Kyle Busch had the most top 10s (27), the most laps led (1,582) and the best average finish (8.9).
• Busch’s average finish is the best for a Cup Series champion since he won the title with an average finish of 8.2 in 2015. However, Busch’s average finish was 0.6 spots lower than his average finish in 2018 when he finished fourth in the points standings.
• Three drivers led over 1,000 laps in 2019: Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski.
• Corey LaJoie was the only driver to compete in all 36 races and not lead a lap.
• Ryan Newman led the fewest laps of any playoff driver. He led 19 circuits. The playoff driver with the second-fewest laps led was Clint Bowyer at 138.
• Newman gained the most positions of any full-time driver per race. He had an average qualifying position of 19.9 and an average finishing position of 14.4.
• His teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led everyone else going the other direction. Stenhouse had the greatest discrepancy between his qualifying position (15.1) and his finishing position (20.5).
• Every Stewart-Haas Racing driver had a higher average qualifying position than an average finish.
• Paul Menard had an average starting position of 16.6. He had an average finish of 16.6. He finishes his career with an average starting position of 20.0 and an average finishing position of 20.2.
• Joey Logano and Ty Dillon were the only two drivers to finish every single race in 2019. Logano completed 10,221 laps while Dillon completed 10,171 laps.
• Logano led the series in miles completed at 13,739.73. Menard, of course, was second at 13,714.79.
• Michael McDowell completed the fewest laps of any full-time driver. He ran 9,366 laps.
• Landon Cassill was running at the finish of 32 of 36 races. But he had the worst average finish of any driver who competed in all 36 races at 29.3. He also completed the fewest miles of any full-time Cup Series driver at 12,461.83.
• Busch had the most lead-lap finishes with 31. Cassil had the fewest with four. Among full-time drivers scoring points in the Cup Series, David Ragan was last with six.
• 2019 was the first season since NASCAR implemented playoff points in 2017 where a playoff driver did not have more than 50 playoff points. Busch led the series with 44 playoff points.
• The eight top-five finishes Kyle Larson had in 2019 were the fewest since he had two top-five finishes in 2015. Larson has made the playoffs in every season since 2015.
• Clint Bowyer scored just one playoff point. That was fewer playoff points than both Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon scored (2) and the same number of playoff point(s) that Jimmie Johnson scored. Neither of the Dillons or Johnson made the playoffs. Bowyer did and finished 9th in the standings.
• Denny Hamlin led the series with 19 top-five finishes. Just nine drivers had 10 or more top fives. That’s one more driver with 10 or more top fives than in 2018.
• Eighteen drivers had 10 or more top-10 finishes. Fifteen drivers had 10 or more top 10s in 2018.
• Five drivers had 20 or more top-10 finishes. That’s the fewest number of drivers with 20 or more top 10s since 2013.
• Justin Haley became the first driver since Brian Vickers in 2013 to win a Cup race while not being eligible for Cup Series points.
• The Spire No. 77 that Haley flukishly drove to victory lane at Daytona had a second-best finish of 23rd in 2019. It finished the season with five other finishes inside the top 30 and failed to finish eight of the final 10 races of the season. The No. 77 was also parked twice for being too slow (Dover spring, Kansas fall).
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports
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