It’s time. Daytona is here and the first NASCAR race of the weekend is the Craftsman Truck race where Zane Smith has won the past two races here. However, this year Smith is not in the field meaning we will have a new winner, maybe it will be one of the drivers below. I have picked 5 notable drivers to look at, 1 based on 2023 season stats, 1 based on Superspeedway stats, 1 based on the last Daytona race, 1 based on their Daytona stats over the last 5 Truck seasons, and 1 based on the highest in 2023 points that wasn’t already picked. Here is a look at those 5 notable drivers 2023 season statistics, along with ranks among drivers in 2023 as well as ranking through 23 races since the Playoffs started in 2016. We will also highlight notable streaks accomplished through the year and at Daytona, 2023 Superspeedway (drafting tracks) statistics and Daytona statistics.
1st in 2023 Points – Ben Rhodes
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 23 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 10.74 | 3rd of 30 | 43rd of 236 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 33rd | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 98.38% | 5th of 30 | T39th of 236 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 78.11% | 5th of 30 | 64th of 236 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 91.57 | 7th of 30 | 60th of 236‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T7th of 112 | T41st of 864 |
| Poles | 0 | T11th of 112 | T73rd of 864 |
| Top 2’s | 3 | T7th of 112 | T38th of 864 |
| Top 3’s | 4 | T6th of 112 | T41st of 864 |
| Top 5’s | 7 | 7th of 112 | T49th of 864 |
| Top 10’s | 14 | T2nd of 112 | T35th of 864 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 2 | 3rd of 30 | T14th of 236 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T4th of 30 | T20th of 236 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T10th of 112 | T63rd of 754* |
| Stage T10s | 30 | T5th of 112 | T38th of 754* |
| Stage Pts | 154 | 7th of 112 | T45th of 754* |
| Playoff Pts² | 6 | 7th of 112 | T45th of 754* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 43% of races thru 23 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks in 2023
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes (tied longest streak in Truck Series in 2023)
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Truck Series)
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Truck Series)
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes
- 3 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 9 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Daytona Streaks
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes (2021-2022, tied 2nd longest streak in Truck Series at Daytona and tied 13th longest in Truck Series all-time)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s (2020 S2-2021 S2)
- 1 straight Stage T10 (active “streak”)
- 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 57 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 6.0(4th), 86.35% of Laps ran in Top15(3rd), Avg. Driver Rating 93.07(4th), Best 2nd, Worst 11th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.95% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 3.33 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Daytona Statistics
- 2023 Daytona Race
- Finished 11th, Started 26th, Led 0 laps, Finished 7th in Stage 2, ran 58 Laps in Top 15(73.42% of laps ran), had 85.3 Driver Rating (ranked 11th)
- Notable Daytona Statistics over last 5 years (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Daytona since 2019, 50 drivers)
- 5 Races
- 10.6 Avg. Finish (Ranks 6th)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 25th
- Completed 95.63% of laps (% ranks 26th)
- 86.69% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 4th)
- 97.38 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 3rd)
- Led 8.52% of laps he’s run (% ranks 8th)
- 1 Win, 20.0% (% ranks T3rd)
- 2 Top 2’s, 40.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 2 Top 10’s, 40.0% (% ranks T18th)
- 4 Top 15’s, 80.0% (% ranks T8th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 20.0% (% ranks T15th)
- 2 DNF’s, 40.0% (% ranks T31st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 6 Stage T10’s, 60.0% (% ranks 10th)
- 4.1 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 8th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Ben Rhodes is notable because he finished 1st in points last year
– Rhodes was able to hold on late in the crap fest that was the Truck championship last year to finish 5th and win the championship
– Last year overall he ran decent, finished Top 10 a good amount, but struggled to finish Top 5
– He’s on a 3 race Top 5 streak and 4 race Top 10 streak
– He had back-to-back Top 2 finishes at Daytona in 2021-2022
– At Superspeedway’s last year his worst finish was just 11th and he did good at getting Stage Pts as well
– Rhodes finished 11th at Daytona last year and had the 11th best Driver Rating
– In the last 5 years he’s finished in the Top 15 4 times and has a terrific Laps in Top 15% and Avg. Driver Rating at Daytona
Outlook for this weekend
Coming off his championship Rhodes will be one of the favorites this weekend I feel as he ran well at Superspeedways last year. Furthermore, in recent years he’s been a shoe-in for a Top 15 at Daytona which only bolsters his chances for getting another good finish this weekend.
