After a relatively clean race at Talladega, which we saw the first win for a playoff driver. The NASCAR Cup Series heads to another wild car track, the Charlotte Roval. Here is a look at the 12 playoff drivers 2022 season statistics, along with ranks among drivers in 2022 with ranking through 31 races since the Chase started in 2004. We will also highlight notable streaks accomplished through the year and Roval statistics.
1 Seed – Chase Elliott
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 31 Races |
| Wins | 5 | 1st | T17th |
| Poles | 3 | T2nd | T30th |
| Top2 | 8 | 1st | T20th |
| Top3 | 8 | 2nd | T48th |
| Top5 | 12 | 1st | T48th |
| Top10 | 19 | 1st | T36th |
| Stage Wins | 6 | 3rd | T15th* |
| Stage T10s | 41 | 1st | T16th* |
| Stage Pts | 265 | 1st | T15th* |
| 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, 5 Stage Top 10’s, 36 Stage Points, 6 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 5 straight Top 2 finishes
- 6 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Road Course Stats
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 6.8, Best 2nd, Worst 16th, Led 21.82% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Top 3, 3 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 27 Stage Pts
- Roval Statistics
- 2021 Roval Race
- Finished 12th, Started 8th, Led 2 laps (1.83%), Won Stage 1 and Finished 2nd in Stage 2
- Notable Roval Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 4 Races
- 5.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 1st)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 12th
- Led 14.68% of laps he’s run (% ranks 3rd)
- 2 Wins, 50.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 2 Top 5’s, 50.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 3 Top 10’s, 75.0% (% ranks 4th)
- 4 Top 15’s, 100% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 times finish outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 2 Stage Wins, 25.0% (% ranks 2nd)
- 7 Stage Top 10’s, 87.5% (% ranks 1st)
- 6.38 Avg. Stage Points (Ranks 1st)
Outlook
Chase Elliott further cemented his stake as the best driver in 2022 with a win at Talladega last week. This gives him a 2022 season high 5 wins, 3 more wins than anyone else left in the playoffs. Elliott also ranks no worse than 3rd in any 2022 rank above. His playoffs have not been that great having only 2 Top 10’s, until this weekend when he became the first playoff driver to win. Elliott is one of the best road course drivers and while he has no win this year, his 2022 road course stats are impressive. Elliott sports a 6.8 Average Finish and only finished outside the Top 10 once. As if that’s not bad enough news for his haters, he has 2 Wins at the Roval and has never had a finish worse than 12th. However, that 12th place was last year so maybe he is losing his touch here? Considering he got wrecked by Kevin Harvick at the Roval last year, I don’t see that as the case. I see Elliott getting a for sure Top 10 with a high possibility of a win.
Chase Elliott further cemented his stake as the best driver in 2022 with a win at Talladega last week. This gives him a 2022 season high 5 wins, 3 more wins than anyone else left in the playoffs. Elliott also ranks no worse than 3rd in any 2022 rank above. His playoffs have not been that great having only 2 Top 10’s, until this weekend when he became the first playoff driver to win. Elliott is one of the best road course drivers and while he has no win this year, his 2022 road course stats are impressive. Elliott sports a 6.8 Average Finish and only finished outside the Top 10 once. As if that’s not bad enough news for his haters, he has 2 Wins at the Roval and has never had a finish worse than 12th. However, that 12th place was last year so maybe he is losing his touch here? Considering he got wrecked by Kevin Harvick at the Roval last year, I don’t see that as the case. I see Elliott getting a for sure Top 10 with a high possibility of a win.
