Last week we got to see Austin Hill go back to back in the season opener at Daytona. Next up we have a chance to see if Cole Custer can go back to back at Auto Club Speedway. I have picked 8 notable drivers to look at, 1 based on the 2023 point standings, 2 based on 2023 stats, 2 based on Big Track stats, 1 based on the last Auto Club race and 2 based on their overall Auto Club stats. Here is a look at those 8 notable drivers 2023 season statistics, along with ranks among drivers in 2023 with ranking through 1 race since the Playoffs started in 2016. We will also highlight notable streaks accomplished through the year/last year into this year, 2022 Big track (2.0+ mile) statistics and Auto Club statistics.
1st in Points – Austin Hill
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 1 Race |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 1.0 | 1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 90.4% | 2nd of 38 | 30th of 310 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 131.8 | 1st of 38 | 1st of 310‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Poles | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Top 3’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Top 5’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T1st of 38 | T3rd of 270* |
| Stage T10s | 2 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 270* |
| Stage Pts | 18 | T1st of 38 | T3rd of 270* |
| Playoff Pts² | 6 | 1st of 38 | 1st of 270* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 1 race
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 53 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 13.33(T12th), 55.44% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 75.47(16th), Best 5th, Worst 27th, Laps Completed 99.21%, Led 1.33% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 1.0 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Auto Club Statistics
- 2022 Auto Club Race
- Finished 27th, Started 8th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage Points, ran 2 Laps in Top15 (1.23% of laps he ran), had 33.3 Driver Rating
- Notable Auto Club Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 2 Races
- 21.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks 20th)
- Best Finish: 16th, Worst: 27th
- Completed 98.73% of laps (% ranks 16th)
- 20.9% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 21st)
- 51.75 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 27th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 15’s
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 50.0% (% ranks T15th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 0 Stage Top 10’s
Outlook
Austin Hill is notable because of him being first in points so far this season. Last week Hill dominated the Xfinity Daytona race for the most part as is evidence by his 131.8 Driver Rating, which is the highest since the playoffs started in 2016. Hill also became the first driver to win a stage and the race in the first race of the season, and to put a cherry on top every 2022 rank above for him is 1st except Laps in Top15%. Going into Auto Club this weekend Hill is on a 5 race Top 10 streak and when looking at his Big Track stats from last year he might be able to extend that to 6. Hill’s Avg. Finish in 3 Big Track races last year was 13.33 but 2 of those races ended in a Top 10. Unfortunately for Hill though that one race outside the Top 10 was at Auto Club last year where early damage put him in a hole he couldn’t climb out of. Thus it remains to be seen how he’ll do with RCR here at Auto Club. In all Hill has raced 2 times here at Auto Club and last year wasn’t much to tell, but honestly neither was his first. His Avg. Finish here is 21.5 and he’s only ran 20.9% of his laps in the Top 15. So, going into this weekend it’s hard to tell what Hill will do, but as long as he stays out of trouble I think Hill will majorly improve on these stats. I think Hill runs most the race in the Top 15 and ends up with a back end Top 10 or just outside the Top 10.
Austin Hill is notable because of him being first in points so far this season. Last week Hill dominated the Xfinity Daytona race for the most part as is evidence by his 131.8 Driver Rating, which is the highest since the playoffs started in 2016. Hill also became the first driver to win a stage and the race in the first race of the season, and to put a cherry on top every 2022 rank above for him is 1st except Laps in Top15%. Going into Auto Club this weekend Hill is on a 5 race Top 10 streak and when looking at his Big Track stats from last year he might be able to extend that to 6. Hill’s Avg. Finish in 3 Big Track races last year was 13.33 but 2 of those races ended in a Top 10. Unfortunately for Hill though that one race outside the Top 10 was at Auto Club last year where early damage put him in a hole he couldn’t climb out of. Thus it remains to be seen how he’ll do with RCR here at Auto Club. In all Hill has raced 2 times here at Auto Club and last year wasn’t much to tell, but honestly neither was his first. His Avg. Finish here is 21.5 and he’s only ran 20.9% of his laps in the Top 15. So, going into this weekend it’s hard to tell what Hill will do, but as long as he stays out of trouble I think Hill will majorly improve on these stats. I think Hill runs most the race in the Top 15 and ends up with a back end Top 10 or just outside the Top 10.
