Kurt Busch to attempt Indianapolis 500-Coca Cola 600 double
Kurt Busch announced today that he will be attempting to do the Indianapolis 500-Coca Cola 600 double. The 35-year-old will attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 for Andretti Autosport, while running the Coca Cola 600 later that same day in his No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing.
“This is really to challenge myself within motorsports,” Busch commented. “Perhaps I am a bit of an old-school racer; a throw-back I guess. I enjoyed the era of drivers racing different cars and testing themselves in other series. It is tough to do now for a variety of factors, but when the opportunity is there, I want to do it. While NASCAR is my home, I have been fortunate to compete in Pro Stock on the NHRA circuit a number of years ago and test a V8 Supercar. This opportunity was a talk with Michael (Andretti) over dinner one night on ‘what if?’ and now it’s all becoming a reality for me to drive in the Indy 500 with Andretti Autosport. It’s literally a dream come true. To go to the famous Brickyard with the iconic Andretti name, it doesn’t get much cooler or better than that.”
The 2004 Sprint Cup Series Champion becomes the fourth driver to attempt the “Double” – following in the steps of Robby Gordon, John Andretti and his car owner Tony Stewart. Stewart attempted the feat twice – 1999 and 2001 – and is the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles – finishing sixth at Indianapolis and third at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“It’s great having Tony (Stewart) as the co-owner of my NASCAR team as, in the weeks leading up to the month of May,” Busch continued. “It gives me a chance to talk with him about his personal experiences with the “Double” – to anticipate what’s next and have things checked off the list so that I’m mentally and physically prepared for the challenge. I owe a big thanks to Tony, Gene Haas, and the partners at Stewart-Haas – including General Motors – for allowing me to fulfill this dream, to challenge myself in motorsports and to do something special in this day and age.”
Busch participated in a test session with AA last year, driving Ryan Hunter-Reay’s car. He got up to speed quick and was able to pass the mandated Rookie Orientation program effectively.
“That was a whole kid in a candy store moment of experiencing an open-wheel car at 220 mph,” Busch commented. “You can definitely get a different appreciation for the track and its heritage with an open-wheel car versus a stock car that I’ve done the last 15 years. It got my mind going and the juices flowing on ‘I want to do this.’ The adrenaline and excitement was there, and it fueled the passion to work on the details and turn the dream into a reality. And now here we are.”
Busch will be in the fifth-AA car as Andretti Autosport is running the full schedule this year with Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, James Hinchcliffe and Carlos Munoz.
“I’m really excited to have Kurt come onboard for the Indy 500,” Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti stated. “He did a great job for us when he tested last year. He’s obviously a natural talent and we feel he is going to take to the Indy car quickly and have a competitive month with us.”
Busch’s journey to qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 will start practice on Monday May 11th, right after finishing up the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas. Busch will partipate in two weeks of Indy practice and qualifying leading up to the event – while squeezing in practice at Charlotte and the all-star race leading up to Memorable Day. Busch will hopefully start the Indianapolis 500 at noon ET time and be done to be back in Charlotte for the 6 p.m. EST green flag. AA notes that Busch will make more than 10 trips between the cities during the two week period.
INDYCAR President of Competition and Operations Derrick Walker states that adding Busch to the field is a huge gain for IndyCar.
“We want to see the best 33 drivers put their skills to the test on the biggest stage in motorsports, regardless of which series they come from,” Walker added. “To attempt ‘the Double’ is a tremendous challenge, and we’re looking forward to watching Kurt accomplish the feat this May.”
Preview: Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas
Two-time Las Vegas winner Jeff Burton will make his season debut this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as this marks the beginning of a part-time campaign for Burton in this season, who will be retiring at the end of the season to join NBC Sports’ broadcast team in 2015.
Burton won back-to-back events at the track in 1999 and 2000. In 1999, it was a battle between the Burton brothers, with Jeff edging Ward.
Burton, 46, joined Michael Waltrip Racing during the offseason, as the team cut back to a two car operation after being caught in a cheating scandal involving rigging the outcome of the final race before the Chase at Richmond International Raceway, losing NAPA as its primary sponsor, and losing Martin Truex Jr., as the two-time Nationwide Series Champion, left for Furniture Row Racing.
Burton expects to compete in six to 14 races this season, but the team is being careful about which events to take part in. Burton will be in contention for a top 25 finish.
