Thursday, November 21, 2024
HomeCup SeriesCup Series Notable Drivers Statistics & Outlook: Talladega

Cup Series Notable Drivers Statistics & Outlook: Talladega

Last week, at Texas, William Byron won and clinched his spot into the Round of 8, while the late race craziness shook up the playoff standings. This week we go to another track that could, and probably will, shake up the standings even more, Talladega. I have picked 8 notable drivers to look at, 2 based on the Playoff bubble, 1 based on 2023 Playoffs stats, 2 based on Superspeedway stats, 1 based on the last Talladega race, and 2 based on their overall Talladega stats. Here is a look at those 8 notable drivers 2023 season statistics, along with ranks among drivers in 2023 and ranking through 30 races since the Chase started in 2004. We will also highlight the 2023 Playoff stats, notable streaks accomplished through the year, 2023 Superspeedway (drafting tracks) statistics and Talladega statistics.
P = Playoff Driver
OP = Owner Playoff Driver

7th in Points – Brad Keselowski (P & OP)

2023 Stats
Category Statistic 2023 Rank ÂŞRank Thru 30 Races
 Avg. Fin.¹ 13.0 6th of 35 T112th of 827
 Completed Laps%¹ 99.74% 1st of 35 T13th of 827
Laps in Top15%¹ 66.64% 9th of 35 184th of 784‡
Avg. Driver Rating¹ 81.62 11th of 35 269th of 784‡
 Wins 0 T15th of 63 T272nd of 1374
 Poles 0 T16th of 63 T262nd of 1374
 Top 2’s 2 T11th of 63 T171st of 1374
 Top 3’s 2 T13th of 63 T242nd of 1374
 Top 5’s 6 T12th of 63 T203rd of 1374
 Top 10’s 15 T3rd of 63 T130th of 1374
 DNF’sÂą 2 T4th of 35 T148th of 827
 Stage Wins 5 T4th of 63 T21st of 433*
 Stage T10s 30 7th of 63 T65th of 433*
 Stage Pts 161 9th of 63 64th of 433*
 Playoff Pts² 5 T13th of 63 T79th of 433*

ÂŞSince Playoffs started in 2004
ÂąRanks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 30 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Loop Data started in 2005, max Driver Rating is 150.0

  • 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
  • 4 Races, Avg. Finish 7.5(2nd), 83.1% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 98.7(5th), Best 6th, Worst 9th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 1.64% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 6 Stage T10’s, 3.5 Stage Pts Per Stage, 1 Playoff Pt earned in races
  • Notable Streaks this year
  • 5 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series)
  • 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 46 drivers)
  • 5 Races, Avg. Finish 7.4(1st), 65.12% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 89.86(4th), Best 2nd, Worst 22nd, Laps Completed 99.9%, Led 11.43% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 3 Stage Wins, 4.0 Stage Pts Per Stage
  • Talladega Statistics
  • 2023 Spring Talladega race
  • Finished 5th, Started 20th, Led 2 laps (1.02%), got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 30 Laps in Top15 (15.31% of laps he ran), had 57.9 Driver Rating (ranked 30th)
  • Notable Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega, 47 drivers)
  • 29 Races
  • 15.31 Avg. Finish (Ranks 7th)
  • Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 38th
  • Completed 97.2% of laps (% ranks 12th)
  • 61.16% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 6th)
  • 88.38 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 3rd)
  • Led 5.94% of laps he’s run (% ranks 6th)
  • 6 Wins, 20.69% (% ranks 1st)
  • 10 Top 5’s, 34.48% (% ranks 1st)
  • 14 Top 10’s, 48.28% (% ranks 5th)
  • 11 finishes outside Top 20, 37.93% (% ranks 17th)
  • 4 DNF’s, 13.79% (% ranks 13th)
  • 3 Stage Wins, 11.54% (% ranks T2nd)
  • 14 Stage T10’s, 53.85% (% ranks 5th)
  • 4.12 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 3rd)
Main Points & Outlook
Brad Keselowski is notable because of his stats in the 5 Superspeedway races this year and the fact he’s only 8 points to the good in the playoff standings
Last week at Texas Keselowski ran 93% of his laps in the Top 15, got 4 Stage Pts, and finished in the Top 10 for the 15th time this year, in 7th
He is on a 5 race Top 10 streak, the longest active streak in the Cup Series
Only 6 of his 15 2023 Ranks above are better than 8th (13.0 Avg. Finish, 99.74 Completed Laps%, 15 Top 10’s, 2 DNF’s, 5 Stage Wins, and 30 Stage T10’s)
60% of his 15 Top 10’s this year have been between 6th and 10th
He is the only driver to have a Top 10 in all 4 playoff races, finishing between 6th and 9th in all 4 races
In the 4 races he’s ran 83% of his laps in the Top 15, has a 98.7 Avg. Driver Rating, and 1 Stage Win
In 5 Superspeedway races this year he has 4 Top 10’s and 2 Top 3’s
He’s only ran 65% of his laps in the 5 races in the Top 15, but has the 4th best Avg. Driver Rating (89.86) and 3 Stage Wins
In the Spring race at Talladega Keselowski ran just 15% of his laps in the Top 15 and had the 30th best Driver Rating (57.9), but managed to finish 5th
He’s ran 29 races at Talladega and has ran 61% of his laps in the Top 15 with more Wins (6) than DNF’s (4)
In the 29 races he’s led 6% of the laps he’s run with his 20.69 Win% and 34.48 Top 5% being the best percentage in each category of any active driver
Outlook for this weekend
Keselowski has been solid in the playoffs which sets him up decent heading to Talladega. However, his season stats above say he’s not totally deserving of a Round of 8 spot. The good news for him is that he’s been one of the best drivers on Superspeedway’s this year and at Talladega in his career, even though he’s mostly boom or bust. All of this said I see Keselowski with either a finish out of the Top 20 or in the Top 5 this weekend.

