It’s that time NASCAR fans, NASCAR Cup racing is back! As usual NASCAR’s Super Bowl kicks off the season as we head to Daytona. Chaos is a given, the only question is who will kickoff there season in style and win The Great American Race. 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 Next Gen Daytona stats, 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 36 races since the Playoffs started in 2004. We will also highlight notable streaks accomplished through the year and at Daytona, 2023 Superspeedway (drafting tracks) statistics and Daytona statistics in the Next Gen car.
1st in 2023 Points – Ryan Blaney
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 14.08 | 7th of 35 | T166th of 825 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 36th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 97.42% | 13th of 35 | T206th of 825 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 72.22% | 4th of 35 | 124th of 781‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 88.91 | 7th of 35 | 186th of 781‡ |
| Wins | 3 | T3rd of 64 | T72nd of 1430 |
| Poles | 0 | T16th of 64 | T282nd of 1430 |
| Top 2’s | 7 | T2nd of 64 | T52nd of 1430 |
| Top 3’s | 8 | T4th of 64 | T78th of 1430 |
| Top 5’s | 8 | 11th of 64 | T186th of 1430 |
| Top 10’s | 18 | T4th of 64 | T130th of 1430 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 12 | T13th of 35 | T300th of 825 |
| DNF’s¹ | 3 | T5th of 35 | T226th of 825 |
| Stage Wins | 6 | T4th of 64 | T24th of 452* |
| Stage T10s | 35 | 8th of 64 | 68th of 452* |
| Stage Pts | 219 | 7th of 64 | 58th of 452* |
| Playoff Pts² | 21 | T4th of 64 | T24th of 452* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 36 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
- Notable Streaks in 2023
- 3 straight Top 2 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series and tied longest streak in Cup Series in 2023)
- 3 straight Top 3 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series and tied longest streak in Cup Series in 2023)
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series)
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series)
- 8 straight Stage T10’s (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series)
- Notable Daytona Streaks
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (2021.26-2022.01)
- 6 straight Stage T10’s (2017.01 S2-2018.01 S2) (3rd longest streak in Cup Series all-time)
- 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 47 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 10.5(1st), 67.22% of Laps ran in Top15(4th), Avg. Driver Rating 97.28(1st), Best 1st, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 94.27%, Led 7.49% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 5 Top 10’s, 5 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 2 Stage Wins, 3.0 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Daytona Statistics
- 2023 Fall Daytona Race
- Finished 36th (crash), Started 8th, Led 4 laps(2.45%), got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 41 Laps in Top 15(43.62% of laps ran), had 74.7 Driver Rating (ranked 16th)
- Notable Next Gen Daytona Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Daytona since 2022, 46 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 15.75 Avg. Finish (Ranks 13th)
- Best Finish: 4th, Worst: 36th
- Completed 89.81% of laps (% ranks T29th)
- 48.41% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 19th)
- 78.73 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 12th)
- Led 6.2% of laps he’s run (% ranks 4th)
- 0 Top 3’s
- 1 Top 5, 25.0% (% ranks T6th)
- 2 Top 10’s, 50.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 3 Top 15’s, 75.0% (% ranks T5th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 25.0% (% ranks T10th)
- 1 DNF, 25.0% (% ranks T16th)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 0 Stage T10’s
Main Points & Outlook
– Ryan Blaney is notable because of how well he ran at Superspeedways last year
– The last time the Cup Series raced in a points paying race Blaney didn’t take home the checkered flag, but he did finish 2nd in the race which was good enough take home the championship trophy
– His 2023 stats show that he was good at finishing Top 10, but not so great at finishing Top 5 as he had more finishes out of the Top 20 than in the Top 5
– He won the championship because he ended the season on an extreme hot streak getting 3 Top 2’s in a row and 4 Top 10’s in a row to end the season
– The best Daytona streak he can boast is that he finished the first 6 stages ran here in the Top 10
– He was the king of Superspeedways last year as he had the best Avg. Finish and best Avg. Driver Rating while getting 5 Top 10’s in the 6 races
– Blaney’s one Superspeedway race that didn’t result in a Top 10 was the last race at Daytona where he didn’t run well and crashed out to finish 36th
– In 4 Next Gen Daytona races he hasn’t recorded a Stage T10 and has only ran 48% of his laps in the Top 15, but he’s still managed to get 2 Top 10’s
Outlook for this weekend
Last year Ryan Blaney wasn’t the best driver most the year, but he was the best when it counted to get the championship. However, where he was the best was at Superspeedways, but he hasn’t had Next Gen success at Daytona yet so keep expectations somewhat tempered for this weekend.
