By the Numbers: California

Is it time for No. 17 to be No. 1 again? History says so

By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
February 21, 2008
11:59 AM EST

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For 1,303 races, a car with the No. 17 on the door has started a Cup Series race. The numeral has won 61 of those races.

The first time the 17 car appeared on a racetrack was at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1949 with Sara Christian behind the wheel. She was the first female driver in NASCAR history.

The first time the 17 car pulled into Victory Lane was in 1968 with David Pearson. The last time it happened? Just two races ago, as Matt Kenseth won the 2007 season finale at Homestead.

What's the point of analyzing the success of No. 17? For Kenseth, it could be the key to victory when breaking down his recent finishes at California Speedway, or at least pairing the Nos. 1 and 7 could.

7-1-7-1-7Finishes by Matt Kenseth in the past five races at California Speedway.

Daytona to California

How Daytona 500 winners fare at California Speedway

Year	Daytona 500 Winner	California	California	California Winners

1997	Jeff Gordon	1	--	Jeff Gordon / --
1998	Dale Earnhardt	9	--	Mark Martin / --
1999	Jeff Gordon	1	--	Jeff Gordon / --
2000	Dale Jarrett	9	--	Jeremy Mayfield / --
2001	Michael Waltrip	43	--	Rusty Wallace / --
2002	Ward Burton	18	--	Jimmie Johnson / --
2003	Michael Waltrip	7	--	Kurt Busch / --
2004	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	19	34	Jeff Gordon / Elliott Sadler
2005	Jeff Gordon	30	21	Greg Biffle / Kyle Busch
2006	Jimmie Johnson	2	11	Matt Kenseth / Kasey Kahne
2007	Kevin Harvick	17	14	Matt Kenseth / Jimmie Johnson
2008	Ryan Newman	--	--	-- / --

Key Date

Sept. 4, 2005Date Kyle Busch became the youngest driver to win a Cup race by winning at California. He was 20 years, 4 months and 2 days old.

10 Key Facts

1Driver who won the Daytona 500 and also won at California in the same year. Jeff Gordon did it twice (1997 and 1999), but on both occasions California was not the second race of the season; it was Race 15 in 1997, and Race 10 in 1999.

3Drivers who have multiple victories at California Speedway: Jeff Gordon (3), Jimmie Johnson (2) and Matt Kenseth (2).

7Races that were won from a starting position inside the top 10, although it has happened just three times in the last nine events.

9Drivers on the entry list who are from California, more than any other state: A.J. Allmendinger, David Gilliland, Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Burney Lamar, Casey Mears and Mike Skinner.

10Position that Mark Martin finished in the first California race after he ran out of gas on the final lap, officially registering a DNF.

11.1Average starting position and average finish for Kyle Busch at California. He has five top-10s in seven starts, with his other two races resulting in a 24th and 23rd -- also his first two starts at the track.

29Finishing position for Carl Edwards in this race last year. In his six other starts at California, his worst finish is sixth, in 2004.

39Position that Jeff Gordon sits in the standings following the Daytona 500, his worst start since 1996 when he went into the second week ranked 42nd in points. That year, he dropped to 43rd in points after the second race.

225Laps led by Tony Stewart at California Speedway, the most by a driver who has not won there. His best finish is fourth (1999, 2001) with an average finish of 16.7.

699Career starts in the Cup Series for Mark Martin, who will make his 700th at California and move him into sole position of 12th on the all-time list behind Rusty Wallace (706). Martin's first start came on April 5, 1981, at North Wilkesboro, when he finished 27th.

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Inside the Numbers

Cup Series Victories for No. 17

Years	Driver	Wins

1967-1971	David Pearson	30
1975, 1987-1998	Darrell Waltrip	15
1999-Present	Matt Kenseth	16

California Speedway

Active drivers based on victories

Driver	Starts	Wins	Top-5	Top-10

Jeff Gordon	15	3	7	7
Jimmie Johnson	10	2	6	6
Matt Kenseth	12	2	4	8
Elliott Sadler	13	1	1	2
Kasey Kahne	8	1	3	5
Kyle Busch	7	1	2	5
Kurt Busch	11	1	3	5
Greg Biffle	10	1	2	2
Mark Martin	14	1	4	7
Jeremy Mayfield	13	1	3	4