Last week Josh Williams did to his car what we all wanted to do to our TV, walk away during the Xfinity race. Nevertheless Austin Hill picked up his 3rd win in 5 races this season. Now it is on to COTA for the first of eight road course races this year in the Xfinity Series. I have picked 8 notable drivers to look at, 1 based on the 2023 point standings, 1 based on 2023 stats, 1 based on the amount of guts he has, 2 based on Road Course stats, 1 based on the last COTA race and 2 based on their overall COTA stats. Here is a look at those 8 notable drivers 2023 season statistics, along with ranks among drivers in 2023 with ranking through 5 races since the Playoffs started in 2016. We will also highlight notable streaks accomplished through the year/last year into this year, 2022 Road Course (right & left turns) statistics and COTA statistics.
1st in Points – Austin Hill
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 5 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 3.2 | 1st of 33 | 5th of 290 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 33 | T1st of 290 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 96.42% | 1st of 33 | 11th of 290 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 126.16 | 1st of 33 | 5th of 290‡ |
| Wins | 3 | 1st of 56 | T1st of 454 |
| Poles | 1 | T1st of 56 | T6th of 454 |
| Top 2’s | 3 | 1st of 56 | T2nd of 454 |
| Top 3’s | 3 | T1st of 56 | T3rd of 454 |
| Top 5’s | 3 | T1st of 56 | T6th of 454 |
| Top 10’s | 5 | T1st of 56 | T1st of 454 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 33 | T1st of 290 |
| Stage Wins | 3 | T1st of 56 | T2nd of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 8 | 3rd of 56 | T14th of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 67 | 1st of 56 | 5th of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | 18 | 1st of 56 | 1st of 388* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 5 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 9 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 69 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 12.83(10th), 60.7% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 88.17(13th), Best 2nd, Worst 30th, Laps Completed 97.14%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.0 Stage Pts Per Stage
- COTA Statistics
- 2022 COTA Race
- Finished 2nd, Started 8th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 41 Laps in Top15 (89.13% of laps he ran), had 110.9 Driver Rating
- Notable COTA Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 1 Race
- 2.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 2nd)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 2nd
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 89.13% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks T2nd)
- 110.9 Average Driver Rating (Ranks T2nd)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Wins
- 1 Top 2, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 0 Stage Top 10’s
Outlook
Austin Hill is notable because of his career stats at COTA. Last week Hill dominated the crap out of Atlanta as he led over 60% of the race en route to his 3rd win on the season. Hill is the first driver since 2016 to win 3 of the first Xfinity races and his 3.2 Avg. Finish thru 5 races ranks 5th since 2016. To know how impressive Hill has been just look at his 2023 Ranks above, literally all but one stat (Stage T10’s) ranks 1st or T1st. This week may be a test for Hill though as last year his 12.83 Avg. Finish only ranked 10th and his 88.17 Avg. Driver Rating was only 13th best. With that said Hill did have 2 Top 3’s and 4 Top 10’s with a best finish of 2nd, so he wasn’t all that bad either. In fact that 2nd place finish came here at COTA so the competition definitely has something to worry about. In that race he started 8th, ran 89% of the race in the Top 15, and had the third best Driver Rating at 110.9, only behind race winner A.J. Allmendinger and 3rd place Cole Custer. As this was Hill’s only start here his COTA ranks are obviously good so there isn’t much else to say. This weekend I think Hill will be in prime form once again and a threat for the win, but with all the Cup drivers in the race there will be a lot of competition. I think Hill runs Top 10 most the race and in the end probably comes home between 5th and 10th.