– Ryan Blaney is notable because of how well he ran at Superspeedways last year
– The last time the Cup Series raced in a points paying race Blaney didn’t take home the checkered flag, but he did finish 2nd in the race which was good enough take home the championship trophy
– His 2023 stats show that he was good at finishing Top 10, but not so great at finishing Top 5 as he had more finishes out of the Top 20 than in the Top 5
– He won the championship because he ended the season on an extreme hot streak getting 3 Top 2’s in a row and 4 Top 10’s in a row to end the season
– The best Daytona streak he can boast is that he finished the first 6 stages ran here in the Top 10
– He was the king of Superspeedways last year as he had the best Avg. Finish and best Avg. Driver Rating while getting 5 Top 10’s in the 6 races
– Blaney’s one Superspeedway race that didn’t result in a Top 10 was the last race at Daytona where he didn’t run well and crashed out to finish 36th
– In 4 Next Gen Daytona races he hasn’t recorded a Stage T10 and has only ran 48% of his laps in the Top 15, but he’s still managed to get 2 Top 10’s
Outlook for this weekend
Last year Ryan Blaney wasn’t the best driver most the year, but he was the best when it counted to get the championship. However, where he was the best was at Superspeedways, but he hasn’t had Next Gen success at Daytona yet so keep expectations somewhat tempered for this weekend.
2nd in 2023 Points – Kyle Larson
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 14.64 | 9th of 35 | 192nd of 825 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 36th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 96.13% | 22nd of 35 | 324th of 825 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 73.46% | 3rd of 35 | 114th of 781‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 96.77 | 3rd of 35 | 96th of 781‡ |
| Wins | 4 | 2nd of 64 | T46th of 1430 |
| Poles | 2 | T5th of 64 | T81st of 1430 |
| Top 2’s | 7 | T2nd of 64 | T52nd of 1430 |
| Top 3’s | 9 | 3rd of 64 | T57th of 1430 |
| Top 5’s | 15 | T1st of 64 | T36th of 1430 |
| Top 10’s | 18 | T4th of 64 | T130th of 1430 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 11 | T10th of 35 | T265th of 825 |
| DNF’s¹ | 8 | 34th of 35 | T714th of 825 |
| Stage Wins | 8 | T2nd of 64 | T14th of 452* |
| Stage T10s | 45 | 3rd of 64 | T30th of 452* |
| Stage Pts | 277 | 3rd of 64 | 29th of 452* |
| Playoff Pts² | 28 | 2nd of 64 | T15th of 452* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 36 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
- Notable Streaks in 2023
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes
- 3 straight Stage Wins (tied longest streak in Cup Series in 2023 and tied 3rd longest streak in Cup Series all-time)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 8 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Daytona Streaks
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (2016.01-2016.17)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s (2018.18 S1-2019.01 S1 & 2021.26 S2-2022.01 S2)
- 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 47 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 26.67(38th), 63.95% of Laps ran in Top15(5th), Avg. Driver Rating 78.05(12th), Best 15th, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 88.7%, Led 1.03% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 1 Top 15, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 4 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.25 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Daytona Statistics
- 2023 Fall Daytona Race
