Homestead saw a relatively clean race for the playoffs drivers besides Chase Briscoe. Just because it was clean does not mean all ran well as some did not and now are in trouble going to the final race before the championship, Martinsville. Here is a look at the 8 playoff drivers remaining 2022 season statistics, along with ranks among drivers in 2022 with ranking through 34 races since the Chase started in 2004. We will also highlight notable streaks accomplished through the year, 2022 short track (under 1.0 mile) statistics and Martinsville statistics.
1 Seed – Joey Logano
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 34 Races |
| Wins | 3 | T2nd | T64th |
| Poles | 3 | T2nd | T36th |
| Top2 | 5 | T4th | T76th |
| Top3 | 7 | T4th | T88th |
| Top5 | 10 | T5th | T108th |
| Top10 | 15 | T7th | T179th |
| Stage Wins | 6 | T3rd | T18th* |
| Stage T10s | 46 | 1st | T17th* |
| Stage Pts | 265 | 2nd | T24th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 21 | T2nd | T19th* |
¹Since Playoffs started in 2004
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year
- 1 Win, 2 Poles, 2 Top 2, 2 Top 3, 3 Top 5, 3 Top 10, 1 Stage Wins, 12 Stage Top 10’s, 64 Stage Points, 6 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 3 finishes
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 13.0, Best 2nd, Worst 27th, Led 13.61% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 1 Stage Win, 4.38 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Martinsville Statistics
- Spring Martinsville Race
- Finished 2nd, Started 14th, Led 0 laps, Finished 8th in Stage 1 and 3rd in Stage 2
- Notable Martinsville Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 27 Races
- 11.67 Avg. Finish (Ranks 5th)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 37th
- Led 8.21% of laps he’s run (% ranks 4th)
- 1 Win, 3.70% (% ranks 9th)
- 5 Poles, 18.52% (% ranks 1st)
- 5 Top 3’s, 18.52% (% ranks 7th)
- 9 Top 5’s, 33.33% (% ranks 7th)
- 15 Top 10’s, 55.56% (% ranks 5th)
- 19 Top 15’s, 70.37% (% ranks 5th)
- 5 times finish outside Top 20, 18.52% (% ranks 4th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 2 Stage Wins, 9.09% (% ranks 6th)
- 18 Stage T10’s, 81.82% (% ranks 2nd)
- 4.5 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 6th)
Outlook
At Homestead last week Joey Logano just needed to show up and that’s all he did coming home 18th. This year Logano has been strong in Stages, Wins and Poles ranking 1st or 2nd in the 2022 ranks above. The rest aren’t shabby but he has finished Top 3 almost as many times as he finished 4th-10th. The playoffs have pretty much reflected those stats with Stages, Wins, Poles, Top 3’s doing well but other stats not so much. At short tracks this year Logano has led lots of laps but only has 1 Top 5 and 2 Top 10’s in 4 starts. However, that Top 5 was a 2nd place here at Martinsville in the spring. Overall here Logano has performed pretty well capturing 5 Poles and 5 Top 3’s, but only 1 Win in 27 races. He does have an admirable amount of Top 10’s and Top 15’s here and also ranks 2nd in Stage Top 10%. I see no need for Logano to mix it up this weekend but I see him starting up front, getting Stage Points and finishing between 5th and 10th.
At Homestead last week Joey Logano just needed to show up and that’s all he did coming home 18th. This year Logano has been strong in Stages, Wins and Poles ranking 1st or 2nd in the 2022 ranks above. The rest aren’t shabby but he has finished Top 3 almost as many times as he finished 4th-10th. The playoffs have pretty much reflected those stats with Stages, Wins, Poles, Top 3’s doing well but other stats not so much. At short tracks this year Logano has led lots of laps but only has 1 Top 5 and 2 Top 10’s in 4 starts. However, that Top 5 was a 2nd place here at Martinsville in the spring. Overall here Logano has performed pretty well capturing 5 Poles and 5 Top 3’s, but only 1 Win in 27 races. He does have an admirable amount of Top 10’s and Top 15’s here and also ranks 2nd in Stage Top 10%. I see no need for Logano to mix it up this weekend but I see him starting up front, getting Stage Points and finishing between 5th and 10th.
