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.
In this next article we have the team with the Rookie of the Year and a team that was a surprise race winner in 2024, Spire Motorsports and JTG-Daugherty Racing.
Spire Motorsports Drivers
Carson Hocevar – 21st in Driver points/21st in Owner points
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 18.31 | T17th of 36 | T365th of 861 |
| Best Fin. | 3rd | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 40th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 97.55% | 10th of 36 | 200th of 861 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 28.21 | 26th of 36 | 461st of 817‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 64.19 | 23rd of 36 | 488th 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 | 1 | T18th of 62 | T357th of 1492 |
| Top 5’s | 1 | T24th of 62 | T468th of 1492 |
| Top 10’s | 6 | T22nd of 62 | T436th of 1492 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 13 | T13th of 36 | T356th of 861 |
| DNF’s¹ | 2 | T1st of 36 | T98th of 861 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T24th of 62 | T137th of 514* |
| Stage T10s | 7 | T27th of 62 | T186th of 514* |
| Stage Pts | 27 | 27th of 62 | 195th of 514* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 20.48 | 20th 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
This year he was a rookie driver with a tier 3 team so his Avg. Finish, 1 Top 3 and 6 Top 10’s is pretty darn impressive. However, he didn’t run great so his Stage Pts and Laps in Top 15% put him down to a C.
- 2024 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 5+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 17.0(14th), 38.49% of Laps ran in Top15(20th), Avg. Driver Rating 72.49(16th), Best 3rd, Worst 32nd, Laps Completed 99.86%, Led 0.25% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 4 Stage T10’s, 0.75 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 18.35, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
2024 Playoff Grade: B-
His Avg. Finish was pretty good and his Laps in Top 15% with his Avg. Driver Rating weren’t bad either, but his stages were not great and he had just 2 Top 10’s which is why he ends up with a B-.
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2 straight Stage T10’s
2024 Streaks Grade: C
2 straight Top 10’s and 2 straight Stage T10’s isn’t that impressive, but considering the team he’s with and where he is in his career it’s good enough for a C.
- 2024 Short track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 43 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 19.43(22nd), 19.6% of Laps ran in Top15(27th), Avg. Driver Rating 57.31(27th), Best 8th, Worst 27th, Laps Completed 99.74%, Led 0.07% 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, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.14 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 21.0
2024 Short track Grade: C
Again it’s where he is in his career why he got a C, because even with his pretty decent finishing stats he didn’t run all too great in Short track races.
- 2024 Small track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 44 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 16.0(T13th), 31.29% of Laps ran in Top15(25th), Avg. Driver Rating 69.38(19th), Best 8th, Worst 22nd, Laps Completed 99.81%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.3 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 19.0
2024 Small track Grade: C+
He ran and finished a bit better at Small tracks than he did on Short tracks which is why he gets a bit better grade.
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 49 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 20.9(23rd), 41.36% of Laps ran in Top15(19th), Avg. Driver Rating 66.1(20th), Best 9th, Worst 33rd, Laps Completed 98.84%, Led 0.25% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 6 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.71 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 18.0
2024 Intermediate Grade: C
He ran pretty good at Intermediate tracks and actually finished mostly well in stages, but what hurt him this time was his Avg. Finish and the fact he had 0 Top 5’s while also getting 6 finishes out of the Top 20.
- 2024 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 13.0(T6th), 37.15% of Laps ran in Top15(19th), Avg. Driver Rating 69.37(15th), Best 10th, Worst 17th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.56% 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 21.0
2024 Big track Grade: B-
His Avg. Stage Finish was not great, but his Avg. Driver Rating wasn’t too shabby and his Avg. Finish was really good. In addition, he had 0 finishes out of the Top 20 which is why he gets a B-.
- 2024 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 45 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 15.6(T17th), 48.97% of Laps ran in Top15(17th), Avg. Driver Rating 78.7(15th), Best 3rd, Worst 24th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.23% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.7 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 16.3
2024 Road Course Grade: B
He ran almost half of his laps in the Top 15 on Road Courses this year and his Avg. Driver Rating is impressive. In addition, he got 1 Top 3 finish, but his 2 Top 15’s is what kept him from a higher grade.
