Welcome, in this article series we will be reviewing and rating how each driver in the NASCAR Cup series has done in the 2024 season (min. 15 races started). Each part will contain 3-4 drivers and have them grouped by organization/satellite team or car manufacturer teammate as best as possible. The review will include the drivers 2024 season statistics, along with ranks among drivers in 2024 with season ranking since the Chase started in 2004. We will also highlight playoff stats, notable streaks accomplished through the year, 2024 Short track (under 1 mile), Small track (1-1.3 mile), Intermediate (1.3-1.5 mile), Big track (2-2.5 mile), Road Course (left and right turns), and Superspeedway (drafting tracks) statistics. I will grade each section and give a brief reason why, then give a short overview, all ending with an overall grade A+ thru F- based on a weighted formula from the grades above. To sum up each team, at the end of their last driver I will give an overall team grade based on the grades for each driver. All grades may take into account underfunded/well-funded cars and driver experience.
Last but not least we have a couple of tier 4 Cup teams, Kaulig Racing and Rick Ware Racing.
Kaulig Racing Drivers
Daniel Hemric – 29th in Driver points/30th in Owner points
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 22.97 | 30th of 36 | 550th of 861 |
| Best Fin. | 9th | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 38th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.45% | 1st of 36 | 21st of 861 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 10.94 | 34th of 36 | 580th of 817‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 50.41 | 33rd of 36 | 636th of 817‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T19th of 62 | T306th of 1492 |
| Poles | 0 | T16th of 62 | T297th of 1492 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T25th of 62 | T427th of 1492 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T29th of 62 | T501st of 1492 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T34th of 62 | T597th of 1492 |
| Top 10’s | 4 | T27th of 62 | T498th of 1492 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 20 | 27th of 36 | T587th of 861 |
| DNF’s¹ | 3 | T7th of 36 | T232nd of 861 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T24th of 62 | T137th of 514* |
| Stage T10s | 3 | T33rd of 62 | T220th of 514* |
| Stage Pts | 7 | 34th of 62 | T236th of 514* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 25.05 | 31st of 36 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T25th of 62 | T160th of 514* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 36 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
2024 stats Grade: D+
He is with a tier 4 team and only in his 2nd full-time Cup season, so even with just 4 Top 10’s and a less than stellar Avg. Finish, with an even worse Avg. Stage Finish, he gets a D+.
- 2024 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 5+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 23.1(28th), 11.5% of Laps ran in Top15(34th), Avg. Driver Rating 54.97(31st), Best 11th, Worst 38th, Laps Completed 99.5%, Led 0.04% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 5 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 1 Stage T10, 0.05 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 23.7, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
2024 Playoff Grade: D
He was consistent in the Playoffs with his Avg. Finish and Avg. Stage Finish being near the same and he didn’t run completely awful, but he also had 0 Top 10’s and half his finishes out of the Top 20 so he gets a D.
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2 straight DNF’s
2024 Streaks Grade: D-
I gave him the same grade as JHN because the only difference was that JHN had a 2 straight Stage T10 streak and Hemric had a 2 race Top 10 streak.
- 2024 Short track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 43 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 25.86(30th), 3.91% of Laps ran in Top15(35th), Avg. Driver Rating 40.63(36th), Best 17th, Worst 30th, Laps Completed 99.58%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 5 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 27.5
2024 Short track Grade: F+
What saved him from a worse grade was his Avg. Finish being not terrible, and to a lesser extent his 2 Top 20 finishes also helped. However, the rest of the stats are just bad.
- 2024 Small track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 44 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 21.8(24th), 12.28% of Laps ran in Top15(31st), Avg. Driver Rating 46.56(33rd), Best 9th, Worst 31st, Laps Completed 99.68%, Led 0.32% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 28.0
2024 Small track Grade: D
His Avg. Finish and 1 Top 10 are what helped his grade despite him not running that great. However, what really hurt his grade was his terrible Avg. Stage Finish as it almost put him at a D-.
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 49 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 22.6(31st), 7.67% of Laps ran in Top15(39th), Avg. Driver Rating 47.38(36th), Best 9th, Worst 33rd, Laps Completed 99.72%, Led 0.04% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 26.05
2024 Intermediate Grade: D
What helped his grade was that he finished most of the races in the Top 20, but he also finished just 1 in the Top 15, didn’t run well, and didn’t do well in stages. So, he gets a D.