2 Seed – Ryan Blaney
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 31 Races |
| Wins | 0 | T20th | T262nd |
| Poles | 3 | T2nd | T30th |
| Top2 | 1 | T17th | T235th |
| Top3 | 2 | T16th | T235th |
| Top5 | 10 | T4th | T81st |
| Top10 | 15 | 5th | T145th |
| Stage Wins | 7 | T1st | T11th* |
| Stage T10s | 36 | 4th | T32nd* |
| Stage Pts | 228 | 3rd | 28th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 7 | T12th | T56th* |
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, 2 Stage Win, 6 Stage Top 10’s, 41 Stage Points, 2 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Poles
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak)
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Road Course Stats
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 14.6, Best 6th, Worst 26th, Led 5.28% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 36 Stage Pts
- Roval Statistics
- 2021 Roval Race
- Finished 9th, Started 6th, Led 10 laps (9.17%), Finished 3rd in Stage 1 and 4th in Stage 2
- Notable Roval Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 4 Races
- 5.75 Avg. Finish (Ranks 2nd)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 9th
- Led 9.17% of laps he’s run (% ranks 4th)
- 1 Win, 25.0% (% ranks 3rd)
- 2 Top 5’s, 50.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 4 Top 10’s, 100% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 times finish outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 2 Stage Wins, 25.0% (% ranks 2nd)
- 7 Stage Top 10’s, 87.5% (% ranks 1st)
- 5.75 Avg. Stage Points (Ranks 2nd)
Outlook
After Talladega Ryan Blaney is still looking for that 1st win this year, but he did get his 1st Top 2 this year. His Top 5, Top 10 and Stage Win statistics are impressive this year ranking no worse than 5th in those categories. The first round of the playoffs did not go as planned for Blaney but he got into the Round of 12 where his luck changed. He now has 2 straight Top 5’s and is good shape heading into the Roval. With no Top 5’s only 3 Top 15’s, his road course stats this year have not been the best. However, Blaney’s Roval stats are exactly the opposite. He has never finished outside the Top 10 here and has the 2nd best average finish and average Stage Points. Taking all this into account I see Blaney moving onto the next round of the playoffs and while I don’t see him winning, I do see him getting another Top 10 here at the Roval.
After Talladega Ryan Blaney is still looking for that 1st win this year, but he did get his 1st Top 2 this year. His Top 5, Top 10 and Stage Win statistics are impressive this year ranking no worse than 5th in those categories. The first round of the playoffs did not go as planned for Blaney but he got into the Round of 12 where his luck changed. He now has 2 straight Top 5’s and is good shape heading into the Roval. With no Top 5’s only 3 Top 15’s, his road course stats this year have not been the best. However, Blaney’s Roval stats are exactly the opposite. He has never finished outside the Top 10 here and has the 2nd best average finish and average Stage Points. Taking all this into account I see Blaney moving onto the next round of the playoffs and while I don’t see him winning, I do see him getting another Top 10 here at the Roval.
3 Seed – Ross Chastain
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 31 Races |
| Wins | 2 | T3rd | T86th |
| Poles | 0 | T16th | T250th |
| Top2 | 5 | 3rd | T65th |
| Top3 | 7 | 3rd | T80th |
| Top5 | 11 | T2nd | T66th |
| Top10 | 17 | T2nd | T75th |
| Stage Wins | 5 | T4th | T20th* |
| Stage T10s | 33 | T6th | T48th* |
| Stage Pts | 207 | 6th | T42nd* |
| Playoff Pts² | 15 | T3rd | T28th* |
¹Since Playoffs started in 2004
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year
- 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2, 0 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10, 0 Stage Wins, 7 Stage Top 10’s, 38 Stage Points, 0 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 3 straight Top 2 finishes
- 4 straight Top 3 finishes
- 6 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Road Course Stats
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 12.0, Best 1st, Worst 27th, Led 7.43% of laps run, 1 Win, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 9 Stage Pts
- Roval Statistics
- 2021 Roval Race
- Finished 23rd, Started 27th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage Points
- Notable Roval Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 3 Races
- 23.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 23rd)
- Best Finish: 22nd, Worst: 24th
- 0 Top 15’s, 0.00% (% ranks 26th)
- 3 times finish outside Top 20, 100% (% ranks 28th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 Stage Top 10’s
Outlook
Ross Chastain was hot early in the year and even got his first win on the first road course of the year at COTA. While he had a down stretch in the middle of the year, he has begun picking the pace back up. Chastain now has 3 playoff Top 10’s and 7 Stage Top 10’s out of a possible 10. His overall road course stats do not look spectacular considering he won the first race as he has an average finish of 12. However, he was disqualified at the Indy road course which brings this down significantly. At the Roval Chastain has never finished better than 22nd in 3 starts and has not gotten a single Stage Point. However, based on his performance this year on road courses I do not see him doing that bad this year. I see Chastain getting a Top 10 if he stays out of trouble, but getting his 2nd Top 5 of this years playoffs might not be in the cards.
Ross Chastain was hot early in the year and even got his first win on the first road course of the year at COTA. While he had a down stretch in the middle of the year, he has begun picking the pace back up. Chastain now has 3 playoff Top 10’s and 7 Stage Top 10’s out of a possible 10. His overall road course stats do not look spectacular considering he won the first race as he has an average finish of 12. However, he was disqualified at the Indy road course which brings this down significantly. At the Roval Chastain has never finished better than 22nd in 3 starts and has not gotten a single Stage Point. However, based on his performance this year on road courses I do not see him doing that bad this year. I see Chastain getting a Top 10 if he stays out of trouble, but getting his 2nd Top 5 of this years playoffs might not be in the cards.
