If the Cup drivers are so good, why do they tend to wreck more than their counterparts in the Xfinity and Trucks series? Well, OK, the Cup races include more cars (43, compared to 40 in Xfinity and 32 in Trucks) and the races are about twice as lengthy. But still, aren’t they supposed to be head and shoulders above the rest? A examination of this year’s stats show that Cup races were interrupted by caution flags more than eight times at each event – 8.2 cautions per race. Compare that to 5.5 cautions in Xfinity and 5.9 in Trucks. Cup races averaged just under two multi-car accidents per event, same as the Truck Series. Xfinity: 1.4. Here’s a look at some facts and figures that race fans – and maybe an Allstate adjuster – would find interesting from the past season.
“¢ On paper, Daytona and Talladega can appear safer than the other tracks if you only look at the total number of caution flags. The three series ran a combined five Daytona races, averaging 6.5 cautions per race, and not all of them were for accidents. In four combined races at Talladega, the average was 5.25 cautions. However the quantity of flags was overshadowed by the quantity of cars involved. In the Daytona 500, four of the seven cautions were for accidents. Two of those involved a total of 15 cars, and frankly, that’s rather tame compared to the Cup Series’ July visit, when the three multi-car wrecks involved nine, seven and 11 cars, including the last-lap craziness that was easily the scariest accident of the year. Talladega, which is a shade bigger with a tad more elbow room, was much safer than Daytona in 2015, but it had its moments. The one multi-car wreck at the second Talladega Cup race included 11 cars. Xfinity and Trucks raced there once each, with a combined 12 cautions and seven multi-vehicle crashes.
“¢ The two old half-milers were hard on the sheet-metal crews this year. The two Cup races at both Martinsville and Bristol were particularly beastly. The Cup Series flagger brought out the yellow 34 times in the two events at Martinsville – 13 times for multi-car accidents. Nine of those were in the Nov. 1 Chase race, with the ninth being Matt Kenseth’s famous (or infamous, depending on your tastes) dumping of Joey Logano. But the Cup cars also did much damage at Bristol, with three of eight cautions flying for multi-car wrecks in the late-August night race. Oh, that was an early-evening hayride compared Bristol’s spring race, where seven of the 11 cautions (eating up 117 laps, by the way) were for multi-car mishaps.
“¢ The “Lady in Black” was in a dark mood for the Southern 500 this year. A season-high 18 caution flags flew at Darlington in September. Five were for multi-car wrecks, most others for single-car issues, and two for debris. Only two for debris after all that.
“¢ By and large, the cleanest races are at the road courses. Between NASCAR’s three series, six races were run at road-racing venues, with only five accidents involving two or more cars. The Sprint Cup cars ran at Sonoma and Watkins Glen, with the only two-car wreck involving Carl Edwards and David Ragan on Lap 80 at Sonoma in June.
“¢ As for ovals, Texas brought out the best in everyone. In four combined races between Cup and Xfinity, there was just one multi-car wreck. The Truck Series was absolutely orderly in Fort Worth. In the first race there in 2015, there were a few spins, but on the second visit in November, the one and only caution flag was for debris on the track.
See more stats and info at the Daytona Beach News-Journal.(12-8-2015)
