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Pay close attention to how they line up at Gateway.Good starting spot often the Gateway to victory
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Want to win a Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway? A good qualifying effort is a good start. Seven of the past nine races at the St. Louis-area track have been won from the first two starting rows including a current streak of five in a row.
1Starting position of Martin Truex Jr. in 2004, the only driver to win from the pole at Gateway. Truex led 123 of 200 laps, only the third time the winner has led more than half the race.
2Starting position for Reed Sorenson in 2005 and again in '07, and for Carl Edwards in '06. A race has been won from the second starting position four times at Gateway, most in track history.
3Starting position for Carl Edwards in 2008, the second victory from the second starting row at Gateway.
Kevin Harvick also started from the first two rows in posting back-to-back wins in 2000-01. He led 111 and 110 laps, respectively, in those two races. Harvick and Reed Sorenson join Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch as the only full-time Cup drivers entered in this week's race.
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3Wins for Jack Roush's No. 60 Ford, most of any car at Gateway. Greg Biffle won in 2002 followed by Edwards in '06 and '08.
3Top-fives in as many starts for Jeff Green, who will attempt to make his first start at Gateway since 2001. Those races came during the three-year span in which Green won the series title (2000) and was runner-up in 1999 and 2001.
4Starts for Reed Sorenson, who had a fourth-place finish in between his two wins at Gateway. He finished 29th last year after getting caught up in a multicar wreck after 115 laps.
4Top-10s in six starts for Scott Wimmer including his only top-five at Gateway in 2007 when he finished second. He finished 30th last year after getting crashed out after 115 laps.
4Top-10s for St. Louis native Kenny Wallace in 10 starts at Gateway but only one in the past five races. Brother Mike has one top-five in eight races but has finished 12th and 11th, respectively, the past two years.
7Top-fives for Jason Keller, most of any driver. Keller also leads in starts with 11 and top-fives with eight. His other three finishes are 30th or worse including two of the past three races. He finished third last year, for the third time in five races.
2006Year in which Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch made their most recent starts at Gateway. Harvick followed his back-to-back wins with a fifth-place finish in his third start there. Making just his second start, Busch was eighth despite finishing one lap off the lead. Busch finished fifth in 2004.
THE LEFFLER WATCH
Jason Leffler had his 11-race top-10 streak snapped at Daytona but responded at Chicagoland with a fourth-place finish in the No. 38 Toyota of Braun Racing. His 14 top-10s are just three off his career high set in 2004 and ties him with Carl Edwards for second-most in 2009, one off Kyle Busch's series-leading pace.
3Top-10s for Jason Leffler in six races at Gateway including fourth-place finishes in each of the past two years in the No. 38.
THE WOW FACTOR
4Consecutive top-10s for Carl Edwards at Gateway, the longest current streak during which he has won twice and hasn't finished worse than sixth.
THE SUPER LOOPER
757Laps in the Top 15, out of 800 possible, for Carl Edwards in the past four races at Gateway. During that span he also has had 130 Fastest Laps Run. Both are track bests.
Driver Rating (since 2005, nine races)
| Pos. | Driver* | Starts | Rating | Pct. Laps / Top 15 | Avg. Run Pos. | Avg. Fin. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Carl Edwards | 4 | 126.1 | 94.6 | 4.5 | 2.8 |
| 2. | Kevin Harvick | 1 | 111.4 | 100.0 | 6.4 | 5.0 |
| 3. | Scott Wimmer | 3 | 104.9 | 79.7 | 9.3 | 12.7 |
| 4. | Kyle Busch | 1 | 96.4 | 99.5 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| 5. | Jason Leffler | 4 | 88.9 | 65.1 | 13.7 | 14.8 |
| 6. | Tony Raines | 1 | 88.5 | 75.0 | 12.8 | 10.0 |
| 7. | Mike Wallace | 4 | 87.5 | 69.1 | 13.9 | 13.5 |
| 8. | Jason Keller | 3 | 82.8 | 58.7 | 18.3 | 22.0 |
| 9. | Brad Keselowski | 2 | 81.2 | 47.3 | 17.2 | 15.5 |
| 10. | Mike Bliss | 3 | 75.8 | 34.5 | 22.1 | 33.3 |
• Loop Data Statistics: Season-to-Date Box Score | * Entered in this race only
BLAST FROM THE PAST
4Victories for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Gateway, the track's first repeat winner. Earnhardt drove DEI's No. 3 Chevrolet to back-to-back wins in 1998-99. He won series titles both years.
Series winners at Gateway
| Year | Driver | Make | Year | Driver | Make | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Elliott Sadler | Chevrolet | 2003 | Scott Riggs | Ford | |
| 1998 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | 2004 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | |
| 1999 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | 2005 | Reed Sorenson | Dodge | |
| 2000 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 2006 | Carl Edwards | Ford | |
| 2001 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 2007 | Reed Sorenson | Dodge | |
| 2002 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 2008 | Carl Edwards | Ford |
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Nationwide Series
Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Kyle Busch | 2,931 | -- |
| 2. | -- | Carl Edwards | 2,739 | -192 |
| 3. | -- | Brad Keselowski | 2,597 | -334 |
| 4. | -- | Jason Leffler | 2,527 | -404 |
| 5. | -- | Joey Logano | 2,395 | -536 |
| 6. | -- | Justin Allgaier | 2,140 | -791 |
| 7. | -- | Mike Bliss | 2,129 | -802 |
| 8. | -- | Brendan Gaughan | 2,080 | -851 |
| 9. | -- | Steve Wallace | 2,065 | -866 |
| 10. | -- | Jason Keller | 2,013 | -918 |
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