2nd in Points – Justin Allgaier
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 1 Race |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 3.0 | 3rd of 38 | T17th of 310 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 88.8% | T3rd of 38 | T33rd of 310 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 124.4 | 2nd of 38 | 4th of 310‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T9th of 310 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T8th of 310 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T17th of 310 |
| Top 3’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Top 5’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T1st of 38 | T3rd of 270* |
| Stage T10s | 2 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 270* |
| Stage Pts | 18 | T1st of 38 | T3rd of 270* |
| Playoff Pts² | 1 | 2nd of 38 | T10th of 270* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 1 race
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 2 straight Top 3 finishes (active streak)
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak)
- 6 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 53 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 5.67(6th), 96.58% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 115.37(3rd), Best 2nd, Worst 8th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 12.11% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 6.67 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Auto Club Statistics
- 2022 Auto Club Race
- Finished 8th, Started 20th, Led 7 laps (4.24%), Finished 3rd in Stage 1 and 3rd in Stage 2, ran 165 Laps in Top15 (100% of laps he ran), had 108.9 Driver Rating
- Notable Auto Club Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 13 Races
- 11.69 Avg. Finish (Ranks 9th)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 32nd
- Completed 98.07% of laps (% ranks 18th)
- 87.62% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 7th)
- 95.31 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 6th)
- Led 0.78% of laps he’s run
- 0 Wins
- 1 Top 5, 7.69% (% ranks 9th)
- 7 Top 10’s, 53.85% (% ranks 7th)
- 11 Top 15’s, 84.62% (% ranks 8th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 7.69% (% ranks 12th)
- 1 DNF, 7.69% (% ranks 20th)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 4.9 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 1st)
Outlook
Justin Allgaier could be notable for many reasons but is notable because of how well he did on Big Tracks last year. Allgaier was so close to a win last week at Daytona but instead has a 3.0 Avg. Finish so far this year. All of his 2022 ranks above though are 3rd or better and his Avg. Driver Rating is 124.4 which ranks 2nd best. His 3rd place last week did keep a couple streaks alive for Allgaier though as he has 2 straight Top 3’s, 3 straight Top 5’s and 6 straight Top 10’s; all of which could realistically be extended this weekend. At Big Tracks last year Allgaier had 1 Top 3 and 3 Top 10’s leading to the 6th best Avg. Finish at 5.67 and the 3rd best Avg. Driver Rating at 115.37. To top it all off Allgaier led 12.11% of the laps he ran and acquired 6.67 Stage Pts Per Stage. In fact at Auto Club last year he got 8 Stage Pts in each stage but ended up finishing 8th in the race. He did however run every lap in the Top 15 and had the 4th best Driver Rating (108.9) in the race. This is typical of Allgaier here who has an 11.69 Avg. Finish and has run in the Top 15 for 87.62% of the laps he’s run here. Despite all this success he only has 1 Top 5 in 13 races, but does have 7 Top 10’s. This tells me this weekend you can look for Allgaier to be in the hunt most the race but will ultimately fall late and finish between 6th and 10th.
