John Hunter Nemechek won the last ever race on the Auto Club Speedway 2 mile track last week. This week it’s on to Las Vegas for the first Intermediate track of the young Xfinity season. I have picked 8 notable drivers to look at, 1 based on the 2023 point standings, 2 based on 2023 stats, 2 based on Intermediate Track stats, 1 based on the last Las Vegas race and 2 based on their overall Las Vegas stats. Here is a look at those 8 notable drivers 2023 season statistics, along with ranks among drivers in 2023 with ranking through 2 races since the Playoffs started in 2016. We will also highlight notable streaks accomplished through the year/last year into this year, 2022 Intermediate track (1.3-1.5 mile) statistics and Las Vegas statistics.
1st in Points – Austin Hill
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 2 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 3.5 | 3rd of 44 | T20th of 378 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 94.18% | 1st of 44 | 33rd of 378 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 123.65 | 2nd of 44 | 11th of 378‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Poles | 1 | 1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T2nd of 44 | T3rd of 378 |
| Top 3’s | 1 | T3rd of 44 | T6th of 378 |
| Top 5’s | 1 | T3rd of 44 | T13th of 378 |
| Top 10’s | 2 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T2nd of 44 | T7th of 323* |
| Stage T10s | 3 | T2nd of 44 | T19th of 323* |
| Stage Pts | 27 | 1st of 44 | T6th of 323* |
| Playoff Pts² | 6 | 1st of 44 | T2nd of 323* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 2 races
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 6 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 72 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 10.6(15th), 94.86% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 98.91(12th), Best 2nd, Worst 31st, Laps Completed 99.25%, Led 3.24% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 7 Top 10’s, 9 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 4.1 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2022 Fall Las Vegas Race
- Finished 6th, Started 8th, Led 2 laps (1.0%), Finished 2nd in Stage 1 and 4th in Stage 2, ran 197 Laps in Top15 (98.01% of laps he ran), had 107.8 Driver Rating
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 3 Races
- 18.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 14th)
- Best Finish: 6th, Worst: 31st
- Completed 97.84% of laps (% ranks 19th)
- 66.5% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 14th)
- 87.73 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 10th)
- Led 2.55% of laps he’s run (% ranks 9th)
- 0 Top 5’s
- 1 Top 10, 33.33% (% ranks T13th)
- 1 Top 15, 33.33% (% ranks T18th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 33.33% (% ranks T18th)
- 1 DNF, 33.33% (% ranks T31st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 4 Stage Top 10’s, 66.67% (% ranks T8th)
- 4.5 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 4th)
Outlook
Austin Hill may be 1st in points but he is notable because of how good his 2023 stats look so far this year. Last week at Auto Club Hill was up near the front almost all race and wound up 6th. The 2023 season has been kind to Hill as his worst 2023 rank above is 3rd and one of those 3rds is his 3.5 Avg. Finish. This year Hill has the most Stage Pts at 27 and the best percentage of laps run in the Top 15 at 94.18%. He is also on a 6 race Top 10 streak and last year in 10 Intermediate races Hill averaged a 10.6 finish, so there is reason to think that streak will be extended. In those 10 races Hill’s best finish was 2nd and he had 7 Top 10’s, 9 Top 15’s, and ran nearly 95% of his laps inside the Top 15. At the Fall Las Vegas race last year Hill finished in the Top 5 for both stages but only led 2 laps. In the race Hill also ran 98% of his laps inside the Top 15 and all of this led to him achieving a 107.8 Driver Rating. This was definitely his best race at Vegas as his Avg. Finish here in 3 races is 18.0 and that Top 5 last year is his only Top 15 finish here. In fact Hill has ran less than 70% of his laps inside the Top 15 which has led his Avg. Driver Rating to be 87.73, good for 10th best of any active driver. When you put this all together Hill seems like a candidate to potentially get a Top 10, but I think Hill will have problems and end up outside the Top 15.
