Fantasy Notebook: Keselowski, Logano, others end seasons with Top-10s

Brad Keselowski was the lowest finishing playoff driver, crossing under the checkered flag seventh in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. At some point in the race every playoff driver was in the position of clinching the championship. Keselowski only led one lap but he ran in second behind Kyle Larson and ahead of his three fellow playoff contenders for a long stay.

Keselowski barely made it into the round of four, Matt Kenseth beating fellow playoff contender Chase Elliott to the line at Phoenix drastically helped the driver of the #2. Keselowski ran a good race by all standards but could not make it back up to the front when it counted. While he fell short of his 2012 championship run, this year was an improvement over 2016 when he was knocked out of the playoffs after the second round.

Logano ends season with Top-10

 Joey Logano advanced 13 positions to finish sixth in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This was his third top-10 finish at Homestead, he came in fourth in 2016 and 2015.

Logano completed the 2017 season without a non-encumbered win. In what was a shaky season for the once playoff contender, Logano finished on a three race top-15 streak. The #22 Penske team will have to use the off-season to access the program and see how they can approve and become a championship contender again.

Kenseth ends full-time career with 8th-place run 

The Ford 400 was Matt Kenseth's final race as a full-time NASCAR driver. His eighth place finish was his seventh top-10 at the track in his last eight attempts making him the second best finishing current driver behind Kyle Busch.

After not advancing to the round of eight, Kenseth has recorded a win, two top-fives and three top-10 proving that there was still a lot of racing left outside of the playoff structure. Kenseth was among the two oldest drivers; the other being also retiring Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the field this season but his age did not show fatigue but instead experience. Kenseth was one of the few drivers to make it into the playoffs on points without a win. Clearly, that was not enough for the NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, Kenseth put the cherry on top his final season by winning at Phoenix in the penultimate race last weekend.

Hamlin slips to ninth in finale 

After starting on the pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway Denny Hamlin fell back to a ninth place finish. Martin Truex Jr. started beside Hamlin and would take the lead on the first lap as the #11 driver slowly fell out of contention. This was Hamlin's fifth top-10 in a row at Homestead stretching back to his 2013 win. Hamlin's car improved as the night came and the track cooled during qualifying, leading many to think Hamlin could put himself in the position to battle for the win late.

Last week, Hamlin was close to grabbing the final transfer spot into the round of four before his multiple race rivalry with fellow round of eight contender Chase Elliott ruined his chances when the young driver crashed Hamlin at Phoenix. With all the drama around the final four races, Hamlin will enter the early races of 2018 with a vengeance to prove that he can rise about the drama, that he races clean, and most importantly that he can continue to win.

Newman ends season with Top-10 

Ryan Newman took home his first top-10 since his second place finish at Talladega. Newman advanced 11 positions for his starting spot of 21 to complete the top-10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Newman fell out of playoff contention after the first round and outside of his Talladega finish did not finish better 13th during the playoff run before tonight, which was a sharp fall in finishing position after his four race run of sixth or better in the final four regular season events. This will force the Richard Childress racing to hone in on his 'bull-dog' like personality to try to find early success in 2018.

Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Ford EcoBoost 400

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – Below is a look at the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida going into the Ford EcoBoost 400 on November 19 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

CHAMPIONSHIP 4 Rank Driver Points Leader Next Race Wins Stage Wins 1 Kevin Harvick 5,000 0 0 2 6 2 Kyle Busch 5,000 0 0 5 14 3 Martin Truex Jr. 5,000 0 0 7 19 4 Brad Keselowski 5,000 0 0 3 8 5 Chase Elliott 2,338 -2662 -2662 0 3 6 Denny Hamlin 2,321 -2679 -17 2 4 7 Matt Kenseth 2,311 -2689 -10 1 3 8 Ryan Blaney 2,297 -2703 -14 1 4 9 Kyle Larson 2,266 -2734 -31 4 6 10 Jimmie Johnson 2,250 -2750 -16 3 1 11 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 2,200 -2800 -50 2 0 12 Jamie McMurray 2,200 -2800 0 0 0 13 Austin Dillon 2,198 -2,802 -2 1 0 14 Kasey Kahne 2,194 -2,806 -4 1 0 15 Kurt Busch 2,193 -2,807 -1 1 0 16 Ryan Newman 2,169 -2,831 -24 1 0

