Two weeks ago at Phoenix we saw heartbreak for Justin Allgaier as he blew a tire while on his way to victory. Chandler Smith took this and ran away with it as he won the race. Now, after an off week, we head to the first Road Course on the Xfinity schedule, COTA. I have picked 5 notable drivers to look at, 1 based on 2024 season stats, 1 based on Road Course stats, 1 based on the last COTA race, 1 based on their COTA stats over the last 5 Xfinity seasons, and 1 based on the highest in 2024 points that wasn’t already picked. Here is a look at those 5 notable drivers 2024 season statistics, along with ranks among drivers in 2024 as well as ranking through 4 races since the Playoffs started in 2016. We will also highlight notable streaks accomplished through the year and at COTA, 2023 Road Course (left and right turns) statistics and COTA statistics from the past 5 Xfinity seasons.
Note: any driver in 4 straight Xfinity outlook articles is not in consideration for the next two, or any driver in 4 of 5 Xfinity outlook articles is not in consideration for the next one. This resets after they are put back into consideration.
This week not in consideration: Austin Hill (4 in a row), John Hunter Nemechek (4 in a row)
This week not in consideration: Austin Hill (4 in a row), John Hunter Nemechek (4 in a row)
1st in Points – Chandler Smith
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 4 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 2.75 | 2nd of 41 | 7th of 360 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 5th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 100% | T1st of 41 | T1st of 360 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 94.24% | T4th of 41 | T27th of 360 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 112.45 | 1st of 41 | 16th of 360‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T2nd of 48 | T5th of 486 |
| Poles | 0 | T3rd of 48 | T23rd of 486 |
| Top 2’s | 2 | T1st of 48 | T4th of 486 |
| Top 3’s | 3 | 1st of 48 | T2nd of 486 |
| Top 5’s | 4 | T1st of 48 | T1st of 486 |
| Top 10’s | 4 | T1st of 48 | T1st of 486 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 0 | T1st of 41 | T1st of 360 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 41 | T1st of 360 |
| Stage Wins | 3 | T1st of 48 | T1st of 423* |
| Stage T10s | 5 | T7th of 48 | T44th of 423* |
| Stage Pts | 42 | 3rd of 48 | 14th of 423* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 7.75 | 7th of 41 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 8 | 2nd of 48 | T3rd of 423* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 4 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this year/active streaks
- 3 straight Top 3 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Xfinity Series and longest streak in Xfinity Series this year)
- 4 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak, tied longest active streak in Xfinity Series and tied longest streak in Xfinity Series this year)
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak, tied longest active streak in Xfinity Series)
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes this year (active streak, tied longest streak in Xfinity Series this year)
- 3 straight Stage Wins (longest streak in Xfinity Series this year and tied 7th longest streak in Xfinity Series all-time)
- 5 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- Notable COTA Streaks
- none
- 2023 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 66 drivers)
- 8 Races, Avg. Finish 16.75(19th), 46.93% of Laps ran in Top15(25th), Avg. Driver Rating 73.74(22nd), Best 8th, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 92.87%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 6 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 1.19 Stage Pts Per Stage
- COTA Statistics
- 2023 COTA Race
- Finished 12th, Started 27th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 18 Laps in Top 15(39.13% of laps ran), had 72.7 Driver Rating (ranked 15th)
- Notable COTA Statistics over last 5 years (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at COTA since 2019, 28 drivers)
- 1 Race
- 12.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 6th)
- Best Finish: 12th, Worst: 12th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 39.13% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 13th)
- 72.7 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 11th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 10’s
- 1 Top 15, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 0 Stage T10’s
Main Points & Outlook
– Chandler Smith is notable because of his 2024 stats thru 4 races
– At Phoenix Chandler ran all 205 laps in the Top 15, won Stage 1, and was the beneficiary of Justin Allgaier’s blown tire as Chandler went on the win the race
– On the year he has a 2.75 Avg. Finish and since 2016 is one of 5 drivers to have 4 Top 5’s in the first 4 races, and one of 7 drivers to have 3 Stage Wins thru 4 races
– He is currently on a 3 race Top 3 streak, 4 race Top 5 streak, a 5 race Top 10 streak, and until Stage 2 at Phoenix was on a 3 straight Stage Win streak
– He has no streaks here at COTA
– Road Courses were a struggle for him last year as he ran less than 50% of his laps in the Top 15 and had only 3 Top 10’s with a best finish of 8th in 8 races
– Here at COTA last year Chandler ran 39% of his laps in the Top 15 and got 0 Stage T10’s en route to a 12th place finish
– This was his only race here at COTA in the Xfinity Series
Outlook for this weekend
Chandler Smith may be with a new team but what’s not new is that he has an early race win after he won at Phoenix 2 weeks ago. Overall he’s been great this year but he has struggled a bit in stages when he’s not winning them. The news from here only gets worse as we head to a Road Course this weekend where Chandler struggled to run or finish well last year. This includes COTA where he didn’t run in the Top 15 much but found a way to finish there. In all Chandler has had a great start to the year, but have modest expectations for him this weekend.