So far this season, Chevrolet’s have already taken two spots in the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup. However, this weekend, I can see a different manufacturer making a statement. Although his track record has not been stellar, Brad Keselowski has an excellent chance to get into the chase this weekend. Keselowski, the 2012 Sprint Cup Series Champion, had an up-and-down defense to his title, but the season was not completely lost. Keselowski started his title defense with three consecutive top five finishes, tying a record set by the late Dale Earnhardt Sr., in 1995.
With two third place finishes to start 2014 and a pole, Keselowski is on his way to go for the extra mile on Sunday. Speaking of thirds, Keselowski also finished third in this event a year ago. Expect Keselowski to be in the hunt all day, stalking his prey and stealing the trophy at the end of the race.
Kasey Kahne, runner-up a year ago at this event, has had a rocky start to the season. Kahne has admitted that he struggles mentally at times. “I get too down on myself when things are not going the way I feel they should and it actually hurts my performance,” Kahne said. “I need to do a better job of being motivated throughout the year and not getting down when things happen that you can’t control or mistakes that you make and just come back stronger the next week.” With that being said, Kahne’s performance depends on how much he has improved in his attitude. Kahne could be in the hunt for the win, or he could be struggling. Consistency is where Kahne struggles the most.
How about our Daytona 500 champion, Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Jr. has not had a season off to this great of a start since his last 500 victory. His average finish at Las Vegas is around 15th, but this is a new animal. With confidence and a great team rallied behind him, Jr. will be challenging for the win, but a battle between Jr. and his protege, Keselowski, will be just what the doctor ordered, when NASCAR visits Sin City.
Coverage for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400 begins at 3 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
Surprising and Not Surprising: The Profit on CNBC 500
With the first knock out qualifying of the season and special guests like AJ Foyt celebrating the 50th anniversary of Phoenix International Speedway, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from The Profit on CNBC 500 presented by Small Business Fueling America.
Surprising: While Kevin Harvick may be known as the ‘Closer’ and ‘Freaky Fast’, he can now add a surprising new moniker, that of ‘Leader’.
Harvick led more than 200 laps for the fourth time in the Cup Series, as well as leading a race-high 224 laps.
The driver of the No. 4 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet also took the lead from six-time champ Jimmie Johnson as the winningest driver at Phoenix International Raceway with five victories.
Finally, Harvick became the leader of the pack at Stewart-Haas Racing, grabbing the team’s first win, as well as his first win with his new team.
“This just solidifies so many things and so many decisions,” Harvick said after the race. “What a race car.”
Not Surprising: With PIR being a one-miler, it was not surprising that there was at least one short-track temper tantrum. And this time, that honor went to Danica Patrick, who was more than annoyed with Justin Allgaier.
“That damn 51 was driving like a complete jack**s out there,” Patrick said. “I’m not at all surprised we wrecked.”
Patrick went on to spin out again as a result of the damage inflicted in the incident with Allgaier’s car, finishing 36th. Since she also crashed out in the Daytona 500, she now sits 41st in owner points for the 2014 season, potentially endangering her chances in making races if she continues on that path.
Surprising: In spite of significant and integral parts of their team missing, with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s spotter TJ Majors out for medical reasons and Brad Keselowski’s crew chief Paul Wolfe out for the birth of his child, both drivers did their missing compadres proud.
Dale Junior finished second in his No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet and Brad Keselowski finished right behind him in third in his No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford. This was Earnhardt Jr.’s 11th top-10 finish and Keselowski’s fourth top-10 finish at Phoenix International Raceway.
“Yeah we had a great car,” Junior said. “We leaned on our teammates and got the car a lot better. Steve (Letarte) and those guys just keep getting better and better. These cars I’m driving I think are the best in the garage.”
“That was everything we could do to get up there and get third,’ Keselowski said. “We did the best we could and that was really all we had.”
Both drivers texted and tweeted their respective missing team members before and after the race, keeping them as connected as possible, as well as celebrating their good finishes together.
Not Surprising: With Team Penske being stout in qualifying it was no surprise that Joey Logano also had a good finish in his No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, taking the checkered flag in the fourth spot. In addition, Logano also had the quote of the race day.
“It was fun out there,” Logano said. “I had a really good Shell Pennzoil Ford but that 4 car was just so fast.”
“I was joking on the radio that on the back bumper of that car it says freaky fast and they weren’t lying when they put that on there.”
Surprising: Kasey Kahne, who had surprisingly been the lone Hendrick Motorsports struggler, fought off an ill handling car to catch up to his teammates, finishing 11th.
