This weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway the third race of the 2014 season, Sunday’s Kobalt 400. With two races already completed, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick have already all but secured berths in the 16-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup championship postseason with wins at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and at Phoenix International Raceway.
With the other 14 spots up for grabs, the top-drivers, at least from a career-wins standpoint, mirror last year’s championship battle that came down to eventual six-time champion Jimmie Johnson and runner-up Matt Kenseth. Johnson leads the way among active drivers with four trips to victory lane at LVMS, while Kenseth is just behind him with three. They are separated somewhat, though, when it comes to Las Vegas driver ratings. Due, at least in part, to his wins total, Johnson leads the way in the ratings at 112.3. With the driver ratings system only going back to 2005, Kenseth is seventh among active drivers at Las Vegas with a rating of 98.7.
Here is a look at how some of the top drivers have fared over the course of their careers at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (statistics provided by NASCAR Media Group):
Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)
· Two top fives, six top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.8
· Average Running Position of 10.7, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 103.0, fourth-best
· 150 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· 483 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.361 mph, fourth-fastest
· 1,754 Laps in the Top 15 (72.4%), fifth-most
· 270 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), seventh-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· One win, four top fives, five top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.7
· Average Running Position of 10.3, third-best
· Driver Rating of 102.8, fifth-best
· 110 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 500 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.333 mph, sixth-fastest
· Series-high 1,904 Laps in the Top 15 (78.5%)
· Series-high 358 Quality Passes
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Two top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 15.6
· Average Running Position of 14.9, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.2, ninth-best
· 90 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 532 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.982 mph, eighth-fastest
· 1,590 Laps in the Top 15 (65.6%), eighth-most
· 284 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)
· Two wins, four top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 9.7
· Average Running Position of 11.6, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 98.8, sixth-best
· 155 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· 571 Green Flag Passes, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.031 mph, seventh-fastest
· 1,768 Laps in the Top 15 (72.9%), fourth-most
· 344 Quality Passes, second-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· One win, six top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 15.4
· Average Running Position of 10.0, second-best
· Driver Rating of 103.8, second-best
· 177 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 491 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.356 mph, fifth-fastest
· 1,870 Laps in the Top 15 (77.1%), second-most
· 334 Quality Passes, third-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)
· Three top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 12.7
· Average Running Position of 11.7, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.8, eighth-best
· 60 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 521 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.944 mph, ninth-fastest
· 1,680 Laps in the Top 15 (69.3%), seventh-most
· 267 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Four wins, five top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 9.5
· Series-best Average Running Position of 9.6
· Series-best Driver Rating of 112.3
· Series-high 316 Fastest Laps Run
· 499 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 170.622 mph
· 1,825 Laps in the Top 15 (75.3%), third-most
· 311 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Three top fives, five top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 14.0
· Average Running Position of 14.3, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 87.7, 10th-best
· 88 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· 539 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.550 mph, 11th-fastest
· 1,498 Laps in the Top 15 (61.8%), 10th-most
· 245 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· Three wins, six top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.6
· Average Running Position of 14.4, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 98.7, seventh-best
· 193 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.475 mph, second-fastest
· 1,551 Laps in the Top 15 (64.0%), ninth-most
· 253 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)
· One top 10
· Average finish of 14.0
· Average Running Position of 14.7, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 83.1, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.343 mph, 12th-fastest
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)
· Average finish of 18.0
· Average Running Position of 12.9, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 83.5, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.856 mph, 10th-fastest
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)
· One win, six top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 12.7
· Average Running Position of 11.8, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 103.4, third-best
· 187 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 501 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.371 mph, third-fastest
· 1,733 Laps in the Top 15 (71.5%), sixth-most
· 298 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Las Vegas
Jimmie Johnson…………………. 112.3
Jeff Gordon……………………….. 103.8
Tony Stewart……………………… 103.4
Greg Biffle…………………………. 103.0
Kyle Busch……………………….. 102.8
Carl Edwards……………………… 98.8
Matt Kenseth……………………… 98.7
Kevin Harvick……………………… 94.8
Dale Earnhardt Jr…………………. 88.2
Kasey Kahne……………………… 87.7
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Winners List:
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. — Daytona International Speedway
2. Kevin Harvick — Phoenix International Raceway
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