– Chandler Smith is notable because of his 2024 stats thru 4 races
– At Phoenix Chandler ran all 205 laps in the Top 15, won Stage 1, and was the beneficiary of Justin Allgaier’s blown tire as Chandler went on the win the race
– On the year he has a 2.75 Avg. Finish and since 2016 is one of 5 drivers to have 4 Top 5’s in the first 4 races, and one of 7 drivers to have 3 Stage Wins thru 4 races
– He is currently on a 3 race Top 3 streak, 4 race Top 5 streak, a 5 race Top 10 streak, and until Stage 2 at Phoenix was on a 3 straight Stage Win streak
– He has no streaks here at COTA
– Road Courses were a struggle for him last year as he ran less than 50% of his laps in the Top 15 and had only 3 Top 10’s with a best finish of 8th in 8 races
– Here at COTA last year Chandler ran 39% of his laps in the Top 15 and got 0 Stage T10’s en route to a 12th place finish
– This was his only race here at COTA in the Xfinity Series
Outlook for this weekend
Chandler Smith may be with a new team but what’s not new is that he has an early race win after he won at Phoenix 2 weeks ago. Overall he’s been great this year but he has struggled a bit in stages when he’s not winning them. The news from here only gets worse as we head to a Road Course this weekend where Chandler struggled to run or finish well last year. This includes COTA where he didn’t run in the Top 15 much but found a way to finish there. In all Chandler has had a great start to the year, but have modest expectations for him this weekend.
3rd in Points – Cole Custer
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 4 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 9.0 | 4th of 41 | 43rd of 360 |
| Best Fin. | 2nd | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 16th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.86% | T5th of 41 | T47th of 360 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 96.4% | 2nd of 41 | 16th of 360 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 100.7 | 5th of 41 | 48th of 360‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T4th of 48 | T32nd of 486 |
| Poles | 2 | T1st of 48 | T1st of 486 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T3rd of 48 | T10th of 486 |
| Top 3’s | 1 | T4th of 48 | T21st of 486 |
| Top 5’s | 2 | T4th of 48 | T18th of 486 |
| Top 10’s | 2 | T6th of 48 | T55th of 486 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 0 | T1st of 41 | T1st of 360 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 41 | T1st of 360 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T3rd of 48 | T17th of 423* |
| Stage T10s | 6 | T3rd of 48 | T24th of 423* |
| Stage Pts | 38 | T4th of 48 | T20th of 423* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 6.75 | 4th of 41 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 1 | 4th of 48 | T29th of 423* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 4 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this year/active streaks
- 2 straight Poles (active streak, tied longest streak in Xfinity Series this year and tied 10th longest streak in Xfinity Series all-time)
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak)
- 5 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- Notable COTA Streaks
- 2 straight Top 10’s (2021.11-2022.06) (tied 2nd longest streak in Xfinity Series at COTA all-time)
- 2023 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 66 drivers)
- 8 Races, Avg. Finish 10.63(T10th), 79.25% of Laps ran in Top15(13th), Avg. Driver Rating 106.63(7th), Best 1st, Worst 32nd, Laps Completed 98.17%, Led 7.26% of laps he ran, 2 Wins, 1 Pole, 3 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 6 Top 10’s, 6 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 3 Stage Wins, 3.81 Stage Pts Per Stage
- COTA Statistics
- 2023 COTA Race
