With A.J. Allmendinger not in the race at the Charlotte Roval last week it was Sam Mayer who dominated the race and picked up the win, clinching his spot in the Round of 8. This week we start the Round of 8 at a totally different track, Las Vegas. I have picked 8 notable drivers to look at, 1 based on the 2023 point standings, 1 based on 2023 stats, 1 based on 2023 playoff stats, 2 based on Intermediate 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 and ranking through 29 races since the Playoffs started in 2016. We will also highlight the 2023 Playoff stats, notable streaks accomplished through the year, 2023 Intermediate (1.3-1.5 mile) statistics and Las Vegas statistics.
P = Playoff Driver
OP = Owner Playoff Driver
1st in Points – John Hunter Nemechek (P & OP)
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 29 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 9.07 | 2nd of 31 | 19th of 265 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 98.4% | 2nd of 31 | 26th of 265 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 88.1% | 1st of 31 | 26th of 265 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 111.16 | 1st of 31 | 8th of 265‡ |
| Wins | 7 | 1st of 102 | T3rd of 833 |
| Poles | 2 | T6th of 102 | T21st of 833 |
| Top 2’s | 11 | 1st of 102 | T2nd of 833 |
| Top 3’s | 13 | 1st of 102 | T4th of 833 |
| Top 5’s | 15 | T1st of 102 | T9th of 833 |
| Top 10’s | 22 | 1st of 102 | T10th of 833 |
| DNF’s¹ | 3 | T9th of 31 | T63rd of 265 |
| Stage Wins | 10 | 2nd of 102 | T5th of 713* |
| Stage T10s | 43 | 2nd of 102 | 18th of 713* |
| Stage Pts | 305 | 2nd of 102 | 12th of 713* |
| Playoff Pts² | 45 | 1st of 102 | 4th of 713* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 29 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff start, 34 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 4.0(T1st), 94.0% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 111.03(3rd), Best 1st, Worst 8th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 7.23% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 5 Stage T10’s, 5.83 Stage Pts Per Stage, 6 Playoff Pts earned in races
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Wins (longest streak in Xfinity Series this year and tied 15th longest in Xfinity Series all-time)
- 3 straight Top 2 finishes (tied longest streak in Xfinity Series this year and tied 26th longest in Xfinity Series all-time)
- 4 straight Top 3 finishes (tied longest streak in Xfinity Series this year and tied 29th longest in Xfinity Series all-time)
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Xfinity Series)
- 2023 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 69 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 3.43(3rd), 93.73% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 128.89(2nd), Best 1st, Worst 6th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 34.86% of laps he ran, 2 Wins, 2 Poles, 4 Top 3’s, 5 Top 5’s, 7 Top 10’s, 7 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 6 Stage Wins, 7.64 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2023 Spring Las Vegas race
- Finished 6th, Started 7th, Led 45 laps (22.5%), Finished 1st in Stage 1, ran 175 Laps in Top15 (87.5% of laps he ran), had 113.6 Driver Rating (ranked 4th)
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Las Vegas, 73 drivers)
- 5 Races
- 8.8 Avg. Finish (Ranks 12th)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 16th
- Completed 99.8% of laps (% ranks 12th)
- 91.6% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 14th)
- 99.14 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 15th)
- Led 4.45% of laps he’s run (T12th)
- 0 Wins
- 1 Top 2, 20.0% (% ranks 9th)
- 1 Top 5, 20.0% (% ranks 17th)
- 3 Top 10’s, 60.0% (% ranks 17th)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 1 Stage Win, 10.0% (% ranks 7th)
- 8 Stage T10’s, 80.0% (% ranks T10th)
Main Points & Outlook
– John Hunter Nemechek is notable because of his overall 2023 season stats
– At the Roval Nemechek started last and spent just 49% of his laps in the Top 15, but he was there when it counted as he finished 8th
– This finish broke his 4 race Top 3 finish streak, but was his 5th straight Top 10 finish
– 13 of his 15 2023 Ranks above are 1st or 2nd, and his worst ranks are just his 2 Poles (T6th) and 3 DNF’s (T9th)
– 8 of his 15 2023 stats above rank T10th or better thru 29 race since 2016 including his 7 Wins, 13 Top 3’s, 10 Stage Wins, and 45 Playoff Pts
– In 3 playoff races this year he has 1 Win and a worst finish of only 8th
– He’s ran 94% of his laps in the 3 races the Top 15, has a 111.03 Avg. Driver Rating, and has 5 Stage T10’s in the 6 stages
– At Intermediate tracks this year he has a 3.43 Avg. Finish with 2 Wins, 4 Top 3’s, and a worst finish of only 6th
– In the 7 races he’s gotten 6 Stage Wins, 7.64 Stage Pts Per Stage, and has led a whopping 35% of the laps
– In the Spring Las Vegas race Nemechek ran 87.5% of his laps in the Top 15, led 22.5% of his laps, had the 4th best Driver Rating (113.6), and finished 6th
– He’s ran 5 career races at Las Vegas in the Xfinity Series and has an 8.8 Avg. Finish with 3 Top 10’s
– In these 5 races he’s ran 92% of his laps in the Top 15, has a 99.14 Avg. Driver Rating, and 8 Stage T10’s in his 10 stages run here
Outlook for this weekend
Nemechek cruised into the Round of 8 and when you see his 2023 stats he deserves to be in the Championship 4 as well. His playoff stats show that he’s not slowed down since the playoffs started and if he can do that again this round, he’ll make the Championship 4. The fact their are 2 Intermediate tracks in this round are helpful too, but in his career at Las Vegas he’s been just alright. All in all this weekend I see a solid weekend for Nemechek, finishing 3rd-8th.
