Last week at Texas we got to see a fun race but also the Hendrick/JGR domination continue, this time it was Chase Elliott who picked up the popular win breaking his 42 race winless streak. Up next we head to a track where Hendrick/JGR have only won 1 of the last 6 races, Talladega. I have picked 5 notable drivers to look at, 1 based on 2024 season stats, 1 based on Superspeedway stats, 1 based on the last Talladega race, 1 based on their Next Gen Talladega stats, and 1 based on the highest in 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 9 races since the Playoffs started in 2004. We will also highlight notable streaks accomplished through the year and at Talladega, 2024 Superspeedway(drafting tracks) statistics and Talladega statistics in the Next Gen car.
Note: any driver in 4 straight Cup outlook articles is not in consideration for the next two, or any driver in 4 of 5 Cup outlook articles is not in consideration for the next one. This resets after they are put back into consideration.
This week not in consideration: none
This week not in consideration: none
1st in Points – Kyle Larson
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 9 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 11.78 | 5th of 35 | T97th of 870 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 32nd | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 98.6% | 19th of 35 | T277th of 870 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 78.48 | 3rd of 35 | 81st of 825‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 103.91 | 2nd of 35 | T47th of 825‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T3rd of 50 | T45th of 1110 |
| Poles | 3 | 1st of 50 | T2nd of 1110 |
| Top 2’s | 2 | T2nd of 50 | T40th of 1110 |
| Top 3’s | 3 | T2nd of 50 | T33rd of 1110 |
| Top 5’s | 4 | T1st of 50 | T41st of 1110 |
| Top 10’s | 4 | T7th of 50 | T149th of 1110 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 2 | T6th of 35 | T118th of 870 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T13th of 35 | T306th of 870 |
| Stage Wins | 5 | 1st of 50 | T1st of 395* |
| Stage T10s | 12 | 2nd of 50 | T25th of 395* |
| Stage Pts | 102 | 1st of 50 | 8th of 395* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 7.44 | 1st of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 10 | 3rd of 50 | T16th of 395* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 9 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 this year
- 3 straight Poles (active streak, longest streak in Cup Series this year and tied 12th longest streak in Cup Series all-time)
- 2 straight Top 3 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 2 straight Stage Wins (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year and tied 14th longest streak in Cup Series all-time)
- 5 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Talladega Streaks
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 5 straight Stage T10’s (2022.10 s1-2023.10 s1) (tied 7th longest streak in Cup Series at Talladega all-time)
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 42 drivers)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 21.5(24th), 68.72% of Laps ran in Top15(5th), Avg. Driver Rating 92.05(4th), Best 11th, Worst 32nd, Laps Completed 91.74%, Led 5.69% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 1 Top 15, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 6.25 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 6.0
- Talladega Statistics
- 2023 Fall Talladega Race
- Finished 15th, Started 4th, Led 1 lap(0.53%), Finished 3rd in Stage 1 and 7th in Stage 2, ran 163 Laps in Top 15(86.7% of laps ran), had 93.9 Driver Rating (ranked 3rd)
- Notable Next Gen Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega since 2022, 39 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 17.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks 17th)
- Best Finish: 4th, Worst: 33rd
- Completed 99.08% of laps (% ranks T16th)
- 79.42% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 2nd)
- 91.5 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 4th)
- Led 5.44% of laps he’s run (% ranks 7th)
- 0 Top 3’s
- 1 Top 5, 25.0% (% ranks T5th)
- 2 Top 15’s, 50.0% (% ranks T10th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 25.0% (% ranks T7th)
- 1 DNF, 25.0% (% ranks T17th)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 7 Stage T10’s, 87.5% (% ranks 2nd)
- 5.75 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 2nd)
Main Points & Outlook
– Kyle Larson is notable because he’s 1st in points heading into Talladega
– Larson started on Pole again and won Stage 1 again last week, but a runaway tire derailed his race causing him to run just 44% of his laps in the Top 15 and finish 21st
– He’s been great in stages in 2024 as he ranks 1st in Avg. Stage Finish, Stage Pts, and Stage Wins; but his 4 Top 10’s are only tied for 7th most this year
– He is on a 3 race Pole streak, and going into Stage 2 at Texas was on a 5 straight Stage T10 streak
– His only streaks at Talladega are Stage T10’s where he had 5 straight Stage T10’s in 2022-2023 and is currently on a 2 straight Stage T10 streak
– In the 2 Superspeedway races this year he has the 5th best Laps in Top 15% and 4th best Avg. Driver Rating, but has finishes of 11th and 32nd
– At Talladega last Fall Larson led 1 lap and got 12 Stage Pts while running 87% of his laps in the Top 15, but he ended up finishing 15th
– In 4 Next Gen Talladega races he has 5.75 Stage Pts Per Stage and the 2nd best Laps in Top 15%, but he has just a 17.5 Avg. Finish with 1 DNF
Outlook for this weekend
Kyle Larson has been the qualifying king the last 3 weeks winning the Pole for all 3 races, but those Poles have turned into 0 Wins. However, his 2024 stats aren’t terrible, especially if you look at his great stage stats. This is great and all, but this week is a Superspeedway. In the 2 races this year Larson has ran well, but has 0 Top 10’s to show for it. This is basically the same as his Next Gen Talladega stats where he has 1 Top 5 in 4 races despite good runs. Based on the stats expect Larson to run well this weekend, but a Top 10 finish is highly unlikely.
