Atlanta Motor Speedway has been kind to at least five Chase competitors. Credit: Autostock

Get in the Loop: Atlanta

Loop Data says half of Chase field could make up ground at AMS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Using Driver Rating -- a statistical measure that uses wins, average running position, average speed, fastest laps, laps led, lead-lap finishes and top-15 finishes to gauge a driver -- has proven to be an accurate way to predict strong finishes at a specific track.

Jack Roush Credit: Autostock

ALSO Matt Kenseth may lead the Chase for the Nextel Cup, but his Roush Racing teammates take the lead at Atlanta.   Carl Edwards swept the 2005 races, and an early pit-road mishap in March cost him a chance to make it three in a row. Mark Martin hasn⬠"!t finished lower than fourth in the past three races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and has been the Fastest Car in Traffic (177.228 mph). Greg Biffle leads in Driver Rating (122.4) followed by Martin in second (114.3). Biffle was the fastest driver in Turn 1 (180.309 mph) while Mark Martin had the fastest car in the other three turns (166.806 mph in Turn 2, 182.639 mph in Turn 3, 169.850 mph in Turn 4).   Martin has the Fastest Green-Flag Speed (177.504 mph) and Biffle is second with an overall speed of 177.471 mph. Greg Biffle spent the most time inside the top 15 (959 laps, 98.4 percent), leading teammate Martin by only eight laps (97.5 percent). Biffle ran the Fastest Lap 161 times (series best), which helped Roush Racing have the fastest speed for 398 of the 829 green flag laps (48.0 percent). Greg Biffle was the Fastest Early in a Run (181.953 mph) and Mark Martin was the Fastest Late in a Run (174.529 mph).  -- Stefan Kretschmann, STATS LLC

This week, five Chase for the Nextel Cup drivers are in the top 10 of the pre-race Driver Rating category at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Which means those five Chase competitors -- Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton -- could gain ground on current series leader Matt Kenseth.

Martin has the best pre-race Driver Rating among Chase drivers at Atlanta ranking second overall with a 114.3. Johnson is close behind Martin in third with a rating of 109.1. Kahne rounds out the top five with a rating of 96.7.

All three of these drivers must be optimistic heading to Atlanta. In 32 races in 2006, the race winner has had a pre-race Driver Rating in the top five 13 times. Additionally, Kahne won the spring race in Atlanta, and the first of his series-high six victories in 2006.

Earnhardt and Burton, the two other Chase drivers with pre-race Driver Ratings in the top 10 at Atlanta, also have reason to be optimistic. The race winner has had a pre-race Driver Rating in the top 10 in 18 of 32 races this season.

Earnhardt ranks sixth with a rating of 95.1, while Burton ranks ninth with an 88.1 Driver Rating.

Loop logic

• The average 2006 Driver Rating of the winning driver is 98.4. The average pre-race Driver Rating rank for the winning driver is 9.323. Jeff Burton (88.1) has the ninth-best Driver Rating heading into Atlanta.

• Kahne won the spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a pre-race Driver Rating that ranked 14th, one of only eight occasions where the race winner had a Driver Rating outside the top 12.

• The average 2006 finish of the driver with the top pre-race Driver Rating is 12.406. This week's highest-rated driver is Greg Biffle (122.4). A good finish for Biffle at Atlanta would help him gain ground on Tony Stewart for the 11th-place spot in the standings which means recognition during Champion's Week in New York in December. Stewart ranks seventh in Driver Rating at 94.0.

Passing zones

Atlanta Motor Speedway generates some of the fastest racing in the Nextel Cup Series. The frontstretch is where the most passing happens. Turn 4 ranks second. Here is the breakdown of the 5,215 Green-Flag Passes that took place over the past two seasons at Atlanta:

Passing thoughts

LOOP DATA •   Cup Series •   Busch Series •   Truck Series

• Casey Mears has completed the most Green-Flag Passes at Atlanta with 207. Earnhardt has been passed only 192 times, given him a Passing Differential (15).

• J.J. Yeley leads in Quality Passes at Atlanta with 46. Yeley also has the best pre-race Driver Rating of any rookie, ranking eighth with 89.6.