Austin Hill may be 1st in points but he is notable because of how good his 2023 stats look so far this year. Last week at Auto Club Hill was up near the front almost all race and wound up 6th. The 2023 season has been kind to Hill as his worst 2023 rank above is 3rd and one of those 3rds is his 3.5 Avg. Finish. This year Hill has the most Stage Pts at 27 and the best percentage of laps run in the Top 15 at 94.18%. He is also on a 6 race Top 10 streak and last year in 10 Intermediate races Hill averaged a 10.6 finish, so there is reason to think that streak will be extended. In those 10 races Hill’s best finish was 2nd and he had 7 Top 10’s, 9 Top 15’s, and ran nearly 95% of his laps inside the Top 15. At the Fall Las Vegas race last year Hill finished in the Top 5 for both stages but only led 2 laps. In the race Hill also ran 98% of his laps inside the Top 15 and all of this led to him achieving a 107.8 Driver Rating. This was definitely his best race at Vegas as his Avg. Finish here in 3 races is 18.0 and that Top 5 last year is his only Top 15 finish here. In fact Hill has ran less than 70% of his laps inside the Top 15 which has led his Avg. Driver Rating to be 87.73, good for 10th best of any active driver. When you put this all together Hill seems like a candidate to potentially get a Top 10, but I think Hill will have problems and end up outside the Top 15.
2nd in Points – John Hunter Nemechek
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 2 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 1.5 | 1st of 44 | T7th of 378 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 93.09% | 2nd of 44 | 36th of 378 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 127.95 | 1st of 44 | 7th of 378‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 44 | T12th of 378 |
| Top 2’s | 2 | 1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Top 5’s | 2 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Top 10’s | 2 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T4th of 44 | T23rd of 323* |
| Stage T10s | 4 | 1st of 44 | T1st of 323* |
| Stage Pts | 16 | 5th of 44 | T30th of 323* |
| Playoff Pts² | 5 | 2nd of 44 | T6th of 323* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 2 races
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes (active streak)
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 72 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 13.8(21st), 88.52% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 98.74(13th), Best 4th, Worst 28th, Laps Completed 90.5%, Led 7.41% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2022 Fall Las Vegas Race
- Finished 16th, Started 11th, Led 0 laps, Finished 8th in Stage 1, ran 141 Laps in Top15 (70.5% of laps he ran), had 85.5 Driver Rating
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 4 Races
- 9.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks 6th)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 16th
- Completed 99.75% of laps (% ranks T5th)
- 92.61% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 8th)
- 95.53 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 7th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run (% ranks 5th)
- 0 Wins
- 1 Top 2, 25.0% (% ranks 2nd)
- 2 Top 10’s, 50.0% (% ranks T9th)
- 3 Top 15’s 75.0% (% ranks 10th)
- 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 1st)
Outlook
John Hunter Nemechek, like Hill above, is notable because of his 2023 stats so far this year. Last week Nemechek semi-dominated the second half of the race on route to winning the last ever race on the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway. This was already Nemechek’s 2nd Top 2 of the year making his Avg. Finish 1.5 which is best on the year as is his 127.95 Avg. Driver Rating. The only bad stat for Nemechek so far is stage stats as he has 4 Stage Top 10’s but only 16 Stage Pts. At Intermediates last year Nemechek ran 5 races to the tune of 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s and 3 Top 15’s. His Avg. Finish of 13.8 ranked 21st last year and his 98.74 Avg. Driver Rating was only good for 13th best, but he did lead 7.41% of laps he ran however. In the Fall Las Vegas race Nemechek led 0 laps and finished 16th after running 70.5% of his laps inside the Top 15. In this race Nemechek finished 8th in Stage 1, but outside the Top 10 in Stage 2. This was his first stage finish outside the Top 10 at Las Vegas in 4 races. In the 4 races here Nemechek has been good as is evident by his 9.5 Avg. Finish, 95.53 Avg. Driver Rating, and the fact he’s ran 92.61% of his laps inside the Top 15. Despite all these good stats Nemechek’s best finish is 2nd and he only has 2 Top 10’s in his 4 starts. In JGR equipment I see Nemechek having a great day this Saturday with a Top 10 being a near guarantee and a Top 5 likely, but I don’t think he will go to victory lane.
