Last week the Gateway race was pretty uneventful, until the final lap where heartbreak once again found Ryan Blaney as he ran out of fuel allowing his Penske teammate, Austin Cindric, to take home the win. Next up we head further out west to the Sonoma Road Course, a track style where good racing has been few and far between in the Next Gen car. 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 Sonoma race, 1 based on their Next Gen Sonoma 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 15 races since the Playoffs started in 2004. We will also highlight notable streaks accomplished through the year and at Sonoma, 2023/24 Road Course (left and right turns) statistics and Sonoma 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: Tyler Reddick (4 in a row, 2nd week)
This week not in consideration: Tyler Reddick (4 in a row, 2nd week)
1st in Points – Denny Hamlin
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 15 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 11.47 | 2nd of 35 | T70th of 867 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 37th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.19% | 10th of 35 | 120th of 867 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 87.24 | 1st of 35 | 13th of 825‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 104.88 | 1st of 35 | 35th of 825‡ |
| Wins | 3 | T1st of 53 | T12th of 1199 |
| Poles | 1 | T4th of 53 | T61st of 1199 |
| Top 2’s | 4 | T1st of 53 | T25th of 1199 |
| Top 3’s | 4 | T4th of 53 | T57th of 1199 |
| Top 5’s | 7 | T1st of 53 | T28th of 1199 |
| Top 10’s | 8 | T4th of 53 | T97th of 1199 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 3 | T5th of 35 | T87th of 867 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | 7th of 35 | T158th of 867 |
| Stage Wins | 3 | 3rd of 53 | T20th of 431* |
| Stage T10s | 20 | 1st of 53 | T24th of 431* |
| Stage Pts | 130 | 2nd of 53 | 22nd of 431* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 9.68 | 2nd of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 18 | 1st of 53 | T9th of 431* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 15 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
- 5 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series and longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series and tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 4 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- Notable Sonoma Streaks
- 1 straight Pole (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (2016.16-2017.16)
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (2016.16-2021.16) (tied 9th longest streak in Cup Series at Sonoma all-time)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s (2018.16 s2-2019.16 s2) (tied 5th longest streak in Cup Series at Sonoma all-time)
- 2023/24 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 55 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 19.29(T18th), 65.24% of Laps ran in Top15(15th), Avg. Driver Rating 83.66(14th), Best 2nd, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 91.67%, Led 8.38% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 3 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 3 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 3 Stage Wins, 3.93 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Sonoma Statistics
- 2023 Sonoma Race
- Finished 36th (crash), Started 1st, Led 33 laps(30.0%), Finished 1st in Stage 1, ran 87 Laps in Top 15(94.57% of laps ran), had 100.8 Driver Rating (ranked 6th)
- Notable Next Gen Sonoma Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Sonoma since 2022, 32 drivers)
- 2 Races
- 33.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks 30th)
- Best Finish: 31st, Worst: 36th
- Completed 91.82% of laps (% ranks 28th)
- 71.78% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 6th)
- 82.2 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 9th)
- Led 16.34% of laps he’s run (% ranks 3rd)
- 1 Pole, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Top 15’s
- 2 finishes outside Top 20, 100% (% ranks T25th)
- 1 DNF, 50.0% (% ranks T31st)
- 1 Stage Win, 25.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 2.5 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T7th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Denny Hamlin is notable because of his 2024 stats thru 15 races
– At Gateway Hamlin ran just 81% of his laps in the Top 15 and led 0 laps, but he was able to get 7 Stage Pts and finish 2nd
– 10 of his 17 2024 Ranks above are 2nd or better including every stage stat (except Stage Wins) and both his Laps in Top 15, and his Avg. Driver Rating
– He is currently on the longest Top 5 streak of any Cup driver this year at 5 races and he is also on a 4 straight Stage T10 streak
– His best Sonoma streaks came in 2016-2021 when he had a 2 race Top 5 streak and a 5 race Top 10 streak
– His last 7 Road Course races haven’t been great as he has a 19.29 Avg. Finish with just 1 Top 10 finish, but he has led 8% of his laps and has gotten 3 Poles
– Last year at Sonoma Hamlin won the Pole, won Stage 1, and ran 95% of his laps in the Top 15; but a mid race wreck caused him to finish 36th (last)
– In the 2 Next Gen Sonoma races he has finishes of 31st and 36th while running 72% of his laps in the Top 15 and getting 2.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
Outlook for this weekend
Denny Hamlin is on a hot streak as he has finished the last 5 Cup races in the Top 5 and is near the top in almost every 2024 stat above. However, that hot streak may come to an end as this weekend is a Road Course where he has been fast in qualifying, but bad at finishing in the last 7 races. What’s worse is that this weekend is Sonoma where he was fast last year, but overall has performed very poorly in the Next Gen car. When looking at all the stats above it looks like this weekend may be a struggle for Hamlin in terms of continuing his Top 5/10 streak.
