By the Numbers: Las Vegas

Cup: Johnson hoping for fourth; Busch hoping for better

By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
February 29, 2008
04:06 PM EST

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One grew up 337 miles from the site of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the other grew up on a three-eighths-mile tract of land adjacent to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

One is 32, the other is 22.

One traveled 2,391 miles to join Hendrick Motorsports, the other traveled 2,233 miles to work for Hendrick before packing up after four years and moving to Joe Gibbs Racing.

There are miles of differences between Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, but their roads have brought them to Busch's hometown this weekend -- one seeking to extend a streak, the other seeking to break one.

Johnson has won three consecutive races at Las Vegas heading into Sunday's UAW-Dodge 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX) and aims to make it four in a row (listen to more). But it's been 33 races since Busch celebrated the first victory in the new car (Bristol, March 25, 2007). Johnson is the defending champion; Busch is the current points leader.

Although not a sure bet, seeing either of them in Victory Lane Sunday night isn't a high-stakes gamble -- the numbers line up.

4Consecutive victories by Jimmie Johnson at Lowe's Motor Speedway between 2004-2005, the last time a Cup driver won at the same track four consecutive times.

4Consecutive victories by Jeff Gordon in the fall event at Darlington Raceway between 1995-1998, the last time a Cup driver won the same event four consecutive times.

4Consecutive victories by Jimmie Johnson in 2007 between Oct. 21-Nov. 11, the last time a Cup driver won four consecutive races on the schedule.

4Finishing position of Kyle Busch in the season's first two races. Busch has three consecutive top-10 finishes at his home track of Las Vegas (second, third, ninth).

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

How the points leader has fared

Year	Points Leader	Finish	Race Winner	Season Champ

1998	Rusty Wallace	3	Mark Martin	Jeff Gordon
1999	Mike Skinner	4	Jeff Burton	Dale Jarrett
2000	Dale Jarrett	7	Jeff Burton	Bobby Labonte
2001	Rusty Wallace	43	Jeff Gordon	Jeff Gordon
2002	Sterling Marlin	1	Sterling Marlin	Tony Stewart
2003	Kurt Busch	38	Matt Kenseth	Matt Kenseth
2004	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	35	Matt Kenseth	Kurt Busch
2005	Kurt Busch	3	Jimmie Johnson	Tony Stewart
2006	Jimmie Johnson	1	Jimmie Johnson	Jimmie Johnson
2007	Mark Martin	5	Jimmie Johnson	Jimmie Johnson

Back in Time

Oct. 16, 1955Norm Nelson won the 111-lap Grand National event at the mile dirt track of Las Vegas Park Speedway, the only Cup-level event held in Nevada outside of the current Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race was scheduled for 200 laps but shortened due to darkness. Twenty-seven drivers entered but only 13 finished with Nelson lapping the field twice in the 43rd of 45 races that season.

10 Key Facts

1Driver who was running at the finish of all 10 Las Vegas races: Jeff Burton. He finished on the lead lap in all but one race (2001).

2Races in which Mark Martin did not record a top-10 finish at Las Vegas. He was 43rd in 2003 and 30th in 2005.

3Drivers who account for seven of the 10 victories at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Jeff Burton (2), Matt Kenseth (2) and Jimmie Johnson (3). They are the only multiple winners.

5Las Vegas races that have been won by a Roush Fenway Ford: 1998 (Mark Martin), 1999 (Jeff Burton), 2000 (Jeff Burton), 2003 (Matt Kenseth), 2004 (Matt Kenseth).

6.0Average finish for Jimmie Johnson at Las Vegas, the only driver ranked in the top 12 with an average finish of 10th or better.

7Drivers who have started all 10 Cup races at Las Vegas: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, Sterling Marlin, Joe Nemechek.

7Races of the 10 held at Las Vegas that have been won from a starting position outside of the top 10. The average starting position of winners is 16.2.

9.951 mphSpeed by which Kasey Kahne broke the old track qualifying record last year when he ran 184.855 mph on the newly configured surface. The previous track record was 174.904 set by Kahne in 2004.

19Drivers that have completed all 450 laps this season. Casey Mears has completed 214 laps, the fewest among drivers who started both races.

179Laps led by Tony Stewart in his nine races at Las Vegas, more than any other driver without a victory at the track.

1,396Points scored by Mark Martin in the 10 races held at Las Vegas, seven more than Jeff Burton, who ranks second.

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Johnson vs. Busch

Las Vegas numbers, last three races

Category	Johnson	Busch

Avg. Position	5.1 (1st)	7.1 (2nd)
Fastest Laps	149 (1st)	49 (3rd)
Green-Flag Speed	163.075 (1st)	162.170 (3rd)
Laps in Top 15	749 (1st)	746 (3rd)
Laps Led	197 (1st)	5 (13th)