Prior to the start of the 2023 FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400, the top four active ELO-rated Nascar Cup Series drivers were Hamlin, Truex, Buescher, and Keselowski.
- Denny Hamlin (2041)
- Martin Truex Jr (1954)
- Chris Buescher (1915)
- Brad Keselowski (1910)
Chris Buescher won back-to-back races Monday afternoon leading this quartet with Truex, Hamlin, and Keselowski next across the line. Having the ELO ratings point to the top finishers is promising as a predictive tool. In the off-season, I will work to put statistics around the actual predictability of the finishing positions based on drivers’ current ratings.
With three more pre-playoff races yet to run, the following is the playoff standings in Nascar playoff points order as of July 8th:
PROJECTED 2023 NASCAR PLAYOFF DRIVERS
| RANK | DRIVER | 2023 WINS | ELO RATING |
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr | 3 | 2023 |
| 2 | William Byron | 4 | 1576 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 2 | 2076 |
| 4 | Kyle Busch | 3 | 1608 |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | 2 | 1861 |
| 6 | Ross Chastain | 1 | 1788 |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | 1 | 1780 |
| 8 | Chris Buescher | 2 | 2006 |
| 9 | Tyler Reddick | 1 | 1660 |
| 10 | Ryan Blaney | 1 | 1778 |
| 11 | Joey Logano | 1 | 1825 |
| 12 | Kevin Harvick | 0 | 1920 |
| 13 | Brad Keselowski | 0 | 1975 |
| 14 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 1 | 1733 |
| 15 | Bubba Wallace | 0 | 1783 |
| 16 | Ty Gibbs | 0 | 1820 |
Erik Jones (1823) is now the highest ELO-rated driver outside of the playoff grid.
(sps – 2023-08-08)