- Finished 32nd, Started 10th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 23 Laps in Top 15(51.11% of laps ran), had 69.7 Driver Rating (ranked 17th)
- Notable COTA Statistics over last 5 years (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at COTA since 2019, 28 drivers)
- 3 Races
- 14.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 8th)
- Best Finish: 3rd, Worst: 32nd
- Completed 99.28% of laps (% ranks 25th)
- 76.64% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 8th)
- 96.2 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 5th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 2’s
- 1 Top 3, 33.33% (% ranks T4th)
- 2 Top 10’s, 66.67% (% ranks T6th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 33.33% (% ranks T10th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 0 Stage T10’s
Main Points & Outlook
– Cole Custer is notable because he’s 3rd in points
– Two weeks ago at Phoenix Custer won the Pole and Stage 2, got 19 Stage Pts, ran every lap in the Top 15, and ended up 5th at the finish
– This year he has a 9.0 Avg. Finish with the 2nd best Laps in Top 15% and 16 of his 17 2024 Ranks above are T5th or better
– He is currently on a 2 straight Pole streak and has finished the last 2 races in the Top 5
– The only streak he has at COTA is his 2 straight Top 10 streak he had in the first 2 races here
– In 8 Road Course races last year he had 2 Wins, 6 Top 10’s, 3 Stage Wins, and the 7th best Avg. Driver Rating (106.63)
– Last year at COTA Custer got 0 Stage T10’s and got stuck in the sand trap to bring out the last caution of the day, thus finishing 32nd
– He’s ran all 3 Xfinity races at COTA and has 2 Top 10’s with a best finish of 3rd and worst of 32nd, but in 6 stages he has 0 Stage T10’s
Outlook for this weekend
Cole Custer had himself another solid race the last time the Xfinity Series took to the track, winning the Pole and finishing 5th. This has kept his good start to 2024 going as he sits 3rd in points. This hot streak may continue this weekend as he was pretty good at Road Courses last year, winning a quarter of the races. The only bad stats above are his stats at COTA last year, but that was due to him being stuck in the sand trap with the rest of his stats here being pretty good. Overall the stats say to look for not a great but solid day for Custer at COTA this weekend.
– Cole Custer is notable because he’s 3rd in points
– Two weeks ago at Phoenix Custer won the Pole and Stage 2, got 19 Stage Pts, ran every lap in the Top 15, and ended up 5th at the finish
– This year he has a 9.0 Avg. Finish with the 2nd best Laps in Top 15% and 16 of his 17 2024 Ranks above are T5th or better
– He is currently on a 2 straight Pole streak and has finished the last 2 races in the Top 5
– The only streak he has at COTA is his 2 straight Top 10 streak he had in the first 2 races here
– In 8 Road Course races last year he had 2 Wins, 6 Top 10’s, 3 Stage Wins, and the 7th best Avg. Driver Rating (106.63)
– Last year at COTA Custer got 0 Stage T10’s and got stuck in the sand trap to bring out the last caution of the day, thus finishing 32nd
– He’s ran all 3 Xfinity races at COTA and has 2 Top 10’s with a best finish of 3rd and worst of 32nd, but in 6 stages he has 0 Stage T10’s
Outlook for this weekend
Cole Custer had himself another solid race the last time the Xfinity Series took to the track, winning the Pole and finishing 5th. This has kept his good start to 2024 going as he sits 3rd in points. This hot streak may continue this weekend as he was pretty good at Road Courses last year, winning a quarter of the races. The only bad stats above are his stats at COTA last year, but that was due to him being stuck in the sand trap with the rest of his stats here being pretty good. Overall the stats say to look for not a great but solid day for Custer at COTA this weekend.