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 48 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 19.5(T21st), 7.33% of Laps ran in Top15(43rd), Avg. Driver Rating 50.05(39th), Best 11th, Worst 40th, Laps Completed 84.68%, Led 0.28% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 28.67
2024 Superspeedway Grade: D-
His finishes weren’t bad on Superspeedways as he only finished 1 race out of the Top 20. However, he also had 0 Top 10’s, ran 7% of his laps in the Top 15, and had a terrible Avg. Stage Finish.
Overview
– Hocevar finished 21st in points and won Rookie of the Year in the process
– In 2024 Hocevar was able to get a Top 3 finish and overall finish well for a rookie, but he didn’t always run that great
– His 1 Top 3 finish came in the Playoffs plus he ran and finished a little better than he did overall this year
– His streaks weren’t impressive this year, but for a rookie they weren’t terrible
– He had a couple decent finishes on Short tracks but he didn’t run that well
– His Small track stats were a little better than his Short track stats overall
– On Intermediates Hocevar ran well and got a couple of good finishes, but overall he didn’t finish well
– Hocevar ran pretty decent at Big tracks and was really good in finishes, but he didn’t do well in stages
– Road Courses were his best tracks as he ran pretty well and got a Top 3 finish in one of the races
– His finishes on Superspeedways weren’t too bad, but the way he ran on them was awful
– Hocevar finished 21st in points and won Rookie of the Year in the process
– In 2024 Hocevar was able to get a Top 3 finish and overall finish well for a rookie, but he didn’t always run that great
– His 1 Top 3 finish came in the Playoffs plus he ran and finished a little better than he did overall this year
– His streaks weren’t impressive this year, but for a rookie they weren’t terrible
– He had a couple decent finishes on Short tracks but he didn’t run that well
– His Small track stats were a little better than his Short track stats overall
– On Intermediates Hocevar ran well and got a couple of good finishes, but overall he didn’t finish well
– Hocevar ran pretty decent at Big tracks and was really good in finishes, but he didn’t do well in stages
– Road Courses were his best tracks as he ran pretty well and got a Top 3 finish in one of the races
– His finishes on Superspeedways weren’t too bad, but the way he ran on them was awful
Final Grade: C
Zane Smith – 30th in Driver points/31st in Owner points
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 23.19 | 31st of 36 | 559th of 861 |
| Best Fin. | 2nd | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 39th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 92.21% | 34th of 36 | 640th of 861 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 9.62 | 35th of 36 | 594th of 817‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 51.45 | 32nd of 36 | 624th of 817‡ |
| Wins | 0 | T19th of 62 | T306th of 1492 |
| Poles | 0 | T16th of 62 | T297th of 1492 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T15th of 62 | T283rd of 1492 |
| Top 3’s | 1 | T18th of 62 | T357th of 1492 |
| Top 5’s | 2 | T21st of 62 | T407th of 1492 |
| Top 10’s | 4 | T27th of 62 | T498th of 1492 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 22 | T29th of 36 | T640th of 861 |
| DNF’s¹ | 5 | T22nd of 36 | T526th 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 | 26.97 | 35th 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
What saved him from an F grade was that he got the 1 Top 2 finish and 2 Top 5’s, but overall he didn’t finish well this year and he got 0 Stage T10’s which is just awful.
- 2024 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 5+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 19.8(21st), 14.16% of Laps ran in Top15(33rd), Avg. Driver Rating 61.92(26th), Best 5th, Worst 39th, Laps Completed 97.59%, Led 0.11% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 5 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0 Stage T10’s, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 23.45, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
2024 Playoff Grade: D+
His Avg. Finish and 2 Top 10’s is what helped his grade, but again his stages were bad as were his Laps in Top 15% and Avg. Driver Rating which is why he gets a D+.
- Notable Streaks this year
- none (best was 1 straight Top 2,3,5,10 and 1 straight DNF)
2024 Streaks Grade: F
At least he didn’t have a 2+ race DNF streak otherwise his grade would have been an F-.
- 2024 Short track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 43 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 27.57(36th), 0.18% of Laps ran in Top15(38th), Avg. Driver Rating 41.53(34th), Best 16th, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 89.61%, 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, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 27.29
2024 Short track Grade: F
The only thing that saved him from a worse grade was that he is a rookie and was with a tier 3 team, because his stats above are awful.
