Daily NASCAR

Jimmie Johnson currently has the fifth-best career winning percentage, but remember, those stats fade in the less-successful years toward the end of driver’s career. (Photo: Getty Images)

HAMPTON, Ga. - Predictably, incomplete statistics were trotted out this week to extol the virtues of Jimmie Johnson, who gets enough credit already without having to concoct misleading statistics.

Yes, Johnson’s victories in the past two races leave him with a career winning percentage of .167, which, right now, is fifth best in NASCAR history. For the record, the winning percentages are: (1.) Herb Thomas .211, (2.) Tim Flock .209, (3.) David Pearson .183, (4.) Richard Petty .169, (5.) Johnson .167, and (5.) Fred Lorenzen .165.

The trouble with that list is that all the other drivers have completed their careers and Johnson hasn’t. Winning percentage isn’t relevant until a driver’s career is over, simply because almost every driver’s percentage falls off as he gets older.

For instance, NASCAR’s all-time leader in victories, Richard Petty, failed to win any of the final 241 races of his career. The runner-up, David Pearson, ended his career with 55 fruitless starts.

At the end of Jeff Gordon’s greatest streak - three championships and 47 victories in the 1995-99 - his career winning percentage was .220. In fact, at the point where Gordon won his 49th race - Johnson’s current total is 49 - his winning percentage was significantly higher than Johnson’s.

Gordon’s present winning percentage is .140, which is 11th best all-time.

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THE TRICK–Jeff Burton has twice won Nationwide Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway but never finished better than fourth in a Sprint Cup event. He hasn’t finished better than 10th since 2007.

"The biggest challenge is the way the speed falls off so much," said Burton. "It’s like the track has two personalities. You have to be aggressive and drive hard for qualifying and then, when the race starts, you race it like you used to race Darlington. The place gets really slick and real slimy. It’s amazing the amount of grip you don’t have here.

"You have to have a car that makes more grip than your competitors, and making the most out of that is what will put you in the winner’s circle. Even the best handling car here in the last few years has handled awful, so finding a way to do it better than your competition in a low, low grip arena will be the biggest challenge."

* * *

YOU SURE?– An Atlanta radio reporter asked Clint Bowyer about the future of the track’s two annual dates … but not exactly the way wanted.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a question.

"There’s a lot of talk about Atlanta losing one of its race dates," he said. "And those of us down here sure hope so."

Bowyer answered as if the reporter had said what he meant.

* * *

NO NEED TO WORRY … YET — Only five of the 12 Chase drivers of 2009 are presently in the top 12. The missing include Jeff Gordon (13th), Brian Vickers (18th), Kurt Busch (19th), Denny Hamlin (22nd), Kasey Kahne (23rd), Juan Pablo Montoya (26th) and Ryan Newman (32nd).

Newman was 35th after the first three races last year but went on to make the Chase anyway, and Hamlin it’s early for anyone to be overly concerned.

"We’re just missing by a little," said Hamlin, "but we’re working hard, and we’re focused. The results will start coming."

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AKA The Great American Race: Daytona 500.

The unusually wintry venue: Daytona International Speedway.

Big guns: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kurt Busch.

Long shots: Mark Martin, Brian Vickers, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer, David Ragan, Jeff Burton, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth.

The hunch here: Montoya.

Just the facts, please

- The all-time leader in (now) Sprint Cup victories at Daytona is Richard Petty with 10. A record seven were in the Daytona 500. The active leader is Jeff Gordon with three victories.

- Mark Martin and Tony Stewart have never won the 500. Martin has never won a point race at Daytona. Stewart has won the July race here three times.

- Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson and Darrell Waltrip each won the 500 only once.

- A year ago Matt Kenseth won this race the following one in Fontana, Calif. He didn’t win again and failed to make the Chase.

- Michael Waltrip, apparently making his final appearance here as a driver, is a two-time Daytona 500 winner, accounting for half his four Cup wins.

- The last three Daytona winners have driven a Ford (Kenseth, 2009), a Dodge (Ryan Newman, ‘08) and a Chevrolet (Kevin Harvick, ‘07).