HOMESTEAD-MIAMI-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

*Playoff drivers are in Alphabetical Order; Loop Data (2005-2017)

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.9

2017 Rundown

·        Five wins, 13 top fives, 21 top 10s,

·        Led 1980 laps

·        Average Finish of 11.8

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

·        One win, two top fives, five top 10s

·        Average finish of 19.833, 17th-best

·        Average Running Position of 14.003, 10th-best

·        Driver Rating of 96.9, sixth-best

·        194 Fastest Laps Run, series-best

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 161.654, seventh-fastest

·        2215 Laps in the Top 15 (69.1), seventh-most

·        483 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 106.0

2017 Rundown

·        Two wins, 13 top fives, 22 top 10s,

·        Led 850 laps

·        Average Finish of 11.3

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

·        One win, eight top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 6.000, series-best

·        Average Running Position of 8.928, third-best

·        Driver Rating of 106.0, second-best

·        154 Fastest Laps Run, third-best

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 161.753, fourth-fastest

·        2605 Laps in the Top 15 (81.3), fourth-most

·        508 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.5

2017 Rundown

·        Three wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s,

·        Led 777 laps

·        Average Finish of 12.6

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

·        Two top fives, three top 10s

·        Average finish of 15.889, 11th-best

·        Average Running Position of 13.782, ninth-best

·        Driver Rating of 88.5, ninth-best

·        62 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 161.422, ninth-fastest

·        1533 Laps in the Top 15 (63.8), 10th-most

·        354 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Martin Truex Jr (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.8

2017 Rundown

·        Seven wins, 18 top fives, 25 top 10s,

·        Led 2175 laps

·        Average Finish of 9.7

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

·        Three top fives, seven top 10s

·        Average finish of 10.545, fourth-best

·        Average Running Position of 9.638, fourth-best

·        Driver Rating of 101.8, third-best

·        174 Fastest Laps Run, second-best

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 161.706, fifth-fastest

·        2427 Laps in the Top 15 (82.6), third-most

·        640 Quality Passes, series-most

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Fast Facts: Homestead-Miami

·        Homestead-Miami Speedway has participated in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs as the season finale since its inception in 2004. This season the track will host its 14th Playoff event.  

·       Eight tracks have hosted Playoff races all 13 previous years – New Hampshire, Dover, Charlotte, Kansas, Talladega, Martinsville, Phoenix and Homestead-Miami.

Homestead Playoff Race Winners Winners Playoff Wins Greg Biffle 3 Carl Edwards 2 Denny Hamlin 2 Jeff Gordon 1 Jimmie Johnson 1 Kevin Harvick 1 Kyle Busch 1 Matt Kenseth 1 Tony Stewart 1

·        Nine different drivers have won the Homestead-Miami Speedway Playoff races, led by Greg Biffle with three victories (2004 – 2006).

·        Four times the winner of the Homestead-Miami Speedway Playoff race has gone on to win the championship during the Playoff era (2004-Present):

o   In 2011, Tony Stewart won from the 15th starting position at Homestead, and as a result secured his third-career MENCS championship.

o   In 2014, Kevin Harvick won from the fifth starting position at Homestead in the first year of the Elimination-Style format of the Playoffs, and as a result won his first MENCS title.   

o   In 2015, Kyle Busch won from the third starting position at Homestead in the second year of the Elimination-Style format of the Playoffs, and as a result won his first MENCS championship.  

o   In 2016, Jimmie Johnson won from the 14th starting position at Homestead in the third year of the Elimination-Style format of the Playoffs, and as a result he tied NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the series-most titles with seven.  

·        The worst finish in a Playoff race by the eventual series champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway is 15th (three times), Tony Stewart in 2005, Jimmie Johnson in 2008 and Brad Keselowski in 2012. 

·        Playoff contenders have won 10 of the 13 (75%) previous Playoff races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Two non-Playoff drivers have won the Homestead-Miami Playoff race: Greg Biffle (2004 and 2006) and Denny Hamlin (2013).      

·        Roush Fenway Racing leads the series in Playoff race wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway with six, including five consecutive: Greg Biffle (2004 – 2006), Matt Kenseth (2007) and Carl Edwards (2008).    

·        Three manufacturers have won the Playoff race at Homestead, led by Ford with six; followed by Chevrolet with four and Toyota with three.  

