No. 48's Season, Statistically Speaking

Thanks to the implementation of the loop data scoring system and other advances on how NASCAR's timing and scoring system analyze on-track data, some wildly crazy numbers are available for a host of different categories.

Not surprisingly, many of them tell exactly why Jimmie Johnson is again the NASCAR Sprint Cup champion. Here's what Jimmie was best at:

1) 21.3 Percent of Laps Led -- Johnson led easily in this category measuring a driver's total laps led against total laps completed. Denny Hamlin was his closest competitor with 13.2 percent of laps led. Meanwhile, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon tallied up led-lap totals of 7.7 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively.

2) 1,299 Fastest Laps -- There's been plenty of discussion about the overall dominance in car control that Johnson possesses since he wrapped the title at Homestead, but this stat seems to be the most telling in how well he can wheel his Hendrick machine. At just shy of 1,300, this stat indicates that Johnson was the fastest car on the race track for 1,299 of the laps he completed in 2009.

1,299 translates into 14.8 percent of the 8,756 total green flag laps run in Sprint Cup during the 2009 campaign. Second best in that category? Mark Martin with a 661 -- just over half of Johnson's total.

3) 8.7 Average Running Position -- JJ easily took home the crown for having the best average running position during the 2009 season. Kurt Busch -- 4th in points -- finished the season with an average of 10.5 while 3rd-place Jeff Gordon averaged a 10.6.

4) Fastest Driver After a Restart -- This category is simply summed up as a measurement of which drivers had the fastest two green flag laps after a restart. Johnson led all drivers in NASCAR with an average of being the 9th-quickest driver after a restart, while Kurt Busch was second with a 10th-place average. In the era of clean air giving drivers an advantage, Johnson being the fastest car consistently when the green flag falls could pay huge dividends.

5) Fastest Overall Green Flag Speed -- As with the restart category, Johnson led this stat that measures the ranking of each driver during each lap. Throughout the course of the season, Johnson was, on average, the 4th-fastest car at any given time under green flag conditions. Mark Martin was second, averaging 7th-quickest.

6) 83.6 Percent of Laps in Top-15 -- Johnson was closely challenged in this category by Mark Martin, his closest rival at the end of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. With both cars being so consistent, though, it makes sense why they were at the top of the point standings. Martin's total time in the top-15 was 82.4 percent of laps -- and he and Johnson were the only two drivers to eclipse the 80 percent mark.

7) 72.6 Percent Quality Passes -- In 2009, Johnson made 2,299 passes under green flag conditions. That number wasn't near Joey Logano's league-leading 3,317, but 1,668 of those passes made by Johnson were determined to be a "quality pass" -- a term that is defined by making a pass of a car while inside the top-15 of the running order. The 1,668 gave Johnson the 72.6 percentage and was just enough to top Denny Hamlin at 72.5 percent.

Other notable statistics from the 2009 season, per NASCAR's Statistical Services:

10,468 -- The number of laps completed in 2009 by both cars from the brand-new Stewart-Haas Racing team. That number laps, turned by Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, led all of NASCAR in that category, while David Reutimann completed the third-most with 10,408. You've got to believe that team owner Stewart was happy with such reliability.

1,897 -- The number of times Mark Martin was passed during green flag conditions in 2009, the lowest number for any driver within the top-35 of the final point standings. Jimmie Johnson was passed just 42 more times under green flag.

10.6 -- Jeff Gordon's average finish in 2009, the best in the series

6.8 -- On average, the number of positions gained by Jeff Burton from start to finish during races in 2009. Matt Kenseth, ever known for racing through the field, was close behind after average 6 positions gained in 2009. Jimmie Johnson, on average, dropped 2.8 spots per race.