– Denny Hamlin is notable because of his 2024 stats thru 15 races
– At Gateway Hamlin ran just 81% of his laps in the Top 15 and led 0 laps, but he was able to get 7 Stage Pts and finish 2nd
– 10 of his 17 2024 Ranks above are 2nd or better including every stage stat (except Stage Wins) and both his Laps in Top 15, and his Avg. Driver Rating
– He is currently on the longest Top 5 streak of any Cup driver this year at 5 races and he is also on a 4 straight Stage T10 streak
– His best Sonoma streaks came in 2016-2021 when he had a 2 race Top 5 streak and a 5 race Top 10 streak
– His last 7 Road Course races haven’t been great as he has a 19.29 Avg. Finish with just 1 Top 10 finish, but he has led 8% of his laps and has gotten 3 Poles
– Last year at Sonoma Hamlin won the Pole, won Stage 1, and ran 95% of his laps in the Top 15; but a mid race wreck caused him to finish 36th (last)
– In the 2 Next Gen Sonoma races he has finishes of 31st and 36th while running 72% of his laps in the Top 15 and getting 2.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
Outlook for this weekend
Denny Hamlin is on a hot streak as he has finished the last 5 Cup races in the Top 5 and is near the top in almost every 2024 stat above. However, that hot streak may come to an end as this weekend is a Road Course where he has been fast in qualifying, but bad at finishing in the last 7 races. What’s worse is that this weekend is Sonoma where he was fast last year, but overall has performed very poorly in the Next Gen car. When looking at all the stats above it looks like this weekend may be a struggle for Hamlin in terms of continuing his Top 5/10 streak.
2nd in Points – Kyle Larson
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 15 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 12.43 | 6th of 35 | T101st of 867 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 34th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 98.07% | 17th of 35 | 232nd of 867 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 79.82 | 2nd of 35 | 52nd of 825‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 102.67 | 2nd of 35 | 50th of 825‡ |
| Wins | 2 | T3rd of 53 | T34th of 1199 |
| Poles | 3 | T1st of 53 | T7th of 1199 |
| Top 2’s | 4 | T1st of 53 | T25th of 1199 |
| Top 3’s | 5 | T2nd of 53 | T30th of 1199 |
| Top 5’s | 6 | T3rd of 53 | T50th of 1199 |
| Top 10’s | 7 | T8th of 53 | T153rd of 1199 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 4 | T8th of 35 | T167th of 867 |
| DNF’s¹ | 2 | 23rd of 35 | T408th of 867 |
| Stage Wins | 7 | 1st of 53 | T4th of 431* |
| Stage T10s | 19 | T2nd of 53 | T30th of 431* |
| Stage Pts | 159 | 1st of 53 | 8th of 431* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 8.14 | 1st of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 17 | 2nd of 53 | T11th of 431* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 15 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 (longest streak in Cup Series this year and tied 12th longest streak in Cup Series all-time)
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 2 straight Stage Wins (tied 15th longest streak in Cup Series all-time)
- 7 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Sonoma Streaks
- 3 straight Poles (2017.16-2019.16) (tied longest streak in Cup series at Sonoma all-time)
- 1 straight Top 10 finish (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (2019.16-2021.16)
- 3 straight Stage Wins (2021.16 s1-2022.16 s2) (longest streak in Cup Series at Sonoma all-time)
- 5 straight Stage T10’s (2019.16 s1-2022.16 s1) (longest streak in Cup Series at Sonoma all-time)
- 2023/24 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 55 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 12.86(10th), 68.95% of Laps ran in Top15(12th), Avg. Driver Rating 87.27(12th), Best 4th, Worst 26th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10’s, 5 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 3.0 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Sonoma Statistics
- 2023 Sonoma Race
- Finished 8th, Started 16th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 95 Laps in Top 15(86.36% of laps ran), had 92.3 Driver Rating (ranked 10th)