8th in Points – Kyle Larson (P & OP)

2023 Stats
Category Statistic 2023 Rank ÂŞRank Thru 30 Races
 Avg. Fin.¹ 15.17 11th of 35 T222nd of 827
 Completed Laps%¹ 95.99% 24th of 35 T331st of 827
Laps in Top15%¹ 71.39% 3rd of 35 126th of 784‡
Avg. Driver Rating¹ 95.01 3rd of 35 117th of 784‡
 Wins 3 T2nd of 63 T54th of 1374
 Poles 2 T4th of 63 T58th of 1374
 Top 2’s 6 3rd of 63 T48th of 1374
 Top 3’s 7 4th of 63 T71st of 1374
 Top 5’s 13 1st of 63 T30th of 1374
 Top 10’s 15 T3rd of 63 T130th of 1374
 DNF’sÂą 7 34th of 35 T727th of 827
 Stage Wins 5 T4th of 63 T21st of 433*
 Stage T10s 36 T3rd of 63 T32nd of 433*
 Stage Pts 221 4th of 63 T30th of 433*
 Playoff Pts² 20 4th of 63 T19th of 433*

ÂŞSince Playoffs started in 2004
ÂąRanks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 30 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Loop Data started in 2005, max Driver Rating is 150.0

  • 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
  • 4 Races, Avg. Finish 9.5(T5th), 86.52% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 117.93(2nd), Best 1st, Worst 31st, Laps Completed 98.64%, Led 19.74% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 2 Stage Wins, 6 Stage T10’s, 6.0 Stage Pts Per Stage, 7 Playoff Pts earned in races
  • Notable Streaks this year
  • 3 straight Top 5 finishes
  • 4 straight Top 10 finishes
  • 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 46 drivers)
  • 5 Races, Avg. Finish 29.0(T39th), 59.09% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 74.88(15th), Best 18th, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 86.61%, Led 1.14% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 4 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 1.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
  • Talladega Statistics
  • 2023 Spring Talladega race
  • Finished 33rd (crash), Started 9th, Led 0 laps, Finished 5th in Stage 1, ran 110 Laps in Top15 (58.2% of laps he ran), had 65.7 Driver Rating (ranked 24th)
  • Notable Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega, 47 drivers)
  • 17 Races
  • 23.41 Avg. Finish (Ranks 35th)
  • Best Finish: 4th, Worst: 42nd
  • Completed 82.38% of laps (% ranks 43rd)
  • 60.65% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 7th)
  • 76.13 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 17th)
  • Led 2.03% of laps he’s run (% ranks 20th)
  • 0 Top 3’s
  • 1 Top 5, 5.88% (% ranks 25th)
  • 3 Top 10’s, 17.65% (% ranks 30th)
  • 6 Top 15’s, 35.29% (% ranks 25th)
  • 9 finishes outside Top 20, 52.94% (% ranks 30th)
  • 6 DNF’s, 35.29% (% ranks 39th)
  • 0 Stage Wins
  • 2.18 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 8th)
Main Points & Outlook
Kyle Larson is notable because he’s only 2 points above the playoff cutlines and because of his 2023 playoff stats
Larson ran 97% of his laps last week in the Top 15, but a late wreck battling for the lead caused him to finish 31st
This broke his personal season long 3 race Top 5 streak
12 of his 15 2023 Ranks above are T4th or better including his 95.01 Avg. Driver Rating, 6 Top 2’s, 36 Stage T10’s, and series leading 13 Top 5’s
His 7 DNF’s this year are 2nd most this year behind only Austin Dillon (9)
His 4 playoff races have resulted in a 9.5 Avg. Finish with 3 Top 5’s and 1 DNF
In the 4 races he’s ran 86.52% of his laps in the Top 15, has the 2nd best Avg. Driver Rating (117.93), and 6 Stage Pts Per Stage
He has a best finish of just 18th at Superspeedways this year with 4 of the 5 races ending in a DNF
In the 5 races he’s only ran 59% of his laps in the Top 15 and has gotten just 1.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
At Talladega this Spring Larson ran 58% of his laps in the Top 15, had the 24th best Driver Rating (65.7), and finished 33rd after being involved in a scary crash
In 17 races at Talladega he has just 1 Top 5 and the same number of DNF’s as Top 15’s (6)
He’s only gotten 2.18 Stage Pts Per Stage in his 11 stages here, but he’s ran 61% of his laps in the Top 15 here
Outlook for this weekend
Larson had an unfortunate ending to last weeks race and now finds himself just above the cutline. His 2023 season and playoff stats say it would be a shame if he didn’t move to Round of 8, but based on his terrible Superspeedway races this year his chances of moving on look bleak. Even worse are his Talladega career stats which are just terrible. All in all this weekend I don’t see much going well for Larson as he finishes out of the Top 20 with a DNF.

