Even if you win the most races in a year, you’re not guaranteed a championship or the best average finish over the season’s 36 races. Just ask #22-Joey Logano, who finished 2015 with the second best avg finish after winning six times. NASCAR Talk takes a look at the top 10 avg finishes among Sprint Cup drivers who competed in all 36 points races. 2015 Sprint Cup Champion #18-Kyle Busch missed the first 11 races of the season due to injury and finished with an avg finish of 10.8, which would be the third best. His brother, #41-Kurt Busch, missed the first three races due to suspension and finished the season with an avg of 11.1. That would tie him with the fifth best. Even with the Busch brothers removed, #20-Matt Kenseth, who was suspended for two Chase for the Sprint Cup races, would just miss out on the top 10 with his avg of 14.3.
#4-Kevin Harvick; 8.7 – Were you expecting someone else? Harvick won three times in 2015 but the real mark of his consistency was finishing second 13 times, the most since NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison did it 15 times in 1970. He topped his average from his championship year, which was 12.9. He also tied his best avg., also finishing with 8.7 in 2010. That year Harvick also won three races.
#22-Joey Logano; 9.2 – Logano, the wins leader in 2015 with six, earned a top-10 average for the first time in his seven full-time seasons. His average has risen every season since ending 2011 at 19.1.
#2-Brad Keselowski; 11.1 – Keselowski finished the year with just one win (Auto Club Speedway), but he also only fell victim to one DNF (engine failure, Daytona I). Thirty-five races later, the Team Penske driver had his best avg finish since the 10.1 he earned in his championship year in 2012.
See the rest at NBC Sports.(11-29-2015)