Austin Hill is notable because of his career stats at COTA. Last week Hill dominated the crap out of Atlanta as he led over 60% of the race en route to his 3rd win on the season. Hill is the first driver since 2016 to win 3 of the first Xfinity races and his 3.2 Avg. Finish thru 5 races ranks 5th since 2016. To know how impressive Hill has been just look at his 2023 Ranks above, literally all but one stat (Stage T10’s) ranks 1st or T1st. This week may be a test for Hill though as last year his 12.83 Avg. Finish only ranked 10th and his 88.17 Avg. Driver Rating was only 13th best. With that said Hill did have 2 Top 3’s and 4 Top 10’s with a best finish of 2nd, so he wasn’t all that bad either. In fact that 2nd place finish came here at COTA so the competition definitely has something to worry about. In that race he started 8th, ran 89% of the race in the Top 15, and had the third best Driver Rating at 110.9, only behind race winner A.J. Allmendinger and 3rd place Cole Custer. As this was Hill’s only start here his COTA ranks are obviously good so there isn’t much else to say. This weekend I think Hill will be in prime form once again and a threat for the win, but with all the Cup drivers in the race there will be a lot of competition. I think Hill runs Top 10 most the race and in the end probably comes home between 5th and 10th.
2nd in Points – John Hunter Nemechek
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 5 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 4.6 | 2nd of 33 | 10th of 290 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 33 | T1st of 290 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 89.98% | 3rd of 33 | 35th of 290 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 114.7 | 2nd of 33 | 13th of 290‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T2nd of 56 | T7th of 454 |
| Poles | 0 | T4th of 56 | T23rd of 454 |
| Top 2’s | 2 | 2nd of 56 | T7th of 454 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T3rd of 56 | T12th of 454 |
| Top 5’s | 2 | T4th of 56 | T27th of 454 |
| Top 10’s | 5 | T1st of 56 | T1st of 454 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 33 | T1st of 290 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T4th of 56 | T20th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 7 | T4th of 56 | T27th of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 36 | 6th of 56 | 38th of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | 6 | 2nd of 56 | T9th of 388* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 5 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 69 drivers)
- 1 Race, Avg. Finish 18.0(T20th), 20.83% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 55.8(T42nd), Best 18th, Worst 18th, Laps Completed 100%, 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, 1 Stage T10
- COTA Statistics
- 2022 COTA Race
- did not race
- Notable COTA Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 0 Races
Outlook
John Hunter Nemechek is notable because of his 2023 stats. At Atlanta last week Nemechek got 8 Stage Pts and led 10 laps en route to an 8th place finish. This finish has Nemechek being one of only 3 drivers to have a Top 10 in all 5 races so far this season. In those 5 races his 4.6 Avg. Finish and 114.7 Avg. Driver Rating rank 2nd and his 89.98% of laps run in the Top 15 ranks 3rd. Nemechek has 1 Win this year and a 2nd place finish, but those are also his only Top 5 finishes this year. When it comes to the rest of his stats above there isn’t much to go off of as he only ran 1 Road Course race last year and that came at Road America. In the race he finished 18th and only ran 20.83% of his laps in the Top 15 while accumulating a 55.8 Driver Rating. As I said this was his only Road Course race last year so he didn’t compete at COTA and actually he’s never competed here in the Xfinity Series. So, with that said this is a little bit of a guess but I think Nemechek in JGR equipment will run Top 15 most the day and at the end of the day he’ll be between 8th and 15th.
John Hunter Nemechek is notable because of his 2023 stats. At Atlanta last week Nemechek got 8 Stage Pts and led 10 laps en route to an 8th place finish. This finish has Nemechek being one of only 3 drivers to have a Top 10 in all 5 races so far this season. In those 5 races his 4.6 Avg. Finish and 114.7 Avg. Driver Rating rank 2nd and his 89.98% of laps run in the Top 15 ranks 3rd. Nemechek has 1 Win this year and a 2nd place finish, but those are also his only Top 5 finishes this year. When it comes to the rest of his stats above there isn’t much to go off of as he only ran 1 Road Course race last year and that came at Road America. In the race he finished 18th and only ran 20.83% of his laps in the Top 15 while accumulating a 55.8 Driver Rating. As I said this was his only Road Course race last year so he didn’t compete at COTA and actually he’s never competed here in the Xfinity Series. So, with that said this is a little bit of a guess but I think Nemechek in JGR equipment will run Top 15 most the day and at the end of the day he’ll be between 8th and 15th.
