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Tony Stewart has won twice at Indianapolis, but his teammate may be the one to beat.

By the Numbers: Indy

Indiana natives favored, but may not be the favorite

By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
July 24, 2008
10:55 AM EDT

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Indianapolis brings about two names in terms of NASCAR and winners: Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.

Gordon, an Indiana transplant, grew up racing open-wheel cars and once was on a career path that would've placed him in the Indianapolis 500. Stewart, who is from Rushville, Ind., followed a similar road. But both ended up making the swap to stock cars, and both have still managed to win at the Brickyard.

Yet both are winless in 2008.

There are other Indiana natives (Ryan Newman and Tony Raines) on the entry list, and yet others who forged a career in open-wheel racing with visions of Indy 500 trophies before hopping in a stock car. Two drivers -- Juan Montoya and Sam Hornish Jr. -- have won the Indy 500 and are now in stocks.

But the guy who isn't from Indiana and has cemented a stock-car career since he was 16 is the one driver who's won at every style of track at every distance and in nearly every situation imaginable this season.

Kyle Busch hasn't won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. However, each start he's improved his finish by three positions. In 2005 he was 10th; in 2006 he was seventh; and in 2007 he was fourth. If his finishes continue on that progressive ladder, he could take a big brick home.

7.0Average finish for Kyle Busch in his three Indianapolis starts, the best among active drivers with more than one start at the track.

Busch holds a 262-point lead on Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the Cup Series enters the season's 20th race, Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (1 p.m. ET, ESPN). Between 1975 and the introduction of the Chase, six times has a driver held a 200-point lead in the standings after the season's 19th race. Once was that lead overcome.

Tall Mountain to Climb

Largest point margins after 19 Cup races since 1975

Year	Leader	Second	Margin	Champion

1975	Richard Petty	Dave Marcis	548	Richard Petty
1979	Darrell Waltrip	Richard Petty	209	Richard Petty
1987	Dale Earnhardt	Bill Elliott	498	Dale Earnhardt
1993	Dale Earnhardt	Dale Jarrett	281	Dale Earnhardt
1999	Dale Jarrett	Mark Martin	254	Dale Jarrett
2003	Matt Kenseth	Jeff Gordon	234	Matt Kenseth

Source: NASCAR PR

Back in Time

1994Brett Bodine finishes second to Jeff Gordon in the inaugural Brickyard 400. Gordon dominated the day, leading 93 of the race's 160 laps. It is also the only time in the modern era that three brothers led at least one lap in a Cup race. Geoffrey Bodine led 24 laps and finished 39th; Brett Bodine led 10 laps in his runner-up finish; and Todd Bodine led one lap in his ninth-place showing.

10 Key Facts

0Brickyard winners who were not ranked in the top 10 in points at the time of their victory.

3Races at Indianapolis that Jeff Gordon did not record a top-10 finish. He was 37th in 1996, 33rd in 2000 and 16th in 2006.

4.0Average running position for Juan Montoya in last year's Indianapolis race, during which he never dropped out of the top 15. He started second and finished second.

5Drivers who have competed in all 14 races at Indianapolis: Jeff Burton, Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin. All are on the entry list this weekend.

6Times that the Indianapolis winner also won the Cup championship in the same season: Jeff Gordon (1998), Dale Jarrett (1999), Bobby Labonte (2000), Gordon (2001), Tony Stewart (2005) and Jimmie Johnson (2006).

12Drivers of the 14 who have won at Indianapolis who are also Cup champions. Ricky Rudd and Kevin Harvick are the only Indianapolis winners who have not won a Cup championship.

23.5Average finish for Jimmie Johnson in his six starts at Indianapolis, the worst among drivers ranked in the top 12. Johnson has one victory (2006) but also three finishes of 36th or worse.

23.7Average finish for Indiana-native Ryan Newman in his seven Indianapolis races. It is a vast difference from his 5.1 average starting position. Newman's best finish at Indianapolis: fourth in 2002.

113Laps led by Jeff Burton in his 14 races at Indianapolis, the most among drivers who have not won there. Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with 433 laps led.

469Points scored in the last three Indianapolis races by Matt Kenseth, second behind Tony Stewart (502). Kenseth's best finish is second, which he recorded in 2003 and 2006.

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Sprint Cup Series

Official Standings

Pos.	+/-	Driver	Points	Behind

1.	--	Kyle Busch	2881	Leader
2.	--	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	2619	-262
3.	--	Jeff Burton	2590	-291
4.	--	Carl Edwards	2509	-372
5.	--	Jimmie Johnson	2494	-387
6.	--	Jeff Gordon	2384	-497
7.	+4	Greg Biffle	2318	-563
8.	+1	Matt Kenseth	2317	-564
9.	+4	Kevin Harvick	2308	-573
10.	+2	Tony Stewart	2305	-576
11.	-3	Kasey Kahne	2295	-586
12.	-5	Denny Hamlin	2283	-598