Last week was a mess of a race at Chicago yet again, and yet again the race had to be shortened due to darkness. However, this benefited Alex Bowman and his strategy as he brought home the winners trophy. Next we head to a track that also does not have lights and has had weather issues plague races before, Pocono. I have picked 5 notable drivers to look at, 1 based on 2024 season stats, 1 based on Big track stats, 1 based on the last Pocono race, 1 based on their Next Gen Pocono 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 20 races since the Playoffs started in 2004. We will also highlight notable streaks accomplished through the year and at Pocono, 2023 Big track (2+ miles, non-drafting) statistics and Pocono 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: Martin Truex Jr. (4 in a row, 2nd week) & Tyler Reddick (4 in a row)
This week not in consideration: Martin Truex Jr. (4 in a row, 2nd week) & Tyler Reddick (4 in a row)
1st in Points – Kyle Larson
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 20 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 13.68 | 4th of 36 | 136th of 864 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 39th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 97.33% | 19th of 36 | 255th of 864 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 80.03 | 2nd of 36 | 51st of 822‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 102.92 | 1st of 36 | 41st of 822‡ |
| Wins | 3 | T1st of 58 | T26th of 1321 |
| Poles | 5 | 1st of 58 | T1st of 1321 |
| Top 2’s | 5 | 1st of 58 | T25th of 1321 |
| Top 3’s | 6 | T1st of 58 | T37th of 1321 |
| Top 5’s | 8 | T1st of 58 | T45th of 1321 |
| Top 10’s | 10 | 5th of 58 | T116th of 1321 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 6 | T10th of 36 | T222nd of 864 |
| DNF’s¹ | 3 | T26th of 36 | T493rd of 864 |
| Stage Wins | 8 | 2nd of 58 | 5th of 462* |
| Stage T10s | 26 | T1st of 58 | T25th of 462* |
| Stage Pts | 211 | 1st of 58 | 7th of 462* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 8.66 | 1st of 36 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 23 | 2nd of 58 | 10th of 462* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 20 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 Pocono Streaks
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes (2021.19-2022.21)
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes (2021.18-2022.21)
- 1 straight Stage Win (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Stage Wins (2019.14 s1&s2) (longest streak in Cup Series at Pocono all-time)
- 5 straight Stage T10’s (2018.21 s2-2019.21 s2) (tied 5th longest streak in Cup Series at Pocono all-time)
- 2023 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 18.0(14th), 48.62% of Laps ran in Top15(19th), Avg. Driver Rating 76.47(16th), Best 5th, Worst 29th, Laps Completed 97.32%, Led 4.77% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 3.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Pocono Statistics
- 2023 Pocono Race
- Finished 20th, Started 3rd, Led 24 laps(15.0%), Finished 1st in Stage 2, ran 113 Laps in Top 15(70.63% of laps ran), had 88.4 Driver Rating (ranked 8th)
- Notable Next Gen Pocono Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Pocono since 2022, 35 drivers)
- 2 Races
- 12.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks T8th)
- Best Finish: 5th, Worst: 20th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 79.06% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 4th)
- 97.3 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 6th)
- Led 13.13% of laps he’s run (% ranks 3rd)
- 0 Top 3’s
- 1 Top 5, 50.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 2 Stage Wins, 50.0% (% ranks 1st)
- 3 Stage T10’s, 75.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 5.75 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks 1st)
Main Points & Outlook
– Kyle Larson is notable because of his 2024 stats thru 20 Cup races this year (19 races for him)
– Last week at Chicago Larson was able to get just 6 Stage Pts but he did run every lap of his in the Top 15, however he only ran 33 laps and finished with a 39th place DNF after a wreck
– After Chicago he now leads the series (or tied) with his 102.92 Avg. Driver Rating, 3 Wins, 5 Poles, 6 Top 3’s, 8 Top 5’s, 26 Stage T10’s, 211 Stage Pts, and 8.66 Stage Pts Per Stage
– His longest Pole streak this year (3 races) is longer than his longest Top 10 streak (2 races), but he does have a good 7 straight Stage T10 streak this year
– From 2021-2022 he had a 3 race Top 10 finish streak here at Pocono and he is the only driver to win back-to-back stages here as well
– At Big tracks last year he ran just 49% of his laps in the Top 15 and had just 1 Top 15 finish, but he did lead 4% of his laps and had just 1 finish out of the Top 20
– Last year at Pocono Larson led 15% of the laps and ran 71% of his laps in the Top 15, but a run-in with Denny Hamlin caused him to finish 20th
– In the 2 Next Gen races at Pocono he’s finished 5th and 20th while leading 13% of his laps and getting 5.75 Stage Pts Per Stage
Outlook for this weekend
Kyle Larson had his 2nd disappointing race in a row as he wrecked out a Chicago, but despite this being his 3rd DNF of the year he still has some of the best stats of anyone in 2024. However, this week is a Big track where he struggled to run well last year, and he only had 1 good finish in the 3 races as well. This differs from his Next Gen track stats as he’s performed well here at Pocono, especially in stages, but his finishes are a mixed bag. In all, with this being Pocono expect Larson to be good in stages this weekend, but don’t expect a race win.