– Kyle Larson is notable because he’s 1st in points heading into Talladega
– Larson started on Pole again and won Stage 1 again last week, but a runaway tire derailed his race causing him to run just 44% of his laps in the Top 15 and finish 21st
– He’s been great in stages in 2024 as he ranks 1st in Avg. Stage Finish, Stage Pts, and Stage Wins; but his 4 Top 10’s are only tied for 7th most this year
– He is on a 3 race Pole streak, and going into Stage 2 at Texas was on a 5 straight Stage T10 streak
– His only streaks at Talladega are Stage T10’s where he had 5 straight Stage T10’s in 2022-2023 and is currently on a 2 straight Stage T10 streak
– In the 2 Superspeedway races this year he has the 5th best Laps in Top 15% and 4th best Avg. Driver Rating, but has finishes of 11th and 32nd
– At Talladega last Fall Larson led 1 lap and got 12 Stage Pts while running 87% of his laps in the Top 15, but he ended up finishing 15th
– In 4 Next Gen Talladega races he has 5.75 Stage Pts Per Stage and the 2nd best Laps in Top 15%, but he has just a 17.5 Avg. Finish with 1 DNF
Outlook for this weekend
Kyle Larson has been the qualifying king the last 3 weeks winning the Pole for all 3 races, but those Poles have turned into 0 Wins. However, his 2024 stats aren’t terrible, especially if you look at his great stage stats. This is great and all, but this week is a Superspeedway. In the 2 races this year Larson has ran well, but has 0 Top 10’s to show for it. This is basically the same as his Next Gen Talladega stats where he has 1 Top 5 in 4 races despite good runs. Based on the stats expect Larson to run well this weekend, but a Top 10 finish is highly unlikely.
3rd in Points – Denny Hamlin
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 9 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 13.11 | 6th of 35 | T126th of 870 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 30th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.96% | T1st of 35 | T37th of 870 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 87.84 | 1st of 35 | 21st of 825‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 105.77 | 1st of 35 | 35th of 825‡ |
| Wins | 2 | 2nd of 50 | T10th of 1110 |
| Poles | 1 | T3rd of 50 | T28th of 1110 |
| Top 2’s | 2 | T2nd of 50 | T40th of 1110 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T4th of 50 | T71st of 1110 |
| Top 5’s | 2 | T11th of 50 | T155th of 1110 |
| Top 10’s | 3 | T15th of 50 | T244th of 1110 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 2 | T6th of 35 | T118th of 870 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 35 | T1st of 870 |
| Stage Wins | 2 | T2nd of 50 | T17th of 395* |
| Stage T10s | 11 | T3rd of 50 | T34th of 395* |
| Stage Pts | 76 | 2nd of 50 | 30th of 395* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 8.61 | 2nd of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 12 | 2nd of 50 | T5th of 395* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 9 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 this year
- 4 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Talladega Streaks
- 1 straight Top 3 finish (active “streak”)
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes (2019.31-2020.31) (tied 14th longest streak in Cup Series at Talladega all-time)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (2017.31 s2-2018.10 s1 & 2018.31 s1&s2)
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 42 drivers)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 21.0(23rd), 73.42% of Laps ran in Top15(4th), Avg. Driver Rating 91.85(5th), Best 19th, Worst 23rd, Laps Completed 99.78%, Led 5.45% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 1.0 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 16.25
- Talladega Statistics
- 2023 Fall Talladega Race
- Finished 3rd, Started 12th, Led 3 laps(1.6%), got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 31 Laps in Top 15(16.49% of laps ran), had 61.3 Driver Rating (ranked 29th)