- 2024 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 26.0(34th), 12.69% of Laps ran in Top15(33rd), Avg. Driver Rating 46.87(35th), Best 23rd, Worst 30th, Laps Completed 97.56%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 26.17
2024 Big track Grade: D-
He didn’t finish a single race in the Top 20 and that led to a poor Avg. Finish. What’s more is that he didn’t run well in the races either, but 2 of them were DNF’s so he gets a D-.
- 2024 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 45 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 26.4(32nd), 12.67% of Laps ran in Top15(36th), Avg. Driver Rating 49.46(36th), Best 12th, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 99.31%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 1 Top 15, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.7 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 18.6
2024 Road Course Grade: D-
He did get 1 Top 15 finish on a Road Course, but the rest of his finishes were out of the Top 20. Furthermore, he ran somewhat poorly which is what solidified him at a D-.
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 48 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 16.83(10th), 32.91% of Laps ran in Top15(27th), Avg. Driver Rating 72.65(18th), Best 9th, Worst 38th, Laps Completed 99.06%, Led 0.71% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 22.83
2024 Superspeedway Grade: B-
He did well at finishing on Superspeedways and that helped his grade a ton with his just 1 Finish out of the Top 20, but he didn’t run in the Top 15 much and his Avg. Stage Finish wasn’t great. So, that’s what knocked him down to a B-.
Overview
– In his first full-time Cup season since 2019 Hemric finished 29th in points
– Most of Hemric’s 2024 Ranks above are T29th or worse, but his Completed Laps% this year is the 21st best in a year since 2004
– He was consistent in the Playoffs, but not consistently good
– In 2024 he had a good 2 race Top 10 streak, but he also had a 2 race DNF streak
– Short tracks were his worst style as he ran really bad on them and only got 2 Top 20’s in 7 races
– In Small track races he did pick up a good finish and overall wasn’t bad at finishing, but his runs were pretty bad
– Hemric didn’t finish bad on Intermediates a lot, but he didn’t run or finish Top 15 a lot either
– Hemric was consistently bad on Big tracks as he had a similar Avg. Finish and Avg. Stage Finish
– Road Courses were another style he struggled on as the only good stat he had on them was his Avg. Stage Finish
– He was really good on Superspeedways as he finished just 1 race out of the Top 20 and he even ran decent
– In his first full-time Cup season since 2019 Hemric finished 29th in points
– Most of Hemric’s 2024 Ranks above are T29th or worse, but his Completed Laps% this year is the 21st best in a year since 2004
– He was consistent in the Playoffs, but not consistently good
– In 2024 he had a good 2 race Top 10 streak, but he also had a 2 race DNF streak
– Short tracks were his worst style as he ran really bad on them and only got 2 Top 20’s in 7 races
– In Small track races he did pick up a good finish and overall wasn’t bad at finishing, but his runs were pretty bad
– Hemric didn’t finish bad on Intermediates a lot, but he didn’t run or finish Top 15 a lot either
– Hemric was consistently bad on Big tracks as he had a similar Avg. Finish and Avg. Stage Finish
– Road Courses were another style he struggled on as the only good stat he had on them was his Avg. Stage Finish
– He was really good on Superspeedways as he finished just 1 race out of the Top 20 and he even ran decent
Final Grade: D
A.J. Allmendinger – nth in Driver points/28th in Owner points
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 20.50 | 22nd of 36 | 461st of 861 |
| Best Fin. | 6th | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 38th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 86.64% | 36th of 36 | T768th of 861 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 28.52 | 25th of 36 | 458th of 817‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 64.29 | 21st of 36 | 486th of 817‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T19th of 62 | T306th of 1492 |
| Poles | 0 | T16th of 62 | T297th of 1492 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T25th of 62 | T427th of 1492 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T29th of 62 | T501st of 1492 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T34th of 62 | T597th of 1492 |
| Top 10’s | 5 | T24th of 62 | T465th of 1492 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 9 | T5th of 36 | T169th of 861 |
| DNF’s¹ | 4 | T14th of 36 | T372nd of 861 |
| Stage Wins | 1 | T14th of 62 | T103rd of 514* |
| Stage T10s | 5 | 30th of 62 | T204th of 514* |
| Stage Pts | 0 | T36th of 62 | T254th of 514* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 21.56 | 25th of 36 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T25th of 62 | T160th of 514* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 36 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
2024 stats Grade: C-
He only ran about half the races and this along with his being on a tier 4 team was taken into account. However, he failed to record a Top 5 while having a DNF in a quarter of his races. So, overall he deserves a C-.
