Last week at Kansas we saw the best entire race of the year and when it came down to the finish, it was historic. Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher to the line by .001 seconds, the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history! This week we head to the location of the previous closest finish in Cup Series history where Ricky Craven beat Kurt Busch by .002 in 2003, Darlington. I have picked 5 notable drivers to look at, 1 based on 2024 season stats, 1 based on Intermediate stats, 1 based on the last Darlington race, 1 based on their Next Gen Darlington 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 12 races since the Playoffs started in 2004. We will also highlight notable streaks accomplished through the year and at Darlington, 2024 Intermediate (1.3-1.5 miles) statistics and Darlington 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: Ryan Blaney (4 in a row, 2nd week) and Kyle Larson (4 in a row)
This week not in consideration: Ryan Blaney (4 in a row, 2nd week) and Kyle Larson (4 in a row)
2nd in Points – Martin Truex Jr.
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 12 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 8.92 | 1st of 35 | T26th of 877 |
| Best Fin. | 2nd | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 18th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.97% | T1st of 35 | T9th of 877 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 82.53 | 2nd of 35 | 37th of 832‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 103.14 | 3rd of 35 | 47th of 832‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T8th of 52 | T167th of 1152 |
| Poles | 0 | T9th of 52 | T153rd of 1152 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T8th of 52 | T129th of 1152 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T7th of 52 | T116th of 1152 |
| Top 5’s | 4 | T3rd of 52 | T80th of 1152 |
| Top 10’s | 7 | T1st of 52 | T64th of 1152 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 0 | T1st of 35 | T1st of 877 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 35 | T1st of 877 |
| Stage Wins | 2 | T3rd of 52 | T22nd of 413* |
| Stage T10s | 17 | T1st of 52 | T10th of 413* |
| Stage Pts | 101 | 3rd of 52 | 23rd of 413* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 9.42 | 2nd of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 2 | T8th of 52 | T70th of 413* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 12 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 5 finishes (active streak, tied longest active streak in Cup Series)
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 4 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 8 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Darlington Streaks
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (2021.12-2021.27)
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes (2015.25-2017.25)
- 4 straight Stage Wins (2020.27 s1-2021.12 s2) (longest streak in Cup Series at Darlington all-time)
- 8 straight Stage T10’s (2020.05 s2-2021.27 s1) (tied 2nd longest streak in Cup Series at Darlington all-time)
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 42 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 8.33(3rd), 87.55% of Laps ran in Top15(3rd), Avg. Driver Rating 103.43(4th), Best 4th, Worst 14th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.49% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 4.0 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 8.83
- Darlington Statistics
- 2023 Fall Darlington Race
- Finished 18th, Started 31st, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 56 Laps in Top 15(15.26% of laps ran), had 59.5 Driver Rating (ranked 22nd)
- Notable Next Gen Darlington Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Darlington since 2022, 37 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 26.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks T31st)
- Best Finish: 18th, Worst: 31st
- Completed 94.25% of laps (% ranks 23rd)
- 72.63% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 11th)
- 92.65 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 8th)
- Led 17.74% of laps he’s run (% ranks 1st)
- 1 Pole, 25.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 0 Top 15’s
- 3 finishes outside Top 20, 75.0% (% ranks T30th)
- 3 DNF’s, 75.0% (% ranks T36th)
- 1 Stage Win, 12.5% (% ranks T3rd)
- 6 Stage T10’s, 75.0% (% ranks T3rd)
- 5.13 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T3rd)
Main Points & Outlook
– Martin Truex Jr. is notable because of his 2024 stats thru 12 races
– At Kansas Truex was probably going to win if Kyle Busch doesn’t spin late. Nevertheless he got 10 Stage Pts, ran 97% of his laps in the Top 15, and finished 4th
– This year he has the best Avg. Finish (8.92), is tied for most Top 10’s (7), and is one of just 9 drivers since 2004 to run 5+ races thru 12 Cup races and not finish out of the Top 20 or have a DNF
– He is currently on a 2 race Top 5 finish streak and a 4 straight Stage T10 streak
– At Darlington he once had a 3 race Top 10 streak and in the early 2020’s had 4 straight Stage Wins with 8 straight Stage T10’s
– Thru the first 3 Intermediate races this year he has an 8.33 Avg. Finish with a best of 4th, an 8.83 Avg. Stage Finish, and the 3rd best Laps in Top 15% (87.55%)
– Last Fall at Darlington Truex struggled as he ran just 15% of his laps in the Top 15 en route to an 18th place finish with 0 Stage Pts
– This is his best finish in the Next Gen at Darlington as he’s DNF’d in 3 of the 4 races leading to a 26.0 Avg. Finish, but he has led 18% of his laps in the 4 races
Outlook for this weekend
If Martin Truex Jr. doesn’t scrape the wall coming out of Turn 4 last week he might have been the Kansas winner, but he still has some of the best stats of any driver this year anyway. The same cannot be said at Intermediates this year as he’s run well, but has just 2 Top 10’s to show for it and he’s only led 0.49% of his laps. The news doesn’t get any better when you see this weekend is Darlington where he has ran well, but has rarely finished races in the Next Gen. Based on the stats expect Truex to run well this weekend and if he finishes he could finish well, that’s IF he finishes.