- Finished 27th, Started 7th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 51 Laps in Top 15(31.68% of laps ran), had 76.9 Driver Rating (ranked 14th)
- Notable Next Gen Daytona Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Daytona since 2022, 46 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 28.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks T40th)
- Best Finish: 18th, Worst: 37th
- Completed 78.26% of laps (% ranks 39th)
- 61.63% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 11th)
- 68.18 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 20th)
- Led 1.22% of laps he’s run (% ranks 23rd)
- 1 Pole, 25.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Top 15’s
- 3 finishes outside Top 20, 75.0% (% ranks T31st)
- 3 DNF’s, 75.0% (% ranks T38th)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 2 Stage T10’s, 25.0% (% ranks T15th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Kyle Larson is notable because he finished 2nd in points last year
– In the last Cup race ran for points Larson ran all but 1 lap in the Top 15, but still came one spot short of his 2nd Cup championship, finishing 3rd
– His 2023 season can be summed up by saying when he finished he finished well as he had 9 Top 3’s, however finishing was the problem as he had 8 DNF’s
– He is on a 2 race Top 10 streak and a 2 straight Stage T10 streak heading into the 2024 season
– In terms of Daytona streaks he’s had just one time where he finished back-to-back races in the Top 10
– At Superspeedways last year he was awful at finishing ending with the 38th best Avg. Finish and 4 DNF’s, but he did have the 5th best Laps in Top 15%
– In the last race at Daytona Larson managed to not DNF, but he ran just 32% of his laps in the Top 15 and finished 27th
– In the Next Gen car he has more Poles (1) than Top 15 finishes (0) at Daytona, but his Laps in Top 15% isn’t too bad
Outlook for this weekend
Larson barely missed his 2nd championship in 3 years last year and part of this could have been due to his up and down season. This weekend will probably be another down based on the stats as he was awful at Superspeedways last year and has been awful at Daytona in the Next Gen as well. This weekend look for Larson to run Top 15 quite a bit, but his finish will not be near as good.
– Kyle Larson is notable because he finished 2nd in points last year
– In the last Cup race ran for points Larson ran all but 1 lap in the Top 15, but still came one spot short of his 2nd Cup championship, finishing 3rd
– His 2023 season can be summed up by saying when he finished he finished well as he had 9 Top 3’s, however finishing was the problem as he had 8 DNF’s
– He is on a 2 race Top 10 streak and a 2 straight Stage T10 streak heading into the 2024 season
– In terms of Daytona streaks he’s had just one time where he finished back-to-back races in the Top 10
– At Superspeedways last year he was awful at finishing ending with the 38th best Avg. Finish and 4 DNF’s, but he did have the 5th best Laps in Top 15%
– In the last race at Daytona Larson managed to not DNF, but he ran just 32% of his laps in the Top 15 and finished 27th
– In the Next Gen car he has more Poles (1) than Top 15 finishes (0) at Daytona, but his Laps in Top 15% isn’t too bad
Outlook for this weekend
Larson barely missed his 2nd championship in 3 years last year and part of this could have been due to his up and down season. This weekend will probably be another down based on the stats as he was awful at Superspeedways last year and has been awful at Daytona in the Next Gen as well. This weekend look for Larson to run Top 15 quite a bit, but his finish will not be near as good.
