 |  | | Jack Roush needs one more victory to tie Rick Hendrick for the most at California by an owner. Credit: Autostock |
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
August 31, 2006
09:54 AM EDT (13:54 GMT)
It's go or go home for Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle. The Roush Racing teammates are the last two drivers who have a mathematical shot at making the Chase for the Nextel Cup with just two races before the cutoff. And both are likely glad that California has its second Cup race this time of year. Edwards' average finish at the track is 4.5 in four races. In order, he has finished sixth, fifth, fourth and third. Biffle has taken care of the other two spots, plus one he'd like to forget. He won in February 2005 and finished second the following September. This February, he appeared to be on his way to another top-five after leading 168 laps and running second with 24 laps to go. But his engine let go on a restart, dropping him to 42nd. Still, those laps led could play a big role. Edwards finds himself 261 points behind 10th-place Mark Martin in the standings. Biffle is 10 points better. In other words, it's the difference between leading the most laps and not leading at all. What you didn't know
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1,076 -- Laps led by Roush Racing drivers at California, including 209 in February's race. |
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Driver Rating: Sony HD 500
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117.7 -- Greg Biffle, No. 16 Roush Racing Ford. Biffle has led 230 laps in the past three California races and has an average running position of 7.626. |
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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's Sony HD 500 (7 p.m. ET, NBC) will be the 13th race at the 2-mile California Speedway. Only Jeff Gordon has multiple victories (three) at the track, as a different driver has won the past nine races. All of the former winners will be in Sunday's field except two drivers: Jeremy Mayfield (2000) and Rusty Wallace (2001).
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0 -- Drivers currently in the top 10 will be mathematically eliminated from the Chase following the California race. |
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0 -- Laps led by Sterling Marlin at California, the only driver who has started all 12 races there but never been up front. He is expected to make his 700th career start on Sunday. |
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1 -- Driver who has started all 12 California races and never had a DNF: Jeff Burton. His average finish is 18.0. |
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3 -- Position Kevin Harvick must finish to clinch a spot in the Chase. He also clinches if he finishes worse than third but leaves with a 191-point advantage over 11th place. His average finish at California is 21.9, the worst among drivers eligible for the Chase. |
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3 -- Drivers who ran all 254 laps in the top 15 in this race last year: Brian Vickers (third), Tony Stewart (fifth) and Mark Martin (11th). |
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5 -- Average running position of: Matt Kenseth when he won at California in February; Kyle Busch when he won last September; and Jimmie Johnson when he finished second in February 2005. |
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6 -- Drivers with an average running position inside the top 10 in the last three California races, led by Mark Martin's 5.784. Four of the six are Roush Racing drivers. |
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6 -- Top-15 finishes at California for Jamie McMurray in six races. He has four consecutive top-10s at the track. |
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8 -- Laps of the 755 total in the last three California races that Mark Martin has not been running in the top 15. |
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12 -- Different drivers who have started from the pole in 12 races at California. Qualifying was rained out in 1999, placing points leader Jeff Burton on the pole. |
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13 -- Times Kyle Busch was passed last September when he won at California, his first career victory. |
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14.0 -- Average starting position for California winners in 12 races. No winner has started on the front row, and seven of the past nine winners have started outside the top 15. |
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23.77 -- Percent of passes made in Turn 4 during the last three California races, just ahead of the frontstretch (23.70) for the most popular place to pass. |
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48.39 -- Percent of Denny Hamlin's career finishes that have been top-10s (15 in 31 races), just behind full-time drivers Jimmie Johnson (60.82), Jeff Gordon (60.74), Tony Stewart (59.56) and Mark Martin (55.89). |
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119 -- Laps in which Greg Biffle (65) or Tony Stewart (54) were the fastest cars on the track in the February California race. They also combined to lead 196 of 251 laps. They finished 42nd and 43rd, respectively. |
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138 -- Points separating fourth-place Kyle Busch and 11th-place Kasey Kahne. However, there are 90 points between Kahne and 10th-place Mark Martin. |
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156 -- Maximum number of points a driver can gain over another competitor in one race. |
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174.642 -- Green-flag speed of Greg Biffle in the last three California races, the fastest among full-time drivers. |
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185 -- Laps led by Tony Stewart at California, the most by any driver who has not won at the track. His average finish is 18.7. |
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283 -- Times Jeff Gordon has been passed in the last three California races, more than any other driver. His average finish is 21.3 in those three races. |
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574,560 -- Different possibilities for the order of the top 11 drivers in the standings following the California race, according to Stats LLC. |
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With two races to go before the Chase begins, 13 drivers are mathematically eligible for the 10-race Chase. Any driver leading 11th place by 157 points following California will secure a position in the Chase, provided he starts the race at Richmond. Last driver eligible: Carl Edwards, 711 points out of the lead and 261 points behind 10th place. First driver eliminated: Kurt Busch, 840 points out of the lead.
| Chase Watch |
| California statistics for top 13 in points |
| Rank |
Driver |
Wins |
Top-5s |
Top-10s |
Avg. Finish |
| 1. |
Jimmie Johnson |
1 |
4 |
4 |
7.6 |
| 2. |
Matt Kenseth |
1 |
3 |
5 |
12.1 |
| 3. |
Kevin Harvick |
0 |
0 |
2 |
21.9 |
| 4. |
Kyle Busch |
1 |
1 |
2 |
14.5 |
| 5. |
Jeff Gordon |
3 |
5 |
5 |
12.3 |
| 6. |
Denny Hamlin |
0 |
0 |
0 |
12.0 |
| 7. |
Jeff Burton |
0 |
3 |
4 |
18.0 |
| 8. |
Tony Stewart |
0 |
3 |
4 |
18.7 |
| 9. |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
0 |
1 |
2 |
21.2 |
| 10. |
Mark Martin |
1 |
3 |
6 |
13.8 |
| 11. |
Kasey Kahne |
0 |
2 |
3 |
13.0 |
| 12. |
Greg Biffle |
1 |
2 |
2 |
20.7 |
| 13. |
Carl Edwards |
0 |
3 |
4 |
4.5 |
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