4 Seed – Denny Hamlin
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 31 Races |
| Wins | 2 | T3rd | T86th |
| Poles | 3 | T2nd | T30th |
| Top2 | 4 | T4th | T92nd |
| Top3 | 5 | T5th | T122nd |
| Top5 | 8 | 8th | T142nd |
| Top10 | 12 | T11th | T217th |
| Stage Wins | 3 | T10th | T43rd* |
| Stage T10s | 26 | 10th | T72nd* |
| Stage Pts | 165 | 10th | T57th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 13 | 7th | T34th* |
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, 3 Top 5, 5 Top 10, 0 Stage Wins, 4 Stage Top 10’s, 32 Stage Points, 0 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 2022 Road Course Stats
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 20.0, Best 14th, Worst 31st, Led 0.96% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 1 Top 15, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 15 Stage Pts
- Roval Statistics
- 2021 Roval Race
- Finished 5th, Started 1st, Led 25 laps (22.94%), 0 Stage Points
- Notable Roval Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 4 Races
- 12.75 Avg. Finish (Ranks 6th)
- Best Finish: 5th, Worst: 19th
- 0 Top 3’s
- 1 Top 5, 25.0% (% ranks 7th)
- 3 Top 15’s, 75.0% (% ranks 6th)
- 0 times finish outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 Stage Top 10’s
Outlook
Denny Hamlin’s 2022 season has been a bit of a disappointment statistically speaking. However it is turning around after Talladega Hamlin now has 5 straight Top 10’s, his longest streak of the year. Hamlin is still looking for a win in the playoffs, but has finished Top 10 in every playoff race and is sitting 21 points above the cutline. It is a good thing Hamlin has this buffer too, he has an average finish of 20th this year on road courses with a best of 14th. The good news is that he has only finished outside the Top 20 once. His stats at the Roval are okay, he has only 1 Top 5 but 3 Top 15’s and an average finish of 12.75. While Hamlin doesn’t have a single Stage Point here at the Roval, I see that changing based on his road course stats this year and where he is in points. I think Hamlin will go after Stage Points and not worry about his race finish. I see Hamlin with 10+ Stage Points and a possible Top 15, but not finishing in the Top 10 this weekend.
Denny Hamlin’s 2022 season has been a bit of a disappointment statistically speaking. However it is turning around after Talladega Hamlin now has 5 straight Top 10’s, his longest streak of the year. Hamlin is still looking for a win in the playoffs, but has finished Top 10 in every playoff race and is sitting 21 points above the cutline. It is a good thing Hamlin has this buffer too, he has an average finish of 20th this year on road courses with a best of 14th. The good news is that he has only finished outside the Top 20 once. His stats at the Roval are okay, he has only 1 Top 5 but 3 Top 15’s and an average finish of 12.75. While Hamlin doesn’t have a single Stage Point here at the Roval, I see that changing based on his road course stats this year and where he is in points. I think Hamlin will go after Stage Points and not worry about his race finish. I see Hamlin with 10+ Stage Points and a possible Top 15, but not finishing in the Top 10 this weekend.
5 Seed – Joey Logano
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 31 Races |
| Wins | 2 | T3rd | T86th |
| Poles | 2 | T6th | T58th |
| Top2 | 4 | T4th | T92nd |
| Top3 | 6 | 4th | T98th |
| Top5 | 9 | 7th | T108th |
| Top10 | 14 | T6th | T168th |
| Stage Wins | 5 | T4th | T20th* |
| Stage T10s | 40 | 2nd | T19th* |
| Stage Pts | 230 | 2nd | 25th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 15 | T3rd | T28th* |
¹Since Playoffs started in 2004
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year
- 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 1 Top 2, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5, 2 Top 10, 0 Stage Wins, 6 Stage Top 10’s, 29 Stage Points, 0 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 3 finishes
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Road Course Stats
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 16.8, Best 3rd, Worst 31st, Led 5.04% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 63 Stage Pts
- Roval Statistics
- 2021 Roval Race
- Finished 7th, Started 3rd, Led 4 laps (3.67%), Finished 5th in Stage 1 and Stage 2
- Notable Roval Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 4 Races
- 7.25 Avg. Finish (Ranks 5th)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 10th
- 1 Top 5, 25.0% (% ranks 7th)
- 4 Top 10’s, 100% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 times finish outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 6 Stage T10’s, 75.0% (% ranks 3rd)
- 4.38 Avg. Stage Points (Ranks 4th)
Outlook
The 2022 season has been kind to Joey Logano ranking no worse than 7th in any of the 2022 rankings above, however Talladega was not kind to the Team Penske driver. After coming home with a 27th place finish and only 6 Stage Points Logano sits 18 points above the cutline. He has 2 playoff Top 10’s and based on his road course stats this year it may be hard for Logano to get his 3rd. He has as many Top 10’s on road courses this year as he does finishes outside the Top 20. Logano does have Stage Points in his favor, however accumulating over 12 per race on road courses this year. His Roval stats are very impressive, he has never finished outside the Top 10 in a race here and has an average finish of 7.25. Last year, he got 12 Stage Points here and I see much of the same this year. While the road courses have not been kind this year, I see Logano getting 10+ Stage Points and coming home with a Top 10 based on how he has been here in the past.