- Notable Next Gen Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega since 2022, 39 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 10.75 Avg. Finish (Ranks 4th)
- Best Finish: 3rd, Worst: 18th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 52.89% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 12th)
- 75.48 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 12th)
- Led 5.13% of laps he’s run (% ranks 9th)
- 1 Pole, 25.0% (% ranks 2nd)
- 0 Top 2’s
- 1 Top 3, 25.0% (% ranks T3rd)
- 2 Top 5’s, 50.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 2 Top 15’s, 50.0 (% ranks T10th)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 2 Stage T10’s, 25.0% (% ranks T14th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Denny Hamlin is notable because of his 2024 stats thru 9 races
– Last week at Texas Hamlin led 37 laps and ran 90% of his laps in the Top 15, but an overtime wreck while running up front caused him to finish 30th
– All of his 2024 stage stats are T3rd or better and he has 2 Wins, but he also has 2 Finishes out of the Top 20 with just 3 Top 10’s
– His only streak this year is a 4 straight Stage T10 streak
– His best streak at Talladega is a 3 straight Top 5 finish streak in 2019-2020
– This year he has finishes of 19th and 23rd in the 2 Superspeedway races with just 1 Stage Pt Per Stage, but he has ran 73% of his laps in the Top 15
– At Talladega last Fall Hamlin ran only 16% of his laps in the Top 15 and ended with the 29th best Driver Rating, but he found a way to finish the race in 3rd
– In the 4 Next Gen races at Talladega he has just 2 Stage T10’s and has only ran 53% of his laps in the Top 15, but he has 1 Top 3 and 2 Top 5’s with a 10.75 Avg. Finish
Outlook for this weekend
The Texas race for Denny Hamlin was a nice snapshot of his 2024 year as a whole, great race but doesn’t get the finish to show for it. The same could be said at Superspeedways this year as he has the 5th best Avg. Driver Rating, but he has just a best finish of 19th in the 2 races. However, the same can not be said for his Next Gen Talladega stats as he’s ran very poor here, but has gotten 2 Top 5’s in the 4 races. Hamlin’s stats above contradict each other so his outlook is a bit muddled, but it seems if he runs great he’ll finish poor, if he runs poor he’ll finish great.
– Denny Hamlin is notable because of his 2024 stats thru 9 races
– Last week at Texas Hamlin led 37 laps and ran 90% of his laps in the Top 15, but an overtime wreck while running up front caused him to finish 30th
– All of his 2024 stage stats are T3rd or better and he has 2 Wins, but he also has 2 Finishes out of the Top 20 with just 3 Top 10’s
– His only streak this year is a 4 straight Stage T10 streak
– His best streak at Talladega is a 3 straight Top 5 finish streak in 2019-2020
– This year he has finishes of 19th and 23rd in the 2 Superspeedway races with just 1 Stage Pt Per Stage, but he has ran 73% of his laps in the Top 15
– At Talladega last Fall Hamlin ran only 16% of his laps in the Top 15 and ended with the 29th best Driver Rating, but he found a way to finish the race in 3rd
– In the 4 Next Gen races at Talladega he has just 2 Stage T10’s and has only ran 53% of his laps in the Top 15, but he has 1 Top 3 and 2 Top 5’s with a 10.75 Avg. Finish
Outlook for this weekend
The Texas race for Denny Hamlin was a nice snapshot of his 2024 year as a whole, great race but doesn’t get the finish to show for it. The same could be said at Superspeedways this year as he has the 5th best Avg. Driver Rating, but he has just a best finish of 19th in the 2 races. However, the same can not be said for his Next Gen Talladega stats as he’s ran very poor here, but has gotten 2 Top 5’s in the 4 races. Hamlin’s stats above contradict each other so his outlook is a bit muddled, but it seems if he runs great he’ll finish poor, if he runs poor he’ll finish great.