John Hunter Nemechek, like Hill above, is notable because of his 2023 stats so far this year. Last week Nemechek semi-dominated the second half of the race on route to winning the last ever race on the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway. This was already Nemechek’s 2nd Top 2 of the year making his Avg. Finish 1.5 which is best on the year as is his 127.95 Avg. Driver Rating. The only bad stat for Nemechek so far is stage stats as he has 4 Stage Top 10’s but only 16 Stage Pts. At Intermediates last year Nemechek ran 5 races to the tune of 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s and 3 Top 15’s. His Avg. Finish of 13.8 ranked 21st last year and his 98.74 Avg. Driver Rating was only good for 13th best, but he did lead 7.41% of laps he ran however. In the Fall Las Vegas race Nemechek led 0 laps and finished 16th after running 70.5% of his laps inside the Top 15. In this race Nemechek finished 8th in Stage 1, but outside the Top 10 in Stage 2. This was his first stage finish outside the Top 10 at Las Vegas in 4 races. In the 4 races here Nemechek has been good as is evident by his 9.5 Avg. Finish, 95.53 Avg. Driver Rating, and the fact he’s ran 92.61% of his laps inside the Top 15. Despite all these good stats Nemechek’s best finish is 2nd and he only has 2 Top 10’s in his 4 starts. In JGR equipment I see Nemechek having a great day this Saturday with a Top 10 being a near guarantee and a Top 5 likely, but I don’t think he will go to victory lane.
3rd in Points – Justin Allgaier
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 2 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 3.0 | 2nd of 44 | T14th of 378 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 86.18% | 4th of 44 | 59th of 378 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 121.1 | 3rd of 44 | 13th of 378‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T3rd of 44 | T17th of 378 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 44 | T12th of 378 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T4th of 44 | T31st of 378 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Top 5’s | 2 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Top 10’s | 2 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T2nd of 44 | T7th of 323* |
| Stage T10s | 3 | T2nd of 44 | T19th of 323* |
| Stage Pts | 23 | 2nd of 44 | T11th of 323* |
| Playoff Pts² | 1 | 4th of 44 | T16th of 323* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 2 races
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 3 straight Top 3 finishes (active streak)
- 3 straight 3rd place finishes (active streak, ranks T1st all-time)
- 4 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak)
- 7 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 72 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 6.6(7th), 91.86% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 118.0(3rd), Best 1st, Worst 29th, Laps Completed 95.12%, Led 22.92% of laps he ran, 2 Wins, 0 Poles, 4 Top 3’s, 7 Top 5’s, 9 Top 10’s, 9 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 4 Stage Wins, 6.6 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2022 Fall Las Vegas Race
- Finished 3rd, Started 10th, Led 0 laps, Finished 4th in Stage 1 and 5th in Stage 2, ran 201 Laps in Top15 (100% of laps he ran), had 116.6 Driver Rating
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 17 Races
- 7.65 Avg. Finish (Ranks 4th)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 31st
- Completed 97.23% of laps (% ranks 22nd)
- 96.85% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 2nd)
- 109.06 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 1st)
- Led 8.02% of laps he’s run (% ranks 5th)
- 0 Wins
- 3 Top 2’s, 17.65% (% ranks 4th)
- 5 Top 3’s, 29.41% (% ranks 3rd)
- 9 Top 5’s, 52.94% (% ranks 3rd)
- 14 Top 10’s, 82.35% (% ranks 3rd)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 5.88% (% ranks 9th)
- 1 DNF, 5.88% (% ranks 19th)
- 2 Stage Wins, 9.09% (% ranks 4th)
- 19 Stage Top 10’s, 86.36% (% ranks T2nd)
- 5.18 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 2nd)
Outlook
Justin Allgaier is notable because of how well he did in the 10 Intermediate track races last year. Last week Allgaier was up front for most of the race and ended up with another 3rd place finish, this is his 3rd straight 3rd place finish which ties the all-time record. His 2023 ranks above are also impressive as every category is 4th or better and his Avg. Finish of 3.0 is second only behind JHN this year. As I mentioned Allgaier is on a 3 race 3rd place streak, but that isn’t all as he has a 7 race Top 10 streak as well. That streak will go to 8 if Allgaier does as well on Intermediates as he did last year, last year he got 9 Top 10’s in 10 races and the one race not in the Top 10 was a DNF. Allgaier also picked up 2 Wins in those 10 races and a whopping 7 Top 5’s. In addition he had a 6.6 Avg. Finish (7th best), 118.0 Avg. Driver Rating (3rd best), 4 Stage Wins (2nd best), and 6.6 Stage Pts Per Stage (2nd best). In fact last Fall at Las Vegas Allgaier ran every lap inside the Top 15 and finished 3rd with a 116.6 Driver Rating, but he also led 0 laps which is a bit of a concern to me. Typically Allgaier is usually this good at Vegas as he has a 7.65 Avg. Finish in 17 races with 9 Top 5’s, 14 Top 10, and only 1 finish outside the Top 20 but also 0 Wins. However his 109.06 Avg. Driver Rating is best among active drivers. This weekend he will spend lots of time up front and a Top 10 is a guarantee for Allgaier, but I think 4th or 5th is where he winds up.