– Ben Rhodes is notable because he finished 1st in points last year
– Rhodes was able to hold on late in the crap fest that was the Truck championship last year to finish 5th and win the championship
– Last year overall he ran decent, finished Top 10 a good amount, but struggled to finish Top 5
– He’s on a 3 race Top 5 streak and 4 race Top 10 streak
– He had back-to-back Top 2 finishes at Daytona in 2021-2022
– At Superspeedway’s last year his worst finish was just 11th and he did good at getting Stage Pts as well
– Rhodes finished 11th at Daytona last year and had the 11th best Driver Rating
– In the last 5 years he’s finished in the Top 15 4 times and has a terrific Laps in Top 15% and Avg. Driver Rating at Daytona
Outlook for this weekend
Coming off his championship Rhodes will be one of the favorites this weekend I feel as he ran well at Superspeedways last year. Furthermore, in recent years he’s been a shoe-in for a Top 15 at Daytona which only bolsters his chances for getting another good finish this weekend.
2nd in 2023 Points – Grant Enfinger
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 23 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 8.96 | 2nd of 30 | 20th of 236 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 19th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.91% | 1st of 30 | 5th of 236 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 84.64% | 2nd of 30 | 29th of 236 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 96.3 | 5th of 30 | 35th of 236‡ |
| Wins | 3 | T3rd of 112 | T15th of 864 |
| Poles | 1 | T7th of 112 | T30th of 864 |
| Top 2’s | 3 | T7th of 112 | T38th of 864 |
| Top 3’s | 4 | T6th of 112 | T41st of 864 |
| Top 5’s | 9 | 7th of 112 | T24th of 864 |
| Top 10’s | 13 | T2nd of 112 | T42nd of 864 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 0 | 1st of 30 | T1st of 236 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 30 | T1st of 236 |
| Stage Wins | 3 | T6th of 112 | T30th of 754* |
| Stage T10s | 28 | 7th of 112 | T47th of 754* |
| Stage Pts | 142 | 8th of 112 | T51st of 754* |
| Playoff Pts² | 18 | 4th of 112 | 16th of 754* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 43% of races thru 23 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks in 2023
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2 straight Stage Wins
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 6 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Daytona Streaks
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes (2019-2020, tied 2nd longest streak in Truck Series at Daytona)
- 1 straight Top 5 finish (active “streak”)
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes (2018-2020, tied 5th longest streak in Truck Series at Daytona)
- 7 straight Stage T10’s (2019 S1-2022 S1, Longest streak in Truck Series at Daytona)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 57 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 12.33(9th), 54.92% of Laps ran in Top15(20th), Avg. Driver Rating 86.13(11th), Best 5th, Worst 19th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Daytona Statistics
- 2023 Daytona Race
- Finished 5th, Started 16th, Led 0 laps, Finished 10th in Stage 1 and 8th in Stage 2, ran 72 Laps in Top 15(91.14% of laps ran), had 97.8 Driver Rating (ranked 6th)
- Notable Daytona Statistics over last 5 years (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Daytona since 2019, 50 drivers)
- 5 Races
- 9.6 Avg. Finish (Ranks 4th)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 29th
- Completed 98.61% of laps (% ranks 23rd)
- 87.3% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 3rd)
- 104.86 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 2nd)
- Led 10.89% of laps he’s run (% ranks 6th)
- 1 Win, 20.0% (% ranks T3rd)
- 2 Top 2’s, 40.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 3 Top 5’s, 60.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 4 Top 15’s, 80.0% (% ranks T8th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 20.0% (% ranks T15th)
- 1 DNF, 20.0% (% ranks 21st)
- 1 Stage Win, 10.0% (% ranks 5th)
- 9 Stage T10’s, 90.0% (% ranks 4th)
- 4.3 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 5th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Grant Enfinger is notable because of how well he’s performed at Daytona in the last 5 years
– Enfinger came so close to his first Truck Championship last year, but his 6th place finish just wasn’t good enough at Phoenix
– He was one of the best drivers last year as he ran great and didn’t finish out of the Top 20 all year
– Going into Daytona he is on a 2 race Top 10 streak
– At Daytona he’s on an active streak of 2 straight Stage T10’s and has the longest Stage T10 streak ever at Daytona at 7 races
– Last year at Superspeedways he ran decent, but only wound up with 1 Top 10 finish in 3 races
– That 1 Top 10 for Enfinger came at Daytona finishing 5th while getting the 6th best Driver Rating in the race
– Over the last 5 years he’s been great at Daytona, finishing well and running good as he has the best Top 5% of any driver in that span
Outlook for this weekend
With GMS closing Enfinger is back with CR7 Motorsports and Daytona will be a good test to see where the team is at. Enfinger has been great at Superspeedways and especially Daytona of late, so if he runs bad this weekend that may be a sign of the season to come.
