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Richard Childress Racing has not won a race at Pocono since 1993.By the Numbers: Pocono
RCR hopes to turn fortunes around at Tricky Triangle
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It's been a rough start for Richard Childress Racing in 2009. Last year, all three RCR teams made the Chase. This year, Jeff Burton, currently 10th, looks like he will be the only one to qualify for NASCAR's postseason. Clint Bowyer (16th), Casey Mears (21st) and Kevin Harvick (24th) are all struggling as the Cup Series reaches the halfway point of the regular season with the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway (12:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
And if history is any indication, the disappointing finishes that have plagued RCR this season are likely to continue.
Not one of RCR's current stable of drivers has visited Victory Lane at Pocono Raceway. And if that wasn't enough, as an owner, Richard Childress has just two wins at the track -- and they came a while ago, both courtesy of Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1993).
Inside the Data
RCR drivers career Cup stats at Pocono
| Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-5 | Top-10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clint Bowyer | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 23.5 | 20.8 |
| Jeff Burton | 30 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 104 | 18.5 | 16.5 |
| Kevin Harvick | 16 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 19.3 | 15.4 |
| Casey Mears | 12 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 27 | 21.1 | 20.9 |
DID YOU KNOW?
1992Tony Stewart is the first owner/driver to lead the point standings since Alan Kulwicki won the championship on November 15, 1992 -- nearly 17 years ago.
NECESSITOUS NUMBERS
0Mark Martin has more top-fives (19) and top-10s (31) than any other driver in the history of Pocono Raceway, yet he has yet to win at the track.
2There have only been two green-white-checkered finishes at Pocono, both occurring in 2005.
2Two drivers entered in Sunday's race have an average finish inside the top 10 at Pocono: Denny Hamlin (6.2) and Jimmie Johnson (9.8).
4There have been four repeat winners at Pocono since 2000: Jimmie Johnson (2004), Carl Edwards (2005, 2008), Kurt Busch (2005, 2007) and Denny Hamlin (2006).
4Number of times Kyle Busch has finished 20th or worse in eight starts at Pocono. He finished 39th in 2005, 22nd in 2006 and 43rd and 36th in both Pocono races last year.
4.5Average starting position for Kasey Kahne in the last six Pocono races. Unfortunately, it didn't always lead to a strong finish. In three of those races, Kahne finished 22nd or worse.
45Number of consecutive races Michael Waltrip has raced at Pocono without a victory, tops among active drivers. Surprisingly, Mark Martin is second on that list with 44 consecutive Pocono races without a win, although the two have drastically different average finishes at the track (Waltrip, 21.6; Martin, 10.7).
432Number of laps Mark Martin has led at Pocono, tops among all drivers without a win at the track. Martin has 19 top-fives and 31 top-10s in 44 starts and has finished second an astonishing six times.
605Number of points Jeff Gordon has scored in the last four races at Pocono, tops among all drivers. In that stretch he has a win, a fourth, a 10th and a 14th. Second on the list is Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 594 points, although he is winless at the track.
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Sprint Cup Series
Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | +1 | Tony Stewart | 1,853 | -- |
| 2. | -1 | Jeff Gordon | 1,807 | -46 |
| 3. | +1 | Jimmie Johnson | 1,789 | -64 |
| 4. | -1 | Kurt Busch | 1,762 | -91 |
| 5. | +2 | Ryan Newman | 1,680 | -173 |
| 6. | -- | Kyle Busch | 1,634 | -219 |
| 7. | -2 | Denny Hamlin | 1,630 | -223 |
| 8. | +1 | Matt Kenseth | 1,625 | -228 |
| 9. | +1 | Greg Biffle | 1,618 | -235 |
| 10. | -2 | Jeff Burton | 1,587 | -266 |
| 11. | -- | Carl Edwards | 1,582 | -271 |
| 12. | -- | Mark Martin | 1,567 | -286 |
Cup Series News
- Points deal locks Martin into Daytona 500 field
- Waltrip to drive No. 40 for Hillman in Daytona 500
- Bayne has pressure to perform in Daytona return
- Shop address not all that changes for Ragan
- For Newman, good grade in chemistry difficult to maintain
- Kahne recovering after outpatient knee surgery
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© 2001-2012 NASCAR | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. NASCAR.COM is part of Turner - SI Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network.