3rd in 2023 Points – William Byron
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 10.97 | 1st of 35 | 39th of 825 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 35th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 97.46% | 12th of 35 | T203rd of 825 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 73.66% | 2nd of 35 | 110th of 781‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 98.75 | 1st of 35 | 71st of 781‡ |
| Wins | 6 | 1st of 64 | T16th of 1430 |
| Poles | 4 | T2nd of 64 | T22nd of 1430 |
| Top 2’s | 9 | 1st of 64 | T26th of 1430 |
| Top 3’s | 10 | 2nd of 64 | T45th of 1430 |
| Top 5’s | 15 | T1st of 64 | T36th of 1430 |
| Top 10’s | 21 | 1st of 64 | T59th of 1430 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 8 | T4th of 35 | T118th of 825 |
| DNF’s¹ | 3 | T5th of 35 | T226th of 825 |
| Stage Wins | 9 | 1st of 64 | T11th of 452* |
| Stage T10s | 44 | 4th of 64 | T34th of 452* |
| Stage Pts | 294 | 2nd of 64 | T17th of 452* |
| Playoff Pts² | 39 | 1st of 64 | T8th of 452* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 36 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
- Notable Streaks in 2023
- 2 straight Wins (tied longest streak in Cup Series in 2023)
- 3 straight Top 2 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series in 2023)
- 3 straight Top 3 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series in 2023)
- 4 straight Top 5 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series in 2023)
- 6 straight Top 10 finishes
- 3 straight Stage Wins (tied longest streak in Cup Series in 2023 and tied 3rd longest streak in Cup Series all-time)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 7 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Daytona Streaks
- 1 straight Top 10 finish (active “streak”)
- 1 straight Stage T10 (active “streak”)
- 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 47 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 14.0(11th), 58.7% of Laps ran in Top15(11th), Avg. Driver Rating 81.5(8th), Best 1st, Worst 34th, Laps Completed 93.52%, Led 2.93% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 3.92 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Daytona Statistics
- 2023 Fall Daytona Race
- Finished 8th, Started 27th, Led 1 laps(0.61%), Finished 5th in Stage 2, ran 52 Laps in Top 15(31.9% of laps ran), had 65.0 Driver Rating (ranked 22nd)
- Notable Next Gen Daytona Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Daytona since 2022, 46 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 28.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks T40th)
- Best Finish: 8th, Worst: 38th
- Completed 71.74% of laps (% ranks 45th)
- 51.33% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 18th)
- 66.6 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 24th)
- Led 0.57% of laps he’s run (% ranks 29th)
- 0 Top 5’s
- 1 Top 10, 25.0% (% ranks T14th)
- 3 finishes outside Top 20, 75.0% (% ranks T31st)
- 3 DNF’s, 75.0% (% ranks T38th)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 2 Stage T10’s, 25.0% (% ranks T15th)
Main Points & Outlook
– William Byron is notable because of how good his 2023 stats are
– In the championship race last year Byron dominated early but fell off after that and could only muster up a 4th place finish
– In the 2023 Ranks he only had 4 of the 16 categories be worse than 2nd which shows just how dominant he was last year
– He was tied for or best in almost every streak last year and was one of only two drivers to win back-to-back races in 2023
– His streaks at Daytona aren’t really even streaks as he doesn’t have 2+ of anything
– Last year on Superspeedways he wasn’t terrible as he had the 11th best Avg. Finish and 8th best Avg. Driver Rating with 3.92 Stage Pts Per Stage
– Byron didn’t run great in the last Daytona race, getting the 22nd best Avg. Driver Rating, but at the end of the race he found himself crossing the line 8th
– This 8th place is his only Top 10 finish in 4 Next Gen races here and the other 3 were DNF’s which has his Avg. Finish at an abysmal 28.5
Outlook for this weekend
William Byron pretty much dominated everything last year, but that doesn’t mean much now a days and still put him 3rd in points at the end of the year. He’s looking to start off hot this year and based on his Superspeedway stats he could, but based on his Daytona stats he’s in trouble. So, look for Byron to do well, but don’t be surprised if he wrecks out either.
