Statistically speaking: a look at New Hamsphire

The NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup picks up with round two this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday. When the Sprint Cup Series last visited Loudon in July, Kurt Busch dominated the race before an wreck took him out of contention. In the end, non-Chaser and one of the drivers at the center of the Michael Waltrip Racing stink at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway earlier this month, Brian Vickers, celebrated his first win since 2009.

Busch didn’t win that day, but he has been successful at New Hampshire. In all, he has made four trips to NHMS’ victory lane in Sprint Cup competition. Loudon, over the years, has been a productive stop for the circuit for a number of Chase drivers. Of the 13 drivers in this year’s Chase, four have tallied three wins at the track. Aside from Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman have all won three times in Loudon. Clint Bowyer is also a multi-time winner at New Hampshire with two trips to victory lane.

Here’s a statistical look at how the Chase field has fared in past visits to Loudon (stats provided by NASCAR Media Group):

1 – Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 109.6

2013 Rundown

· Six wins, seven top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 13.4

· Led 18 races for 1,238 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Five top fives, 13 top 10s

· Average finish of 13.8 in 27 races

· Average Running Position of 16.7, 20th-best

· Driver Rating of 80.6, 20th-best

· Series-high 1,040 Green Flag Passes

2 – Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 103.2

2013 Rundown

· Four wins, 12 top fives, 16 top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 13.5

· Led 14 races for 1,169 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· One win, five top fives, seven top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 15.8 in 17 races

· Average Running Position of 14.3, 12th-best

· Driver Rating of 91.9, 11th-best

· 197 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.323 mph, 13th-fastest

· 3,172 Laps in the Top 15 (62.6%), 11th-most

· 444 Quality Passes, ninth-most

3 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 105.0

2013 Rundown

· Four wins, 10 top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 12.6

· Led 15 races for 1,179 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Three wins, eight top fives, 16 top 10s

· Average finish of 9.4 in 23 races

· Average Running Position of 9.9, third-best

· Driver Rating of 105.1, third-best

· 409 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

· 890 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.665 mph, fourth-fastest

· 4,157 Laps in the Top 15 (82.0%), third-most

· 565 Quality Passes, second-most

4 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.4

2013 Rundown

· Two wins, seven top fives, 14 top 10s

· Average finish of 12.3

· Led 9 races for 53 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· One win, five top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 13.4 in 25 races

· Average Running Position of 12.9, eighth-best

· Driver Rating of 92.1, ninth-best

· 154 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

· 842 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.400 mph, ninth-fastest

· 3,275 Laps in the Top 15 (64.6%), seventh-most

· 400 Quality Passes, 13th-most

5 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.2

2013 Rundown

· Two wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 12.3

· Led 12 races for 448 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Two top fives, four top 10s

· Average finish of 14.1 in 18 races

· Average Running Position of 14.4, 13th-best

· Driver Rating of 86.6, 15th-best

· 141 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most

· 838 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most

6 – Kurt Busch (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.4

2013 Rundown

· Nine top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 14.8

· Led 13 races for 441 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Three wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 15.4 in 25 races

· Average Running Position of 13.6, 10th-best

· Driver Rating of 90.9, 12th-best

· 186 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

· 869 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.382 mph, 10th-fastest

· 3,216 Laps in the Top 15 (63.4%), 10th-most

· 501 Quality Passes, fifth-most

7 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.6

2013 Rundown

· Five top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 15.2

· Led 11 races for 239 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Three wins, 16 top fives, 22 top 10s; four poles

· Average finish of 10.5 in 37 races

· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.3

· Driver Rating of 109.4, second-best

· Series-high 416 Fastest Laps Run

· 848 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most

· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 124.883 mph

· Series-high 4,576 Laps in the Top 15 (90.3%)

· Series-high 590 Quality Passes

8 – Ryan Newman (No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 81.5

2013 Rundown

· One win, six top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 15.8

· Led 11 races for 85 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Three wins, six top fives, 15 top 10s; six poles

· Average finish of 13.9 in 23 races

· Average Running Position of 13.0, ninth-best

· Driver Rating of 93.1, seventh-best

· 154 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

· 3,744 Laps in the Top 15 (73.8%), fifth-most

9 – Clint Bowyer (No. 15 Michael Waltrip Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.1

2013 Rundown

· Eight top fives, 14 top 10s

· Average finish of 12.2

· Led 6 races for 285 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Two wins, four top fives, six top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 14.9 in 15 races

· Average Running Position of 12.1, sixth-best

· Driver Rating of 96.2, sixth-best

· 230 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.537 mph, sixth-fastest

· 3,236 Laps in the Top 15 (72.4%), ninth-most

· 439 Quality Passes, 10th-most

10 – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.2

2013 Rundown

· Two wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 16.0

· Led 6 races for 466 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· One win, three top fives, eight top 10s

· Average finish of 15.9 in 19 races

· Average Running Position of 14.4, 14th-best

· Driver Rating of 92.1, 10th-best

· 300 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

· 907 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.498 mph, seventh-fastest

· 3,167 Laps in the Top 15 (62.5%), 12th-most

· 460 Quality Passes, seventh-most

11 – Greg Biffle (No. Roush Fenway Racing Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.8

2013 Rundown

· One win, three top fives, 10 top 10s

· Average finish of 15.1

· Led 4 races for 117 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· One win, five top fives, eight top 10s

· Average finish of 16.3 in 22 races

· Average Running Position of 14.5, 16th-best

· Driver Rating of 87.1, 14th-best

· 970 Green Flag Passes, second-most

· 2,894 Laps in the Top 15 (57.1%), 13th-most

· 445 Quality Passes, eighth-most

12 – Joey Logano (No. 22 Penske Racing Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.6

2013 Rundown

· One win, eight top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 15.5

· Led 10 races for 248 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· One win, two top fives, four top 10s

· Average finish of 17.8 in 10 races

· Average Running Position of 22.7, 25th-best

· Driver Rating of 69.0, 22nd-best

13 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.5

2013 Rundown

· Five top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 15.0

· Led 8 races for 148 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:

· Seven top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 16.0 in 28 races

· Average Running Position of 11.7, fifth-best

· Driver Rating of 96.9, fifth-best

· 3,792 Laps in the Top 15 (74.8%), fourth-most

· 549 Quality Passes, third-most

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