2 Seed – Ross Chastain
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 34 Races |
| Wins | 2 | T5th | T96th |
| Poles | 0 | T17th | T260th |
| Top2 | 7 | T2nd | T44th |
| Top3 | 9 | T1st | T48th |
| Top5 | 13 | 1st | T51st |
| Top10 | 19 | T1st | T71st |
| Stage Wins | 6 | T3rd | T18th* |
| Stage T10s | 36 | T6th | T50th* |
| Stage Pts | 227 | 6th | T41st* |
| Playoff Pts² | 16 | 5th | T31st* |
¹Since Playoffs started in 2004
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year
- 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 2 Top 2, 2 Top 3, 3 Top 5, 5 Top 10, 1 Stage Wins, 10 Stage Top 10’s, 58 Stage Points, 1 Playoff Point earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 3 straight Top 2 finishes
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes (active streak)
- 4 straight Top 3 finishes
- 6 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 12.0, Best 5th, Worst 19th, Led 4.71% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 4.38 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Martinsville Statistics
- Spring Martinsville Race
- Finished 5th, Started 27th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage Points
- Notable Martinsville Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 7 Races
- 24.29 Avg. Finish (Ranks 30th)
- Best Finish: 5th, Worst: 34th
- 0 Top 3’s
- 1 Top 5, 14.29% (% ranks 10th)
- 1 Top 15, 14.29% (% ranks 30th)
- 5 times finish outside Top 20, 71.43% (% ranks 32nd)
- 1 DNF, 14.29% (% ranks 34th)
- 0 Stage Top 10’s
Outlook
Ross Chastain left Homestead with another runner up finish which makes 5 this year, most in the Cup Series. However, Chastain also left Homestead with a 19 point lead over the cutline. This year Chastain has been impressive ranking no lower than 5th in non-stage and Pole 2022 ranks above, he even has the most Top 5’s this year with 13. Oh, and he is riding his second longest Top 2 streak of the season. In the 8 playoff races Chastain has 3 Top 5’s, 5 Top 10’s and the 5th most Stage Points in the playoffs. At short tracks this year he has performed okay with an average finish of 12th, 2 Top 10’s and a best of 5th in 4 races. The good news is that he has 0 finishes outside the Top 20 and his 5th came here at Martinsville in the spring, however passing was minimal at best. Here at Martinsville Chastain has that 5th as his only Top 15 and 0 Stage T10’s. I see this weekend being hard for Chastain getting a few Stage Points maybe and a finish between 7th and 15th.
Ross Chastain left Homestead with another runner up finish which makes 5 this year, most in the Cup Series. However, Chastain also left Homestead with a 19 point lead over the cutline. This year Chastain has been impressive ranking no lower than 5th in non-stage and Pole 2022 ranks above, he even has the most Top 5’s this year with 13. Oh, and he is riding his second longest Top 2 streak of the season. In the 8 playoff races Chastain has 3 Top 5’s, 5 Top 10’s and the 5th most Stage Points in the playoffs. At short tracks this year he has performed okay with an average finish of 12th, 2 Top 10’s and a best of 5th in 4 races. The good news is that he has 0 finishes outside the Top 20 and his 5th came here at Martinsville in the spring, however passing was minimal at best. Here at Martinsville Chastain has that 5th as his only Top 15 and 0 Stage T10’s. I see this weekend being hard for Chastain getting a few Stage Points maybe and a finish between 7th and 15th.