– William Byron is notable because of how good his 2023 stats are
– In the championship race last year Byron dominated early but fell off after that and could only muster up a 4th place finish
– In the 2023 Ranks he only had 4 of the 16 categories be worse than 2nd which shows just how dominant he was last year
– He was tied for or best in almost every streak last year and was one of only two drivers to win back-to-back races in 2023
– His streaks at Daytona aren’t really even streaks as he doesn’t have 2+ of anything
– Last year on Superspeedways he wasn’t terrible as he had the 11th best Avg. Finish and 8th best Avg. Driver Rating with 3.92 Stage Pts Per Stage
– Byron didn’t run great in the last Daytona race, getting the 22nd best Avg. Driver Rating, but at the end of the race he found himself crossing the line 8th
– This 8th place is his only Top 10 finish in 4 Next Gen races here and the other 3 were DNF’s which has his Avg. Finish at an abysmal 28.5
Outlook for this weekend
William Byron pretty much dominated everything last year, but that doesn’t mean much now a days and still put him 3rd in points at the end of the year. He’s looking to start off hot this year and based on his Superspeedway stats he could, but based on his Daytona stats he’s in trouble. So, look for Byron to do well, but don’t be surprised if he wrecks out either.
7th in 2023 Points – Chris Buescher
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 12.14 | 2nd of 35 | 75th of 825 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 35th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.19% | 1st of 35 | 41st of 825 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 61.03% | 12th of 35 | 226th of 781‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 84.1 | 8th of 35 | 241st of 781‡ |
| Wins | 3 | T3rd of 64 | T72nd of 1430 |
| Poles | 0 | T16th of 64 | T282nd of 1430 |
| Top 2’s | 3 | T10th of 64 | T151st of 1430 |
| Top 3’s | 5 | 11th of 64 | T154th of 1430 |
| Top 5’s | 9 | T9th of 64 | T159th of 1430 |
| Top 10’s | 17 | T6th of 64 | T156th of 1430 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 5 | T1st of 35 | T21st of 825 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T2nd of 35 | T32nd of 825 |
| Stage Wins | 2 | T11th of 64 | T70th of 452* |
| Stage T10s | 21 | 17th of 64 | 111th of 452* |
| Stage Pts | 110 | 15th of 64 | T100th of 452* |
| Playoff Pts² | 17 | T6th of 64 | T36th of 452* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 36 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
- Notable Streaks in 2023
- 2 straight Wins (tied longest streak in Cup Series in 2023)
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Daytona Streaks
- 1 straight Win (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak, tied longest active streak in Cup Series)
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak, tied longest active streak in Cup Series)
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes (2017.17-2018.18)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (2020.01 S1-2020.01 S2 & 2023.01 S1-2023.01 S2)
- 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 47 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 12.83(T6th), 59.05% of Laps ran in Top15(10th), Avg. Driver Rating 87.27(5th), Best 1st, Worst 35th, Laps Completed 94.1%, Led 7.15% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 2.17 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Daytona Statistics
- 2023 Fall Daytona Race
- Finished 1st, Started 11th, Led 2 laps(1.23%), got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 124 Laps in Top 15(76.07% of laps ran), had 112.1 Driver Rating (ranked 1st)
- Notable Next Gen Daytona Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Daytona since 2022, 46 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 12.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 5th)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 27th
- Completed 96.74% of laps (% ranks T20th)
- 75.14% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 2nd)
- 94.0 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 2nd)
- Led 4.92% of laps he’s run (% ranks T8th)
- 1 Win, 25.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 2 Top 5’s, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 2 Top 15’s, 50.0% (% ranks T12th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 25.0% (% ranks T10th)
- 1 DNF, 25.0% (% ranks T16th)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 3 Stage T10’s, 37.5% (% ranks T9th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Chris Buescher is notable because of his tremendous race at Daytona last Fall
– At Phoenix last Fall Buescher ran all 312 laps in the Top 15 and came home with a 5th place finish (2nd best of the non-Championship 4 drivers)
– Last year was a breakout year for him as his Avg. Finish, 3 Wins, and 5 finishes out of Top 20 show. However, he didn’t run as well as his Stage Pts and Laps in Top 15% show
– Coming into the season he is on a 2 race Top 10 finish streak and a 2 straight Stage T10 streak as well
– Going into this Daytona race he is on a 2 race Daytona Top 5 streak, tied with Joey Logano for best active streak
– At Superspeedways last year he did pretty good as his Avg. Finish, Laps in Top 15%, and Avg. Driver Rating all ranked 10th or better
– In the last race at Daytona (last Fall) Buescher may have not dominated the race, but he had the best Driver Rating and won the race
– Since the introduction of the Next Gen car Buescher has been good at Daytona sporting a 12.0 Avg. Finish with 2 Top 5’s while running an impressive 75.14% of his laps in the Top 15
Outlook for this weekend
Chris Buescher is looking to build on the year he and RFK Racing had last year, however he’ll need to do better during the races and not just rely on late race magic to finish well. Either way he was decently good at Superspeedways last year and won the most recent race at Daytona. Based on the stats I say watch for Buescher to run well all day and with a little luck he could pull of another Daytona win.