- 2024 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 5+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 20.2(22nd), 26.14% of Laps ran in Top15(25th), Avg. Driver Rating 67.08(21st), Best 6th, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 92.35%, Led 2.14% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 1 Stage Win, 3 Stage T10’s, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 21.2, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
2024 Playoff Grade: C-
His Playoff stats weren’t too far off of his 2024 overall stats above when you take into consideration it’s 3x less races run, so he earned the same grade.
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes (in races he ran)
- 2 straight Stage T10’s
2024 Streaks Grade: C
2 straight Top 10’s in races he ran is pretty good and 2 straight Stage T10’s ain’t bad for a driver with this team. So, he gets a decent C.
- 2024 Short track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 43 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 27.33(34th), 0.86% of Laps ran in Top15(37th), Avg. Driver Rating 42.07(33rd), Best 23rd, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 77.85%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 27.83
2024 Short track Grade: F-
There is nothing good about his stats above as he didn’t run well and had a best finish of 23rd. So, he gets an F-.
- 2024 Small track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 44 drivers)
- 1 Race, Avg. Finish 13.0(9th), 96.25% of Laps ran in Top15(2nd), Avg. Driver Rating 84.8(9th), Best 13th, Worst 13th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 1 Top 15, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 11.5
2024 Small track Grade: B
If he had these stats over a couple of races he might have a higher grade, but he only ran 1 race and didn’t get a Top 10 finish in that race so he just gets a B since he actually ran well in the race.
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 49 drivers)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 9.5(2nd), 41.3% of Laps ran in Top15(20th), Avg. Driver Rating 77.85(16th), Best 8th, Worst 11th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.17% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 19.75
2024 Intermediate Grade: B-
His Avg. Finish was excellent and finishing every race in the Top 15 is really impressive, but again he ran just 2 races. Furthermore, he didn’t run too great in those 2 races and didn’t have a great Avg. Stage Finish so he gets a B-.
- 2024 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 29.33(37th), 11.75% of Laps ran in Top15(34th), Avg. Driver Rating 43.73(36th), Best 21st, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 81.43%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 24.17
2024 Big track Grade: F
What kept him from an F- is that he ran over 10% of his laps in the Top 15, but his Avg. Finish with a best finish of just 21st isn’t good enough for anything better than an F.
- 2024 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 45 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 18.4(20th), 82.99% of Laps ran in Top15(1st), Avg. Driver Rating 84.3(11th), Best 6th, Worst 38th, Laps Completed 78.03%, Led 4.99% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 17.1
2024 Road Course Grade: B+
He was great at running in the Top 15 at Road Courses this year, but his Avg. Finish wasn’t great and his Avg. Driver Rating wasn’t bad. Throw this together with the fact he’s with a tier 4 team and didn’t get a Top 5 and you get a B+ grade.
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 48 drivers)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 17.0(T11th), 21.37% of Laps ran in Top15(31st), Avg. Driver Rating 54.65(32nd), Best 6th, Worst 28th, Laps Completed 99.49%, Led 4.58% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 26.25
2024 Superspeedway Grade: C-
What hurt him with this grade is that he finished half of his races out of the Top 20, his Avg. Stage Finish was really bad, and he didn’t run too many laps in the Top 15.
