Top 5 Tuesday: A selection of stats that may surprise you (and others that may not)

Published Dec. 24, 2013 3:00 p.m. ET

Tom Jensen

In this week's edition of Top 5 Tuesday, we take a look back at some of the top performances in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the 2013 season. Some results will surprise you. Others, not so much.

1. VICTORIES:

Matt Kenseth, 7

Jimmie Johnson, 6

Kevin Harvick, 4

Kyle Busch, 4

Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, 2 each

Note: Is it any coincidence that the four guys who won the most races also all finished in the top four in points? We think not.

2. POLES:

Denny Hamlin, 5

Jimmie Johnson, 3

Matt Kenseth, 3

Kyle Busch, 3

Five drivers tied with 2

Note: Hamlin had a miserable season, but in 2013, he was the king of Fridays.

3. LAPS LED:

Jimmie Johnson, 1,985 (18.81%)

Matt Kenseth, 1,783 (16.90%)

Kyle Busch, 1,227 (11.63%)

Kasey Kahne, 677 (6.42%)

Carl Edwards, 524 (4.97%)

Note: Without question, the top three lap leaders were the fastest cars all year long.

4. PERCENTAGE OF LAPS COMPLETED

Jamie McMurray, 99.25%

Kurt Busch, 98.72%

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 98.70%

Clint Bowyer, 98.55%

Jeff Burton, 98.21%

Note: Jamie Mac completed 10,474 of a possible 10,553 laps. Impressive.

5. BEST SHORT-TRACK PERFORMANCE

Clint Bowyer, 217 points

Matt Kenseth, 211

Jeff Gordon, 206

Kasey Kahne, 194

Dale Earnhardt Jr. 193

Note: One of the keys to Kensethâs great season was a big improvement on short tracks, not typically his strength.