– Martin Truex Jr. is notable because of his 2024 stats thru 12 races
– At Kansas Truex was probably going to win if Kyle Busch doesn’t spin late. Nevertheless he got 10 Stage Pts, ran 97% of his laps in the Top 15, and finished 4th
– This year he has the best Avg. Finish (8.92), is tied for most Top 10’s (7), and is one of just 9 drivers since 2004 to run 5+ races thru 12 Cup races and not finish out of the Top 20 or have a DNF
– He is currently on a 2 race Top 5 finish streak and a 4 straight Stage T10 streak
– At Darlington he once had a 3 race Top 10 streak and in the early 2020’s had 4 straight Stage Wins with 8 straight Stage T10’s
– Thru the first 3 Intermediate races this year he has an 8.33 Avg. Finish with a best of 4th, an 8.83 Avg. Stage Finish, and the 3rd best Laps in Top 15% (87.55%)
– Last Fall at Darlington Truex struggled as he ran just 15% of his laps in the Top 15 en route to an 18th place finish with 0 Stage Pts
– This is his best finish in the Next Gen at Darlington as he’s DNF’d in 3 of the 4 races leading to a 26.0 Avg. Finish, but he has led 18% of his laps in the 4 races
Outlook for this weekend
If Martin Truex Jr. doesn’t scrape the wall coming out of Turn 4 last week he might have been the Kansas winner, but he still has some of the best stats of any driver this year anyway. The same cannot be said at Intermediates this year as he’s run well, but has just 2 Top 10’s to show for it and he’s only led 0.49% of his laps. The news doesn’t get any better when you see this weekend is Darlington where he has ran well, but has rarely finished races in the Next Gen. Based on the stats expect Truex to run well this weekend and if he finishes he could finish well, that’s IF he finishes.
3rd in Points – Chase Elliott
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 12 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 9.67 | 2nd of 35 | T38th of 877 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 19th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.97% | T1st of 35 | T9th of 877 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 75.54 | 4th of 35 | 101st of 832‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 93.86 | 4th of 35 | 129th of 832‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T4th of 52 | T60th of 1152 |
| Poles | 0 | T9th of 52 | T153rd of 1152 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T8th of 52 | T129th of 1152 |
| Top 3’s | 3 | T3rd of 52 | T60th of 1152 |
| Top 5’s | 5 | 2nd of 52 | T41st of 1152 |
| Top 10’s | 6 | T5th of 52 | T114th of 1152 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 0 | T1st of 35 | T1st of 877 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 35 | T1st of 877 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T7th of 52 | T51st of 413* |
| Stage T10s | 15 | T3rd of 52 | T28th of 413* |
| Stage Pts | 71 | 6th of 52 | T54th of 413* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 10.58 | 4th of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 6 | T5th of 52 | T39th of 413* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 12 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)
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak, tied longest active streak in Cup Series)
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 9 straight Stage T10’s (longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- Notable Darlington Streaks
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s (2018.25 s1-2019.25 s1 & 2020.06 s1-2020.27 s1)
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 42 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 5.33(1st), 86.81% of Laps ran in Top15(4th), Avg. Driver Rating 99.1(5th), Best 1st, Worst 12th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 4.81% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 1.83 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 9.83
- Darlington Statistics
- 2023 Fall Darlington Race
- Finished 8th, Started 13th, Led 0 laps, Finished 7th in Stage 1, ran 329 Laps in Top 15(89.65% of laps ran), had 89.1 Driver Rating (ranked 11th)
- Notable Next Gen Darlington Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Darlington since 2022, 37 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 13.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 8th)
- Best Finish: 3rd, Worst: 36th
