NASCAR.COM - By the Numbers: Chicagoland Speedway

Kenseth, Johnson could shake up top of championship standings

By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
July 6, 2006
08:48 AM EDT (12:48 GMT)

This time last year, Jimmie Johnson had a 73-point lead on second-place Greg Biffle while Matt Kenseth sat 19th in the points, 588 back from the lead.

But now, after one of the biggest improvements from his standing after 17 races last season, Kenseth sits just eight points away from Johnson's lead.

Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400 (3 p.m. ET, TNT) at Chicagoland is the perfect setting for a standoff.

Neither driver has won in the brief history of the 1.5-mile track. Both have tasted second place -- Johnson in 2004 and Kenseth last year.

It was last year's runner-up finish that left Kenseth's mouth bitter as he proved it's finishes, not leading laps, that matter most. A late-race pit stop called for four tires on Kenseth's machine, but Scott Wimmer stayed out and Dale Earnhardt Jr. took two tires. Wimmer's machine faded, but Earnhardt Jr.'s didn't, as he hung on for the victory.

Still, Kenseth and Johnson hope their trends of hanging out near the front materialize into celebrations.

What you didn't know

180 -- Laps led by Matt Kenseth at Chicagoland, the most among any driver who has not won at the track. Kenseth's worst finish there is 12th (2003 and 2004).

3.0 -- Average finish for Jimmie Johnson at Chicagoland, the best among full-time drivers. Johnson has led laps in every race he has run at the track.

Driver Rating: USG Sheetrock 400

144.6 -- Matt Kenseth, No. 17 Roush Racing Ford. Kenseth led 176 of the 267 laps last year and never fell below ninth position. After the final caution, he surged from sixth place to second in the final 12 laps.

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 the sixth Nextel Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway. In the short time there, two drivers have mastered the top-five. Tony Stewart finished third in 2002, then improved to second in 2003 and won in 2004. During that same time, Jimmie Johnson improved from fourth to third to second.

0 -- Drivers have finished on the lead lap of each Chicagoland race. Seven have four lead-lap finishes: Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

1 -- Driver who has competed in every race this year but has not led a lap: Ken Schrader. The veteran led his only lap at Chicagoland last year.

1.730 -- Average running position for Matt Kenseth last year at Chicagoland, while winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s average running position was 10.090.

3.3 -- Average starting position for Bill Elliott at Chicagoland, the best among all drivers. He will attempt to qualify for Sunday's race in the No. 00 Chevrolet.

4 -- Consecutive top-five finishes for Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart at Chicagoland, the longest current streak.

4 -- Times Carl Edwards was passed under green-flag conditions last year. He started 21st and finished 39th after cutting a tire and hitting the wall.

4 -- Turns in which Matt Kenseth had the highest average speed at Chicagoland last year. He was seventh-fastest on the frontstretch and third-fastest on the backstretch.

4 -- Victories by Chevrolet at Chicagoland. Ryan Newman scored the only victory for Dodge in 2003. Ford is winless, with two second-place finishes: Robert Pressley (2001) and Matt Kenseth (2005).

9 -- Times Denny Hamlin has been the top-finishing rookie in the 17 races this season.

9 -- Drivers have been running at the finish of all five Chicagoland races, including Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd.

10 -- Times Matt Kenseth appeared in the fastest 25 laps in last year's Chicagoland race. Kenseth's fastest lap was 180.647 mph on Lap 97, sixth-fastest. Ryan Newman's third lap was the fastest overall (181.087 mph).

11 -- Consecutive top-15 finishes for Jeff Burton, dating to Texas in April. He had just 15 top-15 finishes all of last year.

14 -- Races in which Greg Biffle has lead a lap this year. He has led 34 laps at Chicagoland, all last year.

17.4 -- Average starting position of Chicagoland winners. None of the winners have started from inside the top five, while Kevin Harvick's 2002 victory from 32nd starting position was the worst a winner has started.

22 -- Drivers who have competed in all five races at Chicagoland. They account for four of the five victories and have posted 37 of the 50 top-five finishes. Only Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd will not attempt to qualify for Sunday's race.

26.84 -- Percent of passes made in last year's race that happened on the backstretch, the most popular place to pass. Turns 2 (10.75 percent) and 3 (10.33 percent) had the least amount of passing.

38.5 -- Average finish for Kasey Kahne at Chicagoland, the worst among drivers with more than one start. Kahne has DNFs in both races, crashing in 2004 and losing an engine last year.

85 -- Green-flag passes made by Jamie McMurray last year at Chicagoland. He started 36th and finished 22nd.

86 -- Consecutive weeks Jimmie Johnson has been ranked in the top 10 in points, since Atlanta in March 2004. He is tied with Darrell Waltrip for eighth on the list of most consecutive weeks inside the top 10 under this points system.

275 -- Laps led by Tony Stewart at Chicagoland. He has led every year there except the first (2001) and last (2005), including a race-high 160 in his 2004 victory.

Only Kevin Harvick has duplicated a trip to Victory Lane at Chicagoland, winning the track's first two races. And only a Dodge has spoiled Chevrolet's sweep of the track. As for starting position, laps led or finishing second, none of it typically translates into a victory.

Windy City Winners

Breakdown of Chicagoland's five races

Year	Winner	St.	Led	Runner-up
2001	Kevin Harvick	6	113	Robert Pressley
2002	Kevin Harvick	32	29	Jeff Gordon
2003	Ryan Newman	14	67	Tony Stewart
2004	Tony Stewart	10	160	Jimmie Johnson
2005	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	25	11	Matt Kenseth

All External sites will open in a new browser window. NASCAR.COM does not endorse external sites.

NASCAR.COM is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network