·        The most dominant performance by a Playoff race winner at Homestead-Miami Speedway was Carl Edward’s victory in 2010. He posted a Perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 and led 190 of the 267 laps (71.1% of his laps completed) – the most by a Playoff race winner at Homestead.

·        Championship 4 Performances at Homestead-Miami Speedway:

2014 Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Driver	Start	Finish	Laps Led	Laps Comp	Driver Rating	Finishing Type	Pts Pos	Crew Chief	Organization
Kevin Harvick	5	1	54	267	132.7	Running	1	Rodney Childers	Stewart-Haas Racing
Ryan Newman	21	2	0	267	108.2	Running	2	Lucas Lambert	Richard Childress Racing
Denny Hamlin	8	7	50	267	118.7	Running	3	Darian Grubb	Joe Gibbs Racing
Joey Logano	9	16	0	267	105.1	Running	4	Todd Gordon	Team Penske
2015 Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Driver	Start	Finish	Laps Led	Laps Comp	Driver Rating	Finishing Type	Pts Pos	Crew Chief	Organization
Kyle Busch	3	1	41	267	136.0	Running	1	Adam Stevens	Joe Gibbs Racing
Kevin Harvick	13	2	46	267	122.1	Running	2	Rodney Childers	Stewart-Haas Racing
Jeff Gordon	5	6	9	267	99.6	Running	3	Alan Gustafson	Hendrick Motorsports
Martin Truex Jr	11	12	3	267	90.5	Running	4	Cole Pearn	Furniture Row Racing
2016 Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Driver	Start	Finish	Laps Led	Laps Comp	Driver Rating	Finishing Type	Pts Pos	Crew Chief	Organization
Jimmie Johnson	14	1	3	268	109.9	Running	1	Chad Knaus	Hendrick Motorsports
Joey Logano	13	4	6	268	114.6	Running	2	Todd Gordon	Team Penske
Kyle Busch	9	6	1	268	112.1	Running	3	Adam Stevens	Joe Gibbs Racing
Carl Edwards	10	34	47	257	110.1	Accident	4	Dave Rogers	Joe Gibbs Racing

2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Championship 4 At Homestead-Miami

Rank	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Kevin Harvick	16	1	1	8	14	0	6.9	106
2	Kyle Busch	12	0	1	2	5	2	19.8	96.9
3	Martin Truex Jr	12	0	0	3	7	2	12.3	101.8
4	Brad Keselowski	9	0	0	2	3	1	15.9	88.5

* – Based on last 12 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2005 – 2016).

Homestead-Miami Speedway Data Season Race #: 36 of 36 (11-19-17) Playoff Race #: 10 Track Size: 1.5-mile Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 18-20 degrees Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 18-20 degrees Banking/Frontstretch: 4 degrees Banking/Backstretch: 4 degrees Frontstretch Length:  1,760 feet Backstretch Length:  1,760 feet Race Length: 267 laps / 400.5 miles Stages 1 & 2 Length: 80 Laps (each) Finale Stage Length: 107 Laps     Top 10 Driver Ratings at Homestead Matt Kenseth............................ 107.7 Kevin Harvick........................... 106.6 Martin Truex Jr......................... 101.8 Kyle Larson.............................. 101.6 Jimmie Johnson.......................... 97.8 Kyle Busch................................. 96.9 Denny Hamlin............................. 95.8 Chase Elliott............................... 95.5 Brad Keselowski......................... 88.5 Joey Logano............................... 87.4 Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2016 races (12 total) among active drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Qualifying/Race Data 2016 pole winner: Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet 177.637 mph, 30.399 secs. 11-18-16 2016 race winner: Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 128.869 mph, (03:07:10), 11-18-16 Track qualifying record: Brad Keselowski, Ford 181.238 mph, 29.795 secs. 11-14-14 Set in Round 1 of 3 Track race record: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 142.245 mph, (2:48:56), 11-18-12

Homestead-Miami Speedway:

History

·        Groundbreaking for Homestead-Miami Dade Motorsports Complex – as the track was originally named – began Aug. 24, 1993.

·        The first race held at Homestead-Miami Speedway was a NASCAR XFINITY Series event on Nov. 5, 1995 – won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett.

·        The original configuration was a four-turn, rectangular oval based on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's layout.

·        The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami was held on Nov. 14, 1999 – won by Tony Stewart (Pontiac).

