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Numbers Game: Analyzing the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 23, 2009) – In winning the first two races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Matt Kenseth joined an exclusive list.
Previously, a driver had opened with two consecutive wins only four times, most recently in 1997 when Jeff Gordon won the Daytona 500 and followed it up with a victory at Rockingham.
No driver has started a season with three straight victories.
Marvin Panch came close. He opened the 1957 season (which actually began in November of 1956) with two consecutive wins, but finished third in race No. 3 at Titusville-Cocoa (Fla.) Speedway.
Bob Welborn began the 1959 season (which started in November 1958) with two wins and finished 41st in the third race – which happened to be the inaugural Daytona 500.
In 1976, David Pearson opened the season with back-to-back wins, but finished 29th in the third race, held at Rockingham.
And, in 1997, Gordon finished fourth in race No. 3, at Richmond.
Among the previous four, only Gordon won the championship in the season that he opened with two consecutive wins.
Kenseth has a serious chance to become the first driver ever to open a season with three consecutive wins. He already has two wins at Las Vegas (2003-2004) and has led 438 laps there, more than any other driver.
Additionally, since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, at Las Vegas, Kenseth has a Driver Rating of 107.8, an Average Running Position of 10.8 and 90 Fastest Laps Run. All those rank in the top five in the series.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2009 Top 12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
| | Driver | Races | Poles | Wins | Top Fives | Top 10s | DNFs | Average Finish | Driver Rating |
| 1 | Matt Kenseth | 9 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 107.8 |
| 2 | Jeff Gordon | 11 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 14.9 | 111.4 |
| 3 | Kurt Busch | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 20.1 | 109.8 |
| 4 | Tony Stewart | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 14.4 | 92.9 |
| 5 | Greg Biffle | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 14.6 | 100.2 |
| 6 | Clint Bowyer | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26.3 | 63.2 |
| 7 | Michael Waltrip | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23.1 | 44.2 |
| 8 | David Ragan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 55.6 |
| 9 | Carl Edwards | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11.8 | 92.3 |
| 10 | Juan P. Montoya | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.5 | 58.7 |
| 11 | Elliott Sadler | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23.9 | 77.9 |
| 12 | David Reutimann | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 27.9 |
Selected Driver Highlights – Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – however, cover the last four races at Las Vegas. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
One top five, three top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 14.6
Average Running Position of 10.7, fourth-best
Driver Rating of 100.2, fifth-best
48 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
Average Green Flag Speed of 164.480 mph, sixth-fastest
795 Laps in the Top 15 (74.2%), fourth-most
100 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), 10th-most
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
Two wins, four top fives, seven top 10s
Average finish of 10.5
Average Running Position of 10.5, third-best
Driver Rating of 95.4, seventh-best
268 Green Flag Passes, second-most
866 Laps in the Top 15 (80.9%), third-most
171 Quality Passes, third-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
Two top fives, three top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 13.2
Series-best Average Running Position of 6.8
Driver Rating of 109.8, third-best
64 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 164.674 mph, second-fastest
997 Laps in the Top 15 (93.1%), second-most
174 Quality Passes, second-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
One win, two top 10s
Average finish of 11.8
Average Running Position of 15.4, 12th-best
Driver Rating of 92.3, ninth-best
65 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
Series-high 283 Green Flag Passes
111 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
One win, five top fives
Average finish of 14.9
Average Running Position of 7.4, second-best
Driver Rating of 111.4, second-best
81 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
252 Green Flag Passes, tied for fourth-most
Series-fastest Average Green Flag Speed of 165.015 mph
Series-high 1,001 Laps in the Top 15 (93.5%)
Series-high 186 Quality Passes
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
Three wins, four top 10s
Average finish of 9.3
Average Running Position of 11.6, sixth-best
Series-best Driver Rating of 112.0
Series-high 149 Fastest Laps Run
233 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 164.583 mph, fourth-fastest
752 Laps in the Top 15 (70.2%), sixth-most
148 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
Two wins, four top fives, five top 10s
Average finish of 9.0
Average Running Position of 10.8, fifth-best
Driver Rating of 107.8, fourth-best
90 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 164.605 mph, third-best
745 Laps in the Top 15 (69.6%), seventh-most
Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
One win, five top fives, nine top 10s
Average finish of 11.1
Average Running Position of 12.2, seventh-best
Driver Rating of 96.8, sixth-best
36 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
780 Laps in the Top 15 (72.8%), fifth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)
Four top fives, six top 10s
Average finish of 14.4
Average Running Position of 14.6, 10th-best
Driver Rating of 92.9, eighth-best
44 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
255 Green Flag Passes, third-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 164.551 mph, fifth-fastest
723 Laps in the Top 15 (67.5%), eighth-most
155 Quality Passes, fourth-most
At Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
History
The first NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a NASCAR Camping World Series, West race won by Ken Schrader on Nov. 2, 1996.
