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The wait is nearly over. NASCAR is almost here. In three weeks — around 500 hours — the command will be given to start engines for the Daytona 500 and a season with earlier start times and the promise of series officials letting boys be boys.

Drivers will be able to bump draft at Daytona. And, who knows, maybe there will be more conflicts similar to the battles Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski had last year. Or Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Until the green flag waves for the season — hey, the Budweiser Shootout is eight days before the Daytona 500, so it truly won’t be long before the action begins — here’s a primer, by the numbers, to get you ready.

0 — Top-10 finishes by Paul Menard, the only driver to run all 36 races and not have a top-10 last season.

0.098 seconds — Margin that Kyle Busch beat Mark Martin to win the Bristol night race in closest finish of the season.

1 — Chase driver with a new crew chief this season. Kurt Busch will be paired with Steve Add- ington this season.

1.5 — Average Tony Stewart finish in for the two road course races last year.

2 — Drivers scheduled to run for rookie of the year honors this season in Cup: Kevin Conway and Terry Cook.

2.5 — Average Marcos Ambrose finish in the two road course races last year.

3 — First-time Sprint Cup winners in 2009 in Brad Keselowski, in David Reutimann and Joey Logano.

4 — Chase drivers who went winless last year: Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards.

6 — Drivers who won at least one race last year but didn’t make the Chase: Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Reutimann, Logano and Keselowski.

8 — Times Sam failed to finish a race, highest among any driver who finished in the top 30 in points.

11 — Times Tony failed to qualify Raines last season, a series high.

13 — Top-10 finishes last season for Brian Vickers, a career high in Cup.

14 — Number of different winners in 2009 Sprint Cup season.

16.1 — Winning percentage for Jimmie Johnson for all Cup races.

17 — Consecutive seasons Jeff Gordon has won a pole.

18 — Top-10 finishes last year for Montoya, doubling his total from the previous two seasons.

24 — Consecutive seasons Hendrick Motorsports has won at least one race.

29 — Times Dave Blaney started and parked in 2009. He failed to finish in 30 Cup races.

30 — Winning percentage in Chase races for Jimmie Johnson (18 wins in 60 starts).

31 — Drivers who competed in all 36 races last season.

32 — Average points standings finish for Robby Gordon in the five seasons he’s raced for his own team.

37 — Laps led by Kasey Kahne at Infineon Raceway last year (has led 41 laps on a road course in his Cup career).

42 — Number of races David Reutimann has been running at the finish, a series high.

45 — Number of drivers who collected at least $1 million in race earnings last season.

51 — Car number that Michael Waltrip will run in this year’s Daytona 500 (changing from 55).

56 — Martin Truex Jr's car number for this season after moving over to Michael Waltrip Racing.

57 — Number of races since Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s last Cup victory.

99.77 — Percentage that teammates Stewart and Newman ran out of 10,492 last year (each ran all but 24 laps last year).

107 — Races since Kevin Harvick last won a points race.

548 — Points scored by Elliott Sadler in the the four restrictor-plate races last year, more than any other Cup driver.

581 — Consecutive starts Jeff Gordon has made, most among active drivers (Bobby Labonte is second at 580 consecutive starts).

2,238 — Laps Jimmie Johnson led, a series high and nearly 1,000 more than the next driver, Denny Hamlin, in that category.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com