The emphasis on winning continues as the potential points spread in the Race to the Chase becomes more definitive.
Fourteen drivers have won NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races this season, potentially earning 10 valuable bonus points for each victory – 11 are currently in the top 12 in the series point standings. If those drivers make the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, their “seeding” entering the Chase will be determined by the number of wins they accumulated over the first 26 races of the season plus the standard tiebreaker of best finishes.
Aside from Kurt Busch, who gained another 10 points and potentially the fourth position with his victory at Michigan, another big mover this week was Martin Truex Jr., who parlayed his second-place finish into a move to sixth in the potential seeding scheme.
Rewind: 2007 Season Highlights
• At Talladega, Jeff Gordon won his 77th career race, breaking a tie with Dale Earnhardt for sixth on the all-time victory list. Gordon had tied Earnhardt’s mark of 76 wins the prior week in Phoenix.
• Hendrick Motorsports posted five consecutive victories (Phoenix through Charlotte), the first time since 1971 that an organization had won five straight.
• Three drivers have posted career-first victories: Casey Mears, Martin Truex Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya, from Colombia, became the first foreign-born race winner since Canadian Earl Ross in 1974.
The following pages contain reviews and analysis of various statistical data which impacts the ongoing standings and the eventual goal of making the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.
Seeding Update
The top 12 drivers in the current point standings and how they would start the Chase based on the completed races:
Chase Current
Seed Driver Wins Points Rank Difference
1 Jeff Gordon 4 5,040 1 0
2 Jimmie Johnson 4 5,040 6 +4
3 Tony Stewart 3 5,030 4 +1
4 Kurt Busch 2 5,020 12 +8
5 Denny Hamlin 1 5,010 2 -3
6 Martin Truex Jr. 1 5,010 11 +5
7 Matt Kenseth 1 5,010 3 -4
8 Kyle Busch 1 5,010 8 0
9 Jeff Burton 1 5,010 7 -2
10 Kevin Harvick 1 5,010 10 0
11 Carl Edwards 1 5,010 5 -6
12 Clint Bowyer 0 5,000 9 -3
Qualifying
• There have been 12 different Bud Pole winners led by Jeff Gordon (six) and Ryan Newman (four). Qualifying was canceled at Texas, the second Daytona race and Watkins Glen due to inclement weather.
• There has been a first-time Bud Pole winner each season since 1987 – 21 consecutive years.
• Ryan Newman’s pole at Atlanta ended a streak of 20 races without a pole – the longest of his career.
• Denny Hamlin leads all other drivers, with 16 top-10 starts this season. Jeff Gordon is second with 15.
• Dave Blaney won the Bud Pole at New Hampshire – his first Bud Pole since 2003 (Rockingham).
The Races
• There have been 14 different race winners, led by Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson (four each), Tony Stewart (three) and Kurt Busch (two).
• Three drivers have posted back-to-back victories this season:
Jimmie Johnson (Las Vegas and Atlanta)
Jeff Gordon (Phoenix and Talladega)
Tony Stewart (Chicago and Indianapolis).
• Johnson’s victory at Las Vegas was his third consecutive win there.
• Jeff Gordon has posted 14 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes – both more than any other driver.
First-Timers
Start Pole Win
Aric Almirola (Las Vegas) Clint Bowyer (Darlington) Casey Mears (Charlotte 1) Jon Wood (Las Vegas) J. J. Yeley (Michigan 1) Martin Truex Jr. (Dover 1) AJ Allmendinger (Bristol 1) Reed Sorenson (Indianapolis) Juan Pablo Montoya (Sonoma) Regan Smith (Bristol 1) Chad McCumbee (Pocono 1) Patrick Carpentier (Watkins Glen)
Laps Led Top 10 in Points
David Ragan (Talladega 1) David Ragan (Daytona 1) Juan Pablo Montoya (Infineon Raceway) Martin Truex Jr. (Michigan 1) Patrick Carpentier (Watkins Glen)
The Bud Pole Winner/Race Winner
• The Bud Pole winner (or driver that started first in cases of no qualifying) finishing position:
First 2
2nd-5th 6
6th-10th 2
11th-30th 4
31st or beyond 3
• The lap-leader performance of the Bud Pole winner (or driver that started first in cases of no qualifying):
Led First Lap 18
Led at All 22
Led Most Laps 4
Won Race 2
Led Most Laps and Won 2
• The race winner’s starting positions:
Bud Pole 2
Top -Five 5
6th-10th 1
11th-30th 13
31st or beyond 2
• The lap-leader performance of the race winner:
Led First Lap 4
Led Most Laps 9
Led Mid-Race Lap 5
Led With 10 to Go 15
Led With One to Go 20
Note: Mid-race lap is a scheduled lap regardless of shortened or extended race length.
