Teammates Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield never dropped out of the top 20 last year at Indianapolis. Credit: Autostock

By the Numbers: Indy

Evernham drivers trying to follow brick road of champions

The rollercoaster has a chance to turn upward for Evernham Motorsports drivers this weekend at Indianapolis.

For Jeremy Mayfield, Indy couldn't come at a better time. Mayfield, a guy who has made the last two Chases, is still searching for his first top-10 finish of 2006.

BY THE NUMBERS •   2006 Nextel Cup Statistics •   Season-to-Date Loop Data •   Best 25 Over Last Six Races •   2006/2005 Driver Comparison

But Mayfield finished fourth at Indy last year and never fell below 11th place the entire race.

For Kasey Kahne, the 2.5-mile quad-oval is circled on the calendar, too. Since winning at Michigan, Kahne has finished 20th or better just once.

But Kahne was second last year at the Brickyard and led 39 laps. In his only other start there he finished fourth.

For Scott Riggs, he's only got two starts at the track with finishes of 37th and 35th. But this will be his first time there in a Ray Evernham-owned car. And they've done quite well.

Mayfield was the fastest driver early in a run (first 25 percent of laps since a pit stop) last year with an average speed of 176.745 mph; Kahne was second. Kahne was the fastest driver late in a run (last 25 percent of laps since a pit stop) with an average speed of 176.219 mph; Mayfield was third. Kahne was the fastest driver in all four turns last year; Mayfield was second-fastest in each turn.

The worst position Evernham cars ran last year at Indy was 18th.

What you didn't know

Driver Rating: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

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's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (1:30 p.m. ET, NBC) will be the 13th race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With the racetrack more famously known for open-wheel racing, there have been nine drivers who have raced in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, including current regulars Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon.

Ten of the 12 races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been won by Nextel Cup champions. Ricky Rudd (1997) and Kevin Harvick (2003) are the exceptions. In five of those races, the Indy winner has gone on to win the title the same season, including a stretch of four consecutive years between 1998 and 2001.