Overview
– Allmendinger did not run for Cup points this year, but he helped bring in a 28th place Owner points finish for the 16 car
– In the races Allmendinger ran this year he had more finishes out of the Top 20 than in the Top 10 and didn’t always run great
– He ran half the Playoff races and had a few good finishes, but his others races were bad and his runs were okay at best
– His streaks weren’t too bad this year for a tier 4 team
– He ran very poorly on Short tracks and his finishes were pretty bad as well
– The one Small track race he ran this year was really good, but he only mustered up a 13th place finish
– The finishes for Allmendinger in the 2 Intermediate races he ran were good, but his runs weren’t as impressive
– Allmendinger was really bad on Big tracks this year as he didn’t run or finish well on them
– His Road Course stats weren’t too bad, but he couldn’t get a Top 5 finish in any of the races
– He was so-so in the 2 Superspeedway races he ran this year, with one good and one bad finish
– Allmendinger did not run for Cup points this year, but he helped bring in a 28th place Owner points finish for the 16 car
– In the races Allmendinger ran this year he had more finishes out of the Top 20 than in the Top 10 and didn’t always run great
– He ran half the Playoff races and had a few good finishes, but his others races were bad and his runs were okay at best
– His streaks weren’t too bad this year for a tier 4 team
– He ran very poorly on Short tracks and his finishes were pretty bad as well
– The one Small track race he ran this year was really good, but he only mustered up a 13th place finish
– The finishes for Allmendinger in the 2 Intermediate races he ran were good, but his runs weren’t as impressive
– Allmendinger was really bad on Big tracks this year as he didn’t run or finish well on them
– His Road Course stats weren’t too bad, but he couldn’t get a Top 5 finish in any of the races
– He was so-so in the 2 Superspeedway races he ran this year, with one good and one bad finish
Final Grade: C-
Kaulig Racing Overall Team Grade: D+
Rick Ware Racing Drivers
Justin Haley – 31st in Driver points/34th in Owner points
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 23.42 | 32nd of 36 | 564th of 861 |
| Best Fin. | 7th | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 39th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 99.34% | 2nd of 36 | T28th of 861 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 19.37 | 29th of 36 | 513th of 817‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 55.74 | 28th of 36 | 574th of 817‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T19th of 62 | T306th of 1492 |
| Poles | 0 | T16th of 62 | T297th of 1492 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T25th of 62 | T427th of 1492 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T29th of 62 | T501st of 1492 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T34th of 62 | T597th of 1492 |
| Top 10’s | 3 | T32nd of 62 | T528th of 1492 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 23 | T33rd of 36 | T671st of 861 |
| DNF’s¹ | 2 | T1st of 36 | T98th of 861 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T24th of 62 | T137th of 514* |
| Stage T10s | 3 | T33rd of 62 | T220th of 514* |
| Stage Pts | 10 | T31st of 62 | T225th of 514* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 25.11 | 32nd of 36 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T25th of 62 | T160th of 514* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 36 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
2024 stats Grade: D
He was with a tier 4 team for the majority of the year and is only in his 3rd full-time season, but he did have a season where he ran the majority of the races. So, with this and his less than stellar stats he gets a D.
- 2024 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 5+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 23.7(29th), 16.22% of Laps ran in Top15(31st), Avg. Driver Rating 53.77(34th), Best 7th, Worst 34th, Laps Completed 99.71%, Led 0.18% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 7 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 1 Stage T10, 0.2 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 25.05, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
2024 Playoff Grade: D-
He ran most of the Playoffs with a tier 3 team but most of his stats are about the same or worse than his overall 2024 stats above which is why he gets a grade slightly lower.
- Notable Streaks this year
- none (best was 1 straight Top 10, Stage T10, and 1 straight DNF)
2024 Streaks Grade: F
I gave him an F instead of F- because while he didn’t get any 2+ streaks, getting a Top 10 and Stage T10 is decent.
- 2024 Short track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 43 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 24.29(29th), 19.56% of Laps ran in Top15(28th), Avg. Driver Rating 52.04(29th), Best 13th, Worst 32nd, Laps Completed 99.61%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 1 Top 15, 5 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.07 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 26.64
2024 Short track Grade: D-
Running 20% of his laps in the Top 15 is pretty good for the team he was with, but his Avg. Stage Finish wasn’t great and he didn’t get a Top 10. So, that’s why he got a D-.
- 2024 Small track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 44 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 22.6(27th), 13.95% of Laps ran in Top15(29th), Avg. Driver Rating 54.86(27th), Best 9th, Worst 29th, Laps Completed 99.62%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 24.1
2024 Small track Grade: D
His Laps in Top 15% wasn’t great, but he got a Top 10 finish and had an Avg. Stage Finish that was better than 25th, so he gets a D.
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 49 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 22.4(T28th), 19.43% of Laps ran in Top15(29th), Avg. Driver Rating 54.36(29th), Best 9th, Worst 34th, Laps Completed 99.79%, Led 0.04% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 6 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.19 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 24.86
2024 Intermediate Grade: D+
His Laps in Top 15% isn’t awful and honestly when you compare the rest of his stats between his Small tracks and Intermediates they are the same mostly, except the Laps in Top 15%. So, he gets a slightly better grade.
- 2024 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 20.67(25th), 5.07% of Laps ran in Top15(37th), Avg. Driver Rating 47.5(34th), Best 20th, Worst 22nd, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 26.0
2024 Big track Grade: D
What really hurt his grade from being better was his Avg. Stage Finish and Laps in Top 15%, but what helped his grade be a D instead of F was his finishes.