Justin Allgaier could be notable for many reasons but is notable because of how well he did on Big Tracks last year. Allgaier was so close to a win last week at Daytona but instead has a 3.0 Avg. Finish so far this year. All of his 2022 ranks above though are 3rd or better and his Avg. Driver Rating is 124.4 which ranks 2nd best. His 3rd place last week did keep a couple streaks alive for Allgaier though as he has 2 straight Top 3’s, 3 straight Top 5’s and 6 straight Top 10’s; all of which could realistically be extended this weekend. At Big Tracks last year Allgaier had 1 Top 3 and 3 Top 10’s leading to the 6th best Avg. Finish at 5.67 and the 3rd best Avg. Driver Rating at 115.37. To top it all off Allgaier led 12.11% of the laps he ran and acquired 6.67 Stage Pts Per Stage. In fact at Auto Club last year he got 8 Stage Pts in each stage but ended up finishing 8th in the race. He did however run every lap in the Top 15 and had the 4th best Driver Rating (108.9) in the race. This is typical of Allgaier here who has an 11.69 Avg. Finish and has run in the Top 15 for 87.62% of the laps he’s run here. Despite all this success he only has 1 Top 5 in 13 races, but does have 7 Top 10’s. This tells me this weekend you can look for Allgaier to be in the hunt most the race but will ultimately fall late and finish between 6th and 10th.
3rd in Points – John Hunter Nemechek
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 1 Race |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 2.0 | 2nd of 38 | T9th of 310 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 94.4% | 1st of 38 | 22nd of 310 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 110.8 | 3rd of 38 | 18th of 310‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T9th of 310 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T8th of 310 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Top 3’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Top 5’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T3rd of 38 | T13th of 270* |
| Stage T10s | 2 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 270* |
| Stage Pts | 5 | T9th of 38 | T51st of 270* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T16th of 270* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 1 race
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 1 straight Top 10 finish (active streak)
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 53 drivers)
- 1 Races, Avg. Finish 19.0(T19th), 50.0% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 72.3(19th), Best 19th, Worst 19th, Laps Completed 99.2%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Auto Club Statistics
- 2022 Auto Club Race
- did not race
- Notable Auto Club Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 2 Races
- 28.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks 26th)
- Best Finish: 28th, Worst: 29th
- Completed 76.33% of laps (% ranks 29th)
- 48.91% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 15th)
- 75.75 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 13th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 15’s
- 2 finishes outside Top 20, 100% (% ranks T25th)
- 1 DNF, 50.0% (% ranks 28th)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 1 Stage Top 10, 25.0% (% ranks 10th)
Outlook
John Hunter Nemechek is notable because of his 2023 stats so far through the season. Last week Nemechek ran 94.4% of the laps he ran inside the Top 15 which was the most of any driver. In fact all of Nemechek’s 2023 ranks above are 3rd or better except for Stage Points where he only has 5 and is T9th in the 2023 ranks. This start is good for him since in his only Big Track start last year Nemechek finished 19th and only ran half his laps inside the Top 15. As this was his only start there isn’t much to say, and to add to this Nemechek didn’t run at Auto Club last year so it’s time to move on to the overall Auto Club stats for him. He has ran 2 races here at Auto Club and in both races Nemechek faired not so well. His 2 finishes here have been 28th and 29th and he has ran less than half his laps in the Top 15. The lone bit of good news for Nemechek at Auto Club is that his Avg. Driver Rating is 75.75 which ranks 13th best among active drivers. It is hard to say what to expect from Nemechek this weekend, the stats say it’s not looking good for Nemechek, but he is in JGR equipment. I say look for Nemechek to be Top 15 most the race and end in a Top 10 finish between 3rd and 8th.
John Hunter Nemechek is notable because of his 2023 stats so far through the season. Last week Nemechek ran 94.4% of the laps he ran inside the Top 15 which was the most of any driver. In fact all of Nemechek’s 2023 ranks above are 3rd or better except for Stage Points where he only has 5 and is T9th in the 2023 ranks. This start is good for him since in his only Big Track start last year Nemechek finished 19th and only ran half his laps inside the Top 15. As this was his only start there isn’t much to say, and to add to this Nemechek didn’t run at Auto Club last year so it’s time to move on to the overall Auto Club stats for him. He has ran 2 races here at Auto Club and in both races Nemechek faired not so well. His 2 finishes here have been 28th and 29th and he has ran less than half his laps in the Top 15. The lone bit of good news for Nemechek at Auto Club is that his Avg. Driver Rating is 75.75 which ranks 13th best among active drivers. It is hard to say what to expect from Nemechek this weekend, the stats say it’s not looking good for Nemechek, but he is in JGR equipment. I say look for Nemechek to be Top 15 most the race and end in a Top 10 finish between 3rd and 8th.