3rd in Points – Riley Herbst
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 5 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 6.0 | 3rd of 33 | T16th of 290 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 33 | T1st of 290 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 92.0% | 2nd of 33 | 27th of 290 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 102.52 | 3rd of 33 | 32nd of 290‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T4th of 56 | T33rd of 454 |
| Poles | 0 | T4th of 56 | T23rd of 454 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T8th of 56 | T58th of 454 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T10th of 56 | T78th of 454 |
| Top 5’s | 2 | T4th of 56 | T27th of 454 |
| Top 10’s | 5 | T1st of 56 | T1st of 454 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 33 | T1st of 290 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T6th of 56 | T44th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 9 | T1st of 56 | T6th of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 47 | 3rd of 56 | T18th of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T7th of 56 | T39th of 388* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 5 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak)
- 8 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 69 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 18.83(24th), 70.0% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 83.65(17th), Best 6th, Worst 35th, Laps Completed 88.31%, Led 1.47% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 3.17 Stage Pts Per Stage
- COTA Statistics
- 2022 COTA Race
- Finished 26th, Started 22nd, Led 0 laps, Finished 5th in Stage 2, ran 11 Laps in Top15 (23.91% of laps he ran), had 55.7 Driver Rating
- Notable COTA Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 2 Races
- 21.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks T20th)
- Best Finish: 16th, Worst: 26th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 28.26% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks T19th)
- 59.2 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 22nd)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 15’s
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 50.0% (% ranks T16th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 1 Stage Top 10, 25.0% (% ranks T13th)
Outlook
Riley Herbst is notable because he is 3rd in the Xfinity point standings. Last week at Atlanta Herbst finished 5th for his 2nd straight Top 5 and 8th straight Top 10. On the year Herbst has finished in every position from 4th to 8th which gives him a 6.0 Avg. Finish that ranks 3rd in the 2022 Ranks above, as does his 102.52 Avg. Driver Rating. The bad thing for Herbst is that he hasn’t finished better than 4th though, but he is tied for the most Stage T10’s this year with 9 and has the 3rd most Stage Pts with 47. The stage success could continue this week as in 6 Road Course races last year he had 3.17 Stage Pts Per Stage, but those Stage Pts didn’t always turn into good finishes. Herbst’s Avg. Finish in the 6 races was 18.83 with 3 Top 10’s but also 3 finishes outside the Top 20 with 2 DNF’s. The good news for Herbst at Road Courses was that he ran 70% of his laps in the Top 15 and had an 83.65 Avg. Driver Rating, so he ran well but the DNF’s really hurt his finishes. Unfortunately his one bad race where he didn’t DNF was at COTA where he finished 26th after running less than 25% of his laps in the Top 15. More unfortunate news is that both Herbst’s races here haven’t been good as is proof by his 0 Top 15’s and 59.2 Avg. Driver Rating. So with that said I see Herbst’s good start to the season ending at COTA this weekend as it will probably be a struggle for Herbst to even finish in the Top 15, yet alone the Top 10.
Riley Herbst is notable because he is 3rd in the Xfinity point standings. Last week at Atlanta Herbst finished 5th for his 2nd straight Top 5 and 8th straight Top 10. On the year Herbst has finished in every position from 4th to 8th which gives him a 6.0 Avg. Finish that ranks 3rd in the 2022 Ranks above, as does his 102.52 Avg. Driver Rating. The bad thing for Herbst is that he hasn’t finished better than 4th though, but he is tied for the most Stage T10’s this year with 9 and has the 3rd most Stage Pts with 47. The stage success could continue this week as in 6 Road Course races last year he had 3.17 Stage Pts Per Stage, but those Stage Pts didn’t always turn into good finishes. Herbst’s Avg. Finish in the 6 races was 18.83 with 3 Top 10’s but also 3 finishes outside the Top 20 with 2 DNF’s. The good news for Herbst at Road Courses was that he ran 70% of his laps in the Top 15 and had an 83.65 Avg. Driver Rating, so he ran well but the DNF’s really hurt his finishes. Unfortunately his one bad race where he didn’t DNF was at COTA where he finished 26th after running less than 25% of his laps in the Top 15. More unfortunate news is that both Herbst’s races here haven’t been good as is proof by his 0 Top 15’s and 59.2 Avg. Driver Rating. So with that said I see Herbst’s good start to the season ending at COTA this weekend as it will probably be a struggle for Herbst to even finish in the Top 15, yet alone the Top 10.