3 Seed – Chase Elliott
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 34 Races |
| Wins | 5 | 1st | T23rd |
| Poles | 3 | T2nd | T36th |
| Top2 | 8 | 1st | T28th |
| Top3 | 8 | 3rd | T66th |
| Top5 | 12 | T2nd | T68th |
| Top10 | 19 | T1st | T71st |
| Stage Wins | 6 | T3rd | T18th* |
| Stage T10s | 44 | 2nd | T21st* |
| Stage Pts | 274 | 1st | T19th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 31 | 1st | T9th* |
¹Since Playoffs started in 2004
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year
- 1 Wins, 0 Pole, 2 Top 2, 2 Top 3, 2 Top 5, 2 Top 10, 1 Stage Wins, 8 Stage Top 10’s, 45 Stage Points, 6 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 5 straight Top 2 finishes
- 6 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 7.75, Best 2nd, Worst 14th, Led 10.92% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 2 Stage Win, 5.0 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Martinsville Statistics
- Spring Martinsville Race
- Finished 10th, Started 1st, Led 185 laps (45.91%), Won Stage 1 and Stage 2
- Notable Martinsville Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 14 Races
- 13.43 Avg. Finish (Ranks 7th)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 38th
- Led 13.32% of laps he’s run (% ranks 1st)
- 1 Win, 7.14% (% ranks 6th)
- 3 Top 2’s, 21.43% (% ranks 3rd)
- 4 Top 3’s, 28.57% (% ranks 2nd)
- 8 Top 10’s, 57.14% (% ranks 4th)
- 3 times finish outside Top 20, 21.43% (% ranks 10th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 6 Stage Wins, 27.27% (% ranks 1st)
- 18 Stage Top 10’s, 81.82% (% ranks 2nd)
- 5.86 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 1st)
Outlook
Chase Elliott at Homestead was basically what his playoffs have been, get some Stage Points and finish outside the Top 10. Elliott’s 2022 ranks above are going the wrong way since the playoffs started, but still ranks no worse than 3rd. The playoffs have given him only 2 Top 10’s in 8 races, but those 2 Top 10’s have been 1st and 2nd. Martinsville may be what the doctor ordered for Elliott though as he has a 7.75 average finish on short tracks this year. He also hasn’t finished lower than 14th in the 4 short tracks races and has 5.0 Stage Pts Per Stage. Here in the spring Elliott started first and led all of the first 2 stages before a slow pit stop stopped him in his tracks and he wound up 10th. Overall at Martinsville Elliott performs well with 4 Top 3’s and 8 Top 10’s in 14 races and he gets over 5 Stage Pts Per Stage. To make the Championship 4 Elliott needs a solid run this this week and that’s what I see, 10+ total Stage Points and a Top 10 if not Top 5 run.
Chase Elliott at Homestead was basically what his playoffs have been, get some Stage Points and finish outside the Top 10. Elliott’s 2022 ranks above are going the wrong way since the playoffs started, but still ranks no worse than 3rd. The playoffs have given him only 2 Top 10’s in 8 races, but those 2 Top 10’s have been 1st and 2nd. Martinsville may be what the doctor ordered for Elliott though as he has a 7.75 average finish on short tracks this year. He also hasn’t finished lower than 14th in the 4 short tracks races and has 5.0 Stage Pts Per Stage. Here in the spring Elliott started first and led all of the first 2 stages before a slow pit stop stopped him in his tracks and he wound up 10th. Overall at Martinsville Elliott performs well with 4 Top 3’s and 8 Top 10’s in 14 races and he gets over 5 Stage Pts Per Stage. To make the Championship 4 Elliott needs a solid run this this week and that’s what I see, 10+ total Stage Points and a Top 10 if not Top 5 run.