4th in Points – Riley Herbst
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 1 Race |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 6.0 | 6th of 38 | T41st of 310 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 86.4% | 5th of 38 | 42nd of 310 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 97.9 | 4th of 38 | T44th of 310‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T9th of 310 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T8th of 310 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T17th of 310 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T4th of 38 | T25th of 310 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T6th of 38 | T41st of 310 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T13th of 270* |
| Stage T10s | 1 | T6th of 38 | T45th of 270* |
| Stage Pts | 4 | 11th of 38 | T59th of 270* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T16th of 270* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 1 race
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 53 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 10.0(9th), 90.26% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 91.77(10th), Best 9th, Worst 12th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 1.05% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.17 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Auto Club Statistics
- 2022 Auto Club Race
- Finished 9th, Started 16th, Led 0 laps, Finished 10th in Stage 2, ran 159 Laps in Top15 (96.36% of laps he ran), had 88.8 Driver Rating
- Notable Auto Club Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 2 Races
- 5.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks T2nd)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 9th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 98.1% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 3rd)
- 101.25 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 3rd)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Wins
- 1 Top 2, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 2 Top 10’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 3 Stage Top 10’s, 75.0% (% ranks 6th)
- 2.75 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 7th)
Outlook
Riley Herbst is notable because of his 2023 stats thus far thru 1 race. Last week Herbst brought his car home in 6th place but had the 4th best Driver Rating (97.9) and the 5th best % of laps in the Top 15 at 86.4%. One blemish on the 2023 stat line for Herbst is his 4 Stage Pts that is 11th in the 2023 ranks above. There is more good news for Herbst fans however as he is on a 4 race Top 10 streak and last year had a 10.0 Avg. Finish in 3 Big Track races. Furthermore in all 3 races Herbst finished between 9th and 12th and had the 10th best Avg. Driver Rating at 91.77. Where he struggled at Big Tracks was stages as he only had 1 Stage Point but that 1 came at Auto Club as he finished 10th in Stage 2. In that race Herbst started 16th, ran 96.36% of his laps in the Top 15 and ended up 9th. Out of the 2 races he’s ran here that was his worst race actually as in his first race he finished 2nd and ran 100% of his laps in the Top 15. With all this said the stats say a good day is coming up for Herbst this weekend and I tend to agree. I think Herbst comes home with a finish between 6th and 10th after being in the Top 15 for most, if not all, of the race.
Riley Herbst is notable because of his 2023 stats thus far thru 1 race. Last week Herbst brought his car home in 6th place but had the 4th best Driver Rating (97.9) and the 5th best % of laps in the Top 15 at 86.4%. One blemish on the 2023 stat line for Herbst is his 4 Stage Pts that is 11th in the 2023 ranks above. There is more good news for Herbst fans however as he is on a 4 race Top 10 streak and last year had a 10.0 Avg. Finish in 3 Big Track races. Furthermore in all 3 races Herbst finished between 9th and 12th and had the 10th best Avg. Driver Rating at 91.77. Where he struggled at Big Tracks was stages as he only had 1 Stage Point but that 1 came at Auto Club as he finished 10th in Stage 2. In that race Herbst started 16th, ran 96.36% of his laps in the Top 15 and ended up 9th. Out of the 2 races he’s ran here that was his worst race actually as in his first race he finished 2nd and ran 100% of his laps in the Top 15. With all this said the stats say a good day is coming up for Herbst this weekend and I tend to agree. I think Herbst comes home with a finish between 6th and 10th after being in the Top 15 for most, if not all, of the race.