4th in Owner Points – A.J. Allmendinger
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 5 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | – | – of 33 | – of 290 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | – | – of 33 | – of 290 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | – | – of 33 | – of 290 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | – | – of 33 | – of 290‡ |
| Wins | – | – of 56 | – of 454 |
| Poles | – | – of 56 | – of 454 |
| Top 2’s | – | – of 56 | – of 454 |
| Top 3’s | – | – of 56 | – of 454 |
| Top 5’s | – | – of 56 | – of 454 |
| Top 10’s | – | – of 56 | – of 454 |
| DNF’s¹ | – | – of 33 | – of 290 |
| Stage Wins | – | – of 56 | – of 388* |
| Stage T10s | – | – of 56 | – of 388* |
| Stage Pts | – | – of 56 | – of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | – | – of 56 | – of 388* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 5 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- none
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 69 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 2.0(T2nd), 84.94% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 125.7(2nd), Best 1st, Worst 6th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 27.01% of laps he ran, 4 Wins, 2 Poles, 5 Top 3’s, 5 Top 5’s, 6 Top 10’s, 6 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 3.92 Stage Pts Per Stage
- COTA Statistics
- 2022 COTA Race
- Finished 1st, Started 4th, Led 27 laps (58.7%), Finished 1st in Stage 1 and 8th in Stage 2, ran 45 Laps in Top15 (97.83% of laps he ran), had 146.6 Driver Rating
- Notable COTA Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- *No ranks for A.J. Allmendinger as he has not had 1+ start this year yet.
- 2 Races
- 1.5 Avg. Finish
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 2nd
- Completed 100% of laps
- 93.48% of Laps ran in Top15
- 133.0 Average Driver Rating
- Led 32.61% of laps he’s run
- 1 Win, 50.0%
- 2 Top 2’s, 100%
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00%
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00%
- 2 Stage Wins, 50.0%
- 4 Stage Top 10’s, 100%
Outlook
A.J. Allmendinger is notable because of the race he ran here last year. As this weekend is Allmendinger’s first Xfinity race since the Championship race last year he doesn’t have any stats this year. However, his stats in the 6 Road Course races last year are astounding. Of the 6 races Allmendinger won 4 of them, finished 2nd in another, and 6th in another, this had Allmendinger’s Avg. Finish at 2.0. In addition to these impressive stats he also had 2 Poles, a 125.7 Avg. Driver Rating, and he led 27% of the laps run in the 6 races. If that isn’t enough to show how great he was then maybe his 3.92 Stage Pts Per Stage is enough, and remember last year there were stage cautions that often had drivers pit and not get Stage Pts. One of the 4 Wins was at COTA last year where he won Stage 1, led 58.7% of the laps, and ran all but 1 lap in the Top 15. His Driver Rating was 146.6 in the race and that was good for the 6th best Driver Rating of any driver in any race last year. This was his 2nd race at COTA and in the first he finished 2nd making his Avg. Finish here 1.5. Overall here he has a 133 Avg. Driver Rating and has never finished outside the Top 10 in a stage here while picking up 2 Stage Wins. All in all this weekend’s Xfinity race will have lots of tough competition, but none will be tougher than Allmendinger. I see Allmendinger winning the race and doing so in dominant fashion.
A.J. Allmendinger is notable because of the race he ran here last year. As this weekend is Allmendinger’s first Xfinity race since the Championship race last year he doesn’t have any stats this year. However, his stats in the 6 Road Course races last year are astounding. Of the 6 races Allmendinger won 4 of them, finished 2nd in another, and 6th in another, this had Allmendinger’s Avg. Finish at 2.0. In addition to these impressive stats he also had 2 Poles, a 125.7 Avg. Driver Rating, and he led 27% of the laps run in the 6 races. If that isn’t enough to show how great he was then maybe his 3.92 Stage Pts Per Stage is enough, and remember last year there were stage cautions that often had drivers pit and not get Stage Pts. One of the 4 Wins was at COTA last year where he won Stage 1, led 58.7% of the laps, and ran all but 1 lap in the Top 15. His Driver Rating was 146.6 in the race and that was good for the 6th best Driver Rating of any driver in any race last year. This was his 2nd race at COTA and in the first he finished 2nd making his Avg. Finish here 1.5. Overall here he has a 133 Avg. Driver Rating and has never finished outside the Top 10 in a stage here while picking up 2 Stage Wins. All in all this weekend’s Xfinity race will have lots of tough competition, but none will be tougher than Allmendinger. I see Allmendinger winning the race and doing so in dominant fashion.
