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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Statistical Advance: Analyzing Auto Club 400

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California going into the Auto Club 400 on FOX at 3:30 p.m. ET on March 26.

AUTO CLUB-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

Clint Bowyer (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion)
·        Two top fives, seven top 10s
·        Average finish of 14.313, seventh-best
·        Average Running Position of 13.798, seventh-best
·        Driver Rating of 88.3, ninth-best
·        75 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.321, ninth-fastest
·        1976 Laps in the Top 15 (54.9), 10th-most
·        627 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
·        Three wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
·        Average finish of 10.176, third-best
·        Average Running Position of 8.929, third-best
·        Driver Rating of 109.0, second-best
·        255 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 172.001, third-fastest
·        3180 Laps in the Top 15 (81.6), fourth-most
·        872 Quality Passes, series-most

 Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion)
·        One win, seven top fives, 12 top 10s; four poles
·        Average finish of 12.944, sixth-best
·        Average Running Position of 15.032, eighth-best
·        Driver Rating of 90.0, seventh-best
·        148 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.392, seventh-fastest
·        2610 Laps in the Top 15 (63.6), seventh-most
·        788 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)
·        Five top fives, seven top 10s
·        Average finish of 18.722, 12th-best
·        Average Running Position of 18.897, 13th-best
·        Driver Rating of 79.4, 12th-best
·        114 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.294, 11th-fastest
·        1824 Laps in the Top 15 (44.4), 13th-most
·        676 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Chase Elliott (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)
·        One top 10
·        Average finish of 6.000, series-best
·        Average Running Position of 7.498, second-best
·        Driver Rating of 105.1, third-best
·        5 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 172.187, second-fastest
·        201 Laps in the Top 15 (98.0), series-most
·        76 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
·        Two top fives, five top 10s; three poles
·        Average finish of 18.533, 11th-best
·        Average Running Position of 13.377, sixth-best
·        Driver Rating of 92.3, sixth-best
·        76 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.616, sixth-fastest
·        2244 Laps in the Top 15 (66.1), sixth-most
·        641 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion)
·        One win, six top fives, 11 top 10s
·        Average finish of 12.333, fifth-best
·        Average Running Position of 11.398, fifth-best
·        Driver Rating of 99.4, fifth-best
·        221 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.885, fifth-fastest
·        3061 Laps in the Top 15 (74.6), fifth-most
·        814 Quality Passes, third-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)
·        Six wins, 13 top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
·        Average finish of 6.111, second-best
·        Average Running Position of 6.040, series-best
·        Driver Rating of 119.7, series-best
·        528 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 172.520, series-fastest
·        3824 Laps in the Top 15 (93.2), second-most
·        870 Quality Passes, second-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)
·        One win, four top fives, ten top 10s; one pole
·        Average finish of 17.667, 10th-best
·        Average Running Position of 16.134, 11th-best
·        Driver Rating of 88.6, eighth-best
·        113 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.304, 10th-fastest
·        2424 Laps in the Top 15 (59.1), eighth-most
·        787 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
·        Three wins, nine top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
·        Average finish of 10.611, fourth-best
·        Average Running Position of 9.129, fourth-best
·        Driver Rating of 105.0, fourth-best
·        160 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.920, fourth-fastest
·        3396 Laps in the Top 15 (82.7), third-most
·        788 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion)
·        One win, one top five, two top 10s
·        Average finish of 18.750, 13th-best
·        Average Running Position of 16.098, 10th-best
·        Driver Rating of 79.2, 13th-best
·        27 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.122, 12th-fastest
·        781 Laps in the Top 15 (48.8), 12th-most
·        293 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford Fusion)
·        Three top fives, four top 10s
·        Average finish of 15.800, eighth-best
·        Average Running Position of 16.539, 12th-best
·        Driver Rating of 84.0, 10th-best
·        41 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.346, eighth-fastest
·        1034 Laps in the Top 15 (49.3), 11th-most
·        373 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Ryan Newman (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet SS)
·        Five top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
·        Average finish of 16.778, ninth-best
·        Average Running Position of 15.891, ninth-best
·        Driver Rating of 82.1, 11th-best
·        24 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
·        Average Green Flag Speed of 171.084, 13th-fastest
·        2264 Laps in the Top 15 (55.2), ninth-most
·        743 Quality Passes, seventh-most


The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2017 Top 16 At Auto Club Speedway
Rank
Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
 