– John Hunter Nemechek is notable because of his overall 2023 season stats
– At the Roval Nemechek started last and spent just 49% of his laps in the Top 15, but he was there when it counted as he finished 8th
– This finish broke his 4 race Top 3 finish streak, but was his 5th straight Top 10 finish
– 13 of his 15 2023 Ranks above are 1st or 2nd, and his worst ranks are just his 2 Poles (T6th) and 3 DNF’s (T9th)
– 8 of his 15 2023 stats above rank T10th or better thru 29 race since 2016 including his 7 Wins, 13 Top 3’s, 10 Stage Wins, and 45 Playoff Pts
– In 3 playoff races this year he has 1 Win and a worst finish of only 8th
– He’s ran 94% of his laps in the 3 races the Top 15, has a 111.03 Avg. Driver Rating, and has 5 Stage T10’s in the 6 stages
– At Intermediate tracks this year he has a 3.43 Avg. Finish with 2 Wins, 4 Top 3’s, and a worst finish of only 6th
– In the 7 races he’s gotten 6 Stage Wins, 7.64 Stage Pts Per Stage, and has led a whopping 35% of the laps
– In the Spring Las Vegas race Nemechek ran 87.5% of his laps in the Top 15, led 22.5% of his laps, had the 4th best Driver Rating (113.6), and finished 6th
– He’s ran 5 career races at Las Vegas in the Xfinity Series and has an 8.8 Avg. Finish with 3 Top 10’s
– In these 5 races he’s ran 92% of his laps in the Top 15, has a 99.14 Avg. Driver Rating, and 8 Stage T10’s in his 10 stages run here
Outlook for this weekend
Nemechek cruised into the Round of 8 and when you see his 2023 stats he deserves to be in the Championship 4 as well. His playoff stats show that he’s not slowed down since the playoffs started and if he can do that again this round, he’ll make the Championship 4. The fact their are 2 Intermediate tracks in this round are helpful too, but in his career at Las Vegas he’s been just alright. All in all this weekend I see a solid weekend for Nemechek, finishing 3rd-8th.
2nd in Points – Austin Hill (P & OP)
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 29 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 8.86 | 1st of 31 | T15th of 265 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 97.24% | 5th of 31 | T46th of 265 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 84.82% | T2nd of 31 | T40th of 265 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 103.88 | 3rd of 31 | 27th of 265‡ |
| Wins | 4 | 2nd of 102 | T17th of 833 |
| Poles | 3 | T2nd of 102 | T13th of 833 |
| Top 2’s | 5 | 4th of 102 | T22nd of 833 |
| Top 3’s | 7 | T4th of 102 | T25th of 833 |
| Top 5’s | 15 | T1st of 102 | T9th of 833 |
| Top 10’s | 21 | 2nd of 102 | T17th of 833 |
| DNF’s¹ | 2 | T4th of 31 | T32nd of 265 |
| Stage Wins | 4 | T5th of 102 | T29th of 713* |
| Stage T10s | 41 | 4th of 102 | T24th of 713* |
| Stage Pts | 270 | 3rd of 102 | 21st of 713* |
| Playoff Pts² | 24 | 3rd of 102 | T15th of 713* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 29 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff start, 34 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 16.33(T11th), 65.78% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 87.97(9th), Best 7th, Worst 33rd, Laps Completed 85.36%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 4 Stage T10’s, 5.17 Stage Pts Per Stage, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
- Notable Streaks this year
- 3 straight Top 3 finishes
- 4 straight Top 5 finishes
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 7 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2023 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 69 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 3.86(4th), 93.42% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 110.11(5th), Best 1st, Worst 7th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 4.03% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 6 Top 5’s, 7 Top 10’s, 7 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 5.93 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2023 Spring Las Vegas race
- Finished 1st, Started 9th, Led 19 laps (9.5%), Finished 3rd in Stage 1 and 1st in Stage 2, ran 199 Laps in Top15 (99.5% of laps he ran), had 126.4 Driver Rating (ranked 2nd)
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Las Vegas, 73 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 13.75 Avg. Finish (Ranks T21st)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 31st
- Completed 98.38% of laps (% ranks 31st)
- 74.87% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 27th)
- 97.4 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 17th)
- Led 4.31% of laps he’s run (14th)
- 1 Win, 25.0% (% ranks T3rd)
- 1 Top 5, 25.0% (% ranks T15th)
- 2 Top 10’s, 50.0% (% ranks T19th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 25.0% (% ranks T25th)
- 1 DNF, 25.0% (% ranks T51st)
- 1 Stage Win, 12.5% (% ranks T4th)
- 5.63 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 3rd)
Main Points & Outlook
– Austin Hill is notable because of his race here at Las Vegas earlier this year
– Hill ran 85% of his laps last week in the Top 15 and got his 21st Top 10 of the year, finishing 9th
– This was his 4th Top 10 finish in the last 5 races
– His worst 2023 Rank above is (T)5th (97.24 Completed Laps% and 4 Stage Wins)
– His 8.86 Avg. Finish, 3 Poles, 15 Top 5’s, and 24 Playoff Pts thru 29 races all rank T15th or better since 2016
– The 3 races in the playoffs have produced 2 Top 10’s and 1 DNF for him with a best finish of only 7th
– In the 3 races he’s ran just 66% of his laps in the Top 15 and led 0 laps, but he’s gotten 5.17 Stage Pts Per Stage
– At Intermediates this year he has a 3.86 Avg. Finish with 6 Top 5’s and a worst finish of 7th in 7 races
– In the 7 races he’s ran 93.42% of his laps in the Top 15, has the 5th best Avg. Driver Rating (110.11), and has gotten 5.93 Stage Pts Per Stage
– At the Las Vegas race this Spring Hill ran all but 1 lap in the Top 15, had the 2nd best Driver Rating (126.4), and made a last lap pass on Chandler Smith to win
– This was his 4th career start here and only his 2nd Top 10 in the 4 starts
– In his 4 career Xfinity races here he’s ran 75% of his laps in the Top 15, led 4% of his laps, and has a 97.4 Avg. Driver Rating
Outlook for this weekend
Hill’s had himself a good season and definitely deserves his spot in the Round of 8. His playoffs to this point have been alright, but he’ll have to be better to make the Championship 4 I feel. Heading to an Intermediate is a good thing for him as he’s done exceptionally well on them this year, and he won the Spring at Las Vegas race. However, as a whole he’s just been decent at Vegas in his Xfinity career. In all I see Hill getting a finish anywhere in the Top 10 this weekend.