Justin Allgaier is notable because of how well he did in the 10 Intermediate track races last year. Last week Allgaier was up front for most of the race and ended up with another 3rd place finish, this is his 3rd straight 3rd place finish which ties the all-time record. His 2023 ranks above are also impressive as every category is 4th or better and his Avg. Finish of 3.0 is second only behind JHN this year. As I mentioned Allgaier is on a 3 race 3rd place streak, but that isn’t all as he has a 7 race Top 10 streak as well. That streak will go to 8 if Allgaier does as well on Intermediates as he did last year, last year he got 9 Top 10’s in 10 races and the one race not in the Top 10 was a DNF. Allgaier also picked up 2 Wins in those 10 races and a whopping 7 Top 5’s. In addition he had a 6.6 Avg. Finish (7th best), 118.0 Avg. Driver Rating (3rd best), 4 Stage Wins (2nd best), and 6.6 Stage Pts Per Stage (2nd best). In fact last Fall at Las Vegas Allgaier ran every lap inside the Top 15 and finished 3rd with a 116.6 Driver Rating, but he also led 0 laps which is a bit of a concern to me. Typically Allgaier is usually this good at Vegas as he has a 7.65 Avg. Finish in 17 races with 9 Top 5’s, 14 Top 10, and only 1 finish outside the Top 20 but also 0 Wins. However his 109.06 Avg. Driver Rating is best among active drivers. This weekend he will spend lots of time up front and a Top 10 is a guarantee for Allgaier, but I think 4th or 5th is where he winds up.
4th in Points – Chandler Smith
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 2 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 8.0 | T6th of 44 | T54th of 378 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 80.36% | 6th of 44 | 76th of 378 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 90.85 | 9th of 44 | T79th of 378‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T3rd of 44 | T17th of 378 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 44 | T12th of 378 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T4th of 44 | T31st of 378 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T5th of 44 | T44th of 378 |
| Top 5’s | 1 | T3rd of 44 | T13th of 378 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T5th of 44 | T34th of 378 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T4th of 44 | T23rd of 323* |
| Stage T10s | 3 | T2nd of 44 | T19th of 323* |
| Stage Pts | 18 | 4th of 44 | T20th of 323* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T5th of 44 | T22nd of 323* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 2 races
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 1 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 72 drivers)
- 1 Races, Avg. Finish 7.0(T8th), 98.5% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 92.4(16th), Best 7th, Worst 7th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2022 Fall Las Vegas Race
- did not race
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 0 Races
Outlook
Chandler Smith is notable because of his 4th place points position so far through the season. Last week Smith impressed as he ran Top 15 most of the race and ended up in 4th place. In fact in his rookie year Smith has an 8.0 Avg. Finish so far and has ran over 80% of his laps inside the Top 15, both of which are 6th best this season. In addition to these stats Smith also has 3 Stage T10’s and 18 Stage Pts which is good for 3rd best. Last year Smith only ran 1 race at an Intermediate track, in that race he ran in the Top 15 for 98.5% of the laps he ran and ended up finishing 7th. In terms of Las Vegas stats though there are none, Smith has never raced in an Xfinity car here so there is literally nothing to say. With all that said there isn’t a whole lot to go off of so what I’m about to say is a bit of an uneducated guess. I see Smith running between 5th and 20th most of the race and ultimately finishing outside the Top 10 between 11th and 20th.
Chandler Smith is notable because of his 4th place points position so far through the season. Last week Smith impressed as he ran Top 15 most of the race and ended up in 4th place. In fact in his rookie year Smith has an 8.0 Avg. Finish so far and has ran over 80% of his laps inside the Top 15, both of which are 6th best this season. In addition to these stats Smith also has 3 Stage T10’s and 18 Stage Pts which is good for 3rd best. Last year Smith only ran 1 race at an Intermediate track, in that race he ran in the Top 15 for 98.5% of the laps he ran and ended up finishing 7th. In terms of Las Vegas stats though there are none, Smith has never raced in an Xfinity car here so there is literally nothing to say. With all that said there isn’t a whole lot to go off of so what I’m about to say is a bit of an uneducated guess. I see Smith running between 5th and 20th most of the race and ultimately finishing outside the Top 10 between 11th and 20th.
