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Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon have won 11 Talladega races.By the Numbers: Talladega
Lead has changed three times after 'Dega's Chase race
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After three races, the picture seems a little clearer. Three drivers are buried more than 240 points behind the leader, although not mathematically eliminated. Three drivers are within 30 points of each other at the top. And the rest are swapping places.
Just when things get stable, Round 4 of the Chase pops up: Talladega.
Jeff Gordon lost the points lead after Talladega in 2004. Jimmie Johnson lost it in 2005 and again in 2007. Only one time has the lead not swapped hands after this race (more below).
Three drivers statistically dominate this track, but two of them have yet to win this season (Gordon and Tony Stewart, who has still never won at Talladega), and the third (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) has just two top-10 finishes in the 11 races leading up to Sunday's Amp Energy 500 (1 p.m. ET, ABC).
Chase Drivers at Talladega
1. Jimmie JohnsonJohnson won at Talladega in the spring 2006 race, then crashed while leading that fall. In 2007 he finished second in both events. He was 13th earlier this year. Johnson has led laps in 12 of his 13 races at Talladega.
2. Carl EdwardsThe last three Talladega races have been down, up, down for Edwards. He finished 42nd, 14th and 40th. His career average finish there is 24.0, and he's led just nine laps.
3. Greg BiffleBiffle has never won at Talladega, and his 18th-place finish was a sign of life in April. Prior to that he had four consecutive DNFs at the superspeedway.
4. Jeff BurtonThe last four Talladega races have been mediocre at best for Burton. Only once did he finish better than 27th (12th in April this year), and he has only finished on the lead lap two times in the last six Talladega races.
5. Kevin HarvickHarvick has never had a DNF at Talladega, and he's completed all but nine laps in his 15 starts there. He finished 24th in the spring, and 20th a year ago. Before that he had back-to-back sixth-place finishes.
6. Jeff GordonGordon swept last year's races at Talladega, and used this race a year ago to vault into the points lead by nine over Jimmie Johnson. He has led laps in 25 of his 31 starts at Talladega.
7. Clint BowyerBowyer has gotten progressively better at Talladega. His first two races ended in crashes. Since then he's finished 35th, 11th and ninth.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.Junior once won four consecutive Talladega races (2001-2003), and finished first or second in seven consecutive races at the track. But he's had three DNFs in the last six races there. He was 10th in the spring.
9. Matt KensethKenseth had three consecutive top-10 finishes between 2005 and 2006. Since then he has fallen off progressively, finishing 14th, 26th and 41st.
10. Denny HamlinHamlin has been streaky at Talladega. His first three races there ended in finishes of 22nd, 21st and 21st. His last two finishes were fourth and third. He has led laps in all five races he's run there.
11. Tony StewartSix times has Stewart finished second at Talladega, yet he has never won at the track. He has led laps in nine consecutive races there. He was 38th in the spring after leading 61 laps and crashing.
12. Kyle BuschBusch won at Talladega in the spring, but it's his only bright spot at the track. In his other six starts, he finished 32nd or worse in five of them. His 27.3 average finish is worst among Chase drivers.
Five Chase Facts
1Driver who entered Talladega with the points lead during the Chase era and left the track still the leader: Jeff Burton, 2006.
2Chase drivers who have not registered a top-five finish at Talladega: Greg Biffle (11 starts) and Clint Bowyer (five starts). Only Biffle has not had a top-10 finish, his best being 13th in the 2005 spring race.
5Times a driver has won the second Talladega race and gone on to win the Cup championship. Three drivers did it, none in the Chase era: Dale Earnhardt (1993, 1991, 1990), Darrell Waltrip (1982), Richard Petty (1974).
6Drivers within 161 points of the Cup Series lead in the standings entering Talladega. Jeff Gordon is 143 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. A driver can make up a maximum of 161 points in one race.
11Victories between Jeff Gordon (six) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (five) at Talladega. Jimmie Johnson (spring 2006) and Kyle Busch (spring 2007) are the only other Chase drivers to win there.
Non-Chase Nugget
1,141Points scored by Kurt Busch in the last eight Talladega races, more than any other driver. Busch has seven top-10 finishes in those eight races. He has never won at the track.
Also
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Talladega Superspeedway
Chase Driver Statistics
| Pos. | Driver | Starts | Wins | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jimmie Johnson | 13 | 1 | 17.5 |
| 2. | Carl Edwards | 8 | 0 | 24.0 |
| 3. | Greg Biffle | 11 | 0 | 25.3 |
| 4. | Jeff Burton | 29 | 0 | 191 |
| 5. | Kevin Harvick | 15 | 0 | 14.3 |
| 6. | Jeff Gordon | 31 | 6 | 15.0 |
| 7. | Clint Bowyer | 5 | 0 | 26.0 |
| 8. | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 17 | 5 | 14.1 |
| 9. | Matt Kenseth | 17 | 0 | 17.5 |
| 10. | Denny Hamlin | 5 | 0 | 14.2 |
| 11. | Tony Stewart | 19 | 0 | 13.9 |
| 12. | Kyle Busch | 7 | 0 | 27.3 |
Sprint Cup Series
Official Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | +1 | Jimmie Johnson | 5575 | -- |
| 2. | -1 | Carl Edwards | 5565 | -10 |
| 3. | -- | Greg Biffle | 5545 | -30 |
| 4. | -- | Jeff Burton | 5454 | -121 |
| 5. | -- | Kevin Harvick | 5439 | -136 |
| 6. | +2 | Jeff Gordon | 5432 | -143 |
| 7. | -1 | Clint Bowyer | 5411 | -164 |
| 8. | +1 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 5385 | -190 |
| 9. | +1 | Matt Kenseth | 5383 | -192 |
| 10. | +1 | Denny Hamlin | 5332 | -243 |
| 11. | -4 | Tony Stewart | 5320 | -255 |
| 12. | -- | Kyle Busch | 5264 | -311 |
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