 
1
Kyle Larson
3
0
0
1
1
1
22.3
67.3
 
2
Brad Keselowski
8
0
1
1
2
0
18.8
79.2
 
3
Chase Elliott
1
0
0
0
1
0
6
105.1
 
4
Martin Truex Jr
16
0
0
0
4
2
20.1
78.4
 
5
Joey Logano
10
0
0
3
4
0
15.8
84.0
 
6
Ryan Blaney
1
0
0
0
0
1
35
67.7
 
7
Kevin Harvick
23
0
1
6
11
2
15.1
99.4
 
8
Jamie McMurray
21
2
0
3
7
0
17
71.9
 
9
Kurt Busch
23
4
1
7
12
0
12.3
90.0
 
10
Kasey Kahne
20
1
1
4
10
3
16.6
88.6
 
11
Ryan Newman
22
1
0
5
9
3
16.6
82.1
 
12
Trevor Bayne
3
0
0
0
0
0
26.3
54.5
 
13
Kyle Busch
18
1
3
8
12
1
10.9
109.0
 
14
Denny Hamlin
15
3
0
2
5
3
18.5
92.3
 
15
Clint Bowyer
16
0
0
2
7
1
14.3
88.3
 
* – Based on last 18 races at Auto Club Speedway (2005 – 2016).



2017 Stage Winners / Drivers with Playoff Points
Track
Stage 1 Winner
Stage 2 Winner
Race Winner
 
Playoff Points Following Race #4
Daytona
Kyle Busch
Kevin Harvick
Kurt Busch
 
Drivers
Playoff Points
Atlanta
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
Brad Keselowski
 
Martin Truex Jr
7
Las Vegas
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
 
Kurt Busch
5
Phoenix
Joey Logano 
Chase Elliott 
Ryan Newman 
 
Brad Keselowski
5
Auto Club
       
Ryan Newman
5
Martinsville



 
Kevin Harvick
3
Texas
       
Joey Logano
1
Bristol



 
Chase Elliott
1
Richmond
           
Talladega



 




Auto Club Speedway Data
Season Race #: 5 of 36 (03-26-17)
Track Size: 2-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 14 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 14 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 11 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 3 degrees
Frontstretch Length:  3,100 feet
Backstretch Length:  2,500 feet
Race Length: 200 laps / 400 miles
Stage 1 & 2 Length: 50 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 100 laps

Top 10 Driver Rating at Auto Club
Jimmie Johnson........................ 119.7
Kyle Busch............................... 109.0
Chase Elliott............................. 105.1
Matt Kenseth............................ 105.0
Kevin Harvick............................. 99.4
Denny Hamlin............................. 92.3
Kurt Busch................................. 90.0
Kasey Kahne.............................. 88.6
Clint Bowyer............................... 88.3
Joey Logano............................... 84.0
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2016 races (18 total) among active drivers at Auto Club Speedway

Qualifying/Race Data
2016 pole winner:
Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
188.482 mph, 38.200 secs. 03-18-16

2016 race winner:
Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
137.213 mph, (2:59:17), 03-20-16

Track qualifying record:
Denny Hamlin, Toyota
188.511 mph, 38.194 secs. 03-18-16

Track race record:
Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 155.012 mph (3:13:32); 6-22-97

At Auto Club Speedway:
History
·        Groundbreaking for California Speedway, as Auto Club Speedway was originally known, took place in November 1995.
·        The first race at Auto Club Speedway was a NASCAR K&N Pro Series, West race won by Ken Schrader on June 21, 1997.
·        The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was held on June 22, 1997 and won by Jeff Gordon.
·        September 2004 was the first night race at Auto Club Speedway and that also was the first year both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and NASCAR XFINITY Series ran two races in a season there.
·        The track name was changed to Auto Club Speedway (ACS) in February of 2008.
Starts
·        There have been 27 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Auto Club Speedway, the track hosted one race a season from 1997-2003, then two races per season from 2004-2010. In 2011, Auto Club Speedway returned to a single-race season.
·        144 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway; 118 in more than one.
·        Jeff Gordon leads the series in starts at Auto Club Speedway with 26.
·        Dale Earnhardt Jr and Matt Kenseth lead all active drivers in starts at Auto Club Speedway with 24 each.
·        Chris Buescher (2015), Kevin Conway (2010), J.J. Yeley (2004), Shane Hmiel (2004), Greg Biffle (2002) and Mike Dillon (1998) all made their first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career start at Auto Club Speedway.
·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in average starting position at Auto Club Speedway with a 9.909