The 2022 season has been kind to Joey Logano ranking no worse than 7th in any of the 2022 rankings above, however Talladega was not kind to the Team Penske driver. After coming home with a 27th place finish and only 6 Stage Points Logano sits 18 points above the cutline. He has 2 playoff Top 10’s and based on his road course stats this year it may be hard for Logano to get his 3rd. He has as many Top 10’s on road courses this year as he does finishes outside the Top 20. Logano does have Stage Points in his favor, however accumulating over 12 per race on road courses this year. His Roval stats are very impressive, he has never finished outside the Top 10 in a race here and has an average finish of 7.25. Last year, he got 12 Stage Points here and I see much of the same this year. While the road courses have not been kind this year, I see Logano getting 10+ Stage Points and coming home with a Top 10 based on how he has been here in the past.
6 Seed – Kyle Larson
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 31 Races |
| Wins | 2 | T3rd | T86th |
| Poles | 3 | T2nd | T30th |
| Top2 | 4 | T4th | T92nd |
| Top3 | 5 | T5th | T122nd |
| Top5 | 11 | T2nd | T66th |
| Top10 | 16 | 4th | T108th |
| Stage Wins | 4 | T6th | T32nd* |
| Stage T10s | 38 | 3rd | T25th* |
| Stage Pts | 220 | 4th | 32nd* |
| Playoff Pts² | 14 | T5th | T32nd* |
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, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10, 1 Stage Wins, 6 Stage Top 10’s, 33 Stage Points, 1 Playoff Point earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Road Course Stats
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 16.6, Best 1st, Worst 35th, Led 7.99% of laps run, 1 Win, 2 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 1 Stage Win, 23 Stage Pts
- Roval Statistics
- 2021 Roval Race
- Finished 1st, Started 10th, Led 8 laps (7.34%), Finished 6th in Stage 2
- Notable Roval Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 3 Races
- 13.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 7th)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 25th
- Led 18.35% of laps he’s run (% ranks 2nd)
- 1 Win, 33.33% (% ranks 2nd)
- 1 Top 10, 33.33% (% ranks 13th)
- 2 Top 15’s, 66.67% (% ranks 10th)
- 1 time finish outside Top 20, 33.33% (% ranks 16th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 2 Stage Wins, 33.33% (% ranks 1st)
- 4.5 Avg. Stage Points (Ranks 3rd)
Outlook
This year Kyle Larson does not have a 2022 ranking worse than 6th in the categories above. This is pretty impressive and puts him near the top in the stats, however he still 6th going into the cutoff race at the Roval. Larson has 3 Top 10’s in the playoffs, but one of them was not last week as he finished a dismal 18th after running upfront all day. At road courses this year, Larson has an average finish of 16.6 which is not good but he has either finished Top 15 or outside the Top 20. However, he has finished in the Top 3 twice this year and won at Watkins Glen earlier this year and at the Roval last year. Before this year Larson rivaled Chase Elliott as the best road racer but this new car has changed everything. He has an average finish of 13th here at the Roval in 3 starts and 2 Stage Wins. I see this race as being like his good road course races this year and Larson getting a Top 10 with a few Stage Points.