Snappy quotes

"I wouldn’t be surprised that we will have more than one green-white-checkered. … It was good (the qualifying races, but it it was out of control." - Juan Pablo Montoya.

"I’ve over-exceeded what 99 percent of kids that want to be race-car drivers ever could have hoped to accomplish. … I also feel like there are still some races for me to win." - Michael Waltrip.

"My attitude towards racing is to do what it takes to win. I’d prefer to win honorably. I can’t always say that I’ve done that." - Brad Keselowski.

"I just wish it was me up there when it rained last year." - Greg Biffle, whose teammate, Matt Kenseth, won a rain-shortened 500 last year.

"To be honest, I don’t have a clear-cut vision yet of where I need to be, what position I need to put the team in. I think being at the head of a line is really the key thing." - Jimmie Johnson.

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Darrell Waltrip drove the No. 11 Mountain Dew Buick to victory at the 1981 Busch Clash, edging out Benny Parsons.

The 1981 Busch Clash (the precursor of the Budweiser Shootout) featured only seven drivers, but, man, they were good ones. The field consisted of Darrell Waltrip, Benny Parsons, Buddy Baker, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and Donnie Allison, and the order above reflected the finishing order. Waltrip earned $71,500 for edging Parsons by 3/10ths of a second.

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For several days now, I have been thinking about changes in the Budweiser Shootout field. I haven’t been thinking a lot about it. There’s been no high-powered thinking. I just looked up the rules, thought about them and … did a lot of chuckling to myself.

It’s not thinking, strictly. It’s more recognition of absurdity, amusement at it and resignation to it.

Once upon a time, things almost made sense. NASCAR had two all-star races, which itself would’ve have made sense if not for the fact that the two races were different. The Budweiser Shootout (once known as the Busch Clash) was for pole winners, and the Sprint All-Star Race (most notably The Winston, but also a Select for a brief while) was for winners. They threw in byes and wild cards, drew the lineup out of a hat or used some other gimmick, but it was still possible to peer through the format and see some clarity.

My gosh. Now it’s out of control. Swing open the doors to the race. Let everybody in who’s anybody. Everybody except Martin Truex Jr. and David Reutimann, who actually won poles in 2009.

That’s yesterday’s news! Poles don’t have anything to do with it anymore! Get your facts straight, bub!

So Geoff Bodine’s in. Ken Schrader’s in. On the other end of the spectrum, Joey Logano’s in.

Why stop there? Let’s strap Richard Petty, David Pearson, Junior Johnson and Cale Yarborough a shot. See how they can finagle a COT!

And by the time Feb. 6 rolls around, mark my words. Every time you turn on your television and radio, all you’re going to hear is how great this is.

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Someone won three titles in the No. 42 car. Guess who.

1. Who was the famous country-and-western singer who once competed occasionally in major NASCAR races?

2. What NFL great was once listed as the owner of a Winston Cup car fielded by Bill Elliott’s team?

3. What two former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks once co-owned a Sprint Cup team?

4. Who is the wife of driver Dario Franchitti?

5. What broadcaster popularized the use of the term "Great American Race" in regard to the Daytona 500?

6. What popular NASCAR broadcaster is also the Voice of the Alabama Crimson Tide?

7. What Formula One great was part of Daytona 500 telecasts for many years?
Who is the current president of NASCAR?

8. Who won the last Winston Cup championship before the implementation of the "Chase" format?

9. Richard Petty won seven championships in No. 43. Who won three titles in No. 42?

10. Whose first championship occurred while he was driving the No. 6 Dodge?

11.Who won his only championship driving the No. 71 Dodge?

Answers

1. Marty Robbins.

2. Dan Marino.

3. Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.

4. Ashley Judd.

5. Ken Squier.

6. Eli Gold.

7. Jackie Stewart.

8. Mike Helton.

9. Matt Kenseth (2003).

10. Lee Petty.

11. David Pearson (1966)

12. Bobby Isaac (1970).
 

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