4th in Points – Chase Elliott
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 9 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 10.33 | T2nd of 35 | T57th of 870 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 19th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.96% | T1st of 35 | T37th of 870 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 74.12 | 4th of 35 | 109th of 825‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 94.51 | 5th of 35 | 127th of 825‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T3rd of 50 | T45th of 1110 |
| Poles | 0 | T7th of 50 | T125th of 1110 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T5th of 50 | T96th of 1110 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T4th of 50 | T71st of 1110 |
| Top 5’s | 3 | T4th of 50 | T85th of 1110 |
| Top 10’s | 4 | T7th of 50 | T149th of 1110 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 0 | T1st of 35 | T1st of 870 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 35 | T1st of 870 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T5th of 50 | T40th of 395* |
| Stage T10s | 10 | T5th of 50 | T50th of 395* |
| Stage Pts | 50 | 7th of 50 | 64th of 395* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 11.61 | 4th of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 6 | 5th of 50 | T29th of 395* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 9 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 this year
- 2 straight Top 3 finishes (active streak, tied longest active streak in Cup Series and tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series and tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 4 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Talladega Streaks
- 1 straight Top 10 finish (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (2019.10-2019.31 & 2022.10-2022.31)
- 2 straight Stage Wins (2022.31 s2-2023.10 s1)
- 8 straight Stage T10’s (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series at Talladega and tied longest streak in Cup Series at Talladega all-time)
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 42 drivers)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 14.5(T12th), 55.65% of Laps ran in Top15(12th), Avg. Driver Rating 85.3(10th), Best 14th, Worst 15th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 2.83% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 2.75 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 14.25
- Talladega Statistics
- 2023 Fall Talladega Race
- Finished 7th, Started 23rd, Led 8 laps(4.26%), Finished 4th in Stage 1 and 5th in Stage 2, ran 135 Laps in Top 15(71.81% of laps ran), had 88.7 Driver Rating (ranked 6th)
- Notable Next Gen Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega since 2022, 39 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 6.75 Avg. Finish (Ranks 2nd)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 12th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 81.97% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 1st)
- 97.65 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 2nd)
- Led 4.74% of laps he’s run (% ranks 10th)
- 1 Win, 25.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 3 Top 10’s, 75.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 4 Top 15’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 2 Stage Wins, 25.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 8 Stage T10’s, 100% (% ranks 1st)
- 8.0 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 1st)
Main Points & Outlook
– Chase Elliott is notable because of his Next Gen stats at Talladega
– At Texas Elliott got just 5 Stage Pts and ran just 84% of his laps in the Top 15, but he was up front when it mattered as he was able to get his first win in 42 races
– His worst 2024 rank above is just T7th (0 Poles and 4 Top 10’s) and he is one of just 3 drivers this year to not finish out of the Top 20 or get a DNF (Gibbs and Truex)
– He is currently on a 2 race Top 3 streak and a 3 race Top 5 streak
– At Talladega he is currently on an 8 straight Stage T10 streak, which is tied for the longest such streak at this track
– He’s been okay on Superspeedways this year as he’s only ran 56% of his laps in the Top 15 in the 2 races, but he has a Stage Win and 2 Top 15’s
– At Talladega last Fall Elliott ran 72% of his laps in the Top 15 and got 13 Stage Pts, ending up 7th at the finish
– In the 4 Next Gen races at Talladega he has the 2nd best Avg. Finish (6.75) with a Win, a worst finish of 12th, and 8 Stage Pts Per Stage
Outlook for this weekend
Chase Elliott finally got that elusive win he has been waiting almost 2 years for last week at Texas. This just adds to his already good 2024 stats as he has some of the best stats in terms of consistency. This week we head to a Superspeedway where he’s been alright this year, but definitely nowhere near great. However, this is Talladega where he’s been great in the Next Gen car as he’s ran great and finished great. Overall based on the stats and momentum expect Elliott to be a front runner most the race this weekend and finish near the front.