“The guys battled hard today,” Kahne tweeted after the race. “11th was good for us after all that. On to Vegas!”
HMS drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson also had good runs, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.
Not Surprising: Phoenix International Raceway, which requires some finesse and experience, was not quite so kind to the rookies in the field. In fact, the highest finishing rookie was Kyle Larson in the 20th position.
Austin Dillon finished 24th; Cole Whitt 27th; Justin Allgaier 30th; Michael Annett 34th; Ryan Truex 35th; Alex Bowman 41st and Parker Kligerman 42nd.
Surprising: Casey Mears, behind the wheel of the No. 13 Geico Chevrolet had another surprisingly good run finishing top-15. Mears had a great run in the Daytona 500, taking the checkered flag in the tenth spot.
So, after leaving Phoenix, albeit only the second race of the season, Mears now sits 11th in the point standings, having one of his best starts to the year.
Not Surprising: Kurt Busch, who had been a student at the University of Arizona, returned to the state to learn one tough lesson at PIR, blowing an engine to finish 39th in the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet.
“That was another disappointing finish for the No. 41 team,” Busch said. “We had a good Haas Automation Chevrolet early on and ran in the top-10 for more than 200 laps but we dropped a cylinder late in the race and couldn’t do anything to fix it.”
“We learned some things today,” Busch continued. “The school of hard knocks happens out on the road and in life.”
Surprising: While Kurt Busch was fighting his own engine demons, Brian Vickers was facing some surprising challenges of his own, turning his No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota into a nightmare.
“The second run we were trying to make an adjustment and the left rear jack screw broke so we didn’t get our adjustment,” Vickers said. “I think we even went the wrong way and that killed us — we lost track position and went a lap down.”
Vickers soldiered on to finish the race in the 25th position.
Not Surprising: Ryan Newman served as leader of the Richard Childress Racing team, finishing seventh in his No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet.
“The guys did a good job in the pits,” Newman said. “We caught a good break with the debris caution but that happens. I’m sure we’ll get the opposite at some point this year, too.”
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Kobalt 400 on Sunday, March 9th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 2 p.m.
Dillon, Elliott, Kwasniewski lead strong rookie contingent in Nationwide Series
While the focus has been on the Sprint Cup Series rookies, there is also a strong Nationwide Series rookie contingent. This year’s series brings us five strong young drivers, who are each with strong teams, and have plenty of pressure on their shoulders. So far, it has been mixed results but they’re off to a solid start.
Richard Childress Racing driver Ty Dillon started off the year with a 10th at Daytona, followed by a seventh at Phoenix. Coming off a solid Camping World Truck Series season, Dillon is working with the same group that led his brother Austin to the Rookie of the Year Award in 2012, and the championship last year. There is no doubt that the pressure is there for the younger brother to perform.
“Even if there’s someone putting pressure on me, I’m going to go out there and work twice as hard to prove that I’m twice as good,” Dillon commented in ESPN’s pre-race feature.
The pressure mounts on Dillon’s shoulders beyond that level with the fact that he is Richard Childress’ grandson.
“It makes me want to work harder and prove that I deserve to be here, not just a spoiled rich kid,” he said. “I work hard with my guys.”
Another driver that comes from a famous family is Chase Elliott, who started the year off with a 15th place finish at Daytona, followed by a ninth place finish at Phoenix. With being the son of Bill Elliott, everybody is expecting the young star to do well – especially with the fact that he’s already signed to a Hendrick Motorsports development contract.
It’s easy to look at everybody and listen to what everybody says and get caught up in that, but for me I try to look past it,” Elliott said last month. “I don’t really foresee any more pressure on me than there’s ever been. I try to, like I said, try to look past that and just focus on the task at hand and try to get the job done.”
Rick Hendrick stated on Saturday that Elliott has tested a Sprint Cup car and he likes everything about the 18-year-old so far.
“He’s been fast, smooth, and he drives like he’s got a ton of experience,” Hendrick commented. “He’s also won in everything that he’s been in.”
Elliott’s teammate Regan Smith has also seen the maturity of his young teammate so far and wishes that he was like that at the age of 18.
“He picks up a lot of things real fast,” Smith added on Friday. “It seems like he’s always asking questions, always observing stuff. One of my regrets when I was younger was not asking more questions. Instead, I was a little more hard-headed and tried to learn things my way.”
