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Numbers Game: Analyzing the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 16, 2008) – Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s win Sunday at Michigan was a long time coming, but not only because there was a 76-race gap between wins. If ever a driver was “due,” it was Earnhardt. He had been on the verge of victory all season long.
Coming into Michigan, Earnhardt twice failed to earn at least 100 points in a given race this season. He led laps in all but four races. Once he moved into third place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings after race No. 8 (Phoenix), he never relinquished it.
This weekend, Earnhardt will head to a track – Infineon Raceway – where his success rate is nowhere near that impressive.
In eight starts, Earnhardt has yet to crack the top 10, he has led just once for nine laps and he has a Driver Rating of 66.1, which is 24th-best in the series.
But Earnhardt is just one of the angles. The number of storylines going into this weekend seemingly match the number of turns (10) the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will have to navigate at Infineon Raceway. Here’s a handful, by the numbers:
1 – Road-course races it took Juan Pablo Montoya to nab his first series win. Last season, Montoya lived up to expectations, winning at Infineon Raceway after leading seven laps.
5 – Infineon Raceway wins by Jeff Gordon, the all-time leader. Gordon also holds the all-time lead in career road-course wins with nine.
7 – Homecomings for drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Seven drivers call California home, the most of any state.
20 – NASCAR Sprint Cup races Infineon Raceway will have held after this weekend.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 at Infineon Raceway
| | Driver | Races | Poles | Wins | Top Fives | Top 10s | DNFs | Average Finish | Driver Rating |
| 1 | Kyle Busch | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19.7 | 90.6 |
| 2 | Jeff Burton | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 19.6 | 100.6 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 66.1 |
| 4 | Carl Edwards | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20.7 | 79.8 |
| 5 | Jimmie Johnson | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 68.4 |
| 6 | Denny Hamlin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 79.3 |
| 7 | Kasey Kahne | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31.5 | 61.0 |
| 8 | Greg Biffle | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 14.6 | 93.6 |
| 9 | Jeff Gordon | 15 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 9.7 | 102.1 |
| 10 | Kevin Harvick | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15.1 | 80.0 |
| 11 | Tony Stewart | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 113.9 |
| 12 | Clint Bowyer | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 75.3 |
Selected Driver Highlights
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Infineon Raceway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – however, cover the last three races at Infineon Raceway. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
Two top fives
Average finish of 14.6
Average Running Position of 14.1, ninth-best
Driver Rating of 93.6, eighth-best
Seven Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
211 (63.9%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most
78 Quality Passes, tied for third-most
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
Three top fives
Average finish of 17.3
Series-best Average Running Position of 7.1
Driver Rating of 109.3, third-best
13 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 90.375 mph, second-fastest
Series-high 298 (90.3%) Laps in the Top 15
71 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet)
One top five, five top 10s
Average finish of 19.4
Average Running Position of 10.6, fifth-best
Driver Rating of 100.6, seventh-best
292 (88.5%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
84 Quality Passes, second-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
Five wins, nine top fives, 11 top 10s; five poles
Average finish of 9.7
Average Running Position of 13.7, eighth-best
Driver Rating of 102.1, sixth-best
35 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
148 Green Flag Passes, tied for 10th-most
196 (59.4%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
78 Quality Passes, tied for third-most
Robby Gordon (No. 7 TBD Dodge)
One win, two top fives, three top 10s
Average finish of 20.7
Driver Rating of 91.9, ninth-best
45 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
146 Green Flag Passes, 12th-best
Average Green Flag Speed of 90.208 mph, sixth-fastest
167 (50.6%) Laps in the Top 15, 11th-best
Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge)
One win
Average finish of 1.0
Average Running Position of 11.4, sixth-best
Series-best Driver Rating of 115.3
Average Green Flag Speed of 90.252 mph, fifth-best
70.0% (77 total) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-best percentage
26 Quality Passes (average of 26.0 per race), tied for fourth-best average
Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge)
Two top fives, four top 10s
Average finish of 9.8
Average Running Position of 9.2, fourth-best
Driver Rating of 104.3, fourth-best
Eight Fastest Laps Run, tied for ninth-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 90.258 mph, fourth-fastest
279 (84.5%) Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
61 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Boris Said (No. 60 Slurpee/No Fear Energy Ford)
Four top 10s
Average finish of 17.6
Average Running Position of 9.1, third-best
Driver Rating of 103.9, fifth-best
Nine Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 90.322 mph, third-fastest
291 (88.2%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
74 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
Two wins, three top fives, five top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 10.0
Average Running Position of 8.8, second-best
Driver Rating of 113.9, second-best
Series-high 55 Fastest Laps Run
Series-fastest Average Green Flag Speed of 90.657 mph
265 (80.3%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
Series-high 112 Quality Passes
At Infineon Raceway:
History
The track opened as a 2.52-mile road course and drag strip in 1968.
