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Greg Biffle waited 29 races to get his first win in 2007, will history repeat itself?Biffle running out of races to keep win streak intact
Among best drivers at Kansas with win, four top-fives
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The 2009 edition of the Chase hasn't started the way Greg Biffle had hoped. Last season, Biffle swept the first two Chase races at New Hampshire and Dover so confidence was high heading into the '09 campaign.
But modest finishes of ninth at New Hampshire and 13th last weekend at Dover have Biffle sitting ninth in points, 138 behind points leader Mark Martin.
Maybe even more baffling is this could be the first time in Biffle's seven-year Cup career he goes an entire season without a victory. But before the season is deemed a winless one, it is important to know the Bif has been here before. In 2007, Biffle was winless heading to Kansas Speedway when he led 37 laps and won his only race on the Cup schedule.
So as the series shifts to the Midwest for Sunday's running of the Price Chopper 400 (1 p.m. ET, ABC), Biffle once again is searching for that elusive first victory on the year. In 2007, he was outside the Chase; this year, a victory could be the boost the No. 16 team needs to contend for its first Cup championship.
Inside the Data
Chase drivers at Kansas Speedway
| Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-fives | Top-10s | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Gordon | 8 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 175 | 10.0 | 9.8 |
| Greg Biffle | 7 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 150 | 17.0 | 9.9 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 7 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 251 | 4.9 | 10.4 |
| Mark Martin | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 141 | 20.9 | 13.1 |
| Brian Vickers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13.8 | 13.2 |
| Carl Edwards | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 21.8 | 14.0 |
| Tony Stewart | 8 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 17.9 | 14.8 |
| Ryan Newman | 8 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 118 | 15.1 | 18.0 |
| Kasey Kahne | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 16.4 | 18.8 |
| Kurt Busch | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 79 | 19.5 | 20.8 |
| Denny Hamlin | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16.8 | 22.5 |
| Juan Montoya | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31.5 | 24.0 |
DID YOU KNOW?
3Eleven of the 52 Chase races have been won by drivers outside the Chase and three of those wins have come at Kansas: Joe Nemechek (2004), Tony Stewart (2006) and Greg Biffle (2007).
GORDON'S POLE STREAK
16Since his first full-time season in 1993, Jeff Gordon has won at least one pole in a season -- a streak that has lasted 16 years. Through 28 races in 2009, Gordon has yet to win a pole putting the longest active pole streak in the Cup Series in jeopardy. At Kansas, Gordon has started in the top five in three of eight races, but never from the P1 position.
NECESSITOUS NUMBERS
3Number of drivers with more than one start at Kansas that average a top-10 finish at the track: Clint Bowyer (7.7), Jeff Gordon (9.8) and Greg Biffle (9.9).
5Mark Martin's second at Dover gives him five consecutive top-five finishes in the Cup Series, tops among all drivers.
6Since Jeff Gordon won the first two races at Kansas in 2001 and 2002, six different drivers have gone to Victory Lane in the past six races.
6Ryan Newman has six consecutive top-15 finishes in the Cup Series, the longest active streak.
7If Chevrolet's top-running driver at Kansas finishes ahead of Toyota's top-running driver, Chevrolet will win its 33rd manufacturers championship and seventh in a row.
9.8Average starting position of the Kansas winner in the five Chase races. In those five races, two have been won from the pole while two have been won from 19th and 21st.
25Jeff Gordon has 25 wins at the remaining eight tracks, tops among the Chase drivers (Kansas, 2; Fontana, 3; Lowe's, 5; Martinsville, 7; Talladega, 6; Texas, 1; Phoenix, 1; Homestead, 0).
39.5Average finish for Tony Stewart in the last two Cup races at Kansas. He finished 39th in 2007 and 40th in 2008. Before that, his worst finish was 14th with five finishes of eighth or better including a victory.
496Points scored by Jimmie Johnson in the last three races at Kansas, tops among all drivers. In those three races, Johnson started from the pole twice, led laps in all three and finished 14th, third and first. Greg Biffle has the second-most points with 487 and Casey Mears is third with 456.
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Sprint Cup Series
Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Mark Martin | 5,400 | -- |
| 2. | -- | Jimmie Johnson | 5,390 | -10 |
| 3. | +1 | Juan Montoya | 5,335 | -65 |
| 4. | +1 | Kurt Busch | 5,325 | -75 |
| 5. | +1 | Tony Stewart | 5,294 | -106 |
| 6. | -3 | Denny Hamlin | 5,292 | -108 |
| 7. | -- | Ryan Newman | 5,290 | -110 |
| 8. | +2 | Jeff Gordon | 5,278 | -122 |
| 9. | -- | Greg Biffle | 5,262 | -138 |
| 10. | -2 | Brian Vickers | 5,249 | -151 |
| 11. | -- | Carl Edwards | 5,247 | -153 |
| 12. | -- | Kasey Kahne | 5,211 | -189 |
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