 |  | | Kyle Petty already has more career starts than any active driver, and he'll achieve another milestone at the Daytona 500. Credit: Autostock |
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
January 10, 2006
10:18 AM EST (15:18 GMT)
Nextel Cup testing for the 48th running of the Daytona 500 begins Monday, as 39 drivers will roll onto the superspeedway over the next two weeks to kick off the 2006 season.  | | |  | ALSO | Cars are back on the racetrack. Follow NASCAR.COM's complete coverage of Preseason Thunder from Daytona.
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Lap times, speeds, tenths and half-tenths will consume the vocabulary in January, taking center stage over starts, wins and points. But that doesn't mean this season can't be one of monumental numbers associated with milestone accomplishments as the months go by. Several statistics sit on the schedule, waiting to be broken, with some slated to fall at the waving of the green flag in Daytona and others buckled up for the final laps 273 days later at Homestead.
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0 -- Times an automaker has won the manufacturers' championship four consecutive years. Chevrolet has won the title the past three years. Chevrolet earned at least a part of the crown from 1983-1987 but shared the title with Ford in 1985. |
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1 -- Win Bobby Labonte needs to tie his brother, Terry, for 26th on the all-time win list with 22 victories. |
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4 -- Wins Jeff Gordon needs to pass Dale Earnhardt for sixth on the all-time win list. Gordon currently has 73 victories and is the leader among active drivers. |
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5 -- Championship teams in the last six years that have been owned by Joe Gibbs or Jack Roush: Tony Stewart, 2005 (Gibbs); Kurt Busch, 2004 (Roush); Matt Kenseth, 2003 (Roush); Stewart, 2002 (Gibbs); Bobby Labonte, 2000 (Gibbs). |
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7 -- Drivers who have won three or more Cup championships: Dale Earnhardt (7), Richard Petty (7), Jeff Gordon (4), David Pearson (3), Lee Petty (3), Darrell Waltrip (3) and Cale Yarborough (3). Defending champion Tony Stewart is the only full-time driver that can add his name to the list this season. |
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7 -- Rookies who have committed to run the entire 2006 Cup schedule, the most since 1994, when eight drivers competed for the award. Jeff Burton took the honors in '94, topping Joe Nemechek, Steve Grissom, Loy Allen, John Andretti, Jeremy Mayfield, Mike Wallace and Ward Burton. |
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7 -- Drivers who made the Chase in 2004 and 2005: Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, Jeremy Mayfield and Kurt Busch. |
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9 -- Drivers who have won consecutive Cup championships, with Jeff Gordon being the most recent when he won titles in 1997 and 1998. Tony Stewart can become the 10th driver to accomplish the feat. |
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10 -- Years that California Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway have been on the Cup schedule, making their debut in 1997. |
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10 -- Restrictor-plate victories for Jeff Gordon in his career, one shy of Dale Earnhardt's career-leading 11 victories at Daytona and Talladega. |
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11 -- Times Mark Martin has to finish on the lead lap this season to become the all-time leader in lead-lap finishes. Martin has finished on the lead lap 377 times, ranking second to Richard Petty. |
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45 -- Seasons NASCAR has visited Bristol Motor Speedway after this year's March and August races. Jack Smith won the Volunteer 500 on July 29, 1961, the first NASCAR race held at the track. |
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100 -- The spring race at Richmond will be the 100th time the Cup Series will visit Virginia's capital city's short track. |
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200 -- One finish inside the top five can give Jeff Gordon his 200th career top-five finish. Only Mark Martin (227) has more among active drivers. |
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Twenty-six drivers have the opportunity this season to surpass career marks in starts, providing they qualify for every race. Leading the list of drivers is Kyle Petty, who will make his 750th start when he takes the green flag at the Daytona 500. Petty will become the leader among active drivers and ranks sixth on the all-time list. Bill Elliott will also be able to make his 750th career start, as he is four races shy of the mark. The date of his achievement is yet to be determined because he is running a limited schedule.
| Career Starts |
| Potential milestone starts for 2006 |
| No. |
Driver |
Race |
Date |
Starts |
| 50 |
Carl Edwards |
Daytona |
Feb. 19 |
49 |
| 50 |
Kyle Busch |
Phoenix |
April 22 |
42 |
| 50 |
Travis Kvapil |
Darlington |
May 13 |
39 |
| 100 |
Scott Wimmer |
New Hampshire |
July 16 |
81 |
| 100 |
Brian Vickers |
Michigan |
Aug. 20 |
77 |
| 100 |
Kasey Kahne |
Dover |
Sept. 24 |
72 |
| 100 |
Scott Riggs |
Kansas |
Oct. 1 |
71 |
| 150 |
Jimmie Johnson |
Las Vegas |
March 12 |
147 |
| 150 |
Jamie McMurray |
Homestead |
Nov. 19 |
114 |
| 200 |
Dave Blaney |
Daytona |
Feb. 19 |
199 |
| 200 |
Robby Gordon |
Daytona |
Feb. 19 |
199 |
| 200 |
Kurt Busch |
Sonoma |
June 25 |
184 |
| 200 |
Kevin Harvick |
Watkins Glen |
Aug. 13 |
178 |
| 250 |
Elliott Sadler |
Daytona |
Feb. 19 |
249 |
| 250 |
Matt Kenseth |
Talladega |
Oct. 8 |
220 |
| 250 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Charlotte |
Oct. 14 |
219 |
| 400 |
Joe Nemechek |
Martinsville |
April 2 |
394 |
| 400 |
Jeremy Mayfield |
New Hampshire |
July 16 |
381 |
| 450 |
Jeff Gordon |
Dover |
June 4 |
437 |
| 450 |
Bobby Labonte |
Charlotte |
May 28 |
438 |
| 650 |
Michael Waltrip |
Phoenix |
April 22 |
642 |
| 650 |
Mark Martin |
Charlotte |
May 28 |
638 |
| 700 |
Sterling Marlin |
California |
Sept. 9 |
675 |
| 700 |
Ken Schrader |
Martinsville |
Oct. 22 |
668 |
| 750 |
Bill Elliott |
TBD |
TBD |
746 |
| 750 |
Kyle Petty |
Daytona |
Feb. 19 |
749 |
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The first session of Preseason Thunder begins at 9 a.m. ET on Monday and continues through Wednesday. The second session is Jan. 16-18. | |
