Statistically speaking: a look at Atlanta
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend for Sunday night’s Advocare 500. The race to get into the 12-man Chase for the Sprint Cup is winding down, as Sunday’s race at Atlanta is the second-to-last race before the cutoff.
The winningest active driver at Atlanta, Jeff Gordon, just happens to be one of those drivers on the verge of not getting in who needs a solid finish, or perhaps a trip to victory lane, in Atlanta and next weekend at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway to have any hopes of being a part of this year’s Chase. Gordon has five wins at Atlanta. Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson have three wins apiece at Atlanta. While Johnson already has his Chase spot in the bag and Edwards is all but locked in, Busch is another one of those drivers on the buble.
Here’s a statisitical look at how some of the top drivers have fared at Atlanta over the years (statistics provided by NASCAR Media Group):
Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)
· Three top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.0
· Average Running Position of 13.3, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.6, 10th-best
· 237 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· 881 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· 3,249 Laps in the Top 15 (71.0%), fifth-most
· 509 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), third-most
Kurt Busch (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet)
· Three wins, four top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 17.2
· Average Running Position of 14.8, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 94.6, seventh-best
· 255 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 885 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· 2,628 Laps in the Top 15 (57.4%), 12th-most
· 461 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· One win, three top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 16.9
· Average Running Position of 13.9, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 92.8, ninth-best
· 217 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 918 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.196 mph, ninth-fastest
· 2,751 Laps in the Top 15 (60.1%), 11th-most
· 446 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· One win, eight top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 12.5
· Average Running Position of 13.1, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.3, eighth-best
· 223 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· 944 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.204 mph, eighth-fastest
· 2,897 Laps in the Top 15 (63.3%), ninth-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)
· Three wins, eight top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.1
· Average Running Position of 13.1, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 99.8, fourth-best
· Series-high 341 Fastest Laps Run
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.526 mph, third-fastest
· 3,484 Laps in the Top 15 (76.1%), third-most
· 479 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Five wins, 16 top fives, 25 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.9
· Average Running Position of 10.0, second-best
· Driver Rating of 104.8, second-best
· 238 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.329 mph, fifth-fastest
· 3,765 Laps in the Top 15 (82.3%), second-most
· Series-high 549 Quality Passes
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· One win, two top fives, five top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.2
· Average Running Position of 11.1, third-best
· Driver Rating of 99.7, fifth-best
· 241 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.527 mph, second-fastest
· 2,976 Laps in the Top 15 (70.0%), eighth-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
· One win, five top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 19.2
· Driver Rating of 86.4, 13th-best
· 179 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· 806 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· 400 Quality Passes, 13th-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Three wins, 11 top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.1
· Series-best Average Running Position of 8.0
· Series-best Driver Rating of 108.3
· 272 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 171.699 mph
· Series-high 4,043 Laps in the Top 15 (88.3%)
· 532 Quality Passes, second-most
Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Two wins, six top fives, eight top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 18.6
· Driver Rating of 88.9, 12th-best
· 234 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 2,609 Laps in the Top 15 (57.0%), 13th-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· Eight top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.7
· Average Running Position of 12.5, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 96.4, sixth-best
· 164 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
· 919 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.263 mph, sixth-fastest
· 3,268 Laps in the Top 15 (71.4%), fourth-most
· 496 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Mark Martin (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)
· Two wins, 14 top fives, 24 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 18.5
· Average Running Position of 16.0, 16th-best
· Driver Rating of 83.5, 17th-best
· 97 Fastest Laps Run, 15th-most
· 2,555 Laps in the Top 15 (55.8%), 14th-most
· 351 Quality Passes, 19th-most
Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota)
· One top five, three top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 21.5
· Average Running Position of 11.9, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 90.8, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.355 mph, fourth-fastest
· 3,217 Laps in the Top 15 (75.7%), seventh-most
· 506 Quality Passes, fourth-most
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