This year Kyle Larson does not have a 2022 ranking worse than 6th in the categories above. This is pretty impressive and puts him near the top in the stats, however he still 6th going into the cutoff race at the Roval. Larson has 3 Top 10’s in the playoffs, but one of them was not last week as he finished a dismal 18th after running upfront all day. At road courses this year, Larson has an average finish of 16.6 which is not good but he has either finished Top 15 or outside the Top 20. However, he has finished in the Top 3 twice this year and won at Watkins Glen earlier this year and at the Roval last year. Before this year Larson rivaled Chase Elliott as the best road racer but this new car has changed everything. He has an average finish of 13th here at the Roval in 3 starts and 2 Stage Wins. I see this race as being like his good road course races this year and Larson getting a Top 10 with a few Stage Points.
7 Seed – Daniel Suarez
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 31 Races |
| Wins | 1 | T9th | T134th |
| Poles | 0 | T16th | T250th |
| Top2 | 1 | T17th | T235th |
| Top3 | 2 | T16th | T235th |
| Top5 | 6 | T10th | T196th |
| Top10 | 12 | T11th | T217th |
| Stage Wins | 2 | T12th | T57th* |
| Stage T10s | 17 | 17th | 96th* |
| Stage Pts | 112 | T11th | T78th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 7 | T12th | T56th* |
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, 0 Top 5, 2 Top 10, 0 Stage Wins, 4 Stage Top 10’s, 23 Stage Points, 0 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Road Course Stats
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 12.6, Best 1st, Worst 28th, Led 14.87% of laps run, 1 Win, 1 Top 3, 3 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 25 Stage Pts
- Roval Statistics
- 2021 Roval Race
- Finished 13th, Started 25th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage Points
- Notable Roval Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 4 Races
- 23.25 Avg. Finish (Ranks 25th)
- Best Finish: 13th, Worst: 34th
- 0 Top 10’s
- 1 Top 15, 25.0% (% ranks 17th)
- 3 times finish outside Top 20, 75.0% (% ranks 25th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 2 Stage Top 10’s, 25.0% (% ranks 15th)
Outlook
Daniel Suarez’s 2022 season has been mediocre but not bad. He ranks between 9th and 17th in every 2022 ranking above, but mediocrity is not a bad thing. He sits above the cutline going into this weekends cutoff race while only having 2 Top 10’s in the playoffs (one of them being last weekend). More good news for Suarez is that he’s been pretty spectacular at road courses this season. He has 3 Top 5’s this year on road courses, but as mediocrity would have it his other 2 races have been outside the Top 20. Overall at the Roval he hasn’t been good or even mediocre. He finished 13th last year and that is his best finish here. He has finished outside the Top 20 3 out of the 4 races here. It’s hard to say what will win out the way he has performed at road courses this year or his Roval stats. With the new car this year I tend to lean more to 2022 stats, so I see Suarez with a Top 15 run for sure with a possible Top 10.
Daniel Suarez’s 2022 season has been mediocre but not bad. He ranks between 9th and 17th in every 2022 ranking above, but mediocrity is not a bad thing. He sits above the cutline going into this weekends cutoff race while only having 2 Top 10’s in the playoffs (one of them being last weekend). More good news for Suarez is that he’s been pretty spectacular at road courses this season. He has 3 Top 5’s this year on road courses, but as mediocrity would have it his other 2 races have been outside the Top 20. Overall at the Roval he hasn’t been good or even mediocre. He finished 13th last year and that is his best finish here. He has finished outside the Top 20 3 out of the 4 races here. It’s hard to say what will win out the way he has performed at road courses this year or his Roval stats. With the new car this year I tend to lean more to 2022 stats, so I see Suarez with a Top 15 run for sure with a possible Top 10.
8 Seed – Chase Briscoe
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 31 Races |
| Wins | 1 | T9th | T134th |
| Poles | 1 | T8th | T119th |
| Top2 | 1 | T17th | T235th |
| Top3 | 2 | T16th | T235th |
| Top5 | 4 | T16th | T256th |
| Top10 | 6 | 23rd | T370th |
| Stage Wins | 4 | T6th | T32nd* |
| Stage T10s | 18 | 16th | T94th* |
| Stage Pts | 112 | T11th | T78th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 9 | T9th | T45th* |
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, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 0 Stage Wins, 3 Stage Top 10’s, 16 Stage Points, 0 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 10’s (active streak)
- 2022 Road Course Stats
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 21.0, Best 13th, Worst 30th, Led 4.32% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Top 3, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 3 Stage Wins, 37 Stage Pts
- Roval Statistics
- 2021 Roval Race
- Finished 22nd, Started 22nd, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage Points
- Notable Roval Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 1 Races
- 22.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 20th)
- Best Finish: 22nd, Worst: 22nd
- 0 Top 15’s
- 1 time finish outside Top 20, 100% (% ranks 28th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 Stage Top 10’s
Outlook
The 2022 stats for Chase Briscoe have left much to be desired, besides his Stage Wins he ranks outside the Top 8 in every 2022 rank above. The good news for Briscoe is that he has gotten 2 straight Top 10’s for the first time this season. The bad news is that he literally sits right on the bubble 0 points ahead of Austin Cindric, beating him on a tiebreaker. Unfortunately the bad news continues for Briscoe, he does not have a Top 10 on a road course this year and 3 finishes outside the Top 20. He does however have 3 straight road races where he won Stage 1. So while he has done well in winning Stage 1, he hasn’t been there at the finish. He only has one race here at the Roval finishing 22nd last year. I personally want Briscoe to make the next round of the playoffs, but the stats say it will be hard to make that happen unless the team changes strategy. If they don’t I see him getting Stage Points and then fighting for a Top 20 finish.
