NASCAR by the Numbers
0 – The number of Earnhardt’s racing full time in NASCAR. As of this writing, Jeffery Earnhardt was still actively looking for a ride for 2018 but it appears his chances of finding a full time ride this late in the game is, well, zero.
3 – Not only will the 2018 season be run without Dale Jr. driving, but Danica Patrick and Matt Kenseth will be absent from full-time racing as well. In a sport that is still stinging from the retirements of Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle losing these big 3 are among NASCAR’s biggest stories in 2018.
5 – Pit crew numbers have been reduced from six to five in all three NASCAR series in 2018. It’s part of NASCAR’s goal of creating parity. NASCAR won’t admit this but it’s also a way to allow teams to cut cost.
8 – The number of Championships Jimmie Johnson hopes he has after the 2018 season. Will the new Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 be able to put a dent into the recent dominant performance of the Toyota Camry? The early season Vegas odds have Jimmie’s chances of a championship at 15/1.
9 – If you had told me that Chase Elliott would have no wins going into his third season replacing Jeff Gordon with Hendrick Motorsports, I’d have had a hard time believing you. But that’s exactly what the record shows. This year, Elliott will sport his Daddy’s old number (9) on his Chevy Camaro ZL1. He hopes that changes his luck.
10 – The Danica/SHR split has opened a huge door for Aric Almirola. There are many interesting things to watch out for in 2018 season and for me this is a big one. Will Almirola perform at a higher level than Patrick was able to do? Stay tuned.
12 – Ryan Blaney who drove the 21 Ford for Woods Brothers Racing in 2017, switched the numbers 2 and 1 and moves over to the Penske Ford number 12 car. With teammates Keselowski and Logano, my money says there be a lot of checkered flags for this group in 2018.
24 – The number that Jeff Gordon made famous now has a new young star sitting behind its wheel. Future superstar and 2017 Xfinity Champion, William Byron hopes to power the Hendrick Motor Sports car to the top of the charts.
26 – As if his 8 victories in 2017 aren’t enough, Martin Truex Jr. 2017 Championship season saw him collect 26 top-10 finishes in his 36 starts. Once again the 2018 field will be chasing Truex.
35 – NASCAR teams spent 35 million on tires in 2017. On a typical race weekend, NASCAR will use between nine and fourteen sets of tires. That’s a lot of rubber.
40 – The number of escalators at Daytona International Speedway. After selling out the past two seasons, the 101,500 fans have given the escalators quite the workout.
60 – When the green flag flies at Daytona International on February 18th, it will mark the 60th time the Daytona 500 has run.
95 – Once one of NASCAR most popular drivers (Remember the Nationwide Commercials?) Kasey Kahne was let go by Hendrick Motor Sports at the end of 2017. Moving from the well-funded number 5 Chevrolet Hendrick team, Kahne hitched a ride with Levine Family Racing and will likely struggle to find himself in the Chase in 2018.
8.7 million – That was reported to be NASCAR Chairman Brian France annual salary from NASCAR in 2004. After his recent performances, one wonders if his pay has been docked by a few million.
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