Coming out of the Turner-Scott Motorsports stable is Dylan Kwasniewski. Kwasniewski started off his rookie campaign in a big way, winning the pole at Daytona. He has finished eighth and 13th in his first two starts.
A lot of people are expecting him to do well as he’s done well coming up through the ranks, winning the K&N Pro East Series Championship last year.
Roush-Fenway Racing also has two young starts that will contend for Rookie of the Year – Ryan Reed and Chris Buescher. Both of these young drivers have ARCA experience – with Buescher having a couple wins to his credit. Buescher missed the race at Daytona as he failed to qualify, though came back with a solid 15th place finish at Phoenix.
Reed had a solid finish at Daytona, though would be involved in a wreck after the checkered flag. The bad luck continued into Phoenix as Reed made heavy contact with the wall after his car got loose off Turn 2.
“I feel fine,” he commented afterwards. “I just hate it for the guys. I don’t know what happened down there. I think a combination of the damp track and the car stepping out with me. I tried to save it – but I couldn’t. I just got real aggressive and hate it that happened.” Reed wound up 22nd.
The Nationwide Series has always been a series that was used to help grow new stars. That tradition will continue this year with these six young stars as they tackle each track every week. They can expect a bumpy ride, but no doubt their talents will shine through and one of them will come out on top. I also predict that you will see at least two of these six go to victory lane this year.
How NASCAR Should Approach Cheating in New Points System
With winning a necessity to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2014, NASCAR has some decisions to make. With the inspection process much simpler this season, it leaves some possible rule changes open for discussion.
NASCAR took a win away from Matt Kenseth last season, but ended up giving it back, as the NASCAR Appeals Committee deemed the penalty to be too severe. Will the committee always be on the side of NASCAR or the teams? As for the committee, I think it will ultimately depend on how severe the infraction is.
Unfortunately, I believe this will be inevitable, but someone is going to be the first to take the bait. With this new points system, it encourages teams to take risks to go for the win, which means that the borders will be pushed, as far as limits are concerned. However, risks can lead to rewards.
To be fair, NASCAR needs to penalize violators harshly. Now, some are probably wondering what side I am on. There are no sides taken here. I believe that teams should be regulated less. As a result, teams can innovate as much as they want. With that being said, I was not a huge fan of the inspection process to begin with. But, like I said, winning leads to the Chase.
So, what if someone cheats and wins? Well, the win should not count, period. NASCAR had a rocky end to 2013, especially with the MWR cheating scandal, which exposed serious flaws with the points system. In this day and age, there was no way NASCAR was going to take away the playoff aspect of the points system. Times have changed and so have the views of the fans. So, this is what we have. Is it perfect? By all means, it is not.
My proposal is extremely important at NASCAR’s major events. What is a major event? Most races to fans are major events, but behold! There used to be a rewards program known as The Winston No Bull 5 or the Winston Million. The Winston Million could be won by winning three of four major events in a season, which has only been done twice. Bill Elliott completed the feat in 1985 and Jeff Gordon got it done in 1997.
Anyway, the majors included: The Daytona 500, Aaron’s 499 (spring Talladega race only), Coca-Cola 600, and the Southern 500. Now, people also have included the Brickyard 400 as a major. So, we have five. For example, if someone cheats in these events, NASCAR should make significant point deductions. This could kill chase hopes for a driver if they were to be found guilty and not win a race before Richmond, so the slogan is simple: Do not cheat. How many points should be deducted? I would say 0 points for the race and 48 points on top of that for major events only, so penalties at any other tracks would include: 1. Win gone. 2. No points earned for the race. Major events: 1. Win gone. 2. No points earned. 3. 48 point deduction.
It’s harsh, yes, but NASCAR has not given us much of a choice because of the importance of winning. However, it does build excitement, especially late in the season. I am expecting a mixed reception. Please comment and start a debate! We, at Speedway Media, want to hear what everyone has on their mind.
The season’s most successful is often not NASCAR’s champion
In 1949, Red Byron and Bob Flock each won two of the eight races run that inaugural NASCAR season. Bryon had more points, so he was the champion. The next year they ran 19 events with Curtis Turner winning four, Dick Linder had three, but one race winner Bill Rexford was king, and so it began.
While the fans revered the winners, winning never seemed that big a deal to NASCAR. Under the modern era’s first points system, a win might move the victor almost two full positions up on the runner-up. The present system could be worth up to six spots. In essence, wins contributed to the points total, but not by any great amount over those who followed behind.
