Fun with numbers to tide you through the off weekend
Having NASCAR withdrawals? The first off weekend of the year is always a tough one. Just when you think you’re in the groove of the season, Easter brings it to an abrupt halt as none of NASCAR’s three series is racing this weekend.
We’re not sure we’re going to be able to help much with those withdrawal symptoms. But we’re going to try anyway with some statistics through the first five races of the season.
• Kevin Harvick has led 413 laps. The next three drivers in terms of laps led (Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin) have led 412 laps. As we noted Wednesday, Harvick is the only driver with five top-10 finishes in the first five races. And it may not be a good omen for his title chances.
• Harvick’s 413 laps led are more than he led in all but two of his 13 seasons at Richard Childress Racing before moving to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014.
• Six drivers – Harvick, Busch, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon and Johnson – have completed every lap.
• Harvick could sit out the April 3 race at Martinsville and would be no worse than sixth in the points standings. If he sat out two races, he’d still be in the top 20 in points.
• While the gap between 1st and 10th in the points standings is 56 points, the gap between 21st and 30th is 28 points.
• 14 different drivers have two or more top-10 finishes.
• Denny Hamlin is the best qualifier so far in 2016. His average starting position is 7.6.
• Jimmie Johnson is the best driver at making up spots throughout a race. His average starting position is 16th, while his average finish is 6.4. On the flipside, Matt Kenseth has the privilege of being “the best.” His average start is 8.8 while his average finish is 19.2.
• Kyle Larson has completed the fewest miles (1801.58) of any driver who has started all of the first five races.
• Sprint Cup Series drivers have led 776 of the 833 laps the Xfinity Series has completed in 2016. Kyle Busch has led 626 of those laps.
• The Xfinity Series driver with the most laps led is Justin Allgaier. He’s led 15 laps. Ty Dillon has led 13 laps.
• Daniel Suarez and Elliott Sadler are the only two Xfinity Series drivers with top 10s in each of the first five racs. 11 Xfinity Series drivers have scored a top 10 (31 total) through the first five races.
• 21 drivers have started all five Xfinity Series races. The drivers among those 21 with the fewest points per race are Joey Gase and Ray Black Jr. They each have 52 points.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