10th in Points – Cole Custer
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 1 Race |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 9.0 | 9th of 38 | T65th of 310 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 64.8% | 12th of 38 | 95th of 310 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 86.3 | 11th of 38 | 79th of 310‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T9th of 310 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T8th of 310 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T17th of 310 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T4th of 38 | T25th of 310 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T6th of 38 | T41st of 310 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T1st of 38 | T13th of 270* |
| Stage T10s | 1 | T6th of 38 | T45th of 270* |
| Stage Pts | 2 | 13th of 38 | T74th of 270* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T16th of 270* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 1 race
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 1 straight Top 10 finish (active streak)
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 53 drivers)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 5.5(5th), 92.94% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 112.5(5th), Best 1st, Worst 10th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 31.37% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Auto Club Statistics
- 2022 Auto Club Race
- Finished 1st, Started 2nd, Led 80 laps (48.48%), Finished 2nd in Stage 1 and 1st in Stage 2, ran 161 Laps in Top15 (97.58% of laps he ran), had 146.5 Driver Rating
- Notable Auto Club Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 4 Races
- 10.75 Avg. Finish (Ranks 8th)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 35th
- Completed 92.85% of laps (% ranks 24th)
- 97.9% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 4th)
- 120.05 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 1st)
- Led 19.09% of laps he’s run (% ranks 1st)
- 2 Wins, 50.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 2 Top 5’s, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 3 Top 10’s, 75.0% (% ranks 6th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 25.0% (% ranks 13th)
- 1 DNF, 25.0% (% ranks T25th)
- 1 Stage Win, 12.5% (% ranks 2nd)
- 8 Stage Top 10’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
Outlook
Cole Custer is notable because of his win and overall performance last year at Auto Club. In 2023 thru 1 race Custer’s stats aren’t too great as he finished 9th last week and his Laps in Top15% and Avg. Driver Rating are 12th and 11th respectively in the 2023 ranks above. When you look at Custer’s Big Track stats from last year in the Xfinity Series he looks much more impressive. In 2 races last year Custer finished 1st and 10th, led 31.37% of the laps he ran, and ran 92.94% of his laps inside the Top 15. One of those 2 races on Big Tracks was here at Auto Club and that was the one where he finished 1st. In that race Custer led almost half the race, ran over 97% of his laps inside the Top 15, and had the best Driver Rating in that race at 146.5. This is pretty much typical of him here as in 4 races at Auto Club Custer has a 120.05 Avg. Driver Rating, which is best among active drivers. In addition Custer has won half his starts here with his only finish outside the Top 10 was a DNF, and lets not forget to mention that he has not finished outside the Top 10 in a stage in 4 races. With this said I see Custer as the favorite heading into the race this weekend. I think 10+ Stage Points and a Top 5 finish are a given for him, and I personally think Custer goes all the way and ends up in victory lane for the 2nd straight year at Auto Club Speedway.
Cole Custer is notable because of his win and overall performance last year at Auto Club. In 2023 thru 1 race Custer’s stats aren’t too great as he finished 9th last week and his Laps in Top15% and Avg. Driver Rating are 12th and 11th respectively in the 2023 ranks above. When you look at Custer’s Big Track stats from last year in the Xfinity Series he looks much more impressive. In 2 races last year Custer finished 1st and 10th, led 31.37% of the laps he ran, and ran 92.94% of his laps inside the Top 15. One of those 2 races on Big Tracks was here at Auto Club and that was the one where he finished 1st. In that race Custer led almost half the race, ran over 97% of his laps inside the Top 15, and had the best Driver Rating in that race at 146.5. This is pretty much typical of him here as in 4 races at Auto Club Custer has a 120.05 Avg. Driver Rating, which is best among active drivers. In addition Custer has won half his starts here with his only finish outside the Top 10 was a DNF, and lets not forget to mention that he has not finished outside the Top 10 in a stage in 4 races. With this said I see Custer as the favorite heading into the race this weekend. I think 10+ Stage Points and a Top 5 finish are a given for him, and I personally think Custer goes all the way and ends up in victory lane for the 2nd straight year at Auto Club Speedway.
