| Chuck On Trucks: Number Crunching
01-25-2007 | Charles Krall, TrackSide Editor
With the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season just around the corner, let's take a look back at some of the interesting statistics produced in 2006.
0 - Wins for Dodge, the first time a manufacturer has gone a season with a goose-egg in the victory column since Dodge went winless in 1996. 0.112 - Margin of victory at Michigan when Johnny Benson defeated Mark Martin, the closest race of 2006. 1 - The number of laps led by Kelly Sutton in 2006. Sutton raced on the series full-time for three seasons and never was able to get up front before leading her first circuit just moments before a frightening, fiery crash at Kansas. 2 - Number of first time winners - Johnny Benson and Clint Bowyer. 2 - Races that ended under caution, Daytona and Talladega. 3 - Number of races started in 2006 by 2004 series champion Bobby Hamilton before he announced he was fighting cancer; Hamilton succumbed to the disease in early January. 3.09 - Unfinished miles for Terry Cook, the fewest of any competitor that competed in all 25 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races in 2006. 3.154 - Seconds between Kyle Busch and Terry Cook at Charlotte in May, the largest margin of victory throughout the season. 4 - Short track races that had three or fewer lead changes. 5 - Different drivers that have won Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors driving for Roush Racing: Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Todd Kluever and 2006 winner Erik Darnell. 5 - Wins for Chevrolet, the fewest wins in a season for the Bowtie Brigade in the history of the series. 5 - Races with a margin of victory under a quarter of a second. 5.4 - Average start for Mike Skinner, lowest of any competitor in 2006. 5.52 - Average number of leaders per race. 6 - The most number of wins earned by any one driver in 2006; ironically it was the driver of the No. 6, Mark Martin, who accomplished this. 7 - The average starting position of the winner throughout the 2006 season. 8 - Wins for Ford. 8 - Poles for Mike Skinner, series leader in 2006. 8.4 - Average finish for champion Todd Bodine, the best of any driver throughout the year. 9.36 - Average lead changes per race. 12 - Wins for Toyota. 12 - Pole winners in 2006. 12 - Number of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race winners in 2006. 13 - Top five finishes for Johnny Benson, the best in the series for 2006. 18 - Races with a margin of victory under one second. 19 - How many drivers started each of the 25 races in 2006. 19 - Final points position for Mark Martin, who only started 14 of the 25 races in 2006. Martin finished ahead of three drivers that attempted every race. 21 - Lead changes at Daytona, the most of any race throughout the season. 21 - Number of consecutive races in which Todd Bodine was the championship leader. 25 - Races started in 2006 by Erin Crocker, making her the first female driver in NASCAR racing history to run an entire season's worth of races in a nationally touring series. 25 - Drivers that scored at least one top five finish in 2006. 32 - Teams that attempted to qualify for each race in 2006. 35 - Drivers finishing races at Dover and Kansas, both series records. 35 - Drivers that scored at least one top ten finish in 2006. 51 - The number of drivers that led a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in 2006. 56 - Teams entered in at least one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race throughout the season. 64 - Laps led Dodge drivers. That number is 926 laps fewer than the number of laps led by Chevrolet, the manufacturer that accumulated the third-most laps in the lead. 85 - Races between victories for Terry Cook. Cook won at Indianapolis in 2002 then went winless until a dominant victory at Kansas in July. 90 - Different drivers that competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2006. 90 - How many more laps were run under caution in 2006 versus 2005. 90 - Bonus points earned by Mark Martin in 2006, the most of any driver. 107 - Top ten finishes for Toyota drivers in 2006. There were 250 possible top ten finishes available in 2006. 127 - Points between champion Todd Bodine and runner-up Johnny Benson. 147 - Consecutive starts for Matt Crafton since he joined the series in the final race of the 2000 season. 234 - Lead changes in 2006. 292 - NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races held since the series' inception in 1995. 1,958 - Laps led by drivers in Toyota Tundras. 3,666 - Points scored by Todd Bodine on his way to the series championship. 4022 - Number of laps completed in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition in 2006. 4819.52 - Number of miles completed in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition in 2006. 90,000 - Estimated number of people to watch the season opener at Daytona from the grandstands, the largest at-track attendance of the season. 1,046,680 - Dollars won in 2006 by series champion Todd Bodine.
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