7th in Points – A.J. Allmendinger
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 4 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 11.75 | 6th of 41 | T66th of 360 |
| Best Fin. | 6th | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 18th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.86% | T5th of 41 | T47th of 360 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 82.28% | 9th of 41 | 81st of 360 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 89.93 | 10th of 41 | 82nd of 360‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T4th of 48 | T32nd of 486 |
| Poles | 0 | T3rd of 48 | T23rd of 486 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T7th of 48 | T61st of 486 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T9th of 48 | T81st of 486 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T11th of 48 | T113th of 486 |
| Top 10’s | 2 | T6th of 48 | T55th of 486 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 0 | T1st of 41 | T1st of 360 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 41 | T1st of 360 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T5th of 48 | T42nd of 423* |
| Stage T10s | 6 | T3rd of 48 | T24th of 423* |
| Stage Pts | 23 | 7th of 48 | T57th of 423* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 8.5 | 9th of 41 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T5th of 48 | T40th of 423* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 4 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this year/active streaks
- 6 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable COTA Streaks
- 2 straight Wins (active streak, longest streak in Xfinity Series at COTA all-time)
- 1 straight Pole (active “streak”)
- 3 straight Top 2 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Xfinity Series at COTA and longest streak in Xfinity Series at COTA all-time)
- 3 straight Top 3 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Xfinity Series at COTA and longest streak in Xfinity Series at COTA all-time)
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Xfinity Series at COTA and longest streak in Xfinity Series at COTA all-time)
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Xfinity Series at COTA and longest streak in Xfinity Series at COTA all-time)
- 6 straight Stage T10’s (active streak, longest active streak in Xfinity Series at COTA and longest streak in Xfinity Series at COTA all-time)
- 2023 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 66 drivers)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 3.75(3rd), 91.95% of Laps ran in Top15(7th), Avg. Driver Rating 127.28(3rd), Best 1st, Worst 9th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 23.73% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 3 Poles, 3 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 3 Stage Wins, 8 Stage T10’s
- COTA Statistics
- 2023 COTA Race
- Finished 1st, Started 1st, Led 28 laps(60.87%), Finished 1st in Stage 1 and 6th in Stage 2, ran 39 Laps in Top 15(84.78% of laps ran), had 149.2 Driver Rating (ranked 1st)
- Notable COTA Statistics over last 5 years (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at COTA since 2019, 28 drivers)
- 3 Races
- 1.33 Avg. Finish (Ranks 1st)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 2nd
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 90.58% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 5th)
- 138.4 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 1st)
- Led 42.03% of laps he’s run (% ranks 1st)
- 2 Wins, 66.67% (% ranks 1st)
- 1 Pole, 33.33% (% ranks 1st)
- 3 Top 2’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 3 Stage Wins, 50.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 6 Stage T10’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 4.33 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 3rd)
Main Points & Outlook
– A.J. Allmendinger is notable because of how he did in last years Xfinity COTA race
– At Phoenix two weeks ago Allmendinger struggled as he ran just 55% of his laps in the Top 15 and got 0 Stage Pts en route to an 18th place finish
– This year he has a decent 11.75 Avg. Finish and 8.5 Avg. Stage Finish, but he has 0 Top 5’s and only 2 Top 10’s thru the first 4 races
– The only streak he’s had this year was a 6 straight Stage T10 streak
– His COTA streaks are impressive as he has 2 straight Wins, 3 straight Top 2’s, and 6 straight Stage T10’s in the 3 COTA races
– In the 4 Xfinity Road Course races he ran last year he had a 3.75 Avg. Finish with 1 Win, 3 Top 3’s, and a 127.28 Avg. Driver Rating
– Last year at COTA Allmendinger started 1st, won Stage 1, led 61% of the race, won the race, and had a tremendous 149.2 Driver Rating
– He’s ran all 3 Xfinity races at COTA and in the 3 races hasn’t finished worse than 2nd while accumulating the best Avg. Driver Rating (138.4) and leading a whopping 42% of his laps
Outlook for this weekend
A.J. Allmendinger has been anything but flashy in his comeback to the Xfinity Series, but that’s not to say he’s been bad. However, the mediocrity will probably end this week as we head to the first Road Course of the year. Last year he only had 1 Xfinity Road Course finish out of the Top 3 and he even won last years Xfinity COTA race. In fact in the 3 Xfinity races here his worst finish is only 2nd. In summary, Allmendinger is the one to beat this weekend so don’t be surprised if he’s up front late and in victory lane after the race.
– A.J. Allmendinger is notable because of how he did in last years Xfinity COTA race
– At Phoenix two weeks ago Allmendinger struggled as he ran just 55% of his laps in the Top 15 and got 0 Stage Pts en route to an 18th place finish
– This year he has a decent 11.75 Avg. Finish and 8.5 Avg. Stage Finish, but he has 0 Top 5’s and only 2 Top 10’s thru the first 4 races
– The only streak he’s had this year was a 6 straight Stage T10 streak
– His COTA streaks are impressive as he has 2 straight Wins, 3 straight Top 2’s, and 6 straight Stage T10’s in the 3 COTA races
– In the 4 Xfinity Road Course races he ran last year he had a 3.75 Avg. Finish with 1 Win, 3 Top 3’s, and a 127.28 Avg. Driver Rating
– Last year at COTA Allmendinger started 1st, won Stage 1, led 61% of the race, won the race, and had a tremendous 149.2 Driver Rating
– He’s ran all 3 Xfinity races at COTA and in the 3 races hasn’t finished worse than 2nd while accumulating the best Avg. Driver Rating (138.4) and leading a whopping 42% of his laps
Outlook for this weekend
A.J. Allmendinger has been anything but flashy in his comeback to the Xfinity Series, but that’s not to say he’s been bad. However, the mediocrity will probably end this week as we head to the first Road Course of the year. Last year he only had 1 Xfinity Road Course finish out of the Top 3 and he even won last years Xfinity COTA race. In fact in the 3 Xfinity races here his worst finish is only 2nd. In summary, Allmendinger is the one to beat this weekend so don’t be surprised if he’s up front late and in victory lane after the race.
