 |  | | Victory No. 3 would help lift Reed Sorenson out of 17th in the Busch Series standings. Credit: Autostock |
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
April 14, 2006
10:08 AM EDT (14:08 GMT)
Reed Sorenson is just 20 years old, but he moves around Nashville Superspeedway like a veteran. Last year the youngster grabbed his first career pole position. Two hundred twenty-five laps later, Sorenson got his first career victory by a whopping 14.417 seconds over Kenny Wallace. It was just his 13th career race. Nearly three months later, he ran third there, vaulting him into the points lead. This is a different year for Sorenson, however. Heading into the Busch Series' Pepsi 300 at Nashville (3:30 p.m. ET Sat., FX), Sorenson is buried 17th in the point standings. His best finish this year is 10th at Atlanta. His average finish is a modest 21st place. And he has yet to lead a lap. He may, however, like the numbers heading into this weekend. What you didn't know
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210 -- Laps led by Reed Sorenson in his 450 total laps at Nashville, more than any other full-time Busch driver although Sorenson has only competed in two races there. His finishes are first and third. |
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Driver Rating: Season-to-date*
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115.2 -- Greg Biffle, No. 16 Roush Racing Ford. Biffle is not entered in this weekend's Pepsi 300 and also missed the Mexico City race, but he's still fifth in the points. He has four top-fives in his six races. |
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* No loop data statistics are available for the Pepsi 300. 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 Saturday will be the 10th race held at Nashville Superspeedway, one of the most unique stops on the Busch Series schedule. It's 1.33 miles in length. It's D-shaped, much like the majority of tracks that host races. But it's concrete, one of only three such tracks in NASCAR. Seven drivers have claimed victory at Nashville, with Scott Riggs being the only two-time winner. Riggs and Biffle are the only former winners who are not entered in the Pepsi 300.
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0 -- Times this season Kevin Harvick has not been on the lead lap. |
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1 -- Driver with more than two starts at Nashville and an average finish inside the top 10: Clint Bowyer, 3.2. |
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3 -- Drivers who finished in the top five in both Nashville races last year: Reed Sorenson, Kenny Wallace and Clint Bowyer. Wallace was second in both races. |
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4 -- Busch races in which Erin Crocker has competed. She will run her fifth on Saturday in the No. 9 Dodge. |
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5 -- Times the driver who led the most laps went on to win at Nashville. |
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6 -- Drivers of the nine race winners who got their first career victory at Nashville: Greg Biffle (2001), Scott Riggs (2002), Jack Sprague (2002), Jason Leffler (2004), Reed Sorenson (2005) and Clint Bowyer (2005). |
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6 -- Former Nashville winners who will be in the field on Saturday. |
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7 -- Winners in the nine races who started inside the top five, with the average starting position for winners being 5.78. Michael Waltrip's 2004 victory was the only time a winner started outside the top 10 (22nd). |
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8 -- Nextel Cup regulars who are entered in this weekend's Pepsi 300, a season-low. |
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16.428 -- Average running position for Johnny Sauter, the highest among drivers who do not race both the Busch and Cup Series. |
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60 -- Points that separate fourth-place J.J. Yeley and 11th-place Carl Edwards in the driver standings heading to Nashville. |
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85.7 -- Percent of races in which Kevin Harvick has finished inside the top 10. His worst finish of the season was 11th at Atlanta. |
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122 -- Laps led by Jason Keller at Nashville, the most of any driver who has not won at the track. Keller has competed in every race there. |
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239 -- Laps led by Kevin Harvick this season, more than any other driver. |
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1,203 -- Laps led in the Busch Series by Cup regulars of the 1,257 total laps run. |
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The Nextel Cup Series off this weekend and a season-low of Cup drivers are entered in the Busch race. For some, it's about time. Drivers who are racing strictly the Busch Series the entire year have led only 15 laps all season. Nope, not a misprint. Boris Said has led more than that in just one race (27).
| Leading Role |
| Busch-only drivers who have led a lap (minimum four starts) |
| Driver |
Laps Led |
Avg. Finish |
Best Finish |
Race |
| Ashton Lewis Jr. |
10 |
21.7 |
12 |
Daytona |
| John Andretti |
2 |
23.7 |
9 |
Bristol |
| Paul Menard |
1 |
16.1 |
5 |
Mexico City |
| Jason Keller |
1 |
18.6 |
11 |
Daytona |
| Mark Green |
1 |
27.8 |
10 |
Daytona |
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