– Chase Elliott is notable because of his Next Gen stats at Talladega
– At Texas Elliott got just 5 Stage Pts and ran just 84% of his laps in the Top 15, but he was up front when it mattered as he was able to get his first win in 42 races
– His worst 2024 rank above is just T7th (0 Poles and 4 Top 10’s) and he is one of just 3 drivers this year to not finish out of the Top 20 or get a DNF (Gibbs and Truex)
– He is currently on a 2 race Top 3 streak and a 3 race Top 5 streak
– At Talladega he is currently on an 8 straight Stage T10 streak, which is tied for the longest such streak at this track
– He’s been okay on Superspeedways this year as he’s only ran 56% of his laps in the Top 15 in the 2 races, but he has a Stage Win and 2 Top 15’s
– At Talladega last Fall Elliott ran 72% of his laps in the Top 15 and got 13 Stage Pts, ending up 7th at the finish
– In the 4 Next Gen races at Talladega he has the 2nd best Avg. Finish (6.75) with a Win, a worst finish of 12th, and 8 Stage Pts Per Stage
Outlook for this weekend
Chase Elliott finally got that elusive win he has been waiting almost 2 years for last week at Texas. This just adds to his already good 2024 stats as he has some of the best stats in terms of consistency. This week we head to a Superspeedway where he’s been alright this year, but definitely nowhere near great. However, this is Talladega where he’s been great in the Next Gen car as he’s ran great and finished great. Overall based on the stats and momentum expect Elliott to be a front runner most the race this weekend and finish near the front.
7th in Points – Ryan Blaney
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 9 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 13.89 | 9th of 35 | T161st of 870 |
| Best Fin. | 2nd | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 33rd | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.33% | 16th of 35 | T203rd of 870 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 65.66 | 5th of 35 | 186th of 825‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 90.49 | T6th of 35 | T168th of 825‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T7th of 50 | T137th of 1110 |
| Poles | 1 | T3rd of 50 | T28th of 1110 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T5th of 50 | T96th of 1110 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T4th of 50 | T71st of 1110 |
| Top 5’s | 4 | T1st of 50 | T41st of 1110 |
| Top 10’s | 4 | T7th of 50 | T149th of 1110 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 2 | T6th of 35 | T118th of 870 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T13th of 35 | T306th of 870 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T5th of 50 | T40th of 395* |
| Stage T10s | 10 | T5th of 50 | T50th of 395* |
| Stage Pts | 70 | 4th of 50 | 37th of 395* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 11.83 | 5th of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 1 | T8th of 50 | T69th of 395* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 9 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 this year
- 2 straight Top 3 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 4 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Talladega Streaks
- 1 straight Win (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Wins (2019.31-2020.13) (tied 3rd longest streak in Cup Series at Talladega all-time)
- 3 straight Top 2 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series at Talladega and tied 4th longest streak in Cup Series at Talladega all-time)
- 3 straight Top 3 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series at Talladega and tied 9th longest streak in Cup Series at Talladega all-time)
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series at Talladega)
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak, tied longest active streak in Cup Series at Talladega)
- 8 straight Stage T10’s (2017.10 s1-2018.31 s2) (tied longest streak in Cup Series at Talladega all-time)
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 42 drivers)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 16.0(14th), 80.75% of Laps ran in Top15(2nd), Avg. Driver Rating 97.55(3rd), Best 2nd, Worst 30th, Laps Completed 98.26%, Led 9.51% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 1 Stage Win, 6.75 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 9.5
- Talladega Statistics