– Kyle Larson is notable because of his 2024 stats thru 20 Cup races this year (19 races for him)
– Last week at Chicago Larson was able to get just 6 Stage Pts but he did run every lap of his in the Top 15, however he only ran 33 laps and finished with a 39th place DNF after a wreck
– After Chicago he now leads the series (or tied) with his 102.92 Avg. Driver Rating, 3 Wins, 5 Poles, 6 Top 3’s, 8 Top 5’s, 26 Stage T10’s, 211 Stage Pts, and 8.66 Stage Pts Per Stage
– His longest Pole streak this year (3 races) is longer than his longest Top 10 streak (2 races), but he does have a good 7 straight Stage T10 streak this year
– From 2021-2022 he had a 3 race Top 10 finish streak here at Pocono and he is the only driver to win back-to-back stages here as well
– At Big tracks last year he ran just 49% of his laps in the Top 15 and had just 1 Top 15 finish, but he did lead 4% of his laps and had just 1 finish out of the Top 20
– Last year at Pocono Larson led 15% of the laps and ran 71% of his laps in the Top 15, but a run-in with Denny Hamlin caused him to finish 20th
– In the 2 Next Gen races at Pocono he’s finished 5th and 20th while leading 13% of his laps and getting 5.75 Stage Pts Per Stage
Outlook for this weekend
Kyle Larson had his 2nd disappointing race in a row as he wrecked out a Chicago, but despite this being his 3rd DNF of the year he still has some of the best stats of anyone in 2024. However, this week is a Big track where he struggled to run well last year, and he only had 1 good finish in the 3 races as well. This differs from his Next Gen track stats as he’s performed well here at Pocono, especially in stages, but his finishes are a mixed bag. In all, with this being Pocono expect Larson to be good in stages this weekend, but don’t expect a race win.
2nd in Points – Chase Elliott
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 20 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 10.6 | 1st of 36 | T39th of 864 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 21st | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.98% | 1st of 36 | 3rd of 864 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 76.02 | 3rd of 36 | 83rd of 822‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 93.73 | 3rd of 36 | 126th of 822‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T5th of 58 | T102nd of 1321 |
| Poles | 0 | T11th of 58 | T219th of 1321 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T11th of 58 | T194th of 1321 |
| Top 3’s | 4 | T5th of 58 | T94th of 1321 |
| Top 5’s | 7 | T3rd of 58 | T65th of 1321 |
| Top 10’s | 9 | T6th of 58 | T164th of 1321 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 1 | 1st of 36 | T1st of 864 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | T1st of 36 | T1st of 864 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T10th of 58 | T81st of 462* |
| Stage T10s | 25 | T3rd of 58 | T29th of 462* |
| Stage Pts | 119 | 7th of 58 | 65th of 462* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 11.0 | 2nd of 36 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 6 | T8th of 58 | T66th of 462* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 20 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
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes
- 9 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Pocono Streaks
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (2017.14-2019.14) (tied 10th longest streak in Cup Series at Pocono all-time)
- 4 straight Stage T10’s (2018.14 s1-2018.21 s2) (tied 8th longest streak in Cup Series at Pocono all-time)
- 2023 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 16.0(12th), 74.37% of Laps ran in Top15(7th), Avg. Driver Rating 78.17(14th), Best 2nd, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 70.36%, Led 0.25% 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, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.83 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Pocono Statistics
- 2023 Pocono Race
- Finished 10th, Started 35th, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 100 Laps in Top 15(62.5% of laps ran), had 86.5 Driver Rating (ranked 10th)
- Notable Next Gen Pocono Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Pocono since 2022, 35 drivers)
- 2 Races