4 Seed – William Byron
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 34 Races |
| Wins | 2 | T5th | T96th |
| Poles | 1 | T8th | T127th |
| Top2 | 2 | T12th | T177th |
| Top3 | 4 | T10th | T173rd |
| Top5 | 5 | T12th | T239th |
| Top10 | 9 | T18th | T306th |
| Stage Wins | 4 | T7th | T36th* |
| Stage T10s | 39 | 5th | T37th* |
| Stage Pts | 240 | 5th | T33rd* |
| Playoff Pts² | 14 | T6th | T36th* |
¹Since Playoffs started in 2004
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year
- 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 0 Top 2, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10, 1 Stage Wins, 12 Stage Top 10’s, 75 Stage Points, 1 Playoff Point earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 3 finishes
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 4.5, Best 1st, Worst 11th, Led 19.61% of laps run, 1 Win, 3 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 4.88 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Martinsville Statistics
- Spring Martinsville Race
- Finished 1st, Started 5th, Led 212 laps (52.61%), Finished 2nd in Stage 1 and Stage 2
- Notable Martinsville Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 9 Races
- 15.11 Avg. Finish (Ranks 9th)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 39th
- Led 5.26% of laps he’s run (% ranks 8th)
- 1 Win, 11.11% (% ranks 2nd)
- 2 Top 2’s, 22.22% (% ranks 2nd)
- 4 Top 5’s, 44.44% (% ranks 5th)
- 5 Top 15’s, 55.56% (% ranks 10th)
- 3 times finish outside Top 20, 33.33% (% ranks 11th)
- 2 DNF’s, 22.22% (% ranks 36th)
- 11 Stage Top 10’s, 61.11% (% ranks 9th)
Outlook
Homestead was looking great for William Byron, but alas he finished outside the Top 10 again. The good news is he got 17 Stage Points and sits 5 points above the cutline. This sums up Byron’s season as he is 5th-7th in 2022 stage ranks above, but 10th-18th in Top 2’s-Top 10’s. This is also why he is tied for the lead in playoff Stage Points with 75 but only has 1 Top 5. Thankfully for Byron the one place he has been closing races strong is short tracks. He has an average finish of 4.5 on them this year with a Win, 3 Top 3’s and a worst finish of 11th. At Martinsville in the spring Byron won after a good pit stop put him in the lead of the unpassable 500. In all fairness he does well here overall as he has 4 Top 5’s in only 9 starts, but also only has 5 Top 15’s as well. Using all of these stats though I see Byron coming home in the Top 5 with lots of Stage Points. If it’s not a Top 5 it’s probably outside the Top 10 which will not be good for his Championship hopes.
Homestead was looking great for William Byron, but alas he finished outside the Top 10 again. The good news is he got 17 Stage Points and sits 5 points above the cutline. This sums up Byron’s season as he is 5th-7th in 2022 stage ranks above, but 10th-18th in Top 2’s-Top 10’s. This is also why he is tied for the lead in playoff Stage Points with 75 but only has 1 Top 5. Thankfully for Byron the one place he has been closing races strong is short tracks. He has an average finish of 4.5 on them this year with a Win, 3 Top 3’s and a worst finish of 11th. At Martinsville in the spring Byron won after a good pit stop put him in the lead of the unpassable 500. In all fairness he does well here overall as he has 4 Top 5’s in only 9 starts, but also only has 5 Top 15’s as well. Using all of these stats though I see Byron coming home in the Top 5 with lots of Stage Points. If it’s not a Top 5 it’s probably outside the Top 10 which will not be good for his Championship hopes.
5 Seed – Denny Hamlin
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 34 Races |
| Wins | 2 | T5th | T96th |
| Poles | 3 | T2nd | T36th |
| Top2 | 4 | T6th | T105th |
| Top3 | 5 | T7th | T139th |
| Top5 | 9 | 8th | T138th |
| Top10 | 14 | 11th | T206th |
| Stage Wins | 3 | T10th | T48th* |
| Stage T10s | 29 | 10th | 72nd* |
| Stage Pts | 175 | 10th | 58th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 13 | 8th | 39th* |
¹Since Playoffs started in 2004
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year
- 0 Wins, 0 Pole, 2 Top 2, 2 Top 3, 4 Top 5, 7 Top 10, 0 Stage Wins, 7 Stage Top 10’s, 42 Stage Points, 0 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 10.5, Best 1st, Worst 28th, Led 1.59% of laps run, 1 Win, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.13 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Martinsville Statistics
- Spring Martinsville Race
- Finished 28th, Started 25th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage Points
- Notable Martinsville Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 33 Races
- 10.7 Avg. Finish (Ranks 2nd)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 39th
- Led 12.48% of laps he’s run (% ranks 2nd)
- 5 Wins, 15.15% (% ranks 1st)
- 4 Poles, 12.12% (% ranks 2nd)
- 8 Top 2’s, 24.24% (% ranks 1st)
- 16 Top 5’s, 48.48% (% ranks 2nd)
- 22 Top 10’s, 66.67% (% ranks 2nd)
- 25 Top 15’s, 75.76% (% ranks 2nd)
- 7 times finish outside Top 20, 21.21% (% ranks 9th)
- 2 DNF’s, 6.06% (% ranks 24th)
- 3 Stage Wins, 13.64% (% ranks 3rd)
- 5.18 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 4th)
Outlook
Denny Hamlin was 1 of only 2 playoff drivers to finish in the Top 10 at Homestead. This puts him 5 below the cutline and when looking at his 2022 stats he should be happy to be this close. His 2022 ranks above are ugly ranking 5th or better in only Poles and Wins. However when looking at his playoff stats it makes sense he is in the hunt as he has 4 Top 5’s and 7 Top 10’s (most of any driver) in 8 races. At short tracks he has 2 Top 5’s and 3 Top 10’s, but hasn’t done well in stages getting only 2.13 Stage Pts Per Stage. The spring race here was the one time Hamlin finished outside the Top 10 at a short track this year coming home 28th after an awful race. He didn’t even get a Stage Point. However, at Martinsville overall Hamlin has the best stats of anyone. His active driver % rank is 1st or 2nd in everything above except stages and has a Top 5 in almost half his races here. I see the spring as an anomaly and Hamlin getting some Stage Points and a Top 5.