- 2023 Fall Talladega Race
- Finished 1st, Started 10th, Led 8 laps(4.26%), Finished 1st in Stage 1, ran 154 Laps in Top 15(81.91% of laps ran), had 104.3 Driver Rating (ranked 1st)
- Notable Next Gen Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega since 2022, 39 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 4.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 1st)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 11th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 68.82% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 4th)
- 100.9 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 1st)
- Led 14.34% of laps he’s run (% ranks 1st)
- 1 Win, 25.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 3 Top 2’s, 75.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 4 Top 15’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 2 Stage Wins, 25.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 2.5 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T5th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Ryan Blaney is notable because of his race last Fall at Talladega
– At Texas Blaney was able to lead 17 laps, but he only ran 66% of his laps in the Top 15 and ended up 33rd at the finish
– He started off this year great but has cooled off as he has just 4 Top 10’s, a 90.49 Avg. Driver Rating, and a 13.89 Avg. Finish; but he does have 70 Stage Pts
– In terms of streaks he is currently on a 2 straight Stage T10 streak and earlier this year had a 3 race Top 3 streak
– He is hot here at Talladega as he is on a 3 race Top 2 finish streak and is one of the few drivers that has a 2+ race Win streak here at Talladega in his career
– This year he’s finished 2nd and 30th in the 2 Superspeedway races while running 80.75% of his laps in the Top 15 and getting 6.75 Stage Pts Per Stage
– Last Fall Blaney ran 82% of his laps in the Top 15 at Talladega, won Stage 1, had the best Driver Rating, and most importantly won the race
– He’s been great at Talladega in the Next Gen as he has a 4.0 Avg. Finish in the 4 races with 3 Top 2’s and a worst finish of just 11th
Outlook for this weekend
Ryan Blaney had a great start to his 2024 season getting 3 Top 5’s in the first 4 races, but he only has 1 Top 10 since and his in-race stats are just decent. However, this week is a Superspeedway and the last time we showed up at one of these he barely missed out on a win in Atlanta. Overall he’s ran well in the 2 races with one good and one bad finish. The same cannot be said about Blaney in the Next Gen at Talladega as he’s ran great and is yet to have a bad finish in 4 races. It’s not rocket science, when you look at the stats Blaney should be the favorite for the win this weekend.
– Ryan Blaney is notable because of his race last Fall at Talladega
– At Texas Blaney was able to lead 17 laps, but he only ran 66% of his laps in the Top 15 and ended up 33rd at the finish
– He started off this year great but has cooled off as he has just 4 Top 10’s, a 90.49 Avg. Driver Rating, and a 13.89 Avg. Finish; but he does have 70 Stage Pts
– In terms of streaks he is currently on a 2 straight Stage T10 streak and earlier this year had a 3 race Top 3 streak
– He is hot here at Talladega as he is on a 3 race Top 2 finish streak and is one of the few drivers that has a 2+ race Win streak here at Talladega in his career
– This year he’s finished 2nd and 30th in the 2 Superspeedway races while running 80.75% of his laps in the Top 15 and getting 6.75 Stage Pts Per Stage
– Last Fall Blaney ran 82% of his laps in the Top 15 at Talladega, won Stage 1, had the best Driver Rating, and most importantly won the race
– He’s been great at Talladega in the Next Gen as he has a 4.0 Avg. Finish in the 4 races with 3 Top 2’s and a worst finish of just 11th
Outlook for this weekend
Ryan Blaney had a great start to his 2024 season getting 3 Top 5’s in the first 4 races, but he only has 1 Top 10 since and his in-race stats are just decent. However, this week is a Superspeedway and the last time we showed up at one of these he barely missed out on a win in Atlanta. Overall he’s ran well in the 2 races with one good and one bad finish. The same cannot be said about Blaney in the Next Gen at Talladega as he’s ran great and is yet to have a bad finish in 4 races. It’s not rocket science, when you look at the stats Blaney should be the favorite for the win this weekend.