– Grant Enfinger is notable because of how well he’s performed at Daytona in the last 5 years
– Enfinger came so close to his first Truck Championship last year, but his 6th place finish just wasn’t good enough at Phoenix
– He was one of the best drivers last year as he ran great and didn’t finish out of the Top 20 all year
– Going into Daytona he is on a 2 race Top 10 streak
– At Daytona he’s on an active streak of 2 straight Stage T10’s and has the longest Stage T10 streak ever at Daytona at 7 races
– Last year at Superspeedways he ran decent, but only wound up with 1 Top 10 finish in 3 races
– That 1 Top 10 for Enfinger came at Daytona finishing 5th while getting the 6th best Driver Rating in the race
– Over the last 5 years he’s been great at Daytona, finishing well and running good as he has the best Top 5% of any driver in that span
Outlook for this weekend
With GMS closing Enfinger is back with CR7 Motorsports and Daytona will be a good test to see where the team is at. Enfinger has been great at Superspeedways and especially Daytona of late, so if he runs bad this weekend that may be a sign of the season to come.
4th in 2023 Points – Corey Heim
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 23 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 6.77 | 1st of 30 | 5th of 236 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 34th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 98.29% | 6th of 30 | 42nd of 236 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 90.46% | 1st of 30 | 9th of 236 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 114.36 | 1st of 30 | 2nd of 236‡ |
| Wins | 3 | T3rd of 112 | T15th of 864 |
| Poles | 4 | 2nd of 112 | T5th of 864 |
| Top 2’s | 6 | 2nd of 112 | T10th of 864 |
| Top 3’s | 7 | 3rd of 112 | T15th of 864 |
| Top 5’s | 12 | 1st of 112 | T7th of 864 |
| Top 10’s | 19 | 1st of 112 | T2nd of 864 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 1 | 2nd of 30 | T5th of 236 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T4th of 30 | T20th of 236 |
| Stage Wins | 8 | 1st of 112 | T8th of 754* |
| Stage T10s | 35 | 1st of 112 | 11th of 754* |
| Stage Pts | 247 | 1st of 112 | 2nd of 754* |
| Playoff Pts² | 23 | T2nd of 112 | T10th of 754* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 43% of races thru 23 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks in 2023
- 2 straight Poles (tied longest streak in Truck Series in 2023 and tied 13th longest streak in Truck Series all-time)
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes (tied longest streak in Truck Series in 2023)
- 5 straight Top 5 finishes (tied longest streak in Truck Series in 2023 and tied 30th longest streak in Truck Series all-time)
- 10 straight Top 10 finishes (longest streak in Truck Series in 2023 and tied 21st longest streak in Truck Series all-time)
- 2 straight Stage Wins
- 16 straight Stage T10’s (active streak, longest active streak in Truck Series, longest streak in 2023 and tied 7th longest in Truck Series all-time)
- Notable Daytona Streaks
- 1 straight Top 10 (active “streak”)
- 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 57 drivers)
- Avg. Finish 15.67(18th), 83.52% of Laps ran in Top15(5th), Avg. Driver Rating 89.87(8th), Best 5th, Worst 34th, Laps Completed 82.86%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 2.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Daytona Statistics
