Get in the Loop: Kansas

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Nextel Cup Series makes its annual visit to Kansas Speedway this weekend. Kansas, much like Homestead-Miami Speedway, is unique in that the only stop the s will make at these two tracks will be during the Chase.

Last season's race at Kansas saw a dominating performance by Mark Martin. This season, Martin needs to replicate his performance of last year to remain alive in the Chase.

ALSO Last year at Kansas, the current Chase drivers were spread throughout the field but there was one constant: Roush Racing was the team to beat.  Mark Martin won the race and teammates Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth all came away with top-five finishes. Biffle and Martin held the top two places in Average Running Position (3.112 and 4.049) and also had the best Driver Ratings, with Martin out dueling Biffle 135.7 to 132.3.  Kenseth was Fastest Early in a Run (171.256 mph), while Biffle was the Fastest Late in a Run (167.126 mph). Biffle piloted the fastest car in turns one, two and three, helping him post the Fastest Green Flag Speed of 168.920.  Roush drivers combined to lead for 258 of the 267 laps (96.6 percent) and only four of the nine laps they didn't lead were under green.  -- Stefan Kretschmann,  STATS LLC

NASCAR's Loop Data from 2005 at Kansas shows that Martin knows how to get around the 1.5-mile oval. He started from the 19th position and completed 25 Quality Passes -- a pass over a car running in the top 15 -- en route to taking the lead.

Once he reached the front of the field, Martin led 139 laps and maintained an Average Running Position of 4.049, second-best in that category. He also ran 253 laps in the top 15 and posted a Driver Rating of 135.7.

Where does speed matter at Kansas Speedway?

Martin's winning car at Kansas last season had to be fast. Martin's Roush Racing teammate, Greg Biffle, was hot on Martin's trail but was unable to get around him for the win.

Biffle also had a fast car, turning the Fastest Lap 60 times on the day. Although Martin had the Fastest Lap only 12 times he was able to hold off Biffle for the win.

Martin's speed on the frontstretch and backstretch at Kansas was not that impressive. He ranked 14th in Speed on the Frontstretch and 16th in Speed on the Backstretch.

Martin made up the ground he lost on the straightaways in the turns. Martin recorded the sixth-best Speed in Turn 1 followed by the second-best Speed in Turn 2, the fourth-best Speed in Turn 3 and the fourth-best Speed in Turn 4.

Passing Zones

Kansas Speedway generates some of the best racing in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. The frontstretch is where the most passing happens. Turn 4 ranks second. Here is the breakdown of the 2,007 green-flag passes that took place last year at Kansas:

Passing Thoughts

• Kasey Kahne has completed the most Green Flag Passes at Kansas with 84. Kahne has been passed 66 times, giving him a Passing Differential of +18.

• Carl Edwards has more Quality Passes than any driver at Kansas with 39, giving him a Quality Passing Percentage of 88.6 percent.

• Matt Kenseth has a Passing Differential of -13 at Kansas, the lowest of any Chase driver.

Loop Logic

LOOP DATA •   Cup Series •   Busch Series •   Truck Series

Others drivers to watch:

• Greg Biffle: Ranked second in Driver Rating 132.3. ... Has the best Average Running Position of 3.112. ... 90.6 percent of his passes have been Quality Passes. ... Has completed the most Fastest Laps at Kansas with 60.

• Tony Stewart: Ranked third in Driver Rating 117.6. ... Has the third-best Average Running Position of 4.079. ... 100 percent of his passes have been Quality Passes. ... Completed 98.1 percent of his Laps in the Top 15.