The Super Low Tier – Darlington
Justin Haley – Justin Haley is starting in 20th, so he’ll be an anchor if you play DFS since the only way he has to move in the running order is backwards. This spring at Darlington, Haley was the top “Super Low Tier” performer and in the race he finished 28th and had a 28.2 average running position. That is Haley’s only career start in Cup at “The Lady In Black!” This year at high-wear intermediates, Haley has competed in all four races and has a 28.3 average finish. On Sunday, I would look for Haley to finish around the high 20’s.
BJ McLeod – At Daytona, BJ “No Crashes In 2021” McLeod came home 10th. Darlington will be a return to normalcy for him though, and by that I mean he’ll likely finish around 30th. In the seven races prior to Daytona he finished between 28th to 31st. This spring at Darlington, McLeod finished 32nd and had a 31.3 average running position. Last year at Darlington, he raced here twice and when the #78 team wasn’t as good he had results of 36th and 39th.
James Davison – Earlier this year at Darlington, James Davison finished 31st and had a 32.3 average running position. Last fall when he made his one other Darlington start he had an engine related DNF (39th). This year at high-wear intermediates minus Homestead where he had engine problems he’s 2 for 2 at finishing in the low 30’s. On Sunday, I would view Davison as a low to mid-thirties driver.
Josh Bilicki – At Darlington, Josh Bilicki has results of 33rd (2021), 32nd (2020 #3) and 34th (2020 #1) on his resume. On Sunday night, be prepared for more of the same and write him down as a low to mid-thirties driver.
Quin Houff – At Darlington over the last three races, Houff has a 29.0 average finish and he’s had a result between 26th to 31st every race. This spring, Houff finished 30th and had a 30.9 average running position. In 2020, Houff had finishes of 31st (race #3), 26th (Race #2) and 36th (Race #1, electrical problems). On Sunday, I’m going to view Houff as a low thirties driver.
Cody Ware – At Darlington, Cody Ware is 2 for 2 at getting DNF’s. This spring he had drive shaft problems (34th) and last fall in his one other start he crashed. Since Road America minus Indy where he crashed, Cody Ware has finished between 27th to 33rd every race. This year over the four high-wear intermediates visited, Ware has a 32.5 average finish.
Joey Gase – At Darlington, Joey Gase is likely the worst option you could pick from this weekend. Since he’s become essentially the full-time driver of the #15 for the remainder of the season he’s 2 for 2 at crashing. This season on the track minus the Daytona 500, Gase has finished 29th or worse every race and has a 33.6 average finish. On Sunday, I think he’s a low to mid-thirties driver, but I would lean more towards the mid-thirties and keep in mind there’s only going to be 37 cars on the track.