6th in Points – Cole Custer
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 2 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 18.0 | T20th of 44 | T149th of 378 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.64% | T25th of 44 | T138th of 378 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 63.64% | 13th of 44 | 113th of 378 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 88.8 | 10th of 44 | 86th of 378‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T3rd of 44 | T17th of 378 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 44 | T12th of 378 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T4th of 44 | T31st of 378 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T5th of 44 | T44th of 378 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T9th of 44 | T69th of 378 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T5th of 44 | T34th of 378 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Stage Wins | 2 | 1st of 44 | T1st of 323* |
| Stage T10s | 3 | T2nd of 44 | T19th of 323* |
| Stage Pts | 22 | 3rd of 44 | 13th of 323* |
| Playoff Pts² | 2 | 3rd of 44 | T12th of 323* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 2 races
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
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 72 drivers)
- 0 Races
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2022 Fall Las Vegas Race
- did not race
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 5 Races
- 7.2 Avg. Finish (Ranks 3rd)
- Best Finish: 3rd, Worst: 11th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 93.09% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 7th)
- 108.04 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 3rd)
- Led 5.33% of laps he’s run (% ranks 7th)
- 2 Poles, 40.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 Wins
- 1 Top 3, 20.0% (% ranks 5th)
- 2 Top 5’s, 40.0% (% ranks 5th)
- 4 Top 10’s, 80.0% (% ranks 4th)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 1 Stage Win, 10.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 8 Stage Top 10’s, 80.0% (% ranks 5th)
- 5.7 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 1st)
Outlook
Cole Custer is notable because of how good he has ran here at Las Vegas in Xfinity races. Last week Custer won both stages and looked to be a challenger for the win but got a flat tire and deflated him to a 27th place finish. With that happening it has hurt his 2023 stats; his Avg. Driver Rating is only 88.8 and his Avg. Finish is 18.0, both of these rank 10th or worse on the season. Stages have been a different story however as Custer has 2 Stage Wins and the 3rd most Stage Pts at 22. Last year Custer did not compete on any Intermediate racetracks and his last race at Las Vegas was in 2019. Even though it’s been a while his numbers at Las Vegas in 5 starts are pretty good even without the benefit of a win. In the 5 starts Custer has a best finish of 3rd and worst of 11th with 4 Top 10’s and a 7.2 Avg. Finish. His Avg. Finish ranks 3rd just like his 108.04 Avg. Driver and his 5.7 Stage Pts Per Stage ranks 1st among active drivers. All said Custer will be a force to be reckon with this weekend and up front most the day finishing inside the Top 5 and potentially even getting the win.
Cole Custer is notable because of how good he has ran here at Las Vegas in Xfinity races. Last week Custer won both stages and looked to be a challenger for the win but got a flat tire and deflated him to a 27th place finish. With that happening it has hurt his 2023 stats; his Avg. Driver Rating is only 88.8 and his Avg. Finish is 18.0, both of these rank 10th or worse on the season. Stages have been a different story however as Custer has 2 Stage Wins and the 3rd most Stage Pts at 22. Last year Custer did not compete on any Intermediate racetracks and his last race at Las Vegas was in 2019. Even though it’s been a while his numbers at Las Vegas in 5 starts are pretty good even without the benefit of a win. In the 5 starts Custer has a best finish of 3rd and worst of 11th with 4 Top 10’s and a 7.2 Avg. Finish. His Avg. Finish ranks 3rd just like his 108.04 Avg. Driver and his 5.7 Stage Pts Per Stage ranks 1st among active drivers. All said Custer will be a force to be reckon with this weekend and up front most the day finishing inside the Top 5 and potentially even getting the win.
