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Clint Bowyer has an average finish of 2.3 at Memphis.By the Numbers: Memphis
Three drivers in points battle each have Memphis success
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With just four races remaining in the 2008 Nationwide Series season, the points battle is down to three drivers -- Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski -- although two of them are running out of time and opportunity to mount a charge for the title.
Bowyer has been the Nationwide points leader since March when he took the lead at Nashville the sixth race of the season. He currently leads by 196 points on second-place Edwards and Bowyer is 286 points in front of Keselowski.
On Saturday the series makes its annual stop at Memphis Motorsports Park for the Kroger 250 (3 p.m. ET, SPEED) and all three drivers have been successful at the track -- but Bowyer has been the best.
The current top-three at Memphis
1. Clint BowyerIn three Nationwide starts at Memphis, Bowyer has three top-five finishes with a win in 2005, a second in 2006 and a fourth in 2004. He's led 195 laps at the track, fifth-best among active drivers and his average finish of 2.3 is fourth among active drivers with at least two starts at the .75-mile oval.
2. Carl EdwardsThough Edwards hasn't won at Memphis, he has two top-fives in three starts at the track with a fifth in 2005 and a third in 2006. He has finished on the lead lap in all three events, but finished a disappointing 25th in this race last season. His average finish is 11.0.
3. Brad KeselowskiKeselowski has just two starts at Memphis and already has a top-10 finish -- he finished ninth last season. His first race, however, was a DNF with rear end problems taking him out of the race around the halfway point and relegating him to a 41st-place finish. Keselowski has the worst starting average among the three drivers, with an average of 19.0.
Championship facts
2In the past five years, the points leader going into Memphis has won the race twice. In 2004, Martin Truex Jr. added to his points lead by taking the checkered flag and Kevin Harvick did the same in 2006. In 2003, David Green had the points lead going into Memphis but lost it after a 19th-place finish. In 2005, Truex Jr. finished third and held on to his lead and in 2007 Carl Edwards finished 27th, but was up by more than 500 points.
3Number of tracks, of the remaining four, that Clint Bowyer has won a NASCAR race at. Bowyer has Nationwide Series victories at Memphis and Phoenix and has a Truck Series win at Texas.
45In the past five races, Carl Edwards have been able to cut into Clint Bowyer's point lead by just 45 points. Both drivers have top-10s in all five races, with Edwards scoring a win at Richmond.
127Largest point deficit overcome in the Nationwide Series with four races remaining. In 1989, Rob Moroso was fifth in the standings before overtaking Tommy Ellis to win the championship.
Five more things
1Only one driver, Kevin Harvick, has multiple wins at Memphis, but he isn't racing this weekend. Cale Gale will be in the No. 33 KHI Chevrolet.
1Jason Keller is the only driver in history to start all nine Nationwide races at Memphis and he is on the entry list for Race No. 10 on Saturday.
3Three drivers will attempt to make their NASCAR national series debut in Saturday's Nationwide race at Memphis: Marc Davis is the No. 18 JGR Toyota, Jarit Johnson (Jimmie Johnson's brother) will run the No. 22 Fitz Motorsports Dodge and Tim Weaver is in the No. 75 Herd Racing Dodge.
4The last four Nationwide races at Memphis have gone to a green-white-checkered finish.
8.0Average starting position of the nine Nationwide winners at Memphis. Six of the nine races have been won from a top-five starting position with two coming from the pole. Clint Bowyer's win in 2005 came from the 35th-starting position, the deepest starting position for a winner at Memphis.
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Memphis Motorsports Park
Nationwide Series winners
| Year | Winner | Start | Make |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Jeff Green | 1 | Chevrolet |
| 2000 | Kevin Harvick | 2 | Chevrolet |
| 2001 | Randy LaJoie | 16 | Chevrolet |
| 2002 | Scott Wimmer | 6 | Pontiac |
| 2003 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | 4 | Ford |
| 2004 | Martin Truex Jr. | 1 | Chevrolet |
| 2005 | Clint Bowyer | 35 | Chevrolet |
| 2006 | Kevin Harvick | 5 | Chevrolet |
| 2007 | David Reutimann | 2 | Toyota |
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