- Completed 80.79% of laps (% ranks 36th)
- 78.46% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 7th)
- 76.33 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 14th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 2’s
- 1 Top 3, 25.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 2 Top 5’s, 50.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 3 Top 10’s, 75.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 25.0% (% ranks T5th)
- 1 DNF, 25.0% (% ranks T19th)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 0.88 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T14th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Chase Elliot is notable because he’s 3rd in points after Kansas
– Last week at Kansas Elliott ran 95% of his laps in the Top 15 and had the best seat in the house to watch the epic finish as he finished 3rd
– Thru 12 races in 2024 he has the 2nd best Avg. Finish (9.67) with the 4th best Avg. Stage Finish (10.58), and along with Truex above is one of 9 drivers (to run 5+ races) to not have a DNF or finish out of the Top 20 thru 12 races since 2004
– Currently he is on a 2 race Top 5 streak and coming into Kansas was on a 9 straight Stage T10 streak
– His Darlington streaks aren’t too impressive as he’s had a long Stage T10 streak of just 3 stages, but he is currently on a career long 2 race Top 10 streak here
– He’s been great on Intermediates this year as he has a 5.33 Avg. Finish with 2 Top 3’s, a Win, and a 99.1 Avg. Driver Rating; but he has just 1.83 Stage Pts Per Stage
– Last Fall at Darlington Elliott got just 4 Stage Pts despite running 90% of the laps in the Top 15, then ended up 8th at the finish
– The Next Gen has been good for him at Darlington as he has 3 Top 10’s in 4 races with a best of 3rd, but he has just 0.88 Stage Pts Per Stage and hasn’t led a single lap in the 4 races
Outlook for this weekend
Chase Elliott hasn’t been flashy this year, but he’s been solid as he has a win and has yet to finish out of the Top 20. A good amount of this success has come on Intermediates where he has 2 Top 3 finishes and a win, but his runs overall on these tracks haven’t exactly been stellar. In his career he hasn’t been great at Darlington which his streaks attest to, but in the Next Gen he’s finished 3 of 4 races in the Top 10. However, he’s not ran too well in the races, especially in stages. Overall, looking at the stats it seems you should expect a solid finish from Elliott, but don’t expect him to be up front most of the race.
– Chase Elliot is notable because he’s 3rd in points after Kansas
– Last week at Kansas Elliott ran 95% of his laps in the Top 15 and had the best seat in the house to watch the epic finish as he finished 3rd
– Thru 12 races in 2024 he has the 2nd best Avg. Finish (9.67) with the 4th best Avg. Stage Finish (10.58), and along with Truex above is one of 9 drivers (to run 5+ races) to not have a DNF or finish out of the Top 20 thru 12 races since 2004
– Currently he is on a 2 race Top 5 streak and coming into Kansas was on a 9 straight Stage T10 streak
– His Darlington streaks aren’t too impressive as he’s had a long Stage T10 streak of just 3 stages, but he is currently on a career long 2 race Top 10 streak here
– He’s been great on Intermediates this year as he has a 5.33 Avg. Finish with 2 Top 3’s, a Win, and a 99.1 Avg. Driver Rating; but he has just 1.83 Stage Pts Per Stage
– Last Fall at Darlington Elliott got just 4 Stage Pts despite running 90% of the laps in the Top 15, then ended up 8th at the finish
– The Next Gen has been good for him at Darlington as he has 3 Top 10’s in 4 races with a best of 3rd, but he has just 0.88 Stage Pts Per Stage and hasn’t led a single lap in the 4 races
Outlook for this weekend
Chase Elliott hasn’t been flashy this year, but he’s been solid as he has a win and has yet to finish out of the Top 20. A good amount of this success has come on Intermediates where he has 2 Top 3 finishes and a win, but his runs overall on these tracks haven’t exactly been stellar. In his career he hasn’t been great at Darlington which his streaks attest to, but in the Next Gen he’s finished 3 of 4 races in the Top 10. However, he’s not ran too well in the races, especially in stages. Overall, looking at the stats it seems you should expect a solid finish from Elliott, but don’t expect him to be up front most of the race.
