0 – Laps led by Tony Stewart Sunday at Loudon. Stewart, who led 84 laps in this race last season remains winless in 2014, outside the Chase grid as it currently stands.
1 – Cup race finished by 72-year-old Morgan Shepherd this season after running the distance at Loudon. Shepherd, who wound up 27 laps off the pace, hadn’t run a Cup race to completion since the 2004 July race down in Daytona.
2 – Top-10 finishes by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. this season (including a ninth at Loudon) at any track where NASCAR runs without a restrictor plate. Stenhouse sits a distant 28th in points.
3 – Joe Gibbs Racing drivers who finished inside the top 10 Sunday. It’s the first time that’s happened since the 2013 season finale at Homestead.
4 – Of seven NASCAR cautions called at Loudon were for “debris.” Ironically, it was an unquestionable reason for a yellow flag (Justin Allgaier‘s wreck) that precipitated a green-white-checkered overtime finish.
5 – Drivers who would make the Chase on points if the season ended today: Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard and Kyle Larson.
6 – Number, out of the last seven races where Carl Edwards has run outside the top 10, including a ho-hum 13th on Sunday. Lone exception? Sonoma, where the No. 99 car wound up in victory lane.
7 – Straight top-15, lead-lap finishes for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt wound up the only Hendrick Motorsports car to post a top 10 at Loudon (10th).
10 – Laps led by Newman, all season long. That’s compared to 11 for underdog driver Landon Cassill; however, as of now Newman is seventh in the standings, on the strength of seven top-10 finishes and is solidly in position to make the Chase.
14 – Laps led by Larson at Loudon, a career high for him in any Cup race.
323 – Miles run on Sunday, the most for any Cup race at Loudon since 2006.
$109,565 – Money won by Denny Hamlin for finishing eighth.
$114,091 – Money won by Jimmie Johnson for crashing and finishing 42nd.
About the author
The author of Bowles-Eye View (Mondays) and Did You Notice? (Wednesdays) Tom spends his time overseeing Frontstretch’s 30 staff members as its majority owner. Based in Philadelphia, Bowles is a two-time Emmy winner in NASCAR television and has worked in racing production with FOX, TNT, and ESPN while appearing on-air for SIRIUS XM Radio and FOX Sports 1's former show, the Crowd Goes Wild.
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