- 2024 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 45 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 28.6(37th), 19.04% of Laps ran in Top15(32nd), Avg. Driver Rating 58.46(28th), Best 16th, Worst 39th, Laps Completed 94.97%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 28.3
2024 Road Course Grade: D-
This time his Laps in Top 15% wasn’t too bad and his Avg. Driver Rating was actually quite impressive, but he couldn’t manage a Top 15 finish and finished all but 1 race out of the Top 20.
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 48 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 21.83(29th), 32.67% of Laps ran in Top15(28th), Avg. Driver Rating 64.93(25th), Best 7th, Worst 34th, Laps Completed 98.59%, Led 2.31% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.42 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 21.5
2024 Superspeedway Grade: C-
He had a pretty decent Laps in Top 15% and Avg. Driver Rating, but what kept him from a better grade was his just 2 Top 15’s and his Avg. Finish.
Overview
– For the first time in his Cup career (in which he earned points in Cup) Haley didn’t race for Kaulig, and he ended up 31st in points
– 10 of Haley’s 17 2024 Ranks above are 28th or worse, but his Completed Laps% and DNF’s ranked top 2
– He didn’t run too great in the Playoffs, but he did get 1 good finish
– He was not able to get any streak this year over 1 in a row
– His Short track runs weren’t awful, but he didn’t do well in stages or race finishes
– His Laps in Top 15% wasn’t good at Small tracks, but the rest of his stats weren’t awful
– Haley pulled out a couple of good finishes on Intermediates this year and overall ran okay for being in a tier 4 car
– On Big tracks Haley didn’t have a bad Avg. Finish despite 0 Top 15’s, but his runs were pretty bad
– Road Courses weren’t bad for him in terms of the way he ran, but his finishes were bad mostly
– Superspeedways were his best track as he actually ran decent and got a couple of good finishes
– For the first time in his Cup career (in which he earned points in Cup) Haley didn’t race for Kaulig, and he ended up 31st in points
– 10 of Haley’s 17 2024 Ranks above are 28th or worse, but his Completed Laps% and DNF’s ranked top 2
– He didn’t run too great in the Playoffs, but he did get 1 good finish
– He was not able to get any streak this year over 1 in a row
– His Short track runs weren’t awful, but he didn’t do well in stages or race finishes
– His Laps in Top 15% wasn’t good at Small tracks, but the rest of his stats weren’t awful
– Haley pulled out a couple of good finishes on Intermediates this year and overall ran okay for being in a tier 4 car
– On Big tracks Haley didn’t have a bad Avg. Finish despite 0 Top 15’s, but his runs were pretty bad
– Road Courses weren’t bad for him in terms of the way he ran, but his finishes were bad mostly
– Superspeedways were his best track as he actually ran decent and got a couple of good finishes
Final Grade: D-
Kaz Grala – 35th in Driver points/36th in Owner points
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 28.54 | 36th of 36 | T703rd of 861 |
| Best Fin. | 14th | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 38th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 93.23% | 32nd of 36 | 587th of 861 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 5.56 | 36th of 36 | 635th of 817‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 37.98 | 36th of 36 | 735th of 817‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T19th of 62 | T306th of 1492 |
| Poles | 0 | T16th of 62 | T297th of 1492 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T25th of 62 | T427th of 1492 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T29th of 62 | T501st of 1492 |
| Top 5’s | 0 | T34th of 62 | T597th of 1492 |
| Top 10’s | 0 | T41st of 62 | T756th of 1492 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 21 | 28th of 36 | T612th of 861 |
| DNF’s¹ | 2 | T1st of 36 | T98th of 861 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T24th of 62 | T137th of 514* |
| Stage T10s | 0 | T38th of 62 | T271st of 514* |
| Stage Pts | 0 | T36th of 62 | T254th of 514* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 30.43 | 36th of 36 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T25th of 62 | T160th of 514* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers to start 40% of races thru 36 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
2024 stats Grade: F
Being with a tier 4 team as a rookie is obviously not ideal, but his Avg. Stage Finish is out of the Top 30, his Avg. Driver Rating is below 40 and he only finished 3 races in the Top 20. What saved him from an F- is that he had just 2 DNF’s.
- 2024 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 5+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 31.86(37th), 1.42% of Laps ran in Top15(37th), Avg. Driver Rating 33.11(37th), Best 27th, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 89.45%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 7 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0 Stage T10’s, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 31.07, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
2024 Playoff Grade: F-
His Avg. Stage Finish and Avg. Finish are in the 31st range, his best finish was 27th, and he ran less than 1.5% of his laps in the Top 15.