·        2002 was the first season the Championship Weekend was held at Homestead, with all three of NASCAR’s national series holding their season finale at the same track.

·        Since the inception of the position-based points system in 1975, only four drivers have made up a points deficit in the season finale: Richard Petty in 1979 (made up two points on Darrell Waltrip), Alan Kulwicki in 1992 (made up 30 points on Davey Allison), Jimmie Johnson in 2010 (made up 15 points on Denny Hamlin) and Tony Stewart in 2011 (made up three points on Carl Edwards).

·        There have been 18 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, one per season since 1999.

Starts

·        129 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway; 101 have competed in more than one.

·        Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway with 17 each.

·        Brad Keselowski (nine starts) leads the series in average starting position with a 11.333.   

Poles 

·        A total of 14 different drivers have won a Coors Light Pole Award at Homestead-Miami Speedway, led by Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne with two each.

·        David Green won the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 1999 at a speed of 155.759 mph (34.669 sec.) in a Pontiac.

·        Youngest Homestead-Miami pole winner: Joey Logano (11/18/2012 – 22 years, 5 months, 25 days).

·        Oldest Homestead-Miami pole winner: Bill Elliott (11/11/2001 – 46 years, 1 month, 3 days).

·        Jamie McMurray (November, 2003) and David Reutimann (November, 2008) won their first series career Coors Light poles at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Wins

·        There have been 12 different Monster Energy NASCAR Series race winners at Homestead-Miami Speedway; with four of the 12 having multiple wins.  

·        Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway with three wins each; followed by Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin with two each.

·        Of the four drivers with multiple wins at Homestead, Tony Stewart is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Pontiac (1999, 2000) and Chevrolet (2011).

·        Two drivers have won consecutive races at Homestead-Miami: Tony Stewart (1999 - 2000) and Greg Biffle (2004 – 2006, three straight).

·        Youngest Homestead winner: Kurt Busch (11/17/2002 – 24 years, 3 months, 13 days).

·        Oldest Homestead winner: Bill Elliott (11/11/2001 – 46 years, 1 month, 3 days).

·        Roush Fenway Racing leads the series in wins at Homestead-Miami with seven, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing with six.

·        Two of the 18 (11.1%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole: Bill Elliott (2001) and Kurt Busch (2002).

·        Five of the 18 (27.8%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami have been won from the front row: two from the pole and three from second starting position.

·        12 of the 18 (66.7%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami have been won from a starting position inside the top 10 – most recently – Kyle Busch (third starting position; 2015).

·        Six of the 18 (33.3%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami have been won from a starting position outside the top 10 – most recently – Jimmie Johnson (14th starting position; 2016).

·        Denny Hamlin won the 2009 race from the 38th-place starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started at HMS.

·        Tony Stewart (1999) is the only driver to win at Homestead-Miami in his first appearance.

Additional Finishing Positions

·        A total of 15 different MENCS drivers have finished runner-up at Homestead-Miami Speedway, led by Kevin Harvick with three second-place finishes; followed by Jimmie Johnson with two. 

·        A total of 35 different MENCS drivers have finished in the top-five at Homestead-Miami, led by Kevin Harvick with eight top fives; followed by Jeff Gordon (seven), Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson (with five each).

·        A total of 52 different MENCS drivers have finished in the top-10 at Homestead-Miami, led by Kevin Harvick with 14 top 10s; followed by Jeff Gordon (13), and Jimmie Johnson (11).

·        Kevin Harvick leads the series in average finish position at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 6.938

Track / Event Specific Stats

·      Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway is the November 20, 2005 race won by Greg Biffle with a MOV of 0.017 seconds over second-place Mark Martin.

·        All-time top five MENCS lap leaders at Homestead-Miami Speedway:

Drivers	Laps Led	Laps Completed	% of Laps Led
Carl Edwards	615	3,462	17.8%
Tony Stewart	450	4,452	10.1%
Matt Kenseth	449	4,256	10.5%
Kevin Harvick	315	4,277	7.4%
Kyle Busch	279	2,943	9.5%

·        Qualifying has never been cancelled due to weather conditions at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  

·        None of the 18 series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway have been shortened due to weather.