- Notable Next Gen Sonoma Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Sonoma since 2022, 32 drivers)
- 2 Races
- 11.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks T6th)
- Best Finish: 8th, Worst: 15th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 76.82% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 4th)
- 91.55 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 7th)
- Led 11.82% of laps he’s run (% ranks 5th)
- 1 Pole, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Top 5’s
- 1 Top 10, 50.0% (% ranks T5th)
- 2 Top 15’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 1 Stage Win, 25.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 2.5 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T7th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Kyle Larson is notable because he sits 2nd in points after Gateway
– Larson got 0 Stage Pts at Gateway and ran just 71% of his laps in the Top 15, but he did lead 7 laps and finish in the Top 10, finishing 10th
– Despite the 0 Stage Pts last week he still leads the series with 7 Stage Wins, 159 Stage Pts, and an 8.14 Avg. Stage Finish; he also picked up his first Top 10 that wasn’t a Top 5 last week
– Earlier this year he won 3 straight Poles and at one point had a 7 straight Stage T10 streak
– He won 3 straight Poles at Sonoma in the late 2010’s and he holds the longest Stage Win streak (3) and Stage T10 streak (5) here at Sonoma
– In the last 7 Road Course races he’s only ran 69% of his laps in the Top 15 and he’s not lead a single lap, but he does have 3 Top 10’s with only 1 finish out of the Top 20
– Last year at Sonoma Larson ran 86% of his laps in the Top 15, but got 0 Stage Pts en route to an 8th place finish
– In the 2 Next Gen races at Sonoma he has finishes of 8th and 15th with 1 Stage Win, but also just 1 Stage T10
Outlook for this weekend
Kyle Larson did decent in his first Cup points race since Darlington, and overall this year he still has some of the best stats of any driver. However, this week we head to a Road Course where Larson hasn’t led a lap in the last 7 races, but he does have some decent finishes. One of these finishes was at Sonoma last year where he finished Top 10, and overall in the Next Gen he’s ran okay and finished decent. In all, with all the data above expect a decent run from Larson out west this weekend, but don’t expect too good of a run or finish.
– Kyle Larson is notable because he sits 2nd in points after Gateway
– Larson got 0 Stage Pts at Gateway and ran just 71% of his laps in the Top 15, but he did lead 7 laps and finish in the Top 10, finishing 10th
– Despite the 0 Stage Pts last week he still leads the series with 7 Stage Wins, 159 Stage Pts, and an 8.14 Avg. Stage Finish; he also picked up his first Top 10 that wasn’t a Top 5 last week
– Earlier this year he won 3 straight Poles and at one point had a 7 straight Stage T10 streak
– He won 3 straight Poles at Sonoma in the late 2010’s and he holds the longest Stage Win streak (3) and Stage T10 streak (5) here at Sonoma
– In the last 7 Road Course races he’s only ran 69% of his laps in the Top 15 and he’s not lead a single lap, but he does have 3 Top 10’s with only 1 finish out of the Top 20
– Last year at Sonoma Larson ran 86% of his laps in the Top 15, but got 0 Stage Pts en route to an 8th place finish
– In the 2 Next Gen races at Sonoma he has finishes of 8th and 15th with 1 Stage Win, but also just 1 Stage T10
Outlook for this weekend
Kyle Larson did decent in his first Cup points race since Darlington, and overall this year he still has some of the best stats of any driver. However, this week we head to a Road Course where Larson hasn’t led a lap in the last 7 races, but he does have some decent finishes. One of these finishes was at Sonoma last year where he finished Top 10, and overall in the Next Gen he’s ran okay and finished decent. In all, with all the data above expect a decent run from Larson out west this weekend, but don’t expect too good of a run or finish.
4th in Points – Martin Truex Jr.