Denny Hamlin was 1 of only 2 playoff drivers to finish in the Top 10 at Homestead. This puts him 5 below the cutline and when looking at his 2022 stats he should be happy to be this close. His 2022 ranks above are ugly ranking 5th or better in only Poles and Wins. However when looking at his playoff stats it makes sense he is in the hunt as he has 4 Top 5’s and 7 Top 10’s (most of any driver) in 8 races. At short tracks he has 2 Top 5’s and 3 Top 10’s, but hasn’t done well in stages getting only 2.13 Stage Pts Per Stage. The spring race here was the one time Hamlin finished outside the Top 10 at a short track this year coming home 28th after an awful race. He didn’t even get a Stage Point. However, at Martinsville overall Hamlin has the best stats of anyone. His active driver % rank is 1st or 2nd in everything above except stages and has a Top 5 in almost half his races here. I see the spring as an anomaly and Hamlin getting some Stage Points and a Top 5.
6 Seed – Ryan Blaney
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 34 Races |
| Wins | 0 | T20th | T268th |
| Poles | 3 | T2nd | T36th |
| Top2 | 1 | T17th | T247th |
| Top3 | 2 | T16th | T247th |
| Top5 | 10 | T5th | T108th |
| Top10 | 15 | T7th | T179th |
| Stage Wins | 8 | 1st | T11th* |
| Stage T10s | 42 | 4th | T29th* |
| Stage Pts | 262 | 3rd | 26th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 8 | T11th | T52nd* |
¹Since Playoffs started in 2004
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year
- 0 Wins, 0 Pole, 1 Top 2, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5, 3 Top 10, 3 Stage Win, 12 Stage Top 10’s, 75 Stage Points, 3 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Poles
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 12.75, Best 4th, Worst 30th, Led 9.28% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 4.75 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Martinsville Statistics
- Spring Martinsville Race
- Finished 4th, Started 12th, Led 5 laps (1.24), Finished 7th in Stage 1 and 4th in Stage 2
- Notable Martinsville Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 13 Races
- 10.23 Avg. Finish (Ranks 1st)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 25th
- Led 5.89% of laps he’s run (% ranks 7th)
- 2 Top 2’s, 15.38% (% ranks 6th)
- 6 Top 5’s, 46.15% (% ranks 4th)
- 7 Top 10’s, 53.85% (% ranks 7th)
- 9 Top 15’s, 69.23% (% ranks 6th)
- 1 time finish outside Top 20, 7.69% (% ranks 2nd)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 3 Stage Wins, 13.64% (% ranks 3rd)
- 17 Stage Top 10’s, 77.27% (% ranks 4th)
- 5.36 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 2nd)
Outlook
Ryan Blaney’s downshift coming off pit road at Homestead might be what keeps him out of the Championship 4. Blaney had a good race and got 9 Stage Points but ended up 17th putting him 18 below the cut. Blaney’s 2022 has been good in stages, Top 5’s and Top 10’s but hasn’t been finishing higher than 4th enough. He only has 2 Top 3’s and this may be his undoing. The playoffs for Blaney have been good in stages as he has 3 Stage Wins and 75 Stage Points (tied for most in playoffs), but not great in finishing races with only 3 Top 10’s. Short tracks are the same as Blaney’s 2022 season, he has 3 Top 10’s but only 1 Top 5. Thankfully for Blaney that Top 5 was a 4th here in the spring and he has the highest average finish, 10.23, of any active driver. He also has finished worse than 20th only once and done very well in stages, but 0 Wins. For Blaney and his fans though I see more frustration ahead, 10+ Stage Points and a Top 10 but no better than 5th.