6th in Points – Sam Mayer
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 5 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 11.2 | 6th of 33 | 50th of 290 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.88% | T6th of 33 | T33rd of 290 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 85.92% | 4th of 33 | 51st of 290 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 94.18 | 8th of 33 | 58th of 290‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T4th of 56 | T33rd of 454 |
| Poles | 0 | T4th of 56 | T23rd of 454 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T3rd of 56 | T17th of 454 |
| Top 3’s | 1 | T5th of 56 | T31st of 454 |
| Top 5’s | 1 | T8th of 56 | T57th of 454 |
| Top 10’s | 3 | T5th of 56 | T33rd of 454 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T17th of 33 | T132nd of 290 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T6th of 56 | T44th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 5 | T8th of 56 | T52nd of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 27 | 10th of 56 | 52nd of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T7th of 56 | T39th of 388* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 5 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 69 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 14.5(15th), 75.47% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 87.03(14th), Best 5th, Worst 38th, Laps Completed 83.64%, Led 0.93% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 1 Stage Win, 2.58 Stage Pts Per Stage
- COTA Statistics
- 2022 COTA Race
- Finished 5th, Started 10th, Led 3 laps (6.52%), Finished 1st in Stage 2, ran 33 Laps in Top15 (71.74% of laps he ran), had 110.2 Driver Rating
- Notable COTA Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 1 Race
- 5.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks T3rd)
- Best Finish: 5th, Worst: 5th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 71.74% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 8th)
- 110.2 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 3rd)
- Led 6.52% of laps he’s run (% ranks T3rd)
- 0 Wins
- 1 Top 5, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 1 Stage Win, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 1 Stage Top 10, 50.0% (% ranks T5th)
- 5.0 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T3rd)
Outlook
Sam Mayer is notable because of his 1 career start here at COTA. Last week at Atlanta Mayer ran in the Top 15 for over 70% of the race and ended up 9th at the finish. This was Mayer’s 3rd Top 10 of the year and improved his Avg. Finish to 11.2 which ranks 6th this year. One place he has struggled this year has been stages, in the 10 stages he’s only finished Top 10 in half of them and has just 27 Stage Pts. Another point of struggle would be the fact Mayer’s Avg. Driver Rating is 94.18 and that he only has 1 Top 5. Looking to this week the Top 5’s and Avg. Driver Rating may not get better as in 6 Road Course races last year Mayer only had 1 Top 5 and his Avg. Driver Rating was 87.03. Although he only had 1 Top 5 he did have 3 Top 10’s and only one finish outside the Top 20, which was a DNF, which left him with a 14.5 Avg. Finish in the 6 races. His lone Top 5 did come at COTA last year though as he finished 5th after winning Stage 2 and running 71% of his laps in the Top 15. At the end of the day he had a 110.2 Driver Rating, and since this is his only race here those are all the stats that he has in his Xfinity career at COTA. With that said I think Mayer runs about how he did overall on Road Courses last year, in the Top 15 most the race and finishes with a 8th-12th place finish.
Sam Mayer is notable because of his 1 career start here at COTA. Last week at Atlanta Mayer ran in the Top 15 for over 70% of the race and ended up 9th at the finish. This was Mayer’s 3rd Top 10 of the year and improved his Avg. Finish to 11.2 which ranks 6th this year. One place he has struggled this year has been stages, in the 10 stages he’s only finished Top 10 in half of them and has just 27 Stage Pts. Another point of struggle would be the fact Mayer’s Avg. Driver Rating is 94.18 and that he only has 1 Top 5. Looking to this week the Top 5’s and Avg. Driver Rating may not get better as in 6 Road Course races last year Mayer only had 1 Top 5 and his Avg. Driver Rating was 87.03. Although he only had 1 Top 5 he did have 3 Top 10’s and only one finish outside the Top 20, which was a DNF, which left him with a 14.5 Avg. Finish in the 6 races. His lone Top 5 did come at COTA last year though as he finished 5th after winning Stage 2 and running 71% of his laps in the Top 15. At the end of the day he had a 110.2 Driver Rating, and since this is his only race here those are all the stats that he has in his Xfinity career at COTA. With that said I think Mayer runs about how he did overall on Road Courses last year, in the Top 15 most the race and finishes with a 8th-12th place finish.
