Darlington Goodyear 400 Fantasy NASCAR Mid-Pack Predictions / The Low Tier

Austin Cindric 
Darlington Fantasy Outlook – Austin Cindric has likely been better at Darlington then you’re thinking and in the Next Gen minus fall 2023, he’s 5 for 5 at finishing between 13th to 20th and has a 17.2 average finish. Of that range just provided, take note he had his best result last summer and finished 13th, so that’s encouraging. With the #2 having stepped up performance in 2025, I would look for Cindric to likely be a teens performer.
Darlington Track History – At Darlington as you just read, Cindric has typically been a teens to 20th place performer. Last fall, Cindric had his best Darlington result, finishing 13th, having a 24.7 average running position and then ranking 26th in terms of Total Speed Rankings. I’ll note, attrition did clearly help him and on lap 340 shortly before the late “Big One”, Cindric was in 22nd. Last spring, Cindric finished 20th, had a 19.9 average running position and ranked 22nd in terms of Total Speed Rankings. In summer 2023, Cindric was actually solid but finished a misleading 31st. On lap 226 while battling Ty Gibbs for 14th, he crashed and got heavy damage. “Performance Wise”, I would say he was legitimately a teens performer prior to his demise. Over the three races prior to that, Cindric had results of 19th, 16th and 18th.

Justin Haley
Darlington Fantasy Outlook – If you’re a believer in seasonal trends at tracks, Justin Haley should be on your radar. At Darlington in the Next Gen, Haley’s 3 for 3 at finishing in the top ten in spring races. I really don’t think he’ll keep that trend going, but yet he has. Overall in the Next Gen at Darlington, Justin Haley has a 15.0 average finish and ranks 27th in terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings.
Darlington Track History – As you just read, Justin Haley somehow has an affinity for sneaking in good spring results at Darlington, but I’ll quickly note, those all aren’t based on “Performance.” Last summer, Justin Haley was quite bad, finishing 27th, having a 30.8 average running position and then ranking 24th for Total Speed Rankings, Green Flag Speed and Speed Late In A Run. Last spring, Haley was solid. In the race, Haley started 28th, had a 19.9 average running position and then finished 9th. Haley slowly climbed up thru the running order all afternoon and that finish is legit. In summer 2023, Haley finished 24th. In spring 2023, Haley finished 8th but I wouldn’t read too much into that result. In the race, Haley had a 22.4 average running position and had the 29th best Total Speed Ranking. Haley benefited from attrition at the end and “Performance Wise”, he wasn’t any better than a high-teens performer. In fall 2022, Haley finished 19th and had a 22.1 average running position. In spring 2022, Haley finished 3rd, but that’s a fool’s gold result that was aided by attrition. In the race, Haley had a 21.2 average running position and the 22nd best Total Speed Ranking.

Todd Gilliland
Darlington Fantasy Outlook – Todd Gilliland has “Spring Seasonal Upside” at Darlington. Over his three spring races his average finish is 13.6 and over his three summer races his average finish is 23.6. Overall, Gilliland has an 18.7 average finish and the 26th best Next Gen Speed Ranking. Heading into the weekend, I’m willing to view him as having teens upside.
Darlington Track History – Todd Gilliland has been pretty solid at Darlington. Gilliland has finished between 11th to 17th in 4 of his 6 starts and his overall average finish is 18.7. Last fall, Gilliland was OK, finishing 17th, having a 16.8 average running position and ranking 13th in terms of Total Speed Rankings. To make his afternoon a little more impressive, Gilliland was even involved in a last Stage wreck. Last spring, Gilliland had a great performance. In the race, Gilliland finished 15th, had a 12.3 average running position and had the 12th best Total Speed Ranking. It was a legit good race. In fall 2023, Gilliland finished 26th, had a 27.2 average running position and his Total Speed Ranking ranked 34th. I’ll note, Gilliland was involved in a late accident, but he was only in the low 20’s at that time so I can’t say it hurt him too much. In spring 2023, Gilliland finished 11th. Keep in mind, the attrition rate was high, and that result doesn’t match his performance. In the race, Gilliland had a 20.0 average running position and the 21st best Total Speed Ranking. In 2022, Gilliland finished 28th in the summer and then 15th in the spring.

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