17th in Points – Josh Berry
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 1 Race |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 26.0 | 26th of 38 | T201st of 310 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 85.6% | 6th of 38 | 46th of 310 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 95.2 | 7th of 38 | 53rd of 310‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T9th of 310 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T8th of 310 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T17th of 310 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T4th of 38 | T25th of 310 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T6th of 38 | T41st of 310 |
| Top 10’s | 0 | T11th of 38 | T81st of 310 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 310 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T13th of 270* |
| Stage T10s | 2 | T1st of 38 | T1st of 270* |
| Stage Pts | 9 | T3rd of 38 | T19th of 270* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T16th of 270* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 1 race
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- none
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 53 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 4.33(3rd), 94.74% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 104.63(6th), Best 3rd, Worst 6th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 3.16% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 4.33 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Auto Club Statistics
- 2022 Auto Club Race
- Finished 4th, Started 11th, Led 0 laps, Finished 7th in Stage 1 and 9th in Stage 2, ran 165 Laps in Top15 (100% of laps he ran), had 106.9 Driver Rating
- Notable Auto Club Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 1 Race
- 4.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 1st)
- Best Finish: 4th, Worst: 4th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 100% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 1st)
- 106.9 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 2nd)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 3’s
- 1 Top 5, 100% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 2 Stage Top 10’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 3.0 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T5th)
Outlook
Josh Berry is notable like his teammate Allgaier above because of his Big Track stats last year. At Daytona Berry ran in the Top 15 for 85.6% of the laps he ran but running out of fuel late relegated him to a 26th place finish and dropped his Driver Rating to 95.2. What saved Berry in terms of points was the fact he got a total of 9 Stage Pts in the race. Going to a Big Track this weekend I’m sure is a welcome sight to Berry as in the 3 races on Big Tracks last year Berry had a best finish of 3rd and worst of 6th. In fact his 4.33 Avg. Finish was good for 3rd best last year and his 104.63 Avg. Driver Rating was good for 6th best. Furthermore Berry ran 94.74% of the laps in the Top 15 and acquired 4.33 Stage Pts Per Stage. At Auto Club last year Berry started 11th and got 6 Stage Points on his way to a 4th place finish. What’s more is that Berry ran all 165 laps inside the Top 15 and he had a 106.9 Driver Rating. While this has been his only Auto Club start to date it is still impressive that almost every Auto Club stat above ranks 1st or 2nd. Based on how Berry faired last year at Big Tracks I see a good day coming for the JRM driver, I see him in the Top 15 all day but coming up shy of where he finished last year and finishing somewhere between 6th and 10th.
Josh Berry is notable like his teammate Allgaier above because of his Big Track stats last year. At Daytona Berry ran in the Top 15 for 85.6% of the laps he ran but running out of fuel late relegated him to a 26th place finish and dropped his Driver Rating to 95.2. What saved Berry in terms of points was the fact he got a total of 9 Stage Pts in the race. Going to a Big Track this weekend I’m sure is a welcome sight to Berry as in the 3 races on Big Tracks last year Berry had a best finish of 3rd and worst of 6th. In fact his 4.33 Avg. Finish was good for 3rd best last year and his 104.63 Avg. Driver Rating was good for 6th best. Furthermore Berry ran 94.74% of the laps in the Top 15 and acquired 4.33 Stage Pts Per Stage. At Auto Club last year Berry started 11th and got 6 Stage Points on his way to a 4th place finish. What’s more is that Berry ran all 165 laps inside the Top 15 and he had a 106.9 Driver Rating. While this has been his only Auto Club start to date it is still impressive that almost every Auto Club stat above ranks 1st or 2nd. Based on how Berry faired last year at Big Tracks I see a good day coming for the JRM driver, I see him in the Top 15 all day but coming up shy of where he finished last year and finishing somewhere between 6th and 10th.