- 2024 Small track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 44 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 28.2(T37th), 4.14% of Laps ran in Top15(36th), Avg. Driver Rating 40.3(37th), Best 19th, Worst 39th, Laps Completed 95.41%, 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 28.6
2024 Small track Grade: F
The reason he gets the same grade here as he did on Short tracks is that he didn’t finish as good, but he did have a better Laps in Top 15%.
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 49 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 24.0(34th), 15.61% of Laps ran in Top15(31st), Avg. Driver Rating 50.94(34th), Best 2nd, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 94.81%, Led 0.11% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 7 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 26.76
2024 Intermediate Grade: D+
He did get 1 Top 3 and 2 Top 10’s in the 10 races, but almost all of his other finishes were out of the Top 20 and he rarely ran in the Top 15. Plus, he was again awful in stages.
- 2024 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 17.67(T13th), 28.46% of Laps ran in Top15(25th), Avg. Driver Rating 63.13(21st), Best 7th, Worst 29th, Laps Completed 93.62%, 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, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 25.67
2024 Big track Grade: C
His Avg. Finish as well as the fact he got 1 Top 10 in the 3 Big tracks is pretty impressive, and his Avg. Driver Rating was actually decent. However, his stages and Laps in Top 15% were what kept his grade at a C.
- 2024 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 45 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 15.2(T12th), 25.17% of Laps ran in Top15(28th), Avg. Driver Rating 68.76(22nd), Best 5th, Worst 19th, Laps Completed 100%, Led 0.69% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 26.2
2024 Road Course Grade: C+
He finished all 5 races in the Top 20 which is really good and his Avg. Driver Rating was good too. However, with just 1 of those finishes being in the Top 15 and his Laps in Top 15% not being good he gets a C+ only.
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 48 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 22.0(30th), 18.01% of Laps ran in Top15(37th), Avg. Driver Rating 52.92(36th), Best 13th, Worst 35th, Laps Completed 85.47%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 26.92
2024 Superspeedway Grade: D+
He got 2 Top 15’s, but that was about the extent of the good from him on Superspeedways. However, his Laps in Top 15% wasn’t as awful as his teammate above so that is why he gets a D+.
Overview
– In his lone season with Spire Smith ended up 30th in Driver points
– Smith’s 2024 Avg. Finish, Completed Laps%, Laps in Top 15%, Avg. Driver Rating, Stage T10’s, Stage Pts, and Avg. Stage Finish all ranked 31st or worse in the 2024 Ranks above
– His playoffs were a little better than his overall 2024 stats, but he still wasn’t all that good
– He had no streaks (good or bad) that were 2+ in a row
– On Short tracks he barely even ran a lap in the Top 15 and was awful in terms of runs and finishes
– He ran a bit of laps in the Top 15 at Small tracks, but other than that these tracks were worse than Short tracks for him
– Smith didn’t run terrible on Intermediates, but wasn’t good, however he still got a few good finishes
– The finishes for Smith on Big tracks weren’t too bad and he actually didn’t run terrible on them
– Road Courses were his best track as he finished all 5 races in the Top 20 and his runs were decent-ish
– He didn’t always run or finish the best on Superspeedways, but he did get some Top 15’s
– In his lone season with Spire Smith ended up 30th in Driver points
– Smith’s 2024 Avg. Finish, Completed Laps%, Laps in Top 15%, Avg. Driver Rating, Stage T10’s, Stage Pts, and Avg. Stage Finish all ranked 31st or worse in the 2024 Ranks above
– His playoffs were a little better than his overall 2024 stats, but he still wasn’t all that good
– He had no streaks (good or bad) that were 2+ in a row
– On Short tracks he barely even ran a lap in the Top 15 and was awful in terms of runs and finishes
– He ran a bit of laps in the Top 15 at Small tracks, but other than that these tracks were worse than Short tracks for him
– Smith didn’t run terrible on Intermediates, but wasn’t good, however he still got a few good finishes
– The finishes for Smith on Big tracks weren’t too bad and he actually didn’t run terrible on them
– Road Courses were his best track as he finished all 5 races in the Top 20 and his runs were decent-ish
– He didn’t always run or finish the best on Superspeedways, but he did get some Top 15’s
Final Grade: D
Corey LaJoie – 33rd in Driver points/32nd in Owner points
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 23.72 | 33rd of 36 | 571st of 861 |
| Best Fin. | 4th | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 37th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 93.40% | 31st of 36 | T577th of 861 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 17.70 | 30th of 36 | 524th of 817‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 55.04 | 30th of 36 | 585th 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 | 1 | T24th of 62 | T468th of 1492 |
| Top 10’s | 3 | T32nd of 62 | T528th of 1492 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 22 | T29th of 36 | T640th of 861 |
| DNF’s¹ | 5 | T22nd of 36 | T526th 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 | 23.64 | 29th 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 ended up running the last 7 races with a tier 4 team which is what kept him from getting a D-, but still nothing in the stats above says he should get a good grade.