9th in Points – Bubba Wallace (P)

2023 Stats
Category Statistic 2023 Rank ÂŞRank Thru 30 Races
 Avg. Fin.¹ 16.43 17th of 35 T280th of 827
 Completed Laps%¹ 98.54% T5th of 35 T100th of 827
Laps in Top15%¹ 61.15% 13th of 35 222nd of 784‡
Avg. Driver Rating¹ 79.55 14th of 35 294th of 784‡
 Wins 0 T15th of 63 T272nd of 1374
 Poles 1 T6th of 63 T120th of 1374
 Top 2’s 0 T21st of 63 T387th of 1374
 Top 3’s 1 T16th of 63 T321st of 1374
 Top 5’s 5 14th of 63 T230th of 1374
 Top 10’s 8 T18th of 63 T324th of 1374
 DNF’sÂą 5 T27th of 35 T585th of 827
 Stage Wins 0 T19th of 63 T111th of 433*
 Stage T10s 22 T11th of 63 T92nd of 433*
 Stage Pts 110 13th of 63 91st of 433*
 Playoff Pts² 0 T21st of 63 T132nd of 433*

ÂŞSince Playoffs started in 2004
ÂąRanks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 30 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Loop Data started in 2005, max Driver Rating is 150.0

  • 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
  • 4 Races, Avg. Finish 14.0(10th), 69.76% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 99.58(4th), Best 3rd, Worst 32nd, Laps Completed 99.64%, Led 8.16% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 4 Stage T10’s, 2.5 Stage Pts Per Stage, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
  • Notable Streaks this year
  • 3 straight Top 5 finishes
  • 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 46 drivers)
  • 5 Races, Avg. Finish 22.4(T29th), 41.92% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 65.7(24th), Best 12th, Worst 28th, Laps Completed 99.31%, Led 4.46% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 1 Top 15, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 1.7 Stage Pts Per Stage
  • Talladega Statistics
  • 2023 Spring Talladega race
  • Finished 28th (crash), Started 12th, Led 35 laps (17.86%), Finished 4th in Stage 2, ran 164 Laps in Top15 (84.1% of laps he ran), had 91.9 Driver Rating (ranked 3rd)
  • Notable Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega, 47 drivers)
  • 11 Races
  • 19.73 Avg. Finish (Ranks 22nd)
  • Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 39th
  • Completed 90.63% of laps (% ranks 33rd)
  • 48.97% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 18th)
  • 76.25 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 16th)
  • Led 4.79% of laps he’s run (% ranks 8th)
  • 1 Win, 9.09% (% ranks 6th)
  • 1 Top 10, 9.09% (% ranks T34th)
  • 2 Top 15’s, 18.18% (% ranks 36th)
  • 4 finishes outside Top 20, 36.36% (% ranks T15th)
  • 3 DNF’s, 27.27% (% ranks T24th)
  • 3 Stage Wins, 13.64% (% ranks 1st)
  • 1.91 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 15th)
Main Points & Outlook
Bubba Wallace is notable because he’s 9th in points only 2 points below the driver cutline
Wallace was the only driver to run all 267 laps in the Top 15 at Texas and ended up finishing 3rd
This was his first Top 5 since the Coke 600 in late May
The only stats to rank 10th or better in the 2023 Ranks above are his 98.54 Completed Laps% and 1 Pole
7 of his 15 2023 Ranks above are worse than 15th including his 16.43 Avg. Finish, 1 Top 3, 5 DNF’s, and 0 Stage Wins
The 4 playoff races have given him a 14.0 Avg. Finish with just 2 Top 10’s and 2.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
He’s ran just 70% of his laps in the Top 15 in the 4 races but has the 4th best Avg. Driver Rating (99.58)
In the 5 Superspeedway races he has a best finish of 12th with 3 finishes out of the Top 20 and just 1.7 Stage Pts Per Stage
He’s only ran 42% of his laps in the Top 15 in the 5 races and has an underwhelming 65.7 Avg. Driver Rating
In the Spring Talladega race Wallace led 18% of the race and had the 3rd best Driver Rating (91.9) before a late wreck while blocking had him finish 28th
In 11 races at Talladega he has 1 Win and a 19.73 Avg. Finish, but that win is his only Top 10 here
He’s only ran 49% of his laps here in the Top 15, led 5% of his laps, and has more DNF’s (3) than Top 15 finishes (2)
Outlook for this weekend
Wallace almost clinched his spot into the Round of 8 last week, but he has to sweat it out a little longer. His playoff stats are decent, but his 2023 season overall stats say he doesn’t deserve a spot in the next round. What’s worse is that his 2023 Superspeedway stats and career Talladega stats aren’t that good either. All of this said I expect Wallace to struggle this weekend to a 10th-20th place finish.