7th in Points – Sam Mayer
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 2 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 14.5 | 13th of 44 | T111th of 378 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.64% | T25th of 44 | T138th of 378 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 76.73% | 9th of 44 | 86th of 378 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 94.95 | 7th of 44 | 65th of 378‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T3rd of 44 | T17th of 378 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 44 | T12th of 378 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T2nd of 44 | T3rd of 378 |
| Top 3’s | 1 | T3rd of 44 | T6th of 378 |
| Top 5’s | 1 | T3rd of 44 | T13th of 378 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T5th of 44 | T34th of 378 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T34th of 44 | T248th of 378 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T4th of 44 | T23rd of 323* |
| Stage T10s | 2 | T9th of 44 | T48th of 323* |
| Stage Pts | 13 | T6th of 44 | T38th of 323* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T5th of 44 | T22nd of 323* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 2 races
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 1 straight Top 2 finish (active streak)
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 72 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 8.1(11th), 90.18% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 97.32(14th), Best 3rd, Worst 25th, Laps Completed 99.89%, Led 1.55% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 2 Top 3’s, 5 Top 5’s, 8 Top 10’s, 9 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 3.7 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2022 Fall Las Vegas Race
- Finished 7th, Started 5th, Led 0 laps, Finished 6th in Stage 1 and 7th in Stage 2, ran 199 Laps in Top15 (99.0% of laps he ran), had 97.8 Driver Rating
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 3 Races
- 22.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks T28th)
- Best Finish: 7th, Worst: 34th
- Completed 71.43% of laps (% ranks 39th)
- 93.49% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 6th)
- 82.4 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 12th)
- Led 5.81% of laps he’s run (% ranks 6th)
- 0 Top 5’s
- 1 Top 10, 33.33% (% ranks T13th)
- 2 finishes outside Top 20, 66.67% (% ranks 30th)
- 1 DNF, 33.33% (% ranks T31st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 4 Stage Top 10’s, 66.67% (% ranks T8th)
- 4.33 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T5th)
Outlook
Sam Mayer is notable because of how good he ran at Intermediate tracks last year. Last weekend Mayer came close to his first win of his career but ended up 2nd. This year Mayer has had either a sniff of the lead or the actual lead on the last lap in both races but ultimately has a 14.5 Avg. Finish, good for 13th best this year. The best stat however to more accurately show his 2023 is his 94.95 Avg. Driver Rating which is 7th best this year. Last year at Intermediate tracks Mayer finished in Top 10 8 times and in the Top 15 9 times in 10 races. His Avg. Finish of 8.1 was good enough for 11th and he ran over 90% of his laps inside the Top 15. In addition half his races finished with a Top 5 and 2 of them ended with a 3rd place finish. In the Fall Las Vegas race Mayer ran 99% of his laps inside the Top 15 so it is no surprise that he got stage points in both stages and then wound up with a 7th place finish. This was Mayer’s best finish here as the other two he ended up outside the Top 20, but he has ran 93.49% of his laps inside the Top 15 and has an 82.4 Avg. Driver Rating showing that he is good here just doesn’t have the finishes to show it. When you look at all of this and how he did last week I definitely see Mayer running up front most the race and should end up with a solid Top 10 if nothing goes wrong. In fact if Mayer can get a little luck his first win may come this weekend.
Sam Mayer is notable because of how good he ran at Intermediate tracks last year. Last weekend Mayer came close to his first win of his career but ended up 2nd. This year Mayer has had either a sniff of the lead or the actual lead on the last lap in both races but ultimately has a 14.5 Avg. Finish, good for 13th best this year. The best stat however to more accurately show his 2023 is his 94.95 Avg. Driver Rating which is 7th best this year. Last year at Intermediate tracks Mayer finished in Top 10 8 times and in the Top 15 9 times in 10 races. His Avg. Finish of 8.1 was good enough for 11th and he ran over 90% of his laps inside the Top 15. In addition half his races finished with a Top 5 and 2 of them ended with a 3rd place finish. In the Fall Las Vegas race Mayer ran 99% of his laps inside the Top 15 so it is no surprise that he got stage points in both stages and then wound up with a 7th place finish. This was Mayer’s best finish here as the other two he ended up outside the Top 20, but he has ran 93.49% of his laps inside the Top 15 and has an 82.4 Avg. Driver Rating showing that he is good here just doesn’t have the finishes to show it. When you look at all of this and how he did last week I definitely see Mayer running up front most the race and should end up with a solid Top 10 if nothing goes wrong. In fact if Mayer can get a little luck his first win may come this weekend.
