Rusty Wallace has led 3,734 laps at Bristol. Credit: Autostock

By the Numbers: Sharpie 500

BRISTOL. Tenn. -- Bristol Motor Speedway's night race has created a legend that would be impressive even if Saturday night's 28th annual event under the lights weren't so significant in the countdown to the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

When the Sharpie 500 on the .533-mile oval begins, virtually no one in a crowd of more than 160,000 will be seated, as the battle for spots in the Chase is only a subplot to the thundering cacophony of action.

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Defending race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and either Jeff Gordon or Ryan Newman, who have won six of the last seven Bud Poles between them, are in the best position to expand the track's statistical legacy.

The following numbers refer to Bristol Motor Speedway and the Sharpie 500, unless otherwise noted.

1 -- Tony Stewart's number of top-10 finishes in his last seven starts.

1 -- The number of Sharpie 500s shortened by rain, in 1983.

Rusty Wallace

3 -- The number of times in the last 23 races the winner started on the pole: Rusty Wallace (spring 1999 and fall 2000) and Jeff Gordon (fall 2002).

3 -- The number of victories by Chevrolet and Ford in the last six races.

3 -- The number of active drivers with five or more races who have not posted a DNF: Kevin Harvick (9 starts), Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman (7 starts each).

3 -- The number of consecutive races that have been won from starting positions outside the top 10.

4.8 -- Jeff Gordon's average starting position in 25 races, best among active drivers.

5 -- The number of races since a win from the pole, by Jeff Gordon in 2002.

6 -- The number of the last seven races in which Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth have scored top-10 finishes.

7 -- Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin's leading number of Bud Poles by active drivers.

7 -- Kevin Harvick's number of top-10 finishes in his last eight starts, including a sweep of both the Busch and Cup races in April.

8.56 -- Kevin Harvick's average finishing position in nine races, best among active drivers.

9 -- Rusty Wallace's leading number of victories by an active driver.

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9 -- The number of races since Mark Martin scored a top-10 finish.

9.7 -- Rusty Wallace's average finish in 43 starts.

13 -- Kevin Harvick's starting position when he won March's Food City 500.

14 -- The number of times a driver has swept both races in a season, most recently by Kurt Busch in 2003.

20 -- The number of 89 Cup races won from the pole.

20 -- Junior Johnson's leading number of victories by a car owner.

21 -- Rusty Wallace's leading number of top-five finishes by an active driver.

23 -- Kurt Busch's age when he became the youngest winner in 2002.

26 -- Carl Edwards' best finish in two starts.

30 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s starting position when he won the 2004 Sharpie 500.

30 -- The number of years since Dodge posted a victory at Bristol, when Richard Petty swept both races in 1975.

33 -- Terry Labonte's leading number of top-10 finishes by an active driver.

Credit: Autostock

38 -- Elliott Sadler's starting position for the 2001 Food City 500, the farthest back a winner has started.

48 -- Dale Earnhardt's age when he became the oldest winner in 1999.

55 -- Ricky Rudd's leading number of starts by an active driver.

87 -- Rusty Wallace's average number of laps led in each of his 43 starts.

101.075 -- Charlie Glotzbach's 500-lap race record average speed in miles per hour, set in 1971.

128.709 -- Ryan Newman's Bud Pole Qualifying record lap, in miles per hour, set 2003.

157 -- Rusty Wallace's laps led in March's Food City 500.

3,734 -- Rusty Wallace's career laps led, best among active drivers.

19,931 -- Rusty Wallace's career laps led in Cup competition.