– Chris Buescher is notable because of his tremendous race at Daytona last Fall
– At Phoenix last Fall Buescher ran all 312 laps in the Top 15 and came home with a 5th place finish (2nd best of the non-Championship 4 drivers)
– Last year was a breakout year for him as his Avg. Finish, 3 Wins, and 5 finishes out of Top 20 show. However, he didn’t run as well as his Stage Pts and Laps in Top 15% show
– Coming into the season he is on a 2 race Top 10 finish streak and a 2 straight Stage T10 streak as well
– Going into this Daytona race he is on a 2 race Daytona Top 5 streak, tied with Joey Logano for best active streak
– At Superspeedways last year he did pretty good as his Avg. Finish, Laps in Top 15%, and Avg. Driver Rating all ranked 10th or better
– In the last race at Daytona (last Fall) Buescher may have not dominated the race, but he had the best Driver Rating and won the race
– Since the introduction of the Next Gen car Buescher has been good at Daytona sporting a 12.0 Avg. Finish with 2 Top 5’s while running an impressive 75.14% of his laps in the Top 15
Outlook for this weekend
Chris Buescher is looking to build on the year he and RFK Racing had last year, however he’ll need to do better during the races and not just rely on late race magic to finish well. Either way he was decently good at Superspeedways last year and won the most recent race at Daytona. Based on the stats I say watch for Buescher to run well all day and with a little luck he could pull of another Daytona win.
12th in 2023 Points – Joey Logano
| Category | Statistic | 2023 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 14.94 | 11th of 35 | T207th of 825 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 37th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 93.34% | 29th of 35 | 549th of 825 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 59.27% | 13th of 35 | 240th of 781‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 80.67 | 13th of 35 | 287th of 781‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T11th of 64 | T156th of 1430 |
| Poles | 2 | T5th of 64 | T81st of 1430 |
| Top 2’s | 4 | T8th of 64 | T119th of 1430 |
| Top 3’s | 6 | T9th of 64 | T134th of 1430 |
| Top 5’s | 11 | 4th of 64 | T109th of 1430 |
| Top 10’s | 17 | T6th of 64 | T156th of 1430 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 11 | T10th of 35 | T265th of 825 |
| DNF’s¹ | 5 | T23rd of 35 | T505th of 825 |
| Stage Wins | 3 | 10th of 64 | T60th of 452* |
| Stage T10s | 26 | T12th of 64 | T93rd of 452* |
| Stage Pts | 146 | 11th of 64 | T81st of 452* |
| Playoff Pts² | 8 | 11th of 64 | T64th of 452* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 36 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
- Notable Streaks in 2023
- 2 straight Top 3 finishes
- 3 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Daytona Streaks
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak, tied longest active streak in Cup Series)
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak, tied longest active streak in Cup Series)
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes (2011.17-2012.18 & 2016.01-2017.01)
- 2 straight Stage Wins (2020.26 S1-2020.26 S2) (tied longest streak in Cup Series all-time)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series)
- 16 straight Stage T10’s (2019.01 S1-2022.26 S2) (longest streak in Cup Series all-time)
- 2023 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 47 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 13.17(9th), 76.31% of Laps ran in Top15(1st), Avg. Driver Rating 96.63(2nd), Best 1st, Worst 30th, Laps Completed 99.92%, Led 18.54% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 1 Pole, 2 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 4.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Daytona Statistics
- 2023 Fall Daytona Race
