
• 273 Laps in the Top 15 (61.8%), seventh-most
• 94 Quality Passes, second-most
Robby Gordon (No. 7 Red Stag by Jim Beam/Kid Rock Toyota)
• One win, two top fives, three top 10s
• Average finish of 22.1
• Driver Rating of 91.9, ninth-best
• 49 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 89.916 mph, sixth-fastest
• 236 Laps in the Top 15 (53.4%), 12th-most
• 70 Quality Passes, 10th-most
Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
• One win, seven top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 10.1
• Average Running Position of 12.6, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 90.2, 10th-best
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