5th in Points – Tyler Reddick
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 12 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 13.25 | T6th of 35 | T132nd of 877 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 30th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.16% | 11th of 35 | 156th of 877 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 67.2 | 5th of 35 | 170th of 832‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 89.56 | 6th of 35 | T177th of 832‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T4th of 52 | T60th of 1152 |
| Poles | 0 | T9th of 52 | T153rd of 1152 |
| Top 2’s | 2 | T4th of 52 | T65th of 1152 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T7th of 52 | T116th of 1152 |
| Top 5’s | 4 | T3rd of 52 | T80th of 1152 |
| Top 10’s | 7 | T1st of 52 | T64th of 1152 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 3 | T8th of 35 | T140th of 877 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T8th of 35 | T219th of 877 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T7th of 52 | T51st of 413* |
| Stage T10s | 13 | T5th of 52 | T45th of 413* |
| Stage Pts | 75 | 5th of 52 | T48th of 413* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 12.42 | 6th of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 6 | T5th of 52 | T39th of 413* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 12 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 5 finishes
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 4 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Darlington Streaks
- 1 straight Top 2 finish (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Top 3 finishes (2022.12-2022.27)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s (2021.12 s1-2021.27 s1)
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 42 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 8.67(T4th), 91.99% of Laps ran in Top15(1st), Avg. Driver Rating 108.33(3rd), Best 2nd, Worst 20th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 5.55% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 4.67 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 7.0
- Darlington Statistics
- 2023 Fall Darlington Race
- Finished 2nd, Started 3rd, Led 90 laps(24.52%), Finished 2nd in Stage 1 and 4th in Stage 2, ran 365 Laps in Top 15(99.46% of laps ran), had 125.4 Driver Rating (ranked 2nd)
- Notable Next Gen Darlington Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Darlington since 2022, 37 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 7.25 Avg. Finish (Ranks 2nd)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 22nd
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 91.68% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 1st)
- 102.35 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 2nd)
- Led 7.56% of laps he’s run (% ranks 7th)
- 0 Wins
- 2 Top 2’s, 50.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 3 Top 3’s, 75.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 25.0% (% ranks T5th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 5 Stage T10’s, 62.5% (% ranks T5th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Tyler Reddick is notable because of his stats on Intermediate tracks this year
– Reddick struggled at Kansas last week as he did run 82% of his laps in the Top 15, but he only led 7 laps, got 3 Stage Pts, and finished 20th
– On the year he has 1 Win, 4 Top 5’s, and is tied for most Top 10’s this year (7); but he also has 3 Finishes out of the Top 20 and just 1 Stage Win
– This year he’s had a 4 straight Stage T10 streak and a series tied long 5 race Top 10 finish streak
– He is currently on a 2 straight Stage T10 streak at Darlington and he had a 2 race Top 3 finish streak in 2022
– In the 3 Intermediate races this year he has the 3rd best Avg. Driver Rating, T4th best Avg. Finish, 2 Top 5’s, and a 7.0 Avg. Stage Finish
– Reddick led a quarter of the Fall Darlington race last year and ran all but 2 laps in the Top 15 en route to a 2nd place finish
– In the Next Gen car at Darlington he has 3 Top 3 finishes and only 1 finish out of the Top 20 with the best Laps in Top 15%, but he also has 0 Wins and 0 Stage Wins
Outlook for this weekend
Tyler Reddick had an uncharacteristic day at Kansas last week as he struggled a good amount, but he still sits 5th in points and has some decently good 2024 stats overall. A lot of these decent stats have come on Intermediate tracks this year as he’s not just running well, but he’s also finishing well for the most part. Even better news is that this week is Darlington where he has finished 3 of the 4 Next Gen races in the Top 3, but he hasn’t faired as well in stages. In all, when you look at the stats above it’s hard to say that Reddick isn’t one of the favorites for the win this weekend.