Poles
·        Joe Nemechek won the inaugural MENCS Coors Light pole (1997) at Auto Club Speedway with a speed of 183.015 mph (39.341 secs.).
·        17 drivers have won the Coors Light pole at Auto Club Speedway, led by Kurt Busch with four (2015, 2007 and 2006 sweep).
·        Denny Hamlin (2012, 2013), Kurt Busch (2006 sweep) and Jamie McMurray (2010 sweep) are the only three drivers to win consecutive poles at Auto Club Speedway.
·        Youngest ACS pole winner: Kyle Busch (2/27/2005 – 19 years, 9 months, 25 days).
·        Oldest ACS pole winner: Mike Skinner (4/30/2000 – 42 years, 10 months, 2 days).
·        Three drivers have posted their first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light pole at Auto Club Speedway: Carl Edwards (9/4/2005), Kyle Busch (2/27/2005) and Joe Nemechek (6/22/1997).
·        Kyle Busch won his first pole (2/27/05) and first series win (9/4/05) at ACS in 2005.

Wins
·        15 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Auto Club Speedway, led by Jimmie Johnson with six victories (2016, 2010 spring, 2009 fall, 2008 fall, 2007 fall and 2002).
·        Five drivers have posted multiple Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins at Auto Club Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (six), Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth each have three wins, Tony Stewart has two.
·        Jimmie Johnson (2009-2010) and Kyle Busch (2013-2014) are the only two drivers to win consecutive MENCS races at Auto Club Speedway.
·        Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Auto Club Speedway with 10, followed by Roush Fenway Racing with seven and Stewart Haas Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske each have two.
·        California-native Jimmie Johnson became the first and only driver to win from the pole at Auto Club Speedway in 2008 (0.04%).
·        Only two of the 27 (7.4%) ACS races have been won from the front row, both by seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, fall of 2008 (pole); and the fall of 2007 (second-place).
·        Nine of the 27 (33.3%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Auto Club Speedway have been won from a top-five starting position.
·        14 of the 27 (51.8%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Auto Club Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.
·        Seven of the 27 (25.9%) races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started is 31st, by Matt Kenseth in the spring of 2006.
·        The most proficient starting position at ACS is pretty random. Three starting positions (third, ninth and 24th) have produced three winners each.

Wins
·        Youngest ACS winner: Kyle Busch (09/04/2005 – 20 years, 4 months, 2 days).
·        Oldest ACS winner: Rusty Wallace (04/29/2001 – 44 years, 8 months, 15 days).
·        Jimmie Johnson (2002) and Kyle Busch (2005) posted their first series career win at Auto Club Speedway.   
·        13 of the 15 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers who have won at Auto Club Speedway participated in at least two or more races at the track before visiting Victory Lane.
o   Jeff Gordon (1997 – inaugural event) and Jimmie Johnson (2002) are the only drivers to win at ACS in their first appearance.
·        Tony Stewart competed at Auto Club Speedway 18 times before winning in the fall of 2010; the longest span of any the 15 winners. Only Stewart (18) and Kevin Harvick (17) have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Auto Club Speedway.
·        Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads all active drivers with the most Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Auto Club Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 24.
·        Three reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champions have gone on to win at Auto Club Speedway the following season: Tony Stewart (2012), Jeff Gordon (1999) and Jimmie Johnson - the only driver to do it multiple times (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010).
·        Two drivers have won at Auto Club Speedway and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship in the same season: Jeff Gordon (1997) and Jimmie Johnson (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2016).
·        Only three car numbers have produced three or more Auto Club Speedway MENCS wins:
Car Number – Drivers – (Years)
o   No. 48  – Jimmie Johnson (2002, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2016)
o   No. 17 – Matt Kenseth (2006, 2007 and 2009)
o   No. 24 – Jeff Gordon (1997, 1999 and 2004)

Additional Finishing Position
·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in runner-up finishes at Auto Club Speedway with five; followed by Jeff Gordon with four and Kevin Harvick with three. Johnson has finished second or better in 11 of his 22 ACS starts (50%).
·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-five finishes at Auto Club Speedway with 13; followed by Jeff Gordon (10), Matt Kenseth (nine), Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch (eight each).
·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-10 finishes with 16; followed by Matt Kenseth (15), Carl Edwards (15) and Tony Stewart (13).

Additional Finishing Position
·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in average finishing position at ACS with a 6.500.
·        Jimmie Johnson (6.5) is the only active driver with more than one start with an average finish inside the top 10 at Auto Club Speedway.  