That changes this year, where wins trump points. While they still do not shakeup the points total, a win puts one in the Chase and a win keeps one in the Chase. Points still have meaning, as they can get a winless driver into the Chase, enough can keep a winless driver in the Chase, and most points earned among the final four at Homestead will win a championship. Still, for the first time, wins trump points.
Of the 65 annual champions declared since 1949, a majority of our champions also claimed the most wins that season. Barely. 52% have been the most successful and won the title the same season. However, in seven of those seasons, the gap in victories between the champion and the winningest driver has been seven or more. In 2003, Ryan Newman won eight but still lost the crown to single race winner Matt Kenseth. Still, even that pales compared to 1963 where Richard Petty won 14, but it was three race winner Joe Weatherly with the trophy. Points were king, as they certainly have been in ten of the past 15 years, and in six of the past ten since the advent of the Chase.
Some might argue that a big jump in points for a victory might have been a solution, but there is no arguing that winning now definitely has its benefits. As I have mentioned before, the most successful driver in a race is the one who crosses the line first. It goes to reason that the most successful driver in a season has done the same more times than anyone else. Here is a look at those who have been the most successful in doing so each season since 1949.
|
Year |
Most Wins |
Victories |
Runner-up |
Victories |
Season Champion |
Victories |
|
1949 |
Red Byron |
2 |
Bob Flock |
2 |
Red Byron |
2 |
|
1950 |
Curtis Turner |
4 |
Dick Linder |
3 |
Bill Rexford |
1 |
|
1951 |
Fonty Flock |
8 |
Herb Thomas |
7 |
Herb Thomas |
7 |
|
1952 |
Tim Flock |
8 |
Herb Thomas |
8 |
Tim Flock |
8 |
|
1953 |
Herb Thomas |
12 |
Lee Petty |
5 |
Herb Thomas |
12 |
|
1954 |
Herb Thomas |
12 |
Lee Petty |
7 |
Lee Petty |
7 |
|
1955 |
Tim Flock |
18 |
Lee Petty |
6 |
Tim Flock |
18 |
|
1956 |
Buck Baker |
14 |
Speedy Thompson |
8 |
Buck Baker |
14 |
|
1957 |
Buck Baker |
10 |
Fireball Roberts |
8 |
Buck Baker |
10 |
|
1958 |
Lee Petty |
7 |
Junior Johnson |
6 |
Lee Petty |
7 |
|
1959 |
Lee Petty |
11 |
Rex White |
5 |
Lee Petty |
11 |
|
1960 |
Rex White |
6 |
Ned Jarrett |
5 |
Rex White |
6 |
|
1961 |
Joe Weatherly |
9 |
Rex White |
7 |
Ned Jarrett |
1 |
|
1962 |
Joe Weatherly |
9 |
Richard Petty |
8 |
Joe Weatherly |
9 |
|
1963 |
Richard Petty |
14 |
Ned Jarrett |
8 |
Joe Weatherly |
3 |
|
1964 |
Ned Jarrett |
15 |
Richard Petty |
9 |
Richard Petty |
9 |
|
1965 |
Ned Jarrett |
13 |
Junior Johnson |
13 |
Ned Jarrett |
13 |
|
1966 |
David Pearson |
15 |
Richard Petty |
8 |
David Pearson |
15 |
|
1967 |
Richard Petty |
27 |
Bobby Allison |
6 |
Richard Petty |
27 |
|
1968 |
David Pearson |
16 |
Richard Petty |
16 |
David Pearson |
16 |
|
1969 |
Bobby Isaac |
17 |
David Pearson |
11 |
David Pearson |
11 |
|
1970 |
Richard Petty |
18 |
Bobby Isaac |
11 |