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 15 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 11.87 | T3rd of 35 | T85th of 867 |
| Best Fin. | 2nd | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 34th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.91% | T3rd of 35 | T21st of 867 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 77.04 | 3rd of 35 | 77th of 825‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 98.15 | 3rd of 35 | 83rd of 825‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T10th of 53 | T191st of 1199 |
| Poles | 0 | T11th of 53 | T176th of 1199 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T8th of 53 | T157th of 1199 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T8th of 53 | T157th of 1199 |
| Top 5’s | 4 | T7th of 53 | T135th of 1199 |
| Top 10’s | 7 | T8th of 53 | T153rd of 1199 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 2 | T2nd of 35 | T35th of 867 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 35 | T1st of 867 |
| Stage Wins | 2 | T4th of 53 | T36th of 431* |
| Stage T10s | 19 | T2nd of 53 | T30th of 431* |
| Stage Pts | 113 | 3rd of 53 | T39th of 431* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 10.77 | 3rd of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 2 | T10th of 53 | T81st of 431* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 15 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)
- 8 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Sonoma Streaks
- 1 straight Win (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Wins (2018.16-2019.16) (2nd longest streak in Cup Series at Sonoma all-time)
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes (2018.16-2019.16) (tied 4th longest streak in Cup Series at Sonoma all-time)
- 3 straight Top 3 finishes (2018.16-2021.16) (tied 2nd longest streak in Cup Series at Sonoma all-time)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 2023/24 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 55 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 13.29(11th), 66.78% of Laps ran in Top15(14th), Avg. Driver Rating 90.3(10th), Best 1st, Worst 32nd, Laps Completed 99.84%, Led 8.67% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 3.0 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Sonoma Statistics
- 2023 Sonoma Race
- Finished 1st, Started 8th, Led 51 laps(46.36%), Finished 2nd in Stage 1 and 7th in Stage 2, ran 110 Laps in Top 15(100% of laps ran), had 143.5 Driver Rating (ranked 1st)
- Notable Next Gen Sonoma Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Sonoma since 2022, 32 drivers)
- 2 Races
- 13.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks 12th)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 26th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 65.91% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 7th)
- 101.35 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 4th)
- Led 23.18% of laps he’s run (% ranks 1st)
- 1 Win, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 1 Top 15, 50.0% (% ranks T8th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 50.0% (% ranks T14th)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 2 Stage T10’s, 50.0% (% ranks T4th)
- 3.25 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 3rd)
Main Points & Outlook
– Martin Truex Jr. is notable because he dominated the 2023 Sonoma Cup race
– Truex was running near the Top 10 when he blew a tire midway thru Stage 2 at Gateway causing him to run just 22% of his laps in the Top 15 and finish 34th
– Despite his recent string of bad luck he’s still tied for 3rd best Avg. Finish (11.87) and his worst 2024 Rank above is only T11th (0 Poles)
– This year he’s had a 5 race Top 10 streak and an 8 straight Stage T10 streak
– At Sonoma he is on a 1 race Win “streak” and from 2018-2021 he had a 2 race Win streak and a 3 race Top 3 streak
– In the last 7 Road Course races he has a 13.29 Avg. Finish with 1 Win, but he’s ran just 67% of his laps in the Top 15 and his 1 Win is his only Top 5 finish
– Truex dominated last year at Sonoma as he led 46% of the race, got 13 Stage Pts, and ran every lap in the Top 15 en route to the win
– He’s finished 1st and 26th in the 2 next Gen races at Sonoma and he’s led 23% of the laps he’s run, but he’s only ran 66% of his laps in the Top 15
Outlook for this weekend
Martin Truex Jr. has had a streak of bad luck recently and has now finished 2 of the last 3 races out of the Top 20. However, his stats are still pretty good overall in 2024, but heading to a Road Course might only help his stats so much as he hasn’t ran great at these tracks of recent and only has 1 Top 5 in the last 7 races. The good news is that Top 5 finish was a win at Sonoma last week, but in the Next Gen he hasn’t ran well here overall. In short, expect a decent run from Truex this weekend with a decent finish, but don’t be surprised if he does great either since this is Sonoma.