The 2022 stats for Chase Briscoe have left much to be desired, besides his Stage Wins he ranks outside the Top 8 in every 2022 rank above. The good news for Briscoe is that he has gotten 2 straight Top 10’s for the first time this season. The bad news is that he literally sits right on the bubble 0 points ahead of Austin Cindric, beating him on a tiebreaker. Unfortunately the bad news continues for Briscoe, he does not have a Top 10 on a road course this year and 3 finishes outside the Top 20. He does however have 3 straight road races where he won Stage 1. So while he has done well in winning Stage 1, he hasn’t been there at the finish. He only has one race here at the Roval finishing 22nd last year. I personally want Briscoe to make the next round of the playoffs, but the stats say it will be hard to make that happen unless the team changes strategy. If they don’t I see him getting Stage Points and then fighting for a Top 20 finish.
9 Seed – Austin Cindric
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 31 Races |
| Wins | 1 | T9th | T134th |
| Poles | 1 | T8th | T119th |
| Top2 | 2 | T11th | T165th |
| Top3 | 4 | T8th | T156th |
| Top5 | 5 | T12th | T221st |
| Top10 | 9 | T16th | T291st |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T16th | T74th* |
| Stage T10s | 13 | T20th | T103rd* |
| Stage Pts | 58 | 22nd | 105th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 6 | T17th | T66th* |
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, 0 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 0 Stage Wins, 3 Stage Top 10’s, 13 Stage Points, 0 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Road Course Stats
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 7.0, Best 2nd, Worst 13th, Led 2.64% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 5 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 12 Stage Pts
- Roval Statistics
- 2021 Roval Race
- Did not race
- Notable Roval Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 0 Races
Outlook
Austin Cindric has had a good year for a rookie, getting 1 Win, 4 Top 3’s and making it to the Round of 12 in the playoffs. He even sits tied for the last spot in the next round. However, Cindric has not done well in the stages ranking 16th or worse in every 2022 rank for the stages above. He also has not done well in the playoffs having only 1 Top 10 and 13 Stage Points, which the Top 10 came last week at Talladega. With that being said the road courses have been a strong suit for Cindric. His average finish of 7th ranks behind only Chase Elliott and has 4 Top 10’s and all 5 finishes in the Top 15. Cindric has not raced on the Roval here in the Cup series, but with the way he has done on road courses this year I don’t think that is a big deal. I see Cindric based on his performance this year getting another Top 10 this weekend and contending for a Top 5 even.
Austin Cindric has had a good year for a rookie, getting 1 Win, 4 Top 3’s and making it to the Round of 12 in the playoffs. He even sits tied for the last spot in the next round. However, Cindric has not done well in the stages ranking 16th or worse in every 2022 rank for the stages above. He also has not done well in the playoffs having only 1 Top 10 and 13 Stage Points, which the Top 10 came last week at Talladega. With that being said the road courses have been a strong suit for Cindric. His average finish of 7th ranks behind only Chase Elliott and has 4 Top 10’s and all 5 finishes in the Top 15. Cindric has not raced on the Roval here in the Cup series, but with the way he has done on road courses this year I don’t think that is a big deal. I see Cindric based on his performance this year getting another Top 10 this weekend and contending for a Top 5 even.