- 5.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks 4th)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 10th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 70.94% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 6th)
- 95.65 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 8th)
- Led 0.00% of laps he’s run
- 1 Win, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 2 Top 10’s, 100% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 finishes outside Top 20, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 DNF’s, 0.00% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Stage Wins
- 2 Stage T10’s, 50.0% (% ranks T6th)
- 3.25 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T7th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Chase Elliott is notable because he’s 2nd in points heading into Pocono
– Elliott struggled last week as he got 0 Stage T10’s and ran just 69% of his laps in the Top 15, but he was in position to get a Top 20 until Daniel Suarez hit him on the last lap causing him to finish 21st
– On the year he has the best Avg. Finish (10.6) and Completed Laps% (99.98), but he also has 0 Poles and just 1 Top 2 finish
– In terms of streaks this year he’s had a 3 race Top 5 streak earlier this year and a 9 straight Stage T10 streak
– He is currently on a 2 race Top 10 streak here at Pocono and in the late 2010’s he had a 5 race Top 10 streak here
– He was able to get 2 Top 10’s in 3 Big track races last year, but he ran just 74% of his laps in the Top 15 and got just 0.83 Stage Pts Per Stage
– In the 2023 Pocono Cup race Elliott led 0 laps and got 0 Stage Pts while running just 63% of his laps in the Top 15 en route to a 10th place finish
– He’s finished 1st and 10th in the 2 Next Gen races at Pocono, but he’s only ran 71% of his laps in the Top 15 and he hasn’t led a single lap here in the Next Gen car
Outlook for this weekend
Chase Elliott got his streak of Top 20 finishes to start the season broken at Chicago by Daniel Suarez. However, having a worst finish of 21st through the first 20 races is still pretty good, but he has finished the last 3 races out of the Top 15. The good news for him is that this weekend is a Big track where he finished decent last year despite not running well in stages. Here at Pocono he’s performed well in the Next Gen car as he’s finished both races in the Top 10, but he’s led 0 laps. Overall, don’t expect a great run from Elliott this weekend at Pocono, but don’t be surprised if he sneaks his way into the Top 10 at the finish.
– Chase Elliott is notable because he’s 2nd in points heading into Pocono
– Elliott struggled last week as he got 0 Stage T10’s and ran just 69% of his laps in the Top 15, but he was in position to get a Top 20 until Daniel Suarez hit him on the last lap causing him to finish 21st
– On the year he has the best Avg. Finish (10.6) and Completed Laps% (99.98), but he also has 0 Poles and just 1 Top 2 finish
– In terms of streaks this year he’s had a 3 race Top 5 streak earlier this year and a 9 straight Stage T10 streak
– He is currently on a 2 race Top 10 streak here at Pocono and in the late 2010’s he had a 5 race Top 10 streak here
– He was able to get 2 Top 10’s in 3 Big track races last year, but he ran just 74% of his laps in the Top 15 and got just 0.83 Stage Pts Per Stage
– In the 2023 Pocono Cup race Elliott led 0 laps and got 0 Stage Pts while running just 63% of his laps in the Top 15 en route to a 10th place finish
– He’s finished 1st and 10th in the 2 Next Gen races at Pocono, but he’s only ran 71% of his laps in the Top 15 and he hasn’t led a single lap here in the Next Gen car
Outlook for this weekend
Chase Elliott got his streak of Top 20 finishes to start the season broken at Chicago by Daniel Suarez. However, having a worst finish of 21st through the first 20 races is still pretty good, but he has finished the last 3 races out of the Top 15. The good news for him is that this weekend is a Big track where he finished decent last year despite not running well in stages. Here at Pocono he’s performed well in the Next Gen car as he’s finished both races in the Top 10, but he’s led 0 laps. Overall, don’t expect a great run from Elliott this weekend at Pocono, but don’t be surprised if he sneaks his way into the Top 10 at the finish.