9th in Points – Josh Berry
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 2 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 15.5 | T14th of 44 | T118th of 378 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 83.64% | 5th of 44 | 68th of 378 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 100.7 | 4th of 44 | 48th of 378‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T3rd of 44 | T17th of 378 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 44 | T12th of 378 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T4th of 44 | T31st of 378 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T5th of 44 | T44th of 378 |
| Top 5’s | 1 | T3rd of 44 | T13th of 378 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T5th of 44 | T34th of 378 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T4th of 44 | T23rd of 323* |
| Stage T10s | 2 | T9th of 44 | T48th of 323* |
| Stage Pts | 9 | 11th of 44 | T58th of 323* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T5th of 44 | T22nd of 323* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 2 races
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- 1 straight Top 5 finish (active streak)
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 72 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 9.2(12th), 88.15% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 103.76(7th), Best 1st, Worst 29th, Laps Completed 99.77%, Led 11.73% of laps he ran, 2 Wins, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 7 Top 10’s, 8 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 4.1 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2022 Fall Las Vegas Race
- Finished 1st, Started 12th, Led 65 laps (32.34%), Finished 9th in Stage 1 and 6th in Stage 2, ran 199 Laps in Top15 (99.0% of laps he ran), had 127.0 Driver Rating
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 4 Races
- 3.25 Avg. Finish (Ranks 1st)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 7th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 90.4% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 10th)
- 108.45 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 2nd)
- Led 12.84% of laps he’s run (% ranks 2nd)
- 2 Wins, 50.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 3 Top 5’s, 75.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 4 Top 10’s, 100% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 6 Stage Top 10’s, 75.0% (% ranks 6th)
Outlook
Josh Berry is notable because of his outstanding Las Vegas statistics. Last week Berry was pretty good all night, as all JRM cars were, and he ended up with his 1st Top 5 of the season. Based on his 15.5 Avg. Finish (ranks T14th) you’d think Berry hasn’t had too great of a season, but when you see his 100.7 Avg. Driver Rating (ranks 4th) you see he has been good in the 2 races this year. In addition Berry has the 5th best percentage of laps in the Top 15 at 83.64%, but on the other hand he only has 9 Stage Pts in the 4 stages so far. The good news for him is that an Intermediate is coming up where in 10 Intermediate starts last year he had over 4 Stage Pts Per Stage. In addition Berry had a 9.2 Avg. Finish and 2 Wins in the 10 races, but Berry’s only Top 5’s were those 2 Wins. However one of those Top 5’s/Wins was last Fall at Las Vegas where he beat out Noah Gragson to win. In that race Berry led over 30% of the race, was in the Top 15 for all but 2 laps, and he had the 2nd best Driver Rating at 127.0. This is typical for Berry here as in 4 starts his worst finish is 7th. In fact Berry has the 2nd best Avg. Driver Rating of any active driver at 108.45, the best Avg. Finish at 3.25, and has won half his starts here. This weekend it’s hard to see Berry not finishing inside the Top 10 and based on the Las Vegas stats he’ll get a Top 5, however I feel the Las Vegas stats will be wrong and that he gets a Top 10 but not a Top 5.
Josh Berry is notable because of his outstanding Las Vegas statistics. Last week Berry was pretty good all night, as all JRM cars were, and he ended up with his 1st Top 5 of the season. Based on his 15.5 Avg. Finish (ranks T14th) you’d think Berry hasn’t had too great of a season, but when you see his 100.7 Avg. Driver Rating (ranks 4th) you see he has been good in the 2 races this year. In addition Berry has the 5th best percentage of laps in the Top 15 at 83.64%, but on the other hand he only has 9 Stage Pts in the 4 stages so far. The good news for him is that an Intermediate is coming up where in 10 Intermediate starts last year he had over 4 Stage Pts Per Stage. In addition Berry had a 9.2 Avg. Finish and 2 Wins in the 10 races, but Berry’s only Top 5’s were those 2 Wins. However one of those Top 5’s/Wins was last Fall at Las Vegas where he beat out Noah Gragson to win. In that race Berry led over 30% of the race, was in the Top 15 for all but 2 laps, and he had the 2nd best Driver Rating at 127.0. This is typical for Berry here as in 4 starts his worst finish is 7th. In fact Berry has the 2nd best Avg. Driver Rating of any active driver at 108.45, the best Avg. Finish at 3.25, and has won half his starts here. This weekend it’s hard to see Berry not finishing inside the Top 10 and based on the Las Vegas stats he’ll get a Top 5, however I feel the Las Vegas stats will be wrong and that he gets a Top 10 but not a Top 5.
