Racing Insights Power Index: Ranking 2019 title contenders by stats

Through 35 points-paying races, 12 driver eliminations and three competitive and combative rounds in the NASCAR Playoffs, the Championship 4 has been set. The only thing left to do: determine the champion. NASCAR.com partnered with Racing Insights to take a deep statistical look at Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. Using data only, all four drivers have been ranked in 16 categories, then given a point value for each (1 point for first place, 2 points for second, etc.). Totals were then added up to see who was the favorite. Scroll through to see who sits atop the Racing Insights Power Index.

Best on 1.5-mile tracks: Kevin Harvick

Give this one to Harvick, who outranks the competition with the most career wins (16) and second-place finishes (18) on this track type.

2. Kyle Busch, 3. Martin Truex Jr., 4. Denny Hamlin

Best on 1.5-mile tracks in 2019: Martin Truex Jr.

Truex and Hamlin are tied in wins (two), but Truex's average finish (8.3) gives him the nod.

2. Denny Hamlin, 3. Kevin Harvick, 4. Kyle Busch

Best average finish on 1.5-mile tracks in 2019: Martin Truex Jr.

This looks at just one data point, which Truex (8.3) takes slightly over Harvick (8.7).

2. Kevin Harvick, 3. Kyle Busch, 4. Denny Hamlin

Best at Homestead-Miami Speedway: Kevin Harvick

Hamlin has the most wins (two), but Harvick leads clearly in top-five finishes (10) and average finish (6.6).

2. Denny Hamlin, 3. Martin Truex Jr., 4. Kyle Busch

Best in the 2019 playoffs: Martin Truex Jr.

Truex opened the postseason with consecutive wins and has stayed hot.

2. Denny Hamlin, 3. Kevin Harvick, 4. Kyle Busch

Best in the 2019 season: Martin Truex Jr.

Taking a look at all of the components of a successful season, Truex earns top billing.

2. Denny Hamlin, 3. Kevin Harvick, 4. Kyle Busch

Best pit crew in the 2019 playoffs: Kyle Busch

The average four-tire stop for the No. 18 team ranks No. 1 here with a time of 13.718 seconds in nine postseason races. It's the only sub-14-second average among the Championship 4 teams.

2. Martin Truex Jr., 3. Denny Hamlin, 4. Kevin Harvick

Best pit crew in the 2019 season: Kyle Busch

No matter the time of year, the No. 18 team has consistently been the fastest on pit road.

2. Kevin Harvick, 3. Martin Truex Jr., 4. Denny Hamlin

Best driver-crew chief pairing: Kyle Busch

A winning percentage of 16.0 -- plus a championship together -- is enough to put Busch and Adam Stevens first.

2. Kevin Harvick (Rodney Childers), 3. Martin Truex Jr. (Cole Pearn), 4. Denny Hamlin (Chris Gabehart)

Fewest pit-road mistakes: Kevin Harvick

Don't count on the driver of the No. 4 Ford, or his team, to mess up.

2. Martin Truex Jr., 3. Kyle Busch, 4. Denny Hamlin

Most career wins: Kyle Busch

"Rowdy" has this one, whether the number takes into account just Cup Series wins (55) or national series wins (207).

2. Kevin Harvick, 3. Denny Hamlin, 4. Martin Truex Jr.

Best head-to-head matchups: Martin Truex Jr.

Truex finished first among the Championship 4 drivers in 12 of 35 races so far this season.

2. Kyle Busch, 3. Denny Hamlin, 4. Kevin Harvick

Championship experience: Kevin Harvick

Harvick and Busch are tied with five Championship 4 appearances and one title in six years, but Harvick takes this category slightly given his average finish in the standings is slightly higher than Busch when neither won the title in this format.

2. Kyle Busch, 3. Martin Truex Jr., 4. Denny Hamlin

Best team: Martin Truex Jr.

OK, so this one is an educated opinion. The experts at Racing Insights, who closely monitor every race of the season, voted the No. 19 group No. 1.

2. Kevin Harvick, 3. Kyle Busch, 4. Denny Hamlin

Best average running position in 2019: Kyle Busch

A single stat that indicates which driver most consistently runs toward the front of the field.

2. Kevin Harvick, 3. Martin Truex Jr., 4. Denny Hamlin

Best average starting position in 2019: Kevin Harvick

Harvick leads the series at 8.7, the only driver in single digits.

2. Denny Hamlin, 3. Kyle Busch, 4. Martin Truex Jr.

4. Denny Hamlin: 51 points

Strengths: Not first in any category, Hamlin ranks second in performance centered more on this season alone. He clearly has momentum, which isn't measured by data in this exercise.

Weaknesses: Championship experience is a pitfall here, as is overall performance on pit road.

3. Kyle Busch: 39 points

Strengths: Both driver and team are the best on pit road. A late caution would bode well for Busch.

Weaknesses: Busch ranks last among the four in performance in both the playoffs this year and his overall Miami results.

2. Martin Truex Jr.: 36 points

Strengths: Truex is top in several key categories, namely his results throughout the 2019 playoffs and his strength on 1.5-mile tracks.

Weaknesses: Not many, but all-time performance at Miami and average start this year are soft spots.

1. Kevin Harvick: 34 points

Strengths: Racing Insights' favorite by the numbers, Harvick is the best of the bunch at Miami, very good on pit road and has the most career success on 1.5-mile tracks.

Weaknesses: The biggest pitfall here is head-to-head performance. Harvick ranked last here, finishing ahead of the other three drivers in just six races so far this year.