– Austin Hill is notable because of his race here at Las Vegas earlier this year
– Hill ran 85% of his laps last week in the Top 15 and got his 21st Top 10 of the year, finishing 9th
– This was his 4th Top 10 finish in the last 5 races
– His worst 2023 Rank above is (T)5th (97.24 Completed Laps% and 4 Stage Wins)
– His 8.86 Avg. Finish, 3 Poles, 15 Top 5’s, and 24 Playoff Pts thru 29 races all rank T15th or better since 2016
– The 3 races in the playoffs have produced 2 Top 10’s and 1 DNF for him with a best finish of only 7th
– In the 3 races he’s ran just 66% of his laps in the Top 15 and led 0 laps, but he’s gotten 5.17 Stage Pts Per Stage
– At Intermediates this year he has a 3.86 Avg. Finish with 6 Top 5’s and a worst finish of 7th in 7 races
– In the 7 races he’s ran 93.42% of his laps in the Top 15, has the 5th best Avg. Driver Rating (110.11), and has gotten 5.93 Stage Pts Per Stage
– At the Las Vegas race this Spring Hill ran all but 1 lap in the Top 15, had the 2nd best Driver Rating (126.4), and made a last lap pass on Chandler Smith to win
– This was his 4th career start here and only his 2nd Top 10 in the 4 starts
– In his 4 career Xfinity races here he’s ran 75% of his laps in the Top 15, led 4% of his laps, and has a 97.4 Avg. Driver Rating
Outlook for this weekend
Hill’s had himself a good season and definitely deserves his spot in the Round of 8. His playoffs to this point have been alright, but he’ll have to be better to make the Championship 4 I feel. Heading to an Intermediate is a good thing for him as he’s done exceptionally well on them this year, and he won the Spring at Las Vegas race. However, as a whole he’s just been decent at Vegas in his Xfinity career. In all I see Hill getting a finish anywhere in the Top 10 this weekend.
3rd in Points – Justin Allgaier (P & OP)
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 29 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 11.24 | 4th of 31 | 43rd of 265 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 96.77% | 7th of 31 | 58th of 265 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 81.55% | 4th of 31 | 52nd of 265 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 104.87 | 2nd of 31 | 23rd of 265‡ |
| Wins | 3 | T3rd of 102 | T21st of 833 |
| Poles | 3 | T2nd of 102 | T13th of 833 |
| Top 2’s | 6 | T2nd of 102 | T17th of 833 |
| Top 3’s | 10 | 2nd of 102 | T16th of 833 |
| Top 5’s | 13 | 3rd of 102 | T20th of 833 |
| Top 10’s | 17 | 4th of 102 | T41st of 833 |
| DNF’s¹ | 4 | T12th of 31 | T99th of 265 |
| Stage Wins | 12 | 1st of 102 | T3rd of 713* |
| Stage T10s | 44 | 1st of 102 | T16th of 713* |
| Stage Pts | 332 | 1st of 102 | 5th of 713* |
| Playoff Pts² | 27 | 2nd of 102 | T13th of 713* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 29 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff start, 34 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 14.33(9th), 97.53% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 126.13(1st), Best 1st, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 98.77%, Led 45.18% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 1 Pole, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 4 Stage Wins, 5 Stage T10’s, 8.17 Stage Pts Per Stage, 9 Playoff Pts earned in races
- Notable Streaks this year
- 3 straight Top 2 finishes (tied longest streak in Xfinity Series this year and tied 26th longest in Xfinity Series all-time)
- 4 straight Top 3 finishes (tied longest streak in Xfinity Series this year and tied 29th longest in Xfinity Series all-time)
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2023 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 69 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 7.14(7th), 84.81% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 113.94(4th), Best 1st, Worst 18th, Laps Completed 99.92%, Led 20.78% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 3 Poles, 3 Top 3’s, 4 Top 5’s, 5 Top 10’s, 6 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 5.86 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2023 Spring Las Vegas race
- Finished 2nd, Started 2nd, Led 10 laps (5.0%), Finished 2nd in Stage 1, ran 184 Laps in Top15 (92.0% of laps he ran), had 124.3 Driver Rating (ranked 3rd)
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Las Vegas, 73 drivers)
- 18 Races
- 7.33 Avg. Finish (Ranks 8th)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 31st
- Completed 97.38% of laps (% ranks 37th)
- 96.57% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 6th)
- 109.91 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 5th)
- Led 7.85% of laps he’s run (% ranks 9th)
- 0 Wins
- 4 Top 2’s, 22.22% (% ranks 8th)
- 10 Top 5’s, 55.56% (% ranks 9th)
- 17 Top 15’s, 94.44% (% ranks 13th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 5.56% (% ranks 17th)
- 1 DNF, 5.56% (% ranks 36th)
- 2 Stage Wins, 8.33% (% ranks T8th)
- 20 Stage T10’s, 83.33% (% ranks T8th)
- 5.13 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 4th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Justin Allgaier is notable because of his career Xfinity stats here at Las Vegas
– At the Roval Allgaier ran 95% of his laps in the Top 15 and was up front late before a wreck relegated him to his 4th DNF this year, finishing 37th
– This was his first DNF since Talladega this Spring
– His only 2 ranks worse than 4th in the 2023 Ranks above are his 96.77 Completed Laps% (7th) and his 4 DNF’s (T12th)
– His only 2023 Ranks above that are 1st are his stage stats (12 Stage Wins, 44 Stage T10’s, 332 Stage Pts)
– In the 3 playoff races he has 2 Top 5’s and 1 DNF
– He’s ran 97.53% of his laps in the 3 races in the Top 15, has the best Avg. Driver Rating (126.13), and has astonishingly led 45% of his laps in the 3 races
– At Intermediate races this year he has a 113.94 Avg. Driver Rating with a 7.14 Avg. Finish, and he’s led 21% of his laps in the 7 races
– In the 7 races he’s ran 85% of his laps in the Top 15, has 3 Poles, and 4 Top 5’s
– In the Spring Las Vegas race Allgaier ran 92% of his laps in the Top 15, had the 3rd best Driver Rating (124.3), and finished 2nd
– At Las Vegas he has 18 career Xfinity starts with a best finish of 2nd (4 times), 10 Top 5’s, and his only finish out of the Top 20 here was a DNF
– In these 18 races he’s ran 97% of his laps in the Top 15, led 8% of his laps, and has a 109.91 Avg. Driver Rating
Outlook for this weekend
Allgaier is once again the Stage King this year as he’s absolutely dominating the 2023 stage stats and overall he’s been one of the 8 best drivers all year. The playoffs were incredible for him except the final few laps of the last race. As far as Intermediate races this year he’s been fast, but hasn’t always finished great. In terms of Las Vegas he’s again been good, but hasn’t been able to close out wins. This weekend based on the stats I see Allgaier finishing between 1st and 5th.