10th in Points – Tyler Reddick (P & OP)

2023 Stats
Category Statistic 2023 Rank ÂŞRank Thru 30 Races
 Avg. Fin.¹ 16.1 T14th of 35 T264th of 827
 Completed Laps%¹ 96.29% T22nd of 35 T304th of 827
Laps in Top15%¹ 69.82% 4th of 35 145th of 784‡
Avg. Driver Rating¹ 89.78 6th of 35 183rd of 784‡
 Wins 2 7th of 63 T87th of 1374
 Poles 1 T6th of 63 T120th of 1374
 Top 2’s 5 T4th of 63 T64th of 1374
 Top 3’s 6 T5th of 63 T101st of 1374
 Top 5’s 9 T4th of 63 T106th of 1374
 Top 10’s 13 T10th of 63 T193rd of 1374
 DNF’sÂą 3 T10th of 35 T296th of 827
 Stage Wins 5 T4th of 63 T21st of 433*
 Stage T10s 35 T5th of 63 T40th of 433*
 Stage Pts 224 3rd of 63 T28th of 433*
 Playoff Pts² 15 7th of 63 T33rd of 433*

ÂŞSince Playoffs started in 2004
ÂąRanks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 30 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Loop Data started in 2005, max Driver Rating is 150.0

  • 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
  • 4 Races, Avg. Finish 10.75(T7th), 73.25% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 100.28(3rd), Best 1st, Worst 25th, Laps Completed 99.93%, Led 9.14% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 6 Stage T10’s, 5.4 Stage Pts Per Stage, 6 Playoff Pts earned in races
  • Notable Streaks this year
  • 2 straight Top 2 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
  • 3 straight Top 5 finishes
  • 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 46 drivers)
  • 5 Races, Avg. Finish 22.4(T29th), 36.7% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 62.06(29th), Best 5th, Worst 39th, Laps Completed 90.65%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 1.4 Stage Pts Per Stage
  • Talladega Statistics
  • 2023 Spring Talladega race
  • Finished 16th, Started 13th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 50 Laps in Top15 (25.51% of laps he ran), had 58.5 Driver Rating (ranked 29th)
  • Notable Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega, 47 drivers)
  • 7 Races
  • 22.29 Avg. Finish (Ranks 33rd)
  • Best Finish: 7th, Worst: 39th
  • Completed 86.0% of laps (% ranks 39th)
  • 49.13% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 17th)
  • 63.61 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 32nd)
  • Led 3.11% of laps he’s run (% ranks 13th)
  • 0 Top 5’s
  • 2 Top 10’s, 28.57% (% ranks T17th)
  • 2 Top 15’s, 28.57% (% ranks T31st)
  • 3 finishes outside Top 20, 42.86% (% ranks T21st)
  • 2 DNF’s, 28.57% (% ranks T26th)
  • 1 Stage Win, 7.14% (% ranks 7th)
  • 1.43 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 18th)
Main Points & Outlook
Tyler Reddick is notable because he’s 3 points below the playoff cutlines
At Texas Reddick ran just 54% of his laps in the Top 15 and was involved in the late race wreck, hitting the wall, causing him to finish 25th
After his season long 2 race Top 2 streak he’s now finished 2 straight races 15th or worse
11 of his 15 2023 Ranks above are better than 8th including his 69.82 Laps in Top 15%, 5 Top 2’s, 5 Stage Wins, and 224 Stage Pts
His stage stats above (5 Stage Wins, 35 Stage T10’s, 224 Stage Pts) all rank T5th or better
In the 4 playoff races this year he has 2 Top 3’s and a 10.75 Avg. Finish with 5.4 Stage Pts Per Stage
In the 4 races he’s ran 73% of his laps in the Top 15, has the 3rd best Avg. Driver Rating (100.28), and led 9.14% of his laps
At Superspeedways this year he’s ran just 37% of his laps in the Top 15, led 0 laps, and has just 1.4 Stage Pts Per Stage
He has 1 Top 5 and just 1 Top 15 in the 5 races with a 22.4 Avg. Finish
In the Spring Talladega race Reddick ran only 25.51% of his laps in the Top 15, had the 29th best Driver Rating (58.5), and finished 16th
His best finish at Talladega in 7 career Cup races is 7th which is one of just his 2 Top 15 finishes here
He’s only ran 49% of his laps here in the Top 15 and has gotten a dismal 1.43 Stage Pts Per Stage here
Outlook for this weekend
Reddick’s start to the Round of 12 is nowhere near as good as his Round of 16 start. The good news is that his 2023 overall and playoff stats are still good and deserving of a spot in the Round of 8. The bad news is that we head to Talladega this weekend since Reddick has performed poorly this year on Superspeedway’s this year and at Talladega in his career. All of the stats point to him finishing out of the Top 20 this weekend.