16th in Points – Kyle Busch
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 9 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 15.78 | 15th of 35 | T237th of 870 |
| Best Fin. | 3rd | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 26th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.85% | T5th of 35 | T79th of 870 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 36.01 | 20th of 35 | 407th of 825‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 74.71 | 17th of 35 | 347th of 825‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T7th of 50 | T137th of 1110 |
| Poles | 0 | T7th of 50 | T125th of 1110 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T14th of 50 | T227th of 1110 |
| Top 3’s | 1 | T9th of 50 | T154th of 1110 |
| Top 5’s | 1 | T14th of 50 | T242nd of 1110 |
| Top 10’s | 3 | T15th of 50 | T244th of 1110 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 3 | T13th of 35 | T235th of 870 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 35 | T1st of 870 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T12th of 50 | T76th of 395* |
| Stage T10s | 5 | 16th of 50 | T119th of 395* |
| Stage Pts | 26 | 16th of 50 | 114th of 395* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 17.56 | 15th of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T14th of 50 | T92nd of 395* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 9 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 this year
- 3 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Talladega Streaks
- 2 straight Top 3 finishes (2012.10-2012.30)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s (2018.10 s1&s2, 2019.10 s1&s2, 2020.13 s1&s2)
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 42 drivers)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 7.5(3rd), 67.83% of Laps ran in Top15(7th), Avg. Driver Rating 98.5(2nd), Best 3rd, Worst 12th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 8.7% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 4.5 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 9.75
- Talladega Statistics
- 2023 Fall Talladega Race
- Finished 25th, Started 25th, Led 2 laps(1.06%), got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 105 Laps in Top 15(55.85% of laps ran), had 71.3 Driver Rating (ranked 21st)
- Notable Next Gen Talladega Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Talladega since 2022, 39 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 12.25 Avg. Finish (Ranks 6th)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 25th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 60.66% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 7th)
- 84.5 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 6th)
- Led 1.45% of laps he’s run (% ranks 19th)
- 1 Win, 25.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 2 Top 3’s, 50.0% (% ranks 2nd)
- 2 Top 15’s, 50.0% (% ranks T10th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 25.0% (% ranks T7th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 2 Stage T10’s, 25.0% (% ranks T14th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Kyle Busch is notable because of his performance on Superspeedways this year
– Busch ran just 23% of his laps at Texas in the Top 15, but with the late race chaos he was able to finish 9th
– This was only his 2nd Top 15 finish since Atlanta, on the year he has a 15.78 Avg. Finish and despite running 99.85% of the laps this year he’s ran just 36% of the laps this year in the Top 15
– His only streak this year is a 3 straight Stage T10 streak earlier this year
– In terms of Talladega streaks he had a 2 race Top 3 streak in 2012 and has had a couple instances where he’s had 2 Stage T10’s in a race
– At Superspeedways this year he has a 7.5 Avg. Finish with the 2nd best Avg. Driver Rating, 4.5 Stage Pts Per Stage, and a 9.75 Avg. Stage Finish
– Busch did not run great at Talladega last Fall as he ran just 56% of his laps in the Top 15, had the 21st best Driver Rating, and finished 25th in the race
– In the Next Gen car at Talladega he has a Win and 2 Top 3 finishes, but also 1 finish out of the Top 20 and just 2 Stage T10’s in 8 stages
Outlook for this weekend
Kyle Busch has not been good for most of the year, including last week where he ran poorly but ended up with a good finish. The good news for him is that we are heading to a Superspeedway this weekend where he has ran and finished well this year, scoring 2 of his 4 Top 15’s on the year. More good news is that this is Talladega where he has ran well in the Next Gen and has finished great in half of the 4 races. It’s no secret Busch has not had the season he’s wanted this year, but this weekend keep him on your short list of favorites.
– Kyle Busch is notable because of his performance on Superspeedways this year
– Busch ran just 23% of his laps at Texas in the Top 15, but with the late race chaos he was able to finish 9th
– This was only his 2nd Top 15 finish since Atlanta, on the year he has a 15.78 Avg. Finish and despite running 99.85% of the laps this year he’s ran just 36% of the laps this year in the Top 15
– His only streak this year is a 3 straight Stage T10 streak earlier this year
– In terms of Talladega streaks he had a 2 race Top 3 streak in 2012 and has had a couple instances where he’s had 2 Stage T10’s in a race
– At Superspeedways this year he has a 7.5 Avg. Finish with the 2nd best Avg. Driver Rating, 4.5 Stage Pts Per Stage, and a 9.75 Avg. Stage Finish
– Busch did not run great at Talladega last Fall as he ran just 56% of his laps in the Top 15, had the 21st best Driver Rating, and finished 25th in the race
– In the Next Gen car at Talladega he has a Win and 2 Top 3 finishes, but also 1 finish out of the Top 20 and just 2 Stage T10’s in 8 stages
Outlook for this weekend
Kyle Busch has not been good for most of the year, including last week where he ran poorly but ended up with a good finish. The good news for him is that we are heading to a Superspeedway this weekend where he has ran and finished well this year, scoring 2 of his 4 Top 15’s on the year. More good news is that this is Talladega where he has ran well in the Next Gen and has finished great in half of the 4 races. It’s no secret Busch has not had the season he’s wanted this year, but this weekend keep him on your short list of favorites.