10th in Points – Sammy Smith
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 4 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 12.5 | T7th of 41 | T75th of 360 |
| Best Fin. | 8th | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 23rd | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.86% | T5th of 41 | T47th of 360 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 79.97% | 11th of 41 | 86th of 360 |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 89.8 | 11th of 41 | 84th of 360‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T4th of 48 | T32nd of 486 |
| Poles | 0 | T3rd of 48 | T23rd of 486 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T7th of 48 | T61st of 486 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T9th of 48 | T81st of 486 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T11th of 48 | T113th of 486 |
| Top 10’s | 3 | T3rd of 48 | T16th of 486 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 1 | T8th of 41 | T73rd of 360 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 41 | T1st of 360 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T5th of 48 | T42nd of 423* |
| Stage T10s | 3 | T14th of 48 | T87th of 423* |
| Stage Pts | 16 | T11th of 48 | T72nd of 423* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 13.25 | 15th of 41 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T5th of 48 | T40th of 423* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 4 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this year/active streaks
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable COTA Streaks
- 1 straight Top 5 finish (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 2023 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 66 drivers)
- 8 Races, Avg. Finish 17.13(T20th), 62.92% of Laps ran in Top15(20th), Avg. Driver Rating 80.33(19th), Best 4th, Worst 31st, Laps Completed 97.76%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 1.63 Stage Pts Per Stage
- COTA Statistics
- 2023 COTA Race
- Finished 4th, Started 2nd, Led 0 laps, Finished 9th in Stage 1 and 9th in Stage 2, ran 46 Laps in Top 15(100% of laps ran), had 112.4 Driver Rating (ranked 4th)
- Notable COTA Statistics over last 5 years (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at COTA since 2019, 28 drivers)
- 1 Race
- 4.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 3rd)
- Best Finish: 4th, Worst: 4th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 100% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks T1st)
- 112.4 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 3rd)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 3’s
- 1 Top 5, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 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)
- 2.0 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T7th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Sammy Smith is notable because of his stats here at COTA
– Sammy had an uncharacteristic day at Phoenix two weeks ago as he ran just 51% of his laps in the Top 15, but in the end he was able to finish 9th
– This was his 3rd Top 10 of the year, but he has a best finish of just 8th and the same amount of Top 10’s as Stage T10’s (3)
– In terms of streaks for him this year he is currently on a 3 race Top 10 finish streak
– He’s only ran one race at COTA so his only streaks here are his current 1 straight Top 5 finish and 2 straight Stage T10’s
– In 8 Road Course races last year he had just 1 Top 5 and as many Top 10 finishes as finishes out of the Top 20 (3)
– Sammy’s 1 Road Course Top 5 last year came at COTA where he finished 4th after running every lap in the Top 15 and finishing 9th in both stages
– Last year was his only race here at COTA and in addition to what’s mentioned above he had a 112.4 Driver Rating
Outlook for this weekend
Sammy Smith has had a decent start to his inaugural season at JR Motorsports in terms of finishes, but he’s struggled to run well in races. The stats don’t get much better as he was up and down on Road Courses last year, but he did show a little promise. One of his good races was here at COTA where he finished 4th in his first start here. Based on the stats it seems that Sammy will either finish out of the Top 20 or in the Top 10, but probably no in between.