– Justin Allgaier is notable because of his career Xfinity stats here at Las Vegas
– At the Roval Allgaier ran 95% of his laps in the Top 15 and was up front late before a wreck relegated him to his 4th DNF this year, finishing 37th
– This was his first DNF since Talladega this Spring
– His only 2 ranks worse than 4th in the 2023 Ranks above are his 96.77 Completed Laps% (7th) and his 4 DNF’s (T12th)
– His only 2023 Ranks above that are 1st are his stage stats (12 Stage Wins, 44 Stage T10’s, 332 Stage Pts)
– In the 3 playoff races he has 2 Top 5’s and 1 DNF
– He’s ran 97.53% of his laps in the 3 races in the Top 15, has the best Avg. Driver Rating (126.13), and has astonishingly led 45% of his laps in the 3 races
– At Intermediate races this year he has a 113.94 Avg. Driver Rating with a 7.14 Avg. Finish, and he’s led 21% of his laps in the 7 races
– In the 7 races he’s ran 85% of his laps in the Top 15, has 3 Poles, and 4 Top 5’s
– In the Spring Las Vegas race Allgaier ran 92% of his laps in the Top 15, had the 3rd best Driver Rating (124.3), and finished 2nd
– At Las Vegas he has 18 career Xfinity starts with a best finish of 2nd (4 times), 10 Top 5’s, and his only finish out of the Top 20 here was a DNF
– In these 18 races he’s ran 97% of his laps in the Top 15, led 8% of his laps, and has a 109.91 Avg. Driver Rating
Outlook for this weekend
Allgaier is once again the Stage King this year as he’s absolutely dominating the 2023 stage stats and overall he’s been one of the 8 best drivers all year. The playoffs were incredible for him except the final few laps of the last race. As far as Intermediate races this year he’s been fast, but hasn’t always finished great. In terms of Las Vegas he’s again been good, but hasn’t been able to close out wins. This weekend based on the stats I see Allgaier finishing between 1st and 5th.
4th in Points – Sam Mayer (P & OP)
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 29 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 13.83 | T7th of 31 | T71st of 265 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 86.52% | 27th of 31 | 210th of 265 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 68.58% | 9th of 31 | 87th of 265 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 90.16 | 6th of 31 | 58th of 265‡ |
| Wins | 3 | T3rd of 102 | T21st of 833 |
| Poles | 1 | T8th of 102 | T32nd of 833 |
| Top 2’s | 6 | T2nd of 102 | T17th of 833 |
| Top 3’s | 8 | 3rd of 102 | T22nd of 833 |
| Top 5’s | 10 | T5th of 102 | T38th of 833 |
| Top 10’s | 16 | T5th of 102 | T46th of 833 |
| DNF’s¹ | 6 | T24th of 31 | T186th of 265 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T16th of 102 | T126th of 713* |
| Stage T10s | 33 | 7th of 102 | T47th of 713* |
| Stage Pts | 148 | 8th of 102 | 52nd of 713* |
| Playoff Pts² | 15 | 5th of 102 | 25th of 713* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 29 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff start, 34 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 24.67(28th), 41.27% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 82.3(13th), Best 1st, Worst 38th, Laps Completed 41.09%, Led 21.46% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 1 Pole, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 3 Stage T10’s, 1.67 Stage Pts Per Stage, 5 Playoff Pts earned in races
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes
- 5 straight Top 5 finishes (longest streak in Xfinity Series this year)
- 2023 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 69 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 19.86(33rd), 72.79% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 74.47(25th), Best 3rd, Worst 38th, Laps Completed 70.02%, Led 4.65% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.43 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2023 Spring Las Vegas race
- Finished 7th, Started 13th, Led 1 laps (0.5%), Finished 4th in Stage 2, ran 197 Laps in Top15 (98.5% of laps he ran), had 104.6 Driver Rating (ranked 6th)
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Las Vegas, 73 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 18.25 Avg. Finish (Ranks 32nd)
- Best Finish: 7th, Worst: 34th
- Completed 78.55% of laps (% ranks 62nd)
- 95.08% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 9th)
- 87.95 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 24th)
- Led 4.13% of laps he’s run (15th)
- 0 Top 5’s
- 2 Top 10’s, 50.0% (% ranks T19th)
- 2 Top 15’s, 50.0% (% ranks T28th)
- 2 finishes outside Top 20, 50.0% (% ranks T38th)
- 1 DNF, 25.0% (% ranks T51st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 4.13 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 10th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Sam Mayer is notable because he’s 4th in points to start the Round of 8
– Mayer was able to run all 67 laps in the Top 15 and won the race last week en route to the first perfect Driver Rating of the year by someone other than a JGR driver
– This win broke his 3 race DNF streak
– 11 of his 15 2023 Ranks above are T8th or better including his 13.83 Avg. Finish, 90.16 Avg. Driver Rating, 3 Wins, and 33 Stage T10’s
– Only his 3 Wins, 6 Top 2’s, and 8 Top 3’s are better than 5th in the 2023 Ranks above
– The 3 playoff races thus far have given him 2 DNF’s, 1 Win, and a 24.67 Avg. Finish
– In the 3 races he’s only completed 41% of the laps and ran just 41% of his laps in the Top 15, but he also led 21.46% of his laps
– In 7 Intermediate races this year he has just a 19.86 Avg. Finish with only 1 Top 5 and the same amount of Top 10’s as he does finishes out of the Top 20 (3)
– He’s ran 73% of his laps in the 7 races in the Top 15 and has the 25th best Avg. Driver Rating (74.47), but 2 of his 3 finishes out of the Top 20 have been DNF’s
– At Las Vegas this Spring Mayer ran all but 3 laps in the Top 15, had the 6th best Driver Rating (104.6), and finished 7th
– This was his 4th career Xfinity race at Las Vegas and his 2nd Top 10
– In his 4 races here he has an 18.25 Avg. Finish, a best finish of 7th, an 87.95 Avg. Driver Rating, and 4.13 Stage Pts Per Stage
Outlook for this weekend
Mayer needed to simply win at the Roval to make the Round of 8, but he spanked the field instead to win his way in. The 2023 stats above say he deserves this spot, but his putrid playoff stats say he absolutely doesn’t deserve it. More bad is that he’s been just okay on Intermediates this year, but in good news he did well at Las Vegas this Spring and in his career he’s been decent here. All of this above leads me to believe Mayer ends up with a 6th-15th place finish this weekend.
