By the Numbers

34 laps remaining in the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix on Nov. 9, the next-to-last race of the season, when ABC switched coverage to ESPN2, leaving those without cable or who were recording the race with an episode of America's Funniest Home Videos.

43 cup races between wins for Tony Stewart, starting on Aug. 12, 2007, at Watkins Glen and ending at Talladega on Oct. 5, 2008, the longest drought of his 10-year Cup career.

0 victories during the 2008 season for Jeff Gordon, who failed to drive the 24 car to Victory Lane for the first time since 1993, when he raced as a 21-year-old.

2 drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth, who have taken part in the Chase for all five years of its existence. Kenseth's best finish was second, in 2006.

135,000 approximate gallons of fuel used by Sprint Cup teams to power their cars during the season.

366,000,000 approximate gallons used by U.S. motorists each day.

10 victories for Toyota drivers Kyle Busch (eight), Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart (one each) in 2008. Toyota, a winner for the first time ever on March 9 at Atlanta, finished the season second in victories, trailing Chevy and Ford, which were tied with 11.

54 years between Cup wins for a foreign automaker. The last was in 1954, when Al Keller won NASCAR's first-ever[Richard Donnelly:Richard Donnelly: cq/rob] road race driving a Jaguar XK120 at the International 100 in Linden, N.J.

9 wins for Chase runner-up Carl Edwards, who topped Busch by one to lead all drivers. It was the first time that two teams had won as many as eight races in a season since Darrell Waltrip (12) and Bobby Allison (eight) in 1982.

3 consecutive cup titles for Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports and Chad Knaus, who became the first crew chief to win three straight Cups.

4 consecutive cup championships for Hendrick Motorsports, from 1995 through 1998, the most Cups in a row for an owner.

2 drivers responsible for Hendrick's first run: Jeff Gordon ('95, '97, '98) and Terry Labonte ('96).