19th in Points – Sam Mayer
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 1 Race |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 27.0 | 27th of 38 | T209th of 310 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.2% | T27th of 38 | T163rd of 310 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 88.8% | T3rd of 38 | T33rd of 310 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 91.6 | 8th of 38 | T63rd of 310‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T9th of 310 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T8th of 310 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T17th of 310 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T4th of 38 | T25th of 310 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T6th of 38 | T41st of 310 |
| Top 10’s | 0 | T11th of 38 | T81st of 310 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T29th of 38 | T215th of 310 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T13th of 270* |
| Stage T10s | 1 | T6th of 38 | T45th of 270* |
| Stage Pts | 9 | T3rd of 38 | T19th of 270* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T16th of 270* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 1 race
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- none
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 53 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 15.0(14th), 67.46% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 85.53(12th), Best 6th, Worst 33rd, Laps Completed 99.47%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.67 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Auto Club Statistics
- 2022 Auto Club Race
- Finished 6th, Started 13th, Led 0 laps, Finished 10th in Stage 1 and 8th in Stage 2, ran 163 Laps in Top15 (98.79% of laps he ran), had 96.0 Driver Rating
- Notable Auto Club Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 1 Race
- 6.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 4th)
- Best Finish: 6th, Worst: 6th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 98.79% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 2nd)
- 96.0 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 5th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 5’s
- 1 Top 10, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 2 Stage Top 10’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
Outlook
Sam Mayer is notable because of his stats here at Auto Club in the one race he ran in. At Daytona last week Mayer was in a good position to win until he got taken out in a scary crash on the last lap, this wreck ended up with him finishing 27th. A better representation of Daytona for Mayer is the fact he ran 88.8% of his laps inside the Top 15 and he had a 91.6 Driver Rating. Looking onto this weekend Mayer shouldn’t be too excited the stats say. In 3 Big Track races last year Mayer scored a best finish of 6th and an Avg. Finish of 15.0, but 2 of the 3 were Top 10’s at least. Mayer only completed 67.46% of his laps inside the Top 15 though and his 85.53 Avg. Driver Rating was only good for 12th best out of 53 drivers. In good news his best finish of 6th came at Auto Club last year. Mayer started 13th in that race and was in the Top 15 for all but 2 laps. This is his lone start at Auto Club, but much like his teammate Berry above the Auto Club ranks are mostly 1st or 2nd which is impressive. This weekend I’m not expecting too much from Mayer but I say a solid run is definitely in the offing. I see him getting a few Stage Points and ultimately ending the day in a wide-ish range between 5th and 15th.
Sam Mayer is notable because of his stats here at Auto Club in the one race he ran in. At Daytona last week Mayer was in a good position to win until he got taken out in a scary crash on the last lap, this wreck ended up with him finishing 27th. A better representation of Daytona for Mayer is the fact he ran 88.8% of his laps inside the Top 15 and he had a 91.6 Driver Rating. Looking onto this weekend Mayer shouldn’t be too excited the stats say. In 3 Big Track races last year Mayer scored a best finish of 6th and an Avg. Finish of 15.0, but 2 of the 3 were Top 10’s at least. Mayer only completed 67.46% of his laps inside the Top 15 though and his 85.53 Avg. Driver Rating was only good for 12th best out of 53 drivers. In good news his best finish of 6th came at Auto Club last year. Mayer started 13th in that race and was in the Top 15 for all but 2 laps. This is his lone start at Auto Club, but much like his teammate Berry above the Auto Club ranks are mostly 1st or 2nd which is impressive. This weekend I’m not expecting too much from Mayer but I say a solid run is definitely in the offing. I see him getting a few Stage Points and ultimately ending the day in a wide-ish range between 5th and 15th.
