The Final Lap – NASCAR News, Radio, Podcast

FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s top drivers rock and drop going into lucky 13 at Dover

by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com

After two weeks of racing the home track, Charlotte Motor Speedway, it’s time again to analyze 12 of the top 24 drivers in Sprint Cup points. NASCAR now heads to Dover, Delaware for the halfway point of 26 regular season events before 10 playoff races—the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

The select 12 drivers some movers, some sliders aren’t considered a dirty dozen even though racing 600 miles in one day and night during the Coke 600 will cause copious sweat.

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FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s top drivers rock and drop going into race 12 at Charlotte

by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com

The rise and fall in point standings during a 36 Sprint Cup race season and a 26 race Chase qualifying stint sometimes eludes week-to-week notice. One good or bad race result won’t define a season, but consistency is premium to securing a contender spot.

The next NASCAR Sprint Cup race event counts, race number 12, will be in Charlotte on May 27th after the All-Star race on May 19.

The Chase eligibility system allows the top 10 drivers in accumulated points and two more drivers from the top 20 with the most wins.

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POINT STANDINGS | CUP SERIES
The most points you can earn in a race is 48
43 for P1, +3 for winning, +1 for leading a lap, +1 for leading the most laps

12 Ryan Newman OUT
11 Kyle Busch OUT
10 Denny Hamlin OUT
9 Kurt Busch -87
8 Jeff Gordon -81
7 Dale Earnhardt Jr. -79
6 Jimmie Johnson -55
5 Brad Keselowski -49
4 Matt Kenseth -38
3 Kevin Harvick -33
2 Tony Stewart -3
1 Carl Edwards Leader

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TRACK STATS | PHOENIX

Race #9 in the Chase, Race: 35 of 36
Track Size: 1 mile
·     Banking/1 and 2: 10 – 11 degrees
·     Banking/3 and 4: 8 – 9 degrees
·     Banking/Frontstretch: 3 degrees
·     Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees
·     Frontstretch: 1,179 feet
·     Backstretch: 1,551 feet
Miles/laps: 312 miles, 312 laps
Last years pole sitter and winner was Carl Edwards

DRIVER STATS
1 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford)
·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.1
2011 Rundown
·         One win, 17 top fives, 24 top 10s; two poles
·         Average finish of 9.7
·         Led 23 races for 757 laps
Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:
·         One win, five top fives, nine top 10s; three poles
·         Average finish of 13.0 in 14 races
·         Average Running Position of 13.6, ninth-best
·         Driver Rating of 99.6, fourth-best
·         252 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 123.428 mph, second-fastest
·         2,827 Laps in the Top 15 (68.6%), eighth-most

2 – Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)
·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.9
2011 Rundown
·         Four wins, seven top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 12.6
·         Led 19 races for 688 laps
Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:
·         One win, seven top fives, 10 top 10s
·         Average finish of 11.7 in 19 races
·         Average Running Position of 10.4, fourth-best
·         Driver Rating of 98.1, seventh-best
·         559 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 123.417 mph, fourth-fastest
·         3,122 Laps in the Top 15 (75.7%), fourth-most
·         336 Quality Passes, fourth-most

3 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)
·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.2
2011 Rundown
·         Four wins, nine top fives, 18 top 10s
·         Average finish of 11.4
·         Led 16 races for 391 laps
Phoenix International Raceway Outlook:
·         Two wins, four top fives, eight top 10s
·         Average finish of 13.8 in 17 races
·         Average Running Position of 11.7, seventh-best
·         Driver Rating of 95.9, ninth-best
·         154 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
·         506 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 123.322 mph, eighth-fastest
·         2,981 Laps in the Top 15 (72.3%), sixth-most
·         281 Quality Passes, eighth-most