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Brian Vickers has yet to finish in the top 10 at Bristol Motor Speedway.By the Numbers: Bristol
Vickers wants to stay hot, Bristol not his best track
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Three races remain until the Chase field is set and the only thing certain is uncertainty.
No one would have predicted Brian Vickers would gain 115 points after 400 miles at Michigan but that's exactly what happened, as he now sits 13th in points, just 12 points behind Mark Martin heading into Saturday's running of the Sharpie 500 (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Vickers has done exactly what he has needed to put himself in Chase contention. In the last six races, he's finished in the top seven in five of them with his worst finish an 11th at Watkins Glen. In that stretch, only Tony Stewart has scored more points than Vickers as Vickers has gained almost 200 points on Martin.
This is the closest Vickers has been to making the Chase in his five-year career. In 2008 he was 15th in points after Michigan. In 2007 he was 39th and didn't qualify for nine races. The '06 season saw Vickers 15th in points after race No. 23. In 2005 Vickers was 18th and in 2004 Vickers was ranked 24th.
DID YOU KNOW?
55On Saturday, Bristol will have sold out 55 consecutive Cup races, a streak that dates back to August 1982. In that race, 30,000 were on hand -- Saturday night, 160,000 will watch the Sharpie 500.
CHASING THE CHASE
10. Greg BiffleBiffle is winless at Bristol in 13 starts but is one of the better finishers at the track with an average finish of 12.1. Biffle has four top-fives, seven top-10s and just one DNF, however it came in this year's spring race.
11. Matt KensethFrom 2002 to 2007, Kenseth was one of the most dominant drivers at the .533-mile bullring, but the last five races have seen the No. 17 struggle big time. In his career, Kenseth has two wins, seven top-fives and 11 top-10s in 19 starts, but in the last five races he has an average finish of 20.4 with just two top-10s.
12. Mark MartinIn the '80s and '90s there weren't too many better than Martin at Bristol. In 41 starts he has two wins, 15 top-fives and 22 top-10s but in the 21st century Martin has lost his magic. In 15 Bristol races since 2000, Martin has no wins, one top-five, three top-10s and an average finish of 20.8. On the bright side, in two of his last three starts he's finished sixth.
13. Brian VickersBristol is not one of Vickers' favorite tracks. In 10 starts, he is winless and in fact, has yet to finish in the top 10. Vickers' best finish is 12th in 2005. In all, he has just two finishes of 15th or better and four finishes of 30th or worse.
14. Clint BowyerBowyer has been one of the strongest recently at Bristol. In the last four races he has scored the third-most points thanks to two thirds, a seventh and a 13th. In seven starts Bowyer has an average finish of 14.4 and has finished in the top 15 in the last five Bristol races.
15. Kyle BuschIn the last four races, Busch has been the best at Bristol with 635 points. In that time he has a victory, a second, a ninth and a 17th. Busch's average finish of 11.2 is second among active drivers and he has two wins, four top-fives and six top-10s. Busch has led 793 of the 1,003 laps run the last two races and has led at least a lap in the last seven Bristol races.
NECESSITOUS NUMBERS
0No driver with at least three starts at Bristol averages a top-10 finish. Kevin Harvick has the best average finish among active drivers with multiple starts at 10.8.
2Two drivers can clinch a spot in the Chase at Bristol: Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Tony Stewart locked himself into the Chase at Michigan.
4Last year's fall race saw only four lead changes, the fourth-fewest in 97 Bristol Cup races.
5Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon have the most wins at Bristol among active drivers with five a piece. Gordon's last win came in the 2002 fall race while Busch's last victory came in the 2006 spring race.
6In six of the last eight years, a Busch has gone to Victory Lane at Bristol. Kurt won the spring race in 2002, swept both races in 2003, and won the spring race in 2004 and 2006. Kyle won his first Bristol race in the 2007 spring race and won again in this year's spring race.
9Cale Yarborough has nine poles at Bristol, most all-time in the Cup Series at the track. If Mark Martin can win the pole for Saturday's race, he will equal Yarborough's feat. Martin won his eighth pole at the track in the spring race this year.
22Twenty-two times the winner at Bristol has started on the pole, the most-productive starting position. Carl Edwards is the most recent to do it in the 2008 fall race but in the last five races, twice the race has been won from outside the top 10 (Kyle Busch: 2007, 2009).
1,000Congratulations to Mark Martin who will make his 1,000th NASCAR start Saturday night at Bristol. The race will be Martin's 746th in the Cup Series to go along with 231 in the Nationwide Series and 23 in the Truck Series.
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Bristol Motor Speedway
Drivers with multiple wins at track
| Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-fives | Top-10s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darrell Waltrip | 52 | 12 | 26 | 32 |
| Rusty Wallace | 44 | 9 | 22 | 29 |
| Cale Yarborough | 29 | 9 | 16 | 16 |
| Dale Earnhardt | 43 | 9 | 20 | 30 |
| Kurt Busch | 17 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| David Pearson | 20 | 5 | 8 | 10 |
| Jeff Gordon | 33 | 5 | 14 | 20 |
| Bobby Allison | 44 | 4 | 23 | 28 |
| Fred Lorenzen | 12 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Richard Petty | 60 | 3 | 26 | 37 |
| Alan Kulwicki | 14 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Terry Labonte | 55 | 2 | 19 | 33 |
| Matt Kenseth | 19 | 2 | 7 | 11 |
| Carl Edwards | 10 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Mark Martin | 41 | 2 | 15 | 22 |
| Kyle Busch | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
• Bold: Active Drivers
Sprint Cup Series
Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Tony Stewart | 3,500 | -- |
| 2. | +1 | Jeff Gordon | 3,216 | -284 |
| 3. | -1 | Jimmie Johnson | 3,197 | -303 |
| 4. | +2 | Carl Edwards | 2,995 | -505 |
| 5. | -- | Denny Hamlin | 2,986 | -514 |
| 6. | -2 | Kurt Busch | 2,957 | -543 |
| 7. | -- | Juan Montoya | 2,887 | -613 |
| 8. | -- | Kasey Kahne | 2,884 | -616 |
| 9. | -- | Ryan Newman | 2,845 | -655 |
| 10. | -- | Greg Biffle | 2,821 | -679 |
| 11. | +1 | Matt Kenseth | 2,811 | -689 |
| 12. | -1 | Mark Martin | 2,791 | -709 |
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