Daytona 500 champion Kevin Harvick has not won at Texas. Nor has 2007 winner Kyle Busch or past NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champions Kurt Busch or Bobby Labonte.
In other words, parity could reign again. Could it be 13 for 13?
Catch the action at 1:30 p. m. on FOX.
The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top 10 at Texas Motor Speedway
Selected Driver Highlights
Note: All driver stats are at Texas. NASCAR s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005. That is why the Loop Data statistics in this release cover the last four races at Texas and include only active drivers.
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet)
* One win, two top fives, four top 10s
* Average finish of 19.167
* 145 laps led
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
* One top five, six top 10s
* Average finish of 12.625
* Driver Rating of 92.4, tenth-best
* Fourth-Fastest on Restarts (first two laps under green)
* 860 Laps in the Top 15, ninth-most
* 108 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet)
* One win, three top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
* Average finish of 10.222
* 254 laps led
* Driver Rating of 96.5, seventh-best
* 218 Green Flag Passes, tied for fourth-most
* 1,116 Laps in the Top 15, second-most
* 147 Quality Passes, most of any driver
* Seventh-Fastest Speed in Traffic
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
* For top fives, five top 10s
* Average finish of 16.833
* 133 laps led
* Tied for second-best Closer – 13 positions improved over last 10% of laps in his four Texas races
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet)
* One top five, three top 10s
* Average finish of 7.0
* Average Running Position of 10.349, second-best
* Driver Rating of 101.3, second-best
* Tied for fourth-best Closer – 12 positions improved over last 10% of laps in his three Texas races
* Fifth-Fastest in Turn 1 and Turn 3
* 89 Quality Passes for an average of 30 per race, sixth-best average
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
* Two top fives, three top 10s
* Average finish of 12.125
* Average Running Position of 12.503, tenth-best
* Tied for sixth-best Closer – 11 positions improved over last 10% of laps in his three Texas races
* Eighth-Fastest on Turn 1; Tenth-Fastest on Turn 2 and Turn 3
* 891 Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most
* 115 Quality Passes, fourth most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe s Chevrolet)
* Three top fives, six top 10s
* Average finish at Texas of 6.286
* 611 laps led
* Average Running Position of 10.729, third-best
* Driver Rating of 101.2, third-best
* Seventh-Fastest on Backstretch; Sixth-Fastest on Turn 2; Ninth-Fastest on Turn 3; Fourth-Fastest on Turn 4
* 57 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
* Fifth-Fastest Green Flag Speed
* 981 Laps in the Top 15, third-most
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge)
* One win, two top fives; one pole
* Average finish of 22.6
* Driver Rating of 92.9; ninth-best
* Fastest on the Frontstretch, Turn 2, Turn 4; Third-Fastest on the Backstretch
* 122 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
* 955 Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
* 121 Quality Passes, third-most
* Fourth-Fastest Speed in Traffic
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
* One win, three top fives, four top 10s
* Average finish of 12.111
* Driver Rating of 98.0, sixth best
* Second-Fastest on the Frontstretch; Fourth-Fastest on the Backstretch; Fifth-Fastest on Turn 4
* 214 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
Casey Mears (No. 25 National Guard Chevrolet)
* Two top fives, four top 10s
* Average finish of 10.5
* Average Running Position of 11.899, fifth-best
* Driver Rating of 98.3, fifth-best
* Sixth Fastest on the Frontstretch; Fifth Fastest on the Backstretch; Third-Fastest on Turn 2 and Turn 4
* 72 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
* 238 Green Flag Passes, second-most
* Sixth-Fastest Green Flag Speed
* 868 Laps in the Top 15, eighth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet)
* One win, three top fives, seven top 10s
* Average finish of 12.600
* 453 laps led
* Average Running Position of 5.233, best of any driver
* Driver Rating of 120.8, best of any driver
* Fastest on Turn 3; Second-Fastest on Backstretch, Turn 2, Turn 4; Third-Fastest on the Frontstretch and Turn 1
* 188 Fastest Laps Run, most of any driver
* Fastest Green Flag Speed
* 1,252 Laps in the Top 15, most of any driver
* Fastest Speed in Traffic
Texas Tidbits
* There has been 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Texas Motor Speedway.
* There have been 107 drivers that have competed at Texas; 85 have participated in more than one race.
* Nine different drivers have competed in all 12 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
* Eight of the nine drivers that have competed in all 12 Texas races are active this season.
