parity has reigned in the first five races of this Sprint Cup Series season. All four manufacturers have at least two cars in the top 12. Only 96 points separate first-place Kyle Busch from fifth-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet). Six drivers have Driver Ratings above 100.0, and one other – Earnhardt – is one-tenth off at 99.9. A look at the Loop Data box score tells some other interesting tales: For instance, there is a reason Jeff Gordon (#24 DuPont Chevrolet) hasn’t been his usually dominant self. The statistics show a huge dip in the way he closes out races this year. Gordon’s “Closer” number (the positions gained/lost in the last 10% of races) is last at -31. Last season he led the stat with a +78. Furthermore: Gordon’s average starting position this season is 3.4. At mid-race, he’s averaging a sixth-place position. His average finish, though, takes a huge dive at 18.6. But the stats show Gordon’s been better than his finishes – as his Driver Rating of 102.9 is fourth-best in the series. The side of that scenario explains the huge comeback year Greg Biffle (#16 Jackson Hewitt Ford) is having. Biffle, improving throughout, averages a start of 13.0, a mid-race of 9.2 and a finish of 7.4. Overall this season, Biffle has a Driver Rating of 102.1 (fifth-best), an Average Running Position of 9.5 (fourth) and 1,372 (88.6%) Laps in the Top 15 (second-best). Another storyline: The speed Carl Edwards (#99 Office Depot Ford) has flashed this season. He has 213 Fastest Laps Run, by far the highest total in the series (second most is Kyle Busch at 125). The statistical story of points leader Kyle Busch begs to be told. The stats show his tremendous passing ability this season – he’s first in Pass Differential (passes minus times passed) at 126. Busch is the only driver in triple-digits in the stat, and is far ahead of second-place Tony Stewart (#20 Home Depot Toyota) with 72. Another week in the books and the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings are still tight as Sprint Cup teams take the week off and prepare for Martinsville. Dario Franchitti leads the rookie standings with 50 points, just one point over Sam Hornish Jr. and Regan Smith who are tied with 49. Smith was the highest-finishing rookie at Bristol posting a 26th, after finishing 38th at Atlanta. Smith is the only rookie this season to have competed at Martinsville; he posted a 26th-place finish last April in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Hornish Jr. finished 26th at Atlanta and 29th at Bristol, but has never raced at Martinsville. Patrick Carpentier (#10 Valvoline Dodge) sits fourth in the rookie standings with 21 points. Carpentier finished 35th at Atlanta, but due to qualifying being cancelled, did not start at Bristol. This will also be the first time Carpentier has competed at Martinsville. Competition amongst manufacturers is extremely close, with all four manufacturers represented in the top 12 of the driver standings, and all four manufacturers having won at least one race in the first five races of the season. Plus, for the first time in Bristol Motor Speedway history, 42 cars finished the race last Sunday, a clear testimony to the “new car” being used in the Sprint Cup Series. In the Manufacturers’ Standings, Ford and Chevrolet both have 31 points, but Ford has two wins to Chevrolet’s one. Chevrolet grabbed its first win of the season at Bristol and has the most wins by a manufacturer at Martinsville with 43.(NASCAR Statistics)(3-24-2008)