4th in Points – Denny Hamlin
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 20 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 15.0 | 11th of 36 | T200th of 864 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 38th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 97.36% | 18th of 36 | 250th of 864 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 81.24 | 1st of 36 | 39th of 822‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 94.95 | 2nd of 36 | 113th of 822‡ |
| Wins | 3 | T1st of 58 | T26th of 1321 |
| Poles | 2 | 4th of 58 | T36th of 1321 |
| Top 2’s | 4 | T2nd of 58 | T48th of 1321 |
| Top 3’s | 4 | T5th of 58 | T94th of 1321 |
| Top 5’s | 7 | T3rd of 58 | T65th of 1321 |
| Top 10’s | 8 | T11th of 58 | T211th of 1321 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 7 | T13th of 36 | T307th of 864 |
| DNF’s¹ | 2 | T15th of 36 | T296th of 864 |
| Stage Wins | 4 | 3rd of 58 | T19th of 462* |
| Stage T10s | 26 | T1st of 58 | T25th of 462* |
| Stage Pts | 166 | 2nd of 58 | T21st of 462* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 11.29 | 3rd of 36 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 19 | 3rd of 58 | T15th of 462* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 20 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 (longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes (tied longest streak in Cup Series this year)
- 5 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Pocono Streaks
- 1 straight Win (active “streak”)
- 2 straight Wins (2006.14-2006.20 & 2009.21-2010.14) (tied 3rd longest streak in Cup Series at Pocono all-time)
- 2 straight Poles (2006.14-2006.20) (tied 2nd longest streak in Cup Series at Pocono all-time)
- 3 straight Top 2 finishes (2019.21-2020.15) (tied 3rd longest streak in Cup Series at Pocono all-time)
- 4 straight Top 5 finishes (2019.21-2021.18) (tied 8th longest streak in Cup Series at Pocono all-time)
- 6 straight Top 10 finishes (2018.21-2021.18) (tied 6th longest streak in Cup Series at Pocono all-time)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s (active streak)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s (2020.15 s2-2021.18 s2)
- 2023 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 3.33(1st), 90.54% of Laps ran in Top15(1st), Avg. Driver Rating 109.17(2nd), Best 1st, Worst 6th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 3.75% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 4.83 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Pocono Statistics
- 2023 Pocono Race
- Finished 1st, Started 8th, Led 9 laps(5.63%), Finished 3rd in Stage 1 and 4th in Stage 2, ran 149 Laps in Top 15(93.13% of laps ran), had 118.7 Driver Rating (ranked 3rd)
- Notable Next Gen Pocono Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Pocono since 2022, 35 drivers)
- 2 Races
- 18.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 16th)
- Best Finish: 1st, Worst: 35th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 91.25% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks T1st)
- 123.85 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 1st)
- Led 9.38% of laps he’s run (% ranks 5th)
- 1 Win, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 1 Pole, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 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 T6th)
- 3.75 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T4th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Denny Hamlin is notable because of his stats at Pocono in the Next Gen car
– Hamlin earned 1 Stage Pt at Chicago last week, ran just 24% of his laps in the Top 15, and finished 30th
– 12 of his 17 2024 Ranks above are T5th or better, but his other 5 2024 Ranks are out of the top 10, including his 15.0 Avg. Finish, 7 finishes out of the Top 20, and 8 Top 10’s
– His longest Top 5/10 streak this year is 5 races, and his longest Stage T10 streak is 5 stages
– He has many notable streaks here at Pocono as he’s had 2 straight Wins here, 2 straight Poles, 5 straight Top 5’s and 6 straight Top 10’s
– He had the best Avg. Finish in the 3 Big track races last year (3.33) and the 2nd best Avg. Driver Rating (109.17), collecting a Win and 4.83 Stage Pts Per Stage
– In the 2023 Pocono race Hamlin led just 6% of the laps, but he got 15 Stage Pts, ran 93% of his laps in the Top 15 and won the race
– In the 2 Next Gen Pocono races he’s finished 1st and 35th, but this would be two wins if not for a DQ in 2022, and he has a 123.85 Avg. Driver Rating
Outlook for this weekend
Denny Hamlin is on a bit of a cold spell as he’s finished 5 straight races out of the Top 10, with 4 of them being out of the Top 20. Still, even with this poor stretch of races he’s got some really good 2024 stats overall. What’s more is that this weekend is a Big track where Hamlin was phenomenal last year in the 3 races, including here at Pocono. In fact, he’s been great in both Next Gen races at Pocono and if it weren’t for a DQ he’d be on a 2 race Win streak here. Based on these stats pencil Hamlin in as your favorite this weekend, and expect a good run with a good finish for him at Pocono.
