NASCAR NNCS (KANSAS CITY) - PRE-RACE ADVANCE

Statistical Advance: Analyzing The LifeLock 400 At Kansas Speedway

Call Kansas Speedway the House of Spoilers. In two of the past three races at Kansas, a driver outside the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup field has won.

In 2004, Joe Nemechek accomplished the feat, and last year Tony Stewart worked his magic.

For it to happen again might be a long shot. Seven of the top 10 drivers in Kansas-specific Driver Rating are in the Chase.

And considering the gridlock at the top of the standings, figure the higher stakes will translate to a “cream rising to the top” phenomenon.

A mere four points separate first-place Jeff Gordon from fourth-place Jimmie Johnson.

And only 18 points separate sixth-place Clint Bowyer, a Kansas native, from first-place Gordon.

Bowyer could make up the little ground come this weekend. He did the hometown fans proud with an impressive ninth-place finish last season, his first career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start at Kansas.

In that race, Bowyer earned a Driver Rating of 106.0, an Average Running Position of 8.8 and spent 199 of the 267 laps in the top 15.

Also figure Stewart to check in with a solid Kansas performance. Along with the win here last season, Stewart has three top fives and five top 10s. His average finish of 6.5 is best among the 12 Chase drivers.

The only Chase driver with more than one Kansas start to come close to Stewart in average finish is Dover winner Carl Edwards. Edwards, with a 10.3 average finish in three Kansas races, has finished third and sixth, respectively, in his last two races there.

Selected Driver Highlights Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Kansas Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last two races at Kansas. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ameriquest Ford) • One win, two top fives, five top 10s • 14.0 average finish • Average Running Position of 6.5, third-best • Driver Rating of 115.4, third-best • 68 Fastest Laps Run, second-most • Second-fastest Green Flag Speed • 496 Laps in the Top 15 (92.9%), third-most

Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet) • One top 10 • Average finish of 9.0 • Average Running Position of 8.8, fifth-best • Driver Rating of 106.0, fifth-best • 21 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most • Fourth-fastest Green Flag Speed • 199 Laps in the Top 15 (74.5), 10th-best percentage • 31 Quality Passes in his only Kansas race, 11th-best percentage

Kyle Busch (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet) • One top 10 • Average finish of 21.7 • Average Running Position of 14.1, 12th-best • Driver Rating of 90.3, 12th-best • 34 Fastest Laps Run, third-most • 132 Green Flag Passes, tied for eighth-most • 67 Quality Passes, tied for second-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) • One top fives, two top 10s • Average finish of 10.3 • Average Running Position of 10.1, sixth-best • Driver Rating of 105.8, sixth-best • 28 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most • Sixth-fastest Green Flag Speed • 412 Laps in the Top 15 (77.2%), sixth-most • 67 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) • Two wins, three top fives, tour top 10s • Average finish of 11.5 • Average Running Position of 12.6, ninth-best • Driver Racing fo 92.1, eighth-best • 12 Fastest Laps Run, tied for 10th-most • Seventh-fastest Green Flag Speed • 435 Laps in the Top 15 (81.5%), fifth-most • 64 Quality Passes, tied for seventh-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) • Three top 10s; one pole • Average finish of 13.8 • Average Running Position of 5.9, second-best • Series-best Driver Rating of 118.0 • Series-high 74 Fastest Laps Run • Fastest Green Flag Speed • Series-high 518 Laps in the Top 15 (97%) • 66 Quality Passes, tied for fifth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) • One top five, two top 10s; one pole • Average finish of 20.0 • Average Running Position of 12.8, 10th-best • Driver Rating of 93.8, seventh-best • 26 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most • 322 Laps in the Top 15 (60.3%), eighth-most

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) • Average finish of 11.0 • Average Running Position of 12.9, 11th-best • Driver Rating of 91.0, tied for 10th-best • Fifth-fastest Green Flag Speed • 217 Laps in the Top 15 (81.3%), sixth-best percentage • 43 Quality Passes in his only Kansas race, best average per race

Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet) • One win, three top fives, five top 10s • Average finish of 6.5 • Series-best Average Running Position of 5.7 • Driver Rating of 116.2, second -best • Third-fastest Green Flag Speed • 497 Laps in the Top 15 (93.1%), second-most • Series-high 71 Quality Passes

At Kansas Speedway: History • Ground breaking was held on May 25, 1999. • The official opening was in 2001, with the first event being an ARCA/NASCAR West Series race in June. • The first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race was held on Sept. 29, 2001. • There has been one NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series race each year at Kansas Speedway since 2001. • All of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Kansas Speedway have been scheduled for 267 laps, 400 miles.

Notebook • There have been six NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Kansas Speedway since the track opened in 2001. • Jason Leffler won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Bud Pole at Kansas in September 2001. • Six different drivers have won poles at Kansas. • Jeff Gordon won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Kansas. • Five different drivers have posted victories at Kansas led by Jeff Gordon (two). • Rick Hendrick has won two races at Kansas, more than any other car owner. • Two of six races at Kansas have been won from a top-two starting position while three, including the past two, have been won from a starting position outside the top 10. • The farthest back in the field that a race winner started was 21st by Tony Stewart in 2001. • 2005 was a banner year for Kansas Speedway with records set for qualifying (Matt Kenseth) and race speeds (Mark Martin). Martin became the oldest race winner there and also set the record for laps led by a race winner with 139. The seven cautions were the fewest ever at Kansas. Additionally, the 25 cars on the lead lap and the 38 that finished the event were also new records.

In Kansas • There have been six NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races in Kansas – all at Kansas Speedway. • Fourteen NASCAR drivers have their home state recorded as Kansas – including Jim Roper who won the very first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup (Strictly Stock) race at Charlotte in 1949. (Note: Over the years many drivers have not provided or have changed their home of record). • There have been two race winners in NASCAR’s three national series: Driver NNCS NBS NCTS Clint Bowyer 1 5 1 Jim Roper 1 0 0

Kansas Speedway Data Race #: 29 of 36 (9-30-07) Track Size: 1.5 miles • Banking/Corners: 15 degrees • Banking/Frontstretch: 10.4 degrees • Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees • Frontstretch: 2,685 feet • Backstretch: 2,207 feet

Driver Rating at Kansas Jimmie Johnson 118.0 Tony Stewart 116.2 Greg Biffle 115.4 Mark Martin 114.4 Clint Bowyer 106.0 Carl Edwards 105.8 Matt Kenseth 93.8 Jeff Gordon 92.1 Ricky Rudd 91.0 Martin Truex Jr. 91.0 Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2007 races (2 total) at Kansas.

Qualifying/Race Data 2006 pole winner: Kasey Kahne (178.377 mph, 30.273 seconds) 2006 race winner: Tony Stewart, 121.753 mph, 10-1-06) Track qualifying record: Matt Kenseth (180.856 mph, 29.858 seconds, 10-8-05) Track race record: Mark Martin (137.774 mph, 10-9-05)

Estimated Pit Window: Every 40-44 laps, based on fuel mileage.