- Notable Streaks this year
- none (only “streak” was a 1 straight DNF)
2024 Streaks Grade: F-
If your only “streak” is a DNF “streak” then you deserve an F-.
- 2024 Short track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 43 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 28.83(37th), 10.88% of Laps ran in Top15(33rd), Avg. Driver Rating 38.88(37th), Best 19th, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 91.84%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 5 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 28.92
2024 Short track Grade: F+
He is a rookie so you can’t expect too much, but he did actually run over 10% of his laps in the Top 15 and he had a Top 20 finish. So, that’s why he gets an F+.
- 2024 Small track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 44 drivers)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 28.75(39th), 0.23% of Laps ran in Top15(39th), Avg. Driver Rating 33.63(40th), Best 22nd, Worst 34th, Laps Completed 99.02%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 34.0
2024 Small track Grade: F-
There is nothing good about his stats above as his best finish was 22nd, his Avg. Driver Rating is awful and his Avg. Stage Finish is even worse.
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 49 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 29.57(42nd), 1.64% of Laps ran in Top15(45th), Avg. Driver Rating 33.69(43rd), Best 18th, Worst 34th, Laps Completed 98.24%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 6 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 33.8
2024 Intermediate Grade: F
What saved him from an F- is that he had 1 finish inside the Top 20, other than that his stats are bad again.
- 2024 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 0 Races
2024 Big track Grade: Incomplete
He didn’t run any Big track races, so he gets an Incomplete grade.
- 2024 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 45 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 27.6(33rd), 7.64% of Laps ran in Top15(39th), Avg. Driver Rating 44.6(40th), Best 23rd, Worst 35th, Laps Completed 98.86%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 5 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 24.7
2024 Road Course Grade: F+
His Avg. Finish isn’t ideal and he didn’t finish any Road Course race in the Top 20, but he did have an Avg. Driver Rating over 40. So he gets an F+.
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 48 drivers)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 26.0(43rd), 18.11% of Laps ran in Top15(36th), Avg. Driver Rating 42.4(43rd), Best 14th, Worst 38th, Laps Completed 57.61%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 1 Top 15, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 29.5
2024 Superspeedway Grade: D-
He ran almost 20% of his laps in the Top 15 and got a Top 15 finish in one of his starts, but he also had a very bad Avg. Stage Finish which is why he gets the D-.
Overview
– In his rookie Cup season Grala wound up 35th in points, last among full-time drivers
– To sum up Grala’s season he is the only Cup driver with 15+ starts this year to not get a Top 10 finish, and he didn’t get a Stage T10 either
– His best finish in the 7 Playoff races he ran was 27th and he ran awful too
– His only “streak” this year was a DNF “streak”
– He didn’t run too too terrible on Short tracks and he got 1 Top 20 finish on them too
– Small tracks were not his friend as he was just awful on them
– Grala picked up a Top 20 finish on an Intermediate track this year, but his runs were typically not good
– Grala did not compete at any of the 3 Big track races this year
– His Road Course runs weren’t too bad, but he didn’t finish well on any of them
– Superspeedways were his best tracks as he finished half of them in the Top 15, but he did only run 2 of the races
– In his rookie Cup season Grala wound up 35th in points, last among full-time drivers
– To sum up Grala’s season he is the only Cup driver with 15+ starts this year to not get a Top 10 finish, and he didn’t get a Stage T10 either
– His best finish in the 7 Playoff races he ran was 27th and he ran awful too
– His only “streak” this year was a DNF “streak”
– He didn’t run too too terrible on Short tracks and he got 1 Top 20 finish on them too
– Small tracks were not his friend as he was just awful on them
– Grala picked up a Top 20 finish on an Intermediate track this year, but his runs were typically not good
– Grala did not compete at any of the 3 Big track races this year
– His Road Course runs weren’t too bad, but he didn’t finish well on any of them
– Superspeedways were his best tracks as he finished half of them in the Top 15, but he did only run 2 of the races
Final Grade: F
Rick Ware Racing Overall Team Grade: F+
If you liked this article (or even if you didn’t) go check out the season reviews for Cup being done by Robert Cwik and Griffin Fuller on Pit Pass Network titled “2024 Season in Review: *team name*”. Compare and contrast between my numbers based review and their more eye test review with outlook for 2025 and overall team grade.
