Motor Racing Statistics – By The Numbers (March 20, 2018)

The latest edition of the all-encompassing Motor Racing Statistics “By The Numbers” blog, which looks at numbers throughout many forms of motorsports. This blog runs on Tuesdays through the year.

 By The Numbers

3 – Three drivers have won their first career World of Outlaws A-Main feature this season, including Cory Eliason, who won Saturday’s 30-lap race at Stockton Dirt Track in California, leading all 30 laps.

4 – Four races will make up this weekend’s Melbourne 400 for the Virginia Australia Supercars Championship, the first time the series will contest a championship round at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit as part of the Australian Grand Prix weekend. Previously, the series supported the weekend, with 21 total races, but the races did not count for championship points.

5 – There have been five different drivers to win a NASCAR Xfinity Series race this season in as many races: Tyler Reddick (Daytona); Kevin Harvick (Atlanta); Kyle Larson (Las Vegas); Brad Keselowski (Phoenix); and Joey Logano (Fontana).

5 – Five different drivers have won World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series A-Main features at Ocean Speedway, site of the next race on the 2018 schedule. Brad Sweet won the most recent race at the quarter-mile track, in 2016. Other winners were Joey Saldana (2000), Andy Hillenburg (2001), Brad Furr (2002) and Steve Kinser (2008).

6 – Six of the 13 scheduled World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series events this season have been canceled or postponed due to weather. That includes Wednesday’s originally scheduled race at Placerville Speedway, which has been postponed until September 12.

8 – Richie Crampton won his eighth career NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Top Fuel class final Sunday in the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Florida, running unopposed after Shawn Reed shut his dragster down at the line. Crampton’s pass of 3.854 seconds at 314.90 mph gave him his first victory since 2015 at Texas Motorplex in Ennis.

14 – Donny Schatz finished 14th in Saturday’s World of Outlaws race at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, California, his first finish outside the top 10 in the last 21 races. Schatz continues to lead the points standings, though, as he has three victories and six top fives in seven races so far.

15 – Richard Petty holds the record for most Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories at Martinsville Speedway, with 15 wins in a 19-year span.

16 – Martin Truex Jr. scored his 16th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory Sunday in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, besting defending race winner Kyle Larson by 11.685 seconds, the largest margin of victory by winning drivers this season.

23 – The Australian Grand Prix is being held for the 23rd time in succession at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, this weekend. The event moved from Adelaide to Melbourne in 1996. Interestingly, Damon Hill won the last race at Adelaide (1995) and the first at Melbourne (1996).

26 – Shane van Gisbergen looks to improve on his 26 career Virgin Australia Supercar Championship victories in this weekend’s Melbourne 400, after sweeping both races in the Adelaide 500 earlier this month.

27 – Jack Beckman earned his 27th career NHRA Mello Yello Drag racing Series Funny Car class victory Sunday in the NHRA Gatornationals, staving off a challenge by Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan for his first win of the season. Beckman won on a holeshot, with a time of 4.035 seconds at 323.58 mph. Hagan was competing in his 500th elimination round and 49th final.

30 – Jean-Eric Vergne leads Felix Rosenqvist by 30 points after winning Saturday’s CBMM Niobium Punta de Este ePrix in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Vergne led 36 of the 37 laps, narrowly defeating Lucas di Grassi (0.447 seconds) to score his second victory of the season and third of his career.

34 – This weekend’s Australian Grand Prix will be the 34th race as part of the Formula 1 World Championship, with Keke Rosberg winning the inaugural event in 1985. However, the Australian Grand Prix dates back to 1928, in a race at Phillip Island won by Arthur Waite.

69 – This weekend’s Australian Grand Prix marks the start of the 69th Formula 1 World Championship season. The Formula 1 World Championship began in 1950.

139 – This weekend’s STP 500, the sixth round of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, marks the 139th race at Martinsville Speedway, the most of any track on the circuit. Martinsville is the only track to host the series every year since NASCAR’s inception in 1948.

344 – Pipo Derani, Johannes van Overbeek and Nicolas Lapierre won Saturday’s 66th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, completing 344 laps around the central Florida track in their No. 22 Tequila Patron Nissan DPi. For Derani and van Overbeek, it was their second victory in three years in the race, and the first for Lapierre since 2011.

911 – Nick Tandy, Patrick Pilet and Frederic Makowiecki took the No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche RSR GT3 to victory lane in the GTLM class of Saturday’s Mobile 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, having run near the front much of the race.

6,952 – Days between the births of Formula 1 World Championship drivers Kimi Raikkonen (October 17, 1979), and Lance Stroll (October 29, 1998), two of the 20 drivers competing in this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.