- Finished 5th, Started 14th, Led 9 laps(5.52%), Finished 5th in Stage 1 and 10th in Stage 2, ran 137 Laps in Top 15(84.05% of laps ran), had 104.1 Driver Rating (ranked 2nd)
- Notable Next Gen Daytona Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Daytona since 2022, 46 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 10.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 1st)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 21st
- Completed 99.32% of laps (% ranks 11th)
- 68.26% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 5th)
- 97.78 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 1st)
- Led 4.92% of laps he’s run (% ranks T8th)
- 0 Wins
- 1 Top 2, 25.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 2 Top 5’s, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 3 Top 15’s, 75.0% (% ranks T5th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 25.0% (% ranks T10th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 1 Stage Win, 12.5% (% ranks T3rd)
- 7 Stage T10’s, 87.5% (% ranks T1st)
- 5.75 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 2nd)
Main Points & Outlook
– Joey Logano is notable because of how he’s done at Daytona in the Next Gen car
– In the last Cup points race, Phoenix last fall, Logano was barely able to run half the laps in the Top 15 and ended up finishing a mediocre 18th
– In 2023 he did a decent job of finishing Top 10 and Top 5, but other than those stats most of his other stats are 10th or worse in the 2023 Ranks above
– The only streaks he had last year was a 2 race Top 3 streak and a 3 straight Stage T10 streak
– His streaks at Daytona are much better as he had at one point a 16 straight Stage T10 streak and is currently on a 2 race Top 5 streak and 3 straight Stage T10 streak
– His runs at Superspeedways last year were amazing as he ranked 1st in Laps in Top 15% and 2nd in Avg. Driver Rating, but his finishes were more of a mixed bag
– Last Fall at Daytona Logano finished 5th with the 2nd best Driver Rating and he ran 84% of his laps in the Top 15
– Since the Next Gen car was introduced he has a 10.0 Avg. Finish and the best Avg. Driver Rating among active drivers with great stage stats as well
Outlook for this weekend
The 2023 season did not go the way Joey Logano was hoping, but he did do decently well at Superspeedways which is where we go this weekend. This, along with his streaks at Daytona and his impressive Next Gen stats here, tell me that Logano will be a threat all race long and if he can avoid the carnage will be a threat for the win as well.
– Joey Logano is notable because of how he’s done at Daytona in the Next Gen car
– In the last Cup points race, Phoenix last fall, Logano was barely able to run half the laps in the Top 15 and ended up finishing a mediocre 18th
– In 2023 he did a decent job of finishing Top 10 and Top 5, but other than those stats most of his other stats are 10th or worse in the 2023 Ranks above
– The only streaks he had last year was a 2 race Top 3 streak and a 3 straight Stage T10 streak
– His streaks at Daytona are much better as he had at one point a 16 straight Stage T10 streak and is currently on a 2 race Top 5 streak and 3 straight Stage T10 streak
– His runs at Superspeedways last year were amazing as he ranked 1st in Laps in Top 15% and 2nd in Avg. Driver Rating, but his finishes were more of a mixed bag
– Last Fall at Daytona Logano finished 5th with the 2nd best Driver Rating and he ran 84% of his laps in the Top 15
– Since the Next Gen car was introduced he has a 10.0 Avg. Finish and the best Avg. Driver Rating among active drivers with great stage stats as well
Outlook for this weekend
The 2023 season did not go the way Joey Logano was hoping, but he did do decently well at Superspeedways which is where we go this weekend. This, along with his streaks at Daytona and his impressive Next Gen stats here, tell me that Logano will be a threat all race long and if he can avoid the carnage will be a threat for the win as well.