35th in Points – Daniel Hemric
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 1 Race |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 36.0 | 36th of 38 | T281st of 310 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 16.0% | 36th of 38 | 300th of 310 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 14.4% | 25th of 38 | 195th of 310 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 42.5 | 31st of 38 | 260th of 310‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T9th of 310 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 38 | T8th of 310 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T17th of 310 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T4th of 38 | T25th of 310 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T6th of 38 | T41st of 310 |
| Top 10’s | 0 | T11th of 38 | T81st of 310 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T29th of 38 | T215th of 310 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T13th of 270* |
| Stage T10s | 0 | T16th of 38 | T97th of 270* |
| Stage Pts | 0 | T15th of 38 | T83rd of 270* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T3rd of 38 | T16th of 270* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 1 race
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- none
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 53 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 9.67(8th), 95.53% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 94.77(9th), Best 8th, Worst 12th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 2.63% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Auto Club Statistics
- 2022 Auto Club Race
- Finished 12th, Started 5th, Led 10 laps (6.06%), Finished 9th in Stage 1 and 6th in Stage 2, ran 165 Laps in Top15 (100% of laps he ran), had 96.7 Driver Rating
- Notable Auto Club Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 4 Races
- 8.75 Avg. Finish (Ranks 6th)
- Best Finish: 5th, Worst: 12th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 96.1% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 5th)
- 101.1 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 4th)
- Led 3.25% of laps he’s run (% ranks 3rd)
- 0 Top 3’s
- 1 Top 5, 25.0% (% ranks 7th)
- 2 Top 10’s, 50.0% (% ranks T8th)
- 4 Top 15’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 7 Stage Top 10’s, 87.5% (% ranks 5th)
- 3.75 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 3rd)
Outlook
Daniel Hemric is notable because of his pretty good Auto Club stats, and definitely not for his 2023 stats. Last weekend was a bad one for Hemric who finished 36th, completed only 16% of the laps and only 14.4% of those laps were run in the Top 15. Essentially Hemric wasn’t in the mix much and still got wrecked out last week. A nice thing for Hemric is that we are going to a Big Track this weekend where he had an Avg. Finish of 9.67 last year, 8th best among 53 drivers to compete on a Big Track last year. More good news is he was consistent with his finishes as he finished all 3 races between 8th and 12th, but being around 10th isn’t necessarily the consistency you want. Last year at Auto Club was his worst finish of the 3 Big Tracks as he finished 12th even though he led 10 laps. The good news is Hemric ran all 165 laps inside the Top 15 and got 7 Stage Points. Looking at his overall stats here at Auto Club this is what you would expect from him. In 4 races Hemric has never finished worse than 12th, but also never better than 5th and only has 2 Top 10’s. He does run well here though as is evident by his 96.1 Top 15% and his 101.1 Avg. Driver Rating. Overall Hemric will probably be Top 15 most the day and finish there, but I think the best he finishes is 10th.
Daniel Hemric is notable because of his pretty good Auto Club stats, and definitely not for his 2023 stats. Last weekend was a bad one for Hemric who finished 36th, completed only 16% of the laps and only 14.4% of those laps were run in the Top 15. Essentially Hemric wasn’t in the mix much and still got wrecked out last week. A nice thing for Hemric is that we are going to a Big Track this weekend where he had an Avg. Finish of 9.67 last year, 8th best among 53 drivers to compete on a Big Track last year. More good news is he was consistent with his finishes as he finished all 3 races between 8th and 12th, but being around 10th isn’t necessarily the consistency you want. Last year at Auto Club was his worst finish of the 3 Big Tracks as he finished 12th even though he led 10 laps. The good news is Hemric ran all 165 laps inside the Top 15 and got 7 Stage Points. Looking at his overall stats here at Auto Club this is what you would expect from him. In 4 races Hemric has never finished worse than 12th, but also never better than 5th and only has 2 Top 10’s. He does run well here though as is evident by his 96.1 Top 15% and his 101.1 Avg. Driver Rating. Overall Hemric will probably be Top 15 most the day and finish there, but I think the best he finishes is 10th.