– Denny Hamlin is notable because of his stats at Pocono in the Next Gen car
– Hamlin earned 1 Stage Pt at Chicago last week, ran just 24% of his laps in the Top 15, and finished 30th
– 12 of his 17 2024 Ranks above are T5th or better, but his other 5 2024 Ranks are out of the top 10, including his 15.0 Avg. Finish, 7 finishes out of the Top 20, and 8 Top 10’s
– His longest Top 5/10 streak this year is 5 races, and his longest Stage T10 streak is 5 stages
– He has many notable streaks here at Pocono as he’s had 2 straight Wins here, 2 straight Poles, 5 straight Top 5’s and 6 straight Top 10’s
– He had the best Avg. Finish in the 3 Big track races last year (3.33) and the 2nd best Avg. Driver Rating (109.17), collecting a Win and 4.83 Stage Pts Per Stage
– In the 2023 Pocono race Hamlin led just 6% of the laps, but he got 15 Stage Pts, ran 93% of his laps in the Top 15 and won the race
– In the 2 Next Gen Pocono races he’s finished 1st and 35th, but this would be two wins if not for a DQ in 2022, and he has a 123.85 Avg. Driver Rating
Outlook for this weekend
Denny Hamlin is on a bit of a cold spell as he’s finished 5 straight races out of the Top 10, with 4 of them being out of the Top 20. Still, even with this poor stretch of races he’s got some really good 2024 stats overall. What’s more is that this weekend is a Big track where Hamlin was phenomenal last year in the 3 races, including here at Pocono. In fact, he’s been great in both Next Gen races at Pocono and if it weren’t for a DQ he’d be on a 2 race Win streak here. Based on these stats pencil Hamlin in as your favorite this weekend, and expect a good run with a good finish for him at Pocono.
6th in Points – William Byron
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 20 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 13.25 | 3rd of 36 | T111th of 864 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 35th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 98.53% | 11th of 36 | T152nd of 864 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 60.47 | 10th of 36 | 226th of 822‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 87.49 | 9th of 36 | 204th of 822‡ |
| Wins | 3 | T1st of 58 | T26th of 1321 |
| Poles | 1 | T5th of 58 | T81st of 1321 |
| Top 2’s | 4 | T2nd of 58 | T48th of 1321 |
| Top 3’s | 6 | T1st of 58 | T37th of 1321 |
| Top 5’s | 6 | T6th of 58 | T101st of 1321 |
| Top 10’s | 11 | T2nd of 58 | T76th of 1321 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 5 | T6th of 36 | T158th of 864 |
| DNF’s¹ | 1 | T4th of 36 | T107th of 864 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T10th of 58 | T81st of 462* |
| Stage T10s | 21 | 7th of 58 | T61st of 462* |
| Stage Pts | 109 | 8th of 58 | T71st of 462* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 13.07 | 6th of 36 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 16 | 4th of 58 | T21st of 462* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 20 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 Pocono Streaks
- 1 straight Pole (active “streak”)
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes (2018.21-2019.21)
- 3 straight Stage T10’s (2018.21 s2-2019.14 s2 & 2021.19 s2-2022.21 s2)
- 2023 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 24.67(28th), 81.19% of Laps ran in Top15(2nd), Avg. Driver Rating 83.57(9th), Best 14th, Worst 35th, Laps Completed 72.14%, Led 14.85% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 1 Top 15, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 2.17 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Pocono Statistics
- 2023 Pocono Race
- Finished 14th, Started 1st, Led 60 laps(37.5%), Finished 3rd in Stage 2, ran 140 Laps in Top 15(87.5% of laps ran), had 124.1 Driver Rating (ranked 1st)
- Notable Next Gen Pocono Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Pocono since 2022, 35 drivers)
- 2 Races
- 13.0 Avg. Finish (Ranks 11th)
- Best Finish: 12th, Worst: 14th
- Completed 100% of laps (% ranks T1st)
- 70.63% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 7th)
- 103.4 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 3rd)
- Led 18.75% of laps he’s run (% ranks 2nd)
- 1 Pole, 50.0% (% ranks T1st)
- 0 Top 10’s
- 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
- 3 Stage T10’s, 75.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 4.75 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T2nd)
Main Points & Outlook
– William Byron is notable because of his race last year at Pocono
