The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cut-off bubble is as tight as ever. One single point is the difference between competing for a championship and missing out altogether.
Mark Martin is 13th, one point behind Denny Hamlin in 12th. Only once in the Chase era (2004-Present) have the standings been this close at this juncture. After 14 races in 2005, when the Chase was a 10-driver field, 11th-place Kurt Busch trailed 10th-place Tony Stewart by a point.
What makes the top-12 bubble that much more interesting are the drivers involved:
Mark Martin, 13th: After winning two races and placing in the top 10 in six of seven races, Martin has finished outside the top 15 in two of the last three races. He has two wins at Michigan International Speedway.
Denny Hamlin, 12th: Hamlin’s last two finishes were outside the top 35, and he has tumbled from fourth to 12th in the points in just four races. Another unfortunate stat: his winless drought has reached 44 races. The bright side: He has an average Driver Rating of 95.8 at the 12 tracks remaining in the “regular season.”
David Reutimann, 11th: A third-place Pocono finish launched Reutimann back in the top 12, a spot he enjoyed for eight consecutive weeks earlier this season (from race No. 2 to No. 9). He has jumped 20.0 points in Driver Rating compared to last season. Currently, his Driver Rating is 83.4. Last season through 14 races, he had a 63.4.
Jeff Burton, 10th: Burton has a comfortable 47-point cushion ahead of the Chase cut-off. In terms of Driver Rating, Michigan is Burton’s worst track at 75.2. On the bright side, the two tracks after Michigan – Infineon and New Hampshire – rank in Burton’s top five in terms of Driver Rating.
Selected Driver Highlights
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Michigan International Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last eight races at Michigan. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Two wins, five top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 13.2
• Average Running Position of 9.0, second-best
• Driver Rating of 105.1, fourth-best
• 98 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• 543 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 173.975 mph, third-fastest
• 1,291 Laps in the Top 15 (84.1%), second-most
• 380 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Two wins, two top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 20.1
• Average Running Position of 13.3, eighth-best
• Driver Rating of 96.2, sixth-best
• 93 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• 1,018 Laps in the Top 15 (66.3%), eighth-most
• 285 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy Drink/National Guard Chevrolet)
• One win, three top fives, six top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 16.7
• Average Running Position of 10.3, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 101.4, fifth-best
• 98 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 173.728 mph, fifth-fastest
• 1,177 Laps in the Top 15 (76.7%), fifth-most
• 369 Quality Passes, third-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
• Two wins, five top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 6.6
• Series-best Average Running Position of 7.0
• Series-best Driver Rating of 115.7
• Series-high 134 Fastest Laps Run
• 565 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
• Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 174.229 mph
• Series-high 1,385 Laps in the Top 15 (90.2%)
• Series-high 410 Quality Passes
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Two wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s; five poles
• Average finish of 11.8
• Average Running Position of 13.3, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 93.2, ninth-best
• 72 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
• 1,016 Laps in the Top 15 (66.2%), ninth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 15.5
• Average Running Position of 13.1, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 88.5, 11th-best
• 264 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Two top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 14.4
• Average Running Position of 9.4, third-best
• Driver Rating of 106.9, second-best
• 114 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 173.986 mph, second-fastest
• 1,219 Laps in the Top 15 (79.4%), third-most
• 325 Quality Passes, fifth-most
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