12: The number of different winners in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season. AJ Allmendinger’s victory at Watkins Glen eliminated one Chase position available on points, leaving a maximum of four up for grabs, if the next four races produce repeat winners. Those drivers who haven’t won yet have reason to be nervous.
10: The number of top-10 finishes recorded this year by rookie Kyle Larson, who ran fourth in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. Larson is 10th in the series standings and right in the middle of the fight for a Chase spot.
10: The number of top-five finishes this season for Dale Earnhardt Jr., the only driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series who has reached double figures in that statistical category. Though Earnhardt finished 11th on Sunday, he took over the series lead from teammate Jeff Gordon, after Gordon had electrical problems with his pole-winning #24 Chevy.
33: Jimmie Johnson’s average finish in the last five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. Johnson’s rash of trouble continued Sunday at Watkins Glen, where the six-time champion got the worst of a three-wide predicament with Kyle Larson and Matt Kenseth, as the cars negotiated Turn 1. Johnson spun and finished 28th.
2: The number of drivers who have won back-to-back races in the last 16 years at Michigan International Speedway. Ryan Newman accomplished the feat in 2003-2004, and Greg Biffle did it twice, in 2004-2005 and 2012-2013. Neither driver has won yet this year.(NASCAR Wire Service)(8-12-2014)
