NASCAR (SCS (DAYTONA) - IN THE LOOP

Never in the four-year history of the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup have two drivers performed far above the rest.

In fact, if runner-up Jeff Gordon had this performance in any of the previous three Chases, he would have won the championship in a landslide. That’s how dominant 2007 champion Jimmie Johnson was. Below are the top-10 point-earners in the history of the Chase:

Most Points Scored Over Entire Chase: 1. 1,663, Jimmie Johnson (2007) 2. 1,606, Jeff Gordon (2007) 3. 1,486, Kurt Busch (2004) 4. 1,483, Tony Stewart (2005) 1,483, Carl Edwards (2005) 6. 1,453, Jimmie Johnson (2004) 1,453, Greg Biffle (2005) 8. 1,440, Jeff Gordon (2004) 9. 1,430, Jimmie Johnson (2006) 10. 1,426, Jamie McMurray (2004) Bold: Won championship that year.

This season was statistically – and thus competitively – a banner year for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005 (NASCAR began using scoring loop embedded in the track for statistical purposes in 2005), few, if any, drivers have had the type of year Johnson and Gordon had. First, check out their season stats in a number of categories:

Jimmie Johnson Driver Rating: 110.3 Average Running Position: 9.304 Fastest Laps Run: 962 Laps in Top 15: 8,829 Quality Passes: 1,744 Green Flag Passes: 2,522

Jeff Gordon Driver Rating: 108.6 Average Running Position: 9.076 Fastest Laps Run: 675 Laps in Top 15: 8,809 Quality Passes: 1,711 Green Flag Passes: 2,493

A few of the above individual statistics rank near or at the top of the list since NASCAR began taking the stats in 2005 (included below – in bold – are other high-ranking 2007 performances):

Driver Rating 1. 2007 Jimmie Johnson 110.3 2. 2007 Jeff Gordon 108.6 3. 2005 Tony Stewart 108.1 4. 2005 Greg Biffle 105.1 5. 2006 Jimmie Johnson 101.9 7. 2007 Tony Stewart 100.9 8. 2007 Kurt Busch 99.7 10. 2007 Kyle Busch 97.8

Average Running Position 1. 2005 Tony Stewart 8.959 2. 2007 Jeff Gordon 9.076 3. 2007 Jimmie Johnson 9.304 4. 2006 Jimmie Johnson 10.841 5. 2006 Jeff Gordon 11.023 6. 2007 Kurt Busch 11.038 9. 2007 Tony Stewart 11.732 10. 2007 Denny Hamlin 12.354

Fastest Laps Run 1. 2007 Jimmie Johnson 962 2. 2005 Greg Biffle 959 3. 2006 Kasey Kahne 706 4. 2007 Jeff Gordon 675 5. 2006 Greg Biffle 645 7. 2007 Tony Stewart 634 11. 2007 Kurt Busch 564 12. 2007 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 560

Laps in the Top 15 1. 2007 Jimmie Johnson 8,829 2. 2007 Jeff Gordon 8,809 3. 2005 Tony Stewart 8,493 4. 2006 Jeff Gordon 8,249 5. 2005 Greg Biffle 8,046 6. 2007 Kurt Busch 8,023 9. 2007 Matt Kenseth 7,843 12. 2007 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 7,794

Driver Rating – a formula derived from an amalgam of Loop Data statistics – continues to be a useful stat in evaluating a driver’s performance, be it over a season, in a given race or in evaluating pre-race chances. The pre-race Driver Rating has become an increasingly valuable tool when analyzing a given race.

The top-rated driver in pre-race Driver Rating finished in the top 10 in 21 races this season (58%). Additionally, 23 of the 36 race winners this season had a pre-race Driver Rating in the top 10 (64%). Breaking it down further, 19 race winners had a pre-race Driver Rating in the top five (53%); 16 had a pre-race Driver Rating in the top three (44%); and five race winners had the top pre-race Driver Rating.