Darlington Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Noah Gragson
Darlington Fantasy Outlook – Noah Gragson has been a great surprise in 2024, so let’s hope the good times continue and he has another in him. Gragson has three straight top tens heading into the weekend and minus misleading results at Atlanta, COTA and Bristol his average finish is 10.6. Gragson only has one Cup start here and personally, I wouldn’t read into it too much. With Gragson’s recent form, I’m going to view him as a teens driver heading into the weekend who might even have more upside.
Darlington Track History – Last spring at Darlington in his only Cup, Noah Gragson finished 26th and had a 26.6 average running position. In the Xfinity series over his last three races, Gragson has 2-wins and then in his other race he’s finished 2nd. Over his 7-starts in the lower series his overall average finish is 4th.

Erik Jones
Darlington Fantasy Outlook – Erik Jones is returning to action at Darlington, but I think he should be approached with caution. The two-time Darlington winner might just have a great performance but at what percent of his driving ability is he operating at? It’s hard to think he’s 100% considering he only missed two races for his injury. Practice on Saturday should be quite telling regarding him.
Darlington Track History – There’s “horses for courses”, and Darlington ranks as Erik Jones best track. Jones is a two-time winner and in 66% of his starts, he’s finished in the top 10. Last fall, Jones started 20th, finished 3rd in Stage #2, had a 10.2 average running position and then finished 10th overall. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Jones ranked 7th. Last spring, Jones was realistically a mid-to high-teens driver but at the start of Stage #2, he lost a wheel and then a “Big One” ensued which damaged the #43 and led to his 27th. Just prior to his demise, Jones finished around 17th in Stage #2. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Jones ranked 22nd. In fall 2022, the #43 was fast and when late attrition took out the #18 and #19, Jones was in position to take advantage of the situation and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Jones finished 8th in Stage #1, finished 9th in Stage #2, had a 7.5 average running position and led 23 laps. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Jones ranked 8th. In spring 2022, Jones was strong but finished an asterisk mark 25th. In the race, Jones finished 8th in Stage #1, finished 6th in Stage #2, had a 10.4 average running position and had the 9th best Total Speed Ranking. On lap 260 during a restart while he was running in 12th, Jones was caught up in a multi-car wreck.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Darlington Fantasy Outlook – At Darlington, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. might sneak in a respectable result. Stenhouse has been solid at Darlington in the Next Gen and in 3 of the 4 races he’s finished between 8th to 16th. I can’t say I would feel comfortable thinking he can pull that off again, but he might.
Darlington Track History – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has been solid in the results column at Darlington in recent races. In the Next Gen minus fall 2022 his average finish is 12.3 and his Next Gen Speed Ranking ranks 17th. In 2023, Stenhouse had a pair of teen finishes with his average finish being 14.5 for the season. Last fall, Stenhouse finished 16th and had the 18th best Total Speed Ranking. Last spring, Stenhouse had a solid showing. When the checkered flag waved, Stenhouse finished 13th, was tied for the 9th best Total Speed Ranking and had an 11.3 average running position. To make his finish even more impressive, take note he had a flat tire and spun while running in 9th early in the last Stage and got a speeding penalty during green flag pit stops around lap 250. In fall 2022, Stenhouse had problems early and finished 35th. In spring 2022, Stenhouse finished 8th courtesy of attrition but take note he had a 17.1 average running position and the 17th best Total Speed Ranking.

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