 |  | | Casey Mears has completed 800 of 801 laps in three races at Las Vegas. Credit: Autostock |
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
March 9, 2006
12:28 PM EST (17:28 GMT)
Countless preseason predictions had Casey Mears winning a race this year, but none of them figured he'd win the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Lots of folks picked Mears to transform into a Chaser from a Chase-not when September rolled in. But did those same people think he'd be sitting second in points two weeks into the season with a good chance of leaving Las Vegas still in the mix? Doesn't matter. Mears, in his new No. 42 ride with crew chief Donnie Wingo, is Jimmie Johnson's wingman as the Nextel Cup Series heads to the desert for Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (4 p.m. ET, FOX). And that's got to put a smile on the Ganassi driver's face. In three races at the track, Mears has a 9.7 average finish, including a pair of seventh-place finishes. Despite his decent success in Sin City, he's yet to lead a lap there, much less strike gold. The numbers, however, say that could change on Sunday. What you didn't know
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17.0 -- Casey Mears' average starting position in the two races this season. Average starting spot for Las Vegas winners: 17.0. |
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Driver Rating: UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
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140.5 -- Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Johnson won last year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, and his average finish in four Las Vegas races is 8.5. |
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NASCAR's driver rating combines the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15s, average lead-lap running position, average speed under green, fastest lap, led most laps and lead-lap finish. Statistics based on current and past year at track. Maximum rating: 150 points. Numerology Sunday will be just the ninth race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a place that no single driver has really been dominant. But with the same old intermediate tracks comes the same old story -- Roush and Hendrick. The two teams have dominated the place, winning seven of the events. Current score: Roush 5, Hendrick 2, Sterling Marlin 1.
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0 -- Times this season Mark Martin has not been on the lead lap out of the 454 total laps run. |
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1 -- Time Jeff Burton has not finished on the lead lap in a Las Vegas race. |
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2 -- Drivers who have multiple victories at Las Vegas: Jeff Burton (2) and Matt Kenseth (2). |
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2 -- Positions lower that Greg Biffle (38th) sits in the standings than Matt Kenseth did this time last year (36th). Kenseth went on to finish seventh in the Chase. |
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3.086 -- Average running position of Ryan Newman in last year's Las Vegas race. |
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4 -- Active drivers who have finished all eight races at Las Vegas: Jeff Burton, Sterling Marlin, Joe Nemechek and Ken Schrader. |
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5 -- Victories by Roush Racing in the eight races held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, or 62.5 percent. |
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5 -- Races that have been won from a starting spot outside the top 15. |
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6 -- Top-10 finishes by Mark Martin in his eight races at the track, or 75 percent. |
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9 -- Years since a driver began the season with three consecutive top-five finishes (Jeff Gordon, 1997). Jimmie Johnson has a victory and a second-place finish this year. |
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10 -- Active drivers who have competed in all eight races at Las Vegas: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield, Joe Nemechek, Ken Schrader and Michael Waltrip. |
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12 -- Degrees of banking in each turn at Las Vegas. The grade will increase to 20 degrees next season, as renovations to the track begin immediately following Sunday's race. |
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36.0 -- Average finish for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Las Vegas in the last two years after finishing second in 2003. |
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85 -- Times that Tony Stewart passed another driver under green-flag conditions in last year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. |
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144 -- Laps led by Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- fourth among active drivers -- although he is winless at the track and has an average finish of 21.3. |
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221 -- Laps led by Matt Kenseth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, more than any other driver despite leading in only three races. |
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2,287.5 -- Combined miles run by brothers and Las Vegas natives Kurt and Kyle Busch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kurt Busch has led 52 laps at the facility. |
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This week, it becomes a little more difficult to get in or out of the top 10 in points, but for most of the guys who make up the present list, Las Vegas is a breath of fresh air. For the bottom third, however, they may be searching for jackpot all day long.
| Lucky or Not? |
| Top-10 drivers and their recent history at Las Vegas |
| Pos. |
Driver |
Avg. Finish |
'05 Finish; Notes |
| 1. |
J. Johnson |
8.5 |
1st; worst finish is 16th |
| 2. |
C. Mears |
9.7 |
7th; never led a lap |
| 3. |
M. Kenseth |
9.2 |
8th; two-time winner |
| 4. |
K. Kahne |
20.0 |
38th; finished second in '04 |
| 5. |
D. Earnhardt Jr. |
21.3 |
42nd; two top-10s |
| 6. |
M. Martin |
12.6 |
30th; six top-10s |
| 7. |
R. Newman |
16.0 |
9th; led three of five races |
| 8. |
C. Bowyer |
N/A |
N/A; ninth in '05 Busch race |
| 9. |
B. Vickers |
33.0 |
43rd; best finish is 23rd |
| 10. |
E. Sadler |
28.4 |
29th; best finish is sixth |
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