– Tyler Reddick is notable because of his stats on Intermediate tracks this year
– Reddick struggled at Kansas last week as he did run 82% of his laps in the Top 15, but he only led 7 laps, got 3 Stage Pts, and finished 20th
– On the year he has 1 Win, 4 Top 5’s, and is tied for most Top 10’s this year (7); but he also has 3 Finishes out of the Top 20 and just 1 Stage Win
– This year he’s had a 4 straight Stage T10 streak and a series tied long 5 race Top 10 finish streak
– He is currently on a 2 straight Stage T10 streak at Darlington and he had a 2 race Top 3 finish streak in 2022
– In the 3 Intermediate races this year he has the 3rd best Avg. Driver Rating, T4th best Avg. Finish, 2 Top 5’s, and a 7.0 Avg. Stage Finish
– Reddick led a quarter of the Fall Darlington race last year and ran all but 2 laps in the Top 15 en route to a 2nd place finish
– In the Next Gen car at Darlington he has 3 Top 3 finishes and only 1 finish out of the Top 20 with the best Laps in Top 15%, but he also has 0 Wins and 0 Stage Wins
Outlook for this weekend
Tyler Reddick had an uncharacteristic day at Kansas last week as he struggled a good amount, but he still sits 5th in points and has some decently good 2024 stats overall. A lot of these decent stats have come on Intermediate tracks this year as he’s not just running well, but he’s also finishing well for the most part. Even better news is that this week is Darlington where he has finished 3 of the 4 Next Gen races in the Top 3, but he hasn’t faired as well in stages. In all, when you look at the stats above it’s hard to say that Reddick isn’t one of the favorites for the win this weekend.
7th in Points – William Byron
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 12 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 13.0 | 4th of 35 | T124th of 877 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 35th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 97.78% | 19th of 35 | 289th of 877 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 56.78 | 9th of 35 | 254th of 832‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 90.31 | 5th of 35 | 169th of 832‡ |
| Wins | 3 | T1st of 52 | T3rd of 1152 |
| Poles | 1 | T4th of 52 | T45th of 1152 |
| Top 2’s | 3 | T2nd of 52 | T30th of 1152 |
| Top 3’s | 4 | 2nd of 52 | T27th of 1152 |
| Top 5’s | 4 | T3rd of 52 | T80th of 1152 |
| Top 10’s | 7 | T1st of 52 | T64th of 1152 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 3 | T8th of 35 | T140th of 877 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T8th of 35 | T219th of 877 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T14th of 52 | T91st of 413* |
| Stage T10s | 13 | T5th of 52 | T45th of 413* |
| Stage Pts | 59 | 7th of 52 | 67th of 413* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 13.21 | 8th of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 15 | 3rd of 52 | T8th of 413* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 12 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)
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 4 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Darlington Streaks
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak)
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 6 straight Stage T10’s (2022.12 s1-2023.13 s2) (tied 6th longest streak in Cup Series at Darlington all-time)
- 1 straight Stage T10 (active “streak”)
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 42 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 12.0(7th), 62.02% of Laps ran in Top15(9th), Avg. Driver Rating 88.9(8th), Best 3rd, Worst 23rd, Laps Completed 100%, Led 1.85% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.33 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 16.17
- Darlington Statistics
- 2023 Fall Darlington Race
- Finished 4th, Started 23rd, Led 0 laps, Finished 5th in Stage 2, ran 256 Laps in Top 15(69.75% of laps ran), had 101.9 Driver Rating (ranked 5th)
- Notable Next Gen Darlington Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Darlington since 2022, 37 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 6.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks 1st)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 13th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 90.62% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 2nd)
- 111.13 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 1st)
- Led 6.13% of laps he’s run (% ranks 8th)
- 1 Win, 25.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 2 Top 5’s, 50.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 3 Top 10’s, 75.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 4 Top 15’s, 100% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 1 Stage Win, 12.5% (% ranks T3rd)
- 7 Stage T10’s, 87.5% (% ranks T1st)
- 6.13 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 1st)
Main Points & Outlook
– William Byron is notable because of his incredible Next Gen Darlington stats
– At Kansas Byron started last, ran only 49% of his laps in the Top 15, got 0 Stage Pts, and finished 23rd
– He’s been good at finishing this year as he is tied for the most Wins and has the 4th best Avg. Finish, but he has the 8th best Avg. Stage Finish and 0 Stage Wins
– This year he has a 2 race Top 3 finish streak and a 5 race Top 10 finish streak, both of which are tied for longest in Cup Series this year
– At Darlington he had a 6 straight Stage T10 streak until last Fall’s Stage 1, but he is currently on a 3 race Top 10 streak and a 2 race Top 5 streak
– In 3 Intermediate races this year he has a 12.0 Avg. Finish with only 1 Top 5 and a 16.17 Avg. Stage Finish, but he does have 2 Top 10’s
– At Darlington last Fall Byron led 0 laps and only ran 70% of his laps in the Top 15, but in the end he found himself finishing 4th
– He’s been great in the Next Gen car at Darlington as he is the only driver to finish all 4 races in the Top 15 and half of those have been in the Top 5, and he also has the best Avg. Driver Rating, Stage T10%, and Stage Pts Per Stage here
Outlook for this weekend
William Byron stunk at Kansas after starting in the rear of the field, and overall this year he’s done well at finishing races good but hasn’t been good in the races. The same can be said about his 2024 Intermediate races as he has 2 Top 10’s, but he’s only ran 62% of his laps in the Top 15 and has barely gotten any Stage Pts. However, this is Darlington where Byron has been great in the Next Gen car in terms of running well and finishing well. In all, watch out for Byron this weekend as with his stats at Darlington he should run and finish well.