- 2024 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 5+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 24.5(31st), 22.56% of Laps ran in Top15(27th), Avg. Driver Rating 55.47(30th), Best 8th, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 85.05%, Led 0.3% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 5 Finishes out of Top 20, 3 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0 Stage T10’s, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 24.4, 0 Playoff Pts earned in races
2024 Playoff Grade: D
He ran most of the Playoffs with Rick Ware which is one reason why he doesn’t get a worse grade. However, another reason is that he got a Top 10 in the Playoffs and only finished half the races out of the Top 20.
- Notable Streaks this year
- none (best was 1 straight Top 5,10, Stage T10 and 1 straight DNF)
2024 Streaks Grade: F
He gets an F like his rookie teammate above because he at least had a Stage T10 where his teammate did not.
- 2024 Short track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 43 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 30.71(38th), 13.11% of Laps ran in Top15(32nd), Avg. Driver Rating 44.23(32nd), Best 21st, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 89.68%, Led 0.14% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 7 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.29 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 27.0
2024 Short track Grade: F
What got him an F is the fact he didn’t finish a single Short track race in the Top 20, that and he ran poor with a very very poor Avg. Finish.
- 2024 Small track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 44 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 28.2(T37th), 6.25% of Laps ran in Top15(34th), Avg. Driver Rating 45.04(35th), Best 21st, Worst 33rd, Laps Completed 92.73%, Led 2.27% 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 24.0
2024 Small track Grade: F
None of his stats are all that great, but his Avg. Stage Finish not being awful is what kept him at an F instead of F-.
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 49 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 22.4(T28th), 17.47% of Laps ran in Top15(30th), Avg. Driver Rating 53.59(31st), Best 9th, Worst 35th, Laps Completed 99.93%, Led 0.00% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 3 Top 15’s, 5 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.19 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 25.43
2024 Intermediate Grade: D
He almost got a D-, but the fact he got 3 Top 15’s with a Top 10 and only half his finishes were out of the Top 20 was enough to give him a D grade.
- 2024 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 21.67(T26th), 36.15% of Laps ran in Top15(20th), Avg. Driver Rating 63.87(20th), Best 14th, Worst 32nd, Laps Completed 86.68%, 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 15.33
2024 Big track Grade: C-
He didn’t have the best Avg. Finish, but his Avg. Stage Finish was pretty good as were his Laps in Top 15% and Avg. Driver Rating.
- 2024 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 45 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 21.4(23rd), 46.22% of Laps ran in Top15(19th), Avg. Driver Rating 64.1(26th), Best 8th, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 75.74%, Led 0.6% 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, 0.2 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 25.5
2024 Road Course Grade: C-
He ran a good amount of his laps in the Top 15 and got 1 Top 10 finish, but he also had more than half his finishes out of the Top 20 with a less than mediocre Avg. Driver Rating.
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 48 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 17.0(T11th), 36.58% of Laps ran in Top15(24th), Avg. Driver Rating 66.42(23rd), Best 4th, Worst 34th, Laps Completed 97.49%, Led 0.48% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 18.92
2024 Superspeedway Grade: C-
What got him this good of a grade is that he had 3 Top 15’s to 1 finish out of the Top 20 which led to a decent Avg. Finish.