8th in Owner Points – Ty GIbbs
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 5 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | – | – of 33 | – of 290 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | – | – of 33 | – of 290 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | – | – of 33 | – of 290 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | – | – of 33 | – of 290‡ |
| Wins | – | – of 56 | – of 454 |
| Poles | – | – of 56 | – of 454 |
| Top 2’s | – | – of 56 | – of 454 |
| Top 3’s | – | – of 56 | – of 454 |
| Top 5’s | – | – of 56 | – of 454 |
| Top 10’s | – | – of 56 | – of 454 |
| DNF’s¹ | – | – of 33 | – of 290 |
| Stage Wins | – | – of 56 | – of 388* |
| Stage T10s | – | – of 56 | – of 388* |
| Stage Pts | – | – of 56 | – of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | – | – of 56 | – of 388* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 5 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- none
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 69 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 10.0(7th), 81.82% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 115.98(5th), Best 1st, Worst 27th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 25.45% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 1 Pole, 2 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 5 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 3.67 Stage Pts Per Stage
- COTA Statistics
- 2022 COTA Race
- Finished 15th, Started 1st, Led 1 lap (2.17%), Finished 10th in Stage 1, ran 22 Laps in Top15 (47.83% of laps he ran), had 89.0 Driver Rating
- Notable COTA Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- *No ranks for Ty Gibbs as he has not had 1+ start this year yet.
- 1 Race
- 15.0 Avg. Finish
- Best Finish: 15th, Worst: 15th
- Completed 100% of laps
- 47.83% of Laps ran in Top15
- 89.0 Average Driver Rating
- Led 2.17% of laps he’s run
- 1 Pole, 100%
- 0 Top 10’s, 0.00%
- 1 Top 15, 100%
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00%
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00%
- 0 Stage Wins
- 1 Stage Top 10, 50.0%
Outlook
Ty Gibbs is notable because he is a fan favorite, haha just kidding, he is notable because of his prowess on Road Courses last year. As far as this year goes this will be Gibbs’ first Xfinity start this year so there is nothing to say about this years stats. However, at Road Courses last year Gibbs was the only Xfinity driver not named A.J. Allmendinger to win. In the 6 races Gibbs had a 10.0 Avg. Finish and his 115.98 Avg. Driver Rating ranked 5th behind only 3 Hendrick Cup drivers and A.J. Allmendinger. Gibbs completed all the laps last year and led 25% of those laps with 1 Win, 2 Top 3’s and 4 Top 10’s. One of his worst races came here at COTA though where he only ran 47.83% of his laps in the Top 15 and he ended up finishing 15th. In the race Gibbs started 1st but only ended up getting 1 Stage Pt, led just 1 lap, and ended the day with a 89.0 Driver Rating. Like a few of his counterparts above this is Gibbs only race here at COTA so those are the stats you need to know. This weekend I think Gibbs will be one of the contenders to challenge Allmendinger for the win but ultimately comes up short finishing somewhere in the Top 5.
Ty Gibbs is notable because he is a fan favorite, haha just kidding, he is notable because of his prowess on Road Courses last year. As far as this year goes this will be Gibbs’ first Xfinity start this year so there is nothing to say about this years stats. However, at Road Courses last year Gibbs was the only Xfinity driver not named A.J. Allmendinger to win. In the 6 races Gibbs had a 10.0 Avg. Finish and his 115.98 Avg. Driver Rating ranked 5th behind only 3 Hendrick Cup drivers and A.J. Allmendinger. Gibbs completed all the laps last year and led 25% of those laps with 1 Win, 2 Top 3’s and 4 Top 10’s. One of his worst races came here at COTA though where he only ran 47.83% of his laps in the Top 15 and he ended up finishing 15th. In the race Gibbs started 1st but only ended up getting 1 Stage Pt, led just 1 lap, and ended the day with a 89.0 Driver Rating. Like a few of his counterparts above this is Gibbs only race here at COTA so those are the stats you need to know. This weekend I think Gibbs will be one of the contenders to challenge Allmendinger for the win but ultimately comes up short finishing somewhere in the Top 5.