Bobby Isaac |
11 |
|
1971 |
Richard Petty |
21 |
Bobby Allison |
11 |
Richard Petty |
21 |
|
1972 |
Bobby Allison |
10 |
Richard Petty |
8 |
Richard Petty |
8 |
|
1973 |
David Pearson |
11 |
Richard Petty |
6 |
Benny Parsons |
1 |
|
1974 |
Richard Petty |
10 |
Cale Yarborough |
10 |
Richard Petty |
10 |
|
1975 |
Richard Petty |
13 |
Buddy Baker |
4 |
Richard Petty |
13 |
|
1976 |
David Pearson |
10 |
Cale Yarborough |
9 |
Cale Yarborough |
9 |
|
1977 |
Cale Yarborough |
9 |
Darrell Waltrip |
6 |
Cale Yarborough |
9 |
|
1978 |
Cale Yarborough |
10 |
Darrell Waltrip |
6 |
Cale Yarborough |
10 |
|
1979 |
Darrell Waltrip |
7 |
Richard Petty |
5 |
Richard Petty |
5 |
|
1980 |
Cale Yarborough |
6 |
Dale Earnhardt |
5 |
Dale Earnhardt |
5 |
|
1981 |
Darrell Waltrip |
12 |
Bobby Allison |
5 |
Darrell Waltrip |
12 |
|
1982 |
Darrell Waltrip |
12 |
Bobby Allison |
8 |
Darrell Waltrip |
12 |
|
1983 |
Bobby Allison |
6 |
Darrell Waltrip |
6 |
Bobby Allison |
6 |
|
1984 |
Darrell Waltrip |
7 |
Harry Gant |
3 |
Terry Labonte |
2 |
|
1985 |
Bill Elliott |
11 |
Dale Earnhardt |
4 |
Darrell Waltrip |
3 |
|
1986 |
Tim Richmond |
7 |
Dale Earnhardt |
5 |
Dale Earnhardt |
5 |
|
1987 |
Dale Earnhardt |
11 |
Bill Elliott |
6 |
Dale Earnhardt |
11 |
|
1988 |
Bill Elliott |
6 |
Rusty Wallace |
6 |
Bill Elliott |
6 |
|
1989 |
Rusty Wallace |
6 |
Darrell Waltrip |
6 |
Rusty Wallace |
6 |
|
1990 |
Dale Earnhardt |
9 |
Mark Martin |
3 |
Dale Earnhardt |
9 |
|
1991 |
Davey Allison |
5 |
Harry Gant |
5 |
Dale Earnhardt |
4 |
|
1992 |
Bill Elliott |
5 |
Davey Allison |
5 |
Alan Kulwicki |
2 |
|
1993 |
Rusty Wallace |
10 |
Dale Earnhardt |
6 |
Dale Earnhardt |
6 |
|
1994 |
Rusty Wallace |
8 |
Dale Earnhardt |
4 |
Dale Earnhardt |
4 |
|
1995 |
Jeff Gordon |
7 |
Dale Earnhardt |
5 |
Jeff Gordon |
7 |
|
1996 |
Jeff Gordon |
10 |
Rusty Wallace |
5 |
Terry Labonte |
2 |
|
1997 |
Jeff Gordon |
10 |
Dale Jarrett |
7 |
Jeff Gordon |
10 |
|
1998 |
Jeff Gordon |
13 |
Mark Martin |
7 |
Jeff Gordon |
13 |
|
1999 |
Jeff Gordon |
7 |
Jeff Burton |
6 |
Dale Jarrett |
4 |
|
2000 |
Tony Stewart |
6 |
Bobby Labonte |
4 |
Bobby Labonte |
4 |
|
2001 |
Jeff Gordon |
6 |
Dale Jarrett |
4 |
Jeff Gordon |
6 |
|
2002 |
Matt Kenseth |
5 |
Kurt Busch |
4 |
Tony Stewart |
3 |
|
2003 |
Ryan Newman |
8 |
Kurt Busch |
4 |
Matt Kenseth |
1 |
|
2004 |
Jimmie Johnson |
8 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr |
6 |
Kurt Busch |
3 |
|
2005 |
Greg Biffle |
6 |
Tony Stewart |
5 |
Tony Stewart |
5 |
|
2006 |
Kasey Kahne |
6 |
Jimmie Johnson |
5 |
Jimmie Johnson |
5 |
|
2007 |
Jimmie Johnson |
10 |
Jeff Gordon |
6 |
Jimmie Johnson |
10 |
|
2008 |
Carl Edwards |
9 |
Kyle Busch |
8 |
Jimmie Johnson |
7 |
|
2009 |
Jimmie Johnson |
7 |
Mark Martin |
5 |
Jimmie Johnson |
7 |
|
2010 |
Denny Hamlin |
8 |
Jimmie Johnson |
6 |
Jimmie Johnson |
6 |
|
2011 |
Tony Stewart |
5 |
Kevin Harvick |
4 |
Tony Stewart |
5 |
|
2012 |
Brad Keselowski |
5 |
Jimmie Johnson |
5 |
Brad Keselowski |
5 |
|
2013 |
Matt Kenseth |
7 |
Jimmie Johnson |
6 |
Jimmie Johnson |
6 |