– Sammy Smith is notable because of his stats here at COTA
– Sammy had an uncharacteristic day at Phoenix two weeks ago as he ran just 51% of his laps in the Top 15, but in the end he was able to finish 9th
– This was his 3rd Top 10 of the year, but he has a best finish of just 8th and the same amount of Top 10’s as Stage T10’s (3)
– In terms of streaks for him this year he is currently on a 3 race Top 10 finish streak
– He’s only ran one race at COTA so his only streaks here are his current 1 straight Top 5 finish and 2 straight Stage T10’s
– In 8 Road Course races last year he had just 1 Top 5 and as many Top 10 finishes as finishes out of the Top 20 (3)
– Sammy’s 1 Road Course Top 5 last year came at COTA where he finished 4th after running every lap in the Top 15 and finishing 9th in both stages
– Last year was his only race here at COTA and in addition to what’s mentioned above he had a 112.4 Driver Rating
Outlook for this weekend
Sammy Smith has had a decent start to his inaugural season at JR Motorsports in terms of finishes, but he’s struggled to run well in races. The stats don’t get much better as he was up and down on Road Courses last year, but he did show a little promise. One of his good races was here at COTA where he finished 4th in his first start here. Based on the stats it seems that Sammy will either finish out of the Top 20 or in the Top 10, but probably no in between.
39th in Owner Points – Kyle Larson
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 4 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | — | — | — |
| Best Fin. | — | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | — | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | — | — | — |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | — | — | — |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | — | — | –‡ |
| Wins | 0 | — | — |
| Poles | 0 | — | — |
| Top 2’s | 0 | — | — |
| Top 3’s | 0 | — | — |
| Top 5’s | 0 | — | — |
| Top 10’s | 0 | — | — |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 0 | — | — |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | — | — |
| Stage Wins | 0 | — | –* |
| Stage T10s | 0 | — | –* |
| Stage Pts | 0 | — | –* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | — | — | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | — | –* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
¹Ranks of drivers to start 45% of races thru 4 races
²Earned from races only, does not reflect penalties
*Stage racing started in 2017
‡Max Driver Rating is 150.0
- Notable Streaks this year/active streaks
- none
- Notable COTA Streaks
- none
- 2023 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 66 drivers)
- 1 Race, Avg. Finish 3.0(2nd), 100% of Laps ran in Top15(T1st), Avg. Driver Rating 143.8(1st), Best 3rd, Worst 3rd, Laps Completed 100%, Led 67.09% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 2 Stage T10’s
- COTA Statistics
- 2023 COTA Race
- did not race
- Notable COTA Statistics over last 5 years (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at COTA since 2019, 28 drivers)
- 0 Races
Main Points & Outlook
– Kyle Larson is notable because of how he ran on Road Courses in the Xfinity Series last year
– The last Xfinity race Larson ran was Darlington last year where he finished 3rd in both stages, but engine trouble caused him to finish last (38th)
– As this is his first Xfinity race this season he has no 2024 Xfinity stats
– Since he has no races this year he also has no streaks
– He has also never ran at COTA in the Xfinity Series so he has no COTA streaks either
– Last year he ran 1 Xfinity race on a Road Course and in the race he finished 3rd after running every lap in the Top 15 and leading 67% of the race
– Larson did not compete at COTA last year in the Xfinity Series
– He has not competed in an Xfinity race at COTA
Outlook for this weekend
Kyle Larson does not have many stats above to speak of as he’s not ran any 2024 Xfinity races yet and has not ran an Xfinity race at COTA. However the only stats he does have is the reason he is notable as in the one Xfinity Road Course race he ran last year he dominated until late. So, overall I wouldn’t necessarily say Larson is a favorite this weekend, but just because he has no stats doesn’t mean he has no chance.
– Kyle Larson is notable because of how he ran on Road Courses in the Xfinity Series last year
– The last Xfinity race Larson ran was Darlington last year where he finished 3rd in both stages, but engine trouble caused him to finish last (38th)
– As this is his first Xfinity race this season he has no 2024 Xfinity stats
– Since he has no races this year he also has no streaks
– He has also never ran at COTA in the Xfinity Series so he has no COTA streaks either
– Last year he ran 1 Xfinity race on a Road Course and in the race he finished 3rd after running every lap in the Top 15 and leading 67% of the race
– Larson did not compete at COTA last year in the Xfinity Series
– He has not competed in an Xfinity race at COTA
Outlook for this weekend
Kyle Larson does not have many stats above to speak of as he’s not ran any 2024 Xfinity races yet and has not ran an Xfinity race at COTA. However the only stats he does have is the reason he is notable as in the one Xfinity Road Course race he ran last year he dominated until late. So, overall I wouldn’t necessarily say Larson is a favorite this weekend, but just because he has no stats doesn’t mean he has no chance.