– Sam Mayer is notable because he’s 4th in points to start the Round of 8
– Mayer was able to run all 67 laps in the Top 15 and won the race last week en route to the first perfect Driver Rating of the year by someone other than a JGR driver
– This win broke his 3 race DNF streak
– 11 of his 15 2023 Ranks above are T8th or better including his 13.83 Avg. Finish, 90.16 Avg. Driver Rating, 3 Wins, and 33 Stage T10’s
– Only his 3 Wins, 6 Top 2’s, and 8 Top 3’s are better than 5th in the 2023 Ranks above
– The 3 playoff races thus far have given him 2 DNF’s, 1 Win, and a 24.67 Avg. Finish
– In the 3 races he’s only completed 41% of the laps and ran just 41% of his laps in the Top 15, but he also led 21.46% of his laps
– In 7 Intermediate races this year he has just a 19.86 Avg. Finish with only 1 Top 5 and the same amount of Top 10’s as he does finishes out of the Top 20 (3)
– He’s ran 73% of his laps in the 7 races in the Top 15 and has the 25th best Avg. Driver Rating (74.47), but 2 of his 3 finishes out of the Top 20 have been DNF’s
– At Las Vegas this Spring Mayer ran all but 3 laps in the Top 15, had the 6th best Driver Rating (104.6), and finished 7th
– This was his 4th career Xfinity race at Las Vegas and his 2nd Top 10
– In his 4 races here he has an 18.25 Avg. Finish, a best finish of 7th, an 87.95 Avg. Driver Rating, and 4.13 Stage Pts Per Stage
Outlook for this weekend
Mayer needed to simply win at the Roval to make the Round of 8, but he spanked the field instead to win his way in. The 2023 stats above say he deserves this spot, but his putrid playoff stats say he absolutely doesn’t deserve it. More bad is that he’s been just okay on Intermediates this year, but in good news he did well at Las Vegas this Spring and in his career he’s been decent here. All of this above leads me to believe Mayer ends up with a 6th-15th place finish this weekend.
5th in Points – Cole Custer (P & OP)
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 29 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 11.03 | 3rd of 31 | 41st of 265 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 96.32% | 8th of 31 | 62nd of 265 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 84.82% | T2nd of 31 | T40th of 265 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 102.1 | 4th of 31 | 31st of 265‡ |
| Wins | 2 | T5th of 102 | T32nd of 833 |
| Poles | 5 | 1st of 102 | T5th of 833 |
| Top 2’s | 3 | T5th of 102 | T45th of 833 |
| Top 3’s | 7 | T4th of 102 | T25th of 833 |
| Top 5’s | 12 | 4th of 102 | T26th of 833 |
| Top 10’s | 19 | 3rd of 102 | T25th of 833 |
| DNF’s¹ | 2 | T4th of 31 | T32nd of 265 |
| Stage Wins | 6 | 3rd of 102 | T18th of 713* |
| Stage T10s | 42 | 3rd of 102 | T19th of 713* |
| Stage Pts | 265 | 4th of 102 | 23rd of 713* |
| Playoff Pts² | 16 | 4th of 102 | T23rd of 713* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 29 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff start, 34 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 4.0(T1st), 98.94% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 122.1(2nd), Best 2nd, Worst 6th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 24.87% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 4 Stage T10’s, 6.0 Stage Pts Per Stage, 1 Playoff Pt earned in races
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Poles (tied longest streak in Xfinity Series this year and tied 10th longest in Xfinity Series all-time)
- 3 straight Top 3 finishes
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 11 straight Top 10 finishes (longest streak in Xfinity Series this year and tied 24th longest in Xfinity Series all-time)
- 2023 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 69 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 10.43(10th), 92.88% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 103.34(8th), Best 3rd, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 89.16%, Led 5.47% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 2 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 5 Top 10’s, 6 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 5.36 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2023 Spring Las Vegas race
- Finished 12th, Started 3rd, Led 0 laps, Finished 8th in Stage 2, ran 147 Laps in Top15 (73.5% of laps he ran), had 80.4 Driver Rating (ranked 14th)
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Las Vegas, 73 drivers)
- 6 Races
- 8.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks T9th)
- Best Finish: 3rd, Worst: 12th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 89.86% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 20th)
- 103.43 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 12th)
- Led 4.45% of laps he’s run (T12th)
- 2 Poles, 33.33% (% ranks 3rd)
- 0 Top 2’s
- 1 Top 3, 16.67% (% ranks T12th)
- 2 Top 5’s, 33.33% (% ranks 13th)
- 4 Top 10’s, 66.67% (% ranks T13th)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 1 Stage Win, 8.33% (% ranks T8th)
- 5.0 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 5th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Cole Custer is notable because of his 2023 Intermediate stats
– Custer was the only driver last week capable of beating Mayer running 94% of his laps in the Top 15, but alas he ended up 2nd
– He’s finished 7 of the last 8 races in the Top 10
– His only 2023 Rank above that is worse than 5th is his 96.32 Completed Laps% (ranks 8th)
– 12 of his 15 2023 Ranks above are T4th or better including his 11.03 Avg. Finish, 84.82 Laps in Top 15%, 102.1 Avg. Driver Rating, and 5 Poles
– In the 3 playoff races thus far he has a 4.0 Avg. Finish with every finish being between 2nd and 6th
– He’s ran 99% of his laps in the playoffs in the Top 15, has the 2nd best Avg. Driver Rating (122.1), and has led 25% of his laps
– He’s ran 93% of his laps in the Top 15 in the 7 Intermediate races this year, led 5.47% of his laps, and has gotten 5.36 Stage Pts Per Stage
– In these 7 races he has a 10.43 Avg. Finish with 2 Top 3’s and 5 Top 10’s
– This Spring at Las Vegas Custer ran a measly 73.5% of his laps in the Top 15, had just the 14th best Driver Rating (80.4), and finished 12th
– This was his worst finish at Las Vegas in his 6 career Xfinity starts
– In these 6 starts he has an 8.0 Avg. Finish, 2 Poles, a 103.43 Avg. Driver Rating, and has ran 90% of his laps here in the Top 15
Outlook for this weekend
Custer did great in the Round of 8 and his playoff stats back that up. His overall 2023 stats have been good too as he definitely deserves his spot in this round. In terms of Intermediates this year Custer has been decently good, but nothing spectacular. This is the same as his Las Vegas career stats, and actually his Spring race here was not good at all. All of these decent stats tell me Custer will do decent this weekend, finishing between 5th and 10th.