– Martin Truex Jr. is notable because he dominated the 2023 Sonoma Cup race
– Truex was running near the Top 10 when he blew a tire midway thru Stage 2 at Gateway causing him to run just 22% of his laps in the Top 15 and finish 34th
– Despite his recent string of bad luck he’s still tied for 3rd best Avg. Finish (11.87) and his worst 2024 Rank above is only T11th (0 Poles)
– This year he’s had a 5 race Top 10 streak and an 8 straight Stage T10 streak
– At Sonoma he is on a 1 race Win “streak” and from 2018-2021 he had a 2 race Win streak and a 3 race Top 3 streak
– In the last 7 Road Course races he has a 13.29 Avg. Finish with 1 Win, but he’s ran just 67% of his laps in the Top 15 and his 1 Win is his only Top 5 finish
– Truex dominated last year at Sonoma as he led 46% of the race, got 13 Stage Pts, and ran every lap in the Top 15 en route to the win
– He’s finished 1st and 26th in the 2 next Gen races at Sonoma and he’s led 23% of the laps he’s run, but he’s only ran 66% of his laps in the Top 15
Outlook for this weekend
Martin Truex Jr. has had a streak of bad luck recently and has now finished 2 of the last 3 races out of the Top 20. However, his stats are still pretty good overall in 2024, but heading to a Road Course might only help his stats so much as he hasn’t ran great at these tracks of recent and only has 1 Top 5 in the last 7 races. The good news is that Top 5 finish was a win at Sonoma last week, but in the Next Gen he hasn’t ran well here overall. In short, expect a decent run from Truex this weekend with a decent finish, but don’t be surprised if he does great either since this is Sonoma.
5th in Points – William Byron
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 15 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 12.0 | 5th of 35 | T90th of 867 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 35th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 98.18% | 15th of 35 | 223rd of 867 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 60.67 | 9th of 35 | 230th of 825‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 92.26 | 4th of 35 | 154th of 825‡ |
| Wins | 3 | T1st of 53 | T12th of 1199 |
| Poles | 1 | T4th of 53 | T61st of 1199 |
| Top 2’s | 3 | T4th of 53 | T53rd of 1199 |
| Top 3’s | 5 | T2nd of 53 | T30th of 1199 |
| Top 5’s | 5 | T5th of 53 | T81st of 1199 |
| Top 10’s | 9 | T1st of 53 | T54th of 1199 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 3 | T5th of 35 | T87th of 867 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | 7th of 35 | T158th of 867 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T8th of 53 | T61st of 431* |
| Stage T10s | 19 | T2nd of 53 | T30th of 431* |
| Stage Pts | 98 | 7th of 53 | T55th of 431* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 11.65 | 5th of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 16 | T3rd of 53 | T13th of 431* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 15 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
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 6 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Sonoma Streaks
- 1 straight Stage T10 (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (2019.16 s1&s2)
- 2023/24 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 55 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 7.14(1st), 74.18% of Laps ran in Top15(9th), Avg. Driver Rating 108.26(1st), Best 1st, Worst 14th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 22.22% of laps he ran, 2 Wins, 2 Poles, 3 Top 3’s, 4 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 7 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 3.07 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Sonoma Statistics
- 2023 Sonoma Race
- Finished 14th, Started 26th, Led 0 laps, Finished 4th in Stage 2, ran 73 Laps in Top 15(66.36% of laps ran), had 77.7 Driver Rating (ranked 13th)
- Notable Next Gen Sonoma Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Sonoma since 2022, 32 drivers)
- 2 Races
- 11.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks T6th)
- Best Finish: 9th, Worst: 14th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 59.09% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 11th)
- 78.55 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 12th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 0 Top 5’s
- 1 Top 10, 50.0% (% ranks T5th)
- 2 Top 15’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 1 Stage T10, 25.0% (% ranks T11th)
Main Points & Outlook
– William Byron is notable because of his stats on Road Courses since the start of 2023
– At Gateway Byron got 5 Stage Pts in Stage 1, but he only ran 32% of his laps in the Top 15 and finished a disappointing 15th
– He’s been okay this year as he has 3 Wins and 9 Top 10’s with 19 Stage T10’s, but he only has 98 Stage Pts and he’s ran just 61% of the laps this year in the Top 15
– Earlier in the year he had a 5 race Top 10 streak and a 6 straight Stage T10 streak
– The only 2+ streak he has at Sonoma is his 2 straight Stage T10 streak in 2019
– He has the best Avg. Finish in the last 7 Road Course races (7.14) and the best Avg. Driver Rating (108.26) with 2 Wins and a worst finish of just 14th
– That 14th place finish came at Sonoma last year where Byron ran 66% of his laps in the Top 15 and got 0 Stage T10’s before finishing 14th
– He’s finished 9th and 14th in the 2 Next Gen races at Sonoma, but he’s led 0 laps, ran just 59% of his laps in the Top 15 and has just a 78.55 Avg. Driver Rating
Outlook for this weekend
William Byron’s 2024 season stats show that he’s done well in finishing races, but in terms of in the races themself he hasn’t been near as strong. The same can be said about his last 7 Road Course races where he’s not ran very many laps in the Top 15, but he has finished over half the races in the Top 5. However, this is Sonoma where he’s ran very poor and has just a best finish of 9th in the 2 Next Gen races. When looking at the stats, since this is Sonoma do not expect much from Byron this weekend, but a solid Top 15 finish is probably where he ends up.
