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FOX Watch: Kenseth shoots for lucky seven spot

by Todd Behrendt, FOXSports.com


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Updated: November 29, 2004, 1:50 PM EST
Sometimes numbers can speak louder than words. Which is why each week, FOXSports.com takes a close look at NASCAR's stat book and comes up with five drivers to keep an eye on.

Unless otherwise noted, the stats are for a driver's career and include all Winston Cup races at North Carolina Speedway.

These are our picks, but what do you think? Let us know in the , then watch Fox Sports Net's on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET to see how your pick stands up against our experts.

North Carolina Speedway
Driver Races Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Times led Laps led
8 1 2 4 0 5 154
COMMENT: Pulled out of a late-season tailspin at Phoenix, finishing sixth; it was just his second top 10 in his last six races. So now all he needs to clinch his first Winston Cup championship is to finish seventh or better at The Rock. Seeing as how he's posted four straight top 10s at the track (including a win here in February of 2002), we're banking on seeing a new champion crowned Sunday in North Carolina.
21 4 8 10 2 43 946
COMMENT: While Kenseth has been struggling, Gordon has been surging. His seventh at Phoenix was his eighth top 10 in his last nine races. And that run should continue at Rockingham, where Gordon has four career victories, including a season sweep back in 1998.
21 1 6 9 1 20 387
COMMENT: Labonte has been on quite the run at Rockingham, with top 10s in seven of his last nine trips to the track. He's also led at least one lap in eight of the last nine. For the last month, Labonte has alternated top-10 finishes with disastrous showings. Guess whose turn it is this week.
34 2 11 19 5 50 643
COMMENT: Along with , Martin is tops among active drivers with five poles at Rockingham. He's also got 19 top 10s in 34 starts, including a seventh here the second week of the season. He broke his slump last week at Phoenix, finishing 10th, so he's got a little momentum coming into one of his favorite tracks.
39 5 12 21 2 56 2,019
COMMENT: Wallace leads all active drivers with five wins at Rockingham. Now while the last one was back in 1994, he still knows how to run at The Rock. Back in February, he led the most laps with 134 before settling for sixth.

Last week

FOX Watch: How We're Doing
This Week Season
Wins 0 14
Top 5s 0 54
Top 10s 3 91
DNFs 0 24
We've gotten spoiled here at FOX Watch in recent weeks.

Normally, we'd be perfectly content with landing three of our five picks in the top 10 -- (seventh), (eighth) and (10th).

But after the last six weeks, three measly top 10s qualifies as a disappointment.

During that run we had four winners (Atlanta, Martinsville, Kansas and Dover), 18 top fives and 25 top 10s. That means just five of our 30 picks finished outside of the top 10.

And you expect us to get excited about a week without a top five? We've had at least two in each of the last six weeks for crying out loud.

2002 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 Top 10

1. (10), Pontiac
2. (6), Ford
3. (97), Ford
4. (99), Ford
5. (24), Chevrolet
6. (4), Chevrolet
7. (18), Pontiac
8. (17), Ford
9. (32), Ford
10. (30), Chevrolet

Past Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 Champions

2002 , Pontiac, 128.526 mph
2001 , Chevrolet, 128.941 mph
2000 , Ford, 110.418 mph
1999 , Ford, 131.103 mph
1998 , Chevrolet, 128.423 mph
1997 Bobby Hamilton, Pontiac, 121.73 mph
1996 , Ford, 122.320 mph
1995 , Pontiac, 114.778 mph
1994 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 126.408 mph
1993 , Pontiac, 114.036 mph
1992 , Pontiac, 130.748 mph
1991 Davey Allison, Ford, 127.292 mph
1990 Alan Kulwicki, Ford, 126.452 mph
1989 Mark Marin, Ford, 114.079 mph
1988 , Pontiac, 111.557 mph
1987 , Ford, 118.258 mph
1986 Neil Bonnett, Chevrolet, 126.381 mph
1985 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 118.344 mph
1984 , Ford, 112.617 mph
1983 , Chevrolet, 119.324 mph
1982 Darrell Waltrip, Buick, 115.122 mph
1981 Darrell Waltrip, Buick, 107.399 mph
1980 Carl Yarborough, Chevrolet, 114.159 mph
1979 Richard Petty, Chevrolet, 108.356 mph
1978 Cale Yarborough, Oldsmobile, 117.288 mph
1977 Donnie Allison, Chevrolet, 113.584 mph
1976 Richard Petty, Dodge, 117.718 mph
1975 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 120.129 mph
1974 David Pearson, 73 Mercury, 118.493 mph
1973 David Pearson, 71 Mercury, 117.755 mph
1972 Bobby Allison, 72 Chevrolet, 118.275 mph
1971 Richard Petty, 71 Plymouth, 113.405 mph
1970 Cale Yarborough, 69 Mercury, 119.811 mph
1969 LeeRoy Yarbrough, 69 Ford, 111.938 mph
1968 Richard Petty, 68 Plymouth, 105.060 mph
1967 Bobby Allison, 67 Ford, 98.420 mph
1966 Fred Lorenzen, 66 Ford, 104.348 mph
1965 Curtis Turner, 65 Ford, 101.942 mph

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