October 2026 : Building Speed

Are Recent Martinsville Winners More Likely to Win Now?

2026-10-30 dr. diandra 0

A lot of statistical analyses emphasize recent Martinsville winners. Most remind us of Hendrick Motorsports’ 31 wins. But I wonder whether people are over-emphasizing the importance of wins — or even recent wins? Is there any data that supports the idea that winning the last Martinsville race (like Chase Elliott) or the last Fall race (William Byron) gives those drivers higher likelihoods of winning this weekend? […]

Leading Laps Matters. Leading the Most Laps Doesn’t

2026-10-16 dr. diandra 0

People often cite leading laps as one requirement for a good driver. Laps led is one of the few stats that goes way back in terms of record keeping. Before loop data and transponders, races offered a limited number of things your could count. But who lead each lap was one of them. […]

An Alternative Metric for Rainy Days

2026-10-10 dr. diandra 0

I’ve said before that an alternative metric is needed because the current one penalizes drivers too severely for one bad race. The fourth rained-out qualifying session in six Chase races brings home the point. Some […]