11th in Points – Ryan Blaney (P & OP)

2023 Stats
Category Statistic 2023 Rank ÂŞRank Thru 30 Races
 Avg. Fin.¹ 16.1 T14th of 35 T264th of 827
 Completed Laps%¹ 96.87% 18th of 35 267th of 827
Laps in Top15%¹ 67.51% 6th of 35 174th of 784‡
Avg. Driver Rating¹ 84.59 8th of 35 236th of 784‡
 Wins 1 T8th of 63 T140th of 1374
 Poles 0 T16th of 63 T262nd of 1374
 Top 2’s 3 T8th of 63 T126th of 1374
 Top 3’s 4 T11th of 63 T163rd of 1374
 Top 5’s 4 T15th of 63 T266th of 1374
 Top 10’s 13 T10th of 63 T193rd of 1374
 DNF’sÂą 3 T10th of 35 T296th of 827
 Stage Wins 3 T9th of 63 T50th of 433*
 Stage T10s 26 10th of 63 T77th of 433*
 Stage Pts 164 8th of 63 164th of 433*
 Playoff Pts² 8 T10th of 63 T57th of 433*

ÂŞSince Playoffs started in 2004
ÂąRanks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 30 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Loop Data started in 2005, max Driver Rating is 150.0

  • 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
  • 4 Races, Avg. Finish 17.75(T17th), 65.05% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 80.5(11th), Best 9th, Worst 28th, Laps Completed 99.22%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 6 Stage T10’s, 3.9 Stage Pts Per Stage, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
  • Notable Streaks this year
  • 2 straight Top 3 finishes
  • 3 straight Top 10 finishes
  • 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 46 drivers)
  • 5 Races, Avg. Finish 12.4(7th), 64.31% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 95.88(2nd), Best 2nd, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 93.21%, Led 8.13% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 1 Stage Win, 2.6 Stage Pts Per Stage
  • Talladega Statistics
  • 2023 Spring Talladega race
  • Finished 2nd, Started 5th, Led 47 laps (23.98%), got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 134 Laps in Top15 (68.37% of laps he ran), had 110.4 Driver Rating (ranked 1st)
  • Notable Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega, 47 drivers)
  • 18 Races
  • 15.22 Avg. Finish (Ranks 6th)
  • Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 43rd
  • Completed 95.19% of laps (% ranks 19th)
  • 73.65% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 2nd)
  • 92.75 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 1st)
  • Led 8.59% of laps he’s run (% ranks 1st)
  • 2 Wins, 11.11% (% ranks T3rd)
  • 5 Top 5’s, 27.78% (% ranks 6th)
  • 11 Top 15’s, 61.11% (% ranks 5th)
  • 5 finishes outside Top 20, 27.78% (% ranks 6th)
  • 4 DNF’s, 22.22% (% ranks 22nd)
  • 2 Stage Wins, 7.69% (% ranks T5th)
  • 18 Stage T10’s, 69.23% (% ranks 1st)
  • 4.23 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 1st)
Main Points & Outlook
Ryan Blaney is notable because of how he’s done at Talladega in his 18 career Cup starts here
Blaney ran just 55% of his laps last week in the Top 15 and wasn’t running well when he got collected in a wreck late, resulting in a 28th place finish
This was his 3rd straight finish out of the Top 10
Only 5 of his 2023 Ranks above are T8th or better (67.51 Laps in Top 15%, 84.59 Avg. Driver Rating, 1 Win, 3 Top 2’s, 164 Stage Pts)
Only 31% of his Top 10’s this year have also been Top 5’s, and all of those have been Top 3’s
He has more finishes out of the Top 20 (2) than in the Top 10 (1) in the 4 playoff races this year with 0 laps led
In the 4 races he’s ran 65% of his laps in the Top 15, has an 80.5 Avg. Driver Rating, and 3.9 Stage Pts Per Stage
He has the 7th best Avg. Finish (12.4) in the 5 Superspeedway races this year, but the 2nd best Avg. Driver Rating (95.88)
In the 5 races he’s ran 64% of his laps in the Top 15, led 8% of his laps, and has 4 Top T10’s
Blaney led 24% of the Talladega Spring race, had the best Driver Rating (110.4), and finished 2nd in the race
In 18 career races at Talladega he has a 15.22 Avg. Finish, 2 Wins, and more Top 5’s (5) than DNF’s (4)
His 73.65 Laps in Top 15%, 92.75 Avg. Driver Rating, 8.59 Laps Led%, 69.23 Stage T10%, and 4.23 Stage Pts Per Stage all rank 1st or 2nd among active drivers
Outlook for this weekend
Blaney was one of many playoff drivers to have trouble last week and this has hurt him in this round. However, his 2023 Ranks above make it questionable whether he deserves a spot in the Round of 8 anyway and his playoff stats don’t help his cause either. The good news is that he’s been pretty good at Superspeedways this year and this is Talladega where Blaney has some of the best stats among active drivers. Based on all the stats I see Blaney coming home with a solid Top 10 finish this weekend.