– Cole Custer is notable because of his 2023 Intermediate stats
– Custer was the only driver last week capable of beating Mayer running 94% of his laps in the Top 15, but alas he ended up 2nd
– He’s finished 7 of the last 8 races in the Top 10
– His only 2023 Rank above that is worse than 5th is his 96.32 Completed Laps% (ranks 8th)
– 12 of his 15 2023 Ranks above are T4th or better including his 11.03 Avg. Finish, 84.82 Laps in Top 15%, 102.1 Avg. Driver Rating, and 5 Poles
– In the 3 playoff races thus far he has a 4.0 Avg. Finish with every finish being between 2nd and 6th
– He’s ran 99% of his laps in the playoffs in the Top 15, has the 2nd best Avg. Driver Rating (122.1), and has led 25% of his laps
– He’s ran 93% of his laps in the Top 15 in the 7 Intermediate races this year, led 5.47% of his laps, and has gotten 5.36 Stage Pts Per Stage
– In these 7 races he has a 10.43 Avg. Finish with 2 Top 3’s and 5 Top 10’s
– This Spring at Las Vegas Custer ran a measly 73.5% of his laps in the Top 15, had just the 14th best Driver Rating (80.4), and finished 12th
– This was his worst finish at Las Vegas in his 6 career Xfinity starts
– In these 6 starts he has an 8.0 Avg. Finish, 2 Poles, a 103.43 Avg. Driver Rating, and has ran 90% of his laps here in the Top 15
Outlook for this weekend
Custer did great in the Round of 8 and his playoff stats back that up. His overall 2023 stats have been good too as he definitely deserves his spot in this round. In terms of Intermediates this year Custer has been decently good, but nothing spectacular. This is the same as his Las Vegas career stats, and actually his Spring race here was not good at all. All of these decent stats tell me Custer will do decent this weekend, finishing between 5th and 10th.
6th in Points – Chandler Smith (P & OP)
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 29 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 14.93 | 10th of 31 | 81st of 265 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 95.76% | 12th of 31 | 78th of 265 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 80.16% | 5th of 31 | 57th of 265 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 89.32 | 7th of 31 | 61st of 265‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T7th of 102 | T52nd of 833 |
| Poles | 3 | T2nd of 102 | T13th of 833 |
| Top 2’s | 2 | T9th of 102 | T63rd of 833 |
| Top 3’s | 3 | T11th of 102 | T71st of 833 |
| Top 5’s | 7 | 8th of 102 | T57th of 833 |
| Top 10’s | 11 | 12th of 102 | T77th of 833 |
| DNF’s¹ | 5 | T19th of 31 | T144th of 265 |
| Stage Wins | 2 | T10th of 102 | T55th of 713* |
| Stage T10s | 39 | 5th of 102 | T30th of 713* |
| Stage Pts | 176 | 6th of 102 | T42nd of 713* |
| Playoff Pts² | 7 | T6th of 102 | T38th of 713* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 29 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff start, 34 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 7.0(3rd), 89.07% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 94.27(5th), Best 4th, Worst 12th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 6 Stage T10’s, 3.33 Stage Pts Per Stage, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Poles (tied longest streak in Xfinity Series this year and tied 10th longest in Xfinity Series all-time)
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes
- 2023 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 69 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 16.0(T17th), 81.94% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 93.13(10th), Best 3rd, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 92.64%, Led 16.05% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 5 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 1 Stage Win, 3.43 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2023 Spring Las Vegas race
- Finished 3rd, Started 1st, Led 118 laps (59.0%), Finished 4th in Stage 1 and 6th in Stage 2, ran 198 Laps in Top15 (99.0% of laps he ran), had 136.4 Driver Rating (ranked 1st)
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Las Vegas, 73 drivers)
- 1 Race
- 3.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 1st)
- Best Finish: 3rd, Worst: 3rd
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 99.0% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 4th)
- 136.4 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 1st)
- Led 59.0% of laps he’s run (1st)
- 1 Pole, 100% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 Top 2’s
- 1 Top 3, 100% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 2 Stage T10’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 6.0 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 2nd)
Main Points & Outlook
– Chandler Smith is notable because of his stats in his 1 career Xfinity start here at Las Vegas
– Last week Chandler ran only 49% of his laps in the Top 15, but he was able to finish in the Top 15 coming home 12th
– This finish broke his 2 race Top 5 finish streak
– 8 of his 2023 Ranks above are 8th or better including his 80.16 Laps in Top 15%, 89.32 Avg. Driver Rating, 7 Top 5’s, and 176 Stage Pts
– Only his 3 Poles are better than 5th in the 2023 Ranks above, and actually they are tied for 13th most thru 29 races since 2016
– In the 3 playoff races he has a 7.0 Avg. Finish with 2 Top 5’s, and he’s finished Top 10 in all 6 playoff stages
– In the 3 races he’s ran 89% of his laps in the Top 15 and has the 5th best Avg. Driver Rating (94.27), but has not led a single lap
– At Intermediates this year he has a 16.0 Avg. Finish with 2 Top 5’s and just 2 Top 10’s in the 7 races
– He’s ran 82% of his laps in the Top 15 in the 7 races, has a 93.13 Avg. Driver Rating, an has led 16% of his laps
– In the Spring race at Las Vegas Chandler ran all but 2 laps in the Top 15, led 59% of the race, and had the best Driver Rating (136.4); but he ended up P3
– This is his only career Xfinity start here at Las Vegas
Outlook for this weekend
Chandler Smith did pretty well in the opening round of the playoffs and made his way convincingly to the Round of 8. His 2023 stats above say he deserves his spot in this round, but starting off at an Intermediate isn’t the best as he’s not been great at them this year. The good thing is this is Vegas where in his only start he dominated the race and finished 3rd. With all of this in mind I see Chandler coming home either in the Top 5 or between 11th and 20th this weekend.
