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Numbers Game: Coke Zero 400

0

Wins in 14 previous Sprint Cup starts for Brad Keselowski at Daytona. Before Saturday night’s dominating victory, the best the 32-year-old had finished was third in the 2014 Daytona 500.

1

Lap led for pole sitter Greg Biffle who finished eighth. It was only the seventh lap led for Biffle this season and the second race (Dover).

2

Of five cautions at Daytona (40%) that were “competition yellows” or thrown for debris.

3

Victories this season for Brad Keselowski through 17 races. That’s tied for the Cup Series lead with Kyle Busch.

3

Roush Fenway Racing cars that finished inside the top 10 Saturday night: Trevor Bayne (third), Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (fifth) and Biffle (eighth). It’s the first time all three RFR entries have done that since August 2014, when Carl Edwards was part of the team. For Bayne, third place was his best on the Cup level since winning the 2011 Daytona 500.

 

4

Hendrick Motorsports entries that failed to finish inside the top 10 at Daytona. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. posted the best effort of the quartet in 21st.

1.8

Average finish of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. through four restrictor plate races at Daytona and Talladega last season.

32.7 

Average finish of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. through three restrictor plate races at Daytona and Talladega this season.

5

Cautions in Saturday night’s race, the fewest we’ve seen for this event since 2004.

6

Straight top-15 finishes for Kyle Larson (sixth at Daytona). That’s the longest streak for the Cup driver since he rookie season of 2014.

10th

Finishing position of Michael McDowell at Daytona, the best for his Leavine Family Racing team all season.

11th

Finishing position of Cole Whitt at Daytona, both a season and career best in the Cup Series.

18.0

Average finish of David Gilliland in two starts this season. Gilliland, who DNQ’d at Daytona has run 17th and 19th, respectively in the other plate races for Front Row Motorsports.

20th

Finishing position of Michael Annett at Daytona, easily his best of the season (he had zero top-25 results entering the weekend.)

4,935

Laps completed by Kurt Busch this season, the most of any driver. Busch is the only one this season to complete every lap of every race through 17 events.

 

About the author

Tom Bowles

The author of Did You Notice? (Wednesdays) Tom spends his time overseeing Frontstretch’s 40+ staff members as its majority owner and Editor-in-Chief. Based outside Philadelphia, Bowles is a two-time Emmy winner in NASCAR television and has worked in racing production with FOX, TNT, and ESPN while appearing on-air for SIRIUS XM Radio and FOX Sports 1's former show, the Crowd Goes Wild. He most recently consulted with SRX Racing, helping manage cutting-edge technology and graphics that appeared on their CBS broadcasts during 2021 and 2022.

You can find Tom’s writing here, at CBSSports.com and Athlonsports.com, where he’s been an editorial consultant for the annual racing magazine for 15 years.

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