– William Byron is notable because of his incredible Next Gen Darlington stats
– At Kansas Byron started last, ran only 49% of his laps in the Top 15, got 0 Stage Pts, and finished 23rd
– He’s been good at finishing this year as he is tied for the most Wins and has the 4th best Avg. Finish, but he has the 8th best Avg. Stage Finish and 0 Stage Wins
– This year he has a 2 race Top 3 finish streak and a 5 race Top 10 finish streak, both of which are tied for longest in Cup Series this year
– At Darlington he had a 6 straight Stage T10 streak until last Fall’s Stage 1, but he is currently on a 3 race Top 10 streak and a 2 race Top 5 streak
– In 3 Intermediate races this year he has a 12.0 Avg. Finish with only 1 Top 5 and a 16.17 Avg. Stage Finish, but he does have 2 Top 10’s
– At Darlington last Fall Byron led 0 laps and only ran 70% of his laps in the Top 15, but in the end he found himself finishing 4th
– He’s been great in the Next Gen car at Darlington as he is the only driver to finish all 4 races in the Top 15 and half of those have been in the Top 5, and he also has the best Avg. Driver Rating, Stage T10%, and Stage Pts Per Stage here
Outlook for this weekend
William Byron stunk at Kansas after starting in the rear of the field, and overall this year he’s done well at finishing races good but hasn’t been good in the races. The same can be said about his 2024 Intermediate races as he has 2 Top 10’s, but he’s only ran 62% of his laps in the Top 15 and has barely gotten any Stage Pts. However, this is Darlington where Byron has been great in the Next Gen car in terms of running well and finishing well. In all, watch out for Byron this weekend as with his stats at Darlington he should run and finish well.
11th in Points – Chris Buescher
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 12 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 13.67 | T9th of 35 | T147thof 877 |
| Best Fin. | 2nd | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 37th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 93.2% | 30th of 35 | 576th of 877 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 50.32 | 15th of 35 | 309th of 832‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 80.88 | 12th of 35 | 274th of 832‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T8th of 52 | T167th of 1152 |
| Poles | 0 | T9th of 52 | T153rd of 1152 |
| Top 2’s | 2 | T4th of 52 | T65th of 1152 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T7th of 52 | T116th of 1152 |
| Top 5’s | 2 | T13th of 52 | T212th of 1152 |
| Top 10’s | 6 | T5th of 52 | T114th of 1152 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 2 | T3rd of 35 | T59th of 877 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T8th of 35 | T219th of 877 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T7th of 52 | T51st of 413* |
| Stage T10s | 7 | T14th of 52 | T108th of 413* |
| Stage Pts | 34 | 17th of 52 | T108th of 413* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 16.29 | 15th of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 1 | T11th of 52 | T82nd of 413* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 12 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 Top 10 finishes
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- Notable Darlington Streaks
- 1 straight Top 3 finish (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate start, 42 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 18.0(T18th), 57.09% of Laps ran in Top15(13th), Avg. Driver Rating 76.2(14th), Best 2nd, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 70.41%, Led 9.81% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 1 Stage Win, 2.67 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 19.17
- Darlington Statistics
- 2023 Fall Darlington Race
- Finished 3rd, Started 8th, Led 0 laps, Finished 9th in Stage 1, ran 364 Laps in Top 15(99.18% of laps ran), had 108.3 Driver Rating (ranked 4th)
- Notable Next Gen Darlington Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Darlington since 2022, 37 drivers)
- 4 Races
- 13.75 Avg. Finish (Ranks 10th)
- Best Finish: 3rd, Worst: 26th
- Completed 99.85% of laps (% ranks T8th)
- 31.29% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 20th)