- 2023 Daytona Race
- Finished 8th, Started 13th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 50 Laps in Top 15(63.29% of laps ran), had 89.4 Driver Rating (ranked 9th)
- Notable Daytona Statistics over last 5 years (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Daytona since 2019, 50 drivers)
- 2 Races
- 20.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 30th)
- Best Finish: 8th, Worst: 32nd
- Completed 91.89% of laps (% ranks 31st)
- 42.35% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 29th)
- 84.75 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 10th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 5’s
- 1 Top 10, 50.0% (% ranks T7th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 50.0% (% ranks T23rd)
- 1 DNF, 50.0% (% ranks T33rd)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 1 Stage T10’s, 25.0% (% ranks T19th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Corey Heim is notable because of his 2023 stats
– Heim made one of the dumbest moves of the year in the last race at Phoenix intentionally wrecking Carson Hocevar and taking them both out of the championship leading to an 18th place finish for him
– He was the best driver all of last year running terrific and ranking top 10 in 11 of the 16 Rank Thru 23 Races categories above
– He had a ton of streaks last year, but is currently on an impressive 16 straight Stage T10 streak
– The only “streak” he has at Daytona is his Top 10 finish last year
– At Superspeedways he was decent last year scoring 2 Top 10’s and having the 8th best Avg. Driver Rating
– At Daytona last year Heim ran a decent chunk of the race in the Top 15 and finished 8th
– It’s been feast or famine in the 2 races he’s ran at Daytona as one he ran well and finished Top 10, the other he ran poorly and DNF’d
Outlook for this weekend
Heim will be looking to prove he’s the best in the Truck Series again this year, but that may not start at Daytona. He hasn’t been the best here in his 2 races and despite getting 2 Top 10’s at Superspeedways last year he didn’t lead a lap on them. In other words look for a solid but not flashy day from Heim this weekend.
– Corey Heim is notable because of his 2023 stats
– Heim made one of the dumbest moves of the year in the last race at Phoenix intentionally wrecking Carson Hocevar and taking them both out of the championship leading to an 18th place finish for him
– He was the best driver all of last year running terrific and ranking top 10 in 11 of the 16 Rank Thru 23 Races categories above
– He had a ton of streaks last year, but is currently on an impressive 16 straight Stage T10 streak
– The only “streak” he has at Daytona is his Top 10 finish last year
– At Superspeedways he was decent last year scoring 2 Top 10’s and having the 8th best Avg. Driver Rating
– At Daytona last year Heim ran a decent chunk of the race in the Top 15 and finished 8th
– It’s been feast or famine in the 2 races he’s ran at Daytona as one he ran well and finished Top 10, the other he ran poorly and DNF’d
Outlook for this weekend
Heim will be looking to prove he’s the best in the Truck Series again this year, but that may not start at Daytona. He hasn’t been the best here in his 2 races and despite getting 2 Top 10’s at Superspeedways last year he didn’t lead a lap on them. In other words look for a solid but not flashy day from Heim this weekend.
