Have you ever wondered why NASCAR does not really have stats? Think about it. It is a sport where things are measured in 1/1000th of a second, yet the best stats you can find are start, finish, highest placed, and laps led? I am not that much of a NASCAR fan, but I have wondered for a while why there are not better stats and think this an area ripe for innovation. Enter StatSheet.

StatSheet has built a name for itself through its revolutionary college basketball stats and is now taking a stab at NASCAR. In addition to the usual (read:useless) NASCAR stats mentioned earlier, Statsheet’s NASCAR pages feature stats such as quality passes, green flag pass differential, and driver rating. For example, check out the stats from the 2009 Daytona 500, it becomes obvious that Jeff Gordon lost the race in the pits. Despite starting third and a positive pass differential, Gordon finished 13th. These stats paint a picture that you probably would not see just looking at regular race results.

From a pure fantasy perspective, stats like these can help actually help fantasy players determine who is running hot but not putting up the final numbers or who is outperforming his car. Currently, there is a dearth of quality information about NASCAR drivers, and information like StatSheet’s can transform how NASCAR is watched and perceived.

StatSheet Founder Robbie Allen told me, “I’ve barely scratched the surface with NASCAR and right now there isn’t much available on the web today. I plan on doing a lot more over the next year.” I cannot wait to see what comes next.