Laps Completed
• Denny Hamlin had completed all but two laps heading into the second Daytona race. Despite finishing 62 laps off the lead lap, he still leads the series in laps completed with 6,184 of 6,246.
Laps Led
• Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart have each led in 15 races, more than any other driver. Both also share the lead in bonus points with 95.
• Tony Stewart has led 853 of the 6,249 laps – 13.65 percent of the laps raced.
• Eleven different drivers have led the most laps in a race: Jeff Gordon (five), Tony Stewart (four), Kurt Busch (four), Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two each), Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Carl Edwards, Robby Gordon and Clint Bowyer (one each).
• Ward Burton led four laps at Michigan, the first laps he has led since Talladega in October 2004.
Rookie Performance
• Three different drivers have been the highest-finishing rookie at least once this season: Juan Pablo Montoya (11), David Ragan (eight) and Paul Menard (four).
• The best finish by a rookie has been first by Juan Pablo Montoya at Infineon Raceway.
• Juan Pablo Montoya (19th) ranks highest among rookies in the point standings.
Penalties
• There have been 314 penalties issued during the races this season.
• Every team that has competed in two or more races this season has received at least one on-track penalty.
• Penalty Recap:
Pitting Before Pit Road is Open 195
Too Fast Entering Pit Road 26
Too Fast Exiting Pit Road 44
Others 49
Points
• Only two drivers have ranked in the top 10 in points for every race: Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon.
• Jeff Gordon assumed the points lead after Bristol.
• Mark Martin is ranked 20th in the points – the highest of the drivers who have not competed in every race.
• Jeff Green is ranked 30th, the lowest of drivers that have competed in every race.
The Race to The Chase
• With three races remaining before the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup begins at New Hampshire, Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin are the only drivers who have clinched a berth in the Chase.
• Twenty drivers remain mathmatically in contention to make the final top 12.
Manufacturer
• Chevrolet leads the manufacturer point standings with 189 points. Dodge has 124 and Ford 121, while Toyota is fourth with 74.
• Chevrolet has won 17 races. Ford and Dodge each have three victories.
• Chevrolet got its 600th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory with Kyle Busch’s win at Bristol. Busch’s victory was the first for the Chevrolet Impala since Wendell Scott won at Jacksonville (Fla. ) Speedway Park on Dec. 1, 1963.
• Toyota scored its first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup top five when Brian Vickers finished fifth at Charlotte.
Behind the Numbers
Speed MOV Leaders Changes Cautions Laps
Lead
Lap DNFs
Daytona # 143.355 0.020 9 12 6 26 27 8
California 38.451 0.679 12 28 9 36 17 10
Las Vegas 128.183 2.795 16 28 9 40 15 6
Atlanta 152.915 1.311 13 31 6 27 18 2
Bristol # 81.969 0.064 10 14 15 90 15 5
Martinsville 70.258 0.065 9 14 13 93 21 1
Texas 143.359 0.410 9 13 7 33 14 5
Phoenix 107.710 0.697 7 12 6 34 19 2
Talladega # 154.167 UC 20 42 8 28 26 12
Richmond 91.270 0.723 12 24 14 80 21 6
Darlington 124.383 0.978 10 21 10 44 21 9
Charlotte 130.222 9.561 15 29 13 62 12 10
Dover 118.950 7.355 6 18 7 35 13 5
Pocono * 135.608 UC 8 15 4 10 36 1
Michigan 148.072 3.668 11 22 4 19 9 2
Infineon 74.547 4.097 8 11 7 14 32 4
New Hampshire 129.437 0.068 11 20 6 31 27 3
Daytona 138.983 0.005 11 27 8 30 30 2
Chicago 134.258 1.727 9 20 7 32 19 7
Indianapolis 117.379 2.982 6 14 9 43 21 9
Pocono 131.627 4.131 11 17 7 27 28 4
Watkins Glen 77.535 2.460 6 9 8 20 33 6
Michigan 138.475 0.495 10 18 8 36 20 3
Average 117.874 2.109 19.50 37.50 15.58 72.67 40.33 10.04
# - Extended Race * - Shortened Race
| 
|