The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on March 1, 1998, won by Mark Martin.
The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race was held on March 16, 1997, won by Jeff Green.
The first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race was won by Jack Sprague on Nov. 3, 1996.
Notebook
There have been 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Five drivers have participated in all 11 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.
Dale Jarrett won the inaugural pole at Las Vegas (Feb. 27, 1998).
Eight drivers have poles, led by Dale Jarrett, Kasey Kahne and Bobby Labonte (two each).
Seven different drivers have won, led by Jimmie Johnson (three).
Only four of the 11 races have been won from a top-10 starting position and none have been won from the pole.
Four of the 11 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 25th, by Matt Kenseth in 2004.
There has been one green-white-checkered finish at Las Vegas: 2006 (270/267).
Qualifying has never been canceled at Las Vegas.
Matt Kenseth has a 9.0 average finish in nine Las Vegas races, the best of any driver with more than three starts. He has been running at the finish in all nine of those races and has finished on the lead lap in eight. Kenseth has also led 438 laps at Las Vegas – 179 more than any other driver.
Roush Fenway Racing had five drivers finish in the top 10 in the inaugural Las Vegas 400 in 1998. In five of the 11 races, the winner at Las Vegas was driving for Roush at the time: Mark Martin (1998), Jeff Burton (1999 and 2000) and Matt Kenseth (2003 and 2004).
NASCAR in Nevada
There have been 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in Nevada, one at Las Vegas Park Speedway in 1955 and the rest at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1996-Present).
19 drivers all-time in NASCAR’s three national series have their home state as Nevada.
There have been three race winners from Nevada in NASCAR’s three national series:
| Driver | NCSC | NNS | NCWTS |
|---|
| Kurt Busch | 18 | 2 | 4 |
| Kyle Busch | 12 | 21 | 9 |
| Brendan Gaughan | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Data
Race # 3 of 36 (3-1-09)
Track Size: 1.5 miles
Race Length: 285 laps/427.5 miles
Banking/Corners: 20 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 9 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees
Driver Rating at Las Vegas
Jimmie Johnson 112.0
Jeff Gordon 111.4
Kyle Busch 109.8
Matt Kenseth 107.8
Greg Biffle 100.2
Mark Martin 96.8
Jeff Burton 95.4
Tony Stewart 92.9
Carl Edwards 92.3
Kurt Busch 89.9
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2008 races (4 total) at Las Vegas.
Qualifying/Race Data
2008 pole winner: Kyle Busch (182.352 mph, 29.613 seconds)
2008 race winner: Carl Edwards (127.729 mph, 3-2-08)
Track qualifying record: Kasey Kahne (184.856 mph, 29.212 seconds,
3-9-07)
Track race record: Mark Martin (146.554 mph, 3-1-98)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 50-55 laps, based on fuel mileage
Point Standings |
2009 Schedule |
2009 Teams |
2008 Schedule and Results
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