12th in Points – Kyle Busch (P & OP)

2023 Stats
Category Statistic 2023 Rank ÂŞRank Thru 30 Races
 Avg. Fin.¹ 14.63 9th of 35 T196th of 827
 Completed Laps%¹ 90.37% 32nd of 35 668th of 827
Laps in Top15%¹ 57.07% 14th of 35 249th of 784‡
Avg. Driver Rating¹ 80.58 13th of 35 285th of 784‡
 Wins 3 T2nd of 63 T54th of 1374
 Poles 1 T6th of 63 T120th of 1374
 Top 2’s 5 T4th of 63 T64th of 1374
 Top 3’s 6 T5th of 63 T101st of 1374
 Top 5’s 8 T7th of 63 T133rd of 1374
 Top 10’s 15 T3rd of 63 T130th of 1374
 DNF’sÂą 6 T31st of 35 T667th of 827
 Stage Wins 2 T11th of 63 T66th of 433*
 Stage T10s 22 T11th of 63 T92nd of 433*
 Stage Pts 124 12th of 63 T83rd of 433*
 Playoff Pts² 17 5th of 63 T28th of 433*

ÂŞSince Playoffs started in 2004
ÂąRanks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 30 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Loop Data started in 2005, max Driver Rating is 150.0

  • 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
  • 4 Races, Avg. Finish 18.0(T19th), 43.37% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 71.9(16th), Best 7th, Worst 34th, Laps Completed 86.02%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 1 Stage T10, 0.6 Stage Pts Per Stage, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
  • Notable Streaks this year
  • 2 straight Top 2 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
  • 7 straight Top 10 finishes (longest streak in Cup Series this year)
  • 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 46 drivers)
  • 5 Races, Avg. Finish 8.4(2nd), 57.24% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 79.26(10th), Best 1st, Worst 19th, Laps Completed 99.9%, Led 2.07% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 1.3 Stage Pts Per Stage
  • Talladega Statistics
  • 2023 Spring Talladega race
  • Finished 1st, Started 17th, Led 3 laps (1.53%), got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 95 Laps in Top15 (48.47% of laps he ran), had 86.8 Driver Rating (ranked 6th)
  • Notable Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega, 47 drivers)
  • 36 Races
  • 19.89 Avg. Finish (Ranks 25th)
  • Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 41st
  • Completed 93.49% of laps (% ranks 24th)
  • 59.22% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 9th)
  • 81.68 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 10th)
  • Led 4.24% of laps he’s run (% ranks 9th)
  • 2 Wins, 5.56% (% ranks 8th)
  • 7 Top 3’s, 19.44% (% ranks 5th)
  • 10 Top 10’s, 27.78% (% ranks 20th)
  • 16 Top 15’s, 44.44% (% ranks 20th)
  • 17 finishes outside Top 20, 47.22% (% ranks 25th)
  • 7 DNF’s, 19.44% (% ranks 18th)
  • 0 Stage Wins
  • 13 Stage T10’s, 50.0% (% ranks T6th)
Main Points & Outlook
Kyle Busch is notable because of his race at Talladega earlier this year
Busch exited last weeks race after a tire issue caused him to crash, resulting in him finishing P34
6 of the last 8 races have seen him finish out of the Top 10
Only his finish stats (Win, Top x finish), Poles, and Playoff Pts are better than 8th in the 2023 Ranks above and none of his in-race stats are better than T11th
His stage stats (2 Stage Wins, 22 Stage T10’s, 124 Stage Pts) all rank T11th or 12th
In 4 playoff races this year he has an 18.0 Avg. Finish with just 1 Top 10 and only 1 Stage T10
In these 4 races he’s ran just 43% of his laps in the Top 15, has a subpar 71.9 Avg. Driver Rating, and has led 0 laps
He has the 2nd best Avg. Finish in the 5 Superspeedway races this year with 1 Win, 2 Top 5’s, and 4 Top 10’s
He’s only ran 57% of his laps in the 5 races in the Top 15, has just a 79.26 Avg. Driver Rating, and a measly 1.3 Stage Pts Per Stage
In the Spring Talladega race Busch ran 48.47% of his laps in the Top 15, had the 6th best Driver Rating (86.8), and found a way to finish 1st
This was his 2nd Win in 36 career Talladega Cup starts and his 7th Top 3, but overall he has a 19.89 Avg. Finish
In his career at Talladega he has an 81.68 Avg. Driver Rating, 7 DNF’s, and more finishes out of the Top 20 (17) than in the Top 15 (16)
Outlook for this weekend
Busch should have trusted his instincts last week at Texas, but his 2023 stats (especially in-race stats) and his playoff stats say he doesn’t deserve a spot in the next round anyway. However, like Blaney above Busch has been pretty good on Superspeedways this year. His stats at Talladega have a lot of good, but also a lot of bad which leaves me thinking Busch either finishes Top 5 this weekend or out of the Top 20.

