Mind of Montgomery
A NASCAR BLOG BY Lee Montgomery
- TEXT SIZE: Increase Text Size Decrease Text Size Reset Text Size
- No Comments. Leave a Comment
- Digg This
- Add to Del.icio.us
- RSS Feeds
NASCAR algebra 101
Apr
9
Let’s do some mathematics today, shall we?
There have been seven Sprint Cup races in 2008, and Carl Edwards has won three of them. That’s a batting average of .428, which will get you in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Baseball folks also love to use the phrase “on pace to…,” like “Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee is on pace to hit 56 home runs this year” or some such. Using that for NASCAR, Edwards is on pace to win 15.4 races. Well, OK, I don’t know how it’s possible to win 0.4 races, but that’s the math.
Let’s go a little deeper. Edwards has won one of the one races on 2-mile tracks, meaning he’s on pace to win four of those events this year (I didn’t say this was going to be a hard math lesson).
And, after Sunday’s win at Texas, Edwards has won two of the three races on 1.5-mile tracks. Since there are 10 1.5-mile tracks on the schedule, Edwards is on pace to win 6.7 mile-and-a-half races in ’08.
But, you say, 6.7 plus four does not equal 15.4. No, it doesn’t.
So will Edwards win 15.4 races or 10.7 races this year?
The guess here is that it will be closer to 10.7 than 15.4, and probably quite a bit less than 10.4. But after his hot start to the season, who would bet against Edwards winning 15.4 or more?
Not me. I can’t count.
There have been seven Sprint Cup races in 2008, and Carl Edwards has won three of them. That’s a batting average of .428, which will get you in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Baseball folks also love to use the phrase “on pace to…,” like “Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee is on pace to hit 56 home runs this year” or some such. Using that for NASCAR, Edwards is on pace to win 15.4 races. Well, OK, I don’t know how it’s possible to win 0.4 races, but that’s the math.
Let’s go a little deeper. Edwards has won one of the one races on 2-mile tracks, meaning he’s on pace to win four of those events this year (I didn’t say this was going to be a hard math lesson).
And, after Sunday’s win at Texas, Edwards has won two of the three races on 1.5-mile tracks. Since there are 10 1.5-mile tracks on the schedule, Edwards is on pace to win 6.7 mile-and-a-half races in ’08.
But, you say, 6.7 plus four does not equal 15.4. No, it doesn’t.
So will Edwards win 15.4 races or 10.7 races this year?
The guess here is that it will be closer to 10.7 than 15.4, and probably quite a bit less than 10.4. But after his hot start to the season, who would bet against Edwards winning 15.4 or more?
Not me. I can’t count.
Search
Other Blogs
Recent Blog Postings
- Odds are, Roush Fenway Racing has championship team
by Jared Turner | 08/26/2008 - Sorenson making smart move
by Jeff Owens | 08/26/2008 - Edwards is more 'Intimidator' than Busch
by Kris Johnson | 08/25/2008 - Where's the patience at BMS?
by Kenny Bruce | 08/25/2008 - High racing costs may continue to soar
by Kenny Bruce | 08/23/2008 - New dates mean new opportunities
by Steve Waid | 08/22/2008 - Contingency trophies are pretty sweet
by Jeff Gluck | 08/22/2008
Poll Position
Which driver is more willing to do anything it takes to win?
No Comments
Be the first to comment on "NASCAR algebra 101". Login or sign up for a free account below to post your comment