* Jeff Burton won the inaugural NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway on April 4, 1997.
* Jeremy Mayfield won the first Budweiser Pole Award at Texas on April 4, 1998. Qualifying for the inaugural race in 1997 was rained out.
* Jeff Burton (1997) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) each won their first race at Texas.
* Bobby Labonte and Ryan Newman each have two Budweiser Poles at Texas, more than any other drivers.
* Twelve different drivers have won races at Texas. There have been no repeat winners.
* Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin have both posted four top-five finishes at Texas, more than any other drivers.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart have both posted seven top-10 finishes at Texas, more than any other drivers.
* Tony Stewart has led 453 laps at Texas, more than any other driver.
* Kasey Kahne has a 5.2 average start in five races at Texas, the best of any driver with more than one there.
* Jimmie Johnson has a 6.3 average finish in seven Martinsville races, the best of any driver.
* Matt Kenseth s starting position of 31st in 2002 was the lowest starting position of a race winner at Texas.
* Jack Roush has posted five victories at Texas – more than any other car owner. All have been won by a different driver: Jeff Burton (1997), Mark Martin (1998), Matt Kenseth (2002), Greg Biffle (spring 2005) and Carl Edwards (fall 2005).
* Only one race at Texas has been won from the Budweiser Pole: Kasey Kahne (spring 2006).
* Nine of the 12 races there have been won from a top-10 starting position. The remaining three races were won from 19th or worse in the starting order.
* Texas Motor Speedway is just one of three current tracks that Jeff Gordon has not posted at least one victory. His best finish at Texas was second in 2002. He has a 16.8 average finish at Texas – his worst of all of the current tracks and has failed to finish twice there. Gordon has also not won at Phoenix or Homestead.
* Denny Hamlin will make his 50th start on Sunday.
Texas Active Streaks
* Prior to the November race at Texas in which he started 39th, Greg Biffle had started in the top 10 in four consecutive Texas races.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finished in the top 10 in five of the last six Texas races (and seven of his nine total Texas races).
* Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in all three of his Texas races.
* Kevin Harvick finished in the top five in both Texas races last season.
* Jimmie Johnson has finished in the top five in three of his last four Texas races and in the top 10 in six of his seven total races at Texas.
* Casey Mears finished in the top 10 in four of his last five Texas races.
* Tony Stewart finished in the top five in both Texas races last year and in the top 10 in three consecutive Texas races.
Last Five Winners at Texas
2006 – Tony Stewart
2006 – Kasey Kahne
2005 – Carl Edwards
2005 – Greg Biffle
2004 – Elliott Sadler
Margin of Victory – Last Five Races
2006 –. 272 seconds
2006 – 5.229
2005 –. 584
2005 – 3.244
2004 –. 028
Quick Facts
All-time Highlights at Texas
Most Wins: 1, 12 drivers
Most top 5s: 4, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin
Most top 10s: 7, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart
Best Average Starting Position: 5.2, Kasey Kahne
Best Average Finish, Active: 6.286, Jimmie Johnson
Oldest Winner: Dale Jarrett – 44 years, 4 months, 6 days (4/1/01)
Youngest Winner: Ryan Newman – 25 years, 3 months, 22 days (3/30/03)
Most Laps Led by a Race Winner: 278 (Tony Stewart, 11/5/06)
Fewest Laps Led by a Race Winner: 37 (Mark Martin, 4/5/98)
Driver Rating at Texas
Tony Stewart 120.8
Denny Hamlin 101.3
Jimmie Johnson 101.2
Greg Biffle 98.9
Casey Mears 98.3
Matt Kenseth 98.0
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 96.5
Carl Edwards 95.8
Kasey Kahne 92.9
Kurt Busch 92.4
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005 and 2006 races (4 total) at Texas.
Texas Motor Speedway Data
Race #: 7 of 36 (4-15-07)
Track Size: 1.5 miles
* Banking/corners: 24 degrees
* Banking/straights: 5 degrees
* Frontstretch: 2,250 feet
* Backstretch: 1,330 feet
Qualifying/Race Data
2006 pole winner: Kasey Kahne (190.315 mph, 28.734 seconds)
2006 race winner: Kasey Kahne, 137.943 mph, 4-9-06)
Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers (196.235 mph, 27.518 seconds, 11-3-06)
Track race record: Carl Edwards (151.055 mph, 11-6-05)
Purse: $7,253,642
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