– Chandler Smith is notable because of his stats in his 1 career Xfinity start here at Las Vegas
– Last week Chandler ran only 49% of his laps in the Top 15, but he was able to finish in the Top 15 coming home 12th
– This finish broke his 2 race Top 5 finish streak
– 8 of his 2023 Ranks above are 8th or better including his 80.16 Laps in Top 15%, 89.32 Avg. Driver Rating, 7 Top 5’s, and 176 Stage Pts
– Only his 3 Poles are better than 5th in the 2023 Ranks above, and actually they are tied for 13th most thru 29 races since 2016
– In the 3 playoff races he has a 7.0 Avg. Finish with 2 Top 5’s, and he’s finished Top 10 in all 6 playoff stages
– In the 3 races he’s ran 89% of his laps in the Top 15 and has the 5th best Avg. Driver Rating (94.27), but has not led a single lap
– At Intermediates this year he has a 16.0 Avg. Finish with 2 Top 5’s and just 2 Top 10’s in the 7 races
– He’s ran 82% of his laps in the Top 15 in the 7 races, has a 93.13 Avg. Driver Rating, an has led 16% of his laps
– In the Spring race at Las Vegas Chandler ran all but 2 laps in the Top 15, led 59% of the race, and had the best Driver Rating (136.4); but he ended up P3
– This is his only career Xfinity start here at Las Vegas
Outlook for this weekend
Chandler Smith did pretty well in the opening round of the playoffs and made his way convincingly to the Round of 8. His 2023 stats above say he deserves his spot in this round, but starting off at an Intermediate isn’t the best as he’s not been great at them this year. The good thing is this is Vegas where in his only start he dominated the race and finished 3rd. With all of this in mind I see Chandler coming home either in the Top 5 or between 11th and 20th this weekend.
7th in Points – Sammy Smith (P & OP)
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 29 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 16.17 | 12th of 31 | T95th of 265 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 90.17% | 23rd of 31 | 175th of 265 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 64.6% | 13th of 31 | 97th of 265 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 84.82 | 11th of 31 | 85th of 265‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T7th of 102 | T52nd of 833 |
| Poles | 0 | T12th of 102 | T86th of 833 |
| Top 2’s | 2 | T9th of 102 | T63rd of 833 |
| Top 3’s | 3 | T11th of 102 | T71st of 833 |
| Top 5’s | 5 | T11th of 102 | T75th of 833 |
| Top 10’s | 12 | 11th of 102 | T73rd of 833 |
| DNF’s¹ | 5 | T19th of 31 | T144th of 265 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T12th of 102 | T77th of 713* |
| Stage T10s | 30 | T9th of 102 | T55th of 713* |
| Stage Pts | 137 | 11th of 102 | T57th of 713* |
| Playoff Pts² | 6 | T8th of 102 | T43rd of 713* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 29 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff start, 34 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 7.67(4th), 95.24% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 96.53(4th), Best 3rd, Worst 11th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 5 Stage T10’s, 2.17 Stage Pts Per Stage, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
- Notable Streaks this year
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2023 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 69 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 18.14(24th), 74.2% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 82.56(18th), Best 3rd, Worst 35th, Laps Completed 81.95%, Led 0.19% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.43 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2023 Spring Las Vegas race
- Finished 17th, Started 14th, Led 0 laps, Finished 8th in Stage 1 and 5th in Stage 2, ran 144 Laps in Top15 (72.36% of laps he ran), had 89.4 Driver Rating (ranked 10th)
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Las Vegas, 73 drivers)
- 1 Race
- 17.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 27th)
- Best Finish: 17th, Worst: 17th
- Completed 99.5% of laps (% ranks 18th)
- 72.36% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 29th)
- 89.4 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 23rd)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 15’s
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 2 Stage T10’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 4.5 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 7th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Sammy Smith is notable because of his stats in the 3 playoff races
– Sammy ran 75% of his laps in the Top 15 last week and ended up with an 11th place finish, good enough to move him to the Round of 8
– After 7 straight finishes out of the Top 15 he now has 3 straight finishes in the Top 11
– Only 2 of his 2023 Ranks above are T8th or better (1 Win and 6 Playoff Pts)
– 42% of his Top 10’s this year have also been Top 5’s
– In the 3 playoff races he has a 7.67 Avg. Finish with 1 Top 3 and a worst finish of only 11th
– He’s ran 95% of his laps in the 3 races in the Top 15, has the 4th best Avg. Driver Rating (96.53), and has 5 Stage T10’s in the 6 stages
– In the 7 Intermediate races this year he’s ran 74% of his laps in the Top 15, but only has an 82.56 Avg. Driver Rating and has led just 0.19% of his laps
– These 7 races have produced an 18.24 Avg. Finish with only 1 Top 5 and the same amount of finishes out of the Top 20 as in the Top 10 (2)
– This Spring Sammy ran 72% of his laps in the Top 15 at Las Vegas, had the 10th best Driver Rating (89.4), led 0 laps, and finished 17th
– This is his only career Xfinity Series start at Las Vegas
Outlook for this weekend
Sammy Smith’s overall 2023 stats above say he doesn’t deserve a spot in the Round of 8, but his good playoff stats show why he is here as he’s done well in his first playoff appearance. However, starting this round on an Intermediate, especially at Las Vegas is not good as he’s done poorly on Intermediates this year and his one race at Las Vegas wasn’t promising. Taking all this together this weekend I see Sammy finishing between 8th and 15th.
– Sammy Smith is notable because of his stats in the 3 playoff races
– Sammy ran 75% of his laps in the Top 15 last week and ended up with an 11th place finish, good enough to move him to the Round of 8
– After 7 straight finishes out of the Top 15 he now has 3 straight finishes in the Top 11
– Only 2 of his 2023 Ranks above are T8th or better (1 Win and 6 Playoff Pts)
– 42% of his Top 10’s this year have also been Top 5’s
– In the 3 playoff races he has a 7.67 Avg. Finish with 1 Top 3 and a worst finish of only 11th
– He’s ran 95% of his laps in the 3 races in the Top 15, has the 4th best Avg. Driver Rating (96.53), and has 5 Stage T10’s in the 6 stages
– In the 7 Intermediate races this year he’s ran 74% of his laps in the Top 15, but only has an 82.56 Avg. Driver Rating and has led just 0.19% of his laps
– These 7 races have produced an 18.24 Avg. Finish with only 1 Top 5 and the same amount of finishes out of the Top 20 as in the Top 10 (2)
– This Spring Sammy ran 72% of his laps in the Top 15 at Las Vegas, had the 10th best Driver Rating (89.4), led 0 laps, and finished 17th
– This is his only career Xfinity Series start at Las Vegas
Outlook for this weekend
Sammy Smith’s overall 2023 stats above say he doesn’t deserve a spot in the Round of 8, but his good playoff stats show why he is here as he’s done well in his first playoff appearance. However, starting this round on an Intermediate, especially at Las Vegas is not good as he’s done poorly on Intermediates this year and his one race at Las Vegas wasn’t promising. Taking all this together this weekend I see Sammy finishing between 8th and 15th.