·        Three of the 18 series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway have ended under NASCAR Overtime:

Date	Scheduled No. Of Laps	Actual No. Of Laps	NASCAR Overtime	Winner	Runner-Up
11/20/2016	267	268	1	Jimmie Johnson	Kyle Larson
11/19/2006	267	268	1	Greg Biffle	Martin Truex Jr
11/21/2004	267	271	4	Greg Biffle	Jimmie Johnson

Female Competitors

·        Danica Patrick became the first and only female driver to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  

Date	Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Driver Rating
11/20/2016	Danica Patrick	30	19	47.7
11/22/2015	Danica Patrick	35	24	64.7
11/16/2014	Danica Patrick	32	18	67.7
11/17/2013	Danica Patrick	24	20	61.4
AVERAGES		30.3	20.3	60.4

NASCAR in Florida

·        There have been 373 NASCAR national series races among 10 tracks in the state of Florida.

Track Name	City	MENCS	NXS	NCWTS	Total Races
Daytona International Speedway	Daytona Beach	141	52	18	274
Homestead-Miami Speedway	Homestead	18	22	21	67
Daytona Beach & Road Course	Daytona Beach	10	0	0	10
Palm Beach Speedway	W. Palm Beach	7	0	0	7
Speedway Park	Jacksonville	6	0	0	6
Volusia County Speedway	Barberville	0	4	0	4
Walt Disney World Speedway	Orlando	0	0	2	2
Five Flags Speedway	Pensacola	1	0	0	1
Golden Gate Speedway	Tampa	1	0	0	1
Titusville-Cocoa Speedway	Titusville	1	0	0	1
Totals		185	78	41	373

·        The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Florida was on July 10, 1949 at the Daytona Beach & Road Course in Daytona Beach, Florida – the event was won by Red Byron (Oldsmobile).

Florida Drivers in NASCAR

·        181 drivers that have made at least one start in a NASCAR national series race have their home state recorded as Florida.

·        There have been 11 NASCAR national series race winners from the state of Florida.

Driver	MENCS Wins	NXS Wins	NCWTS Wins	Totals
Fireball Roberts	33	0	0	33
LeeRoy Yarbrough	14	0	0	14
Marshall Teague	7	0	0	7
Joe Nemechek	4	16	0	20
Bobby Johns	2	0	0	2
David Reutimann	2	1	1	4
Aric Almirola	1	3	2	6
Shorty Rollins	1	0	0	1
Rick Wilson	0	2	0	2
Joey Coulter	0	0	1	1
Ben Kennedy	0	0	1	1
Totals	64	22	5	91

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Milestones
Drivers	Has	Needs	Milestones
STARTS
Matt Kenseth	649	1	To become the 22nd driver in series history to start 650 or more races
WINS
Jimmie Johnson	83	1	Tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84) for fourth on MENCS wins list
Kyle Busch	43	1	Tie Bill Elliott (44) for 16th on all-time MENCS wins list
Matt Kenseth	39	1	Tie Mark Martin (39) for 18th on all-time MENCS wins list
Kevin Harvick	37	2	Tie Tim Flock (39) for 20th on MENCS all-time wins list
Denny Hamlin	31	1	Tie Dale Jarrett (32) for 24th on all-time MENCS wins list
Kurt Busch	29	1	Tie Denny Hamlin (30) for 25th on all-time MENCS wins list
Dale Earnhardt Jr	26	2	Tie Rex White (28) for 28th on all-time MENCS wins list
Brad Keselowski	24	1	Tie Joe Weatherly, Jim Paschal (25) for 31st on all-time MENCS wins list
POLES
Ryan Newman	51	3	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	2	Tie Ricky Rudd (29) for 24th on the all-time MENCS poles list
Kyle Busch	27	2	Tie Ricky Rudd (29) for 24th on the all-time MENCS poles list
ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS
Jimmie Johnson	46	2	Tie Lee Petty for 11th on all-time MENCS second-place finishes list
Matt Kenseth	181	1	Tie Terry Labonte for 18th on all-time MENCS top-five finishes list
Dale Earnhardt Jr	149	1	To become the 24th driver to post 150 or more MENCS top-five finishes
LAPS LED
Jimmie Johnson	18,663	337	To become the ninth driver in series history to lead 19,000 or more laps
Matt Kenseth	11,751	249	To become the 15th MENCS driver all-time to lead 12,000 or more laps
Kurt Busch	8,877	126	To become 20th MENCS driver all-time to lead 9,000 or more laps
Denny Hamlin	8,843	157	To become 20th MENCS driver all-time to lead 9,000 or more laps