Kobalt 400 by the numbers

By BILL BRADLEY LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

8 years ago

The pit crew for Kyle Larson (42) change the tires on his car during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on Sunday, March 12, 2017. (Miranda Alam/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @miranda_alam

Kyle Larson’s (42) pit crew prepares for his car to make a pit stop during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on Sunday, March 12, 2017. (Miranda Alam/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @miranda_alam

Kyle Larson (42) runs laps during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Sunday, March 12, 2017. (Brett Le Blanc/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Pit crew members push Kyle Larson’s (42) Chevrolet to technical inspection before the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on Sunday, March 12, 2017. (Brett Le Blanc/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bleblancphoto

Crew members push the car of Kyle Larson (42) to tech inspection before the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Sunday, March 12, 2017. (Miranda Alam/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Joey Logano (12) crosses the finish line followed by Kyle Larson (42) at the end of the Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday, March 11, 2017, in Las Vegas. (Christian K. Lee/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @chrisklee_jpeg

Joey Logano (12) leads Kyle Larson (42) as they run laps during the Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday, March 11, 2017, in Las Vegas. (Christian K. Lee/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @chrisklee_jpeg

• 1.495 seconds: Margin of victory for Martin Truex Jr. over runner-up Kyle Larson.

• 2: Top 10 finishes by Truex this season.

• 2 hours, 56 minutes, 39 seconds: Time of race, the longest in seven years in Las Vegas.

• 3: Number of stages won by Truex, who became the first driver to win all three periods under NASCAR’s new format.

• 4: Jets that did a flyover during the national anthem (two F-15s and two F-22s).

• 7: Years the race has been known as Kobalt 400 or Kobalt Tools 400 and its last at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Next year the sponsor will be Pennzoil.

• 6: Race caution flags, helping six drivers get a lap back — one on each caution.

• 7: Top 10 finishes by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his past eight Las Vegas races.

• 8: Truex’s career victories in the Cup series, his first at Las Vegas.

• 10: Laps led by Truex during the first stage.

• 11: Finish for Jimmie Johnson, marking the first time since he became a full-time driver in 2002 that he has failed to have a top-10 finish in the first three races.

• 14: Lead changes.

• 15: Final place for Erik Jones, the highest finishing rookie.

• 20: NASCAR Cup series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

• 22: Finish for Las Vegas native Kyle Busch, who made contact with Joey Logano’s car that caused a postrace fight.

• 30: Finish by Las Vegas native Kurt Busch, who two weeks ago won the Daytona 500.

• 34: Laps driven under yellow flag.

• 35: Cars still running at end of race.

• 39: Number of cars to start the race.

• 45 mph: Speed limit on pit road.

• 60: Monster Cup series points earned by Truex.

• 68: Laps before the race’s first crash, one that ended Kevin Harvick’s day when his car scraped into the Turn 1 wall.

• 84: High temperature at the speedway, causing the track to be slick for drivers.

• 89: Laps led by Brad Keselowski, who won the pole but gave up the lead with two laps remaining.

• 127: Lap number during which Kyle Busch received speeding penalty on pit road.

• 136.032 mph: Average speed for the race, the slowest in six years in Las Vegas.

• 144: Laps led by Truex.

• 173: Lap at which Kurt Busch hit the Turn 4 wall.

• 267: Total laps run for Kobalt 400.