– Byron struggled at Chicago as he ran only 4 laps in the Top 15, but they were the last 4 laps as he ended up with an 8th place finish
– This year he has just the 8th most Stage Pts (109) and is tied for 10th most Stage Wins (1), but he is also tied for most Wins (3) and most Top 3 finishes (6)
– Earlier this year he had a 5 race Top 10 streak and a 6 straight Stage T10 streak
– At Pocono he is on a 1 race Pole “streak” and in the late 2010’s he had a 3 race Top 10 streak with a 3 straight Stage T10 streak as well
– He struggled on Big tracks last year as he ran 81% of his laps in the Top 15 and led 15% of his laps, but he had just 1 Top 15 finish and a 24.67 Avg. Finish
– Last year at Pocono Byron won the Pole, got 8 Stage Pts, and had the best Driver Rating (124.1); but he faltered late to finish 14th
– He’s finished 12th and 14th in the 2 Next Gen races at Pocono, but he’s led 19% of his laps and has an impressive 103.4 Avg. Driver Rating
Outlook for this weekend
William Byron’s Chicago race was pretty much like his season summarized, not flashy but somehow ends up with a good finish at the end. However, this week that may stop as we head to a Big track where Byron ran decent in the 3 races last year, but couldn’t find his way to a good finish. Proof of this is last year at Pocono where Byron had the best Driver Rating but finished 14th. In fact, he’s not ran bad in the Next Gen here, but he hasn’t found a way to get a good finish. Overall, look for Byron to struggle this weekend in stages and at the finish of the race.
– William Byron is notable because of his race last year at Pocono
– Byron struggled at Chicago as he ran only 4 laps in the Top 15, but they were the last 4 laps as he ended up with an 8th place finish
– This year he has just the 8th most Stage Pts (109) and is tied for 10th most Stage Wins (1), but he is also tied for most Wins (3) and most Top 3 finishes (6)
– Earlier this year he had a 5 race Top 10 streak and a 6 straight Stage T10 streak
– At Pocono he is on a 1 race Pole “streak” and in the late 2010’s he had a 3 race Top 10 streak with a 3 straight Stage T10 streak as well
– He struggled on Big tracks last year as he ran 81% of his laps in the Top 15 and led 15% of his laps, but he had just 1 Top 15 finish and a 24.67 Avg. Finish
– Last year at Pocono Byron won the Pole, got 8 Stage Pts, and had the best Driver Rating (124.1); but he faltered late to finish 14th
– He’s finished 12th and 14th in the 2 Next Gen races at Pocono, but he’s led 19% of his laps and has an impressive 103.4 Avg. Driver Rating
Outlook for this weekend
William Byron’s Chicago race was pretty much like his season summarized, not flashy but somehow ends up with a good finish at the end. However, this week that may stop as we head to a Big track where Byron ran decent in the 3 races last year, but couldn’t find his way to a good finish. Proof of this is last year at Pocono where Byron had the best Driver Rating but finished 14th. In fact, he’s not ran bad in the Next Gen here, but he hasn’t found a way to get a good finish. Overall, look for Byron to struggle this weekend in stages and at the finish of the race.
12th in Points – Ross Chastain
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 20 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 13.85 | 6th of 36 | T143rd of 864 |
| Best Fin. | 4th | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 33rd | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.44% | 5th of 36 | T64th of 864 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 61.36 | 9th of 36 | 220th of 822‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 85.69 | 10th of 36 | 227th of 822‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T13th of 58 | T233rd of 1321 |
| Poles | 0 | T11th of 58 | T219th of 1321 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T19th of 58 | T347th of 1321 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T22nd of 58 | T425th of 1321 |
| Top 5’s | 2 | T15th of 58 | T312th of 1321 |
| Top 10’s | 7 | 13th of 58 | T261st of 1321 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 4 | T3rd of 36 | T81st of 864 |
| DNF’s¹ | 2 | T15th of 36 | T296th of 864 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T10th of 58 | T81st of 462* |
| Stage T10s | 16 | T11th of 58 | T92nd of 462* |
| Stage Pts | 66 | 14th of 58 | T109th of 462* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 13.24 | 7th of 36 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 1 | T16th of 58 | T111th of 462* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 20 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 Top 10’s