The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held in 1989.
The first nine races were 300 kilometers and switched to a 350k format in 1998.
The track was re-configured to 1.949 miles in 1998 with the installation of an 890-foot chute between the original turns 4 and 7.
The track was reconfigured to 2.0 miles in 2001 and re-measured at 1.99 miles in 2002.
Notebook
There have been 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Infineon Raceway since the first race there in 1989.
Rusty Wallace won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole.
Ricky Rudd won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
11 different drivers have won poles; only three have won more than one.
Jeff Gordon (five) leads all pole winners. Ricky Rudd has four, including three consecutive (1990-92) and Rusty Wallace has two.
There have been five different pole winners in the last six races. Jeff Gordon (2004 and 2005) is the only repeat pole winner there since 2002.
There have been consecutive pole winners three times: Ricky Rudd (1990-92), Jeff Gordon (1998-99 and 2004-05).
11 different drivers have won races; five have more than one victory there – led by Jeff Gordon with five. Ernie Irvan, Ricky Rudd, Tony Stewart and Rusty Wallace (all with two) are the other multiple-race winners. Jeff Gordon is also the only driver with consecutive wins, winning in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
Seven of the drivers that have won races also have won poles there.
There have been only five different race winners in the last 10 races at Infineon. Jeff Gordon (five), Tony Stewart (two), Robby Gordon (one), Ricky Rudd (one) and Juan Pablo Montoya (one).
Five of 19 races have been won by the pole winner, including three times by Jeff Gordon. His victory from the pole in 2004 is the most recent.
The 1991 race was won from 13th starting position by Davey Allison - the deepest in the field that a race winner ever started at Infineon.
Jeff Gordon is the all-time leader in NASCAR Sprint Cup road-course victories with nine. Five of Gordon’s road-course victories have occurred at Infineon Raceway. He has three more victories than any other driver at the Sonoma track. Gordon also heads the all-time pole winners list for Infineon Raceway with five and has led the most laps there with 437 – more than twice the total of Rusty Wallace (171), who has led the second most.
NASCAR in California
There have been 121 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in California:
403 drivers from NASCAR’s three national series have their home state recorded as California.
There have been 32 race winners from California in NASCAR three national series:
| Driver | NSCS | NNS | NCTS |
| Jimmie Johnson | 34 | 1 | 0 |
| Marvin Panch | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Ernie Irvan | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| Dick Rathmann | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Harvick | 11 | 32 | 2 |
| Dan Gurney | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Eddie Gray | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Parnelli Jones | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Eddie Pagan | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Robby Gordon | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Ray Elder | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Letner | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Marvin Porter | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Casey Mears | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Dick Brooks | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Marvin Burke | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Cook | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Lou Figaro | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Graves | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Johnny Mantz | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill Norton | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| John Soares | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Weinberg | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Hornaday Jr. | 0 | 4 | 35 |
| Jason Leffler | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Mike Skinner | 0 | 1 | 24 |
| Joe Ruttman | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| David Gilliland | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Matt Crafton | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Boris Said | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Scott Speed | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brandon Whitt | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Infineon Raceway Data
Race #: 16 of 36 (6-22-08)
Track Size: 1.99 miles
Race Length: 110 laps/350 Kilometers
Driver Rating at Infineon Raceway
Juan Pablo Montoya 115.3#
Tony Stewart 113.9
Kurt Busch 109.3
Ryan Newman 104.3
Boris Said 103.9
Jeff Gordon 102.1
Jeff Burton 100.6
Greg Biffle 93.6
Robby Gordon 91.9
Kyle Busch 90.6
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2007 races (3 total) at Infineon Raceway.
# - One race only.
Qualifying/Race Data
2007 pole winner: Jamie McMurray (92.414 mph, 77.521 seconds)
2007 race winner: Juan Pablo Montoya, 74.547 mph, 6-24-07)
Track qualifying record: Jeff Gordon (94.325 mph, 75.950 secs., 6-24-05)
Track race record: Ricky Rudd (91.007 mph, 6-23-02)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 30-32 laps, based on fuel mileage
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