15th in Points – Joey Logano

2023 Stats
Category Statistic 2023 Rank ÂŞRank Thru 30 Races
 Avg. Fin.¹ 15.53 12th of 35 T234th of 827
 Completed Laps%¹ 91.92% 29th of 35 617th of 827
Laps in Top15%¹ 54.79% 16th of 35 272nd of 784‡
Avg. Driver Rating¹ 79.14 16th of 35 300th of 784‡
 Wins 1 T8th of 63 T140th of 1374
 Poles 2 T4th of 63 T58th of 1374
 Top 2’s 4 7th of 63 T96th of 1374
 Top 3’s 6 T5th of 63 T101st of 1374
 Top 5’s 9 T4th of 63 T203rd of 1374
 Top 10’s 15 T3rd of 63 T130th of 1374
 DNF’sÂą 5 T27th of 35 T585th of 827
 Stage Wins 5 T4th of 63 T21st of 433*
 Stage T10s 30 7th of 63 T65th of 433*
 Stage Pts 161 9th of 63 64th of 433*
 Playoff Pts² 5 T13th of 63 T79th of 433*

ÂŞSince Playoffs started in 2004
ÂąRanks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 30 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Loop Data started in 2005, max Driver Rating is 150.0

  • 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
  • 4 Races, Avg. Finish 18.0(T19th), 32.17% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 63.7(19th), Best 5th, Worst 34th, Laps Completed 83.02%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 1 Stage T10, 0.4 Stage Pts Per Stage, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
  • Notable Streaks this year
  • 2 straight Top 3 finishes
  • 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 46 drivers)
  • 5 Races, Avg. Finish 11.0(T4th), 76.95% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 98.9(1st), Best 1st, Worst 30th, Laps Completed 99.9%, Led 17.24% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 1 Pole, 2 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 4.3 Stage Pts Per Stage
  • Talladega Statistics
  • 2023 Spring Talladega race
  • Finished 30th, Started 8th, Led 3 laps (1.53%), Finished 8th in Stage 1, ran 100 Laps in Top15 (51.28% of laps he ran), had 62.0 Driver Rating (ranked 27th)
  • Notable Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega, 47 drivers)
  • 29 Races
  • 18.28 Avg. Finish (Ranks 17th)
  • Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 39th
  • Completed 93.33% of laps (% ranks 25th)
  • 66.54% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 3rd)
  • 88.26 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 4th)
  • Led 8.24% of laps he’s run (% ranks 2nd)
  • 3 Wins, 10.34% (% ranks 5th)
  • 9 Top 5’s, 31.03% (% ranks 3rd)
  • 13 Top 15’s, 44.83% (% ranks 19th)
  • 14 finishes outside Top 20, 48.28% (% ranks 26th)
  • 9 DNF’s, 31.03% (% ranks 31st)
  • 0 Stage Wins
  • 16 Stage T10’s, 61.54% (% ranks 2nd)
  • 4.15 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 2nd)
Main Points & Outlook
Joey Logano is notable because of his 2023 Superspeedway stats
Logano’s bad playoff races continued at Texas last week as he ran just 7 laps in the Top 15 and finished 21st
This was his 2nd straight finish out of the Top 20, and 2nd straight race running less than 20% of his laps in the Top 15
9 of his 2023 Ranks above are better than 10th including his 2 Poles, 6 Top 3’s, 9 Top 5’s, 5 Stage Wins, and 161 Stage Pts
His 5 Stage Wins are tied for 21st most thru 30 races in Cup Series history
He has more finishes out of the Top 20 (2) than finishes in the Top 10 and Stage T10’s (1 each) in the 4 playoff races
In the 4 races he’s ran a dismal 32% of his laps in the Top 15, has a pathetic 63.7 Avg. Driver Rating, and has led 0 laps
In the 5 Superspeedway races this year he has an 11.0 Avg. Finish, the best Avg. Driver Rating (98.9), and 4.3 Stage Pts Per Stage
At Superspeedway races this year he’s ran an impressive 77% of his laps in the Top 15, led 17% of his laps, and has more Top 3’s (2) than finishes out of the Top 20 (1)
The Talladega Spring race was his one finish out of the Top 20 as he finished 30th and he only had the 27th best Driver Rating (62.0) in the race as well
In 29 races at Talladega he has 3 Wins and 9 Top 5’s, but also more finishes out of the Top 20 (14) than finishes in the Top 15 (13)
In the 29 races he’s ran 66.54 of his laps in the Top 15, led 8% of his laps, and has the 2nd best Stage Pts Per Stage (4.15)
Outlook for this weekend
Logano struggled last week to say the least and contributed to his poor playoff stats and mediocre overall stats this year. The good news for Logano is that this weekend is a Superspeedway where he has run pretty good and finished most well. However, this is Talladega where his worst Superspeedway race came this year and in his career he’s been either really good or really bad. This weekend Logano has nothing to lose so I expect him up front a lot, and to finish in the Top 10.