– William Byron is notable because of his stats on Road Courses since the start of 2023
– At Gateway Byron got 5 Stage Pts in Stage 1, but he only ran 32% of his laps in the Top 15 and finished a disappointing 15th
– He’s been okay this year as he has 3 Wins and 9 Top 10’s with 19 Stage T10’s, but he only has 98 Stage Pts and he’s ran just 61% of the laps this year in the Top 15
– Earlier in the year he had a 5 race Top 10 streak and a 6 straight Stage T10 streak
– The only 2+ streak he has at Sonoma is his 2 straight Stage T10 streak in 2019
– He has the best Avg. Finish in the last 7 Road Course races (7.14) and the best Avg. Driver Rating (108.26) with 2 Wins and a worst finish of just 14th
– That 14th place finish came at Sonoma last year where Byron ran 66% of his laps in the Top 15 and got 0 Stage T10’s before finishing 14th
– He’s finished 9th and 14th in the 2 Next Gen races at Sonoma, but he’s led 0 laps, ran just 59% of his laps in the Top 15 and has just a 78.55 Avg. Driver Rating
Outlook for this weekend
William Byron’s 2024 season stats show that he’s done well in finishing races, but in terms of in the races themself he hasn’t been near as strong. The same can be said about his last 7 Road Course races where he’s not ran very many laps in the Top 15, but he has finished over half the races in the Top 5. However, this is Sonoma where he’s ran very poor and has just a best finish of 9th in the 2 Next Gen races. When looking at the stats, since this is Sonoma do not expect much from Byron this weekend, but a solid Top 15 finish is probably where he ends up.
14th in Points – Chris Buescher
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 15 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 15.4 | 12th of 35 | T225th of 867 |
| Best Fin. | 2nd | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 37th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 94.38% | 26th of 35 | 492nd of 867 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 50.56 | 15th of 35 | 309th of 825‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 79.83 | 13th of 35 | 299th of 825‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T10th of 53 | T191st of 1199 |
| Poles | 0 | T11th of 53 | T176th of 1199 |
| Top 2’s | 2 | T6th of 53 | T89th of 1199 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T8th of 53 | T157th of 1199 |
| Top 5’s | 2 | T13th of 53 | T261st of 1199 |
| Top 10’s | 6 | 11th of 53 | T209th of 1199 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 4 | T8th of 35 | T167th of 867 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | 7th of 35 | T158th of 867 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T8th of 53 | T61st of 431* |
| Stage T10s | 9 | T16th of 53 | T118th of 431* |
| Stage Pts | 42 | 17th of 53 | T119th of 431* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 16.32 | 15th of 35 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 1 | T12th of 53 | T91st of 431* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 15 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
- 4 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Sonoma Streaks
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (active streak, longest active streak in Cup Series at Sonoma)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s (2018.16 s1-2019.16 s1) (tied 5th longest streak in Cup Series at Sonoma all-time)
- 2023/24 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 55 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 7.86(2nd), 74.51% of Laps ran in Top15(8th), Avg. Driver Rating 91.14(9th), Best 4th, Worst 11th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.16% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 6 Top 10’s, 7 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.71 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Sonoma Statistics
- 2023 Sonoma Race
- Finished 4th, Started 7th, Led 0 laps, Finished 7th in Stage 1, ran 108 Laps in Top 15(98.18% of laps ran), had 107.2 Driver Rating (ranked 4th)