Ryan Blaney’s downshift coming off pit road at Homestead might be what keeps him out of the Championship 4. Blaney had a good race and got 9 Stage Points but ended up 17th putting him 18 below the cut. Blaney’s 2022 has been good in stages, Top 5’s and Top 10’s but hasn’t been finishing higher than 4th enough. He only has 2 Top 3’s and this may be his undoing. The playoffs for Blaney have been good in stages as he has 3 Stage Wins and 75 Stage Points (tied for most in playoffs), but not great in finishing races with only 3 Top 10’s. Short tracks are the same as Blaney’s 2022 season, he has 3 Top 10’s but only 1 Top 5. Thankfully for Blaney that Top 5 was a 4th here in the spring and he has the highest average finish, 10.23, of any active driver. He also has finished worse than 20th only once and done very well in stages, but 0 Wins. For Blaney and his fans though I see more frustration ahead, 10+ Stage Points and a Top 10 but no better than 5th.
7 Seed – Christopher Bell
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 34 Races |
| Wins | 2 | T5th | T96th |
| Poles | 4 | 1st | T21st |
| Top2 | 3 | T8th | T135th |
| Top3 | 5 | T7th | T139th |
| Top5 | 11 | 4th | T84th |
| Top10 | 18 | 3rd | T97th |
| Stage Wins | 4 | T7th | T36th* |
| Stage T10s | 34 | 8th | T56th* |
| Stage Pts | 196 | T8th | T54th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 14 | T6th | T36th* |
¹Since Playoffs started in 2004
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year
- 1 Win, 1 Pole, 1 Top 2, 2 Top 3, 4 Top 5, 4 Top 10, 2 Stage Wins, 7 Stage Top 10’s, 57 Stage Points, 7 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 8.0, Best 2nd, Worst 20th, Led 12.1% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 5.13 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Martinsville Statistics
- Spring Martinsville Race
- Finished 20th, Started 7th, Led 0 laps, Finished 4th in Stage 1 and 9th in Stage 2
- Notable Martinsville Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 5 Races
- 17.4 Avg. Finish (Ranks 12th)
- Best Finish: 7th, Worst: 28th
- 0 Top 5’s
- 1 Top 10, 20.0% (% ranks 15th)
- 2 Top 15’s, 40.0% (% ranks 17th)
- 1 time finish outside Top 20, 20.0% (% ranks 6th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 4 Stage Top 10’s, 40.0% (% ranks 13th)
Outlook
Christopher Bell had an un-Christopher-Bell-like day at Homestead not being in the Top 10 except at the start of the race. Bell’s stats are decent this year with no 2022 rank above being worse than 8th, but still he is 33 points below the cut. He can thank Bubba Wallace for this though since he took him out at Las Vegas. The last 2 round of the playoffs have been hard as he has 1 Top 10 in the last 5 races, a Win at the Roval. Short tracks have been Bell’s friend though as he has 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, average finish of 8th and the most Stage Points on short tracks this year. Bell in the spring at Martinsville did well in stages but in the end finished 20th. So Bell has no momentum coming into this race which is not good since his stats here are bad, he only has 2 Top 15’s here in 5 races. Bell needs a Win this weekend but I don’t see him getting it or even a Top 10 to be honest, I see between 11th and 15th for Bell with some Stage Points.
