Statistically speaking: a look at Kansas Speedway

NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup round two kicks off Sunday with the running of the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway near Kansas City, Kan. Twelve drivers are still in championship contention heading into the Contender round that consists of races at Kansas, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Among the 12 Chasers, Gordon is the career-wins leader at Kansas with three trips to the track’s victory lane, but his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, reigning champion Jimmie Johnson is the highest in Kansas Speedway driver ratings at 117.4. While Kansas has been good to several of the Chase drivers over the years, one driver it hasn’t been good to is Kyle Busch. Busch is the only driver among the bunch without a career top-five at the track. He does lead the 12 Chase drivers in one Kansas Speedway in one stat, but not a good one — DNFs (did not finish). Busch has DNFed at Kansas four times, more than any other current Chase driver.

Here’s a statistical look at how the 12 remaining Chase drivers have fared at Kansas Speedway throughout their careers:

1 – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 105.0

2014 Rundown

· Five wins, 13 top fives, 16 top 10s; five poles

· Average finish of 12.4

· Led 23 races for 1,496 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

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

· Average finish of 10.6 in nine races

· Average Running Position of 13.8, 10th-best

· Driver Rating of 89.2, 11th-best

2 – Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 106.5

2014 Rundown

· Four wins, 13 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 12.2

· Led 19 races for 794 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

· Two top fives, two top 10s

· Average finish of 21.7 in 10 races

· Average Running Position of 20.3, 24th-best

· Driver Rating of 73.2, 21st-best

3 – Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 108.8

2014 Rundown

· Two wins, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s; seven poles

· Average finish of 14.0

· Led 21 races for 1,592 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

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

· Average finish of 11.5 in 17 races

· Average Running Position of 11.8, seventh-best

· Driver Rating of 99.1, fifth-best

· 202 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

· Series-high 969 Green Flag Passes

· 468 Quality Passes, fifth-most

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

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.8

2014 Rundown

· Three wins, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 13.4

· Led 15 races for 1,035 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

· Two wins, six top fives, 14 top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 7.6 in 16 races

· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.5

· Series-best Driver Rating of 117.4

· Series-high 478 Fastest Laps Run

· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 167.549 mph

· Series-high 3,042 Laps in the Top 15 (89.0%)

· Series-high 614 Quality Passes

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

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 110.4

2014 Rundown

· Four wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 10.0

· Led 20 races for 665 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

· Three wins, 10 top fives, 12 top 10s

· Average finish of 10.1 in 17 races

· Average Running Position of 9.7, third-best

· Driver Rating of 101.1, fourth-best

· 147 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

· 2,878 Laps in the Top 15 (84.2%), second-most

· 536 Quality Passes, second-most

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

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.6

2014 Rundown

· One win, six top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 17.1

· Led 13 races for 411 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

· Two top 10s

· Average finish of 22.7 in 14 races

· Average Running Position of 18.7, 19th-best

· Driver Rating of 76.8, 19th-best

· 864 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

· 404 Quality Passes, 11th-most

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

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.2

2014 Rundown

· Three wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s

· Average finish of 11.0

· Led 12 races for 220 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

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

· Average finish of 15.2 in 16 races

· Average Running Position of 14.5, 12th-best

· Driver Rating of 91.5, ninth-best

· 108 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

· 855 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 166.627 mph, eighth-fastest

· 1,981 Laps in the Top 15 (62.8%), 10th-most

· 424 Quality Passes, eighth-most

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

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.5

2014 Rundown

· 11 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 13.8

· Led 17 races for 467 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

· Two wins, six top fives, 10 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 14.3 in 17 races

· Average Running Position of 10.4, fourth-best

· Driver Rating of 107.4, second-best

· 235 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 166.855 mph, third-fastest

· 2,623 Laps in the Top 15 (76.7%), fourth-most

· 418 Quality Passes, ninth-most

9 – Ryan Newman (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.1

2014 Rundown

· Two top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 14.0

· Led 4 races for 24 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

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

· Average finish of 18.7 in 17 races

· Average Running Position of 20.6, 25th-best

· Driver Rating of 69.6, 25th-best

· 908 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most

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

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.5

2014 Rundown

· Two wins, six top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 14.8

· Led 10 races for 134 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

· Five top fives, 10 top 10s

· Average finish of 10.5 in 14 races

· Average Running Position of 12.1, eighth-best

· Driver Rating of 97.1, seventh-best

· 131 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most

· 877 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 166.689 mph, seventh-fastest

· 2,352 Laps in the Top 15 (68.8%), sixth-most

· 493 Quality Passes, fourth-most

11 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.8

2014 Rundown

· One win, six top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 15.5

· Led 12 races for 195 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

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

· Average finish of 15.1 in 12 races

· Average Running Position of 14.3, 11th-best

· Driver Rating of 87.7, 14th-best

· 69 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most

· 2,002 Laps in the Top 15 (63.5%), ninth-most

· 399 Quality Passes, 12th-most

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

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.7

2014 Rundown

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

· Average finish of 16.5

· Led 10 races for 204 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

· Four top fives, seven top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 13.2 in 14 races

· Average Running Position of 13.6, ninth-best

· Driver Rating of 93.0, eighth-best

· 147 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

· 939 Green Flag Passes, second-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 166.619 mph, ninth-fastest

· 2,208 Laps in the Top 15 (64.6%), seventh-most

· 436 Quality Passes, sixth-most

The 12 Challengers at Kansas Speedway

* – Based on last 13 races at Kansas Speedway.

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