5th in 2023 Points – Christian Eckes
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 23 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 11.13 | 4th of 30 | 46th of 236 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 30th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 96.24% | 15th of 30 | T85th of 236 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 84.49% | 3rd of 30 | 30th of 236 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 102.37 | 2nd of 30 | 18th of 236‡ |
| Wins | 4 | T1st of 112 | T8th of 864 |
| Poles | 3 | 3rd of 112 | T7th of 864 |
| Top 2’s | 7 | 1st of 112 | T5th of 864 |
| Top 3’s | 10 | 1st of 112 | T6th of 864 |
| Top 5’s | 10 | T3rd of 112 | T15th of 864 |
| Top 10’s | 13 | T4th of 112 | T42nd of 864 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 5 | T7th of 30 | T87th of 236 |
| DNF’s¹ | 3 | T18th of 30 | T102nd of 236 |
| Stage Wins | 6 | 3rd of 112 | T16th of 754* |
| Stage T10s | 30 | T5th of 112 | T38th of 754* |
| Stage Pts | 204 | 4th of 112 | T20th of 754* |
| Playoff Pts² | 26 | 1st of 112 | 8th of 754* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 43% of races thru 23 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks in 2023
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes (tied longest streak in Truck Series in 2023)
- 4 straight Top 3 finishes (longest streak in Truck Series in 2023 and tied 13th longest in Truck Series all-time)
- 2 straight Stage Wins
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 10 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Daytona Streaks
- 2 straight Top 3 finishes (active streak, tied 2nd longest streak in Truck Series at Daytona)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 57 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 7.67(5th), 84.44% of Laps ran in Top15(4th), Avg. Driver Rating 100.2(2nd), Best 1st, Worst 19th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 19.68% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 4.33 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Daytona Statistics
- 2023 Daytona Race
- Finished 3rd, Started 4th, Led 19 laps(24.05%), Finished 1st in Stage 1 and 5th in Stage 2, ran 78 Laps in Top 15(98.73% of laps ran), had 116.4 Driver Rating (ranked 1st)
- Notable Daytona Statistics over last 5 years (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Daytona since 2019, 50 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 12.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks T10th)
- Best Finish: 3rd, Worst: 22nd
- Completed 87.31% of laps (% ranks 33rd)
- 74.93% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 7th)
- 96.98 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 4th)
- Led 8.26% of laps he’s run (% ranks 9th)
- 1 Pole, 25.0% (% ranks T3rd)
- 0 Top 2’s
- 2 Top 3’s, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 2 finishes outside Top 20, 50.0% (% ranks T23rd)
- 1 DNF, 25.0% (% ranks T23rd)
- 1 Stage Win, 12.5% (% ranks T2nd)
- 5 Stage T10’s, 62.5% (% ranks T7th)
- 4.88 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 4th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Christian Eckes is notable because of how good he was at Superspeedways last year
– The last Truck race was great for Eckes as he ended the 2023 season with his 4th win of the year
– Just look at the amount of 2023 Ranks that are 1st-3rd and you’ll see he was one of the best drivers last year, he was mostly Top 3 or bust though
– Last year he had an impressive 4 race Top 3 streak and is currently on a 2 straight Stage T10 streak
– He’s finished 2 straight Daytona races in the Top 3 and is on a 3 straight Stage T10 streak as well here
– He was extremely impressive at Superspeedways last year, leading many laps, getting 2 Top 3’s and having the 2nd best Avg. Driver Rating in the 3 races
– At Daytona last year Eckes ran almost every lap in the Top 15, led 24% of the race and had the best Driver Rating en route to a 3rd place finish
– In the last 5 years he has 4 Daytona races finishing either in the Top 3 or out of the Top 20 in all 4 races
Outlook for this weekend
Eckes is looking to continue his momentum from his impressive season last year and winning the Truck finale. There is no better place to do that than a place you’ve had back-to-back Top 3’s and the style you raced great at last year. Overall this weekend Eckes will be one to reckon with for the win.
– Christian Eckes is notable because of how good he was at Superspeedways last year
– The last Truck race was great for Eckes as he ended the 2023 season with his 4th win of the year
– Just look at the amount of 2023 Ranks that are 1st-3rd and you’ll see he was one of the best drivers last year, he was mostly Top 3 or bust though
– Last year he had an impressive 4 race Top 3 streak and is currently on a 2 straight Stage T10 streak
– He’s finished 2 straight Daytona races in the Top 3 and is on a 3 straight Stage T10 streak as well here
– He was extremely impressive at Superspeedways last year, leading many laps, getting 2 Top 3’s and having the 2nd best Avg. Driver Rating in the 3 races
– At Daytona last year Eckes ran almost every lap in the Top 15, led 24% of the race and had the best Driver Rating en route to a 3rd place finish
– In the last 5 years he has 4 Daytona races finishing either in the Top 3 or out of the Top 20 in all 4 races
Outlook for this weekend
Eckes is looking to continue his momentum from his impressive season last year and winning the Truck finale. There is no better place to do that than a place you’ve had back-to-back Top 3’s and the style you raced great at last year. Overall this weekend Eckes will be one to reckon with for the win.