Track / Specific Event
·        There have been five finishes at Auto Club Speedway resulting in NASCAR Overtime: 2005 (250/254), 2006 (250/251), 2014 (200/206), 2015 (200/209), and 2016 (200/205).
·        Since the advent of electronic scoring (1993) the closest margin of victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Auto Club Speedway was the March 27, 2011 race won by Kevin Harvick with a MOV of 0.144 second over Jimmie Johnson.
·        The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race at ACS has only been postponed to another date due to weather once – the 2008 February race – Scheduled date: 2/24/08; Actual Date: 2/25/08.
·        Coors Light Pole Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather at ACS twice - 1999 and 2008 (spring) races.

Female Competitors
·        Two female drivers have competed at Auto Club Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Shawna Robinson and Danica Patrick.
·        **Note: Robinson first attempted to qualify for a race at ACS on 4/29/2001 but failed to make the event.
Female Competitor MENCS Performances: Auto Club Speedway
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Season
Driver Rating
Danica Patrick
31
38
2016
51.8
Danica Patrick
22
19
2015
71.1
Danica Patrick
27
14
2014
63.9
Danica Patrick
40
26
2013
44.2
Averages
30.0
24.3
 
57.8
         
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Season
Driver Rating
Shawna Robinson
43
42
2002
N/A


NASCAR in California
·        There has been a total of 195 NASCAR national series races among 17 different tracks in the state of California.

Track Name
City
Total Races
Monster Energy
XFINITY
Camping World
Auto Club Speedway
Fontana
67
27
27
13
Riverside International Raceway
Riverside
48
48
0
0
Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma
32
28
0
4
Mesa Marin Raceway
Bakersfield
9
0
0
9
Ontario Motor Speedway
Ontario
9
9
0
0
California State Fairgrounds
Sacramento
6
6
0
0
Carrell Speedway
Gardena
4
4
0
0
Ascot Stadium
Los Angeles
3
3
0
0
Bay Meadows Race Track
San Mateo
3
3
0
0
Marchbanks Speedway
Hanford
3
3
0
0
Oakland Stadium
Oakland
3
3
0
0
Redwood Speedway
Eureka
2
2
0
0
Willow Springs Speedway
Lancaster
2
2
0
0
Capitol Speedway
Sacramento
1
1
0
0
Merced Fairgrounds
Merced
1
1
0
0
Santa Clara Fairgrounds
San Jose
1
1
0
0
Saugus Speedway
Saugus
1
0
0
1
Totals

195
141
27
27

·        The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held in California was at Carrell Speedway on April 8, 1951; the event was won by Marshall Teague.
·        437 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as California.
·        40 drivers with their home state recorded as California have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series.
·        26 of the 40 Californian drivers have won in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series; led by Jeff Gordon with 93 wins.  

California Drivers With Wins In NASCAR:
Driver
Monster Energy
XFINITY
Camping World
Jeff Gordon
93
5
0
Jimmie Johnson
80
1
0
Kevin Harvick
35
46
14
Marvin Panch
17
0
0
Ernie Irvan
15
3
0
Dick Rathmann
13
0
0
Dan Gurney
5
0
0
Eddie Gray
4
0
0
Parnelli Jones
4
0
0
Eddie Pagan
4
0
0
Robby Gordon
3
1
0
Ray Elder
2
0
0
Danny Letner
2
0
0
Marvin Porter
2
0
0
AJ Allmendinger
1
2
0
Dick Brooks
1
0
0
Marvin Burke
1
0
0
Jim Cook
1
0
0
Lou Figaro
1
0
0
Danny Graves
1
0
0
Kyle Larson
1
5
2
Johnny Mantz
1
0
0
Casey Mears
1
1
0
Bill Norton
1
0
0
John Soares
1
0
0
Danny Weinberg
1
0
0
Ron Hornaday Jr
0
4
51
Jason Leffler
0
2
1
Ryan Reed
0
2
0
David Gilliland
0
1
0
Justin Marks
0
1
0
Joe Ruttman
0
1
13
Boris Said
0
1
1
Mike Skinner
0
1
28
Matt Crafton
0
0
13
Tyler Reddick
0
0
3
Cole Custer
0
0
2
Justin Lofton
0
0
1
Scott Speed
0
0
1
Brandon Whitt
0
0
1



Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Milestones
Drivers
Has
Needs
Milestones
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
599
1
Attempt to make his 600th MENCS career start (25th all-time)
Jimmie Johnson
80
3
Tie Cale Yarborough for sixth on MENCS all-time wins list
Kyle Busch
38
1
Tie Tim Flock for 18th on all-time MENCS wins list
Matt Kenseth
38
1
Tie Tim Flock for 18th on all-time MENCS wins list
Kevin Harvick
35
2
Tie Bobby Isaac for 21st on MENCS all-time wins list
Kurt Busch
29
3
Tie Dale Jarrett for 24th on all-time MENCS wins list
Denny Hamlin
29
3
Tie Dale Jarrett for 24th on all-time MENCS wins list
Ryan Newman
51
3
To tie Bill Elliott for eighth on the all-time MENCS poles list
Jimmie Johnson
35
1
Tie Rusty Wallace and Rex White for 17th on all-time MENCS poles list
Kasey Kahne
27
1
Break the tie with Terry Labonte to become solely 25th on all-time MENCS poles list
Denny Hamlin
24
1
Break the tie with Alan Kulwicki to become solely 28th on all-time MENCS poles list
Kevin Harvick
48
1
Break the tie with Lee Petty and become solely 10th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Jimmie Johnson
46
2
Tie Lee Petty and Kevin Harvick for 10th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Kyle Busch
36
1
Tie Bobby Isaac and Ned Jarrett for 17th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Matt Kenseth
29
1
Tie Ricky Rudd for 25th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Matt Kenseth
172
3
Tie Bill Elliott for 19th on all-time MENCS top-five finishes list
Dale Earnhardt Jr
148
2
To become the 23rd driver to post 150th MENCS top-five finishes
Kyle Busch
148
2
To become the 23rd driver to post 150th MENCS top-five finishes
Jimmie Johnson
331
1
Tie Lee Petty for 12th on the MENCS all-time top-10 finishes list
Kurt Busch
8,863
137
To become 20th MENCS driver all-time to lead 9,000 or more laps
Brad Keselowski
4,944
56
To become 39th MENCS driver all-time to lead 5,000 or more laps
Ryan Newman
4,711
289
To become 39th MENCS driver all-time to lead 5,000 or more laps
       
Track Specific Milestones
Drivers
Has
Needs
Milestones
Jimmie Johnson
980
20
To become the first MENCS driver to lead 1,000 or more laps at Auto Club Speedway. ACS will become the fifth different track Johnson has led 1,000 or more laps at; joining Dover (3,093); Martinsville (2,838); Charlotte (1,895) and Texas (1,023).
Kyle Busch
3
1
Break the tie with Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth to become solely second on the all-time MENCS wins list Auto Club Speedway
Matt Kenseth
3
1
Break the tie with Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth to become solely second on the all-time MENCS wins list Auto Club Speedway
Matt Kenseth
9
1
Tie Jeff Gordon (10) for second on the all-time MENCS top-five finishes list at Auto Club Speedway
Kyle Bush
8
1
Tie Matt Kenseth (9) for third on the all-time MENCS top-five finishes list at Auto Club Speedway
Matt Kenseth
15
1
Tie Jimmie Johnson (16) for the series-most top-10 finishes at Auto Club Speedway
Denny Hamlin
3
1
Tie Kurt Busch (4) for the series-most Coors Light poles at Auto Club Speedway.

Additional Possible Milestones:
Kyle Larson posted his third consecutive second-place finish this past weekend at Phoenix. Below are some quick stats to accompany his latest performance. If he finishes second this weekend at Auto Club, he will become the fifth driver in series history to finish runner-up in four consecutive races.
·        Four drivers have finished runner-up four consecutive times in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (breakdown attached in excel file).
o   Mark Martin (1998)
o   Harry Gant (1985)
o   Darrell Waltrip (1983)
o   Richard Petty (1964)
·        No driver has finished runner-up five consecutive races in the MENCS.
·        Larson’s three consecutive second-place finishes is the 25th time in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history a driver has finished runner-up three or more consecutive times.
·        16 different drivers have finished second in the Monster Energy Cup Series three or more consecutive times.
·        Larson is the only driver in series history to accomplish the feat during the first four races of a given season.
·        Herb Thomas, in 1952, was the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver to finish runner-up in three consecutive races.
·        Prior to Larson’s finishes this season, Carl Edwards (2011 playoffs) was the most recent driver to finish runner-up in three consecutive races.
·        Richard Petty leads the series in occurrences of three or more consecutive runner-up finishes in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career with four; David Pearson accomplished the feat the second-most times with three.

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