Statistically speaking: a look at Charlotte
The NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup rolls into Charlotte Motor Speedway, the home track for most NASCAR teams, for Saturday night’s Bank of America 500. As far as the two top drivers — Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson — go, Johnson has the upper hand at Charlotte with an impressive six wins at the track. Kenseth has two. As a matter-of-fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a driver near the top of the standings without a Charlotte win on his resume. The highest ranked driver, points-wise, to not have a Charlotte win in Sprint Cup Series competition is Kyle Busch, the driver who is fifth in the standings. Third-place driver Kevin Harvick has three Charlotte wins to his credit and fourth-place Jeff Gordon has five. Also worth noting, Kasey Kahne is a four-time winner at Charlotte.
Here’s a statistical
look at how all Chase drivers have fared at Charlotte over the years (stats provided by NASCAR Media Group):
1 – Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 110.8
2013 Rundown
· Seven wins, eight top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 12.7
· Led 21 races for 1,401 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, seven top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.2 in 28 races
· Average Running Position of 14.3, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 95.3, fourth-best
· 3,947 Laps in the Top 15 (64.6%), sixth-most
· 732 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most
2 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 107.1
2013 Rundown
· Five wins, 12 top fives, 19 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.7
· Led 18 races for 1,429 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Six wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 11.9 in 24 races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 8.1
· Series-best Driver Rating of 110.0
· 549 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.803 mph, second-fastest
· Series-high 5,255 Laps in the Top 15 (86.1%)
· Series-high 879 Quality Passes
3 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.1
2013 Rundown
· Three wins, eight top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.0
· Led 10 races for 191 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, three top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 17.3 in 25 races
· Average Running Position of 18.3, 19th-best
· Driver Rating of 77.8, 18th-best
· 1,350 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· 3,206 Laps in the Top 15 (52.5%), 10th-most
· 571 Quality Passes, 11th-most
4 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.4
2013 Rundown
· Seven top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.4
· Led 13 races for 278 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Five wins, 16 top fives, 21 top 10s; eight poles
· Average finish of 16.2 in 41 races
· Average Running Position of 15.7, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.1, ninth-best
· 193 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· 1,181 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.050 mph, seventh-fastest
· 3,523 Laps in the Top 15 (57.7%), ninth-most
· 649 Quality Passes, eighth-most
5 – Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.2
2013 Rundown
· Four wins, 14 top fives, 18 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 13.5
· Led 16 races for 1,200 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Eight top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.5 in 19 races
· Average Running Position of 9.9, second-best
· Driver Rating of 107.2, second-best
· 434 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 176.833 mph
· 4,821 Laps in the Top 15 (79.0%), second-most
· 870 Quality Passes, second-most
6 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.2
2013 Rundown
· One win, four top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.4
· Led 4 races for 117 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Five top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 17.1 in 21 races
· Average Running Position of 14.6, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.1, sixth-best
· 302 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· 1,223 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.081 mph, fourth-fastest
· 3,784 Laps in the Top 15 (62.0%), seventh-most
· 666 Quality Passes, seventh-most
7 – Kurt Busch (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.4
2013 Rundown
· 10 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.5
· Led 13 races for 441 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 19.1 in 26 races
· Average Running Position of 17.3, 17th-best
· Driver Rating of 84.1, 11th-best
· 200 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 3,105 Laps in the Top 15 (50.9%), 12th-most
8 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.8
2013 Rundown
· Six top fives, 17 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.0
· Led 11 races for 255 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Five top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 19.6 in 27 races
· Average Running Position of 20.3, 24th-best
· Driver Rating of 78.2, 17th-best
· 146 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· 1,284 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 175.727 mph, 13th-fastest
9 – Clint Bowyer (No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.3
2013 Rundown
· Eight top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.4
· Led 8 races for 291 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, two top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 15.8 in 15 races
· Average Running Position of 17.1, 15th-best
· Driver Rating of 81.7, 14th-best
10 – Joey Logano (No. 22 Penske Racing Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.2
2013 Rundown
· One win, 10 top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.7
· Led 12 races for 282 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 9.6 in nine races
· Average Running Position of 14.3, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 88.9, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 175.899 mph, 11th-fastest
11 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.6
2013 Rundown
· Two wins, nine top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.7
· Led 12 races for 448 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Five top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.9 in 17 races
· Average Running Position of 15.0, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 89.5, seventh-best
· 123 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most
· 1,386 Green Flag Passes, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 175.867 mph, 12th-fastest
· 3,676 Laps in the Top 15 (60.2%), eighth-most
· 681 Quality Passes, fifth-most
12 – Ryan Newman (No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 81.5
2013 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 16.2
· Led 13 races for 93 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Four top fives, nine top 10s; nine poles
· Average finish of 19.6 in 25 races
· Average Running Position of 18.1, 18th-best
· Driver Rating of 76.8, 20th-best
13 – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.0
2013 Rundown
· Two wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.6
· Led 7 races for 497 laps
Charlotte Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Four wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.9 in 19 races
· Average Running Position of 11.8, third-best
· Driver Rating of 100.5, third-best
· Series-high 593 Fastest Laps Run
· 4,129 Laps in the Top 15 (67.6%), fourth-most
· 782 Quality Passes, third-most
Chase Contenders — The Top 13
Following Race 30 of 36 / Chase Race #4
1. Matt Kenseth 2,183
2. Jimmie Johnson 2,180
3. Kevin Harvick 2,158
4. Jeff Gordon 2,151
5. Kyle Busch 2,148
6. Greg Biffle 2,139
7. Kurt Busch 2,136
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2,129
9. Clint Bowyer 2,128
10. Joey Logano 2,124
11. Carl Edwards 2,123
12. Ryan Newman 2,110
13. Kasey Kahne 2,100
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