14th in 2023 Points – Tanner Gray
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 23 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 16.65 | 15th of 30 | 117th of 236 |
| Best Fin. | 2nd | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 36th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 97.44% | 10th of 30 | 62nd of 236 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 62.27% | 13th of 30 | 105th of 236 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 73.16 | 17th of 30 | 117th of 236‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T12th of 112 | T96th of 864 |
| Poles | 1 | T7th of 112 | T30th of 864 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T9th of 112 | T79th of 864 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T10th of 112 | T78th of 864 |
| Top 5’s | 3 | T10th of 112 | T93rd of 864 |
| Top 10’s | 6 | T14th of 112 | T104th of 864 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 8 | T16th of 30 | T145th of 236 |
| DNF’s¹ | 3 | T18th of 30 | T102nd of 236 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T17th of 112 | T98th of 754* |
| Stage T10s | 18 | T11th of 112 | T78th of 754* |
| Stage Pts | 65 | 13th of 112 | 85th of 754* |
| Playoff Pts² | 6 | T12th of 112 | T91st of 754* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 43% of races thru 23 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks in 2023
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes
- 4 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Daytona Streaks
- 1 straight Top 2 finish (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak)
- 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 57 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 17.0(19th), 45.93% of Laps ran in Top15(28th), Avg. Driver Rating 78.3(16th), Best 2nd, Worst 25th, Laps Completed 97.46%, Led 3.91% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 1.83 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Daytona Statistics
- 2023 Daytona Race
- Finished 2nd, Started 19th, Led 0 laps, Finished 8th in Stage 1, ran 44 Laps in Top 15(55.7% of laps ran), had 106.6 Driver Rating (ranked 3rd)
- Notable Daytona Statistics over last 5 years (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Daytona since 2019, 50 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 16.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 23rd)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 35th
- Completed 72.19% of laps (% ranks 43rd)
- 72.79% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 10th)
- 76.5 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 15th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Wins
- 1 Top 2, 25.0% (% ranks T4th)
- 2 Top 5’s, 50.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 2 finish outside Top 20, 50.0% (% ranks T23rd)
- 2 DNF’s, 50.0% (% ranks T33rd)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 3 Stage T10’s, 37.5% (% ranks T14th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Tanner Gray is notable because of how he did last year at Daytona
– In the last Truck race Gray was one of the few to avoid too much carnage and came home with a 9th place finish
– In 2023 he had more finishes out of the Top 20 than in the Top 10, but overall he ran decent in races
– The longest streak he had last year in terms of finishes was 2 straight Top 10’s
– At Daytona he is on a 2 race Top 5 streak
– Last year at Superspeedways he had 1 Top 15 and overall didn’t run great in the 3 races
– The good news for Gray is his one good Superspeedway race was at Daytona where he finished 2nd and had the 3rd best Driver Rating
– In his last 4 races here he has either finished Top 5 or had DNF’d, but overall he’s ran well and has the 10th best Laps in Top 15%
Outlook for this weekend
Gray didn’t have a great year last year and is looking to at least make the playoffs this year I’m sure. His best shot might be this weekend as he has run very well in the last 2 races here at Daytona and did not run well at the other Superspeedways last year. However, based on the stats he’s probably Top 3 or DNF this weekend.
– Tanner Gray is notable because of how he did last year at Daytona
– In the last Truck race Gray was one of the few to avoid too much carnage and came home with a 9th place finish
– In 2023 he had more finishes out of the Top 20 than in the Top 10, but overall he ran decent in races
– The longest streak he had last year in terms of finishes was 2 straight Top 10’s
– At Daytona he is on a 2 race Top 5 streak
– Last year at Superspeedways he had 1 Top 15 and overall didn’t run great in the 3 races
– The good news for Gray is his one good Superspeedway race was at Daytona where he finished 2nd and had the 3rd best Driver Rating
– In his last 4 races here he has either finished Top 5 or had DNF’d, but overall he’s ran well and has the 10th best Laps in Top 15%
Outlook for this weekend
Gray didn’t have a great year last year and is looking to at least make the playoffs this year I’m sure. His best shot might be this weekend as he has run very well in the last 2 races here at Daytona and did not run well at the other Superspeedways last year. However, based on the stats he’s probably Top 3 or DNF this weekend.
