Who is NASCAR’s Monster of the Midway?

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NASCAR’s Loop data for Chicagoland Speedway pulls stats from only the three most recent races run at the midwest cookie cutter, er, intermediate track. There have been seven races held at the facility.

Twelve drivers have Loop Driver Ratings above 90.00. Seven have ratings of 102.3 or higher. Those are big numbers.

Matt Kenseth leads with 126.2 and an average of 462 points gained per race. Matt has category leading stats of 146 Fastest Lap, an amazing 792 Laps in the Top Fifteen (98.5% of all laps in three races) an Ave Position of 3.9 and 289 Laps Led - 35.9% of the total. Kenseth is looking good to continue his recent resurgence.

Second best is Kevin Harvick at 114.6 DR. Kevin is a two time winner at Chicagoland Speedway but leads only in the Quality Passes Loop stat with 75.0.

Another two time winner, new Sprint Cup team owner, Tony Stewart, is next at 112.2. Can Smoke keep focused on the current year as he plans for 2009 and Stewart-Haas Racing’s debut? This is where Stewart started his 2007 summer hot streak. Why not again?

The next four in the Loop are Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Only Earnhardt has won at Chicagoland.. Brian Vickers has an Ave Start of 3.5 and Kyle Busch an Ave Mid Race Position of 3.0. Jimmy Johnson is, well, Jimmy Johnson.

This has not been a particularly good track for 2008 stallwarts of Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne or Clint Bowyer. But Jeff Gordon has a win on the track and a twelfth best Loop Rating.

I would pick Stewart if not for the all the distractions of the week. I’m looking at Kenseth to win for the first time in 2008. The upset special is, if you can ever call him an upset, Jeff Gordon.

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