10 Seed – William Byron
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 31 Races |
| Wins | 2 | T3rd | T86th |
| Poles | 0 | T16th | T250th |
| Top2 | 2 | T11th | T165th |
| Top3 | 4 | T8th | T156th |
| Top5 | 5 | T12th | T221st |
| Top10 | 9 | T16th | T291st |
| Stage Wins | 4 | T6th | T32nd* |
| Stage T10s | 34 | 5th | T44th* |
| Stage Pts | 208 | 5th | 41st* |
| Playoff Pts² | 14 | T5th | T32nd* |
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, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10, 1 Stage Wins, 7 Stage Top 10’s, 43 Stage Points, 1 Playoff Point earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 3 finishes
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Road Course Stats
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 18.0, Best 9th, Worst 31st, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Top 3, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 8 Stage Pts
- Roval Statistics
- 2021 Roval Race
- Finished 11th, Started 11th, Led 30 laps (27.52%), Finished 8th in Stage 1 and 10th in Stage 2
- Notable Roval Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 4 Races
- 14.25 Avg. Finish (Ranks 11th)
- Best Finish: 6th, Worst: 34th
- Led 18.60% of laps he’s run (% ranks 1st)
- 1 Pole, 25.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 Top 5’s
- 2 Top 10’s, 50.0% (% ranks 5th)
- 3 Top 15’s, 75.0% (% ranks 6th)
- 1 time finish outside Top 20, 25.0% (% ranks 9th)
- 1 DNF, 25.0% (% ranks 27th)
- 6 Stage Top 10’s, 75.0% (% ranks 3rd)
Outlook
William Byron started this season with 2 Wins and 4 Top 5’s through 8 races. Now through 31 races he still has 2 Wins and only 5 Top 5’s, needless to say he has had a bad 23 race stretch. The good thing for Byron is that he did have 4 Top 10’s to open the playoffs before a 12th place finish at Talladega. The bad thing is that with his 25 point penalty he sits 11 points out of a spot in the next round. More bad news is that the Cup Series is heading to a road course this weekend where Byron has not performed well this year. He has 1 Top 10, 2 finishes outside the Top 20, 8 Stage Points and 0 laps led this year. When you look at his Roval stats they don’t jump off the page either. While he has led over 18% of the laps he’s run here those laps have not turned into great finishes, he has 0 Top 5’s but does have 2 Top 10’s. This is a tough race to handicap for Byron, but I tend to follow the stats for this year. I see him fighting for a Top 10 finish and not much else.
William Byron started this season with 2 Wins and 4 Top 5’s through 8 races. Now through 31 races he still has 2 Wins and only 5 Top 5’s, needless to say he has had a bad 23 race stretch. The good thing for Byron is that he did have 4 Top 10’s to open the playoffs before a 12th place finish at Talladega. The bad thing is that with his 25 point penalty he sits 11 points out of a spot in the next round. More bad news is that the Cup Series is heading to a road course this weekend where Byron has not performed well this year. He has 1 Top 10, 2 finishes outside the Top 20, 8 Stage Points and 0 laps led this year. When you look at his Roval stats they don’t jump off the page either. While he has led over 18% of the laps he’s run here those laps have not turned into great finishes, he has 0 Top 5’s but does have 2 Top 10’s. This is a tough race to handicap for Byron, but I tend to follow the stats for this year. I see him fighting for a Top 10 finish and not much else.
11 Seed – Christopher Bell
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 31 Races |
| Wins | 1 | T9th | T134th |
| Poles | 4 | 1st | T19th |
| Top2 | 2 | T11th | T165th |
| Top3 | 4 | T8th | T156th |
| Top5 | 10 | T4th | T81st |
| Top10 | 17 | T2nd | T75th |
| Stage Wins | 4 | T6th | T32nd* |
| Stage T10s | 33 | T6th | T48th* |
| Stage Pts | 189 | 9th | 53rd* |
| Playoff Pts² | 9 | T9th | T45th* |
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, 3 Top 5, 3 Top 10, 2 Stage Wins, 6 Stage Top 10’s, 50 Stage Points, 2 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Road Course Stats
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 13.6, Best 3rd, Worst 27th, Led 4.08% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 11 Stage Pts
- Roval Statistics
- 2021 Roval Race
- Finished 8th, Started 4th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage Points
- Notable Roval Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 2 Races
- 16.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 14th)
- Best Finish: 8th, Worst: 24th
- 0 Top 5’s
- 1 Top 10, 50.0% (% ranks 5th)
- 1 Top 15, 50.0% (% ranks 11th)
- 1 time finish outside Top 20, 50.0% (% ranks 18th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 2 Stage Top 10’s, 50.0% (% ranks 7th)
- 4.25 Avg. Stage Points (Ranks 5th)
Outlook
Christopher Bell started this season the opposite of William Byron, he had 1 Top 5 through 10 races and now through 31 races has 10. His overall 2022 stats are pleasing to the eye considering how he started the season. He had 3 Top 5’s in the first round of the playoffs as well, but unfortunately that success has not followed him to this round. He sits 33 points out of the final transfer spot and while it isn’t mathematically a must win, theoretically it is a must win (or at least must hope others have problems). His 2022 road course stats aren’t terrible with 1 Top 5, 3 Top 15’s and an average finish of 13.6. In his 2 starts at the Roval he has been not terrible either. The bad thing for Bell is that “not terrible” may not cut it, he needs to perform good to great to make the next round. Unfortunately for Bell I just don’t see that, I see him getting some stage points and a solid Top 10 run but don’t see that being enough to move on to the Round of 8.
