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Jimmie Johnson has kissed the bricks twice, and both times gone on to win the the Cup title.By the Numbers: Indy
Historic track has a knack of predicting Cup champion
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Once a year the Cup Series visits storied Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 400 miles of stock-car drama on a track known for its open-wheel history. And while the track is unlike any other on the Cup schedule, it has an unusual knack of predicting the season's champion.
In 15 races at the track, seven times the winner of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (1 p.m. ET Sunday, ESPN) has gone on to win the Cup title. That's a whopping 46 percent of the races. In fact, only three of the 15 winners have ended the season lower than fifth in points.
Indianapolis is a track that separates good drivers from the excellent ones. To succeed on the 2.5-mile track with a flat straightaway and just 9 degrees of banking in the turns at speeds pushing 200 mph, a driver has to be on top of his game all afternoon and it shows in the final results.
Thirteen of the 15 race winners are past Cup champions -- and the two who weren't are still pretty good in their own right, Ricky Rudd and Kevin Harvick. With the top four in points also past champions, that trend could continue Sunday.
Inside the Data
Indianapolis winners and finishing points position that season
| Year | Winner | Final Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Jeff Gordon | 8th |
| 1995 | Dale Earnhardt | 2nd |
| 1996 | Dale Jarrett | 3rd |
| 1997 | Ricky Rudd | 17th |
| 1998 | Jeff Gordon | 1st |
| 1999 | Dale Jarrett | 1st |
| 2000 | Bobby Labonte | 1st |
| 2001 | Jeff Gordon | 1st |
| 2002 | Bill Elliott | 13th |
| 2003 | Kevin Harvick | 5th |
| 2004 | Jeff Gordon | 3rd |
| 2005 | Tony Stewart | 1st |
| 2006 | Jimmie Johnson | 1st |
| 2007 | Tony Stewart | 5th |
| 2008 | Jimmie Johnson | 1st |
DID YOU KNOW?
4Jeff Gordon is tied for second in total career wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His four wins matches three open-wheel veterans: A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears. If Gordon wins Sunday, he will tie Michael Schumacher with five career Indy victories.
NECESSITOUS NUMBERS
2Only two drivers have won both the Daytona 500 and Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in the same season: Dale Jarrett (1996) and Jimmie Johnson (2006). Matt Kenseth looks to be the third and while he hasn't won at Indy, he does run well. In nine races he has four top-fives.
3Number of drivers entered in this week's race with an average finish inside the top 10 at Indianapolis: Jeff Gordon (8.6), Kyle Busch (9.0) and Tony Stewart (9.1).
4Four drivers have competed in all 15 races at Indianapolis: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.
5Indianapolis is one of five tracks on the Cup schedule that Mark Martin has yet to win (Pocono, New Hampshire, Indianapolis, Daytona and Homestead).
6Juan Montoya has six consecutive top-12 finishes in the Cup Series. In that stretch he has gone from 15th in the standings to ninth.
10Tony Stewart has finished on the lead lap in each of his 10 Cup starts at Indy.
100Happy 100th birthday to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The first race at the track was a motorcycle race on Aug. 14, 1909. The first automobile race was Aug. 19-21, 1909.
200Kasey Kahne will make his 200th career start Sunday at Indianapolis. It's been feast or famine for Kahne at Indy. In five races he has a second, fourth and seventh but also a 36th and 40th.
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Sprint Cup Series
Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Tony Stewart | 2,884 | -- |
| 2. | -- | Jeff Gordon | 2,709 | -175 |
| 3. | -- | Jimmie Johnson | 2,672 | -212 |
| 4. | -- | Kurt Busch | 2,526 | -358 |
| 5. | +1 | Denny Hamlin | 2,457 | -427 |
| 6. | -1 | Carl Edwards | 2,438 | -446 |
| 7. | -- | Ryan Newman | 2,385 | -499 |
| 8. | +4 | Kasey Kahne | 2,336 | -548 |
| 9. | +2 | Juan Montoya | 2,321 | -563 |
| 10. | -2 | Kyle Busch | 2,298 | -586 |
| 11. | +2 | Mark Martin | 2,296 | -588 |
| 12. | -2 | Matt Kenseth | 2,295 | -589 |
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