Overview
– LaJoie ran most of the season for Spire Motorsports and with that ended up 33rd in Driver points and 32nd in Owner points
– LaJoie ended up having 7 of his 17 2024 Ranks above being 30th or worse
– He ended up running most of the Playoffs with a tier 4 team, but he was able to pull out 1 good finish while not finishing terrible too too often
– He had no streaks (good or bad) that were 2+ in a row
– His runs at Short tracks weren’t completely terrible, but his finishes were
– At Small tracks he finished 0 races in the Top 20 and he didn’t run well on the tracks either
– At Intermediates LaJoie was able to pull out a few good finishes without running too bad overall
– LaJoie’s Avg. Stage Finish was really good on Big tracks and he overall didn’t run or finish awful
– He almost ran half of his Road Course laps in the Top 15, but he still had more finishes out of the Top 20 than in the Top 15
– He had some good finishes on Superspeedways and his runs weren’t too bad either
– LaJoie ran most of the season for Spire Motorsports and with that ended up 33rd in Driver points and 32nd in Owner points
– LaJoie ended up having 7 of his 17 2024 Ranks above being 30th or worse
– He ended up running most of the Playoffs with a tier 4 team, but he was able to pull out 1 good finish while not finishing terrible too too often
– He had no streaks (good or bad) that were 2+ in a row
– His runs at Short tracks weren’t completely terrible, but his finishes were
– At Small tracks he finished 0 races in the Top 20 and he didn’t run well on the tracks either
– At Intermediates LaJoie was able to pull out a few good finishes without running too bad overall
– LaJoie’s Avg. Stage Finish was really good on Big tracks and he overall didn’t run or finish awful
– He almost ran half of his Road Course laps in the Top 15, but he still had more finishes out of the Top 20 than in the Top 15
– He had some good finishes on Superspeedways and his runs weren’t too bad either
Final Grade: D-
Spire Motorsports Overall Team Grade: D
JTG-Daugherty Racing Driver
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 25th in Driver points/25th in Owner points
| Category | Statistic | 2024 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 22.06 | 26th of 36 | T511th of 861 |
| Best Fin. | 1st | — | — |
| Worst Fin. | 37th | — | — |
| Completed Laps%¹ | 97.13% | 15th of 36 | 244th of 861 |
| Laps in Top15%¹ | 22.05 | 27th of 36 | 499th of 817‡ |
| Avg. Driver Rating¹ | 58.21 | 27th of 36 | 553rd of 817‡ |
| Wins | 1 | T8th of 62 | T163rd of 1492 |
| Poles | 0 | T16th of 62 | T297th of 1492 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T15th of 62 | T283rd of 1492 |
| Top 3’s | 1 | T18th of 62 | T357th of 1492 |
| Top 5’s | 3 | T19th of 62 | T349th of 1492 |
| Top 10’s | 6 | T22nd of 62 | T436th of 1492 |
| Finish out Top 20¹ | 22 | T29th of 36 | T640th of 861 |
| DNF’s¹ | 7 | T32nd of 36 | T706th of 861 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T24th of 62 | T137th of 514* |
| Stage T10s | 12 | T20th of 62 | T158th of 514* |
| Stage Pts | 47 | 23rd of 62 | T164th of 514* |
| Avg. Stage Fin.¹ | 22.14 | 27th of 36 | — |
| Playoff Pts² | 5 | T15th of 62 | T99th 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
His Win obviously helped him get the C grade, but what also helped was his 3 Top 5 finishes and 6 Top 10’s.
- 2024 Playoff Statistics (Avg. Fin. and Driver Rating rank among drivers with 5+ Playoff starts, 36 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 22.4(26th), 19.17% of Laps ran in Top15(29th), Avg. Driver Rating 59.03(27th), Best 1st, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 96.47%, Led 0.71% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 6 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 3 Stage T10’s, 1.0 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 22.95, 5 Playoff Pts earned in races
2024 Playoff Grade: C-
His stats are quite similar to his overall 2024 stats above, but his only Top 10 was his Win and he just ran a little bit worse. So, he gets a little bit worse grade at a C-.
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2 straight Stage T10’s
2024 Streaks Grade: C-
Daniel Suarez got a D+ for his 3 straight Top 10’s and 2 straight Stage T10’s, then Hocevar above got a C for the same streaks as Stenhouse since he was a rookie. So, Stenhouse gets a C-.
- 2024 Short track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 43 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 26.14(31st), 16.33% of Laps ran in Top15(30th), Avg. Driver Rating 50.9(30th), Best 5th, Worst 36th, Laps Completed 99.22%, Led 0.13% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 5 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 23.0
2024 Short track Grade: D-
What saved him from an F was his 1 Top 5 finish, but that was also his only Top 15 and 1 of just 2 finishes inside the Top 20 which is why he’s got such a bad grade.