9th in Points – Cole Custer
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 5 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 14.4 | 9th of 33 | T86th of 290 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.88% | T6th of 33 | T33rd of 290 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 74.82% | 9th of 33 | 79th of 290 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 88.86 | 9th of 33 | 73rd of 290‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T4th of 56 | T33rd of 454 |
| Poles | 1 | T1st of 56 | T6th of 454 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T8th of 56 | T58th of 454 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T10th of 56 | T78th of 454 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T16th of 56 | T113th of 454 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T15th of 56 | T108th of 454 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 33 | T1st of 290 |
| Stage Wins | 2 | 3rd of 56 | T8th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 7 | T4th of 56 | T27th of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 34 | 7th of 56 | T39th of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | 2 | 5th of 56 | T23rd of 388* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 5 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- none
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 69 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 13.0(11th), 85.96% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 104.07(6th), Best 3rd, Worst 25th, Laps Completed 97.16%, Led 3.51% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 2 Stage T10’s
- COTA Statistics
- 2022 COTA Race
- Finished 3rd, Started 3rd, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 42 Laps in Top15 (91.3% of laps he ran), had 124.2 Driver Rating
- Notable COTA Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 2 Races
- 5.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks T3rd)
- Best Finish: 3rd, Worst: 7th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 89.13% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks T2nd)
- 109.45 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 4th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 2’s
- 1 Top 3, 50.0% (% ranks T3rd)
- 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
- 0 Stage Top 10’s
Outlook
Cole Custer is notable because of how his 3 Road Course races went last year. Last week Custer disappointed yet again as he finished 12th. This is the 4th time in 5 races that Custer has finished outside the Top 10 leading to a 14.4 Avg. Finish, which ranks 9th in the 2023 Ranks above. In fact his 74.82% Laps in Top15% and his 88.86 Avg. Driver Rating also rank 9th in the 2023 Ranks above. Some good news about the season is that Custer has 2 Stage Wins and 7 Stage T10’s. Even better news is that in the 3 Road Course races Custer ran last year his Avg. Driver Rating was 104.07 and he ran 85.96% of his laps in the Top 15. Unfortunately this didn’t always lead to good finishes as his Avg. Finish was just 13.0 and he only had 1 Top 10 in those 3 races. However, that 1 Top 10 came here at COTA last year where he ran 91.3% of his laps in the Top 15 and ran a race worthy of a 124.2 Driver Rating, the 2nd best rating of the race. This was Custer’s 2nd race in the Xfinity Series at COTA and overall he has done well. His Avg. Finish in the 2 races is 5.0 with both ending in a Top 10 for him. In addition he has a 109.45 Avg. Driver Rating and has ran 89.13% of his laps in the Top 15. With all these good numbers I expect Custer to have a good run this weekend being Top 15 a lot, but the finishing numbers scare me. So while I think he gets his 2nd Top 10 of the year, I also don’t think he finishes better than 5th.
Cole Custer is notable because of how his 3 Road Course races went last year. Last week Custer disappointed yet again as he finished 12th. This is the 4th time in 5 races that Custer has finished outside the Top 10 leading to a 14.4 Avg. Finish, which ranks 9th in the 2023 Ranks above. In fact his 74.82% Laps in Top15% and his 88.86 Avg. Driver Rating also rank 9th in the 2023 Ranks above. Some good news about the season is that Custer has 2 Stage Wins and 7 Stage T10’s. Even better news is that in the 3 Road Course races Custer ran last year his Avg. Driver Rating was 104.07 and he ran 85.96% of his laps in the Top 15. Unfortunately this didn’t always lead to good finishes as his Avg. Finish was just 13.0 and he only had 1 Top 10 in those 3 races. However, that 1 Top 10 came here at COTA last year where he ran 91.3% of his laps in the Top 15 and ran a race worthy of a 124.2 Driver Rating, the 2nd best rating of the race. This was Custer’s 2nd race in the Xfinity Series at COTA and overall he has done well. His Avg. Finish in the 2 races is 5.0 with both ending in a Top 10 for him. In addition he has a 109.45 Avg. Driver Rating and has ran 89.13% of his laps in the Top 15. With all these good numbers I expect Custer to have a good run this weekend being Top 15 a lot, but the finishing numbers scare me. So while I think he gets his 2nd Top 10 of the year, I also don’t think he finishes better than 5th.