17th in Points/9th in Owner Points – Chase Elliott (OP)

2023 Stats
Category Statistic 2023 Rank ÂŞRank Thru 30 Races
 Avg. Fin.¹ 12.3 4th of 35 T79th of 827
 Completed Laps%¹ 91.85% 30th of 35 622nd of 827
Laps in Top15%¹ 67.04% 7th of 35 178th of 784‡
Avg. Driver Rating¹ 84.57 9th of 35 238th of 784‡
 Wins 0 T15th of 63 T272nd of 1374
 Poles 0 T16th of 63 T262nd of 1374
 Top 2’s 2 T11th of 63 T171st of 1374
 Top 3’s 4 T11th of 63 T163rd of 1374
 Top 5’s 7 11th of 63 T174th of 1374
 Top 10’s 13 T10th of 63 T193rd of 1374
 DNF’sÂą 3 T10th of 35 T296th of 827
 Stage Wins 1 T13th of 63 T83rd of 433*
 Stage T10s 18 T17th of 63 T110th of 433*
 Stage Pts 89 18th of 63 T106th of 433*
 Playoff Pts² 1 T16th of 63 T110th of 433*

ÂŞSince Playoffs started in 2004
ÂąRanks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 30 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Loop Data started in 2005, max Driver Rating is 150.0

  • 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
  • 4 Races, Avg. Finish 8.0(3rd), 84.95% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 94.25(9th), Best 6th, Worst 11th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 3.42% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 6 Stage T10’s, 3.1 Stage Pts Per Stage, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
  • Notable Streaks this year
  • 3 straight Top 5 finishes
  • 4 straight Top 10 finishes
  • 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 46 drivers)
  • 4 Races, Avg. Finish 16.75(17th), 58.01% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 78.93(11th), Best 4th, Worst 38th, Laps Completed 87.57%, Led 3.02% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 1 Stage Win, 2.88 Stage Pts Per Stage
  • Talladega Statistics
  • 2023 Spring Talladega race
  • Finished 12th, Started 29th, Led 18 laps (9.18%), Finished 1st in Stage 1 and 2nd in Stage 2, ran 132 Laps in Top15 (67.35% of laps he ran), had 82.2 Driver Rating (ranked 9th)
  • Notable Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega, 47 drivers)
  • 15 Races
  • 14.07 Avg. Finish (Ranks 2nd)
  • Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 38th
  • Completed 96.91% of laps (% ranks 14th)
  • 74.42% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 1st)
  • 90.67 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 2nd)
  • Led 7.44% of laps he’s run (% ranks 3rd)
  • 2 Wins, 13.33% (% ranks 2nd)
  • 2 Poles, 13.33% (% ranks 2nd)
  • 5 Top 5’s, 33.33% (% ranks 2nd)
  • 9 Top 15’s, 60.0% (% ranks T6th)
  • 4 finishes outside Top 20, 26.67% (% ranks 5th)
  • 3 DNF’s, 20.0% (% ranks T19th)
  • 3 Stage Wins, 11.54% (% ranks T2nd)
  • 15 Stage T10’s, 57.69% (% ranks 3rd)
  • 4.04 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 4th)
Main Points & Outlook
Chase Elliott is notable because of his stats in his 15 career Cup starts here at Talladega and because he’s only 2 points below the Owner Points cutline
At Texas Elliott ran 74.5% of his laps in the Top 15 and finished just outside the Top 10, in 11th
This finish broke his personal season long 4 race Top 10 streak
He has the 4th best Avg. Finish this year (12.3), and even with missing 7 races is tied for the 10th most Top 10’s (13)
He only has 1.9 Stage Pts Per Stage this year, 0 Wins, and has only completed 91.85% of the laps in races he’s been in
He has the 3rd best Avg. Finish (8.0) in the 4 playoff races this year with all of his finishes coming between 6th and 11th
In the 4 races he’s ran 85% of his laps in the Top 15, has a decent 94.25 Avg. Driver Rating, and has gotten 3.1 Stage Pts Per Stage
He’s ran 4 of the 5 Superspeedway races this year getting a 16.75 Avg. Finish with just 1 Top 10 and 1 DNF in the 4 races
In these 4 races he’s ran 58% of his laps in the Top 15, has a 78.93 Avg. Driver Rating, and 1 Stage Win
At Talladega this Spring Elliott ran 67% of his laps in the Top 15, led 9% of his laps, got 19 Stage Pts, and finished 12th
In 15 career Cup races at Talladega he has a 14.07 Avg. Finish with 2 Wins and more Top 5’s (5) than finishes out of the Top 20 (4)
His 14.07 Avg. Finish, 74.42 Laps in Top 15%, 90.67 Avg. Driver Rating, 13.33 Win%, 13.33 Pole%, 33.33 Top 5%, and 11.54 Stage T10% all rank T2nd or better among active drivers
Outlook for this weekend
Elliott may not be in the drivers playoffs this year, but his 9 team is still very much alive in the owners playoffs. Overall his 2023 stats above are good for someone who missed 7 races and his playoff stats are good too. Even better is that his career Talladega stats are pretty darn incredible, but his Superspeedway stats this year are only decent. All of these stats in mind I see Elliott as a threat this weekend finishing between 1st and 8th.
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Daniel Smith
Daniel Smithhttps://pitpassnetwork.com
Cup drivers: Kyle Larson & Ross Chastain, Xfinity drivers: SVG & Ryan Sieg, Truck drivers: Grant Enfinger & Jake Garcia

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