- 2024 Small track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 44 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 23.2(31st), 33.24% of Laps ran in Top15(23rd), Avg. Driver Rating 58.18(26th), Best 7th, Worst 35th, Laps Completed 94.71%, 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, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.3 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 24.6
2024 Small track Grade: D+
He actually didn’t run too terribly bad on Small tracks, but his Avg. Finish wasn’t great and he got just 1 Top 15 finish. So, that’s why he got the D+ grade.
- 2024 Intermediate Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 49 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 23.8(33rd), 12.08% of Laps ran in Top15(33rd), Avg. Driver Rating 52.12(32nd), Best 16th, Worst 31st, Laps Completed 99.23%, 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, 8 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.14 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 25.62
2024 Intermediate Grade: F+
The only reason his grade is at an F+ is that he is on a tier 3 team because getting 0 Top 15’s with 8 of his 10 finishes coming out of the Top 20 is just not good.
- 2024 Big track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 19.0(T17th), 45.44% of Laps ran in Top15(17th), Avg. Driver Rating 67.9(17th), Best 11th, Worst 33rd, Laps Completed 92.5%, Led 0.41% of laps he ran, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 1.0 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 13.67
2024 Big track Grade: C+
A tier 3 team getting a 13.67 Avg. Stage Finish, 2 Top 15’s in 3 races, and having his Avg. Finish, Laps in Top 15%, and Avg. Driver Rating all rank 17th is pretty good. Good enough for a C+.
- 2024 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 45 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 22.2(T25th), 24.78% of Laps ran in Top15(30th), Avg. Driver Rating 56.88(29th), Best 6th, Worst 37th, Laps Completed 79.41%, 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, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.8 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 22.6
2024 Road Course Grade: D-
He ran less than a quarter of his laps in the Top 15 and didn’t have the best Avg. Finish, however he did have a Top 10 finish that kept him from an F+.
- 2024 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 48 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 14.83(7th), 40.26% of Laps ran in Top15(21st), Avg. Driver Rating 73.18(17th), Best 1st, Worst 33rd, Laps Completed 98.35%, Led 1.76% of laps he ran, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.25 Stage Pts Per Stage, Avg. Stage Finish 16.83
2024 Superspeedway Grade: A-
He had great finishes on Superspeedways this year, especially for a tier 3 team, but he didn’t run well enough on the tracks to get better than an A-.
Overview
– In JTG-Daugherty’s last year under that name Stenhouse was able to get them a 25th in Driver and Owner points
– 8 of Stenhouse’s 17 2024 Ranks above are T20th or better, including his Completed Laps% and Top 5 finishes
– His only Win this year came in the Playoffs, but overall he ran and finished worse in the Playoffs than he did in 2024 as a whole
– He was able to get 2 straight Top 10’s and 2 straight Stage T10’s this year
– His finishes overall weren’t good at Short tracks, but he did get one really good finish
– He was better on Small tracks than he was at Short tracks, but still wasn’t too good on them
– Intermediates were some of Stenhouse’s worst tracks as he got 0 Top 15’s and didn’t run well either
– Stenhouse’s runs and finishes on Big tracks were both impressive for a tier 3 team
– He was not good on Road Courses this year, but he did get a Top 10 finish in one of the races
– His runs on Superspeedways weren’t always terrific, but he made up for that with a Win and lots of good finishes
– In JTG-Daugherty’s last year under that name Stenhouse was able to get them a 25th in Driver and Owner points
– 8 of Stenhouse’s 17 2024 Ranks above are T20th or better, including his Completed Laps% and Top 5 finishes
– His only Win this year came in the Playoffs, but overall he ran and finished worse in the Playoffs than he did in 2024 as a whole
– He was able to get 2 straight Top 10’s and 2 straight Stage T10’s this year
– His finishes overall weren’t good at Short tracks, but he did get one really good finish
– He was better on Small tracks than he was at Short tracks, but still wasn’t too good on them
– Intermediates were some of Stenhouse’s worst tracks as he got 0 Top 15’s and didn’t run well either
– Stenhouse’s runs and finishes on Big tracks were both impressive for a tier 3 team
– He was not good on Road Courses this year, but he did get a Top 10 finish in one of the races
– His runs on Superspeedways weren’t always terrific, but he made up for that with a Win and lots of good finishes
Final Grade: C-
JTG-Daugherty Racing Overall Team Grade: C-
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.