Christopher Bell had an un-Christopher-Bell-like day at Homestead not being in the Top 10 except at the start of the race. Bell’s stats are decent this year with no 2022 rank above being worse than 8th, but still he is 33 points below the cut. He can thank Bubba Wallace for this though since he took him out at Las Vegas. The last 2 round of the playoffs have been hard as he has 1 Top 10 in the last 5 races, a Win at the Roval. Short tracks have been Bell’s friend though as he has 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, average finish of 8th and the most Stage Points on short tracks this year. Bell in the spring at Martinsville did well in stages but in the end finished 20th. So Bell has no momentum coming into this race which is not good since his stats here are bad, he only has 2 Top 15’s here in 5 races. Bell needs a Win this weekend but I don’t see him getting it or even a Top 10 to be honest, I see between 11th and 15th for Bell with some Stage Points.
8 Seed – Chase Briscoe
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 34 Races |
| Wins | 1 | T10th | T140th |
| Poles | 1 | T8th | T127th |
| Top2 | 1 | T17th | T247th |
| Top3 | 2 | T16th | T247th |
| Top5 | 5 | T12th | T239th |
| Top10 | 8 | T21st | T334th |
| Stage Wins | 4 | T7th | T36th* |
| Stage T10s | 20 | 16th | 94th* |
| Stage Pts | 119 | 13th | 79th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 9 | 10th | T47th* |
¹Since Playoffs started in 2004
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year
- 0 Wins, 0 Pole, 0 Top 2, 0 Top 3, 2 Top 5, 4 Top 10, 0 Stage Wins, 5 Stage Top 10’s, 23 Stage Points, 0 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 4 straight Top 10’s
- 2022 Short Track Stats
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 14.25, Best 9th, Worst 23rd, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.13 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Martinsville Statistics
- Spring Martinsville Race
- Finished 9th, Started 19th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage Points
- Notable Martinsville Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 3 Races
- 19.33 Avg. Finish (Ranks 17th)
- Best Finish: 9th, Worst: 27th
- 0 Top 5’s
- 1 Top 10, 33.33% (% ranks 10th)
- 1 Top 15, 33.33% (% ranks 20th)
- 2 times finish outside Top 20, 66.67% (% ranks 30th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 Stage Top 10’s
Outlook
Chase Briscoe’s good luck, 4 straight Top 10 streak and championship hopes (probably) came to an end last week finishing 36th after a wreck. While it was a good run and a good story seeing him in the Round of 8 it’s no secret his stats this year are bad. Briscoe is 10th or better in the 2022 ranks above in Stage Wins, Poles, Wins and Playoff Pts only. Everything else is 13th or worse. His playoff stats are okay as he has 4 Top 10’s but only 1 Top 5 in 8 races. Briscoe only has 23 Stage Points in those 8 races as well. Short tracks have been eh for him this year too with only 1 Top 10 in 4 races and 0 laps led. However that 1 Top 10 was at Martinsville in the spring, a 9th place, but that is also his only Top 10 here in 3 starts. Briscoe fans I’m sorry, he needs a Win but all I see is maybe a couple Stage Points for Briscoe and probably a finish outside the Top 10. But I have been wrong about Briscoe all playoffs almost, so we’ll see if I am right this time.
Chase Briscoe’s good luck, 4 straight Top 10 streak and championship hopes (probably) came to an end last week finishing 36th after a wreck. While it was a good run and a good story seeing him in the Round of 8 it’s no secret his stats this year are bad. Briscoe is 10th or better in the 2022 ranks above in Stage Wins, Poles, Wins and Playoff Pts only. Everything else is 13th or worse. His playoff stats are okay as he has 4 Top 10’s but only 1 Top 5 in 8 races. Briscoe only has 23 Stage Points in those 8 races as well. Short tracks have been eh for him this year too with only 1 Top 10 in 4 races and 0 laps led. However that 1 Top 10 was at Martinsville in the spring, a 9th place, but that is also his only Top 10 here in 3 starts. Briscoe fans I’m sorry, he needs a Win but all I see is maybe a couple Stage Points for Briscoe and probably a finish outside the Top 10. But I have been wrong about Briscoe all playoffs almost, so we’ll see if I am right this time.