- 2 straight Stage T10’s
- Notable Pocono Streaks
- none
- 2023 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 1+ Big track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 7.67(4th), 68.75% of Laps ran in Top15(9th), Avg. Driver Rating 99.3(3rd), Best 3rd, Worst 13th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 19.11% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 3.33 Stage Pts Per Stage
- Pocono Statistics
- 2023 Pocono Race
- Finished 13th, Started 21st, Led 0 laps, got 0 Stage T10’s, ran 26 Laps in Top 15(16.25% of laps ran), had 58.8 Driver Rating (ranked 22nd)
- Notable Next Gen Pocono Statistics (Ranks are of drivers with 1+ start this year and 1+ start at Pocono since 2022, 35 drivers)
- 2 Race
- 22.5 Avg. Finish (Ranks 21st)
- Best Finish: 13th, Worst: 32nd
- Completed 94.38% of laps (% ranks 30th)
- 45.7% of Laps ran in Top15 (% ranks 16th)
- 76.3 Average Driver Rating (Ranks 14th)
- Led 5.3% of laps he’s run (% ranks 7th)
- 0 Top 10’s
- 1 Top 15, 50.0% (% ranks T8th)
- 1 finish outside Top 20, 50.0% (% ranks T14th)
- 1 DNF, 50.0% (% ranks T29th)
- 1 Stage Win, 25.0% (% ranks T2nd)
- 2.5 Stage Pts Per Stage (Ranks T11th)
Main Points & Outlook
– Ross Chastain is notable because of his stats on Big tracks last year
– At Chicago Chastain ran 71% of his laps in the Top 15, but got 0 Stage Pts and found himself on the wrong end of strategy late to finish 22nd
– 7 of his 17 2024 Ranks above are T10th or better, but he has 0 Top 3’s and only 2 Top 5’s with 4 finishes out of the Top 20 this year
– His only Top 10 streak this year was a 3 race Top 10 streak early in the year, and his longest Stage T10 streak is just 2 straight stages
– His Pocono streaks are even worse as he has no streaks here at Pocono more than 1 in a row
– At Big tracks last year he finished every race between 3rd and 13th while picking up 2 Stage Wins and leading 19% of his laps, but he only ran 69% of his laps in the Top 15
– Last year at Pocono Chastain got 0 Stage Pts and ran a measly 16% of his laps in the Top 15 getting the 22nd best Driver Rating, but he finished 13th in the race
– He has finishes of 13th and 32nd here at Pocono in the Next Gen car with 1 DNF, and he’s ran just 46% of his laps in the Top 15
Outlook for this weekend
Ross Chastain has had an unfortunate couple of weeks the last 2 races and overall when looking at his 2024 stats above you could say his season as a whole is unfortunate. However, this week is a Big track where Chastain ran decent at last year but was able to pick up mostly good finishes in the 3 races. Then again, this is Pocono where he’s never had a Top 10 finish and in the 2 Next Gen races has ran poorly overall. All this said, Chastain may not have the best race this weekend, and probably gets few Stage Pts, but he may wind up in the Top 10 at the end.
– Ross Chastain is notable because of his stats on Big tracks last year
– At Chicago Chastain ran 71% of his laps in the Top 15, but got 0 Stage Pts and found himself on the wrong end of strategy late to finish 22nd
– 7 of his 17 2024 Ranks above are T10th or better, but he has 0 Top 3’s and only 2 Top 5’s with 4 finishes out of the Top 20 this year
– His only Top 10 streak this year was a 3 race Top 10 streak early in the year, and his longest Stage T10 streak is just 2 straight stages
– His Pocono streaks are even worse as he has no streaks here at Pocono more than 1 in a row
– At Big tracks last year he finished every race between 3rd and 13th while picking up 2 Stage Wins and leading 19% of his laps, but he only ran 69% of his laps in the Top 15
– Last year at Pocono Chastain got 0 Stage Pts and ran a measly 16% of his laps in the Top 15 getting the 22nd best Driver Rating, but he finished 13th in the race
– He has finishes of 13th and 32nd here at Pocono in the Next Gen car with 1 DNF, and he’s ran just 46% of his laps in the Top 15
Outlook for this weekend
Ross Chastain has had an unfortunate couple of weeks the last 2 races and overall when looking at his 2024 stats above you could say his season as a whole is unfortunate. However, this week is a Big track where Chastain ran decent at last year but was able to pick up mostly good finishes in the 3 races. Then again, this is Pocono where he’s never had a Top 10 finish and in the 2 Next Gen races has ran poorly overall. All this said, Chastain may not have the best race this weekend, and probably gets few Stage Pts, but he may wind up in the Top 10 at the end.