- Notable Next Gen Sonoma Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Sonoma since 2022, 32 drivers)
- 2 Races
- 3.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 1st)
- Best Finish: 2nd, Worst: 4th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 99.09% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 1st)
- 117.65 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 1st)
- Led 1.82% of laps he’s run (% ranks T7th)
- 0 Wins
- 1 Top 2, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 2 Top 5’s, 100% (% ranks 1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 2 Stage T10’s, 50.0% (% rank T4th)
- 3.0 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T4th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Chris Buescher is notable because of his stats in the 2 Next Gen races at Sonoma
– Last week Buescher ran just 14% of his laps in the Top 15 en route to a 14th place finish
– His only Top 5 finishes this year have been 2nd place finishes plus he has just the 12th best Avg. Finish and 15th best Avg. Stage Finish, but he does have 6 Top 10’s
– He’s had a 4 race Top 10 finish streak earlier this year and a 4 straight Stage T10 streak as well
– At Sonoma he is currently on a 2 race Top 5 streak and a 2 straight Stage T10 streak as well
– He has a 7.86 Avg. Finish in the last 7 Road Course races with 6 Top 10’s and he is one of 2 drivers to not finish out of the Top 15, but he has just 0.71 Stage Pts Per Stage
– Last year at Sonoma Buescher led 0 laps, but he ran 108 of 110 laps in the Top 15, had the 4th best Driver Rating, and finished 4th in the race
– He’s the only driver to finish both Sonoma Next Gen races in the Top 5 plus he has the best Laps in Top 15% (99.09) and the best Avg. Driver Rating (117.65) in the two races
Outlook for this weekend
Chris Buescher has been in a bit of a slump of late as he has just 1 Top 10 in the last 8 races, but these include Tyler Reddick taking him out at Darlington and him finishing 2nd by .001 seconds. Thankfully for Buescher we are headed to a Road Course this weekend where his worst finish since the start of last year is 11th, but he’s been awful in stages. However, this is Sonoma where he is the only driver to finish Top 5 in both Sonoma Next Gen races, and he has 2 Stage T10’s in 4 stages. Based on these stats expect Buescher to break out of his recent slump and have a good race this weekend, but probably not a win.
– Chris Buescher is notable because of his stats in the 2 Next Gen races at Sonoma
– Last week Buescher ran just 14% of his laps in the Top 15 en route to a 14th place finish
– His only Top 5 finishes this year have been 2nd place finishes plus he has just the 12th best Avg. Finish and 15th best Avg. Stage Finish, but he does have 6 Top 10’s
– He’s had a 4 race Top 10 finish streak earlier this year and a 4 straight Stage T10 streak as well
– At Sonoma he is currently on a 2 race Top 5 streak and a 2 straight Stage T10 streak as well
– He has a 7.86 Avg. Finish in the last 7 Road Course races with 6 Top 10’s and he is one of 2 drivers to not finish out of the Top 15, but he has just 0.71 Stage Pts Per Stage
– Last year at Sonoma Buescher led 0 laps, but he ran 108 of 110 laps in the Top 15, had the 4th best Driver Rating, and finished 4th in the race
– He’s the only driver to finish both Sonoma Next Gen races in the Top 5 plus he has the best Laps in Top 15% (99.09) and the best Avg. Driver Rating (117.65) in the two races
Outlook for this weekend
Chris Buescher has been in a bit of a slump of late as he has just 1 Top 10 in the last 8 races, but these include Tyler Reddick taking him out at Darlington and him finishing 2nd by .001 seconds. Thankfully for Buescher we are headed to a Road Course this weekend where his worst finish since the start of last year is 11th, but he’s been awful in stages. However, this is Sonoma where he is the only driver to finish Top 5 in both Sonoma Next Gen races, and he has 2 Stage T10’s in 4 stages. Based on these stats expect Buescher to break out of his recent slump and have a good race this weekend, but probably not a win.