19th in Points – Brandon Jones
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 2 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 23.5 | T27th of 44 | T220th of 378 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.64% | T25th of 44 | T138th of 378 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 50.91% | 19th of 44 | 141st of 378 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 76.55 | 16th of 44 | 131st of 378‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T3rd of 44 | T17th of 378 |
| Poles | 0 | T2nd of 44 | T12th of 378 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T4th of 44 | T31st of 378 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T5th of 44 | T44th of 378 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T9th of 44 | T69th of 378 |
| Top 10’s | 0 | T17th of 44 | T128th of 378 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 44 | T1st of 378 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T4th of 44 | T23rd of 323* |
| Stage T10s | 1 | T14th of 44 | T93rd of 323* |
| Stage Pts | 7 | T13th of 44 | T69th of 323* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T5th of 44 | T22nd of 323* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 2 races
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this/last year
- none
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 72 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 13.0(T17th), 89.49% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 93.39(15th), Best 4th, Worst 27th, Laps Completed 95.01%, Led 1.03% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 3 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10’s, 8 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 3.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2022 Fall Las Vegas Race
- Finished 9th, Started 7th, Led 5 laps (2.49%), Finished 5th in Stage 1 and 3rd in Stage 2, ran 201 Laps in Top15 (100% of laps he ran), had 103.6 Driver Rating
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year)
- 12 Races
- 9.25 Avg. Finish (Ranks 5th)
- Best Finish: 3rd, Worst: 28th
- Completed 99.38% of laps (% ranks 10th)
- 93.79% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 5th)
- 98.38 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 6th)
- Led 1.46% of laps he’s run (% ranks 11th)
- 0 Top 2’s
- 2 Top 3’s, 16.67% (% ranks 7th)
- 9 Top 10’s, 75.0% (% ranks 5th)
- 11 Top 15’s, 91.67% (% ranks 6th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 8.33% (% ranks 10th)
- 1 DNF, 8.33% (% ranks 20th)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 19 Stage Top 10’s, 86.36% (% ranks T2nd)
- 4.14 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 7th)
Outlook
Brandon Jones is notable because of his pretty good race at Las Vegas last Fall. Last week Jones had a rough go as he spun out and got damage a little after Stage 2 started and relegated him to a 33rd place finish. This didn’t help his 2023 stats as they weren’t that great anyway as his Avg. Finish in the first 2 races is 23.5 which ranks T27th. Another bad stat is that Jones has only ran a pinch over 50% of his laps inside the Top 15 and his 76.55 Avg. Driver Rating is 16th in the 2023 ranks above. Hopefully this turns around for him soon but based on his Intermediate stats from last year it doesn’t look like this will be the week for it. In 10 races Jones’ Avg. Finish was 13.0 and his 93.39 Avg. Driver Rating ranked 15th. In addition Jones had only 4 Top 10’s in the 10 races, but in good news he had 3 Poles and 8 Top 15’s which tells me Jones had speed but just couldn’t use it in the races. Last Fall at Las Vegas Jones had one of those 4 Top 10’s I mentioned as he finished 9th and had the 6th best Driver Rating at 103.6. In addition Jones ran all 201 laps in the Top 15, showing he was there all race. Overall at Vegas Jones typically runs well as in 12 races he has 9 Top 10’s, a 98.38 Avg. Driver Rating, and a 9.25 Avg. Finish with a best of 3rd. This weekend is a big weekend for Jones since he is in JRM equipment I feel he needs to do really well. I think he ends up with a finish of 7th though, I don’t know why 7th, just get that feeling.
Brandon Jones is notable because of his pretty good race at Las Vegas last Fall. Last week Jones had a rough go as he spun out and got damage a little after Stage 2 started and relegated him to a 33rd place finish. This didn’t help his 2023 stats as they weren’t that great anyway as his Avg. Finish in the first 2 races is 23.5 which ranks T27th. Another bad stat is that Jones has only ran a pinch over 50% of his laps inside the Top 15 and his 76.55 Avg. Driver Rating is 16th in the 2023 ranks above. Hopefully this turns around for him soon but based on his Intermediate stats from last year it doesn’t look like this will be the week for it. In 10 races Jones’ Avg. Finish was 13.0 and his 93.39 Avg. Driver Rating ranked 15th. In addition Jones had only 4 Top 10’s in the 10 races, but in good news he had 3 Poles and 8 Top 15’s which tells me Jones had speed but just couldn’t use it in the races. Last Fall at Las Vegas Jones had one of those 4 Top 10’s I mentioned as he finished 9th and had the 6th best Driver Rating at 103.6. In addition Jones ran all 201 laps in the Top 15, showing he was there all race. Overall at Vegas Jones typically runs well as in 12 races he has 9 Top 10’s, a 98.38 Avg. Driver Rating, and a 9.25 Avg. Finish with a best of 3rd. This weekend is a big weekend for Jones since he is in JRM equipment I feel he needs to do really well. I think he ends up with a finish of 7th though, I don’t know why 7th, just get that feeling.
