‘In The Loop’ At Bristol Motor Speedway

Competition Up In New Car; Handicapping Bristol


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 12, 2008) – The first four races of 2008 were a big test for the “new car” that will be used in all 36 races (22 tracks) this NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

The car never raced any of this season’s host tracks – Daytona, California, Las Vegas and Atlanta – in its rollout season of 2007. The numbers show a boost in competition in the first four races this year as compared to last season. Take a look:

First Four Races – 2007 vs. 2008
Green Flag
Year Lead Changes Passes for the Lead
2007 100 126
2008 120 148

There were 20 more lead changes at this point this season at the start/finish line than last year. In terms of Green Flag Passes for the Lead (a Loop Data statistic that tallies the amount of passes for the lead that occur around the entire track), there were 22 more this season than at this point in 2007.

This Sunday, the new car will race at Bristol Motor Speedway for a third time – and figure the competition to be stout once again. Last August, there was a huge jump in passing in the second race on the newly-repaved track – 2,147 in August compared to 991 in March.

As far as who will take the checkered on Sunday, figure on a driver with Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup experience – the last 16 Bristol winners have made at least one Chase.

But then again, it doesn’t have to be a proven winner. Both Kurt Busch (March 2002) and Elliott Sadler (March 2001) earned their first career wins at tricky Bristol. (But it can’t be both. No driver without a win has made a Chase. Clint Bowyer crossed his name of that list with his September win at New Hampshire.)

If the trend of Chasers winning at Bristol continues this weekend, there’s a good chance it’ll be from one of the names below:

• Matt Kenseth ranks first in Bristol Average Running Position with 6.8 and owns a track best in Driver Rating at Bristol (since 2005):

Average Running Position
1. Matt Kenseth 6.8
2. Jeff Gordon 8.599
3. Greg Biffle 11.2

Track Bests in Driver Rating
1. Matt Kenseth 8/05 149.8
2. Kasey Kahne 8/07 141.1
3. Carl Edwards 8/07 134.2

• Jeff Gordon has three consecutive races with a Driver Rating of 103.0 or greater and ranks first in Bristol Speed in Traffic (speed when within one car length of another car) at 113.861 mph.

Last Three Driver Ratings
2/24/2008 Auto Club 126.7
3/02/2008 Las Vegas 103.0
3/09/2008 Atlanta 108.0

Speed in Traffic
1. Jeff Gordon 113.861 mph
2. Greg Biffle 113.856 mph
3. Kevin Harvick 113.812 mph

• Kyle Busch has four consecutive races with a Driver Rating of 113.2 or greater and ranks third in Bristol Green Flag Pass Differential with 73 (196-123).

Last Four Driver Ratings
2/17/2008 Daytona 133.1
2/24/2008 Auto Club 113.5
3/02/2008 Las Vegas 113.2
3/09/2008 Atlanta 143.9

Green Flag Pass Differential
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 111
2. Kevin Harvick 97
3. Kyle Busch 73