11th in Points – Josh Berry
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 29 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 13.14 | 5th of 31 | 58th of 265 |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 96.04% | 9th of 31 | 69th of 265 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 74.33% | 6th of 31 | 73rd of 265 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 90.82 | 5th of 31 | 56th of 265‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T15th of 102 | T100 of 833 |
| Poles | 2 | T6th of 102 | T21st of 833 |
| Top 2’s | 2 | T9th of 102 | T63rd of 833 |
| Top 3’s | 4 | T7th of 102 | T54th of 833 |
| Top 5’s | 10 | T5th of 102 | T38th of 833 |
| Top 10’s | 16 | T5th of 102 | T46th of 833 |
| DNF’s¹ | 2 | T4th of 31 | T32nd of 265 |
| Stage Wins | 3 | T7th of 102 | T39th of 713* |
| Stage T10s | 30 | T9th of 102 | T55th of 713* |
| Stage Pts | 164 | 7th of 102 | 44th of 713* |
| Playoff Pts² | 3 | 11th of 102 | T63rd of 713* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 29 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- 2023 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 2+ Playoff start, 34 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 22.0(22nd), 57.67% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 82.23(14th), Best 3rd, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 2 Stage T10’s, 1.33 Stage Pts Per Stage, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes
- 7 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2023 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 69 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 10.0(9th), 80.12% of Laps ran in Top15, Avg. Driver Rating 91.81(12th), Best 5th, Worst 27th, Laps Completed 99.38%, Led 0.23% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 5 Top 10’s, 6 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 1.79 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Las Vegas Statistics
- 2023 Spring Las Vegas race
- Finished 5th, Started 5th, Led 2 laps (1.0%), Finished 10th in Stage 1, ran 173 Laps in Top15 (86.5% of laps he ran), had 97.1 Driver Rating (ranked 8th)
- Notable Las Vegas Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Las Vegas, 73 drivers)
- 5 Races
- 3.6 Avg. Finish (Ranks 2nd)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 7th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 89.62% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 21st)
- 106.18 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 10th)
- Led 10.48% of laps he’s run (7th)
- 2 Wins, 40.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 4 Top 5’s, 80.0% (% ranks 3rd)
- 5 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
- 2.7 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 14th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Josh Berry is notable because of his stats in the 7 Intermediate races this year
– Berry ran 95.5% of his laps in the Top 15 at the Roval last week and finished 3rd, but that wasn’t good enough for him to make the Round of 8
– This was his best finish since Michigan in the middle of August where he finished 2nd
– 10 of his 15 2023 Ranks above are 8th or better including his 13.14 Avg. Finish, 90.82 Avg. Driver Rating, 4 Top 3’s, 16 Top 10’s, and 164 Stage Pts
– 75% of his 16 Top 10’s this year have been finishes between 4th and 10th
– He’s only had 1 Top 10 in the 3 playoff races with 2 finishes out of the Top 20 and a 22.0 Avg. Finish
– In the 3 races he’s ran just 58% of his laps in the Top 15 and has a decent 82.23 Avg. Driver Rating, but only has 2 Stage T10’s in the 6 stages
– At Intermediates this year he has a 10.0 Avg. Finish with 3 Top 5’s and 5 Top 10’s in 7 races
– In the 7 races he’s ran 80% of his laps in the Top 15 and has a 91.81 Avg. Driver Rating, but has just 1.79 Stage Pts Per Stage
– In the Spring Las Vegas race Berry ran 86.5% of his laps in the Top 15, only got 1 Stage Pt, had the 8th best Driver Rating (97.1), and finished 5th
– This was his 4th Top 5 and 5th Top 10 in 5 career Xfinity races at Las Vegas
– In the 5 races he has 2 Wins, a 3.6 Avg. Finish, a 106.18 Avg. Driver Rating, and has led 10.48% of the laps he’s run
Outlook for this weekend
Berry ended up 2 spots shy of a Round of 8 birth, and by his 2023 stats above he more than deserved the spot. However, his playoff stats are not pretty and it is clear to see why he is not in the playoffs any longer. What sucks for Berry is that his Intermediate stats are pretty good this year, and his Las Vegas stats are amazingly great. Even though he is out of the playoffs I still see Berry being a factor this weekend finishing between 3rd and 8th.
– Josh Berry is notable because of his stats in the 7 Intermediate races this year
– Berry ran 95.5% of his laps in the Top 15 at the Roval last week and finished 3rd, but that wasn’t good enough for him to make the Round of 8
– This was his best finish since Michigan in the middle of August where he finished 2nd
– 10 of his 15 2023 Ranks above are 8th or better including his 13.14 Avg. Finish, 90.82 Avg. Driver Rating, 4 Top 3’s, 16 Top 10’s, and 164 Stage Pts
– 75% of his 16 Top 10’s this year have been finishes between 4th and 10th
– He’s only had 1 Top 10 in the 3 playoff races with 2 finishes out of the Top 20 and a 22.0 Avg. Finish
– In the 3 races he’s ran just 58% of his laps in the Top 15 and has a decent 82.23 Avg. Driver Rating, but only has 2 Stage T10’s in the 6 stages
– At Intermediates this year he has a 10.0 Avg. Finish with 3 Top 5’s and 5 Top 10’s in 7 races
– In the 7 races he’s ran 80% of his laps in the Top 15 and has a 91.81 Avg. Driver Rating, but has just 1.79 Stage Pts Per Stage
– In the Spring Las Vegas race Berry ran 86.5% of his laps in the Top 15, only got 1 Stage Pt, had the 8th best Driver Rating (97.1), and finished 5th
– This was his 4th Top 5 and 5th Top 10 in 5 career Xfinity races at Las Vegas
– In the 5 races he has 2 Wins, a 3.6 Avg. Finish, a 106.18 Avg. Driver Rating, and has led 10.48% of the laps he’s run
Outlook for this weekend
Berry ended up 2 spots shy of a Round of 8 birth, and by his 2023 stats above he more than deserved the spot. However, his playoff stats are not pretty and it is clear to see why he is not in the playoffs any longer. What sucks for Berry is that his Intermediate stats are pretty good this year, and his Las Vegas stats are amazingly great. Even though he is out of the playoffs I still see Berry being a factor this weekend finishing between 3rd and 8th.