Christopher Bell started this season the opposite of William Byron, he had 1 Top 5 through 10 races and now through 31 races has 10. His overall 2022 stats are pleasing to the eye considering how he started the season. He had 3 Top 5’s in the first round of the playoffs as well, but unfortunately that success has not followed him to this round. He sits 33 points out of the final transfer spot and while it isn’t mathematically a must win, theoretically it is a must win (or at least must hope others have problems). His 2022 road course stats aren’t terrible with 1 Top 5, 3 Top 15’s and an average finish of 13.6. In his 2 starts at the Roval he has been not terrible either. The bad thing for Bell is that “not terrible” may not cut it, he needs to perform good to great to make the next round. Unfortunately for Bell I just don’t see that, I see him getting some stage points and a solid Top 10 run but don’t see that being enough to move on to the Round of 8.
12 Seed – Alex Bowman
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ¹Rank Thru 31 Races |
| Wins | 1 | T9th | T134th |
| Poles | 0 | T16th | T250th |
| Top2 | 2 | T11th | T165th |
| Top3 | 2 | T16th | T235th |
| Top5 | 4 | T16th | T256th |
| Top10 | 12 | T11th | T217th |
| Stage Wins | 2 | T12th | T57th* |
| Stage T10s | 19 | T14th | T92nd* |
| Stage Pts | 104 | 15th | T84th* |
| Playoff Pts² | 7 | T12th | T56th* |
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, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10, 1 Stage Wins, 4 Stage Top 10’s, 24 Stage Points, 1 Playoff Points earned in a race
- Notable Streaks this year
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Road Course Stats
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 15.2, Best 2nd, Worst 32nd, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 16 Stage Pts
- Roval Statistics
- 2021 Roval Race
- Finished 10th, Started 12th, Led 0 laps, Finished 9th in Stage 2
- Notable Roval Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 4 Races
- 6.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 3rd)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 10th
- 1 Top 2, 25.0% (% ranks 4th)
- 2 Top 5’s, 50.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 4 Top 10’s, 100% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 times finish outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks 1st)
- 4 Stage Top 10’s, 50.0% (% ranks 7th)
Outlook
First and foremost our thoughts and prayers go out to Alex Bowman and we hope for a quick recovery from his concussion-like symptoms. His 2022 has been a struggle to say the least with only 4 Top 5’s and not ranking any better than 9th in any 2022 rank above. However, his 2022 playoffs were good until Texas when he wrecked and got injured. If he does race this weekend here is how it shakes out. He has only 1 Top 10 on road courses this year, that was a 2nd at COTA, but does have 3 Top 15’s. At the Roval he has been spectacular with 2 Top 5’s and never having finished outside the Top 10, he is still trying to get that win here though. Which if he does race this weekend is what it will take for Bowman to make the next round. If he does race I see him getting a good finish in the Top 10 but not a Top 5 and therefore not winning and not making the next round.
First and foremost our thoughts and prayers go out to Alex Bowman and we hope for a quick recovery from his concussion-like symptoms. His 2022 has been a struggle to say the least with only 4 Top 5’s and not ranking any better than 9th in any 2022 rank above. However, his 2022 playoffs were good until Texas when he wrecked and got injured. If he does race this weekend here is how it shakes out. He has only 1 Top 10 on road courses this year, that was a 2nd at COTA, but does have 3 Top 15’s. At the Roval he has been spectacular with 2 Top 5’s and never having finished outside the Top 10, he is still trying to get that win here though. Which if he does race this weekend is what it will take for Bowman to make the next round. If he does race I see him getting a good finish in the Top 10 but not a Top 5 and therefore not winning and not making the next round.