22nd in Points – Josh Williams
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 5 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 22.8 | 23rd of 33 | T173rd of 290 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 84.13% | 26th of 33 | 227th of 290 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 2.74% | 26th of 33 | 223rd of 290 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 53.76 | 22nd of 33 | T190th of 290‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T4th of 56 | T33rd of 454 |
| Poles | 0 | T4th of 56 | T23rd of 454 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T8th of 56 | T58th of 454 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T10th of 56 | T78th of 454 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T16th of 56 | T113th of 454 |
| Top 10’s | 0 | T22nd of 56 | T179th of 454 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T17th of 33 | T132nd of 290 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T6th of 56 | T44th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 0 | T24th of 56 | T166th of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 0 | T21st of 56 | T129th of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T7th of 56 | T39th of 388* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 5 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- none
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 69 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 25.33(T49th), 1.27% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 41.4(58th), Best 17th, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 80.51%, 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, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- COTA Statistics
- 2022 COTA Race
- did not race
- Notable COTA Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 0 Races
Outlook
Josh Williams is notable because of the badass move he did last week by parking his car on the start/finish line after NASCAR parked him for a piece of tape flying off. Last week, well, I already talked about how last week went for Williams. He got caught in a wreck, tape flew off, NASCAR parked him, he parked it on track, got out, went to the care center, then he ate pizza. Overall on the year it has been a struggle for Williams as his best finish is a 15th at Daytona and his Avg. Finish is 22.8. To add to this he’s only ran 2.74% of his laps in the Top 15 and his Avg. Driver Rating of 53.76 is good for 22nd best this year. This week NASCAR suspended Williams for the race and when looking at his stats from his 3 Road Course starts last year this might not be a bad thing. In the 3 races Williams had a 25.33 Avg. Finish with 2 of the races seeing him finish outside the Top 20. In addition he only ran 1.27% of his laps in the Top 15 and his Avg. Driver Rating of 41.4 ranked 58th best. Even better news is that Alex Labbe, who is set to replace Williams, is known for his Road Course skills so this suspension may help DGM. Another reason it may help is that Williams has never run a race at COTA where Labbe has raced both Xfinity races here. In all thank you Josh Williams for doing what you did last week and standing up to NASCAR, hopefully you enjoy your week off and Alex Labbe gives your car a good run.
Josh Williams is notable because of the badass move he did last week by parking his car on the start/finish line after NASCAR parked him for a piece of tape flying off. Last week, well, I already talked about how last week went for Williams. He got caught in a wreck, tape flew off, NASCAR parked him, he parked it on track, got out, went to the care center, then he ate pizza. Overall on the year it has been a struggle for Williams as his best finish is a 15th at Daytona and his Avg. Finish is 22.8. To add to this he’s only ran 2.74% of his laps in the Top 15 and his Avg. Driver Rating of 53.76 is good for 22nd best this year. This week NASCAR suspended Williams for the race and when looking at his stats from his 3 Road Course starts last year this might not be a bad thing. In the 3 races Williams had a 25.33 Avg. Finish with 2 of the races seeing him finish outside the Top 20. In addition he only ran 1.27% of his laps in the Top 15 and his Avg. Driver Rating of 41.4 ranked 58th best. Even better news is that Alex Labbe, who is set to replace Williams, is known for his Road Course skills so this suspension may help DGM. Another reason it may help is that Williams has never run a race at COTA where Labbe has raced both Xfinity races here. In all thank you Josh Williams for doing what you did last week and standing up to NASCAR, hopefully you enjoy your week off and Alex Labbe gives your car a good run.
