When it comes to top drivers at superspeedways in the top flight of NASCAR, a few names would come in the minds of the fans. There’s Ryan Blaney, who has 2 wins in the Next Gen era along with 3 finishes inside the Top 5. There’s also the name of Denny Hamlin who has won the Daytona 500 thrice in his career. One could also throw the names of drivers such as Chase Elliott or Joey Logano in the top drivers at superspeedways conversation.
But none of those names could top the driver who had the best average starting position at superspeedways in the 2023 season. That driver is Aric Almirola, and his average starting position at plate tracks in the recently concluded NASCAR season was 2.50. In fact, Almirola’s average start position on superspeedways was more than any other driver on any other type of racetrack.
The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver was followed by Joey Logano (5.33), who was just ahead of the current Cup champion Ryan Blaney (5.83). Kyle Larson (6.50) and Chase Briscoe (8.17) were the other two drivers who made the top 5 on this list.
It’s worth pointing out that 2023’s Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ranked third-worst on this list in 34th place (31.17),
Average starting position on Superspeedways in 2023 pic.twitter.com/PXF5zWvqkq
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) December 30, 2023
Some of the best NASCAR drivers of all time on superspeedways
It goes without saying that superspeedways are the essential ingredients of the NASCAR experience. So it’s only natural that the drivers who have tamed these really unpredictable racetracks the most are also in contention of being termed as the very best drivers in the history of the sport.
For instance, the driver who has the most wins at Talladega Superspeedway is none other than Dale Earnhardt Sr. The Intimidator won there 10 times in his career. That’s 4 more wins than Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr., and Brad Keselowski in 2nd place.
When it comes to the Daytona 500, the driver who has won it the most number of times is ‘The King’ of NASCAR, Richard Petty who won the Great American Race 7 times in his career. The only active driver who could become only second to Petty is Denny Hamlin who has 3 Daytona 500 wins to his name. One more win for Hamlin and he would equal Cale Yarborough (4).
The post Neither Ryan Blaney Nor Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart’s Former NASCAR Driver Tops Superspeedway List in 2023 appeared first on The SportsRush.
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