- 65.35 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 16th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 2’s
- 1 Top 3, 25.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 2 Top 10’s, 50.0% (% ranks T6th)
- 2 Top 15’s, 50.0 (% ranks T9th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 25.0% (% ranks T5th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 1 Stage T10, 12.5% (% ranks T18th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Chris Buescher is notable because of his performance in the Darlington race last Fall
– Buescher had a great day at Kansas getting 16 Stage Pts, running 88% of his laps in the Top 15, and leading 20% of the race; but he wound up on the wrong side of the closest finish in Cup Series history, finishing 2nd
– This year he has 2 Top 2 finishes, but only 2 Top 5’s and 0 Wins. However, he also has a 13.67 Avg. Finish, but he’s ran only half the laps this year in the Top 15 and has just 7 Stage T10’s in 24 stages
– The only streaks he has this year are a 4 straight Top 10 finish streak and a current 2 straight Stage T10 streak
– In terms of Darlington streaks he is currently on a 2 race Top 10 finish streak
– Besides last week his Intermediate races this year haven’t been great as he has an 18.0 Avg. Finish with a 19.17 Avg. Stage Finish, and he’s only ran 57% of his laps in the Top 15
– Last Fall at Darlington Buescher led 0 laps, but he ran 99% of the laps in the Top 15, had the 4th best Driver Rating, and finished 3rd in the race
– Overall in the Next Gen at Darlington he has struggled some as he does have 2 Top 10’s in 4 races, but he’s only ran 31% of his laps in the Top 15 and has just 1 Stage T10
Outlook for this weekend
Chris Buescher got about as close to a win as you could get without winning last week as he finished second by .001 seconds. This was a good kickstart for him though as he ran well all race, which is something he hasn’t done too much this year. What’s good is that this weekend is another Intermediate, but overall he’s struggled to run and finish well on them this year. Furthermore, he ran well at Darlington last year, but overall in the Next Gen he’s struggled to run well here. Based on the stats it’s clear, Buescher will probably struggle in stages this weekend, but watch for him to be in or near the Top 10 at the end of the race.
– Chris Buescher is notable because of his performance in the Darlington race last Fall
– Buescher had a great day at Kansas getting 16 Stage Pts, running 88% of his laps in the Top 15, and leading 20% of the race; but he wound up on the wrong side of the closest finish in Cup Series history, finishing 2nd
– This year he has 2 Top 2 finishes, but only 2 Top 5’s and 0 Wins. However, he also has a 13.67 Avg. Finish, but he’s ran only half the laps this year in the Top 15 and has just 7 Stage T10’s in 24 stages
– The only streaks he has this year are a 4 straight Top 10 finish streak and a current 2 straight Stage T10 streak
– In terms of Darlington streaks he is currently on a 2 race Top 10 finish streak
– Besides last week his Intermediate races this year haven’t been great as he has an 18.0 Avg. Finish with a 19.17 Avg. Stage Finish, and he’s only ran 57% of his laps in the Top 15
– Last Fall at Darlington Buescher led 0 laps, but he ran 99% of the laps in the Top 15, had the 4th best Driver Rating, and finished 3rd in the race
– Overall in the Next Gen at Darlington he has struggled some as he does have 2 Top 10’s in 4 races, but he’s only ran 31% of his laps in the Top 15 and has just 1 Stage T10
Outlook for this weekend
Chris Buescher got about as close to a win as you could get without winning last week as he finished second by .001 seconds. This was a good kickstart for him though as he ran well all race, which is something he hasn’t done too much this year. What’s good is that this weekend is another Intermediate, but overall he’s struggled to run and finish well on them this year. Furthermore, he ran well at Darlington last year, but overall in the Next Gen he’s struggled to run well here. Based on the stats it’s clear, Buescher will probably struggle in stages this weekend, but watch for him to be in or near the Top 10 at the end of the race.
